title: Two functional reticulocyte binding-like (RBL) invasion ligands of zoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi exhibit differential adhesion to monkey and human erythrocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plasmodium knowlesi is a monkey malaria species that is becoming a serious public health concern infecting hundreds and perhaps thousands of humans in Southeast Asia. Invasion of erythrocytes by merozoites entails a cascade of molecular interactions. One step involves the adhesion of Plasmodium reticulocyte binding-like (RBL) proteins. Plasmodium knowlesi merozoites express only two RBL invasion ligands, known as Normocyte Binding Proteins (PkNBPXa and PkNBPXb).
  
  
  METHODS
  Overlapping N-terminal regions of PkNBPXa and PkNBPXb were expressed in COS7 cells and tested for surface expression and adhesion to rhesus monkey erythrocytes. Subsequent tests to study specific receptor ligand interactions included adhesion to a panel of human and non-human primate erythrocytes, enzymatic treatment, and site directed mutagenesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An N-terminal cysteine-rich region of PkNBPXb (PkNBPXb-II) exhibited specific adhesion to rhesus monkey erythrocytes. Mutation of four of five cysteines in PkNBPXb-II interfered with its surface expression on COS7 cells, suggesting disulphide bond conformation is critical for intracellular trafficking. Binding of PkNBPXb-II was abolished when rhesus erythrocytes were pre-treated with chymotrypsin, but not trypsin or neuraminidase. PkNBPXb-II also bound other Old World monkey species and gibbon erythrocytes. However, erythrocytes from other primate species including humans did not bind to PkNBPXb-II or native PkNBPXb. Importantly, unlike PkNBPXb, PkNBPXa bound human erythrocytes, and this binding was independent of the Duffy blood group determinant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data reported here begins to clarify the functional domains of the P. knowlesi RBLs. A binding domain has been identified and characterized in PkNBPXb. Notably, this study demonstrates that unlike PkNBPXb, PkNBPXa can bind to human erythrocytes, suggesting that PkNBPXa may function as a ligand to enable the invasion of P. knowlesi merozoites into human cells.
authors: Emory Vaccine Center and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Amma A
authors: AA
authors: Semenya
authors: Tuan M
authors: TM
authors: Tran
authors: Esmeralda Vs
authors: EV
authors: Meyer
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Barnwell
authors: Mary R
authors: MR
authors: Galinski
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D001665:Binding Sites; D019556:COS Cells; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D050505:Mutant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016790:Plasmodium knowlesi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D050505:Mutant Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins