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Hviid L, Jensen AR, Deitsch KW. PfEMP1 and var genes - Still of key importance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria pathogenesis and immunity. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2024; 125:53-103. [PMID: 39095112 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
The most severe form of malaria, caused by infection with Plasmodium falciparum parasites, continues to be an important cause of human suffering and poverty. The P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family of clonally variant antigens, which mediates the adhesion of infected erythrocytes to the vascular endothelium in various tissues and organs, is a central component of the pathogenesis of the disease and a key target of the acquired immune response to malaria. Much new knowledge has accumulated since we published a systematic overview of the PfEMP1 family almost ten years ago. In this chapter, we therefore aim to summarize research progress since 2015 on the structure, function, regulation etc. of this key protein family of arguably the most important human parasite. Recent insights regarding PfEMP1-specific immune responses and PfEMP1-specific vaccination against malaria, as well as an outlook for the coming years are also covered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Hviid
- Centre for translational Medicine and Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet), Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Anja R Jensen
- Centre for translational Medicine and Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kirk W Deitsch
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
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2
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He Q, Chaillet JK, Labbé F. Antigenic strain diversity predicts different biogeographic patterns of maintenance and decline of antimalarial drug resistance. eLife 2024; 12:RP90888. [PMID: 38363295 PMCID: PMC10942604 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The establishment and spread of antimalarial drug resistance vary drastically across different biogeographic regions. Though most infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa, resistant strains often emerge in low-transmission regions. Existing models on resistance evolution lack consensus on the relationship between transmission intensity and drug resistance, possibly due to overlooking the feedback between antigenic diversity, host immunity, and selection for resistance. To address this, we developed a novel compartmental model that tracks sensitive and resistant parasite strains, as well as the host dynamics of generalized and antigen-specific immunity. Our results show a negative correlation between parasite prevalence and resistance frequency, regardless of resistance cost or efficacy. Validation using chloroquine-resistant marker data supports this trend. Post discontinuation of drugs, resistance remains high in low-diversity, low-transmission regions, while it steadily decreases in high-diversity, high-transmission regions. Our study underscores the critical role of malaria strain diversity in the biogeographic patterns of resistance evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixin He
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue UniversityWest LafayetteUnited States
| | - John K Chaillet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue UniversityWest LafayetteUnited States
| | - Frédéric Labbé
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
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3
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Ruybal-Pesántez S, McCann K, Vibin J, Siegel S, Auburn S, Barry AE. Molecular markers for malaria genetic epidemiology: progress and pitfalls. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:147-163. [PMID: 38129280 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Over recent years, progress in molecular markers for genotyping malaria parasites has enabled informative studies of epidemiology and transmission dynamics. Results have highlighted the value of these tools for surveillance to support malaria control and elimination strategies. There are many different types and panels of markers available for malaria parasite genotyping, and for end users, the nuances of these markers with respect to 'use case', resolution, and accuracy, are not well defined. This review clarifies issues surrounding different molecular markers and their application to malaria control and elimination. We describe available marker panels, use cases, implications for different transmission settings, limitations, access, cost, and data accuracy. The information provided can be used as a guide for molecular epidemiology and surveillance of malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shazia Ruybal-Pesántez
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK; Institute of Microbiology, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Kirsty McCann
- Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR), Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessy Vibin
- Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR), Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia; Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Alyssa E Barry
- Life Sciences Discipline, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Innovation in Infectious Disease and Immunology Research (CIIDIR), Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) and School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
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Tan MH, Tiedje KE, Feng Q, Zhan Q, Pascual M, Shim H, Chan YB, Day KP. A paradoxical population structure of var DBLα types in Africa. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.05.565723. [PMID: 37986738 PMCID: PMC10659346 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.05.565723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The var multigene family encodes the P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), which is important in host-parasite interaction as a virulence factor and major surface antigen of the blood stages of the parasite, responsible for maintaining chronic infection. Whilst important in the biology of P. falciparum, these genes (50 to 60 genes per parasite genome) are routinely excluded from whole genome analyses due to their hyper-diversity, achieved primarily through recombination. The PfEMP1 head structure almost always consists of a DBLα-CIDR tandem. Categorised into different groups (upsA, upsB, upsC), different head structures have been associated with different ligand-binding affinities and disease severities. We study how conserved individual DBLα types are at the country, regional, and local scales in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using publicly-available sequence datasets and a novel ups classification algorithm, cUps, we performed an in silico exploration of DBLα conservation through time and space in Africa. In all three ups groups, the population structure of DBLα types in Africa consists of variants occurring at rare, low, moderate, and high frequencies. Non-rare variants were found to be temporally stable in a local area in endemic Ghana. When inspected across different geographical scales, we report different levels of conservation; while some DBLα types were consistently found in high frequencies in multiple African countries, others were conserved only locally, signifying local preservation of specific types. Underlying this population pattern is the composition of DBLα types within each isolate DBLα repertoire, revealed to also consist of a mix of types found at rare, low, moderate, and high frequencies in the population. We further discuss the adaptive forces and balancing selection, including host genetic factors, potentially shaping the evolution and diversity of DBLα types in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mun Hua Tan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, AU
| | - Kathryn E Tiedje
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, AU
| | - Qian Feng
- School of Mathematics and Statistics / Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Qi Zhan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago; Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mercedes Pascual
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago; Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Heejung Shim
- School of Mathematics and Statistics / Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Yao-Ban Chan
- School of Mathematics and Statistics / Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Karen P Day
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, AU
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5
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Ghansah A, Tiedje KE, Argyropoulos DC, Onwona CO, Deed SL, Labbé F, Oduro AR, Koram KA, Pascual M, Day KP. Comparison of molecular surveillance methods to assess changes in the population genetics of Plasmodium falciparum in high transmission. FRONTIERS IN PARASITOLOGY 2023; 2:1067966. [PMID: 38031549 PMCID: PMC10686283 DOI: 10.3389/fpara.2023.1067966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
A major motivation for developing molecular methods for malaria surveillance is to measure the impact of control interventions on the population genetics of Plasmodium falciparum as a potential marker of progress towards elimination. Here we assess three established methods (i) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) barcoding (panel of 24-biallelic loci), (ii) microsatellite genotyping (panel of 12-multiallelic loci), and (iii) varcoding (fingerprinting var gene diversity, akin to microhaplotyping) to identify changes in parasite population genetics in response to a short-term indoor residual spraying (IRS) intervention. Typical of high seasonal transmission in Africa, multiclonal infections were found in 82.3% (median 3; range 1-18) and 57.8% (median 2; range 1-12) of asymptomatic individuals pre- and post-IRS, respectively, in Bongo District, Ghana. Since directly phasing multilocus haplotypes for population genetic analysis is not possible for biallelic SNPs and microsatellites, we chose ~200 low-complexity infections biased to single and double clone infections for analysis. Each genotyping method presented a different pattern of change in diversity and population structure as a consequence of variability in usable data and the relative polymorphism of the molecular markers (i.e., SNPs < microsatellites < var). Varcoding and microsatellite genotyping showed the overall failure of the IRS intervention to significantly change the population structure from pre-IRS characteristics (i.e., many diverse genomes of low genetic similarity). The 24-SNP barcode provided limited information for analysis, largely due to the biallelic nature of SNPs leading to a high proportion of double-allele calls and a view of more isolate relatedness compared to microsatellites and varcoding. Relative performance, suitability, and cost-effectiveness of the methods relevant to sample size and local malaria elimination in high-transmission endemic areas are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Ghansah
