IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-62680-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Worldwide genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax Pv47 is consistent with natural selection by anopheline mosquitoes

Author

Listed:
  • Alvaro Molina-Cruz

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Lilia Gonzalez-Ceron

    (Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública)

  • Ankit Dwivedi

    (University of Maryland School of Medicine)

  • Tran Zen B. Torres

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Nadia Raytselis

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Micah Young

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Nitin Kamath

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Colton McNinch

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Xinzhuan Su

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Anthony Ford

    (University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    University of North Carolina at Charlotte
    University of North Carolina at Charlotte)

  • Marcelo U. Ferreira

    (University of São Paulo
    NOVA University of Lisbon)

  • Myriam Arévalo-Herrera

    (Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center)

  • Sócrates Herrera

    (Malaria Vaccine and Drug Development Center)

  • Eugenia Lo

    (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)

  • Joana C. Silva

    (University of Maryland School of Medicine)

  • Carolina Barillas-Mury

    (National Institutes of Health)

Abstract

Pv47 is the Plasmodium vivax ortholog of Pfs47, a protein that allows the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite to evade mosquito immunity and adapt to diverse vectors. We analyzed global genetic diversity of Pv47 and compared it with Pfs47, finding that most common Pv47 polymorphisms are non-synonymous and cluster in regions similar to those in Pfs47. Pv47 domain 2 presents an excess of non-synonymous substitutions, suggesting positive selection. The greatest haplotype diversity is found in Pv47 from East/Southeast Asia and Oceania. Like Pfs47, Pv47 also exhibits a marked geographic population structure worldwide. Notably, a Pv47 polymorphism (K27E) is associated to differences in infectivity to Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albimanus and Anopheles pseudopunctipennis, two phylogenetically distant vectors in Mexico. The striking similarities in genetic diversity, population structure, and signatures of natural selection between Pv47 and Pfs47 suggest that adaptation to different Anopheline mosquito species drives Pv47 diversity by selecting compatible Pv47 haplotypes.

Suggested Citation

  • Alvaro Molina-Cruz & Lilia Gonzalez-Ceron & Ankit Dwivedi & Tran Zen B. Torres & Nadia Raytselis & Micah Young & Nitin Kamath & Colton McNinch & Xinzhuan Su & Anthony Ford & Marcelo U. Ferreira & Myri, 2025. "Worldwide genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax Pv47 is consistent with natural selection by anopheline mosquitoes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-62680-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62680-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62680-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-62680-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-62680-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.