Well-defined regions of the Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte binding protein homologue 4 mediate interaction with red blood cell membrane.

Two widely studied parasite protein families are considered attractive targets for developing a fully effective antimalarial vaccine: the erythrocyte binding antigen (EBA) family defining a sialic acid-dependent invasion pathway, and reticulocyte-binding homologue (RH) proteins associated with sialic acid-independent red blood cell (RBC) invasion. In this study, the micronemal invasive PfRH4 protein was finely mapped using 20-mer-long synthetic peptides spanning the entire protein length to identify protein regions that establish high affinity interactions with human RBCs. Twenty conserved, mainly alpha-helical high-activity binding peptides (HABPs) with nanomolar dissociation constants and recognizing 32, 25, 22, and 20 kDa RBC membrane molecules in a chymotrypsin and/or trypsin-sensitive manner were identified in this protein. Anti-PfRH4 rabbit sera and PfRH4 HABPs inhibited merozoite invasion in vitro, therefore suggesting the implication of these HABPs in Plasmodium falciparum invasion and supporting their inclusion in further structural and immunological studies to design potential components of a minimal subunit-based, multiantigenic, chemically synthesized antimalarial vaccine.

Identification of conserved erythrocyte binding regions in members of the Plasmodium falciparum Cys6 lipid raft-associated protein family.

Detergent-resistant lipid raft membrane-associated Pf12, Pf38 and Pf41 proteins belong to the Cys(6) family, whose members are implicated in Plasmodium falciparum invasion to erythrocytes. We have analyzed the interaction between 20-mer-long synthetic peptides spanning the entire Pf12, Pf38 and Pf41 sequences and erythrocytes. Eight high-activity binding peptides (HABPs) were identified in these proteins, which presented saturable bindings susceptible to erythrocytes' enzymatic treatment, and beta-turn, random coil and alpha-helical elements as principal structural features. Some of these HABPs inhibited merozoite invasion in vitro, suggesting a possible role of Pf12, Pf38 and Pf41 during erythrocyte invasion and supporting their inclusion in the design of a fully effective antimalarial vaccine.