Table 2. Prioritized candidate gametocyte antigens.
Eight candidate gametocyte antigens were identified by (i) predicted or known host secretion, (ii) proteomics of +trypsin and −trypsin giRBC membranes, (iii) correlations between plasma reactivity by protein array and flow cytometry, (iv) array reactivity of serum from mice immunized with trypsin-treated and trypsin-untreated giRBC membranes, (v) exposure-dependent increase of IgG in malaria-positive individuals, (vi), negative correlation with asexual and gametocyte load, and (vii) low genetic diversity and divergence. Three candidates (marked in bold) fulfill at least 6 out of the 7 criteria listed above. Previously described stage annotation and localization was retrieved from plasmodb.org (21, 23, 24, 53). Further details on candidates are provided in table S7 and for three top candidates in fig. S8. Pf, P. falciparum; Pv, P. vivax; Pb, P. berghei.
| Accession ID | Export motif | Protein description | Stage annotation | Previously described localizations | Detection method | Host phenotypes | Conservation | Validated surface expression |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF3D7_0601900 | PNEP | Conserved Plasmodium protein, unknown function | Shared | Maurer’s clefts | Proteomics | Pf | ||
| PF3D7_0713700 | NO | Conserved Plasmodium protein, unknown function | Gam/Mo | Unknown | Proteomics | Neg. correlation with asex./gam. load | Pf, Pv, Pb | |
| PF3D7_0721100 | PEXEL | Conserved Plasmodium protein, unknown function | Shared | RBC surface | Proteomics array/flow correlation | Pos. correlation with age/neg. correlation with asex./gam. load | Pf, Pv, Pb | |
| PF3D7_0812100 | NO | Conserved Plasmodium protein, unknown function | Shared | Unknown | Proteomics | Pos. correlation with age/neg. correlation with asex./gam. load | Pf, Pv, Pb | |
| PF3D7_0831400 | PEXEL | Plasmodium exported protein, unknown function (Hyp12) | Shared | Unknown | Proteomics | Pf | ||
| PF3D7_1002100 | PEXEL | EMP1-trafficking protein (PTP5) | Shared | Maurer’s clefts | Proteomics | Pf | X | |
| PF3D7_1038000 | NO | Antigen UB05 | Shared | Unknown | Proteomics | Pf, Pv, Pb | ||
| PF3D7J301700 | PEXEL | Plasmodium-exported protein (hyp8), unknown function (GEXP07) | Shared | RBC surface | Proteomics/mouse sera array (+trypsin enriched) | Pf | X |