Recognition of variant Rifin antigens by human antibodies induced during natural Plasmodium falciparum infections.

ABSTRACT: Antibodies from individuals living in areas where malaria is endemic are known to react with parasite-derived erythrocyte surface proteins. The major immunogenic and clonally variant surface antigen described to date is Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP-1), which is encoded by members of the multicopy var gene family. We report here that rifin proteins (RIF proteins), belonging to the largest known family of variable infected erythrocyte surface-expressed proteins, are also naturally immunogenic. Recombinant RIF proteins were used to analyze the antibody responses of individuals living in an area of intense malaria transmission. Elevated anti-rifin antibody levels were detected in the majority of the adult population tested, whereas the prevalence of such antibodi

SUBMITTER: Abdel-Latif MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC132968 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature