Pyrimidine metabolism in Tritrichomonas foetus

A riboside hydrolase that salvages both nucleobases and nicotinamide in the auxotrophic parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

Pathogenic parasites of the Trichomonas genus are causative agents of sexually transmitted diseases affecting millions of individuals worldwide and whose outcome may include stillbirths and enhanced cancer risks and susceptibility to HIV infection. Trichomonas vaginalis relies on imported purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and nucleobases for survival, since it lacks the enzymatic activities necessary for de novo biosynthesis. Here we show that T. vaginalis additionally lacks homologues of the bacterial or mammalian enzymes required for the synthesis of the nicotinamide ring, a crucial component in the redox cofactors NAD+ and NADP. Moreover, we show that a yet fully uncharacterized T. vaginalis protein homologous to bacterial and protozoan nucleoside hydrolases is active as a pyrimidine nucleosidase but shows the highest specificity toward the NAD+ metabolite nicotinamide riboside. Crystal structures of the trichomonal riboside hydrolase in different states reveals novel intermediates along the nucleoside hydrolase-catalyzed hydrolytic reaction, including an unexpected asymmetry in the homotetrameric assembly. The active site structure explains the broad specificity toward different ribosides and offers precise insights for the engineering of specific inhibitors that may simultaneously target different essential pathways in the parasite.

Pyrimidine metabolism in schistosomes: A comparison with other parasites and the search for potential chemotherapeutic targets

Schistosomes are responsible for the parasitic disease schistosomiasis, an acute and chronic parasitic ailment that affects >240 million people in 70 countries worldwide. It is the second most devastating parasitic disease after malaria. At least 200,000 deaths per year are associated with the disease. In the absence of the availability of vaccines, chemotherapy is the main stay for combating schistosomiasis. The antischistosomal arsenal is currently limited to a single drug, Praziquantel, which is quite effective with a single-day treatment and virtually no host-toxicity. Recently, however, the question of reduced activity of Praziquantel has been raised. Therefore, the search for alternative antischistosomal drugs merits the study of new approaches of chemotherapy. The rational design of a drug is usually based on biochemical and physiological differences between pathogens and host. Pyrimidine metabolism is an excellent target for such studies. Schistosomes, unlike most of the host tissues, require a very active pyrimidine metabolism for the synthesis of DNA and RNA. This is essential for the production of the enormous numbers of eggs deposited daily by the parasite to which the granulomas response precipitates the pathogenesis of schistosomiasis. Furthermore, there are sufficient differences between corresponding enzymes of pyrimidine metabolism from the host and the parasite that can be exploited to design specific inhibitors or "subversive substrates" for the parasitic enzymes. Specificities of pyrimidine transport also diverge significantly between parasites and their mammalian host. This review deals with studies on pyrimidine metabolism in schistosomes and highlights the unique characteristic of this metabolism that could constitute excellent potential targets for the design of safe and effective antischistosomal drugs. In addition, pyrimidine metabolism in schistosomes is compared with that in other parasites where studies on pyrimidine metabolism have been more elaborate, in the hope of providing leads on how to identify likely chemotherapeutic targets which have not been looked at in schistosomes.

Development of Drug Resistance in Trichomonas vaginalis and its Overcoming with Natural Products

Trichomoniasis is an infectious disease afflicting women worldwide. The protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of this sexually-transmitted disease, including also men in its infection cycle. The disease is usually not life-threatening, but has been associated with the development of cervical cancer and increased susceptibility to HIV. Approved drugs are 5-nitroimidazoles, with metronidazole being the drug of first choice. These drugs act via induction of oxidative stress and DNA-damage, leading to cell death in the parasite. Nevertheless, with the development of resistant T. vaginalis strains the treatment of the disease becomes exceedingly difficult. Mechanisms of drug resistance are characterized by reduced expression or even loss of proteins necessary for drug activation and a decreased reductive nature in the parasite. A promising strategy for research into new drugs and moreover, to overcome drug resistance, are compounds derived from natural sources. The present study provides a summary of all so far investigated small molecules with antitrichomonal activity; promisingly, some also show efficacy against resistant strains. Whereas the list of chemically characterized compounds derived from plants is rather short, literature provides immense applications of crude plant extracts tested against T. vaginalis. This demonstrates the absence of studies in this field aimed to identify and isolate single natural products exhibiting antitrichomonal features. Likewise, elucidating their mode of action on a molecular basis is of paramount importance

