Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Author Spotlight: Identifying Compensatory Pathways in Malaria Parasites Containing Hypomorphic Allele of Essential Protein Kinases
09:13

Author Spotlight: Identifying Compensatory Pathways in Malaria Parasites Containing Hypomorphic Allele of Essential Protein Kinases

Published on: November 22, 2024

1.9K

Plasmodium falciparum var genes expressed in children with severe malaria encode CIDRα1 domains

Jakob S Jespersen1, Christian W Wang1, Sixbert I Mkumbaye2

  • 1Centre for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Infectious Diseases, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.

EMBO Molecular Medicine
|June 30, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Severe malaria in children is linked to Plasmodium falciparum parasites expressing specific PfEMP1 proteins with CIDRα1 domains that bind EPCR. This interaction is a key factor in severe malaria pathogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Malariology
  • Immunology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria disproportionately affects young children.
  • Vascular sequestration of infected erythrocytes expressing specific Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) variants causes severe symptoms.
  • Parasites binding the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) via PfEMP1's CIDRα1 domain are associated with severe malaria.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent to which EPCR-binding CIDRα1 domains represent PfEMP1 expressed in severe malaria.
  • To characterize the dominant var transcripts in children with severe malaria.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of near full-length transcripts from the var gene family in children with severe malaria.
  • Transcriptome characterization to identify common features of PfEMP1 proteins.

Main Results:

  • The only common feature among PfEMP1 proteins encoded by dominant var transcripts in severe malaria cases was the presence of CIDRα1 domains.
  • Genes encoding CIDRα1 domains were highly and dominantly expressed in children with severe malarial anemia and cerebral malaria.

Conclusions:

  • The CIDRα1-EPCR interaction is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of severe malaria.
  • These findings support the development of vaccines or treatments targeting the CIDRα1-EPCR interaction to combat severe malaria.

Keywords:
CIDREPCRPfEMP1severe childhood malariavar

More Related Videos

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing to Make Conditional Mutants of Human Malaria Parasite P. falciparum09:25

CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing to Make Conditional Mutants of Human Malaria Parasite P. falciparum

Published on: September 18, 2018

10.7K
Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum10:22

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum

Published on: December 4, 2015

9.4K

Related Concept Videos

Diversity of Protists II01:27

Diversity of Protists II

Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
2.0K
Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
38.2K