A 43 kDa recombinant plasmepsin elicits immune response in mice against Plasmodium berghei malaria.

Intraerythrocytic parasites degrade haemoglobin to make available nutrients for their growth and maturation. Plasmepsins, the aspartic proteases of Plasmodium play a significant role in haemoglobin degradation and are proposed as attractive drug targets. In the present study the gene which encodes plasmepsin in rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei, was cloned and expressed.

43 kDa and 66 kDa, two blood stage antigens induce immune response in Plasmodium berghei malaria.

The hunt for an effective vaccine against malaria still continues. Several new target antigens as candidates for vaccine design are being explored and tested for their efficacy. In the present study the sera from mice immunized with 24,000 x g fraction of Plasmodium berghei has been used to identify highly immunogenic blood stage antigens.

Plasmodium berghei induces apoptotic changes in splenic and peripheral blood cells.

Intracellular parasites manipulate host cell apoptosis in different ways either to increase their life span within infected cells or to spread infection. The present data provided information on the cellular changes taking place in spleen and peripheral blood during Plasmodium berghei-infection and indicated apoptosis mediated host immune response during infection. Our results suggested a significant change in cellular composition and absolute number of white blood cells in spleen and peripheral blood of P.

Characterization of Plasmodium berghei glutathione synthetase.

Plasmodium berghei contained 0.454±0.031 U/mg of glutathione synthetyase (GS).

Glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase: novel antioxidant enzymes from Plasmodium berghei.

Malaria parasites adapt to the oxidative stress during their erythrocytic stages with the help of vital thioredoxin redox system and glutathione redox system. Glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase are important enzymes of these redox systems that help parasites to maintain an adequate intracellular redox environment. In the present study, activities of glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase were investigated in normal and Plasmodium berghei-infected mice red blood cells and their fractions.