Chemical markers for the evaluation of raw material hygienic quality in egg products

The aim of this research was to study uracil and lactic and acetic acids as chemical markers for hygienic quality evaluation of raw material in liquid pasteurized egg products. Uracil, absent in sound whole eggs, was formed in raw and pasteurized egg products as a consequence of high microbial contamination (>10(6) cfu/g) after a sufficient lag time, remaining stable at 4 degrees C but disappearing after 7 days of storage at 25 degrees C. Both lactic and acetic acids, starting from initial values of 1-7 mg/kg dry matter, presented trends similar to that of uracil; however, acetic acid never decreased during the storage of raw egg products. With few exceptions, all three metabolites were produced by Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Morganella morganii, Serratia liquefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophyla, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Enterococcus avium, and Enterococcus faecalis, separately inoculated in whole egg samples. Uracil seems to be the most sensible marker, with a suggested limit corresponding to the detectable level.

Occurrence of multiple, independent gene fusion events for the fifth and sixth enzymes of pyrimidine biosynthesis in different eukaryotic groups

The genes encoding orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) and orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC), the fifth and sixth enzymes in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, are fused as OPRT-OMPDC in most eukaryotic groups. On the other hand, the inversely linked OMPDC-OPRT fusion is present in trypanosomatids, belonging to kinetoplastids together with bodonids in a supergroup, Euglenozoa. Here, we show the presence of OMPDC-OPRT in the bodonid, Bodo caudatus, while OPRT-OMPDC in Euglena gracilis, another euglenozoan species belonging to euglenoids. These results suggest that the OMPDC-OPRT fusion event occurred in a common ancestor of kinetoplastids. Genome sequence database searches further revealed the presence of OMPDC-OPRT in stramenopiles and cyanobacteria. Phylogenetic reconstruction of OPRT and OMPDC rejected statistically the monophyly of the OPRT domains of stramenopile and kinetoplastid OMPDC-OPRT, demonstrating that these gene fusions do not share a common evolutionary origin, despite the identical gene order. Thus, the OMPDC-OPRT fusion is likely to have emerged independently in these eukaryotic groups. Phylogenetic analyses also suggested that cyanobacterial OMPDC-OPRT arose via lateral transfer. We conclude that gene fusion events occur more frequently than previously thought and that lateral gene transfer has made a marked contribution to establishment of the rearranged structure of OPRT and OMPDC genes in eukaryotes.

Current therapeutics, their problems, and sulfur-containing-amino-acid metabolism as a novel target against infections by "amitochondriate" protozoan parasites

The "amitochondriate" protozoan parasites of humans Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia intestinalis, and Trichomonas vaginalis share many biochemical features, e.g., energy and amino acid metabolism, a spectrum of drugs for their treatment, and the occurrence of drug resistance. These parasites possess metabolic pathways that are divergent from those of their mammalian hosts and are often considered to be good targets for drug development. Sulfur-containing-amino-acid metabolism represents one such divergent metabolic pathway, namely, the cysteine biosynthetic pathway and methionine gamma-lyase-mediated catabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids, which are present in T. vaginalis and E. histolytica but absent in G. intestinalis. These pathways are potentially exploitable for development of drugs against amoebiasis and trichomoniasis. For instance, L-trifluoromethionine, which is catalyzed by methionine gamma-lyase and produces a toxic product, is effective against T. vaginalis and E. histolytica parasites in vitro and in vivo and may represent a good lead compound. In this review, we summarize the biology of these microaerophilic parasites, their clinical manifestation and epidemiology of disease, chemotherapeutics, the modes of action of representative drugs, and problems related to these drugs, including drug resistance. We further discuss our approach to exploit unique sulfur-containing-amino-acid metabolism, focusing on development of drugs against E. histolytica.

