Structurally conserved soluble acid phosphatases are synthesized and released by Leishmania major promastigotes

Shakarian, A. M., and Dwyer, D. M. 2000. Structurally conserved soluble aci d phosphatases are synthesized and released by Leishmania major promastigot es. Experimental Parasitology 95, 79-84. Previously it was reported that pr omastigotes of virtually all pathogenic Leishmania species, except Leishman ia major; release a structurally conserved soluble acid phosphatase (AcP) a ctivity during their growth in vitro (P. S. Doyle and D. M. Dwyer, Exp. Par asitol. 77, 435-444 1993). In the current study we used a highly sensitive fluorogenic detection method to demonstrate that soluble AcPs were in fact produced by promastigotes of several different strains of L. major: These L . major AcP activities were readily immunoprecipitated with a rabbit antibo dy previously generated against the L. donovani AcP. Results of metabolic l abeling and immunoprecipitations demonstrated that AcPs produced by the L. majors strains examined had an apparent molecular mass of,77 kDa. Results o f Southern hybridization analysis with an L. donovani AcP gene probe showed that the AcP gene loci were conserved in the L. I,major strains examined. Taken together, these results indicate that the AcP enzyme has been structu rally and Functionally conserved throughout the evolution of pathogenic spe cies of Leishmania. Such conservation suggests that the AcPs play a functio nal role in the growth and survival of this group of important human pathog ens.