Antigenicity studies in humans and immunogenicity studies in mice: an MSP1P subdomain as a candidate for malaria vaccine development

The newly identified GPI-anchored Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 1 paralog (MSP1P) has a highly antigenic C-terminus that binds erythrocytes. To characterize the antigenicity and immunogenicity of two regions (PvMSP1P-19 and -33) of the highly conserved C-terminus of MSP1P relative to PvMSP1-19, 30 P. vivax malaria-infected patients and two groups of mice (immunized with PvMSP1P-19 or -33) were tested for IgG subclass antibodies against PvMSP1P-19 and -33 antigens. In the patients infected with P. vivax, IgG1 and IgG3 levels were significantly higher than those levels in healthy individuals, and were the predominant response to the two C-terminal fragments of PvMSP1P (p < 0.05). In mice immunized with PvMSP1P-19, IgG1 levels were the highest while IgG2b levels were similar to IgG1 levels. The levels of Th1 cytokines in mice immunized with PvMSP1P-19 or -33 were significantly higher than those in mice immunized with PvMSP1-19 (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that: (i) IgG1 and IgG3 (IgG2b in mice) are predominant IgG subclasses in both patients infected with P. vivax and mice immunized with PvMSP1P-19 or -33; (ii) the C-terminus of MSP1P induces a Th1-cytokine response. This immune profiling study provides evidence that MSP1P may be a potential candidate for vivax vaccine.