Research articles
ScienceAsia 51 (2023): 1-9 |doi:
10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2023.035
Genetic analysis of glutathione synthetase of Plasmodium
falciparum, a potential candidate for antimalarial drug
development
Phumin Simpalipana, Sittiporn Pattaradilokratb, Vorthon Sawaswongc,d, Korawich Uthayopase,
Kittima Phutthawongb, Pongchai Harnyuttanakornb,*
ABSTRACT: Glutathione synthetase (GS) is an enzyme involved in the synthesis of glutathione, a molecule protecting
the parasite from heme-inducedcelldamageandpotentiallyaffectingantimalarial drugresponses. Currently, the design
of in silico assay for chemical screen is impeded due to the lack of complete gene sequences from endemic populations
of malaria parasites. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of the gs gene in P. falciparum populations
in Thailand and worldwide. The catalog of the gs gene of P. falciparum was generated, consisting of sequences of 223
P. falciparum isolates from 15 countries. Population genetic analyses were conducted using the sequences of gs in the
database to reveal the allelic and nucleotide diversity. In addition, the neutrality tests were performed to determine
the evidence of natural selection. The analysis of the gs sequences in the database identified 55 unique haplotypes,
characterized by 41 SNPs and 1 indel mutation. The most common gs haplotype was the gs1 which was found in all
P. falciparum populations. Sequence analysis also revealed low genetic diversity at the gs locus, likely due to negative
selection. In conclusion, the present study establishes the catalog of P. falciparum gs gene and provides basic genetic
diversity information for antimalarial drug design and for monitoring the effects of antimalarial drugs on parasite
populations.
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| a |
Zoology PhD Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 Thailand |
| b |
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 Thailand |
| c |
Center of Excellence in Systems Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine,
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330 Thailand |
| d |
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400 Thailand |
| e |
School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia |
* Corresponding author, E-mail: pongchai.h@chula.ac.th
Received 14 Feb 2024, Accepted 31 Jan 2025
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