STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF LPPG AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS ISOLATED FROM TRYPANOSOMA-CRUZI TRYPOMASTIGOTES

A hydrophobic fraction isolated from trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cr uzi is being characterized using immunological and chemical techniques . The lipopeptidophosphoglycan (LPPG) was identified in this fraction since it gave a positive reaction with anti-LPPG rabbit serum and had similar structural features such as the presence of ceramide as the li pid moiety, furanoic galactose, and a glycan moiety consistent with th at obtained from an authentic sample of epimastigote LPPG, as judged b y thin-layer chromatography. Furthermore,the hydrophobic fraction cont ained other glycolipids with different structural features. The lipid moiety of these compounds is alkylglycerol rather than a ceramide, the carbohydrate chain appears to be less complex than that in LPPG and n o reactivity was observed towards an anti-LPPG serum.