Abstract text
Introduction
Plasmodium berghei generates a complex immune response when infecting its rodent host. Pathogenesis of the infection is not yet fully elucidated, but from our best understanding, IFNγ+CD8+ T cells are considered crucial for the protection during pre-erythrocytic stage infection. T cell based-vaccines targeting different stages of the Plasmodium life cycle are under development. The prime sporozoite antigen for recombinant vaccines development is the circumsporozoite protein (CSP), but recent studies suggest that the immune responses towards CSP are dispensable for sterile protection in murine models. This highlights the importance of identifying other candidate antigens and epitopes.
Objectives
To profile liver stage-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes that contribute to the immune protection against P. berghei infection.
Materials & methods
In this project, we carried out in silico epitope prediction, as well as in vivo and ex vivo immunological studies in murine models to characterize CD8+ T cell epitopes that elicit protective immune responses against P. berghei liver-stage infection.
Results
We detected several new CD8+ T cell epitopes that stimulate IFN-γ secretion in antigen-experienced cells for protection. In addition to established P. berghei liver-stage antigens, such as TRAP, S20 and GAP50, novel antigens were also identified.
Conclusion
The discovery of novel P. berghei liver stage-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes provides new candidates for malaria vaccine design and expands our understandings on the immune correlates of protection against Plasmodiuminfection.