title: Epitopes of the Plasmodium falciparum clustered-asparagine-rich protein (CARP) recognized by human T-cells and antibodies.
abstract: Linear B- and T-cell epitopes have been identified in the Plasmodium falciparum clustered-asparagine-rich-protein (CARP). Twenty-six synthetic peptides, 15-25 amino acids in length, were assayed for their ability to stimulate purified, human T-cells primed to P.falciparum by natural infection to proliferate and/or secrete gamma-interferon (IFN gamma). The plasma of malaria exposed individuals were tested for antibody reactivity with peptides coupled to bovine serum albumin in a semiquantitative ELISA. Two of the peptides (NNFMNRNMKNKNMN/NAKNVNDMYRDGEMS) induced T-cells from many malaria exposed donors to proliferate and/or secrete-IFN gamma. Six peptides bound antibodies from a large number of the plasma samples, the amounts ranging from ten to more than 200 micrograms specific antibody/ml. T-cell activation was most pronounced when the T-cells were from highly immune donors. In contrast, high anti-peptide specific antibody levels were usually detected in the plasma of less immune donors, recently exposed to infection. One short sequence (NAKNVNDMYRDGEMS) was found to contain both T- and B-cell epitopes. Thus, CARP includes both T- and B-cell reactive elements recognized by the human immune system following exposure to the parasite by natural infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wahlgren
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Bejarano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Troye-Blomberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perlmann
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Patarroyo
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Gonzales
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000939:Epitopes; D010455:Peptides; C071231:clustered asparagine-rich protein antigen, Plasmodium falciparum; D007371:Interferon-gamma