The surface of Toxoplasma tachyzoites is dominated by a family of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored antigens related to SAG1.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii is an Apicomplexan parasite with a complex life cycle that includes a rapidly dividing asexual stage known as the tachyzoite. The tachyzoite surface has been reported to comprise five major antigens, the most abundant of which is designated SAG1 (for surface antigen 1). At least one of the other four (SAG3) and another recently described minor antigen (SRS1 [for SAG1-related sequence 1]) have previously been shown to be structurally related to SAG1. To determine if further SAG1 homologs exist, we searched a Toxoplasma expressed sequence tag (EST) database and found numerous ESTs corresponding to at least three new genes related to SAG1. Like SAG1, these new SRS genes encode apparently glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins that share several motifs and a set of co

SUBMITTER: Manger ID 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC108187 | biostudies-literature | 1998 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature