Protective Efficacy Induced by Genetically Attenuated Mid-to-Late Liver-Stage Arresting Plasmodium berghei ?mrp2 Parasites.

ABSTRACT: Whole parasite immunization strategies employing genetically attenuated parasites (GAP), which arrest during liver-stage development, have been applied successfully for induction of sterile malaria protection in rodents. Recently, we generated a Plasmodium berghei GAP-lacking expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP2) (Pb?mrp2) that was capable of partial schizogony in hepatocytes but showed complete growth arrest. Here, we investigated the protective efficacy after intravenous (IV) immunization of BALB/c and C57BL/6J mice with Pb?mrp2 sporozoites. Low-dose immunization using 400 Pb?mrp2 sporozoites induced 100% sterile protection in BALB/c mice after IV challenge with 10,000 wild-type sporozoites. In addition, almost full protection (90%) was obtained after three immunizations with 10,000 sporozoites in C57BL/6J mice. Parasite liver loads in nonprotected Pb?mrp2-challenged C57BL/6J mice were reduced by 86% ± 5% on average compared with naive control mice. The mid-to-late arresting Pb?mrp2 GAP was equipotent in induction of protective immunity to the early arresting Pb?b9?slarp GAP. The combined data support a clear basis for further exploration of Plasmodium falciparum parasites lacking mrp2 as a suitable GAP vaccine candidate.

SUBMITTER: van der Velden M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4973185 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature