The novel light-harvesting pigment-protein complex ofMantoniella squamata (Chlorophyta): Phylogenetic implications

Summary A light-harvesting pigment-protein complex has been isolated fromMantoniella squamata (Micromonadophyceae, Chlorophyta) by nondenaturing polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The complex runs as two bands of molecular weights 54,000 and 55,000. There are two constituent polypeptides of molecular weights 20,500 and 22,000. Antibodies were raised to the 20,500-dalton polypeptides from this complex and to the 24,500-dalton polypeptide from the analogous complex ofPedinomonas minor (Micromonadophyceae). The antibodies to theM. squamata polypeptide are specific for both polypeptides of theM. squamata light-harvesting complex, as well as for a 27,000-dalton polypeptide of undetermined function. The antibodies to theP. minor polypeptide are specific for polypeptide components of the light-harvesting complex of that alga. The antibodies specific for theM. squamata light-harvesting complex polypeptides do not cross react with any polypeptides ofP. minor thylakoid membranes, as demonstrated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Similarly, no polypeptides ofM. squamata thylakoids cross react with the antibodies specific forP. minor light-harvesting complex polypeptides. These results indicate that the light-harvesting complex ofM. squamata is structurally very different from that ofP. minor. In a survey of several land plants and green algae, including representatives of all classes of green algae, a light-harvesting complex homologous to that ofM. squamata was found only inMicromonas pusilla. All other organisms tested possessed a lightharvesting complex homologous to that ofP. minor. The evolutionary and taxonomic implications of the novelM. squamata light-harvesting complex are discussed.     

The atypical chlorophyll a/b/c light-harvesting complex of Mantoniella squamata: molecular cloning and sequence analysis

cDNA species encoding precursor polypeptides of the chlorophyll a/b/c light-harvesting complex (LHC) of Mantoniella squamata were cloned and sequenced. The precursor polypeptides have molecular weights of 24.2 kDa and are related to the major chlorophyll a/b polypeptides of higher plants. Southern analysis showed that their genes belong to the nuclear encoded Lhc multigene family; the investigated genes most probably do not contain introns. The chlorophyll a/b/c polypeptides contain two highly conserved regions common to all LHC polypeptides and three hydrophobic -helices, which span the thylakoid membrane. The first membrane-spanning helix, however, is not detected by predictive methods: its atypical hydrophilic domains may bind the chlorophyll c molecules within the hydrophobic membrane environment. Homology to LHC 11 of higher plants and green algae is specifically evident in the C-terminal region comprising helix III and the preceding stroma-exposed domain. The N-terminal region of 29 amino acids resembles the structure of a transit sequence, which shows only minor similarities to those of LHC II sequences. Strikingly, the mature light-harvesting polypeptides of M. squamata lack an N-terminal domain of 30 amino acids, which, in higher plants, contains the phosphorylation site of LHC 11 and simultaneously mediates membrane stacking. Therefore, the chlorophyll a/b/c polypeptides of M. squamata do not exhibit any light-dependent preference for photosystem I or 11. The lack of this domain also indicates that the attractive forces between stacked thylakoids are weak.This study is dedicated to Prof. Dr. W Rüdiger on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

The atypical chlorophyll a/b/c light-harvesting complex of Mantoniella squamata: molecular cloning and sequence analysis

cDNA species encoding precursor polypeptides of the chlorophyll a/b/c light-harvesting complex (LHC) of Mantoniella squamata were cloned and sequenced. The precursor polypeptides have molecular weights of 24.2 kDa and are related to the major chlorophyll a/b polypeptides of higher plants. Southern analysis showed that their genes belong to the nuclear encoded Lhc multigene family; the investigated genes most probably do not contain introns. The chlorophyll a/b/c polypeptides contain two highly conserved regions common to all LHC polypeptides and three hydrophobic α-helices, which span the thylakoid membrane. The first membrane-spanning helix, however, is not detected by predictive methods: its atypical hydrophilic domains may bind the chlorophyll c molecules within the hydrophobic membrane environment. Homology to LHC 11 of higher plants and green algae is specifically evident in the C-terminal region comprising helix III and the preceding stroma-exposed domain. The N-terminal region of 29 amino acids resembles the structure of a transit sequence, which shows only minor similarities to those of LHC II sequences. Strikingly, the mature light-harvesting polypeptides of M. squamata lack an N-terminal domain of 30 amino acids, which, in higher plants, contains the phosphorylation site of LHC 11 and simultaneously mediates membrane stacking. Therefore, the chlorophyll a/b/c polypeptides of M. squamata do not exhibit any light-dependent preference for photosystem I or 11. The lack of this domain also indicates that the attractive forces between stacked thylakoids are weak.     

