Finding the sweet spots of inhibition: understanding the targets of a functional antibody against Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein.
Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein region II (DBPII) is an essential ligand for reticulocyte invasion, thereby making this molecule an attractive vaccine candidate against asexual blood-stage P. vivax. Similar to other Plasmodium blood-stage vaccine candidates, strain-specific immunity due to DBPII allelic variation may complicate vaccine efficacy. Targeting immune responses to more conserved epitopes that are potential targets of strain-transcending neutralising immunity is necessary to avoid induction of strain-specific responses to dominant variant epitopes. In this article, we focus on different approaches to optimise the design of DBP immunogenicity to target conserved epitopes, which is important for developing a broadly effective vaccine against P. vivax.
Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Francis B
FB
Ntumngia
Christopher L
CL
King
John H
JH
Adams
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; C066001:Duffy antigen binding protein, Plasmodium; D000939:Epitopes; D017780:Malaria Vaccines; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface