INITIATION OF CHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE IMMUNOREACTIVE GLYCOLIPIDS OF ADULT ASCARIS-SUUM

There is a general lack of basic information concerning one class of g lycoconjugate, the glycolipids, from parasitic nematodes. As the proto type, the neutral glycolipid fraction derived from adult males of Asca ris suum was investigated as to its chromatographic, differential chem ical staining, antigenic and chemical properties. The thin-layer chrom atography-resolved neutral fraction glycolipids could be classified in to components of fast and slow migrating band groups. Immunoreactivity was restricted to the latter as detected by IgG and IgM anti-neutral fraction glycolipid antibody levels in serial infection sera of mice. Similarities of chromatography, antigenicity and serological cross-rea ctivity have been extended to the neutral glycolipid fractions of othe r parasitic nematodes: Litomosoides carinii and Nippostrongylus brasil iensis Chemical, differential chemical staining and enzymatic analyses identified the Ascaris suum antigenic, slow migrating band group of c omponents as amphoteric glycosphingolipids, and not the originally hyp othesized glyco-glycerolipids or glycosylphosphatidylinositols, that c ontained typical neutral monosaccharide constituents and a zwitterioni c phosphodiester linkage, most probably phosphocholine. Glycosphingoli pid-immunoreactivity is eliminated on cleavage of the zwitterionic pho sphodiester linkage by hydrofluoric acid treatment.