Comparative analysis of the composition of two chlorophyll-b-containing light-harvesting complexes

The major light-harvesting complexes from Mantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae) and from Chlorella fusca (Chlorophyceae) were analyzed with respect to polypeptide composition and pigmentation. It was found that the polypeptides of Mantoniella are smaller than those of Chlorella and bind twice the amount of pigment. We assume that the amount of pigment per polypeptide is of ecological as well as of taxonomical importance.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - LHC light-harvesting complex - Xan xanthophyll We thank the support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOTOSYSTEM I-ASSOCIATED POLYPEPTIDES FROM THE CHLOROPHYLL b-RICH ALGA TETRASELMIS SPP. (PLEURASTROPHYCEAE) AND OTHER CHLOROPHYTE ALGAE1

The phylogenetic distribution of photosystem I-associated polypeptides was assessed by immunoblotting algal thylakoid membrane polypeptides with antisera generated against the P700-chlorophyll a protein (CC I) and a photosystem I light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein (LHC Ib). Polypeptides cross-reacting with the CC I apoprotein were found in 20 species representing four classes of unicellular algae. Polypeptides sharing antigenicity with spinach LHC Ib were observed only in algal species containing chlorophyll b. Tetraselmis spp. (Pleurastrophyceae), rich in chlorophyll b (Chl a:b 1.2), exhibited marked heterogeneity in the composition of their CC I and LHC Ib cross-reactive polypeptides. When immunoblotted with antisera against CC I, all Tetraselmis clones examined exhibited a 25-kD polypeptide in greater abundance than the 58-kD CC I apoprotein characteristic of higher plants and other green algal thylakoids. Three Tetraselmis clones (RG 6, RG 11, and RG 12) exhibited an 81-kD polypeptide with strong antigenicity toward the LHC Ib antisera, in contrast to the 17- to 24-kD cross-reactive polypeptides found in spinach, green algae, and one Tetraselmis clone (RG 5). Associated with the unique photosystem I polypeptide composition in Tetraselmis spp., Chl: P700 ratios for the group are 2–5 times greater than those observed for higher plants or other green algae. The chlorophyll b enrichment, unusual composition of photosystem I cross-reactive polypeptides, and heterogeneity of these polypeptides within isolates of Tetraselmis might make this genus useful for investigations of the functional organization of chlorophyll b in light-harvesting systems. These features also support the view of an alternative phyletic origin for the Pleurastrophyceae.     

Refined carotenoid analysis of the major light-harvesting complex of Mantoniella squamata

The major light-harvesting complex (LHC) of the prasinophycean alga Mantoniella squamata is unique compared to other chlorophyll (Chl) a/b-binding LHC with respect to the primary protein structure and the pigmentation. Although the presence of Chl a, Chl b, a Chl c-type pigment and the xanthophylls neoxanthin, violaxanthin and prasinoxanthin was clearly determined, several carotenoids remained unidentified or were described controversially. We re-analysed the carotenoid composition and identified a new set of xanthophylls present in the LHC: uriolide, micromonol, micromonal and dihydrolutein. Additionally, one hydrophobic component was detected, presumably a xanthophyll. The pigment analysis in combination with quantitative protein determinations revealed a pigment-protein stoichiometry of 6 Chl a, 6 Chl b, 2 Chl c* and about 2 prasinoxanthin molecules per polypeptide. The other xanthophylls were present in sub-stoichiometric amounts. A comparison of results from LHC isolated either by sucrose density centrifugation or SDS-polyacryl gel electrophoresis revealed a decline in the amount of prasinoxanthin and a loss of violaxanthin using the latter preparation procedure, while the stoichiometric ratios of the other 6 xanthophylls remained constant. The fact that 8 different xanthophylls were found in the LHC of M. squamata can be explained best in terms of an oligomeric, presumably trimeric LHC organisation with subunits of heterogeneous pigmentation. Especially, the very stable assembly of most of the minor xanthophylls led to the assumption that these components play an important role in stabilisation and probably also in trunerisation of the LHC in vivo. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nodule-specific glutamine synthetase is expressed before the onset of nitrogen fixation in Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Glutamine synthetase expression was studied in developing root-nodules of common bean with regard to the time-course of specific activity, antigen accumulation, polypeptide composition and in vitro translation products. This analysis shows that the nodule-specific GS polypeptide (GS-gamma) is detected prior to the nitrogenase acetylene-reducing activity, and that its accumulation together with that of the GS-alpha and GS-beta polypeptides vary with nodule age. GS-gamma is present in ineffective nodules, although in a lower ratio to GS-beta than in wild-type nodules. Comparisons of in vitro translated and in vivo synthesized GS polypeptides suggest no post-translational modifications. The possible factors and mechanisms involved in the regulation of expression of GS polypeptides are discussed.     

