The Major 85-kDa Surface Antigen of the Mammalian-Stage Forms of Trypanosoma cruzi is a Family of Sialidases

Trypanosoma cruzi, an intracellular protozoan parasite infecting a wide variety of vertebrates, is the agent responsible for Chagas disease in humans. An estimated 15-20 million people in South and Central America are infected with the parasite. Chagas disease often results in severe autoimmune and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1991-05, Vol.88 (10), p.4481-4485
Main Authors: Kahn, Stuart, Colbert, Trenton G., Wallace, James C., Hoagland, Nicole A., Eisen, Harvey
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Amino acids
Animals
Antibodies
Antigens
Antigens, Protozoan - chemistry
Antigens, Protozoan - genetics
Antigens, Protozoan - metabolism
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
cell surface
Cloning, Molecular
Clostridium - enzymology
Clostridium - genetics
DNA
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes. Genome
Genomics
Immunosorbent Techniques
Infections
Influenza A virus
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Molecular Weight
Neuraminidase - chemistry
Neuraminidase - genetics
Neuraminidase - metabolism
Nucleic Acid Hybridization
Oligonucleotide Probes
Oligonucleotides
Parasites
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
sialidase
Surface antigens
Trypanosoma cruzi - enzymology
Trypanosoma cruzi - genetics
Trypanosoma cruzi - immunology
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Summary:Trypanosoma cruzi, an intracellular protozoan parasite infecting a wide variety of vertebrates, is the agent responsible for Chagas disease in humans. An estimated 15-20 million people in South and Central America are infected with the parasite. Chagas disease often results in severe autoimmune and inflammatory pathology and is the major cause of heart failure in endemic areas. Nevertheless, little is known about the host-parasite interactions that lead to this pathology. We have previously cloned several members of a large gene family (SA85-1) and shown that these genes encode 85-kDa T. cruzi, mammalian-stage-specific, surface antigens. Here we report that members of the SA85-1 family possess sialidase activity and are shed by the parasite. We suggest that the sialidases may contribute to the pathology during T. cruzi infection by cleaving sialic acid from cells of the immune system.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.88.10.4481