Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 28, 2026

In Vivo Assessment of Rodent Plasmodium Parasitemia and Merozoite Invasion by Flow Cytometry
07:16

In Vivo Assessment of Rodent Plasmodium Parasitemia and Merozoite Invasion by Flow Cytometry

Published on: April 5, 2015

10.5K

PTRAMP, CSS and Ripr form a conserved complex required for merozoite invasion of Plasmodium species into erythrocytes

Benjamin A Seager1,2, Pailene S Lim1,2, Xiao Xiao1,2

  • 1The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia.

Nature Communications
|January 26, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Malaria parasites use the PTRAMP-CSS-Ripr (PCR) complex to invade red blood cells. Antibodies targeting this conserved complex show potential for broad-acting malaria vaccines.

Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Structural Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium is crucial for malaria pathogenesis.
  • The Plasmodium falciparum Rh5 Invasion Complex (PCRCR) mediates erythrocyte binding via basigin.
  • Orthologs of PTRAMP, CSS, and Ripr are conserved across the Plasmodium genus.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate conserved features of the PTRAMP-CSS-Ripr (PCR) complex across different Plasmodium species.
  • To elucidate the structural basis of PCR complex formation and antibody recognition.
  • To assess the potential of the PCR complex as a target for multi-species malaria vaccines.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of PTRAMP, CSS, and Ripr orthologs from P. vivax and P. knowlesi.
  • Biochemical assays to determine complex formation and disulfide linkage.
  • Antibody cross-reactivity studies and epitope mapping using structural biology techniques (crystallography, Cryo-EM).

Main Results:

  • PTRAMP and CSS form a disulfide-linked heterodimer in P. vivax and P. knowlesi, similar to P. falciparum.
  • The PTRAMP-CSS-Ripr (PCR) complex is conserved, binding Ripr's C-terminal region across species.
  • Cross-reactive antibodies targeting the PvRipr C-terminal tail differentially inhibit invasion, revealing a key inhibitory epitope.

Conclusions:

  • The PTRAMP-CSS-Ripr (PCR) complex represents a conserved invasion scaffold in Plasmodium species.
  • Structural insights into the PCR complex and antibody interactions pave the way for rational vaccine design.
  • Targeting the conserved PCR complex holds promise for developing vaccines effective against multiple malaria-causing parasites.

More Related Videos

Separation of Plasmodium falciparum Late Stage-infected Erythrocytes by Magnetic Means05:20

Separation of Plasmodium falciparum Late Stage-infected Erythrocytes by Magnetic Means

Published on: March 2, 2013

14.4K
High Yield Purification of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites For Use in Opsonizing Antibody Assays10:38

High Yield Purification of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites For Use in Opsonizing Antibody Assays

Published on: July 17, 2014

23.7K

Related Concept Videos

Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
4.7K
What is Conservation Biology?01:57

What is Conservation Biology?

Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
24.3K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
17.1K
Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally...
5.1K
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
24.6K
Formation of Species01:31

Formation of Species

Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.
44.9K