Yolk polypeptide gene expression in Minute Drosophila females

Minutes have been considered for some time to be mutant at the sites of synthesis of some components of the protein synthetic apparatus. To study the hypothetical relationship between Minutes and suboptimal translation, a group of abundant proteins, the yolk polypeptides, was assayed in outcrossed females bearing M(3)w, M(3)h ^y , or M(1)n mutations. Recently emerged Minute females contained a lower amount of yolk polypeptides, in both ovarian and nonovarian tissues, than their non-Minute sisters. This low level correlated with the lower abundance of cytoplasmic RNA in Minutes compared to control females. By 1 week of age, both M(3)w and their non-Minute sibs contained the same amount of yolk polypeptides and the corresponding mRNA. The double heterozygote, ap ⁴/+;M(3)w/+, did not differ in yolk polypeptide content from control flies. M(3)w females demonstrated reduced fecundity during the period of low yolk polypeptide content but gradually increased egg deposition as yolk polypeptide levels rose. These results suggest that the low protein levels are due to the slower maturation of M(3)w, and not to less efficient translation machinery.This work was supported by the NSERC (Canada) and a Queen's University ARC grant.     

Cholera toxin is synthesized in precursor form on free polysomes in Vibrio cholerae 569B.

Membrane-bound and free polysomes have been isolated from Vibrio cholerae 569B. Nacent polypeptide chains were completed in a cell-free translation mixture containing Escherichia coli S-300 extracts and [3H]leucine or [35S]methionine. Cholera toxin-related polypeptides synthesized in vitro were immunologically detected after treatment with either anti-subunit A or anti-subunit B serum. Immunoreactive translation products were removed from reaction mixtures with formalinized Cowan's strain of Staphylococcus aureus, electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and visualized by fluorography. Anti-subunit A serum precipitated two major polypeptide species (molecular weights 52,000 and 45,000) from translation mixtures programed with free polysomes, whereas anti-subunit B serum precipitated only the 45,000-molecular-weight polypeptide. No cholera toxin-related polypeptides were detectable in translation mixtures programed with membrane-bound polysomes. Purified subunit A and cholera toxin competed for anti-subunit A binding sites and blocked the immunoprecipitation of the 35S-labeled 52,000- and 45,000-dalton polypeptides from in vitro translation mixtures. The data presented suggest that cholera toxin is synthesized in the cytoplasm in a precursor form on free polysomes and is secreted post-translationally.     

The fucoxanthin-chlorophyll proteins from a chromophyte alga are part of a large multigene family: structural and evolutionary relationships to other light harvesting antennae

 A fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) cDNA from the raphidophyte Heterosigma carterae encodes a 210-amino acid polypeptide that has similarity to other FCPs and to the chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins (CABs) of terrestrial plants and green algae. The putative transit sequence has characteristics that resemble a signal sequence. The Heterosigma fcp genes are part of a large multigene family which includes members encoding at least two significantly different polypeptides (Fcp1, Fcp2). Comparison of the FCP sequences to the recently determined three-dimensional structure of the pea LHC II complex indicates that many of the key amino acids thought to participate in the binding of chlorophyll and the formation of complex-stabilizing ionic interactions are well conserved. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of light-harvesting proteins shows that the FCPs of several chromophyte phyla form a natural group separate from the intrinisic peridinin-chlorophyll proteins (iPCPs) of the dinoflagellates. Although the FCP and CAB genes shared a common ancestor, these lineages diverged from each other prior to the separation of the CAB LHC I and LHC II sequences in the green algae and terrestrial plants. Received: 8 July 1996 / Accepted: 21 August 1996     

