Protection against Plasmodium chabaudi Malaria Induced by Immunization with Apical Membrane Antigen 1 and Merozoite Surface Protein 1 in the Absence of Gamma Interferon or Interleukin-4

Abstract

ABSTRACT Strategies to optimize formulations of multisubunit malaria vaccines require a basic knowledge of underlying protective immune mechanisms induced by each vaccine component. In the present study, we evaluated the contribution of antibody-mediated and cell-mediated immune mechanisms to the protection induced by immunization with two blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate antigens, apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) and merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1). Immunologically intact or selected immunologic knockout mice were immunized with purified recombinant Plasmodium chabaudi AMA-1 (PcAMA-1) and/or the 42-kDa C-terminal processing fragment of P. chabaudi MSP-1 (MSP-1 42 ). The efficacy of immunization in each animal model was measured as protection against blood-stage P. chabaudi malaria. Immunization of B-cell-deficient J H −/− mice indicated that PcAMA-1 vaccine-induced immunity is largely antibody dependent. In contrast, J H −/− mice immunized with PcMSP-1 42 were partially protected against P. chabaudi malaria, indicating a role for protective antibody-dependent and antibody-independent mechanisms of immunity. The involvement of γδ T cells in vaccine-induced PcAMA-1 and/or PcMSP-1 42 protection was minor. Analysis of the isotypic profile of antigen-specific antibodies induced by immunization of immunologically intact mice revealed a dominant IgG1 response. However, neither interleukin-4 and the production of IgG1 antibodies nor gamma interferon and the production of IgG2a/c antibodies were essential for PcAMA-1 and/or PcMSP-1 42 vaccine-induced protection. Therefore, for protective antibody-mediated immunity, vaccine adjuvants and delivery systems for AMA-1- and MSP-1-based vaccines can be selected for their ability to maximize responses irrespective of IgG isotype or any Th1 versus Th2 bias in the CD4 + -T-cell response.