title: Glycophorin C is the receptor for the Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte binding ligand PfEBP-2 (baebl).
abstract: We report in this paper that glycophorin C (GPC) is the receptor for PfEBP-2 (baebl, EBA-140), the newly identified erythrocyte binding ligand of Plasmodium falciparum. PfEBP-2 is a member of the Duffy binding-like erythrocyte binding protein (DBL-EBP) family. Although several reports have been published characterizing PfEBP-2, the identity of its erythrocytic receptor was still unknown. Using a combination of enzymatically treated red blood cells (RBCs) and rare, variant RBCs lacking different surface proteins, we have shown that PfEBP-2 does not bind to cells lacking GPC. Additionally, we found that PfEBP-2 binds differentially to variants of GPC lacking exon 2 or exon 3, and determined that the binding domain on GPC is potentially restricted to amino acid residues 14 through 22 within exon 2. Thus PfEBP-2 is involved in a sialic acid-dependent pathway of invasion, which does not involve glycophorin A or glycophorin B and represents a novel route of entry into the RBCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Parasitology, The Lindsley Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, NY, NY 10021. cheryl_lobo@nybc.org
authors.forename: Cheryl-Ann
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lobo
authors.forename: Marilis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lustigman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D005091:Exons; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006021:Glycophorins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D006021:Glycophorins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C451423:erythrocyte binding protein-2, Plasmodium falciparum; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid