VAR2CSA

NOT Open Access | Progress and new horizons toward a VAR2CSA-based placental malaria vaccine

Tags:

Author(s):

Doritchamou JYA, Suurbaar J, Tuikue Ndam N

Reference:

Expert Rev Vaccines. 2021 Feb 4:1-12

Several malaria vaccines are under various phases of development with some promising results. In placental malaria (PM) a deliberately anti-disease approach is considered as many studies have underlined the key role of VAR2CSA protein, which therefore represents the leading vaccine candidate. However, evidence indicates that VAR2CSA antigenic polymorphism remains an obstacle to overcome.

Structural basis for placental malaria mediated by Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA

Tags:

placental malaria, plasmodium falciparum, VAR2CSA, CSA

Author(s):

Ma R, Lian T, Huang R, Renn JP, Petersen JD, Zimmerberg J, Duffy PE, Tolia NH

Reference:

Nat Microbiol. 2021 Jan 15

Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA binds to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) on the surface of the syncytiotrophoblast during placental malaria. This interaction facilitates placental sequestration of malaria parasites resulting in severe health outcomes for both the mother and her offspring. Furthermore, CSA is presented by diverse cancer cells and specific targeting of cells by VAR2CSA may become a viable approach for cancer treatment. In the present study, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the full-length ectodomain of VAR2CSA from P. falciparum strain NF54 in complex with CSA, and VAR2CSA from a second P. falciparum strain FCR3.

VAR2CSA Antibodies in Non-Pregnant Populations

Tags:

VAR2CSA, plasmodium falciparum, children, pregnant women

Author(s):

Gnidehou S, Yanow SK

Reference:

Trends Parasitol. 2021 Jan;37(1):65-76

The Plasmodium falciparum protein VAR2CSA is a critical mediator of placental malaria, and VAR2CSA antibodies (IgGs) are important to protect pregnant women. Although infrequently detected outside pregnancy, VAR2CSA IgGs were reported in men and children from Colombia and Brazil and in select African populations.

Not Open Access | Molecular architecture and domain arrangement of the placental malaria protein VAR2CSA suggests a model for carbohydrate binding

Tags:

plasmodium falciparum, red blood cells, placental malaria, VAR2CSA

Author(s):

Bewley MC, Gautam L, Jagadeeshaprasad MG, Gowda DC, Flanagan JM

Reference:

J Biol Chem. 2020 Dec 25;295(52):18589-18603

VAR2CSA is the placental-malaria-specific member of the antigenically variant Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family. It is expressed on the surface of Plasmodium falciparum-infected host red blood cells and binds to specific chondroitin-4-sulfate chains of the placental proteoglycan receptor. The functional ∼310 kDa ectodomain of VAR2CSA is a multidomain protein that requires a minimum 12-mer chondroitin-4-sulfate molecule for specific, high affinity receptor binding. However, it is not known how the individual domains are organized and interact to create the receptor-binding surface, limiting efforts to exploit its potential as an effective vaccine or drug target.

An affinity chromatography and glycoproteomics workflow to profile the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans that interact with malarial VAR2CSA in the placenta and in cancer

Tags:

chromatography, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, malaria, VAR2CSA, cancer

Author(s):

Toledo AG, Pihl J, Spliid CB, Persson A, Nilsson J, Pereira MA, Gustavsson T, Choudhary S, Zarni Oo H, Black PC, Daugaard M, Esko JD, Larson G, Salanti A, Clausen TM

Reference:

Glycobiology. 2020 Dec 9;30(12):989-1002

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is the placental receptor for the VAR2CSA malaria protein, expressed at the surface of infected erythrocytes during Plasmodium falciparum infection. Infected cells adhere to syncytiotrophoblasts or get trapped within the intervillous space by binding to a determinant in a 4-O-sulfated CS chains. However, the exact structure of these glycan sequences remains unclear.

Search form

You are here