{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:21:10Z","timestamp":1760235670232,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,21]],"date-time":"2021-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1632182400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005725","name":"National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["14-MED2474-10"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["14-MED2474-10"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005725","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Human receptor gC1qR is a 32 kD protein that mediates the cytoadherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IEs) to human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) and platelets. The cytoadherence of IEs to gC1qR has been associated with severe malaria symptoms. The cytoadherence to gC1qR is mediated by the Duffy binding-like \u03b212 (DBL\u03b212) domain of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), PFD0020c. Here, we report the structural insights into the binding of the DBL\u03b212 domain of PfEMP1 with the human receptor gC1qR using computational methods. A molecular model of the DBL\u03b212 domain was generated and used for protein\u2013protein docking with the host receptor gC1qR. The protein\u2013protein docking revealed that the DBL\u03b212 asymmetrically interacts with two subunits of the gC1qR trimer at the solution face of gC1qR. A total of 21 amino acid residues of DBL\u03b212 interact with 26 amino acid residues in the gC1qR trimer through 99 nonbonding interactions and 4 hydrogen bonds. Comparative analysis of binding sites on the DBL domain fold for the two receptors gC1qR and ICAM1 showed that the two sites are distinct. This is the first study that provides structural insights into DBL\u03b212 binding with its receptor gC1qR and may help in designing novel antisevere malaria interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life11090993","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,21]],"date-time":"2021-09-21T08:04:23Z","timestamp":1632211463000},"page":"993","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Computational Insights into the Interaction between Cytoadherence Receptor gC1qR and the DBL\u03b212 Domain of a Plasmodium falciparum PfEMP1 Ligand"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Rowaida","family":"Bakri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Umm AL Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohd","family":"Rehan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hina","family":"Shamshad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Umm AL Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abdul","family":"Hafiz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, Umm AL Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London WC1E 7HT, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2020). 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