title: N-terminal prodomain of Pfs230 synthesized using a cell-free system is sufficient to induce complement-dependent malaria transmission-blocking activity.
abstract: The aim of a malaria transmission-blocking vaccine is to block the development of malaria parasites in the mosquito and thus prevent subsequent infection of the human host. Previous studies have demonstrated that the gametocyte/gamete surface protein Pfs230 can induce transmission-blocking immunity and have evaluated Escherichia coli-produced Pfs230 as a transmission-blocking vaccine candidate. In this study, we used the wheat germ cell-free expression system to produce N-terminal fragments of Pfs230 and evaluated the transmission-blocking activity of antisera raised against the recombinant Pfs230 protein. The rabbit antisera reacted to the surface of cultured gametocytes and gametes of the Plasmodium falciparum NF54 line, recognized the 360-kDa form of parasite-produced Pfs230 by Western blot assay, and reduced the infectivity of NF54 parasites to Anopheles stefensi mosquitoes in the presence of complement in a standard membrane feeding assay. Thus, our data demonstrate that the N-terminal pro domain of Pfs230 is sufficient to induce complement-dependent transmission-blocking activity against P. falciparum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Parasitology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iriko
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Muratova
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Jetsumon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sattabongkot
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeo
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Otsuki
authors.forename: Motomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D002474:Cell-Free System; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; C430263:Pfs230 antigen, Plasmodium falciparum; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D003165:Complement System Proteins