Disguising itself--insights into Plasmodium falciparum binding and immune evasion from the DBL crystal structure

Duffy-binding like (DBL) domains are common to two different families of malaria proteins that are involved in parasite invasion of erythrocytes or cytoadhesion of infected erythrocytes. DBL domain crystal structures have recently been solved for two different erythrocyte binding ligands, EBA-175 and the Plasmodium knowlesi alpha Duffy binding protein. These structures reveal different mechanisms for DBL binding and erythrocyte invasion. This review summarizes recent work on DBL domain binding and immune evasion and proposes a new structural model for how these domains adapted to intense antibody surveillance at the infected erythrocyte surface.