%0 Journal Article
%T Rapid turnover of Plasmodium falciparum var gene transcripts and genotypes during natural non-symptomatic infections
%A Wunderlich
%A Gerhard
%A Alves
%A Fabiana P.
%A GŁżlnitz
%A Uta
%A Tada
%A Mauro S.
%A Camargo
%A Erney F.P. de
%A Pereira-da-Silva
%A Luiz H.
%J Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de SŁżo Paulo
%D 2005
%I Instituto de Medicina Tropical
%R 10.1590/S0036-46652005000400004
%X the var genes of plasmodium falciparum code for the antigenically variant erythrocyte membrane proteins 1 (pfemp1), a major factor for cytoadherence and immune escape of the parasite. herein, we analyzed the var gene transcript turnover in two ongoing, non-symptomatic infections at sequential time points during two weeks. the number of different circulating genomes was estimated by microsatellite analyses. in both infections, we observed a rapid turnover of plasmodial genotypes and var transcripts. the rapidly changing repertoire of var transcripts could have been caused either by swift elimination of circulating var-transcribing parasites stemming from different or identical genetic backgrounds, or by accelerated switching of var gene transcription itself.
%K plasmodium falciparum
%K switching
%K antigenic variation
%K pfemp1.
%U http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0036-46652005000400004&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en