Journal article

Immunisation with recombinant PfEMP1 domains elicits functional rosette-inhibiting and phagocytosis-inducing antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum

A Ghumra, P Khunrae, R Ataide, A Raza, SJ Rogerson, MK Higgins, J Alexandra Rowe

Plos One | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2011

Abstract

Background: Rosetting is a Plasmodium falciparum virulence factor implicated in the pathogenesis of life-threatening malaria. Rosetting occurs when parasite-derived P. falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein One (PfEMP1) on the surface of infected erythrocytes binds to human receptors on uninfected erythrocytes. PfEMP1 is a possible target for a vaccine to induce antibodies to inhibit rosetting and prevent severe malaria. Methodology/Findings: We examined the vaccine potential of the six extracellular domains of a rosette-mediating PfEMP1 variant (ITvar9/R29var1 from the R29 parasite strain) by immunizing rabbits with recombinant proteins expressed in E. coli. Antibodies raised to each domai..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Wellcome Trust


Awarded by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal


Awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia


Funding Acknowledgements

JAR, AG and AR are supported by the Wellcome Trust (http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/) via a Senior Research Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science to JAR, grant no 084226. MKH is a Royal Society University Research Fellow (http://royalsociety.org/) and this work was supported by grants from the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust. PK was funded by a scholarship from the Royal Thai Government. SJR is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/) and RA is supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal (http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/), reference SFRH/BD/32985/2006. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.