Five monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were raised that bound to the surface
of procyclic stage Trypanosoma congolense with high intensity in immu
nofluorescence. Immunoblot analysis of trypanosome lysates using 3 of
these mAb revealed a diffuse SDS-PAGE band of 36-40 kDa. The purified
antigen did not react with Coomassie Blue or silver stains, but did st
ain blue with Stains-all(TM), indicating acidity. For the one mAb test
ed, the epitope was periodate-sensitive and therefore probably glycan.
Although this antigen shares properties with procyclin/PARP, which fo
rms a surface coat on procyclic Trypanosoma brucei, a search in T. con
golense for homologues of a procyclin/PARP gene revealed only non-codi
ng sequence of partial similarity. Using a differential screen, a proc
yclic stage T. congolense cDNA clone was isolated that encoded a putat
ive 256-amino acid protein containing 2 peptides chemically sequenced
independently by Beecroft et al. [36]. The protein, termed glutamate a
nd alanine-rich protein (GARP), has potential hydrophobic leader and t
ail sequences (the latter with potential for replacement by a glycosyl
phosphoinositol anchor) and no potential N-linked glycosylation sites
. It has no significant sequence homology with known proteins. Antibod
ies against a translational fusion of GARP bound specifically in Weste
rn blots to a band very similar to that detected by the mAb and also t
o the purified antigen. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed a dens
e packing of the antigen on the cell surface. It appears that procycli
c T. brucei and T. congolense have major surface proteins with structu
ral analogy, but with no sequence homology.