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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Investigating the Phagocytosis of Leishmania using Confocal Microscopy
Published on: July 29, 2021
Leishmania donovani lipophosphoglycan inhibits phagosomal maturation via action on membrane rafts
Martin E Winberg1, Asa Holm, Eva Särndahl
1Div. of Med. Microbiology, Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 85 Linköping, Sweden.
Abstract:
Lipophosphoglycan (LPG), the major surface glycoconjugate on Leishmania donovani promastigotes, is crucial for the establishment of infection inside macrophages. LPG comprises a polymer of repeating Galbeta1,4Manalpha-PO(4) attached to a lysophosphatidylinositol membrane anchor. LPG is transferred from the parasite to the host macrophage membrane during phagocytosis and induces periphagosomal F-actin accumulation correlating with an inhibition of phagosomal maturation. The biophysical properties of LPG suggest that it may be intercalated into membrane rafts of the host-cell membrane. The aim of this study was to investigate if the effects of LPG on phagosomal maturation are mediated via action on membrane rafts. We show that LPG accumulates in rafts during phagocytosis of L. donovani and that disruption of membrane rafts abolished the effects of LPG on periphagosomal F-actin and phagosomal maturation, indicating that LPG requires intact membrane rafts to manipulate host-cell functions. We conclude that LPG associates with membrane rafts in the host cell and exert its actions on host-cell actin and phagosomal maturation through subversion of raft function.
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