Plasmodium Falciparum: Chymotryptic-Like Proteolysis Associated with a 101-kDa Acidic-Base Repeat Antigen

Abstract

Malaria proteinases appear to function in the release of merozoites from infected erythrocytes and the invasion of merozoites into erythrocytes. Chymostatin, an inhibitor of chymotrypsin-like proteinases, inhibits malaria invasion and also inhibits apparent autoproteolysis of a 101-kDa acidic-basic repeat antigen (p101-ABRA) that is found in the vacuolar space surrounding merozoites in Plasmodium faiciparum-infected erythrocytes. After purification by a monoclonal antibody (MAb 3D5), p101-ABRA degrades into smaller fragments in the absence of chymostatin. In this study fluorogenic proteinase substrates of the type peptidyl-7-amino-4-trifluoromethyl coumarin with phenylalanine or tyrosine linked to AFC were used to characterize chymotryptic-like activity associated with p101-ABRA. When p101-ABRA from the cell extract of P. falciparum-schizont-infected erythrocytes was affinity purified on MAb 3D5 beads, chymotryptic-like activity bound to the beads. Seventy-four percent to 96% of the activity detected using MeOSuc-KLF-AFC, Suc-LLVY-AFC, or SY-AFC at a pH optimum of 7.0 was removed from the extract and 6 to 33% was detected on the washed beads. Attempts to recover active enzyme eluted from the beads were not successful. Enzymes cleaving two other substrates (MeOSuc-AAPM-AFC and F-AFC) did not significantly bind to mAB 3D5 beads. Chymotryptic-like activity was also associated with p101-ABRA in fractions from sequential DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, Sephacryl S-200 chromatography, and nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis....Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Antigens, Acidic-Basic Repeat Antigens(ABRA), Protease, Proteolysis, Vaccine development, Merozoite surface antigen, Protease purification and detection methods.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA260199

Entities

People

  • J. D. Haynes
  • Jeffrey D. Chulay
  • Mark Nwagwu
  • Palmer A. Orlandi

Organizations

  • Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antibodies
  • Antigens
  • Biomedical And Dental Materials
  • Blood
  • Blood Cells
  • Cells
  • Chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Erythrocytes
  • Gel Electrophoresis
  • Molecular Weight
  • Neutral Amino Acids
  • Parasitology
  • Polymeric Films
  • Proteins
  • Spores
  • Sugar Alcohols

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Space