Sulfoglycosphingolipids in Plasmodium falciparum

MALENA LANDONI; ALICIA S. COUTO; VILMA G. DUSCHAK

Alpach -Austria

Congreso; Keystone Symposia Global Health Series: Malaria: Immunology, Pathogenesis and Vaccine Perspectives (E3); 2008

Keystone Symposia Global Health Series

Sulfated glycosphingolipids are present on the surface of a variety of cells as active participants in adhesion processes. However, the body of knowledge about synthesis, structure, and function of glycolipids in parasitic protozoa is very limited. Metabolic incorporation of different radioactive precursors showed for the first time that sulfoglycosphingolipids are biosynthesized in the three intraerythrocytic stages of P. falciparum. After saponification, purification of the labelled acidic components was achieved and two components named SPf1 and SPf2 were characterized. Chemical degradations and TLC analysis pointed out to sulfolipidic structures. Analysis by UV-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry showed for SPf2 a structure consisting in a disulfated hexose linked to a 20:1 sphingosine acylated with C18:0 fatty acid. Interestingly, parasite treatment with low concentrations of D,L-threo-phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PPMP) caused an arrest on parasite development associated to the inhibition of sulfoglycolipid biosynthesis. Taking into account that sulfoglycolipidic structures are currently involved in adhesion processes, our findings open the possibility to study the participation of this type of structures in the described aggregation phenomena in severe malaria and may contribute to clarify the pathogenesis of the disease.