Structural Vaccinology of the Malaria Sporozoite Surface Sheath

描述（由申请人提供）：我们提出了一种创新的结构生物学方法来刺激红细胞前疟疾疫苗和药物的开发，利用x射线晶体学和低温电子断层扫描的综合信息来开发孢子子表面的详细分子地形。这项工作将提供两种最关键的表面蛋白（CSP）和血栓反应蛋白相关匿名蛋白（TRAP）的天然排列的三维地图，以及它们在孢子体表面上最有效的表位。这项工作也将为深入了解寄生虫运动、细胞入侵和免疫逃避的结构机制提供重要意义。为了促进合理的疟疾疫苗开发和基于结构的药物设计这一长期目标，我们有三个具体目标。1. 我们提出CSP以一种特定的方式包装以形成孢子鞘。CSP包含n端，重复和血栓反应蛋白I型重复（TSR）结构域。我们将在几个不同的晶格中解决CSP的TSR结构域的晶体结构，它与其他蛋白质的TSR结构域有很大的不同。我们假设我们将在孢子体表面找到模拟CSP TSR结构域堆积的晶格。我们将解释这种结构，包括假设的1-螺旋的存在，根据它在支持孢子体表面CSP分子之间稳定而灵活的相互作用方面的功能。2. 我们将求解TRAP中串联von Willebrand因子A （VWA）和TSR结构域的晶体结构。我们希望了解与TRAP结合的配体如何介导滑动运动和细胞侵袭。结构将测试VWA和TSR结构域以一种有利于通过VWA结构域和细胞质结构域之间的张力传递构象变化的方式相互作用的假设。3. 我们将应用低温电子断层扫描来定义孢子体表面的超微结构细节。我们期望看到三个鞘层对应于n端，重复和TSR域，它们在电子密度和包装上不同。我们期望能够使用亚层析图平均来分析最靠近膜层的堆积，并将这种堆积与晶格中TSR域的堆积进行比较。我们也可以在CSP的海洋中看到其他分子的岛屿，比如TRAP。通过晶体学、冷冻电子断层扫描和显微镜的互补使用，我们计划构建一个孢子子鞘的模型。这些发现应该为了解表位在感染过程的不同时间如何被屏蔽或暴露在鞘中，以及顶复合体如何保护自己免受免疫系统的影响提供重要的见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose an innovative structural biology approach to stimulate pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccine and drug development using integrated information from X-ray crystallography and cryoelectron tomography to develop a detailed molecular topography of the sporozoite surface. This work will provide a three-dimensional map of the native arrangement of two of the most critical surface proteins, (CSP) and thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP), and their most potent epitopes on the sporozoite surface. This work will also be of significance for providing insights into the structural mechanisms of parasite motility, cell invasion, and immune evasion. With the long term goal of stimulating rational malaria vaccine development and structure-based drug design, we have three specific aims. 1. We propose that CSP packs in a specific way to form the sporozoite sheath. CSP contains N-terminal, repeat, and thrombospondin type I repeat (TSR) domains. We will solve the crystal structure of the TSR domain of CSP, which differs significantly from the TSR domain in other proteins, in several different lattices. We hypothesize that we will find crystal lattices that mimic packing of the CSP TSR domain on the sporozoite surface. We will interpret the structure, including the presence of a putative 1-helix, in terms of its function in supporting stable, yet flexible, interactions between CSP molecules on the sporozoite surface. 2. We will solve the crystal structure of the tandem von Willebrand factor A (VWA) and TSR domains in TRAP. We wish to understand how ligand binding to TRAP mediates gliding motility and cell invasion. Structures will test the hypothesis that the VWA and TSR domains interact with one another in a manner conducive to conformational change transmitted by tensile force between the VWA domain and the cytoplasmic domain. 3. We will apply cryoelectron tomography to define ultrastructural details of the sporozoite surface. We expect to see three sheath layers corresponding to the N-terminal, repeat, and TSR domains, that differ in electron density and in packing. We expect to be able to use subtomogram averaging to analyze packing in the most membrane-proximal layer, and to compare this packing to that of the TSR domain in crystal lattices. We may also see islands of other molecules such as TRAP in a sea of CSP. Through complementary use of crystallography and cryolectron tomography and microscopy we plan to construct a model of the sporozoite sheath. These findings should provide important insights into how epitopes are shielded or exposed in the sheath at different times in the infection process, and how apicomplexans shield themselves from the immune system.