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The goal of this study was to evaluate the antibody response induced by Plasmodium falciparum glutamate-rich protein (GLURP) in naturally exposed individuals from the Brazilian Amazon region (Rondonia State). The results showed that most individuals had IgG against two well-defined regions within P. falciparum GLURP, the relatively conserved N-terminal nonrepeat region (R0) and the immunodominant repeat region (R2), 67% and 79%, respectively. The peptides S4 from R2 (53%) and P11 from R0 (49%) were identified as immunodominant B cell epitopes and induced higher levels of antibodies. The number of GLURP peptides recognized and the levels of IgG against S4 and P11 peptides showed a positive correlation with age and time of exposure in the malaria-endemic area studied. The antibody responses against GLURP epitopes appear to be modulated by HLA class II antigens. Interestingly, the GLURP immunodominant B cell epitopes in individuals from a Brazilian malaria-endemic area are distinguishable from those of the African malaria-endemic area. Considering the importance of GLURP as a malaria vaccine candidate and the increasing focus on the use of subunit vaccines in the control of infectious diseases, the concern of the influence of class II allele frequencies in ethnically diverse populations may be important before vaccine trials are conducted among people naturally exposed to malaria parasites.
Received October 5, 2004. Accepted for publication May 19, 2005.
Acknowledgments: We thank the villagers of Candeias do Jamari and São Miguel for their participation in the study, Dr. Pedro H. Cabello for help with the HLA statistical analysis, Rosilene Ramos Gonçalves for technical assistance, Dr. Mitchell R. Lishon for his careful review of the manuscript. We also thank the Fundação Nacional de Saúde/Ministério da Saúde, Brazil for providing facilities in the malaria-endemic area.
Financial support: This work was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil). The authors are recipient of research fellowships from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Lillian R. Pratt-Riccio), and CNPq (Josué C. Lima-Junior, Joseli Oliveira-Ferreira, Cláudio T. Daniel-Ribeiro, and Dalma M. Banic).
* Address correspondence to Dalma M. Banic, Laboratório de Pesquisas em Malária, Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Pavilhão Leônidas Deane, Av. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, CEP 21045-900. E-mail: banic{at}ioc.fiocruz.br
Authors addresses: Lilian R. Pratt-Riccio, Josué C. Lima-Junior, Leonardo J. M. Carvalho, Erika C. Espindola-Mendes, Joseli Oliveira-Ferreira, Cláudio T. Daniel-Ribeiro, and Dalma M. Banic, Laboratory of Malaria Research, Department of Immunology, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Av. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, CEP 21045-900, Telephone: 55-21-3865-8135, Fax: 55-21-2209-4110, E-mails: riccio{at}ioc.fiocruz.br, josue{at}ioc.fiocruz.br, leojmc.ioc.fiocruz.br, lila{at}ioc.fiocruz.br, ribeiro{at}ioc.fiocruz.br, and banic{at}ioc.fiocruz.br. Michael Theisen, Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Statens Serum Institut 5, Artillerivej, 81/344, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark, Telephone: 45-32-68-37-34, Fax: 45-32-68-30-35, E-mail: mth{at}ssi.dk. Fátima Santos, Fundação Nacional de Saúde de Rondônia. Av. Governador Jorge Teixeira, s/n, Setor Industrial, CEP 78900.100, Porto Velho, RO, Brazil, E-mail: fatimasantosro{at}bol.com.br. Anna C. Goldberg, Laboratório de Imunologia, Instituto do Coração/São Paulo, Av. Dr. Eneas de Carvalho Aguiar 44, Bloco B, 9° andar, CEP 05403-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, E-mail: goldberg{at}usp.br.
Reprint requests: Dalma M. Banic. Laboratório de Pesquisas em Malária, Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Pavilhão Leônidas Deane, Av. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, CEP 21045-900.
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