Table 1. Variable surface antigens (VSAs) of Plasmodium, their receptors and functions.
| Protein family | Genes encoding the protein families | Subtypes and chromosomal location | Host receptors | Functions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PfEMP1 | var (∼ 60) | varA, varB/A (Telomeric and subtelomeric) varB (Telomeric and centromeric) varC, varB/C (centromeric) Lavstsen et al. (2003) |
CD36, ICAM1, VCAM1, TSP, CR1q, P-selectin, E-selectin, EPCR, CSA, Heparan sulfate, IgM, α2 macroglobulin | Generation of antigenic diversity, immune evasion and cytoadherence |
| RIFIN | rif (∼ 159) | A-RIFINs and B-RIFINs Subtelomeric | Glycophorin A on red blood cells | Involvment in rosetting Goel et al. (2015), merozite invasion Mwakalinga et al. (2012), generation of antigenic diversity |
| STEVOR | stevor (∼ 29) | Subtelomeric | Glycophorin C on red blood cells | Rosetting, merozoite invasion Niang et al. (2014), and alteration of erythrocyte deformability Sanyal et al. (2012) |
| PfMC-2TM | PfMC-2TM (∼ 13) | Subtelomeric | Not determined | Probable role in formation of solute ion channels or providing anchoragment to surface exposed proteins Sam-Yellowe et al. (2004) |
| SURFIN | surf (∼ 10) | Subtelomeric | Not determined | Merozoite invasion Winter et al. (2005) |