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Apical membrane antigen-1 of Plasmodium falciparum (PfAMA-1) is a leading malaria vaccine candidate antigen. However, the genetic diversity of pfama-1 and associated antigenic variation in global P. falciparum field isolates are major hurdles to the design of an efficacious vaccine formulated with this antigen. Here, we analyzed the genetic structure and the natural selection of pfama-1 in the P. falciparum population of Vietnam. A total of 37 distinct haplotypes were found in 131 P. falciparum Vietnamese isolates. Most amino acid changes detected in Vietnamese pfama-1 were localized in the ectodomain, domains I, II, and III. Overall patterns of major amino acid changes in Vietnamese pfama-1 were similar to those of global pfama-1, but the frequencies of the amino acid changes slightly differed by country. Novel amino acid changes were also identified in Vietnamese pfama-1. Vietnamese pfama-1 revealed relatively lower genetic diversity than currently analyzed pfama-1 in other geographical regions, and suggested a distinct genetic differentiation pattern. Evidence for natural selection was detected in Vietnamese pfama-1, but it showed purifying selection unlike the global pfama-1 analyzed so far. Recombination events were also found in Vietnamese pfama-1. Major amino acid changes that were commonly identified in global pfama-1 were mainly localized to predicted B-cell epitopes, RBC-binding sites, and IUR regions. These results provide important information for understanding the genetic nature of the Vietnamese pfama-1 population, and have significant implications for the design of a vaccine based on PfAMA-1.

Genetic Polymorphism and Natural Selection of Apical Membrane Antigen-1 in Plasmodium falciparum Isolates from Vietnam