title: Characterization of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite surface protein 2.
abstract: Immunization of mice with Plasmodium yoelii sporozoite surface protein 2 (PySSP2) and circumsporozoite protein protects completely against P. yoelii. The amino acid sequence of PySSP2 suggested that the thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) [Robson, K. J. H., Hall, J. R. S., Jennings, M. W., Harris, T. J. R., Marsh, K., Newbold, C. I., Tate, V. E. & Weatherall, D. J. (1988) Nature (London) 335, 79-82] is the Plasmodium falciparum homolog of PySSP2. We report data confirming that TRAP is P. falciparum SSP2 (PfSSP2). Murine antibodies against recombinant PfSSP2 identify a 90-kDa protein in extracts of P. falciparum sporozoites, recognize sporozoites and infected hepatocytes by immunofluorescence, localize PfSSP2 to the sporozoite micronemes by immunoelectron microscopy and to the surface membrane by live immunofluorescence, and inhibit sporozoite invasion and development in hepatocytes in vitro. Human volunteers immunized with irradiated sporozoites and protected against malaria develop antibody and proliferative T-cell responses to PfSSP2, suggesting that, like PySSP2, PfSSP2 is a target of protective immunity, and supporting inclusion of PfSSP2 in a multicomponent malaria vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Malaria Program, Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20889.
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mellouk
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szarfman
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nussler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aikawa
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C069428:thrombospondin-related adhesive protein, protozoan; C076139:sporozoite-surface protein 2, Plasmodium yoelli