Naturally elicited antibodies to glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) of Plasmodium falciparum require intact GPI structures for binding and are directed primarily against the conserved glycan moiety.
Immunization with a synthetic glycan corresponding to Plasmodium falciparum glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) has been proposed as a vaccination strategy against malaria. We investigated the structural requirements for binding of naturally elicited anti-GPI antibodies to parasite GPIs. The data show that anti-GPI antibody binding requires intact GPI structures and that the antibodies are directed predominantly against GPIs with a conserved glycan structure with three mannoses and marginally against the terminal fourth mannose. The results provide valuable insight for exploiting GPIs for the development of malaria vaccines.
Naik
Ramachandra S
RS
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Dr., Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Krishnegowda
Gowdahalli
G
Ockenhouse
Christian F
CF
Gowda
D Channe
DC
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D017261:Glycosylphosphatidylinositols; D011134:Polysaccharides