USE OF FUSION PROTEIN CONSISTING OF FRAGMENTS OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MEROZOITE SURFACE PROTEIN 1 AND PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM MEROZOITE SURFACE PROTEIN 3 AS A MALARIA VACCINE

摘要

The present invention relates to a fusion protein malaria vaccine consisting of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (PfMSP-l19) and plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-3 (PfMSP-3n) having SEQ ID No. 1. The invention also relates to a process for the preparation and expression of fusion protein comprising the steps of cloning c-terminal regions of MSP-l19 and MSP-3, transforming the fusion construct in E. coli and purifying the fusion protein by a two-step process. The fusion protein retains conformational epitopes of cysteine rich 19 kDa fragment of MSP-l19. The present invention also discloses that antibodies against the fusion protein cause significant inhibition of parasitic growth in in vitro assays.