Direct effect of Plasmodium vivax recombinant vaccine candidates AMA-1 and MSP-119 on the innate immune response

SummaryThe recombinant apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) and 19-kDa fragment of merozoite surface protein (MSP-119) are the lead candidates for inclusion in a vaccine against blood stages of malaria due to encouraging protective studies in humans and animals. Despite the importance of an efficacious malaria vaccine, vaccine-related research has focused on identifying antigens that result in protective immunity rather than determining the nature of anti-malarial immune effector mechanisms. Moreover, emphasis has been placed on adaptive rather than innate immune responses. In this study, we investigated the effect of Plasmodium vivax vaccine candidates Pv-AMA-1 and Pv-MSP-119 on the immune response of malaria-naïve donors. Maturation of dendritic cells is altered by Pv-AMA-1 but not Pv-MSP-119, as observed by differential expression of cell surface markers. In addition, Pv-AMA-1 induced an increased production of MIP-1α/CCL3 and decreased production of TARC/CCL17 levels in both dendritic cells (DCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Finally, a significant pro-inflammatory response was elicited by Pv-AMA-1-stimulated PBMCs. These results suggest that the recombinant vaccine candidate Pv-AMA-1 may play a direct role on innate immune response and might be involved in parasite destruction.