title: Refined structure of the lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania donovani.
abstract: The primary structure of the major surface glycoconjugate of Leishmania donovani parasites, a lipophosphoglycan, has been further characterized. The repeating PO4-6Galp beta 1-4Man disaccharide units, which are a salient feature of the molecule, are shown to terminate with one of several neutral structures, the most abundant of which is the branched trisaccharide Galp beta 1-4(Manp alpha 1-2)Man. The phosphosaccharide core of lipophosphoglycan, which links the disaccharide repeats to a lipid anchor, contains 2 phosphate residues. One of the core phosphates has previously been localized on O-6 of the galactosyl residue distal to the lipid anchor; the second phosphate is now shown to be on O-6 of the mannosyl residue distal to the anchor and to bear an alpha-linked glucopyranosyl residue. Also, the anomeric configuration of the unusual 3-substituted Galf residue in the phosphosaccharide core is established as beta. The complete structure of the core is thus PO4-6Galp alpha 1-6Galp alpha 1-3Galf beta 1-3[Glcp alpha 1-PO4-6]Manp alpha 1-3Manp alpha 1-4GlcN alpha 1-. This further clarification of the structure of lipophosphoglycan may prove beneficial in determining the structure-function relationships of this highly unusual glycoconjugate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McConville
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thomas-Oates
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Homans
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gorin
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Greis
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Turco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000378:metabolism*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016339:Spectrometry, Mass, Fast Atom Bombardment
chemical_list: D006028:Glycosphingolipids; C008290:lipophosphonoglycan