Non-synonymous amino acid alterations in PfEBA-175 modulate the merozoite ligand's ability to interact with host's Glycophorin A receptor

Abstract The pathological outcome of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum infection depends largely on erythrocyte invasion by blood-stage merozoites which employ a cascade of interactions occurring between parasite ligands and RBC receptors. In a previous study exploring the genetic diversity of region-II of PfEBA-175, a ligand that plays a crucial part in parasite's RBC entry through Glycophorin A (GPA) receptor, we demonstrated that F2 domain of region-II underwent positive selection in Indian P. falciparum population through the accumulation of non-synonymous polymorphisms. Here, we examine the functional impact of two highly prevalent non-synonymous alterations in F2, namely Q584E & E592A, using a battery of molecular, biophysical and in-silico techniques. Application of circular dichroism, FTIR, fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that secondary and three-dimensional folding of recombinant-F2 protein carrying 584E and 592A residues (F2-Mut) differs significantly from that carrying 584Q and 592E (F2-3D7). A comparison of spectroscopic and thermodynamic parameters shows that F2-Mut is capable of forming a complex with GPA with higher efficiency compared to F2-3D7. In silico docking predicts both artemisinin and artesunate possess the capacity of slipping into the GPA binding crevices of PfEBA-175 and disrupt PfEBA-GPA association. However, the estimated affinity of artesunate towards PfEBA-175 with 584E and 592A residues is higher than that of artemisinin. Thermodynamic parameters computed using isotherms are concordant with this in-silico prediction. Together, our data suggest that the presence of amino acid alterations in F2 provide structural and functional stability favoring PfEBA-GPA interaction and artesunate can efficiently disrupt the interaction between GPA and PfEBA-175 even carrying altered amino acid residues. The present study alerts the malaria research community by presenting evidence that the parasite is gaining evolutionary fitness by cultivating genetic alterations in many of its proteins.