Cell surface components of Leishmania: identification of a novel parasite lectin?
Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania have a glycoconjugate surface coat (the glycocalyx) that acts as the interface between the parasite and its external environment. The principal components of the glycocalyx, the lipophosphoglycans and the glycoinositolphospholipids, have a variety of functions that facilitate parasite survival in both the extracellular and the intracellular stages of the life cycle. Recently, a novel hydrophilic Leishmania protein, the Gene B protein, has been identified on the surface of infective parasite stages. Attachment to the surface appears to be by association between a region of repeated amino acids in this molecule and components of the glycocalyx. As a consequence, the Gene B protein is exposed on the parasite surface while other peptides are buried beneath the glycocalyx. The putative functions of this unusual molecule are discussed.
Smith
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Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.
Rangarajan
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006001:Glycoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D037102:Lectins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D006001:Glycoconjugates; D037102:Lectins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins