Physical Linkage to Drug Resistance Genes Results in Conservation of Var Genes Among West Pacific Plasmodium Falciparum Isolates

Overview

Journal J Infect Dis

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2006 Sep 9

PMID 16960782

Citations 6

Authors

Elizabeth V Fowler

Marina Chavchich

Nanhua Chen

Jennifer M Peters

Dennis E Kyle

Michelle L Gatton

Qin Cheng

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The multicopy var gene family encoding the variant surface antigen Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 is highly diverse, with little overlap between different P. falciparum isolates. We report 5 var genes (varS1-varS5) that are shared at relatively high frequency among 63 genetically diverse P. falciparum isolates collected from 5 islands in the West Pacific region. The varS1, varS2, and varS3 genes were localized to the internal region on chromosome 4, approximately 200 kb from pfdhfr-ts, whereas varS4 and varS5 were mapped to an internal region of chromosome 7, within 100 kb of pfcrt. The presence of varS2 and varS3 were significantly correlated with the pyrimethamine-resistant pfdhfr genotype, whereas varS4 was strongly correlated with the chloroquine-resistant pfcrt genotype. Thus, the conservation of these var genes is the result of their physical linkage with drug-resistant genes in combination with the antimalarial drug pressure in the region.

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