Root of the Eukaryota Tree as Inferred from Combined Maximum Likelihood Analyses of Multiple Molecular Sequence Data

Extensive studies aiming to establish the structure and root of the Eukaryota tree by phylogenetic analyses of molecular sequences have thus far not resulted in a generally accepted tree. To re-examine the eukaryotic phylogeny using alternative genes, and to obtain a more robust inference for the root of the tree as well as the relationship among major eukaryotic groups, we sequenced the genes encoding isoleucyl-tRNA and valyl-tRNA synthetases, cytosolic-type heat shock protein 90, and the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II from several protists. Combined maximum likelihood analyses of 22 protein-coding genes including the above four genes clearly demonstrated that Diplomonadida and Parabasala shared a common ancestor in the rooted tree of Eukaryota, but only when the fast-evolving sites were excluded from the original data sets. The combined analyses, together with recent findings on the distribution of a fused dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthetase gene, narrowed the possible position of the root of the Eukaryota tree on the branch leading to Opisthokonta or to the common ancestor of Diplomonadida/Parabasala. However, the analyses did not agree with the position of the root located on the common ancestor of Opisthokonta and Amoebozoa, which was argued by Stechmann and Cavalier-Smith [Curr. Biol. 13:R665-666, 2003] based on the presence or absence of a three-gene fusion of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway: carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase II, dihydroorotase, and aspartate carbamoyltransferase. The presence of the three-gene fusion recently found in the Cyanidioschyzon merolae (Rhodophyta) genome sequence data supported our analyses against the Stechmann and Cavalier-Smith-rooting in 2003.

The adenine phosphoribosyltransferase from Giardia lamblia has a unique reaction mechanism and unusual substrate binding properties

Purine phosphoribosyltransferases catalyze the Mg2+ -dependent reaction that transforms a purine base into its corresponding nucleotide. They are present in a wide variety of organisms including plants, mammals, and parasitic protozoa. Giardia lamblia, the causative agent of giardiasis, lacks de novo purine biosynthesis and relies primarily on adenine and guanine phosphoribosyltransferases (APRTase and GPRTase) constituting two independent and essential purine salvage pathways. The APRTase from G. lamblia was cloned and expressed with a 6-His tag at its C terminus and purified to apparent homogeneity. Adenine and alpha-d-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) have K(m) values of 4.2 and 143 microm with a k(cat) of 2.8 s(-1) in the forward reaction, whereas AMP and PP(i) have K(m) values of 87 and 450 microm with a k(cat) of 9.5 x 10(-3) s(-1) in the reverse reaction. Product inhibition studies indicated that the forward reaction follows a random Bi Bi mechanism. Results from the kinetics of equilibrium isotope exchange further verified a random Bi Bi mechanism in the forward reaction. In a mutant enzyme, F25W, with kinetic constants similar to those of the wild type and a tryptophan residue at the adenine binding site, the addition of adenine or AMP to the free mutant enzyme resulted in fluorescence quenching, whereas PRPP caused fluorescence enhancement. The dissociation constants thus estimated are 16.5 microm for adenine, 14.3 microm for AMP, and 83.0 microm for PRPP. PP(i) exerted no detectable effect on the tryptophan fluorescence at all, suggesting a lack of PP(i) binding to the free enzyme. An ordered substrate binding in the reverse reaction with AMP bound first followed by PP(i) is thus postulated.

