Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) play an essential role in the regulation of cell differentiation in pathogenic
trypanosomatids. In this study, we describe a PTP expressed by the non-pathogenic protozoan
Trypanosoma rangeli
(TrPTP2). The gene for this PTP is orthologous to the
T. brucei TbPTP1 and
Trypanosoma cruzi
(
TcPTP2) genes.
Cloning and expression of the
TrPTP2 and
TcPTP2 proteins allowed anti-PTP2 monoclonal antibodies to be generated
in BALB/c mice. When expressed by
T. rangeli epimastigotes and trypomastigotes, native
TrPTP2 is detected
as a ~65 kDa protein associated with the parasite’s flagellum. Given that the flagellum is an important structure for
cell differentiation in trypanosomatids, the presence of a protein responsible for tyrosine dephosphorylation in the
T. rangeli flagellum could represent an interesting mechanism of regulation in this structure.
