Molecular characterization of two genes encoding members of the glucose transporter superfamily in the parasitic protozoan Leishmania donovani.

The polymerase chain reaction was used to clone two genes from Leishmania donovani, each of which encodes a member of a superfamily of membrane transporters which include the mammalian facilitative glucose transporters. One of these transporters, designated D2, is similar in sequence and overall structural features to a previously cloned Leishmania transporter Pro-1. Both D2 and Pro-1 are developmentally regulated genes which are expressed primarily in the insect stage of the parasite life cycle. In contrast, the second novel transporter, D1, is structurally quite different from either D2 or Pro-1, and its expression is not regulated during the parasite life cycle. All three genes are located on different chromosomes in L. donovani.