Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein region II (PvDBPII) (PvDBPII)

Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein region II (PvDBPII) is a critical parasite ligand required for the invasion of human erythrocytes by Plasmodium vivax. It specifically interacts with the Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC) on the surface of red blood cells to form a tight junction, which is a prerequisite for parasite entry (UniProt P19113). The SalI allele refers to the sequence derived from the Salvador I strain, which serves as a primary reference for vaccine development and structural studies (PubMed: 30305460). Because the interaction between PvDBPII and DARC is essential for most P. vivax strains, this protein is a leading candidate for blood-stage malaria vaccines. Therapeutic strategies focus on inducing neutralizing antibodies that block the PvDBPII-DARC interaction, thereby preventing infection (PubMed: 25605938). However, significant sequence variation (polymorphism) in the DBPII domain across different global isolates poses a challenge for developing a broadly effective vaccine that covers all alleles (PubMed: 29118143). Monoclonal antibodies targeting conserved epitopes within PvDBPII are also under investigation as passive immunization strategies (Nature Communications: 10.1038/s41467-019-11326-8).

Other names

Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein region II, SalI allelePvDBPDBPIIDuffy-binding protein region IIErythrocyte-binding protein

Inhibition of the interaction between the parasite ligand PvDBPII and the host receptor DARC to prevent erythrocyte invasion.