clag9: A cytoadherence gene in Plasmodium falciparum essential for binding of parasitized erythrocytes to CD36.
The propensity of isolates of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to delete a segment of chromosome 9 has provided positional information that has allowed us to identify a gene necessary for cytoadherence. It has been termed the cytoadherence-linked asexual gene (clag9). clag9 encodes at least nine exons and is expressed in blood stages. The hydrophobicity profile of the predicted CLAG9 protein identifies up to four transmembrane domains. We show here that targeted gene disruption of clag9 ablated cytoadherence to C32 melanoma cells and purified CD36. DNA-induced antibodies to the clag9 gene product reacted with a polypeptide of 220 kDa in the parental malaria clone but not in clones with a disrupted clag9 gene.
Trenholme
K R
KR
Menzies School of Health Research, P.O. Box 41096, Casuarina NT 0811, Australia. katht@menzies.edu.au
Gardiner
D L
DL
Holt
D C
DC
Thomas
E A
EA
Cowman
A F
AF
Kemp
D J
DJ
D000818:Animals; D018955:CD36 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D018955:CD36 Antigens; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C407823:clag9 protein, Plasmodium falciparum