AI Article Synopsis
- Plasmodium falciparum virulence is linked to how infected red blood cells bind to blood vessels, utilizing a protein called PfEMP1 and the immune protein IgM.
- Cryo-molecular electron tomography revealed structures of PfEMP1 and IgM, showing that IgM has a dome-like shape, while PfEMP1 has a C-shape that interacts with IgM.
- The study suggests that PfEMP1 clusters IgM to enhance binding to host cell receptors, which may contribute to the severity of malaria in children and pregnant women.
Article Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum virulence is associated with sequestration of infected erythrocytes. Microvascular binding mediated by PfEMP1 in complex with non-immune immunoglobulin M (IgM) is common among parasites that cause both severe childhood malaria and pregnancy-associated malaria. Here, we present cryo-molecular electron tomography structures of human IgM, PfEMP1 and their complex. Three-dimensional reconstructions of IgM reveal that it has a dome-like core, randomly oriented Fab2s units, and the overall shape of a turtle. PfEMP1 is a C- shaped molecule with a flexible N terminus followed by an arc-shaped backbone and a bulky C terminus that interacts with IgM. Our data demonstrate that the PfEMP1 binding pockets on IgM overlap with those of C1q, and the bulkiness of PfEMP1 limits the capacity of IgM to interact with PfEMP1. We suggest that P. falciparum exploits IgM to cluster PfEMP1 into an organized matrix to augment its affinity to host cell receptors.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.067 | DOI Listing |
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