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Truncation of Plasmodium berghei merozoite surface protein 8 does not affect in vivo blood-stage development
journal contribution
posted on 2008-05-01, 00:00 authored by Tania De Koning-WardTania De Koning-Ward, D Drew, J Chesson, J Beeson, B CrabbMerozoite surface protein 8 (MSP8) has shown promise as a vaccine candidate in the Plasmodium yoelii rodent malaria model and has a proposed role in merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. However, the temporal expression and localisation of MSP8 are unusual for a merozoite antigen. Moreover, in Plasmodium falciparum the MSP8 gene could be disrupted with no apparent effect on in vitro growth. To address the in vivo function of full-length MSP8, we truncated MSP8 in the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei. PbΔMSP8 disruptant parasites displayed a normal blood-stage growth rate but no increase in reticulocyte preference, a phenomenon observed in P. yoelii MSP8 vaccinated mice. Expression levels of erythrocyte surface antigens were similar in P. berghei wild-type and PbΔMSP8-infected erythrocytes, suggesting that a parasitophorous vacuole function for MSP8 does not involve global trafficking of such antigens. These data demonstrate that a full-length membrane-associated form of PbMSP8 is not essential for blood-stage growth.
History
Journal
Molecular and biochemical parasitologyVolume
159Issue
1Pagination
69 - 72Publisher
Elsevier B.V.Location
Amsterdam, NetherlandsPublisher DOI
ISSN
0166-6851eISSN
1872-9428Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2008, Elsevier B.V.Usage metrics
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