Rooting the eukaryote tree by using a derived gene fusion

Single-gene trees have failed to locate the root of the eukaryote tree because of systematic biases in sequence evolution. Structural genetic data should yield more reliable insights into deep phylogenetic relationships. We searched major protist groups for the presence or absence of a gene fusion in order to locate the root of the eukaryote tree. In striking contrast to previous molecular studies, we show that all eukaryote groups ancestrally with two cilia (bikonts) are evolutionarily derived. The root lies between bikonts and opisthokonts (animals, Fungi, Choanozoa). Amoebozoa either diverged even earlier or are sister of bikonts or (less likely) opisthokonts.

Biology of Giardia lamblia

Giardia lamblia is a common cause of diarrhea in humans and other mammals throughout the world. It can be distinguished from other Giardia species by light or electron microscopy. The two major genotypes of G. lamblia that infect humans are so different genetically and biologically that they may warrant separate species or subspecies designations. Trophozoites have nuclei and a well-developed cytoskeleton but lack mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the components of oxidative phosphorylation. They have an endomembrane system with at least some characteristics of the Golgi complex and encoplasmic reticulum, which becomes more extensive in encysting organisms. The primitive nature of the organelles and metabolism, as well as small-subunit rRNA phylogeny, has led to the proposal that Giardia spp. are among the most primitive eukaryotes. G. lamblia probably has a ploidy of 4 and a genome size of approximately 10 to 12 Mb divided among five chromosomes. Most genes have short 5' and 3' untranslated regions and promoter regions that are near the initiation codon. Trophozoites exhibit antigenic variation of an extensive repertoire of cysteine-rich variant-specific surface proteins. Expression is allele specific, and changes in expression from one vsp gene to another have not been associated with sequence alterations or gene rearrangements. The Giardia genome project promises to greatly increase our understanding of this interesting and enigmatic organism.

In vitro assessment of salvage pathways for pyrimidine bases in rat liver and brain

In this paper we extend our previous observation on the mobilization of the ribose moiety from guanosine to xanthine catalyzed by rat liver extracts (Giorgelli et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1335 (1997) 16-22). The data show that in rat liver and brain extracts the activated ribose, stemming from inosine and guanosine phosphorolysis as ribose 1-phosphate, can be used to salvage uracil to uracil nucleotides. Uridine is an intermediate. The salvage process occurs even in the presence of excess inorganic phosphate suggesting that uridine phosphorylase may function in vivo as an anabolic enzyme. Ribose 5-phosphate cannot substitute for inosine, guanosine or ribose 1-phosphate as ribose donor. When inorganic phosphate was substituted with arsenate, hindering the formation of ribose 1-phosphate, no ribose transfer could be observed. A similar pathway occurs at the deoxy level. The deoxyribose moiety of deoxyinosine can be used to salvage thymine to thymine nucleotides, again in the presence of excess inorganic phosphate. Our results introduce a novel aspect of the salvage pathway, in which ribose 1-phosphate seems to play a pivotal role.

Trichomonas vaginalis thymidine kinase: purification, characterization and search for inhibitors

We report that a thymidine kinase (TK) activity is present in Trichomonas vaginalis and can be separated from the deoxyribonucleoside phosphotransferase. T. vaginalis TK, purified 11200-fold to apparent homogeneity, has a molecular mass of 31500 Da. It phosphorylates not only thymidine (Km 0.18 microM) but also deoxycytidine (Km 0.88 microM) and deoxyuridine (Km 0.14 microM). In contrast with T. vaginalis deoxyribonucleoside phosphotransferase, the TK activity is strongly inhibited by novel deoxyuridine analogues such as 5-methyl-4'-thio-2'-deoxyuridine (MTdU) (Ki 20 nM) and 5-iodo-4'-thio-2'-deoxyuridine (ITdU) (Ki 24 nM). MTdU and ITdU are phosphorylated by T. vaginalis TK in vitro. In vivo they inhibit [3H]thymidine incorporation in T. vaginalis cultured cells and T. vaginalis growth (IC50 7.5 and 24 microM respectively; minimal lethal dose 100 microM). