SMALL MOLECULAR WEIGHT ANTIGEN OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM,ANTIBODIES DIRECTED THERETO,PURIFICATION AND DETECTION OF SAID ANTIGEN

摘要

A small molecular weight antigen of the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum which is characterized by: (i) having an apparent molecular weight in the range of approximately 15 kD to 19 kD; (ii) not showing significant glycosylation by galactose or glucosamine labelling, but being acylated by myristic acid; (iii) being associated with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and with inclusions and vesicles residing within the cytoplasm of the erythrocyte host cell; and (iv) being recognised by monoclonal antibodies against the asexual blood stages of P. falciparum which inhibit parasite growth in vitro; or an antigenic fragment thereof. A monoclonal antibody specific for this antigen, and a hybrid cell line which produces this antibody is also disclosed.