Recognition of phage-expressed peptides containing Asx-Pro sequences by monoclonal antibodies produced against Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein.

The immunodominant region of the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein is comprised mainly of a series of tetrapeptide repeats that can, depending on the starting cadence chosen, be described as (NANP)n, (ANPN)n, (NPNA)n or (PNAN)n in one-letter amino acid code. Data from several studies suggest that the NPNA cadence alone is structurally correct, in that each NPNA tetrapeptide effectively forms a structural unit initiated by an Asx-Pro turn. To explore this idea further and to assess the immunological relevance of peptide conformation as it relates to the cadence of these tetrapeptide repeats, we used ELISA to compare the abilities of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) produced against P. falciparum sporozoites to recognize repeat-related heptapeptides expressed on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage. Having included representatives of both NANP and NPNA cadences and other peptides in which the number and location of Asx-Pro sequences varied, we provide evidence that Asx-Pro sequences play an important role in peptide conformation and antibody recognition, that peptide conformation is influenced by the cadence of the tetrapeptide repeats and that peptide conformation is important to the abilities of these MAbs to recognize their epitopes.