On the evolutionary history of the circumsporozoite protein in plasmodia |
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Authors: | L di Giovanni A H Cochrane V Enea |
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Affiliation: | Department of Medical and Molecular Parasitology, New York University Medical Center, New York 10010. |
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Abstract: | We report the complete nucleotide sequence of the circumsporozoite (CS) gene of Plasmodium brasilianum and present an analysis of its evolutionary profile. Despite the lack of a reliable time scale, the analysis of the number and distribution of fixations among seven taxa provides a first glimpse of the evolutionary history of the CS gene, and suggests that the branching events of this gene are completely unconnected with--and far precede in time--the speciation event of the parasite's vertebrate hosts. |
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