Identification of B cell protective antigens/epitopes against asexual and sexual blood forms of Plasmodium parasites through monoclonal antibodies

• Grant number: 17/11931-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: October 01, 2017 - April 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Lani Volpe da Silveira
• Grantee: Eduardo Lani Volpe da Silveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Daniel Youssef Bargieri ; Irene da Silva Soares ; Ricardo Tostes Gazzinelli

Abstract

Since the beginning of the current century, malaria incidence and mortality have been reduced worldwide. However, almost 250 million cases of malaria infections were estimated in 2015, resulting in approximately 430 thousand deaths. Of note, the majority of malaria-induced deaths were enumerated in few African countries and mainly due to infection with Plasmodium falciparum in children. Individuals from malaria endemic areas are continuously exposed to parasites and end up developing protective immunity. However, it depends on multiple parasite exposures and takes years to be established. Antibodies specific to antigens from asexual and sexual blood forms of the parasite have a critical role in that process. As more parasite exposures occur in endemic areas, higher are the malarial-specific antibody titers which may attenuate disease symptoms, but do not inhibit transmission to mosquitoes.Numerous parasite protein variants are expressed upon Plasmodium infection stimulating the polyclonal activation of B cells. Nonetheless, this event seems to induce B cell exhaustion. Associated with this reduction of B cell functionality, alterations have been observed in the profile of cytokine expression, such as type I IFN, and frequency of B cell populations. Among the major B cell subsets affected by cellular exhaustion are memory, germinal center and antibody-secreting cells, culminating with diminished antibody titers previously generated. On the other hand, serum samples of chronically malaria-exposed adults have the ability to protect children from developing severe disease. Antigens from extracellular merozoites, infected erythrocytes and gametocytes are the main targets of this protective humoral response. Some P. falciparum and P. vivax antigens have been identified as targets for this response in the last decades. But none of them showed great protective capacity in clinical trials yet. Low immunogenicity, difficulty in generating proteins with tertiary conformation, required for humoral responses to structural epitopes, and lack of protective correlates have been associated with that reduced efficacy in the target screening. Therefore, the main aim of the present proposal is to identify novel protective Plasmodium antigens from asexual and sexual blood forms using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Those mAbs will be cloned from single plasma cells of P. berghei-immune mice treated with pirimethamine or mice immunized with gamete protein extract. This is an unprecedented approach in the identification of novel antigens/epitopes for the asexual and sexual blood phases of malaria. Blood or spleen single IgG-secreting cells will be isolated for Ig V(D)J cloning and mAb production. After verifying mAb specificity and funcionality, targeted antigens will be solved by mass spectometry. Once identified a novel antigen, its ortholog gene will be assayed regarding parasitic fitness and ability to elicit protection as vaccine candidate against parasites that cause malaria in humans. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SILVEIRA, EDUARDO L. V.; DOMINGUEZ, MARIANA R.; SOARES, IRENE S.. To B or Not to B: Understanding B Cell Responses in the Development of Malaria Infection. FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY, v. 9, DEC 14 2018. (12/13032-5, 17/11931-6)

BONEZI, VIVIAN; CATANEO, ALLAN H. D.; BRANQUINHO, MARYANA S. F.; SILVA, MAYSA B. B.; GONZALEZ-DIAS, PATRICIA; PEREIRA, SAMUEL S.; DE SOUZA FERREIRA, LUIS C.; NAKAYA, I, HELDER; CAMPA, ANA; WOWK, PRYSCILLA F.; et al. Flavivirus-Mediating B Cell Differentiation Into Antibody-Secreting Cells in Humans Is Associated With the Activation of the Tryptophan Metabolism. FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY, v. 11, FEB 11 2020. (17/11931-6)