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Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Selection of Plasmodium falciparum Parasites for Cytoadhesion to Human Brain Endothelial Cells
Published on: January 3, 2012
Crystallographic and receptor binding characterization of Plasmodium falciparum macrophage migration inhibitory
Georgios Pantouris1, Deepa Rajasekaran, Alvaro Baeza Garcia
1Departments of Pharmacology, ‡Internal Medicine, §Chemistry, and the ∥Yale Cancer Center, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8066, United States.
Abstract:
We report the crystal structures of two inhibitors of Plasmodium falciparum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (PfMIF) with nanomolar Ki's, analyze their interactions with the active site of PfMIF, and provide explanations regarding their selectivity of PfMIF versus human MIF. These inhibitors were also found to selectively inhibit interactions between PfMIF and the human MIF receptor CD74. The results of this study provide the framework for the development of new therapeutics that target PfMIF.

