Placental malaria vaccine candidate antigen VAR2CSA displays atypical domain architecture in some Plasmodium falciparum strains.

ABSTRACT: Two vaccines based on Plasmodium falciparum protein VAR2CSA are currently in clinical evaluation to prevent placental malaria (PM), but a deeper understanding of var2csa variability could impact vaccine design. Here we identified atypical extended or truncated VAR2CSA extracellular structures and confirmed one extended structure in a Malian maternal isolate, using a novel protein fragment assembly method for RNA-seq and DNA-seq data. Extended structures included one or two additional DBL domains downstream of the conventional NTS-DBL1X-6ɛ domain structure, with closest similarity to DBLɛ in var2csa and non-var2csa genes. Overall, 4/82 isolates displayed atypical VAR2CSA structures. The maternal isolate expressing an extended VAR2CSA bound to CSA, but its recombi

SUBMITTER: Doritchamou JYA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6897902 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature