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EMBO reports 6, 8, 775–781 (2005)
doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400466
Published online: 15 July 2005
A single member of the Plasmodium falciparum var multigene family determines cytoadhesion to the placental receptor chondroitin sulphate A
Nicola K Viebig1, Benoit Gamain1, Christine Scheidig1, Catherine Lépolard2, Jude Przyborski3, Michael Lanzer3, Jürg Gysin2 & Artur Scherf1
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1 Unité de Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, CNRS URA 2581, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
2 Unité de Parasitologie Expérimentale URA IPP/UNIV-MED EA 3282, IFR 48, Université de la Méditerranée (Aix-Marseille II), 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France
3 Hygiene Institut, Abteilung Parasitologie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
To whom correspondence should be addressed
Artur Scherf Tel: +33 1 45 68 86 16; Fax: +33 1 45 68 83 48; E-mail: ascherf@pasteur.fr
Received 21 March 2005; Accepted 31 May 2005; Published online 15 July 2005.
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Abstract
In high-transmission regions, protective clinical immunity to Plasmodium falciparum develops during the early years of life, limiting serious complications of malaria in young children. Pregnant women are an exception and are especially susceptible to severe P. falciparum infections resulting from the massive adhesion of parasitized erythrocytes to chondroitin sulphate A (CSA) present on placental syncytiotrophoblasts. Epidemiological studies strongly support the feasibility of an intervention strategy to protect pregnant women from disease. However, different parasite molecules have been associated with adhesion to CSA. In this work, we show that disruption of the var2csa gene of P. falciparum results in the inability of parasites to recover the CSA-binding phenotype. This gene is a member of the var multigene family and was previously shown to be composed of domains that mediate binding to CSA. Our results show the central role of var2CSA in CSA adhesion and support var2CSA as a leading vaccine candidate aimed at protecting pregnant women and their fetuses.
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