biostudies-literatureCrosnier CMedical Research CouncilThe Francis Crick InstituteSeventh Framework ProgrammeRoyal SocietyWellcome TrustEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council14285-14299https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4933183biostudies-literatureUnknown291(27)Diversity at pathogen genetic loci can be driven by host adaptive immune selection pressure and may reveal proteins important for parasite biology. Population-based genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, has highlighted two related polymorphic genes called dblmsp and dblmsp2, which encode Duffy binding-like (DBL) domain-containing proteins located on the merozoite surface but whose function remains unknown. Using recombinant proteins and transgenic parasites, we show that DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 directly and avidly bind human IgM via their DBL domains. We used whole genome sequence data from over 400 African and Asian P. falciparum isolates to show that dblmsp and dblmsp2 exhibit extreme protein polymorphism in their DBL domain,The Journal of biological chemistryBinding of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Proteins DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 to Human Immunoglobulin M Is Conserved among Broadly Diverged Sequence Variants.PMC4933183975281MR/M006212/1102541/A/13/Z10097242095102541/Z/13/Z098051987447MC_PC_12017Rayner JCBustamante LYPleass RJKnuepfer EPerrin AJMaciuca SMiles AIqbal ZDougan GCrosnier CGoulding DWright GJMoore SCHolder AAKamuyu GKwiatkowski DPfalseBinding of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Proteins DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 to Human Immunoglobulin M Is Conserved among Broadly Diverged Sequence Variants.Diversity at pathogen genetic loci can be driven by host adaptive immune selection pressure and may reveal proteins important for parasite biology. Population-based genome sequencing of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, has highlighted two related polymorphic genes called dblmsp and dblmsp2, which encode Duffy binding-like (DBL) domain-containing proteins located on the merozoite surface but whose function remains unknown. Using recombinant proteins and transgenic parasites, we show that DBLMSP and DBLMSP2 directly and avidly bind human IgM via their DBL domains. We used whole genome sequence data from over 400 African and Asian P. falciparum isolates to show that dblmsp and dblmsp2 exhibit extreme protein polymorphism in their DBL domain,2016-01-01T00:00:00Z2016 Jul2026-04-17T17:01:52.827Z2019-03-27T02:17:36ZS-EPMC49331832722658310.1074/jbc.M116.722074