Raphael A Reyes, Sai Sundar Rajan Raghavan, Nicholas K Hurlburt, Viola Introini, Ikhlaq Hussain Kana, Rasmus W Jensen, Elizabeth Martinez-Scholze, Maria Gestal-Mato, Cristina Bancells Bau, Monica Lisa Fernández-Quintero, Johannes R Loeffler, James Alexander Ferguson, Wen-Hsin Lee, Greg Michael Martin, Thor G Theander, Isaac Ssewanyana, Margaret E Feeney, Bryan Greenhouse, Sebastiaan Bol, Andrew B Ward, Maria Bernabeu, Marie Pancera, Louise Turner, Evelien M Bunnik, Thomas Lavstsen
Plasmodium falciparum pathology is driven by the accumulation of parasite-infected erythrocytes in microvessels. This process is mediated by the parasite's polymorphic erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) adhesion proteins. A subset of PfEMP1 variants that bind human endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) through their CIDRα1 domains is responsible for severe malaria pathogenesis. A longstanding question is whether individual antibodies can recognize the large repertoire of circulating PfEMP1 variants...
January 25, 2024: bioRxiv