Three non‐repeated transmission blocking epitopes recognized in the 21 kD surface antigen of zygotes‐ookinetes of Plasmodium berghei

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Abstract
Summary Two-site and competitive ELISA have been developed against a surface antigen of zygotes-ookinetes of Plasmodium berghei using monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) which block transmission of the parasite to the mosquito. Three such MoAbs have been studied, each of which recognized a protein of an Mr 21 kD (Pbs21) using immunoblot techniques. The assays showed that there are at least 3 single B-cell epitopes expressed in Pbs21. One epitope recognized by MoAb 17.9 is conformation dependent and antibodies bound to it interfered with other MoAbs (12.1 and 13.1) each recognizing a different, apparently linear epitope. Glycosylation might not be relevant to the binding of any of the antibodies tested to their respective epitopes.