The biogenesis of the cyanellae of Cyanophora paradoxa. III. In vitro synthesis of cyanellar polypeptides using separated cytoplasmic and cyanellar RNA

RNA from Cyanophora paradoxa was separated into cytoplasmic and cyanellar fractions by using a combination of subcellular fractionation and oligo-dT chromatography. In vitro translation of the separated cytoplasmic and cyanellar RNAs in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system in the presence of [35S]methionine resulted in the incorporation of radiolabel into electrophoretically distinct sets of polypeptides. Monospecific and polyspecific antibodies that react with cyanellar polypeptides were used to probe the in vitro translation products by indirect immunoprecipitation by using Staphylococcus protein A conjugated to Sepharose beads. The results indicate that linker polypeptide L1 of the phycobilisome, the gamma subunit of coupling factor CF1, and subunit II of PS I are synthesized in the cytoplasm as precursor molecules that are 5-8 kDa larger than their mature sizes. Antibodies directed against the psbA gene product (the D1 protein) precipitated a polypeptide found in the translation products of the cyanellar RNA-directed reactions, which is about 1.5 kDa larger than the mature protein.     

Synthesis and Posttranslational Activation of Sulfhydryl-Endopeptidase in Cotyledons of Germinating Vigna mungo Seeds

A sulfhydryl-endopeptidase was purified as a 33 kilodalton (kD) mass polypeptide from cotyledons of Vigna mungo seedlings. Immunoblot analysis with antiserum made against the purified enzyme showed that the sulfhydryl-endopeptidase was synthesized only in the cotyledons during germination and that the amount of the enzyme increased until 4 days after imbibition and decreased thereafter. Next, an RNA fraction was prepared from cotyledons of 3 day old seedlings and translated in a wheat germ system. The synthesis of a 45 kD polypeptide was shown by the analysis of its translation products by immunoprecipitation with the antiserum to the endopeptidase and gel electrophoresis. When the RNA fraction was translated in the presence of canine microsomal membranes, a smaller polypeptide, having a 43 kD molecular mass, was detected as the translation product. When membrane-bound polysomes, but not free polysomes, prepared from cotyledons were used for translation in the wheat germ system, both the 43 and 45 kD polypeptides were synthesized. By incubation of a crude enzyme extract from cotyledons at 5 ± 1°C at neutral pH, the 43 kD polypeptide was sequentially cleaved to the 33 kD polypeptide via 39 and 36 kD intermediate polypeptides. The endopeptidase was activated simultaneously with the processing. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the 33 kD polypeptide was the fully activated form of the enzyme, whereas little or no activity was detected in other forms. From the present results, we postulate that the sulfhydryl-endopeptidase is first synthesized as the 45 kD precursor with a 2 kD signal peptide being cleaved, and that the 43 kD polypeptide is further cleaved to give the 33kD mature enzyme.     

Processing of SP1 precursor in a cell-free system from poly(A+) mRNA of human placenta

Cell-free translation of polyadenylated mRNA from human term placenta in a wheat germ extract, after immunoprecipitation with antibodies directed against purified pregnant serum SP₁, yielded a single polypeptide of 31 kDa. Addition of dog pancreatic microsomal vesicles to the translation system resulted in the appearance of two polypeptides, one of them of 46 kDa and the other of 28 kDa. Both polypeptides were protected from limited proteolysis and when the assay was performed with lytic detergent concentrations in addition to proteases, this protection was abolished indicating that the polypeptides were segregated into the microsomal vesicles. The cleavage of a signal peptide of 3 kDa from the 31 kDa primary translation product gives rise to 28 kDa and accounts for the slight increase in electrophoretic mobility. The treatment of the immunoprecipitated products with Endoglycosidase H and -mannosidase, suggested that only the 46 kDa polypeptide is a glycoprotein.From the results obtained we conclude that SP₁ is synthesized and processed to a glycoprotein of 46 kDa which would be a protomeric form of the oligomers reported in pregnant serum by other authors.Abbreviations PMSF phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride - TCA trichloroacetic acid - DTT dithiotreitol     

