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Acanthamoebae bind to glycolipids of rabbit corneal epithelium

By use of a thin-layer chromatogram (TLC) overlay procedure, 35S-labeled acanthamoebae were shown to bind to seven glycolipids of rabbit corneal epithelium. Corneal epithelial cells were grown in culture and were subjected to Folch extraction to isolate a chloroform-rich lower phase containing neutral glycosphingolipids (NGSL) and an aqueous upper phase containing gangliosides, i.e., sialic acid-containing glycolipids. Thin-layer chromatography of the upper phase revealed the presence of 10 ganglioside components. Acanthamoebae were shown to bind to four of these components, referred to as 2, 3, 6, and 7. On TLC plates, ganglioside components 2 and 3 migrated slightly ahead of the glycolipid standard GD1a, component 7 comigrated with standard GM3, and component 6 migrated a little more slowly than GM3. Likewise, of the 10 NGSL known to be present in the lower phase, acanthamoebae bound to components 1, 5, and 6. NGSL components 1, 5, and 6 migrated on TLC plates with relative mobilities similar to those of standards asialo GM1, asialo GM2, and ceramidetrihexoside, respectively. We propose that one or more of the Acanthamoeba-reactive glycolipids of corneal epithelium identified in this study may play a role in the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba keratitis by mediating the adherence of the parasites to the cornea.