Identification of cross-reactive promastigote cell surface antigens of some leishmanial stocks by 125I labeling and immunoprecipitation.

Externally oriented surface membrane constituents of promastigotes from several Leishmania species were radiolabeled with 125I. Autoradiographs of cell surface-labeled and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis-separated proteins of the stocks revealed distinctive patterns of bands in the molecular weight range of 6,000 to 240,000. Immunoprecipitation of detergent extracts of the labeled promastigote stocks with anti-Leishmania donovani membrane serum demonstrated that each of the stocks contained some antigenically cross-reactive determinants. The electrophoretic patterns of these determinants serve both to distinguish the parasite stocks (by unique, species-specific patterns) and to indicate antigenic similarities in stocks thought to be different by other biochemical criteria. At least 12 cross-reactive cell surface antigens in two New World leishmanias are recognized by polyvalent anti-L. donovani serum, suggesting that these common leishmanial antigens may account for the documented serological cross-reactivities among various Leishmania species. In all stocks tested, an iodinated protein was identified which had a relative molecular weight of 65,000 under reducing conditions but which demonstrated an increase in relative mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels under nonreducing conditions. Distinctive patterns of the antigens common to the several stocks were also demonstrated with the use of monoclonal antibodies.