Leishmania parasites are the etiological agents of leishmaniasis, a major health problem world-wide. Lipophosphoglycan (LPG), a galactofuranose-containing glyconjugate, is the predominant surface glycoconjugate of the promastigote form of these protozoan parasites. The biosynthesis and utilization of galactofuranose (Galf) is a biosynthetic pathway which remains to be established in any organism. Since Gala is not a component of mammalian glycoconjugates and glycoproteins, a detailed investigation of the Galf metabolic pathway in Leishmania could conceivably lead to new strategies for control of Leishmania infections. The objective of this research project is to determine the Gal-metabolic pathway in L. donovani.
The specific aims of this application are: 1. the identification of the Gala nucleotide donor in Leishmania. 2. the determination of the biosynthetic pathway of the Gala nucleotide donor, and 3. the biochemical analysis of Galf transfer to LPG.
