A FAMILY OF GLYCOINOSITOL PHOSPHOLIPIDS FROM LEISHMANIA-MAJOR - ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND ANTIGENICITY

Abstract

The glycolipids of the protozoan Leishmania major strain LRC-L119 belong to a class of glycoinositol phospholipids (GIPL) that show partial structural homology to the phosphatidylinositol-containing glycolipid membrane anchors of several eukaryotic proteins and the lipid moiety of L. major lipophosphoglycan. The GIPLs were the only glycolipids detected and were purified by octyl-Sepharose and thin layer chromatographies. Analysis of the native and dephosphorylated glycolipids (GIPLs 1-6) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that the glycan moieties have between 4 and 10 saccharide residues and all contain mannose, galactose, and non-N-acetylated glucosamine. Some of the GIPLs als..