CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The glycobiology of Tripanosoma cruzi, agent of Chagas disease, has contributed significantly to the identification of target enzymes responsible for the construction of unique cell-surface molecules. The authors discuss the structure of glycoinositolphospholipids, free and anchors of proteins in T. cruzi. The presence of structural motifs, absent in mammals, is emphasized. These include, galactofuranose, aminoethylphosphonic acid and inositolphosphoceramide. The mucins and the trans-sialidase (TcTS), both involved in the infection process, are extensively reviewed in this chapter. The chemical synthesis of the oligosaccharides containing Galf is presented as well as the use of the TcTS for synthetic purposes.