title: Ultrastructural effects of lactoferrin binding on Giardia lamblia trophozoites.
abstract: Lactoferrin and its derived N-terminal peptide may be important host defenses against Giardia lamblia. We showed earlier that lactoferrin and the derived peptides have potent giardicidal activity in vitro. Using indirect immunofluorescence, we now demonstrate binding of lactoferrin and the peptides to the live trophozoite surface. Iron strongly inhibited binding of lactoferrin, and decreased binding of the peptides, while certain divalent metal ions decreased binding of all forms by about half. Lactoferrin and the peptides caused striking and complex morphologic changes in the trophozoite plasmalemma, endomembranes and cytoskeleton, and increased the electron density of the lysosome-like peripheral vacuoles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of California at San Diego 92103-8416, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Turchany
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McCaffery
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Aley
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Gillin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D007781:Lactoferrin