title: Strains and clones of Trypanosoma cruzi differ in their expression of a surface antigen identified by a monoclonal antibody.
abstract: Four Trypanosoma cruzi strains and 50 clones derived from a total of 10 strains were assayed with a monoclonal antibody, WIC 29.26 Ab, for expression of an epitope previously demonstrated to be on the carbohydrate portion of a 72 000 Da surface glycoprotein of Y strain epimastigotes. WIC 29.26 Ab bound to only 2 of the 4 strains and 23 of the 50 clones tested. A group of 10 cloned isolates from one strain contained both reactive and non-reactive clones. Competitive inhibition studies with soluble extracts of the reactive and non-reactive isolates suggested that in addition to being absent from the surface membrane, the antigenic determinant is not synthesized by the non-reactive parasites. These data indicate that the epitope recognized by WIC 29.26 Ab is not present on all T. cruzi epimastigotes, and provide the first demonstration of clone-specific differences in a parasite antigen detected by a monoclonal antibody. No correlation was found between the reactivity of isolates with WIC 29.26 Ab and the previously investigated parameters of growth rate and modal volume.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000939:Epitopes; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins