Naturally occurring antibodies to an epitope on Plasmodium falciparum gametes detected by monoclonal antibody-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
The antibody response to an epitope on gamete antigens of Plasmodium falciparum in persons naturally exposed to malaria has been investigated by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The assay detects antibodies to an epitope on the 48/45-kilodalton (kDa) gamete surface antigen by competition with horseradish peroxidase-labeled monoclonal antibody IIC5-B10. Five sera previously shown to immunoprecipitate the 230- and 48/45-kDa antigens significantly inhibited IIC5-B10 binding to an average of 24.2% of control. The one serum which precipitated only the 48/45-kDa antigen did not inhibit IIC5-B10 binding. For 26 sera which were negative by immunoprecipitation, mean binding in the assay was 112.7% of control (pooled London nonimmune sera). Recognition of both 230-kDa and 48/45-kDa antigens was associated with a titer of 1:9 or greater (reciprocal geometric mean titer, 27.6) for inhibition to more than 2 standard deviations from the mean of the negative sera. The results show that the IIC5-B10 binding site is a naturally immunogenic epitope recognized by the majority of persons who had antibodies to the 48/45-kDa protein. An additional finding was enhancement of binding of IIC5-B10 to an average of 154.4% of control by five sera which recognized only the 230-kDa antigen, presumably due to conformational alteration of the gamete antigen complex.
Graves
P M
PM
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, England.
Wirtz
R A
RA
Carter
R
R
Burkot
T R
TR
Looker
M
M
Targett
G A
GA
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000939:Epitopes