Parasite polymorphism present within minimal T cell epitopes of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein

Identification of T cell antigenic sites is critical for antisporozoite malarial vaccine design. Here, we present data that define two minimal functional T cell sites present in an immunogenic domain of the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum. These two sites overlap one another and correlate with polymorphic regions of the molecule. This suggests that these polymorphisms may be a result of pressure from immune T cells.