The Structure of the Cysteine-Rich Domain of Plasmodium falciparum P113 Identifies the Location of the RH5 Binding Site

Abstract

Malaria is a deadly infectious disease primarily caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum . It remains a major global health problem, and there is no highly effective vaccine. A parasite protein called RH5 is centrally involved in the invasion of host red blood cells, making it—and the other parasite proteins it interacts with—promising vaccine targets. We recently identified a protein called P113 that binds RH5, suggesting that it anchors RH5 to the parasite surface. In this paper, we use structural biology to locate and characterize the RH5 binding region on P113. These findings will be important to guide the development of new antimalarial vaccines to ultimately prevent this disease, which affects some of the poorest people on the planet.