Polypeptides of a Light-Harvesting Complex of the Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum Are Synthesized in the Cytoplasm of the Cell as Precursors

A light-harvesting fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c-protein complex has been isolated from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum by detergent extraction of thylakoid membranes coupled with sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The isolated complex was devoid of photochemical activity and displayed spectral characteristics consistent with light harvesting function. It has three major polypeptides of apparent molecular weights 18,000, 19,000, and 19,500 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Using protein synthesis inhibitors, these polypeptides were shown to be synthesized on 80S cytoplasmic ribosomes. Antibodies raised to a mixture of the 19,000 and 19,500 dalton components of the complex were used to demonstrate structural similarity among the three polypeptide components. Immunoprecipitation from primary translation products synthesized in a reticulocyte lysate system primed with P. tricornutum poly(A) RNA, indicates that the polypeptide components are synthesized as precursors 3,000 to 5,000 daltons larger than the mature polypeptides.     

Variation in mitochondrial translation products in fertile and cytoplasmic male-sterile sugar beets

Summary Intact and functional mitochondria were isolated from sugar beet plants (Beta vulgaris L.) containing normal fertile (F) or cytoplasmic male-sterile (S₁–S₄) cytoplasms. Incorporation of ³⁵S-methionine by mitochondria isolated from both roots and leaves showed approximately 20 major and ten minor translation products. Comparison of the polypeptide synthesis patterns produced by leaf mitochondria from fertile plants of three different species within the genus Beta revealed several taxonomically related differences. Contrary to this, the patterns of polypeptides synthesized by mitochondria from roots and leaves of sugar beet plants containing the F and S₁–S₄ cytoplasms were very similar; in the S₁ and S₂ cytoplasms no qualitative, and only a few quantitative, differences from the F cytoplasm were observed. Thus, in these cases, cytoplasmic male sterility in sugar beet is not correlated with the constitutive expression of variant polypeptides. In the S₃ cytoplasm, however, an additional 6 kDa polypeptide was synthesized and in the S₄ cytoplasm an additional 10 kDa polypeptide was observed when compared with the F cytoplasm. The expression of cytoplasmic male sterility in sugar beet may be associated with these variant polypeptides. The mitochondrial polypeptides synthesized were identical in plants with different nuclear backgrounds but with identical S₁ cytoplasms. Mitochondria from plants with variants of the S₄ cytoplasm in the same nuclear genotype also showed identical patterns of polypeptide synthesis, including the synthesis of the 10 kDa S₄-specific polypeptide. Pulse-chase experiments did not affect the synthesis of this polypeptide.     

Translation of avian myeloblastosis virus RNA in a reticulocyte cell-free system.

AMV-RNA was translated into a precursor polypeptide of 76,000–80,000 daltons in a reticulocyte cell-free system. Besides this high molecular weight precursor, several smaller precursor polypeptides and the four major internal structural viral proteins were also synthesized. These virus-specific translation products were detectable after immunoprecipitation with antiserum against the gs-antigens of AMV.     

Electrophoretic transfer as a technique for the detection and identification of plant amylolytic enzymes in polyacrylamide gels

Polyadenylated RNA was isolated from leaves and seeds of a C₃ plant (Triticum aestivum L. cv Cheyenne, CI 8885) and from a C₄ plant (Zea mays L. cv Golden bantam). Each polyadenylated RNA preparation was translated in vitro with micrococcal nuclease-treated reticulocyte lysate. When the in vitro translation products were probed with antibodies to pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) (EC 2.7.9.1), two sizes of polypeptide were identified. A 110 kilodalton polypeptide was found in the in vitro translation products of mRNA isolated exclusively from leaves of both wheat and maize. A 94 kilodalton polypeptide, similar to the PPDK polypeptide which can be extracted after in vivo synthesis in maize and wheat leaves and seeds, was found in the in vitro translation products obtained from wheat seeds and maize kernels.

