Development of a Plasmodium berghei transgenic parasite expressing the full-length Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite VK247 protein for testing vaccine efficacy in a murine model

Background The approach of using transgenic rodent malaria parasites to assess the immune system’s response to antigenic targets from a human malaria parasite has been shown to be useful for preclinical evaluation of new vaccine formulations. The transgenic Plasmodium berghei parasite line [PvCSP(VK210)/Pb] generated previously expresses the full-length circumsporozoite protein (CSP) VK210 from Plasmodium vivax. The transgenic parasite expresses one of the two most common alleles of CSP, defined by nine amino acids at the central repeat region of this protein. In the present study, a transgenic P. berghei parasite line [PvCSP(VK247)/Pb] expressing the full-length PvCSP(VK247), which is the alternative common allele, was generated and characterized. Methods The P. berghei expressing full-length PvCSP(VK247) was generated and examined its applicability to CSP-based vaccine research by examining its biological characteristics in mosquitoes and mice. Results Similar to PvCSP(VK210)/Pb, PvCSP(VK247)/Pb developed normally in mosquitoes and produced infectious sporozoites equipped to generate patent infections in mice. Invasion of HepG2 cells by PvCSP(VK247)/Pb sporozoites was inhibited by an anti-PvCSP(VK247) repeat monoclonal antibody (mAb), but not by an anti-PvCSP(VK210) repeat mAb. Conclusions These two transgenic parasites thus far can be used to evaluate the potential efficacy of PvCSP-based vaccine candidates encompassing the two major genetic variants in preclinical trials.