Vergara U, Ruiz A, Ferreira A, Nussenzweig R S, Nussenzweig V
J Immunol. 1985 May;134(5):3445-8.
The immunogenic properties of sporozoites are associated mainly with the circumsporozoite (CS) protein that covers the surface of mature sporozoites. This stage-specific protein has an immunodominant region with repetitive epitopes. Rabbits that are repeatedly immunized with sporozoites of Plasmodium knowlesi, a monkey malaria parasite, also recognize two synthetic peptides (N2 and C2) representing other polar domains of the CS protein. We show in this report that antibodies to the N2 and C2 synthetic peptides react not only with P. knowlesi but also with conserved regions of the surface membrane of other human, monkey, and rodent (but not avian) malaria sporozoites. Moreover, antibodies to N2 partially neutralize the infectivity of sporozoites of P. berghei, a rodent malaria parasite. In contrast, antibodies to synthetic peptides representing the repetitive epitope of P. knowlesi were strictly species specific.
子孢子的免疫原性主要与覆盖成熟子孢子表面的环子孢子（CS）蛋白相关。这种阶段特异性蛋白具有一个带有重复表位的免疫显性区域。用诺氏疟原虫（一种猴疟原虫）的子孢子反复免疫的兔子，也能识别代表CS蛋白其他极性结构域的两种合成肽（N2和C2）。我们在本报告中表明，针对N2和C2合成肽的抗体不仅能与诺氏疟原虫反应，还能与其他人类、猴和啮齿动物（但不是禽类）疟原虫子孢子表面膜的保守区域反应。此外，针对N2的抗体能部分中和啮齿动物疟原虫——伯氏疟原虫的子孢子的感染性。相比之下，针对代表诺氏疟原虫重复表位的合成肽的抗体具有严格的种特异性。