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Kathryn E. Tiedje
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Dionne C. Argyropoulos
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Christiana O. Onwona
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Samantha L. Deed
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Frédéric Labbé
- Department Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Abraham R. Oduro
- Navrongo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Navrongo, Ghana
| | - Kwadwo A. Koram
- Epidemiology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Mercedes Pascual
- Department Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, United States
| | - Karen P. Day
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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6
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Ruybal-Pesántez S, Sáenz FE, Deed SL, Johnson EK, Larremore DB, Vera-Arias CA, Tiedje KE, Day KP. Molecular epidemiology of continued Plasmodium falciparum disease transmission after an outbreak in Ecuador. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2023.1085862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
To better understand the factors underlying the continued incidence of clinical episodes of falciparum malaria in E-2025 countries targeting elimination, we characterized the molecular epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum disease transmission after a clonal outbreak in Ecuador. Here we study disease transmission by documenting the diversity and population structure of the major variant surface antigen of the blood stages of P. falciparum encoded by the var multigene family. We used a high-resolution genotyping method, “varcoding”, involving targeted amplicon sequencing to fingerprint the DBLα encoding region of var genes to describe both antigenic var diversity and var repertoire similarity or relatedness in parasite isolates from clinical cases. We identified nine genetic varcodes in 58 P. falciparum isolates causing clinical disease in 2013-2015. Network analyses revealed that four of the varcodes were highly related to the outbreak varcode, with identification of possible diversification of the outbreak parasites by recombination as seen in three of those varcodes. The majority of clinical cases in Ecuador were associated with parasites with highly related or recombinant varcodes to the outbreak clone and due to local transmission rather than recent importation of parasites from other endemic countries. Sharing of types in Ecuadorian varcodes to those sampled in South American varcodes reflects historical parasite importation of some varcodes, especially from Colombia and Peru. Our findings highlight the translational application of varcoding for outbreak surveillance in epidemic/unstable malaria transmission, such as in E-2025 countries, and point to the need for surveillance of local reservoirs of infection in Ecuador to achieve the malaria elimination goal by 2025.
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Tan MH, Shim H, Chan YB, Day KP. Unravelling var complexity: Relationship between DBLα types and var genes in Plasmodium falciparum. FRONTIERS IN PARASITOLOGY 2023; 1. [PMID: 36998722 PMCID: PMC10060044 DOI: 10.3389/fpara.2022.1006341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The enormous diversity and complexity of var genes that diversify rapidly by recombination has led to the exclusion of assembly of these genes from major genome initiatives (e.g., Pf6). A scalable solution in epidemiological surveillance of var genes is to use a small ‘tag’ region encoding the immunogenic DBLα domain as a marker to estimate var diversity. As var genes diversify by recombination, it is not clear the extent to which the same tag can appear in multiple var genes. This relationship between marker and gene has not been investigated in natural populations. Analyses of in vitro recombination within and between var genes have suggested that this relationship would not be exclusive. Using a dataset of publicly-available assembled var sequences, we test this hypothesis by studying DBLα-var relationships for four study sites in four countries: Pursat (Cambodia) and Mae Sot (Thailand), representing low malaria transmission, and Navrongo (Ghana) and Chikwawa (Malawi), representing high malaria transmission. In all study sites, DBLα-var relationships were shown to be predominantly 1-to-1, followed by a second largest proportion of 1-to-2 DBLα-var relationships. This finding indicates that DBLα tags can be used to estimate not just DBLα diversity but var gene diversity when applied in a local endemic area. Epidemiological applications of this result are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mun Hua Tan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Heejung Shim
- School of Mathematics and Statistics/Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Yao-ban Chan
- School of Mathematics and Statistics/Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Karen P. Day
