Hemozoin: malaria's "built-in" adjuvant and TLR9 agonist

Hermann Wagner

doi:10.1016/j.chom.2010.01.002

Hemozoin: malaria's "built-in" adjuvant and TLR9 agonist

Cell Host Microbe. 2010 Jan 21;7(1):5-6. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2010.01.002.

Author

Hermann Wagner¹

Affiliation

¹ Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Technische Universität München, Trogerstr. 30, 81675 München, Germany. hermann.wagner@mikrobio.med.tum.de

PMID: 20114022
DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2010.01.002

Abstract

The "built-in" adjuvant in a whole-microbe vaccine potentially triggers protective immunity. Coban et al. now demonstrate that crude blood stage extract of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum drives parasite-specific immune responses via Hemozoin, a byproduct of heme detoxification, functioning as a TLR9 agonist and, therefore, as a "built-in" adjuvant.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Adjuvants, Immunologic / administration & dosage*
Animals
Hemeproteins / pharmacology*
Malaria Vaccines / immunology*
Malaria, Falciparum / prevention & control*
Mice
Plasmodium falciparum / immunology*
Toll-Like Receptor 9 / agonists*

Substances

Adjuvants, Immunologic
Hemeproteins
Malaria Vaccines
Tlr9 protein, mouse
Toll-Like Receptor 9
hemozoin