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A Plasmodium vivax Vaccine Candidate Displays Limited Allele Polymorphism, Which Does Not Restrict Recognition by Antibodies

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Abstract

Background

The 19 kDa C-terminal region of the merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119) has been suggested as candidate for part of a subunit vaccine against malaria. A major concern in vaccine development is the polymorphism observed in different plasmodial strains. The present study examined the extension and immunological relevance of the allelic polymorphism of the MSP119 from Plasmodium vivax, a major human malaria parasite.

Materials and Methods

We cloned and sequenced 88 gene fragments representing the MSP119 from 28 Brazilian isolates of P. vivax. Subsequently, we evaluated the reactivity of rabbit polyclonal antibodies, a monoclonal antibody, and a panel of 80 human sera to bacterial and yeast recombinant proteins representing the two allelic forms of P. vivax MSP119 described thus far.

Results

We observed that DNA sequences encoding MSP119 were not as variable as the equivalent region of other species of Plasmodium, being conserved among Brazilian isolates of P. vivax. Also, we found that antibodies are directed mainly to conserved epitopes present in both allelic forms of the protein.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the use of MSP119 as part of a subunit vaccine against P. vivax might be greatly facilitated by the limited genetic polymorphism and predominant recognition of conserved epitopes by antibodies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Dr. Hernando Del Portillo, University of São Paulo, for providing the plasmid ICB10. This work was supported by grants from FAPESP, PADCT, CNPq, PRONEX, and FINEP to M.M.R. M.U.F. and M.M.R. are the recipients of fellowships from CNPq. I.S.S. is a post-doctoral fellow of FAPESP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Irene S. Soares, Maristela Gomes Da Cunha, Beatriz A. Castilho &  Mauricio M. Rodrigues

  2. Departamento de Patologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil

    Irene S. Soares & Maristela Gomes Da Cunha

  3. Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    John W. Barnwell

  4. Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marcelo U. Ferreira & Jomar P. Laurino

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  1. Irene S. Soares
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Correspondence to Mauricio M. Rodrigues.

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Soares, I.S., Barnwell, J.W., Ferreira, M.U. et al. A Plasmodium vivax Vaccine Candidate Displays Limited Allele Polymorphism, Which Does Not Restrict Recognition by Antibodies. Mol Med 5, 459–470 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403539

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