ABSTRACT
Clinical manifestations of Plasmodium falciparum infections are caused by invasion of
erythrocytes by malaria parasites, a process mediated by multiple receptor-ligand
interactions. Antibodies against some parasite ligands significantly inhibit parasite growth
in vitro, demonstrating that these interactions may be good targets for the development of
an effective blood stage vaccine. This study was aimed at investigating the erythrocyte
receptors used by P. falciparum isolates in Ghana. P. falciparum field isolates were
collected from children aged 2-6 years attending hospitals in three ecologically distinct
zones in Ghana: Accra, Navrongo, and Kintampo. Erythrocyte invasion assays were
performed on eighteen isolates to test the ability of the parasites to invade erythrocytes
treated with neuraminidase, trypsin and chymotrypsin which selectively remove receptors
from the erythrocyte cell surface. In addition, antibodies against two recently identified
receptors, basigin (BSG) and complement receptor 1 (CR1) were used to determine the
dependence of the isolates on these pathways. One to three assays were performed on each
isolate. The majority of field isolates tested were capable of invading neuraminidasetreated
erythrocytes with greater than 50% invasion efficiencies relative to untreated
erythrocytes, suggesting that these field isolates have sialic acid (SA)-independent invasion
phenotypes. Invasion efficiency in trypsin-and chymotrypsin-treated erythrocytes varied
between 20 to 75% relative to untreated erythrocytes. In all field isolates tested,
antibodies against CR1 significantly inhibited invasion of neuraminidase-treated
erythrocytes. However, anti-BSG antibodies significantly inhibited invasion in both
untreated and neuraminidase-treated erythrocytes to a similar extent. This may suggest that
the interaction between basigin and its parasite ligand PfRh5 may be upstream of
interactions involving glycophorins and CR1.
MENSAH-BROWN, H (2021). ERYTHROCYTE INVASION MECHANISMS OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM CLINICAL ISOLATES FROM GHANAIAN CHILDREN. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/erythrocyte-invasion-mechanisms-of-plasmodium-falciparum-clinical-isolates-from-ghanaian-children
MENSAH-BROWN, HENRIETTA "ERYTHROCYTE INVASION MECHANISMS OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM CLINICAL ISOLATES FROM GHANAIAN CHILDREN" Afribary. Afribary, 31 Mar. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/erythrocyte-invasion-mechanisms-of-plasmodium-falciparum-clinical-isolates-from-ghanaian-children. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
MENSAH-BROWN, HENRIETTA . "ERYTHROCYTE INVASION MECHANISMS OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM CLINICAL ISOLATES FROM GHANAIAN CHILDREN". Afribary, Afribary, 31 Mar. 2021. Web. 14 Nov. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/erythrocyte-invasion-mechanisms-of-plasmodium-falciparum-clinical-isolates-from-ghanaian-children >.
MENSAH-BROWN, HENRIETTA . "ERYTHROCYTE INVASION MECHANISMS OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM CLINICAL ISOLATES FROM GHANAIAN CHILDREN" Afribary (2021). Accessed November 14, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/erythrocyte-invasion-mechanisms-of-plasmodium-falciparum-clinical-isolates-from-ghanaian-children