title: Recombinant Duffy binding-like-alpha domains of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 elicit antibodies in rats that recognise conserved epitopes.
abstract: Plasmodium falciparum parasites remodel the surface of human erythrocytes on invasion by the insertion of parasite-derived proteins in knob-like protrusions. P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP-1), a variant surface antigen, has been shown to be anchored in these knobs and mediates adhesion to various host endothelial receptors. These proteins also undergo clonal antigenic variation as a means of immune evasion. Duffy binding-like-alpha(DBL-alpha) domain together with the cysteine-rich interdomain region form the head structure of the PfEMP1 molecule. In this report, we used ten different recombinant DBL-alpha fusion proteins expressed in Escherichia coli to generate antibodies in experimental animals. Five out of ten recombinant DBL-alpha fusion proteins were immunogenic and induced antibodies that reacted with conserved peptides derived from PfEMP1. Indirect immunofluorescence assay was used to localise PfEMP-1-DBL-alpha expressed in parasitised erythrocytes. Positive fluorescence reactivity was observed within the cytoplasm and with membrane structures but not on the surface of intact P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Raphael M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Oguariri
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mattei
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tena-Tomás
authors.forename: Anne-Catrin
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Uhlemann
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Kremsner
authors.forename: Jürgen F J
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kun
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D004375:Duffy Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D004375:Duffy Blood-Group System; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C085731:erythrocyte membrane protein 1, Plasmodium falciparum