The sphingolipids ceramide and inositol phosphorylceramide protect the Leishmania major membrane from sterol-specific toxins.

ABSTRACT: The accessibility of sterols in mammalian cells to exogenous sterol-binding agents has been well-described previously, but sterol accessibility in distantly related protozoa is unclear. The human pathogen Leishmania major uses sterols and sphingolipids distinct from those used in mammals. Sterols in mammalian cells can be sheltered from sterol-binding agents by membrane components, including sphingolipids, but the surface exposure of ergosterol in Leishmania remains unknown. Here, we used flow cytometry to test the ability of the L. major sphingolipids inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) and ceramide to shelter ergosterol by preventing binding of the sterol-specific toxins streptolysin O and perfringolysin O and subsequent cytotoxicity. In contrast to mammalian systems, we found that Leishma

SUBMITTER: Haram CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10209034 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature