Download MendeleyCryo-EM structure of endogenous Pfs230:Pfs48/45 complex with six antibodies reveals mechanisms of malaria transmission-blocking activity.
Bekkering, E.T., Yoo, R., Hailemariam, S., Heide, F., Ivanochko, D., Jackman, M., Proellochs, N.I., Stoter, R., van Gemert, G.J., Maeda, A., Yuguchi, T., Wanders, O.T., van Daalen, R.C., Inklaar, M.R., Andrade, C.M., Jansen, P.W.T.C., Vermeulen, M., Bousema, T., Takashima, E., Rubinstein, J.L., Kooij, T.W.A., Jore, M.M., Julien, J.P.(2025) Immunity 58: 2899
- PubMed: 41072404
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2025.09.014
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9N5I, 9N6U, 9N7K, 9N89 - PubMed Abstract:
The Pfs230:Pfs48/45 complex forms the basis for leading malaria transmission-blocking vaccine candidates, yet little is known about its molecular assembly. Here, we used cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate the structure of the endogenous Pfs230:Pfs48/45 complex bound to six transmission-blocking antibodies. Our structure revealed that Pfs230 consists of multiple domain clusters rigidified by interactions mediated through insertion domains. Membrane-anchored Pfs48/45 formed a disk-like structure, interacting with a short C-terminal peptide on Pfs230 that was critical for Pfs230 membrane-retention in vivo. Membrane retention through this interaction was not essential for transmission to mosquitoes, suggesting that complex disruption is not a mode of action for transmission-blocking antibodies. Analyses of Pfs48/45- and Pfs230-targeted antibodies identified conserved epitopes on the Pfs230:Pfs48/45 complex and provided a structural paradigm for complement-dependent activity of Pfs230-targeting antibodies. Altogether, the antibody-bound Pfs230:Pfs48/45 structure improves our molecular understanding of this biological complex, informing the development of next-generation Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking interventions.
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Organizational Affiliation:
