title: Distribution of carbohydrates recognized by the lectins Euonymus europaeus and concanavalin A in monoxenic and heteroxenic trypanosomatids.
abstract: We observed a wide distribution of the carbohydrate epitopes galactosyl alpha(1-3)galactose (gal alpha1-3 gal), alpha-glucoside and alpha-mannoside in mono- and heteroxenic trypanosomatids by using fluorescein-labelled lectins of Euonymus europaeus (EE) and Concanavalin A (Con A) as well as sera from acute chagasic patients who have very high levels of anti-gal alpha(1-3)gal antibodies. The direct fluorescence test for gal alpha1-3 gal with EE was positive at minimum concentrations of 6 micrograms/ml for heteroxenic trypanosomatids and 0.7 micrograms/ml for monoxenic ones and for the plant parasite, Phytomonas. On the other hand, heteroxenic trypanosomatids that infect vertebrates bound ten-fold more Con A than monoxenic flagellates and Phytomonas. These data were confirmed in ELISA and Western Blot assays carried out with peroxidase-labelled EE and Con A. Euonymus europaeus recognized several glycoproteins in all trypanosomatids that we tested. Con A, however, recognized a glycoprotein cluster in heteroxenic protozoa, which ranging from 60-120 kDa, seemed to lack monoxenic parasites and Phytomonas. These findings suggest that alpha-D-mannose and alpha-D-glucose might play an important role in the interaction between trypanosomatids and vertebrate hosts.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Gazzinelli
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Romanha
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fontes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gazzinelli
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000469:parasitology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000469:parasitology; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005690:Galactose / Q000276:immunology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006736:Horses / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D037121:Plant Lectins; D010944:Plants; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D006023:Glycoproteins; D037102:Lectins; D037121:Plant Lectins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D005690:Galactose