Positive diversifying selection on Plasmodium vivax

Plasmodiumrhoptryneckprotein2(RON2),whichisreleasedfromtheneckportionofthemerozoiterhoptriesandinteracts withthemicronemeproteinApicalMembraneAntigen1(AMA1),playsacrucialroleinerythrocyteinvasion.Inthisstudy,

we sequenced the Plasmodium vivax RON2 gene from 19 P. vivax isolates collected in central China in order to establish whether this protein is under positive diversifying selection, which may occur as a result of protective host immune

pressure?.