Merozoite surface protein 1, 19-kDa C-terminal fragment (MSP1-19) (MSP1-19)

Merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) is a major surface protein of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, the primary cause of severe malaria (UniProt: P04933) [1]. During the process of erythrocyte invasion, the 190-200 kDa MSP1 precursor undergoes a series of proteolytic cleavages, ultimately leaving the 19-kDa C-terminal fragment (MSP1-19) attached to the merozoite surface via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor (PubMed: 1831185) [2]. This fragment consists of two epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains and is the only part of the MSP1 complex that is carried into the host erythrocyte during invasion (PubMed: 10417161) [3]. Because of its essential role in the invasion process and its relatively high degree of sequence conservation compared to other surface antigens, MSP1-19 is a primary target for blood-stage malaria vaccine development (NIH: ClinicalTrials.gov) [4]. Antibodies directed against MSP1-19 can neutralize the parasite by blocking its entry into red blood cells or by interfering with the final maturation steps of the protein complex (PubMed: 11748175) [5]. Therapeutic strategies focus on inducing high titers of these inhibitory antibodies to prevent the cyclic replication of the parasite in the blood, which is responsible for the clinical symptoms of malaria (PubMed: 16254661) [6].

Other names

PfMSP1-1919 kDa C-terminal fragment of merozoite surface protein 1MSP-1(19)Merozoite surface protein 1 C-terminal region

Induction of inhibitory antibodies that block the proteolytic processing of MSP1-42 or sterically hinder merozoite attachment and entry into human erythrocytes (PubMed: 10417161) [3].