Frequent recombination events generate diversity within the multi-copy variant antigen gene families of Plasmodium falciparum
M Frank, L Kirkman, D Costantini, S Sanyal… - International journal for …, 2008 - Elsevier
The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum utilises a mechanism of antigenic
variation to avoid the antibody response of its human host and thereby generates a long-
term, persistent infection. This process predominantly results from systematic changes in
expression of the primary erythrocyte surface antigen, a parasite-produced protein called
PfEMP1 that is encoded by a repertoire of over 60 var genes in the P. falciparum genome.
var genes exhibit extensive sequence diversity, both within a single parasite's genome as …
variation to avoid the antibody response of its human host and thereby generates a long-
term, persistent infection. This process predominantly results from systematic changes in
expression of the primary erythrocyte surface antigen, a parasite-produced protein called
PfEMP1 that is encoded by a repertoire of over 60 var genes in the P. falciparum genome.
var genes exhibit extensive sequence diversity, both within a single parasite's genome as …