CD44 cross-linking promotes <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> invasion.

ABSTRACT: The ability of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to invade and replicate asexually within human red blood cells (RBCs) is central to its pathogenicity, accounting for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. RBC invasion is a multi-step process involving several host-parasite interactions, yet the host factors acting during invasion remain underexplored, largely due to the intractability of mature enucleated RBCs. The transmembrane protein CD44 was identified as a host factor for P. falciparum invasion through a forward genetic screen using genetically modified RBCs derived from primary human hematopoietic stem cells. Here, we identify an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody, BRIC 222, that significantly promotes P. falciparum invasion, and demonstrate that its eff

SUBMITTER: Kongsomboonvech AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12324491 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature