title: Identification of a Plasmodium berghei antigen sharing common features with P. falciparum and P. chabaudi parasitophorous-vacuole membrane antigens.
abstract: On the basis of immunological cross-reactivity, we identified a 43-kDa Plasmodium berghei antigen with homology to the exp-1 antigen from P. falciparium. The P. berghei antigen was recognized by an antibody directed against an epitope on the C-terminus of the P. falciparum exp-1 protein. This antigen is localized on the surface of the parasite and shares peptide sequence homology with the P. chabudi antigen Ag3008. To investigate further the role of the P. berghei antigen, we designed antisense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides (PS oligos) complementary to sequences of the exp-1 mRNA from P. falciparum. The PS oligos were capable of inhibiting the development of P. falciparum in vitro by 47%. In vivo, experiments in mice showed that the same PS oligos had the potential to extend the life span of mice infected with P. berghei by a factor of 2-4. The immunological cross-reactivity and the antisense inhibition of P. berghei parasite development in vivo indicate that this antigen may be a homologue of exp-1 from P. falciparum that has functional importance for parasite survival.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, National University of Singapore.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Binh
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: U A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Kara
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000276:immunology*; D016788:Plasmodium chabaudi / Q000276:immunology*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000962:Antimalarials; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D010455:Peptides; C063362:QF116 antigen, Plasmodium falciparum