Structural comparison of lipophosphoglycan from Leishmania turanica and L. major, two species transmitted by Phlebotomus papatasi

• LPG is a multivirulence factor in Leishmania.
• LPG is crucial for parasite attachment in the midgut of the sand fly vector.
• The LPG of L. turanica displays similarities to L. major's.
• L. turanica is able to sustain infection in Phlebotomus papatasi.

The lipophosphoglycan (LPG) of Leishmania major has a major role in the attachment to Phlebotomus papatasi midgut. Here, we investigated the comparative structural features of LPG of L. turanica, another species transmitted by P. papatasi. The mAb WIC 79.3, specific for terminal Gal(β1,3) side-chains, strongly reacted with L. turanica LPG. In contrast, L. turanica LPG was not recognized by arabinose-specific mAb 3F12. In conclusion, LPGs from L. major and L. turanica are similar, with the latter being less arabinosylated than L. major's. The high galactose content in L. turanica LPG is consistent with its predicted recognition by P. papatasi lectin PpGalec.

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