Modular Display of Circumsporozoite Surface Protein and Merozoite Surface Protein-1 on Norovirus-like Particles.

Recently, virus-like particles have been regarded as a promising platform for displaying foreign peptides or proteins on their surface. In this study, a dual-protein-displaying platform based on the norovirus-like particle (NoV-LP) was developed using SpyTag (SpT)/SpyCatcher (SpC) protein bioconjugation. A short 14-amino-acid SpT peptide was added to the C-terminus of VP1, with a rigid "EAAAK" spacer in between.

Bovine lactoferrin inhibits Plasmodium berghei growth by binding to heme.

Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is a 77 kDa glycoprotein that is abundant in bovine breast milk and exerts various bioactive functions, including antibacterial and antiviral functions. Few studies have explored bLF activity against parasites. We found that bLF affects hemozoin synthesis by binding to heme, inhibiting heme iron polymerization necessary for Plasmodium berghei ANKA survival in infected erythrocytes, and also binds to hemozoin, causing it to disassemble.

Molecular phylogenetical identification of bear roundworms (Baylisascaris transfuga) derived from wild Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) around Lake Towada.

The bear roundworm Baylisascaris transfuga has been identified in several host bears (Ursinae). However, limited genetic information is available on the bear roundworm in Japanese populations. This study evaluated the genetic composition of bear roundworms isolated from wild Japanese black bears indigenous to Lake Towada, Japan.

The C-terminal region of the Plasmodium berghei gamete surface 184-kDa protein Pb184 contributes to fertilization and male gamete binding to the residual body.

Background: Malaria, a global health concern, is caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus, which undergo gametogenesis in the midgut of mosquitoes after ingestion of an infected blood meal. The resulting male and female gametes fuse to form a zygote, which differentiates into a motile ookinete. After traversing the midgut epithelium, the ookinete differentiates into an oocyst on the basal side of the epithelium.