Evidence for two distinct major protein components, PAR 1 and PAR 2, in the paraflagellar rod of Trypanosoma cruzi. Complete nucleotide sequence of PAR.

The previously identified major protein components of the paraflagellar rod in Trypanosoma cruzi, PAR 1 and PAR 2, were analyzed to determine if they are distinct proteins or different conformations of a single polypeptide as has been suggested for other trypanosomatids. Amino acid sequence analysis showed PAR 1 and PAR 2 to be two distinct polypeptides. Antibodies specific against either PAR 1 or PAR 2 were shown to each react with a distinct band in Western blots of paraflagellar isolates of T. cruzi and other trypanosomatids if rigorous protease inhibition was used. The PAR 2 message was isolated and characterized by Northern blot and nucleic acid sequence analysis. Preliminary analysis of the PAR 2 gene indicates that PAR 2 is a member of a multigene family with all members residing on a single chromosome.