Studies on Pf155/RESA and other soluble antigens from in vitro cultured Plasmodium falciparum

Spent culture medium from in vitro cultures of Plasmodium falciparum was used as the source for immunoadsorbent enrichment of soluble parasite antigens. IgG obtained from P. falciparum-hyperimmune Liberian serum was used as the ligand in the immunoadsorbent. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the immunoadsorbent isolated material revealed the presence of at least 15 antigenic and parasite-derived polypeptides. Immunoblotting after SDS-PAGE showed greater than 20 antigenic polypeptides in the molecular weight range of 15-250 kDa. Several of these were heat-stable (100 degrees C for 5 min), and six of them were detected even after heating for 60 min. Among the latter antigens was Pf155/RESA, a merozoite antigen deposited in the erythrocyte membrane at invasion. Pf155/RESA can be detected using a modified erythrocyte membrane immunofluorescence (EMIF) assay. Inhibition of EMIF with heated parasite material showed that the antigenic activity was intact after heating for up to 30 min. The immunofluorescence-inhibitory activity was separated into two fractions, one containing Pf155/RESA and one containing polypeptides with molecular weights of 135 and 120 kDa. All three of these antigenic polypeptides bound selectively, albeit nonspecifically, to aminoethyl-BioGel resins.