Alleles of Leishmania braziliensis Proteophosphoglycan 3 and 4 functional domains' coding regions obtained from parasites isolated of human patients in Northeast Brazil.

The Proteophosphoglycan (PPG) is encoded by different genes (ppg1-4) and mediates the interaction of Leishmania spp. with macrophages employing two motifs: leucine-rich repeats (LRR); and alanine, proline, and serine repeats (APS). We PCR amplified, cloned, sequenced, and assessed the conservation of LRR and APS of ppg3 and ppg4 in L. braziliensis isolated from twenty-four patients from a focus of endemicity in Northeast Brazil.