Histidine-rich protein in rodent malaria.

ABSTRACT

Mouse red blood cells (RBCs) infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis were shown to synthesize a histidine-rich protein (His-RP) in vitro. The existence of this protein was demonstrated by comparing fluorograms of infected red blood cells (IRBCs) labelled with either [14C]histidine or [14C]leucine. The molecular weight of this His-RP was estimated to be 43,500, which compares well with the values reported for the avian parasite P. lophurae (45,000) and for the human parasite P. falciparum (42,000). This result supports the idea that such a protein may play an important role in the biology of all plasmodium species.