Development of Nested PCR-Heteroduplex Mobility Assay for Determination of Genetic Diversity in the Block 2 Region of the Merozoite Surface Protein 1 Gene.

Genetic diversity of parasite has significantly related to malaria control and vaccine development. The merozoite surface protein 1 () gene is a commonly used molecular marker to differentiate genetic diversity. This study is aimed at developing a nested PCR-Heteroduplex Mobility Assay (nPCR-HMA) for determination of the block 2 of the gene. The MAD20 family allele of was used as a control for optimization of the annealing and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis conditions. In order to evaluate the developed nPCR-HMA, 8 clinical isolates were examined for allelic variants. The results revealed 9 allelic variants. Our study indicated that the successful nPCR-HMA with good precision and accuracy offers a more rapid, efficient, and cheap method for large-scale molecular epidemiological studies as compared to nucleotide sequencing.