Leishmania-specific surface antigens show sub-genus sequence variation and immune recognition.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A family of hydrophilic acylated surface (HASP) proteins, containing extensive and variant amino acid repeats, is expressed at the plasma membrane in infective extracellular (metacyclic) and intracellular (amastigote) stages of Old World Leishmania species. While HASPs are antigenic in the host and can induce protective immune responses, the biological functions of these Leishmania-specific proteins remain unresolved. Previous genome analysis has suggested that parasites of the sub-genus Leishmania (Viannia) have lost HASP genes from their genomes.

Methods/principal findings

We have used molecular and cellular methods to analyse HASP expression in New World Leishmania mexicana complex species and show that, unlike in L. major, these proteins are expressed predomin

SUBMITTER: Depledge DP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2946902 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature