The N-linked carbohydrate chain of the 85-kilodalton glycoprotein from Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes contains sialyl, fucosyl and galactosyl (alpha 1-3)galactose units.

The structure of the N-linked oligosaccharide of the 85-kDa surface glycoprotein (Tc-85) from the infective trypomastigote form of Trypanosoma cruzi was investigated. Tc-85 metabolically labeled with [14C]glucose was purified by affinity chromatography on wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose. Binding to the lectin was lost on treatment of Tc-85 with neuraminidase. The N-linked asialo-oligosaccharide was released by endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase F digestion of asialo-Tc-85 and was further analyzed using specific exoglycosidases. [14C]fucose was detected after alpha-L-fucosidase treatment or mild acid hydrolysis. The afucosyl oligosaccharide was 3H-labeled by the galactose oxidase-NaB3H4 method. [3H]Galactose was released by alpha-galactosidase, and only then was beta-galactosidase effective in removing another galactose. The gal(alpha 1-3)gal unit was demonstrated by periodate oxidation studies on the [3H]galactose-labeled asialo-glycoprotein. The presence of gal(alpha 1-3)gal in Tc-85 could be related to the recent finding of elevated antibody levels against this epitope in patients with Chagas' disease.