부산대학교 도서관

ABSTRACTVariant surface antigens (VSA) on the surface of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells play a major role in the pathogenesis of malaria and are key targets for acquired immunity. The best-characterized VSA belong to the P. falciparumerythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family. In areas where P. falciparumis endemic, parasites causing severe malaria and malaria in young children with limited immunity tend to express semiconserved PfEMP1 molecules encoded by group A vargenes. Here we investigated antibody responses of Tanzanians who were 0 to 19 years old to PF11_0008, a group A PfEMP1. PF11_0008 has previously been found to be highly transcribed in a nonimmune Dutch volunteer experimentally infected with NF54 parasites. A high proportion of the Tanzanian donors had antibodies against recombinant PF11_0008 domains, and in children who were 4 to 9 years old the presence of antibodies to the PF11_0008 CIDR2β domain was associated with reduced numbers of malaria episodes. These results indicate that homologues of PF11_0008 are present in P. falciparumfield isolates and suggest that PF11_0008 CIDR2β-reactive antibodies might be involved in protection against malaria episodes.