Differences in PfEMP1s Recognized by Antibodies from Patients with Uncomplicated or Severe Malaria

Overview

Journal Malar J

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Tropical Medicine

Date 2016 May 7

PMID 27149991

Citations 17

Authors

Michael F Duffy

Rintis Noviyanti

Takafumi Tsuboi

Zhi-Ping Feng

Leily Trianty

Boni F Sebayang

Eizo Takashima

Fransisca Sumardy

Daniel A Lampah

Louise Turner

Thomas Lavstsen

Freya J I Fowkes

Peter Siba

Stephen J Rogerson

Thor G Theander

Jutta Marfurt

Ric N Price

Nicholas M Anstey

Graham V Brown

Anthony T Papenfuss

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) variants are encoded by var genes and mediate pathogenic cytoadhesion and antigenic variation in malaria. PfEMP1s can be broadly divided into three principal groups (A, B and C) and they contain conserved arrangements of functional domains called domain cassettes. Despite their tremendous diversity there is compelling evidence that a restricted subset of PfEMP1s is expressed in severe disease. In this study antibodies from patients with severe and uncomplicated malaria were compared for differences in reactivity with a range of PfEMP1s to determine whether antibodies to particular PfEMP1 domains were associated with severe or uncomplicated malaria.

Methods: Parts of expressed var genes in a severe malaria patient were identified by RNAseq and several of these partial PfEMP1 domains were expressed together with others from laboratory isolates. Antibodies from Papuan patients to these parts of multiple PfEMP1 proteins were measured.

Results: Patients with uncomplicated malaria were more likely to have antibodies that recognized PfEMP1 of Group C type and recognized a broader repertoire of group A and B PfEMP1s than patients with severe malaria.

Conclusion: These data suggest that exposure to a broad range of group A and B PfEMP1s is associated with protection from severe disease in Papua, Indonesia.

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