It is known that Plasmodium falciparum (the parasite causing falciparum malaria) uses a protein called RIFIN on the surface of infected red blood cells to suppress immune cells, but the specific responses and attack mechanisms of human immune cells remained unclear.

A research group led by Hisashi Arase (Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, UOsaka/ WPI-IFReC) and Shiroh Iwanaga has clarified that while RIFIN stimulates inhibitory receptors on natural killer (NK) cells to suppress their function, NK cells also specifically attack parasite-infected red blood cells via activating receptors. Furthermore, the group discovered that RIFINs similar to those they identified exist in parasite strains worldwide, indicating that parasites and humans share common defense and attack mechanisms.
(online publishing in Nature on June 13, 2025 JST)

Contact

Prof. Hisashi Arase

arasebiken.osaka-u.ac.jp

Immunochemistry