Cloning of a Novel Plasmodium Yoelii Parasitophorous Vacuole Memebrane Gene

摘要

We have isolated a novel gene from a P. yoelii blood stage cDNA library. The gene corresponds to the gene locus PY 02667, has partial homology to the gene encoding the integral membrane protein of P. chabaudi Ag3008 and the P. falciparum early transcribed membrane protein PFE1590w. In Southern hybridization data a single band of approximately 4.5 kb from EcoR1 digests hybridized to P. yoelii, P. berghei, and P. chabaudi genomic DNA but not to P. falciparum genomic DNA. The full length recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21DE3 cells. Recombinant specific antisera reacted with an approximately 35-40 kDa protein (PY40) from purified recombinant protein preparations and from P. yoelii and P. berghei extracts by western blotting. PY40 is located in the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) and in clefts of schizont-infected erythrocytes by immunoelectron microscopy. Studies are currently in progress to identify the role of this novel protein in PVM formation and remodeling.