TY - JOUR
T1 - Evidence for negative selection on the gene encoding rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1) in Plasmodium spp.
AU - Pacheco, M. Andreína
AU - Ryan, Elizabeth M.
AU - Poe, Amanda C.
AU - Basco, Leonardo
AU - Udhayakumar, Venkatachalam
AU - Collins, Williams E.
AU - Escalante, Ananias A.
N1 - Funding Information:
AA Escalante is supported by the grant R01GM080586 from the National Institute of Health . We thank John Barnwell, Omar E. Cornejo, and Andrea McCollum for valuable comments that improved this manuscript.
PY - 2010/7
Y1 - 2010/7
N2 - Assessing how natural selection, negative or positive, operates on genes with low polymorphism is challenging. We investigated the genetic diversity of orthologous genes encoding the rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1), a low polymorphic protein of malarial parasites that is involved in erythrocyte invasion. We applied evolutionary genetic methods to study the polymorphism in RAP-1 from Plasmodium falciparum (n=32) and Plasmodium vivax (n=6), the two parasites responsible for most human malaria morbidity and mortality, as well as RAP-1 orthologous in closely related malarial species found in non-human primates (NHPs). Overall, genes encoding RAP-1 are highly conserved in all Plasmodium spp. included in this investigation. We found no evidence for natural selection, positive or negative, acting on the gene encoding RAP-1 in P. falciparum or P. vivax. However, we found evidence that the orthologous genes in non-human primate parasites (Plasmodium cynomolgi, Plasmodium inui, and Plasmodium knowlesi) are under purifying (negative) selection. We discuss the importance of considering negative selection while studying genes encoding proteins with low polymorphism and how selective pressures may differ among orthologous genes in closely related malarial parasites species.
AB - Assessing how natural selection, negative or positive, operates on genes with low polymorphism is challenging. We investigated the genetic diversity of orthologous genes encoding the rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1), a low polymorphic protein of malarial parasites that is involved in erythrocyte invasion. We applied evolutionary genetic methods to study the polymorphism in RAP-1 from Plasmodium falciparum (n=32) and Plasmodium vivax (n=6), the two parasites responsible for most human malaria morbidity and mortality, as well as RAP-1 orthologous in closely related malarial species found in non-human primates (NHPs). Overall, genes encoding RAP-1 are highly conserved in all Plasmodium spp. included in this investigation. We found no evidence for natural selection, positive or negative, acting on the gene encoding RAP-1 in P. falciparum or P. vivax. However, we found evidence that the orthologous genes in non-human primate parasites (Plasmodium cynomolgi, Plasmodium inui, and Plasmodium knowlesi) are under purifying (negative) selection. We discuss the importance of considering negative selection while studying genes encoding proteins with low polymorphism and how selective pressures may differ among orthologous genes in closely related malarial parasites species.
KW - Genetic diversity
KW - Malaria
KW - Merozoite
KW - Negative selection
KW - Plasmodium
KW - Positive selection
KW - RAP-1
KW - Rhoptry
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U2 - 10.1016/j.meegid.2010.03.013
DO - 10.1016/j.meegid.2010.03.013
M3 - Article
C2 - 20363375
AN - SCOPUS:77953233047
SN - 1567-1348
VL - 10
SP - 655
EP - 661
JO - Infection, Genetics and Evolution
JF - Infection, Genetics and Evolution
IS - 5
ER -