Erythrocyte binding activity of pkdbpαii of plasmodium knowlesi isolated from high and low parasitemia cases

• Main Authors: Mohd Bukhari, Fatma Diyana, Lau, Yee Ling, Fong, Mun Yik
• Format: Article
• Published: Amer Soc Trop Med & Hygiene 2021
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/35682/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Invasion of Plasmodium knowlesi merozoite into human erythrocytes involves molecular interaction between the parasite's Duffy binding protein (PkDBPαII) and the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines on the erythrocytes. This study investigates the binding activity of human erythrocyte with PkDBPαII of P. knowlesi isolates from high and low parasitemic patients in an erythrocyte binding assay. The binding activity was determined by counting the number and measuring the size of rosettes formed in the assay. The protein PkDBPαII of P. knowlesi isolated from low parasitemia cases produced significantly higher number of rosettes with human erythrocytes than high parasitemia case isolates (65.5 ± 12.9 and 17.2 ± 5.5, respectively). Interestingly, PkDBPαII of isolates from high parasitemia cases formed significantly larger rosettes with human erythrocytes than PkDBPαII of isolates from low parasitemia cases (18,000 ± 13,000 μm2 and 1,315 ± 623 μm2, respectively). © 2021 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene