Purification and characterization of a membrane-bound acid phosphatase of Leishmania mexicana.

As defined by the reaction with monoclonal antibodies, Leishmania mexicana promastigotes contain two acid phosphatases which together comprise about 90% of the cellular activity. A first enzyme recognized by monoclonal antibody AP4 is largely membrane-bound. The protein has an apparent molecular weight of 70,000-72,000, carries about seven N-linked glycan chains and is present in approximately 16,000 copies per cell. The protein is also expressed in the amastigote stage. A second enzyme reactive with monoclonal antibody AP3, that also recognizes lipophosphoglycan and a secreted acid phosphatase, is mainly found in the soluble fraction of promastigote lysates. It is suggested that this enzyme is the precursor of the secreted protein. The N-terminal sequences of the phosphatase recognized by AP4 and the secreted enzyme are similar but not identical. AP4 does not cross-react with phosphatase activity of Leishmania major or Leishmania donovani promastigotes, while AP3 recognizes part of the cellular and all of the secreted phosphatase activity of L. donovani promastigotes but not that of L. major which does not release an acid phosphatase into the culture medium.