ABSTRACT

The cell surface of Leishmania parasites has been a subject of intensive investigation in recent years. The adroitness with which the parasites are able to survive in hostile environments throughout their life cycle suggests that their surface macromolecules undoubtedly have unusual structures and important properties. One of these molecules in the promastigote form of the parasite is its prevalent, polydisperse glycoconjugate called lipophosphoglycan (LPG). The relative abundance (minimally 1 million copies of LPG per promastigote) and novel structural features of LPG indicate that it plays one or more important functions in the parasite’s life cycle. In this review, emphasis is placed on the structural variations that have been reported with LPG. The relationships between the intriguing structure of LPG and its possible functions for the parasite have been summarized elsewhere (Turco, 1990; and see Chapter 27).