Monosaccharide composition of the surface glycoprotein antigens of Trypanosoma brucei

Abstract

Evidence has been adduced that the surface antigens of Trypanosoma brucei subgroup are a group of glycoproteins having D-galactose, D-mannose and D-glucosamine as monosaccharide components. There was considerable variation in the number of antigen components, and their relative amounts, as revealed by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel. The relevance of these variations to the adaptation theory of antigenic variation in trypanosomes is discussed.