PURIFICATION OF THE LIPOPHOSPHOGLYCAN FROM 2 LEISHMANIA-MEXICANA STRAINS BY LECTIN AFFINITY-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Two lipophosphoglycans (LPG) from two Leishmania mexicana (Soberano an d Yucatan) strains, isolated in Mexico, were purified by affinity chro matography with the Con A lectin. The LPG from each strain, with a 10 kDa molecular weight, possesses two fractions: one with high mannose c oncentrations and the other with a more heterogeneous saccharidic comp osition; the mannose-rich fraction and the heterogeneous fraction from the Yucatan strain show a single band of identity with rabbit IgG aga inst promastigotes from L. mexicana Yucatan. Antigen recognition was a bolished by treating the high mannose LPGs with alpha-mannosidase. The presence of non reductor alpha-mannose sequences, as determinant epit opes in L. mexicana Soberano and Yucatan strains, was determined by ma ss spectrometry analysis and enzymatic cleavage.