Trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein has a sn-1,2-dimyristyl glycerol membrane anchor at its COOH terminus.
The membrane form of Trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein (mfVSG) is acylated with ester-linked tetradecanoic (myristic) acid (Ferguson, M. A. J., and Cross, G. A. M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 3011-3015). Comparative analysis of Pronase peptides from mfVSG and soluble VSG localizes the site of mfVSG acylation to a COOH-terminal oligosaccharide structure. Chemical and enzymatic treatment of the acylated Pronase mfVSG fragment revealed that the myristic acid is present as a diglyceride (sn-1,2-dimyristin) that is probably linked to the COOH-terminal oligosaccharide via a phosphodiester bond between the sn-3-glycerol hydroxyl and a sugar hydroxyl group. The endogenous membrane-associated enzyme, which quantitatively cleaves myristic acid from mfVSG to produce soluble VSG, releases diglyceride, as would be expected of a phospholipase C.
D000215:Acylation; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000032:analysis*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005989:Glycerides / Q000032:analysis*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009226:Myristates / Q000378:metabolism; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000378:metabolism; D011402:Pronase / Q000378:metabolism; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000032:analysis*; D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma
D004075:Diglycerides; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005989:Glycerides; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009226:Myristates; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma; D010741:Phospholipases A; D011402:Pronase