title: Cutting edge: a new tool to evaluate human pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines: rodent parasites bearing a hybrid Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein.
abstract: Malaria vaccines containing the Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite protein repeat domain are undergoing human trials. There is no simple method to evaluate the effect of vaccine-induced responses on P. falciparum sporozoite infectivity. Unlike the rodent malaria Plasmodium berghei, P. falciparum sporozoites do not infect common laboratory animals and only develop in vitro in human hepatocyte cultures. We generated a recombinant P. berghei parasite bearing P. falciparum Circumsporozoite protein repeats. These hybrid sporozoites are fully infective in vivo and in vitro. Monoclonal and polyclonal Abs to P. falciparum repeats neutralize hybrid parasite infectivity, and mice immunized with a P. falciparum vaccine are protected against challenge with hybrid sporozoites.
authors.affiliation: Michael Heidelberger Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Cathrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: Giane A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Ali A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sultan
authors.forename: Purnima
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bhanot
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nussenzweig
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nardin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic / Q000379:methods; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D033661:Oocysts / Q000235:genetics; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000469:parasitology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C041595:circumsporozoite protein, Protozoan