title: Phosphocholine-containing, zwitterionic glycosphingolipids of adult Onchocerca volvulus as highly conserved antigenic structures of parasitic nematodes.
abstract: Human Onchocerca volvulus infection sera were found to recognize zwitterionic glycolipids of O. volvulus and to cross-react with those of other parasitic nematodes (Ascaris suum, Setaria digitata and Litomosoides sigmodontis). By the use of an epitope-specific monoclonal antibody, zwitterionic glycolipids of all these nematode species were observed to contain the antigenic determinant phosphocholine. A hyperimmune serum specific for arthro-series glycolipid structures reacted with the various neutral glycolipids of all these nematodes, which demonstrated that their oligosaccharide moieties belonged to the arthro-series of protostomial glycolipids. These results indicated that arthro-series glycosphingolipids carrying, in part, phosphocholine substituents, represent highly conserved, antigenic glycolipid markers of parasitic nematodes. Three glycolipid components of the O. volvulus zwitterionic fraction were structurally characterized by matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS, methylation analysis and exoglycosidase treatment. Their chemical structures were elucidated to be phosphocholine-6GlcNAc(beta1-3)Man(beta1-4)Glc(1-1)ceramide, GalNAc(beta1-4)[phosphocholine-6]GlcNAc(beta1-3)Man(beta1-4)Glc(1-1) ceramide and Gal(alpha1-3)GalNAc(beta1-4)[phosphocholine-6]GlcNAc(beta1-3)Man(beta 1-4)Glc(1-1)ceramide for the zwitterionic ceramide tri-, tetra- and penta-hexosides respectively. The ceramide composition was found to be dominated by 2-hydroxylated docosanoic (C(22h:0)), tricosanoic (C(23h:0)) and tetracosanoic (C(24h:0)) acids, and C(17) sphingosine (C(d17:1)) (where (h) is hydroxylated and (d) is dihydroxylated).
authors.affiliation: Biochemisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Friedrichstrasse 24, D-35392 Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wuhrer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rickhoff
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lochnit
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Soboslay
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geyer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry*; D017165:Ascaris suum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005370:Filarioidea / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017181:Onchocerca volvulus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000032:analysis*; D017182:Setaria Nematode / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D002241:Carbohydrates; D006017:Glycolipids; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases