Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Glycophorin both in solution and inserted into liposomes blocks invasion of erythrocytes by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Furthermore, one sugar, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc), completely blocks invasion of the erythrocyte by this parasite. GlcNAc coupled to bovine serum albumin to prevent the sugar entering infected erythrocytes was at least 100,000 times more effective than GlcNAc alone. Bovine serum albumin coupled to lactose or bovine serum albumin alone had no effect on invasion. These results suggest that the binding of P. falciparum to erythrocytes is lectin-like and is determined by carbohydrates on glycophorin.

Original publication

DOI

10.1073/pnas.80.4.1018

Type

Journal article

Journal

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Publication Date

02/1983

Volume

80

Pages

1018 - 1022

Keywords

Animals, Binding, Competitive, Carbohydrate Sequence, Erythrocyte Membrane, Erythrocytes, Glycoproteins, Humans, Monosaccharides, Plasmodium falciparum, Receptors, Mitogen, Structure-Activity Relationship