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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes
Published on: October 15, 2016
Glycosyl inositolphospholipid-anchored structures in Herpetomonas davidi
1Institute of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Bern, Switzerland. buetikofer@mci.unibe.ch
Abstract:
Glycosyl inositolphospholipid (GPI)-anchored structures in the monogenetic parasite Herpetomanas davidi, were labeled with [3H]glucosamine, and characterized by enzymatic and chemical treatments that are typical for the identification of GPI anchors. [3H]Myristate incorporated into two different pools of GPI-linked structures that could be separated by chromatography on octyl-Sepharose. One pool consisted of three GPI-anchored proteins with apparent molecular masses of 21,31 and 45 kDa, and the GPI lipid moieties were identified as alkyl-lysoglycerols. The label in the other pool associated with lipopeptidophosphoglycan (LPPG)-like structures of approximately 12-kDa molecular mass, containing ceramide-type GPI lipid anchors. While protein GPI anchors could also be labeled using [3H]glucosamine as radiolabeled GPI anchor precursor, hardly any radioactivity was incorporated into the LPPG-like structures. H. davidi is one of the few organisms identified to date that synthesizes two structurally different lipid moieties for GPI anchoring of membrane components.
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