| First Author | Cha SJ | Year | 2015 |
| Journal | J Exp Med | Volume | 212 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 1391-403 |
| PubMed ID | 26216124 | Mgi Jnum | J:227138 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5699787 | Doi | 10.1084/jem.20110575 |
| Citation | Cha SJ, et al. (2015) CD68 acts as a major gateway for malaria sporozoite liver infection. J Exp Med 212(9):1391-403 |
| abstractText | After being delivered by the bite from an infected mosquito, Plasmodium sporozoites enter the blood circulation and infect the liver. Previous evidence suggests that Kupffer cells, a macrophage-like component of the liver blood vessel lining, are traversed by sporozoites to initiate liver invasion. However, the molecular determinants of sporozoite-Kupffer cell interactions are unknown. Understanding the molecular basis for this specific recognition may lead to novel therapeutic strategies to control malaria. Using a phage display library screen, we identified a peptide, P39, that strongly binds to the Kupffer cell surface and, importantly, inhibits sporozoite Kupffer cell entry. Furthermore, we determined that P39 binds to CD68, a putative receptor for sporozoite invasion of Kupffer cells that acts as a gateway for malaria infection of the liver. |
