Abstract
Stage-specific protein synthesis by the erythrocytic forms of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum was investigated by pulse labeling synchronous parasite cultures with [35S]methionine at 6-h intervals during a complete 48-h developmental cycle. About 40 labeled parasite proteins could be immunoprecipitated with human immune serum, and most of these were associated with the schizont stage of development. In particular, one schizont protein was a 195,000-mol wt species against which a murine monoclonal antibody was produced. This monoclonal antibody, 89.1 reacted with the parasite membrane in schizonts and also with the surface of free merozoites in the indirect immunofluorescence test. In addition to the 195,000-mol wt protein, antibody 89.1 immunoprecipitated a series of lower-molecular weight polypeptides from extracts of labeled asynchronous P. falciparum parasite cultures. These were shown to be related to the 195,000-mol wt protein by peptide mapping. Pulse-chase labeling of synchronized cultures, and immunoprecipitation with antibody 89.1, showed that specific processing of the 195,000-mol wt polypeptide to the lower- molecular-weight products in concomitant with schizont maturation and merozoite release. It is suggested that this P. falciparum protein may be analogous to a similarly processed 230,000-mol wt protective antigen of the rodent malaria parasite, P. yoelii.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.4 MB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- COHEN S., McGREGOR I. A., CARRINGTON S. Gamma-globulin and acquired immunity to human malaria. Nature. 1961 Nov 25;192:733–737. doi: 10.1038/192733a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cohen S., Butcher G. A., Mitchell G. H., Deans J. A., Langhorne J. Acquired immunity and vaccination in malaria. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1977 Nov;26(6 Pt 2):223–232. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1977.26.223. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Deans J. A., Dennis E. D., Cohen S. Antigenic analysis of sequential erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium knowlesi. Parasitology. 1978 Dec;77(3):333–344. doi: 10.1017/s0031182000050290. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Epstein N., Miller L. H., Kaushel D. C., Udeinya I. J., Rener J., Howard R. J., Asofsky R., Aikawa M., Hess R. L. Monoclonal antibodies against a specific surface determinant on malarial (Plasmodium knowlesi) merozoites block erythrocyte invasion. J Immunol. 1981 Jul;127(1):212–217. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Freeman R. R., Trejdosiewicz A. J., Cross G. A. Protective monoclonal antibodies recognising stage-specific merozoite antigens of a rodent malaria parasite. Nature. 1980 Mar 27;284(5754):366–368. doi: 10.1038/284366a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Holder A. A., Freeman R. R. Immunization against blood-stage rodent malaria using purified parasite antigens. Nature. 1981 Nov 26;294(5839):361–364. doi: 10.1038/294361a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kessler S. W. Rapid isolation of antigens from cells with a staphylococcal protein A-antibody adsorbent: parameters of the interaction of antibody-antigen complexes with protein A. J Immunol. 1975 Dec;115(6):1617–1624. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lambros C., Vanderberg J. P. Synchronization of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic stages in culture. J Parasitol. 1979 Jun;65(3):418–420. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nardin E. H., Nussenzweig R. S., McGregor I. A., Bryan J. H. Antibodies to sporozoites: their frequent occurrence in individuals living in an area of hyperendemic malaria. Science. 1979 Nov 2;206(4418):597–599. doi: 10.1126/science.386511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Newbold C. I., Boyle D. B., Smith C. C., Brown K. N. Identification of a schizont- and species-specific surface glycoprotein on erythrocytes infected with rodent malarias. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1982 Jan;5(1):45–54. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(82)90005-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Newbold C. I., Boyle D. B., Smith C. C., Brown K. N. Stage specific protein and nucleic acid synthesis during the asexual cycle of the rodent malaria Plasmodium chabaudi. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1982 Jan;5(1):33–44. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(82)90004-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Perrin L. H., Dayal R. Immunity to asexual erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum: role of defined antigens in the humoral response. Immunol Rev. 1982;61:245–269. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1982.tb00379.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Perrin L. H., Ramirez E., Lambert P. H., Miescher P. A. Inhibition of P. falciparum growth in human erythrocytes by monoclonal antibodies. Nature. 1981 Jan 22;289(5795):301–303. doi: 10.1038/289301a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Potocnjak P., Yoshida N., Nussenzweig R. S., Nussenzweig V. Monovalent fragments (Fab) of monoclonal antibodies to a sporozoite surface antigen (Pb44) protect mice against malarial infection. J Exp Med. 1980 Jun 1;151(6):1504–1513. doi: 10.1084/jem.151.6.1504. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Trager W., Jensen J. B. Human malaria parasites in continuous culture. Science. 1976 Aug 20;193(4254):673–675. doi: 10.1126/science.781840. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]