Suppression of immunity by the malaria parasite antigen Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein-1 (PfEMP-1)

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The malaria parasite P. falciparum infects red blood cells and makes the cells put on their surface a protein called PfEMP-1. The parasite can effectively “hide” by constantly changing this protein and making it unrecognizable by the immune system. PfEMP-1 can also suppress the immune system so that it can’t respond adequately to infection. Therefore, understanding PfEMP-1 function is important. I will investigate how PfEMP-1 can do this by looking at its cross talk with the immune system.