A family of glycolipid linked proteins in Eimeria tenella.

A number of proteins in Eimeria tenella are shown to possess a carbohydrate similar to that found on the carboxyl terminus of the variant surface glycoprotein from Trypanosoma brucei. In trypanosomes, this carbohydrate is part of a glycolipid structure responsible for membrane attachment. In common with the variant surface glycoprotein and with other glycolipid linked proteins, the E. tenella proteins were shown to be hydrophobic. Treatment with a crude lipase preparation from T. brucei modifies these proteins to a water-soluble form.