Glycosyl transferase activities are associated with the surface membrane in adult Schistosoma mansoni.

Incubation of live adult Schistosoma mansoni in a variety of media released tegumental material containing membrane bound alkaline phosphatase, mannosyl transferase and galactosyl transferase activities. Centrifugation of the tegumental material released by incubation of worms in phosphate-buffered saline in sucrose density gradients yielded a pellet and four fractions, two of which consisted mainly of surface membranes. The distribution of the enzymes in the gradient, espeically in the two surface membrane-containing subfractions was similar. Application of the "digitonin shift" technique showed that the membranes containing the enzyme reactivities were moved to an equal extent into a denser part of the sucrose gradient. Thus the enzymes are located on the same or similar cholesterol-containing membranes. It is concluded that the transferases, like the alkaline phosphatases, are located in the surface membranes of S. mansoni and the consequences of this location for the host-parasite interaction are discussed.