Evolution of P. vivax and P. vivax-like DBPs

Species very close genetically to P. vivax were recently discovered by the SHAPE team of the MiVEGEC laboratory, in African great apes (gorillas, Gorilla gorilla and chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes troglodytes), called Plasmodium vivax-like 1 and Plasmodium vivax-like 2. The team generated the first reference genomes of these new species, and was also able to demonstrate the functional existence (unspecified gene and absence of STOP codon in the coding sequence) in P. vivax-like 1 and P. vivax-like 2 of the ligand protein DBP. In this context, the aim of the current project is to better understand and evaluate the role of the DBP ligand proteins of P. vivax and the two P. vivax-like species during the invasion of red blood cells of their respective vertebrate hosts.