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- CORRESPONDENCE Karen P. Day,
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8
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Adderley J, Boulet C, McCann K, McHugh E, Ioannidis LJ, Yeoh LM. Advances in Plasmodium research, an update: highlights from the Malaria in Melbourne 2021 conference. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 250:111487. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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9
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Kunasol C, Dondorp AM, Batty EM, Nakhonsri V, Sinjanakhom P, Day NPJ, Imwong M. Comparative analysis of targeted next-generation sequencing for Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance markers. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5563. [PMID: 35365711 PMCID: PMC8974807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09474-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Well-defined molecular resistance markers are available for a range of antimalarial drugs, and molecular surveillance is increasingly important for monitoring antimalarial drug resistance. Different genotyping platforms are available, but these have not been compared in detail. We compared Targeted Amplicon Deep sequencing (TADs) using Ion Torrent PGM with Illumina MiSeq for the typing of antimalarial drug resistance genes. We developed and validated protocols to type the molecular resistance markers pfcrt, pfdhfr, pfdhps, pfmdr1, pfkelch, and pfcytochrome b, in Plasmodium falciparum for the Ion Torrent PGM and Illumina MiSeq sequencing platforms. With P. falciparum 3D7 and K1 as reference strains, whole blood samples (N = 20) and blood spots from Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) samples (N = 5) from patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria from Ubon Ratchathani were assessed on both platforms and compared for coverage (average reads per amplicon), sequencing accuracy, variant accuracy, false positive rate, false negative rate, and alternative allele detection, with conventional Sanger sequencing as the reference method for SNP calling. Both whole blood and RDT samples could be successfully sequenced using the Ion Torrent PGM and Illumina MiSeq platforms. Coverage of reads per amplicon was higher with Illumina MiSeq (28,886 reads) than with Ion Torrent PGM (1754 reads). In laboratory generated artificial mixed infections, the two platforms could detect the minor allele down to 1% density at 500X coverage. SNPs calls from both platforms were in complete agreement with conventional Sanger sequencing. The methods can be multiplexed with up to 96 samples per run, which reduces cost by 86% compared to conventional Sanger sequencing. Both platforms, using the developed TAD protocols, provide an accurate method for molecular surveillance of drug resistance markers in P. falciparum, but Illumina MiSeq provides higher coverage than Ion Torrent PGM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanon Kunasol
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.,Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Arjen M Dondorp
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Elizabeth M Batty
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Vorthunju Nakhonsri
- National Biobank of Thailand (NBT), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 144 Innovation Cluster 2 Building (INC) Tower A, Thailand Science Park, Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Puritat Sinjanakhom
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Nicholas P J Day
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mallika Imwong
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Bangkok, 10400, Thailand. .,Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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10
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Feng Q, Tiedje KE, Ruybal-Pesántez S, Tonkin-Hill G, Duffy MF, Day KP, Shim H, Chan YB. An accurate method for identifying recent recombinants from unaligned sequences. Bioinformatics 2022; 38:1823-1829. [PMID: 35025988 PMCID: PMC8963311 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Motivation
Recombination is a fundamental process in molecular evolution, and the identification of recombinant sequences is thus of major interest. However, current methods for detecting recombinants are primarily designed for aligned sequences. Thus they struggle with analyses of highly diverse genes, such as the var genes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which are known to diversify primarily through recombination.
Results
We introduce an algorithm to detect recent recombinant sequences from a dataset without a full multiple alignment. Our algorithm can handle thousands of gene-length sequences without the need for a reference panel. We demonstrate the accuracy of our algorithm through extensive numerical simulations; in particular, it maintains its effectiveness in the presence of insertions and deletions. We apply our algorithm to a dataset of 17,335 DBLα types in var genes from Ghana, observing that sequences belonging to the same ups group or domain subclass recombine amongst themselves more frequently, and that non-recombinant DBLα types are more conserved than recombinant ones.
Availability
Source code is freely available at https://github.com/qianfeng2/detREC_program.
Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Feng
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics/School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Kathryn E Tiedje
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Shazia Ruybal-Pesántez
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Gerry Tonkin-Hill
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Bioinformatics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Michael F Duffy
- Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Karen P Day
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Heejung Shim
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics/School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Yao-Ban Chan
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics/School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
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11
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Chaudhry S, Singh V. A systematic review on genetic diversity of var gene DBL1α domain from different geographical regions in Plasmodium falciparum isolates. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 95:105049. [PMID: 34450294 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.105049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background The major variant surface antigen (VSA) in Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) encoded by var gene family has an important role in cytoadhesion/sequestration and rosetting by adhesion of uninfected erythrocytes to infected erythrocytes leading to disease severity. DBL1α domain in the PfEMP-1, protein is crucial in the cytoadhesion phenomena in P. falciparum infections and this review aims to analyse the genetic diversity of DBL1α domain sequences in PfEMP-1 from different geographical regions globally. Methods All available DBL1α sequence data was reviewed by using the electronic database PubMed, ResearchGate, Google, Google scholar, MEDLINE with the following Keywords-Plasmodium falciparum", "var gene", "DBL1α", "field isolate", "diversity", "polymorphism", "Africa", "America", "Asia" and "Caribbean" from different geographical regions across the world. Results A total of 240 studies were identified initially but only 20 studies qualified for this systematic review. The overall ratio of distinct sequences DBL1α domain was 24.62/1167 the highest in African region (33.59/766 isolates) and lowest in South America (5.6/215 isolates). In the 18 included studies, the presence of distinct DBL1α sequences was the highest in Oceania 55.32% (1186/2144) followed by Africa (38.43%), Asia (22.45%) and South America (16.48%), though the sample size in Oceania was comparatively smaller to that of Africa and South America. Conclusion This review highlights the ratio and percentage of distinct sequences of DBL1α domain of var gene in different geographical regions giving an idea of the existing diversity prevalent in this potential vaccine target gene which may contribute to designing the preventive measures towards disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shewta Chaudhry
- Cell Biology Laboratory and Malaria Parasite Bank, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Vineeta Singh
- Cell Biology Laboratory and Malaria Parasite Bank, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.
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12
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Tonkin-Hill G, Ruybal-Pesántez S, Tiedje KE, Rougeron V, Duffy MF, Zakeri S, Pumpaibool T, Harnyuttanakorn P, Branch OH, Ruiz-Mesía L, Rask TS, Prugnolle F, Papenfuss AT, Chan YB, Day KP. Evolutionary analyses of the major variant surface antigen-encoding genes reveal population structure of Plasmodium falciparum within and between continents. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009269. [PMID: 33630855 PMCID: PMC7906310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a major public health problem in many countries. Unlike influenza and HIV, where diversity in immunodominant surface antigens is understood geographically to inform disease surveillance, relatively little is known about the global population structure of PfEMP1, the major variant surface antigen of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The complexity of the var multigene family that encodes PfEMP1 and that diversifies by recombination, has so far precluded its use in malaria surveillance. Recent studies have demonstrated that cost-effective deep sequencing of the region of var genes encoding the PfEMP1 DBLα domain and subsequent classification of within host sequences at 96% identity to define unique DBLα types, can reveal structure and strain dynamics within countries. However, to date there has not been a comprehensive comparison of these DBLα types between countries. By leveraging a bioinformatic approach (jumping hidden Markov model) designed specifically for the analysis of recombination within var genes and applying it to a dataset of DBLα types from 10 countries, we are able to describe population structure of DBLα types at the global scale. The sensitivity of the approach allows for the comparison of the global dataset to ape samples of Plasmodium Laverania species. Our analyses show that the evolution of the parasite population emerging out of Africa underlies current patterns of DBLα type diversity. Most importantly, we can distinguish geographic population structure within Africa between Gabon and Ghana in West Africa and Uganda in East Africa. Our evolutionary findings have translational implications in the context of globalization. Firstly, DBLα type diversity can provide a simple diagnostic framework for geographic surveillance of the rapidly evolving transmission dynamics of P. falciparum. It can also inform efforts to understand the presence or absence of global, regional and local population immunity to major surface antigen variants. Additionally, we identify a number of highly conserved DBLα types that are present globally that may be of biological significance and warrant further characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerry Tonkin-Hill
