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cDNA encoding the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C of Trypanosoma brucei
D Hereld1, G W Hart, P T Englund
1Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Abstract:
VSG lipase of Trypanosoma brucei specifically cleaves the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol membrane anchor of the trypanosome variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), releasing this protein from the plasma membrane. It also cleaves similar membrane anchors on some mammalian proteins. VSG lipase may play a role in processes such as parasite differentiation or antigenic variation. We describe here the cloning and sequencing of a cDNA encoding VSG lipase from T. brucei.