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Characterisation of a tryptophan-rich Plasmodium falciparum antigen associated with merozoites
- Source :
- Molecular and biochemical parasitology. 137(2)
- Publication Year :
- 2004
-
Abstract
- 0 d Malaria caused byPlasmodium falciparum is a major pubic health problem with significant economic and social conequences for many developing countries. Estimates of global ncidence of the disease range from 300 to 500 million cases er year, with up to 2.7 million deaths, primarily children in frica [1,2]. Despite years of intensive research, an effective accine is not available and the parasite displays growing esistance to currently available drugs. Rapid progress in geomic research, of the human malaria parasite P. falciparum 3], has stimulated basic research by creating the basis for the dentification and study of parasite proteins that can be used s targets for new drugs and vaccine development. In view f a vaccine for malaria, the construction of a multivalent ubunit vaccine is being considered a major way forward. he selection of protein antigens for such a vaccine has been ampered by the lack of a reliably and readily accessible hallenge system for P. falciparum. Efforts to identify plasodial antigens that trigger protective responses have and ill continue to benefit from studies of rodent malaria parsites [4]. Although, it is argued that these models are quite ifferent from the human system, it is, however, generally agreed that studies in these models can give valuable information in selecting vaccine candidates. The P. yoelii and P. chabaudi models have been effectively used to investigate immunity against blood stage parasites [5,6]. In related studies, two highly enriched membrane proteins of P. yoelii were shown to mediate protective immunity in mice [7,8]. Further studies implicated specific antigens termed pypAg-1 and pypAg-3 characterised by tryptophanrich domains. In a recent study, we identified and characterised a P. falciparum homologue of pypAg-1. Based on its amino acid sequence, we termed it Tryptophan–Threoninerich Antigen (TryThrA), that has typical characteristics of an exported P. falciparum protein [9]. Further searching the malaria database predicted paralogues in P. falciparum. In this study, we identified and characterized the second member of this gene family, which has features similar to the pypAg-3 gene of P. yoelii, which we have termed Merozoiteassociated Tryptophan-rich Antigen (MaTrA). We have also investigated the natural immune responses of TryThrA and MaTrA using serum samples from semi-immune individuals from Lambarene, Gabon.
- Subjects :
- Genes, Protozoan
Molecular Sequence Data
Plasmodium falciparum
Protozoan Proteins
Antibodies, Protozoan
Antigens, Protozoan
Disease
Biology
Immune system
Antigen
Immunity
parasitic diseases
medicine
Gene family
Animals
Humans
Amino Acid Sequence
Malaria, Falciparum
Molecular Biology
Gene
Polymorphism, Genetic
Base Sequence
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Tryptophan
Membrane Proteins
DNA, Protozoan
medicine.disease
biology.organism_classification
Virology
Recombinant Proteins
Parasitology
Malaria
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 01666851
- Volume :
- 137
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Molecular and biochemical parasitology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....d8ebe7d7ffa2da8ceaaf8ef780457b80