DNA Sequence of the Gene Encoding a Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Candidate Vaccine Antigen.

摘要

A major focus of work on malaria vaccine development is to produce a vaccine that induces a protective T cell-mediated immune response against the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium falciparum. Sequence analysis of the gene encoding the CSP in various uncloned strains of P. falciparum has revealed variation in putative T cell regions (1, 2, 3) Immunization/challenge studies conducted with cloned parasites will minimize the potential ambiguity associated with using uncloned lines. We have cloned and sequenced the gene encoding the CSP from the 3D-7 parasite clone derived from the NF54 strain of P. falciparum. Oligonucleotide primers homologous to the first and last 18 bases of the CSP gene of another line of P. falciparum, 7G8 (1), were synthesized with 5'-Eco RI linkers and used to specifically amplify the CSP gene of 3D-7 by the polymerase chain reaction. The amplified product was ligated into M13mp18 and sequenced in both directions. Keywords: Plasmodium falciparum; Malaria vaccine; Circumsporozoite protein; Circumsporozoite gene; Gene amplification; DNA sequencing; Reprints. (kt)