The binding domain of Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein (PvDBP-II) is a promising blood-stage vaccine candidate for vivax malaria. For the development of a successful vivax malaria vaccine based on DBP-II, the antigenic diversity and also naturally occurring functional antibodies to different PvDBP-II variant types in the various populations must be determined. However, similar to other blood-stage antigens, allelic variation within the PvDBP-II is a fundamental challenge for the development of a broadly efficient vaccine. The present study was performed to define whether the polymorphisms in PvDBP-II influence the nature of functional inhibitory activity of naturally acquired or induced anti-DBP-II antibodies in mice. In this investigation, five genetically distinct variants of PvDBP-II were transiently expressed on the COS-7 cell surface. Erythrocyte-binding inhibition assay (EBIA) was performed using human sera infected with corresponding and non-corresponding P. vivax variants as well as by the use of mice sera immunized with different expressed recombinant PvDBP-IIs. EBIA results showed that the inhibitory percentage varied between 50 and 63 % by using sera from infected individuals, and in case of mouse antisera, inhibition was in the range of 76-86 %. Interestingly, no significant difference was detected in red blood cell binding inhibition when different PvDBP-II variants on the COS-7 cell surfaces were incubated with heterologous and homologous sera infected with PvDBP-II variants. This suggests that the detected polymorphisms in all five forms of PvDBP-II may not affect functional activity of anti-DBP-II antibodies. In conclusion, our results revealed that there are functional cross-reactive antibody responses to heterologous PvDBP-II variants that might provide a broader inhibitory response against all, or at least the majority of strains compared to single allele of this protein that should be considered in development of PvDBP-II-based vaccine.
Keywords: Duffy binding protein; Functional antibodies; Plasmodium vivax; Vaccine.