An antigen of Plasmodium yoelii that translocates into the mouse erythrocyte membrane upon entry into the host cell.

Monoclonal antibodies against the rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium yoelii, have been prepared and characterized by indirect immunofluorescence on acetone-fixed infected mouse erythrocytes. The antibody of clone K2 reacted strongly with late trophozoites and schizonts, whereas it did so weakly and diffusely with ring forms and early trophozoites. Strong fluorescence was confined to granular structures in schizonts and merozoites. Parasites that invaded erythrocytes in vitro lost the strong fluorescence. Instead, immunofluorescence appeared in the membranes of erythrocytes infected in vitro with merozoites. Erythrocytes infected with more than one merozoite had intensified immunofluorescence in their membranes. Staining of the invaded erythrocytes with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) hydrochloride demonstrated that membranes of all the invaded erythrocytes acquired the P. yoelii antigen. These results suggest that the P. yoelii antigen in merozoites is translocated into erythrocyte membranes upon entry into the host cell. Immunofluorescence continued to appear in membranes of infected erythrocytes throughout the intra-erythrocytic parasite growth. Staining of unfixed infected erythrocytes with the K2 antibody failed to detect the parasite antigen. In contrast, immunofluorescence was present in unfixed membranes of erythrocyte ghosts, which had been spontaneously formed after rupture of schizont-infected erythrocytes by merozoite release. No immunofluorescence appeared in either acetone-fixed or unfixed ghosts of normal erythrocytes. These results suggest the antigenic determinant of the P. yoelii antigen is exposed at the cytoplasmic surface of the infected erythrocyte membrane. Immunoprecipitation has revealed that the K2 antibody recognizes a 160 X 10(3) Mr P. yoelii antigen.