title: Structure and antigenicity of the major glycolipid from Taenia solium cysticerci.
abstract: Lipids were extracted from cysticerci of the human tapeworm Taenia solium isolated from various infected pigs and analysed by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. These consisted of both alkali-labile and alkali-stable glycolipids, and phosphorylated non-glycosylated lipids. Because abundant and immunogenic glycolipids of parasites have been implicated in host-parasite interactions, the major lipid, an alkali-stable glycolipid, was purified by chromatography and its structure and antigenicity were determined. The structure of the major glycolipid of T. solium, GSL-I, was elucidated through a combination of chemical degradative methods, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses of the degradative products, matrix-assisted-laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This analytical strategy led to the identification of a family of beta-galactosylceramides composed mainly of phytosphinganine (2-hydroxylated sphinganine) N-acylated by C16-C24 fatty acids, with the predominance of 2-hydroxylated homologues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed no correlation between the antibody titres directed against GSL-I in the human sera and the infective status; in contrast, a very high specific immunoreactivity and a sensitivity above 50% were observed when GSL-I was tested with cerebrospinal fluids from well characterised infected humans. Thus, although these results do not support the use of GSL-I alone as an antigen for the detection of neurocysticercosis, its use as part of an antigen cocktail for the diagnosis of the disease in cerebrospinal fluids merits further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
authors.forename: Luz María
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: López-Marín
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Montrozier
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lemassu
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.forename: Mamadou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daffé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D007814:Larva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013552:Swine / Q000469:parasitology; D013621:Taenia / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D005227:Fatty Acids; D006017:Glycolipids; D007106:Immune Sera