CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL FUCOSYL-CONTAINING AND TYVELOSYL-CONTAININGGLYCOCONJUGATES FROM TRICHINELLA-SPIRALIS MUSCLE STAGE LARVAE

The monosaccharide composition of an affinity-purified family of antig enically-related Trichinella spiralis larval glycoproteins was determi ned by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. This group of 6 major gly coproteins, designated TSL-1, originates in the muscle stage (L1) larv al stichosome. They are present on the L1 surface and in excretory/sec retory products of L1 larvae, are stage-specific, and are highly immun odominant. The glycosyl composition of the TSL-1 antigens was remarkab le in 2 respects: (1) fucose accounted for 36 molar percent of the gly cosyl residues; and (2) a 3,6-dideoxyhexose was identified, which acco unted for at least 24 molar percent of the glycosyl residues. Previous ly, 3,6-dideoxyhexoses have been found only in certain Gram-negative b acterial lipopolysaccharides and in ascaroside alcohols (ascarylose) o f Ascaris eggs. The 3,6-dideoxyhexose found in the TSL-1 antigens also was found in ES. This Trichinella sugar has been chemically identifie d as a 3,6-dideoxyarabinohexose, the same as found in Ascaris eggs. Ho wever, the absolute configuration of the TSL-1 sugar is D-(tyvelose), not L-(ascarylose) as is found in Ascaris eggs. Methylation analysis i ndicated that the TSL-1 3,6-dideoxy-D-arabinohexose was present entire ly as non-reducing terminal residues. Approximately 83% of the fucose was also present as non-reducing terminal residues, with the remaining fucose found as 3,4-linked branched residues.