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Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Trichuris muris Infection: A Model of Type 2 Immunity and Inflammation in the Gut
Published on: May 24, 2011
Novel structural features of the immunocompetent ceramide phospho-inositol glycan core from Trichomonas vaginalis
Christian Heiss1, Zhirui Wang1, Ian Black1
1Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Abstract:
The ceramide phosphoinositol glycan core (CPI-GC) of the lipophosphoglycan of Trichomonas vaginalis is a major virulent factor of this common genitourinary parasite. While its carbohydrate composition has been reported before, its structure has remained largely unknown. We isolated the glycan portions of CPI-GC by nitrous acid deamination and hydrofluoric acid treatment and investigated their structures by methylation analysis and 1- and 2-D NMR. We found that the α-anomer of galactose is a major constituent of CPI-GC. The β-anomer was found exclusively at the non-reducing end of CPI-GC side chains. Furthermore the data showed that the rhamnan backbone is more complex than previously thought and that the inositol residue at the reducing end is linked to a 4-linked α-glucuronic acid (GlcA) residue. This appears to be the most striking and novel feature of this GPI-anchor type molecule.
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