Affiliation:
1. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús, Universidad Nacional de General San Martín, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, San Martín, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abstract
ABSTRACT
gp63 is a highly abundant glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored membrane protein expressed predominantly in the promastigote but also in the amastigote stage of
Leishmania
species. In
Leishmania
spp., gp63 has been implicated in a number of steps in establishment of infection. Here we demonstrate that
Trypanosoma cruzi
, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease, has a family of gp63 genes composed of multiple groups. Two of these groups,
Tcgp63-I
and
-II
, are present as high-copy-number genes. The genomic organization and mRNA expression pattern were specific for each group.
Tcgp63-I
was widely expressed, while the
Tcgp63-II
group was scarcely detected in Northern blots, even though it is well represented in the
T. cruzi
genome. Western blots using sera directed against a synthetic peptide indicated that the
Tcgp63-I
group produced proteins of ∼78 kDa, differentially expressed during the life cycle. Immunofluorescence staining and phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C digestion confirmed that Tcgp63-I group members are surface proteins bound to the membrane by a GPI anchor. We also demonstrate the presence of metalloprotease activity which is attributable, at least in part, to Tcgp63-I group. Since antibodies against Tcgp63-I partially blocked infection of Vero cells by trypomastigotes, a possible role for this group in infection is suggested.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Immunology,Microbiology,Parasitology
Cited by
93 articles.
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