A superfamily of variant genes encoded in the subtelomeric region of Plasmodium vivax.
Nature
; 410(6830): 839-42, 2001 Apr 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11298455
The malarial parasite Plasmodium vivax causes disease in humans, including chronic infections and recurrent relapses, but the course of infection is rarely fatal, unlike that caused by Plasmodium falciparum. To investigate differences in pathogenicity between P. vivax and P. falciparum, we have compared the subtelomeric domains in the DNA of these parasites. In P. falciparum, subtelomeric domains are conserved and contain ordered arrays of members of multigene families, such as var, rif and stevor, encoding virulence determinants of cytoadhesion and antigenic variation. Here we identify, through the analysis of a continuous 155,711-base-pair sequence of a P. vivax chromosome end, a multigene family called vir, which is specific to P. vivax. The vir genes are present at about 600-1,000 copies per haploid genome and encode proteins that are immunovariant in natural infections, indicating that they may have a functional role in establishing chronic infection through antigenic variation.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Plasmodium vivax
/
Genes de Protozoários
Limite:
Adult
/
Animals
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nature
Ano de publicação:
2001
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil
País de publicação:
Reino Unido