Sulfoglycosphingolipids are biosynthesized by the intraerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

MALENA LANDONI, VILMA G. DUSCHAK, VALNICE J. PERES, HIROSHI NONAMI, ROSA ERRA-BALSELLS, ALEJANDRO M. KATZIN AND ALICIA S. COUTO.; ERRA BALSELLS, ROSA

MOLECULAR AND BIOCHEMICAL PARASITOLOGY

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2007 vol. 154 p. 22 - 29

0166-6851

Sulfated glycosphingolipids are present on the surface of a variety of cells. They are active participants in adhesion processes in many systems and appear to be involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and other developmental events. However, the body of knowledge about synthesis structure and function of glycolipids in parasitic protozoa is very limited so far. In this work we show by metabolic incorporation of [14C]palmitic acid, [14C]glucose and Na235SO4 that sulfoglycosphingolipids are biosynthesized in the three intraerythrocytic stages of P. falciparum. After saponification, purification of the labeled acidic components was achieved and two components named SPf1 and SPf2 were characterized. Chemical degradations and TLC analysis assured their sulfolipidic structures. Analysis by UV-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in the negative ion mode using nor-harmane as matrix showed for SPf2 a structure consisting in a disulfated hexose linked to a 20:1 sphingosine acylated with C 18:0 fatty acid. Accordingly, Spf1 presented a monosulfated sugar unit. Taking into account that the formation of rosettes of infected red cells and the vascular plugging leads to severe clinical stages of malaria and that sulfoglycolipidic structures are currently involved in adhesion processes, our findings open the possibility to study the participation of these type of structures in the described aggregation phenomena and may contribute to clarify the pathogenesis of the disease.