Host-parasite interactions in malaria

• Research unit: TPH
• Project number: 2.02

Key words (English)

Malaria, host-pathogen interactions, antigenic diversity, immune evasion

Short description (English)

Using Plasmodium falciparum genome information resources new predicted open reading frames are characterised and the suitability of the encoded proteins as drug targets or candi-date vaccine antigens is evaluated. The role of selected parasite proteins in membrane trafficking and parasite differentiation is analysed.The antigenic diversity of malaria antigens is analysed and the role of dimorphisms in para-site immune evasion is investigated. Immune responses to malaria antigens are analysed at the clonal and molecular level with particular emphasis on human cellular immune re-sponses. The Aotus monkey malaria model is characterised.

Project aims (English)

Contribution to a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions in Plasmodium falcipa-rum with the final goal to identify new drug and vaccine targets and to support the develop-ment of new interventions against Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Publications / Results (English)

Identification and characterization of a conserved, stage specific gene product of Plasmodium falciparum recognized by parasite growth inhibitory antibodies. C.A. Daubenberger, D. Diaz, M. Curcic, M. S. Mueller, T. Spielmann, U. Certa, J. Lipp, and G. Pluschke. Infect Immun, 71, 2173-2181 (2003)

The N'-terminal domain of Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of the apicomplexan Plasmodium falciparum mediates GTPase Rab2-dependent recruitment to membranes. C. A. Daubenberger, E. J. Tisdale, M. Curcic, D. Diaz, O. Silvie, D. Mazier. W. Eling, B. Bohrmann, H. Matile, and G. Pluschke, Biol. Chem., 384, 1227 - 1237 (2003)

Comparison of analytical methods for the evaluation of antibody responses against epitopes of polymorphic protein antigens. A. Helg, M. S. Mueller, A. Joss, F. Pöltl-Frank, F. Stuart, J. A. Robinson, and G. Pluschke, J. Imm. Meth., 276, 19 - 31 (2003)

Amino acid dimorphism and parasite immune evasion: cellular immune responses to a promiscuous epitope of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-1 displaying dimorphic amino acid polymorphism are highly constrained. C. A. Daubenberger, B. Nickel, C. Ciatto, M. Grütter, F. Pöltl-Frank, L. Rossi, U. Siegler, J. Robinson, O. Kashala, M. E. Patarroyo and G. Pluschke. Eur. J. Immunol, 32, 3667 -3677 (2002)

Functional and structural conservation of V?9Vd2 T cells in Aotus nancymaae, a primate infection model for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Daubenberger, C. A., Salomon, M., Vecino, W., Hübner, B., Troll, H., Rodriquez, R., Patarroyo, M. E., and Pluschke, G., J. Immunol, 167, 6421 - 6430 (2001)

A rhoptry-associated protein 1-binding monoclonal antibody raised against a heterologous peptide sequence inhibits Plasmodium falciparum growth in vitro. Moreno, R., Pöltl-Frank, F., Stüber, D., Matile, H., Mutz, M., Weiss, N., and Pluschke, G. Infect. Immun., 69, 2558 - 2568 (2001)

Diversity of the Merozoite Surface Protein 1 in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from the Kilombero District, Tanzania. Jiang, G., Daubenberger, C., Huber, W., Matile, H., Tanner, M., and Pluschke, G. Acta Tropica, 74, 51 - 61 (2000)