Biological Assembly 1  

 3D View: Structure

Global Symmetry: Asymmetric - C1 
Global Stoichiometry: Monomer - A1 

Biological assembly 1 assigned by authors.

Biological Assembly Evidence: gel filtration

Macromolecule Content

• Total Structure Weight: 308.82 kDa 
• Atom Count: 11787 
• Modelled Residue Count: 1435 
• Deposited Residue Count: 2660 
• Unique protein chains: 1

7JGD

Cryo-EM structure of P. falciparum VAR2CSA FCR3 core at 3.4 A

• DOI: 10.2210/pdb7JGD/pdb
• EMDataResource: EMD-22323

• Classification: SUGAR BINDING PROTEIN
• Organism(s): Plasmodium falciparum
• Expression System: Homo sapiens
• Mutation(s): No 


• Deposited: 2020-07-19 Released: 2021-01-13 
• Deposition Author(s): Ma, R., Tolia, N.H.
• Funding Organization(s): National Institutes of Health/National Institute Of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID)

---

Experimental Data Snapshot

• Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
• Resolution: 3.38 Å
• Aggregation State: PARTICLE 
• Reconstruction Method: SINGLE PARTICLE 

Literature

Structural basis for placental malaria mediated by Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA.

Ma, R., Lian, T., Huang, R., Renn, J.P., Petersen, J.D., Zimmerberg, J., Duffy, P.E., Tolia, N.H.

(2021) Nat Microbiol 6: 380-391

• PubMed: 33452495 
• DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-00858-9
• Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
  7JGF, 7JGG, 7JGD, 7JGE, 7JGH


• PubMed Abstract: 
  

Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA binds to chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) on the surface of the syncytiotrophoblast during placental malaria. This interaction facilitates placental sequestration of malaria parasites resulting in severe health outcomes for both the mother and her offspring. Furthermore, CSA is presented by diverse cancer cells and specific targeting of cells by VAR2CSA may become a viable approach for cancer treatment. In the present study, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the full-length ectodomain of VAR2CSA from P. falciparum strain NF54 in complex with CSA, and VAR2CSA from a second P. falciparum strain FCR3. The architecture of VAR2CSA is composed of a stable core flanked by a flexible arm. CSA traverses the core domain by binding within two channels and CSA binding does not induce major conformational changes in VAR2CSA. The CSA-binding elements are conserved across VAR2CSA variants and are flanked by polymorphic segments, suggesting immune selection outside the CSA-binding sites. This work provides paths for developing interventions against placental malaria and cancer.

---

Organizational Affiliation: 

Host-Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. [e-mail].

Macromolecules

Entity ID: 1
Molecule	Chains	Sequence Length	Organism	Details	Image
Erythrocyte membrane protein 1	A	2660	Plasmodium falciparum	Mutation(s): 0  Gene Names: var
Find proteins for Q6UDW7 (Plasmodium falciparum) Explore Q6UDW7  Go to UniProtKB:  Q6UDW7

Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

• Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
• Resolution: 3.38 Å
• Aggregation State: PARTICLE 
• Reconstruction Method: SINGLE PARTICLE 

Structure Validation

Entry History & Funding Information

Deposition Data

• Deposited Date: 2020-07-19 
• Released Date: 2021-01-13 
Deposition Author(s): Ma, R., Tolia, N.H.

---

Funding Organization	Location	Grant Number
National Institutes of Health/National Institute Of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH/NIAID)	United States	1 ZIA AI001237

Revision History  

• Version 1.0: 2021-01-13
  Type: Initial release
  
• Version 1.1: 2021-01-27
  Changes: Database references
• Version 1.2: 2021-03-10
  Changes: Database references