Genetic Diversity and Population Genetic Structure Analysis of Plasmodium knowlesi Thrombospondin-Related Apical Merozoite Protein (TRAMP) in Clinical Samples.

ABSTRACT: The simian malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi causes a high number of zoonotic infections in Malaysia. The thrombospondin-related apical merozoite protein (TRAMP) is an essential ligand for binding to the erythrocyte cell surface, whereby it facilitates the invasion. This study is the first attempt to determine the genetic diversity, phylogeography, natural selection and population structure from 97 full-length PkTRAMP gene sequences originating from Malaysia. We found low levels of nucleotide diversity (π~0.0065) for the full-length gene despite samples originating from geographically separated regions (i.e., Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo). The rate of synonymous substitutions was significantly higher than that of non-synonymous substitutions, indicating a purif

SUBMITTER: Ahmed MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9689803 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature