Transmission-blocking vaccines have the potential to be key contributors to malaria elimination. Such vaccines elicit antibodies that inhibit parasites during their development in Anopheles mosquitoes, thus breaking the cycle of transmission. To date ...
Transmission-blocking vaccines have the potential to be key contributors to malaria elimination. Such vaccines elicit antibodies that inhibit parasites during their development in Anopheles mosquitoes, thus breaking the cycle of transmission. To date, characterization of humoral responses to Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking vaccine candidate Pfs25 has largely been conducted in pre-clinical models. Here, we present molecular analyses of human antibody responses generated in a clinical trial evaluating Pfs25 vaccination. From a collection of monoclonal antibodies with transmission-blocking activity, we identify the most potent transmission-blocking antibody yet described against Pfs25; 2544. The interactions of 2544 and three other antibodies with Pfs25 are analyzed by crystallography to understand structural requirements for elicitation of human transmission-blocking responses. Our analyses provide insights into Pfs25 immunogenicity and epitope potency, and detail an affinity maturation pathway for a potent transmission-blocking antibody in humans. Our findings can be employed to guide the design of improved malaria transmission-blocking vaccines.
Organizational Affiliation:
PATH's Malaria Vaccine Initiative, 455 Massachusetts Avenue NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 20001, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada. jean-philippe.julien@sickkids.ca.,Atreca, 500 Saginaw Drive, Redwood City, CA, 94063-4750, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada. jean-philippe.julien@sickkids.ca.,Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada. jean-philippe.julien@sickkids.ca.,Gene Therapy Program & Orphan Disease Center, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology CMB, 9 Innovation Way, Newark, DE, 19711, USA.,Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.,Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.,Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12735 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA.
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