BACKGROUND The targets and mechanisms of human immunity to malaria are poorly understood, which poses a major barrier to malaria vaccine development. Antibodies play a key role in human immunity and may act by inhibiting receptor-binding functions of key merozoite invasion ligands. Antibodies to the major invasion ligand and vaccine candidate, erythrocyte-binding antigen 175 (EBA-175), have bee...

Background: Although in vitro fertilization (IVF) has been found to bypass the inhibitory effect of high levels of antisperm antibodies on sperm motility, fertilization rates are reduced in approximately 40% of the attempts. In this study, we investigated the relationship between antisperm antibodies measured by the direct mixed agglutination reaction (MAR) and the fertilization rate in inferti...

Beta 2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) is a single chain 50 kDa highly glycosylated glycoprotein at an approximate concentration of 4 μM in cells. The abundance of this protein in plasma and its high state of preservation indicate the important role of this protein in mammalian. In addition, β2GPI has a particular structure in the fifth domain, and is categorized as the major antigen recognized by autoa...

Merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum undergoes at least two endoproteolytic cleavage events during merozoite maturation and release, and erythrocyte invasion. We have previously demonstrated that mAbs which inhibit erythrocyte invasion and are specific for epitopes within a membrane-proximal, COOH-terminal domain of MSP-1 (MSP-119) prevent the ...

beta 2 glycoprotein i (β2gpi) is a single chain 50 kda highly glycosylated glycoprotein at an approximate concentration of 4 μm in cells. the abundance of this protein in plasma and its high state of preservation indicate the important role of this protein in mammalian. in addition, β2gpi has a particular structure in the fifth domain, and is categorized as the major antigen recognized by autoa...

Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1) is a leading malaria vaccine candidate and a target of naturally-acquired human immunity. Plasmodium falciparum AMA1 is polymorphic and in vaccine trials it induces strain-specific protection. This antigenic diversity is a major roadblock to development of AMA1 as a malaria vaccine and understanding how to overcome it is essential. To assess how AMA1 antigenic d...

Antibodies directed against the purified calmodulin-binding (Ca2++ Mg2+)-ATPase [(Ca2+ + Mg2+)dependent ATPase] from pig erythrocytes and from smooth muscle of pig stomach (antral part) were raised in rabbits. Both the IgGs against the erythrocyte (Ca2++ Mg2+)-ATPase and against the smooth-muscle (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase inhibited the activity of the purified calmodulin-binding (Ca2++ Mg2+)-ATPase ...