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Frequency of cross-fertilization in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

L. C. Ranford-Cartwright ,
P. Balfe ,
R. Carter  and
D. Walliker
L. C. Ranford-Cartwright
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JN
P. Balfe
Affiliation:
Division of Virology, University College London Medical School, Windeyer Building, Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB
R. Carter
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JN
D. Walliker
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JN
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Summary

Two clones of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, denoted 3D7 and HB3, were grown in vitro under conditions permitting the development of gametocytes. The two clones differ in their allelic forms of two antigen genes MSP1 and MSP2. The alleles can be distinguished as size differences of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified fragments of repetitive regions of each gene. Mosquitoes (Anopheles stephensi) were fed on a mixture of these gametocytes. A total of 128 oocysts was isolated from the midguts of infected mosquitoes from 9 crossing experiments between the clones. DNA extracted from these oocysts was amplified by PCR. Oocysts which contained both alleles of each gene (MSP1 and MSP2) had developed from heterozygotes produced by cross-fertilization events between 3D7 and HB3 gametes. The remaining oocysts contained single alleles of each gene, in parent clone combinations, and these had developed from homozygotes formed by self-fertilizations. The results suggest that gametes in the original mixture fed to mosquitoes had undergone random mating.

Keywords

Plasmodium falciparumcross-fertilizationoocystsmosquitoes
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 107 , Issue 1 , July 1993 , pp. 11 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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