These results indicate that the mRNAs for PPDK polypeptides are organ-specific in both a C₄ and a C₃ plant. Hague et al. (1983 Nucleic Acids Res 11: 4853-4865) proposed that the larger size polypeptide of the in vitro translation polypeptide from maize leaf RNA contains a `transit sequence' which permits entry into the chloroplasts of a polypeptide synthesized in vivo in maize leaf cell cytoplasm. It appears that in wheat leaves also the transit of synthesized PPDK polypeptide through an intracellular membrane may be required, while such a transit sequence seems not to be required within cells of wheat and maize seeds.

     

In Vitro Synthesis of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Storage Proteins

Free and membrane-associated polysomes were isolated in approximately equal amounts from endosperm of wheat kernels harvested 20 days after anthesis. The presence of heparin in the homogenizing buffer minimized polysome degradation. Ribonucleic acid from the isolated polysomes, when translated in vitro in a wheat germ system, yielded products ranging in size from about 12,000 to about 80,000 daltons, including at least two polypeptides that co-migrated with seed extract proteins in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The nature of the translation products of free and membrane-associated RNA are distinctly different, with membrane-associated RNA yielding a higher proportion of polypeptides in the size range of 30,000 to 37,000 daltons. Analysis of membrane-associated 3′-terminal polyadenylyl-containing RNA in vitro translation products, by solubility in 70% ethanol and by immunoprecipitation, indicates that the 33,000- to 37,000-dalton polypeptides contain gliadins, and the analysis provides evidence that these proteins are synthesized in association with membranous cell organelles. Gliadin polypeptides synthesized in vitro are larger than authentic gliadins and probably are precursors which, in vivo, undergo modification to yield the smaller final products.     

Protein synthesis in Petunia hybrida chloroplasts isolated from leaves and cell cultures

Isolation and incubation conditions were established for Petunia hybrida chloroplasts capable of performing in vitro protein and RNA synthesis. Under these conditions, chloroplasts from leaves as well as from the non-photoautotrophic mutant green cell culture AK-2401 are able to incorporate labeled amino acids into polypeptides. Intact chloroplasts can use light as an energy source; photosynthetically-inactive chloroplasts require the addition for ATP for this protein synthesis. Sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis shows that in isolated leaf chloroplasts at least twenty-five radioactive polypeptide species are synthesized. The three major products synthesized have molecular weights of 52,000, 32,000 and 17,000. Coomassie brilliant-bluestained polypeptide patterns from plastids isolated from the mutant green cell culture AK-2401 differ considerably from those obtained from leaf chloroplasts. The pattern of radioactive polypeptides synthesized in these isolated cell culture plastids also shows differences. These results indicate that the difference in developmental stage observed between plastids from the cell culture AK-2401 and leaves is reflected in an altered expression of the chloroplast DNA.Abbreviations CAP D-threo-chloramphenicol - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - DCMU 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea - RuBPCase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase - SDS sodium dodecylsulphate     

Soluble proteins from Schistosoma mansoni and japonicum: a comparative biochemical and immunological analysis

1. Soluble proteins were recovered from male Schistosoma mansoni after homogenization in Tris-HCl buffer containing 0.6 M KCl and 1.0% Triton X-100 followed by preparative electrophoresis on SDS-gel. 2. Polyclonal antibodies produced in mice against the soluble fraction were used in comparative analysis of S. mansoni and S. japonicum using immunoblots and immunoprecipitation of in vitro translated polypeptides. 3. Small molecular weight polypeptide (20-22 kdalton), identified by infected mouse serum (IMS) on immunoblots, was predominant in females and was not cross-reactive with heterologous IMS. 4. A 41-43 kdalton polypeptide which appeared as a doublet on immunoblots performed with polyclonal antiserum 4M, was predominant in males of both species although the polypeptides of S. mansoni showed slower electrophoretic mobility, and therefore the larger size (43 kdalton), than that of S. japonicum. 5. Comparison of fluorograms of the immunoprecipitates of in vitro translated polypeptides indicated that IMS of S. mansoni precipitated two, 30 and 94 kdalton, polypeptides while the IMS of S. japonicum identified at 72 kdalton polypeptide. Antisera 1M, 2M and 4M also showed similarities and differences in polypeptides of in vitro translation products of the two species of Schistosoma.