HAMBURG: Researchers at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine have unveiled a cutting-edge method to study the proteins that enable Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, to stick to red blood cells and evade the immune system. The findings, published as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, pave the way for innovative approaches to combat malaria.
The study highlights the parasite's cytoadhesion process, which is mediated by PfEMP1 proteins. These proteins enable infected cells to adhere to blood vessels, leading to severe complications like organ damage. Traditionally, studying PfEMP1 has been challenging due to the parasite's ability to produce diverse variants of the protein.
The research team, led by Jakob Cronshagen, utilized selection linked integration (SLI) to create parasite lines that predominantly produce a single PfEMP1 variant. This approach allowed them to investigate how these proteins interact with other cellular components and track their transport mechanisms. The study also identified two new proteins critical to the cytoadhesion process.
“Our method opens new avenues for understanding malaria pathology and developing targeted therapies,” said senior author Tobias Spielmann. The ability to manipulate PfEMP1 expression could accelerate the discovery of interventions to neutralize these pathogenic proteins.
This breakthrough holds promise for advancing malaria treatments and enhancing global efforts to control this life-threatening disease.