Immunomagnetic Selection of Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes Expressing Particular PfEMP1 Variants

Plasmodium falciparum expresses a broad range of proteins on the surface of infected erythrocytes (IEs), including members of the P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family. This protocol describes an immunomagnetic selection method using PfEMP1-specific antibodies to obtain a parasite clone homogenously expressing a particular PfEMP1 protein. The expression of the corresponding PfEMP1 is later tested by flow cytometry, and the selected parasites can be used for further analysis.