Detection of the Microtubule Cytoskeleton of the CoccidianToxoplasma gondiiand the HemoflagellateLeishmania donovaniby Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for β-Tubulin1

Abstract

Seven monoclonal antibodies specific for mammalian .beta.-tubulin demonstrate the microtubule cytoskeleton of Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania donovani by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunoblots of T. gondii and L. donovani proteins separated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis confirm the specificity of the monoclonal antibodies for tubulin. Differential staining of flagellar and subpellicular microtubule populations was not seen in L. donovani with these antibodies. All seven antibodies also detected the subpellicular microtubules of T. gondii, but the polar ring and conoid of this organism was not visualized by any of them. This technique provides a rapid and specific way to assess microtubular organization in whole organisms.