Protein expression profile of plasmepsin IV knock-out Plasmodium berghei parasite and immunoreactive proteins identification Alessandro Magini, Roberta Spaccapelo, Sara Caterbi, Tania Dottori, Michaela Weber, Alice Polchi, Elena Aime, Carla Emiliani and Andrea Crisanti Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy Malaria still represents in vast regions of the developing world particularly sub-Saharan Africa one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality amongst young children. The disease is caused by blood stage parasites that invade and multiply within host erythrocytes. Decades of efforts aimed at developing either subunit or attenuated live organism vaccines to malaria blood stage parasites have so far been inconclusive. In the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei, the gene disruption of plasmepsin IV, a food vacuole aspartic protease involved in haemoglobin digestion, unexpectedly generated virulence-attenuated parasites that elicited a strong and long lasting protective immunity [1]. Proteome of this transgenic parasite was obtained by 2D electrophoresis and compared to that of wt P. berghei. Moreover, using serum collected from protected animals we could visualise in P. berghei proteome a number of antigen with different immunoreactivity. Serum from protected mice was then used to immunoprecipitate antigens for their mass spectrometry identification. The analysis identified several proteins some of which are associated to the surface of parasites thus representing good targets for vaccine development.
PROTEIN EXPRESSION PROFILE OF PLASMEPSIN IV KNOCK DOWN PLASMODIUM BERGHEI PARASITE AND IMMUNOREACTIVE IDENTIFICATION
MAGINI, Alessandro;SPACCAPELO, Roberta;CATERBI, SARA;DOTTORINI, Tania;POLCHI, ALICE;AIME, ELENA;EMILIANI, Carla;CRISANTI, Andrea
2010
Abstract
Protein expression profile of plasmepsin IV knock-out Plasmodium berghei parasite and immunoreactive proteins identification Alessandro Magini, Roberta Spaccapelo, Sara Caterbi, Tania Dottori, Michaela Weber, Alice Polchi, Elena Aime, Carla Emiliani and Andrea Crisanti Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy Malaria still represents in vast regions of the developing world particularly sub-Saharan Africa one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality amongst young children. The disease is caused by blood stage parasites that invade and multiply within host erythrocytes. Decades of efforts aimed at developing either subunit or attenuated live organism vaccines to malaria blood stage parasites have so far been inconclusive. In the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei, the gene disruption of plasmepsin IV, a food vacuole aspartic protease involved in haemoglobin digestion, unexpectedly generated virulence-attenuated parasites that elicited a strong and long lasting protective immunity [1]. Proteome of this transgenic parasite was obtained by 2D electrophoresis and compared to that of wt P. berghei. Moreover, using serum collected from protected animals we could visualise in P. berghei proteome a number of antigen with different immunoreactivity. Serum from protected mice was then used to immunoprecipitate antigens for their mass spectrometry identification. The analysis identified several proteins some of which are associated to the surface of parasites thus representing good targets for vaccine development.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