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Bioinformatics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Shazia Ruybal-Pesántez
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kathryn E. Tiedje
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Virginie Rougeron
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Michael F. Duffy
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sedigheh Zakeri
- Malaria and Vector Research Group (MVRG), Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tepanata Pumpaibool
- Biomedical Science, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Malaria Research Programme, College of Public Health Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Pongchai Harnyuttanakorn
- Malaria Research Programme, College of Public Health Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - OraLee H. Branch
- Concordia University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana, Iquitos, Perú
| | | | - Thomas S. Rask
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Franck Prugnolle
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier-CNRS-IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Anthony T. Papenfuss
- Bioinformatics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Australia
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Yao-ban Chan
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Karen P. Day
- School of BioSciences, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bio21 Institute and Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Rougeron V, Tiedje KE, Chen DS, Rask TS, Gamboa D, Maestre A, Musset L, Legrand E, Noya O, Yalcindag E, Renaud F, Prugnolle F, Day KP. Evolutionary structure of Plasmodium falciparum major variant surface antigen genes in South America: Implications for epidemic transmission and surveillance. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:9376-9390. [PMID: 29187975 PMCID: PMC5696401 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Strong founder effects resulting from human migration out of Africa have led to geographic variation in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites (MS) of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. This is particularly striking in South America where two major founder populations of P. falciparum have been identified that are presumed to have arisen from the transatlantic slave trade. Given the importance of the major variant surface antigen of the blood stages of P. falciparum as both a virulence factor and target of immunity, we decided to investigate the population genetics of the genes encoding “Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1” (PfEMP1) among several countries in South America, in order to evaluate the transmission patterns of malaria in this continent. Deep sequencing of the DBLα domain of var genes from 128 P. falciparum isolates from five locations in South America was completed using a 454 high throughput sequencing protocol. Striking geographic variation in var DBLα sequences, similar to that seen for SNPs and MS markers, was observed. Colombia and French Guiana had distinct var DBLα sequences, whereas Peru and Venezuela showed an admixture. The importance of such geographic variation to herd immunity and malaria vaccination is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Rougeron
- Department of Microbiology Division of Parasitology New York University School of Medicine New York NY USA.,MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290/IRD 224 Université Montpellier 1 Université Montpellier 2 Montpellier France
| | - Kathryn E Tiedje
- Department of Microbiology Division of Parasitology New York University School of Medicine New York NY USA.,School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute/University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Donald S Chen
- Department of Microbiology Division of Parasitology New York University School of Medicine New York NY USA
| | - Thomas S Rask
- Department of Microbiology Division of Parasitology New York University School of Medicine New York NY USA.,School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute/University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander Von Humboldt and Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofia Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Lima Peru
| | - Amanda Maestre
- Grupo Salud y Comunidad Facultad de Medicina Universidad de Antioquía Medellín Colombia
| | - Lise Musset
- Parasitology UnitInstitut Pasteur de Guyane Cayenne Cedex French Guiana
| | - Eric Legrand
- Parasitology UnitInstitut Pasteur de Guyane Cayenne Cedex French Guiana.,Unit of Genetics and Genomics on Insect Vectors Institut Pasteur Paris France
| | - Oscar Noya
- Centro para Estudios Sobre Malaria Instituto de Altos Estudios en Salud "Dr. Arnoldo Gabaldón" Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Salud and Instituto de Medicina Tropical Universidad Central de Venezuela Caracas Venezuela
| | - Erhan Yalcindag
- MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290/IRD 224 Université Montpellier 1 Université Montpellier 2 Montpellier France
| | - François Renaud
- MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290/IRD 224 Université Montpellier 1 Université Montpellier 2 Montpellier France
| | - Franck Prugnolle
- MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290/IRD 224 Université Montpellier 1 Université Montpellier 2 Montpellier France
| | - Karen P Day
- Department of Microbiology Division of Parasitology New York University School of Medicine New York NY USA.,School of BioSciences Bio21 Institute/University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
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