Structure of Leishmania lipophosphoglycan: inter- and intra-specific polymorphism in Old World species.

Abstract

The most abundant surface macromolecule on the promastigote stage of leishmanial parasites is a polymorphic lipophosphoglycan (LPG). We have elucidated the structures of two new LPGs, from Leishmania tropica (LRC-L36) and L. aethiopica (LRC-L495), and investigated the nature of intra-specific polymorphism in the previously characterized LPG of L. major (LRC-L456 and -L580). These molecules contain a phosphoglycan chain, made up of repeating PO4-6Gal beta 1-4Man units and a conserved hexaglycosyl-phosphatidylinositol membrane anchor. Extensive polymorphism occurs in the extent to which the LPG repeat units are substituted with different glycan side chains. The L. tropica LPG is the most compl..