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Infection and Immunity, May 2000, p. 2685-2691, Vol. 68, No. 5
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Conserved T- and B-Cell Epitopes in Plasmodium falciparum Major Merozoite Surface Protein 1

Marcela Parra,1,* George Hui,2 Armead H. Johnson,3 Jay A. Berzofsky,4 Theodore Roberts,1 Isabella A. Quakyi,1 and Diane W. Taylor1

Departments of Biology1 and Pediatrics,3 Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057; Department of Tropical Medicine and Medical Microbiology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii 968162; and Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 208924

Received 3 August 1999/Returned for modification 7 October 1999/Accepted 2 February 2000

Vaccines for P. falciparum will need to contain both T- and B-cell epitopes. Conserved epitopes are the most desirable, but they are often poorly immunogenic. The major merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1) is currently a leading vaccine candidate antigen. In this study, six peptides from conserved or partly conserved regions of MSP-1 were evaluated for immunogenicity in B10 congenic mice. Following immunization with the peptides, murine T cells were tested for the ability to proliferate in vitro and antibody responses to MSP-1 were evaluated in vivo. The results showed that one highly conserved sequence (MSP-1#1, VTHESYQELVKKLEALEDAV; located at amino acid positions 20 to 39) and one partly conserved sequence (MSP-1#23, GLFHKEKMILNEEEITTKGA; located at positions 44 to 63) contained both T- and B-cell epitopes. Immunization of mice with these peptides resulted in T-cell proliferation and enhanced production of antibody to MSP-1 upon exposure to merozoites. MSP-1#1 stimulated T-cell responses in three of the six strains of mice evaluated, whereas MSP-1#23 was immunogenic in only one strain. Immunization with the other four peptides resulted in T-cell responses to the peptides, but none of the resulting peptide-specific T cells recognized native MSP-1. These results demonstrate that two sequences located in the N terminus of MSP-1 can induce T- and B-cell responses following immunization in a murine model. Clearly, these sequences merit further consideration for inclusion in a vaccine for malaria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, Reiss Science Building, Rm 406, Georgetown University, 37th and O Sts. NW, Washington, DC 20057. Phone: (202) 687-5972. Fax: (202) 687-5662. E-mail: Parram{at}gusun.georgetown.edu.

Infection and Immunity, May 2000, p. 2685-2691, Vol. 68, No. 5
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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