This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Trichomonad parasites, T. vaginalis (Tv) and T. foetus (Tf), cause major sexually transmitted diseases in human and cattle, respectively, and may predispose human patients to AIDS infection. BNS et al. purified lipophosphoglycan from both parasites an treated them with mild acid (trifluoroacetic acid) and different enzymes (endo-beta-galactosidase, another beta-galactosidase, phospholipase C) in order to obtain oligosaccharide structures short enough for MS/MS characterization. The fractions from Tv were initially characterized by MALDI-TOF MS, then the oligosaccharide portions were reduced and permethylated before analysis by LC-MS/MS, using a graphite column and a QoTOF mass spectrometer. A variety of sugars assigned to different structural motifs was identified. Many structures have been assigned and further data interpretation and investigation is ongoing. Biological characterization has shown that the T. vaginalis Lipophosphoglycan triggers a selective upregulation of cytokines by human female reproductive tract epithelial cells. Two manuscripts describing results from this project have been accepted for publication.
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