TOWARD A HIGH-RESOLUTION PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM LINKAGE MAP - POLYMORPHIC MARKERS FROM HUNDREDS OF SIMPLE SEQUENCE REPEATS

A total of 507 simple sequence repeats (SSRs or ''microsatellites'') w ere identified from Plasmodium falciparum sequences in GenBank and fro m inserts in a genomic DNA library. Oligonucleotide primers from seque nces that flank 224 of these SSRs were synthesized and used in PCR ass ays to test for simple sequence length polymorphisms (SSLPs). Of the 2 24 SSRs, 188 showed SSLPs among 12 different P. falciparum lines; 116 of these SSLPs were assigned to chromosome Linkage groups by physical mapping and by comparing their inheritance patterns against those of r estriction fragment length polymorphism markers in a genetic cross (HE 3xDd2). The predominant SSLPs in P. falciparum were found to contain [ TA](n), [T](n), and [TAA](n), a feature that-is reminiscent of plant g enomes and is consistent with the proposed algal-like origin of malari a parasites. Since such SSLPs are abundant and readily isolated, they are a powerful resource for genetic analysis of P. falciparum. (C) 199 6 Academic Press, Inc.