Allelic variants of full-length VAR2CSA, the placental malaria vaccine candidate, differ in antigenicity and receptor binding affinity

doi:10.1038/s42003-021-02787-7

Article

Allelic variants of full-length VAR2CSA, the placental malaria vaccine candidate, differ in antigenicity and receptor binding affinity

19 Nov 2021

Abstract excerpt

Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IE) sequester in the placenta via surface protein VAR2CSA, which binds chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) expressed on the syncytiotrophoblast surface, causing placental malaria (PM) and severe adverse outcomes in mothers and their offspring. VAR2CSA belongs to the PfEMP1 variant surface antigen family; PfEMP1 proteins mediate IE adhesion and facilitate parasite immunoevasion...

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