Publications by authors named "Sherie Duncan"

Pfs230 is essential for Plasmodium falciparum transmission to mosquitoes and is the protein targeted by the most advanced malaria-transmission-blocking vaccine candidate. Prior understanding of functional epitopes on Pfs230 is based on two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with moderate transmission-reducing activity (TRA), elicited from subunit immunization. Here, we screened the B cell repertoire of two naturally exposed individuals possessing serum TRA and identified five potent mAbs from sixteen Pfs230 domain-1-specific mAbs.

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Article Synopsis
  • Malaria transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) aim to induce antibodies that stop the malaria parasite from developing in mosquitoes, which is crucial for malaria control and elimination efforts.
  • Researchers isolated 81 human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to the malaria surface protein Pfs48/45, identifying mAbs that effectively target different regions of this protein.
  • The study found that the most effective mAbs significantly reduced malaria transmission and detailed the structures of antibody interactions, providing valuable insights for designing better malaria vaccines.
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The autoimmune disease known as Jo-1 positive anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) is characterized by circulating antibody titers to histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HARS), which may play a role in modulating the non-canonical functions of HARS. Monoclonal antibodies to HARS were isolated by single-cell screening and sequencing from three Jo-1 positive ASS patients and shown to be of high affinity, covering diverse epitope space. The immune response was further characterized by repertoire sequencing from the most productive of the donor samples.

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Recognition of bacterial LPS by macrophages plays a critical role in host defense against infection by Gram-negative bacteria. However, when not tightly regulated, the macrophage's response to LPS can induce severe disease and septic shock. Although LPS triggers the activation of multiple signaling pathways in macrophages, it was unclear whether these include activation of the p21Ras GTPases.

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