Conserved residues in the Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein ligand domain are critical for erythrocyte receptor recognition.
Malaria merozoite invasion of human erythrocytes depends on recognition of specific erythrocyte surface receptors by parasite ligands. Plasmodium vivax merozoite invasion is totally dependent on the recognition of the Duffy blood group antigen by the parasite ligand Duffy-binding protein (DBP). Receptor recognition by P. vivax relies on a cysteine-rich domain, the DBL domain or region II, at the N terminus of the extracellular portion of DBP. The minimal region of the DBP implicated for receptor recognition lies between cysteines 4 and 8 of the DBL domain, which is a region that also has the highest rate of allelic polymorphisms among parasite isolates. We previously found that allelic polymorphisms in this region altered the P. vivax DBL domain antigenic character, which contrasts with changes in receptor specificity attributed to polymorphisms in some homologous ligands of Plasmodium falciparum. To further investigate the relative importance of conserved and polymorphic residues within this DBL central region, we identified residues critical for receptor recognition by site-directed mutagenesis. Seventy-seven surface-predicted residues of the Sal-1 DBL domain were substituted with alanine and assayed for erythrocyte binding activity by expression of the mutant proteins on the surface of transiently transfected COS cells. The functional effect of alanine substitution varied from nil to complete loss of DBL erythrocyte-binding activity. Mutations that caused loss of ligand function mostly occurred in discontinuous clusters of conserved residues, whereas nearly all mutations in polymorphic residues did not affect erythrocyte binding. These data delineate DBL domain residues essential for receptor recognition.
VanBuskirk
Kelley M
KM
Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Tropical Disease Research and Training, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
Sevova
Elitza
E
Adams
John H
JH
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D019556:COS Cells; D004375:Duffy Blood-Group System / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000502:physiology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D063267:Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 1
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D004375:Duffy Blood-Group System; C066001:Duffy antigen binding protein, Plasmodium; D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C571166:SIGLEC1 protein, human; D063267:Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 1