Extensive antigenic polymorphism within the repeat sequence of the Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 block 2 is incorporated in a minimal polyvalent immunogen.

ABSTRACT: Polymorphism in pathogen antigens presents a complex challenge for vaccine design. A prime example is the N-terminal block 2 region of the Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1), to which allele-specific antibodies have been associated with protection from malaria. In a Zambian population studied here, 49 of 91 alleles sampled were of the K1-like type (the most common of three block 2 types in all African populations), and most of these had unique sequences due to variation in tri- and hexapeptide repetitive motifs. There were significant negative correlations between allelic sequence lengths of different regions of the repeats, so the complete repeat sequence had less length variation than its component parts, suggesting a constraint on overall length. Diverse epitopes r

SUBMITTER: Tetteh KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1231057 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature