Anopheles immune genes and amino acid sites evolving under the effect of positive selection.
Abstract
It has long been the goal of vector biology to generate genetic knowledge that can be used to "manipulate" natural populations of vectors to eliminate or lessen disease burden. While long in coming, progress towards reaching this goal has been made. Aiming to increase our understanding regarding the interactions between Plasmodium and the Anopheles immune genes, we investigated the patterns of genetic diversity of four anti-Plasmodium genes in the Anopheles gambiae complex of species. Within a comparative phylogenetic and population genetics framework, the evolutionary history of four innate immunity genes within the An. gambiae complex (including the two most important human malaria vectors, An. gambiae and An. arabiensis) is reconstructed. The effect of natural selection in shaping the genes' diversity is examined. Introgression and retention of ancestral polymorphisms are relatively rare at all loci. Despite the potential confounding effects of these processes, we could identify sites that exhibited dN/dS ratios greater than 1. In two of the studied genes, CLIPB14 and FBN8, several sites indicated evolution under positive selection, with CLIPB14 exhibiting the most consistent evidence. Considering only the sites that were co...Continue Reading
References
The molecular evolution of four anti-malarial immune genes in the Anopheles gambiae species complex.
Citations
Molecular population genetics of the NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) gene in Anopheles minimus
Susceptibility of Anopheles sinensis to Plasmodium vivax in malarial outbreak areas of central China
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