Genetic Diversity and Population Genetic Analysis of Thrombospondin Related Anonymous Protein (TRAP) in Clinical Samples from Saudi Arabia.

The thrombospondin related anonymous protein (TRAP) is considered one of the most important pre-erythrocytic vaccine targets. Earlier population genetic studies revealed the gene to be under strong balancing natural selection. This study is the first attempt to analyze genetic diversity, natural selection, phylogeography and population structure in 199 clinical samples from Saudi Arabia using the full-length gene.