Antimalarial antibodies of the immunoglobulin G2a isotype modulate parasitemias in mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii.

Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of antibodies in mediating immunity to malaria, but the relative contribution of the different immunoglobulin isotypes has not been assessed. In this study, hyperimmune plasma was generated against Plasmodium yoelii and separated by protein A-Sepharose chromatography into fractions containing immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), IgG2a, IgG2b, or IgG3 antibodies and the remaining nonbinding plasma proteins, including IgM. Following concentration, the antimalarial titer of each isotypic fraction was approximately equivalent to the corresponding isotype in hyperimmune plasma. The isotypic fractions were passively transferred to BALB/c and outbred ICR mice prior to challenge with virulent P. yoelii 17XL and to CBA/CaJ mice challenged with avirulent P. yoelii 17XNL. Only mice receiving IgG2a antibodies experienced an altered course of infection. Immunoprecipitation studies showed that all four IgG isotypes appear to recognize a similar set of antigens. These results suggest that antimalarial antibodies of the IgG2a isotype play a dominant role in modulating P. yoelii parasitemias.