Journal article
Discovery of GAMA, a plasmodium falciparum merozoite micronemal protein, as a novel blood-stage vaccine candidate antigen
TU Arumugam, S Takeo, T Yamasaki, A Thonkukiatkul, K Miura, H Otsuki, H Zhou, CA Long, J Sattabongkot, J Thompson, DW Wilson, JG Beeson, J Healer, BS Crabb, AF Cowman, M Torii, T Tsuboi
Infection and Immunity | AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY | Published : 2011
DOI: 10.1128/IAI.05412-11
Abstract
One of the solutions for reducing the global mortality and morbidity due to malaria is multivalent vaccines comprising antigens of several life cycle stages of the malarial parasite. Hence, there is a need for supplementing the current set of malaria vaccine candidate antigens. Here, we aimed to characterize glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored micronemal antigen (GAMA) encoded by the PF08_0008 gene in Plasmodium falciparum. Antibodies were raised against recombinant GAMA synthesized by using a wheat germ cell-free system. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated for the first time that GAMA is a microneme protein of the merozoite. Erythrocyte binding assays revealed that GAMA possesses..
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Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Funding Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by grants from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (21249028, 21022034, 23406007, and 23117008), and from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Japan (H21-Chikyukibo-ippan-005). This study was supported in part by the intramural program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH, and the GIA Reference Center is supported by the PATH/Malaria Vaccine Initiative.