Last Updated: 11/11/2024
Functional analysis of PfEMP domains with the endothelial cell surface protein array
Objectives
This study aims to understand the role of 17 domains, where antibody levels negatively correlate with a reduced risk of symptomatic disease in a malaria-exposed population, in host-parasite interactions to elucidate factors underlying complicated malaria.
Plasmodium falciparum parasites possess 62 var genes that encode about 271 PfEMP1 domains. The binding of these domains to endothelial cell surface proteins causes erythrocytes sequestration, which leads to complicated malaria. The researchers recently expressed all of the domains with a wheat germ cell-free system and identified 17 domains. To this end, this study used 17 PfEMP1 domains to comprehensively screen a library of endothelial cell surface proteins for potential interacting partners. Top hits were evaluated for interaction using SPR and pull-down assays. As an outcome, we successfully identified and confirmed that a novel human protein interacts with one of the potentially sero-protective PfEMP1 domain.
Apr 2018 — Mar 2021
$159,123
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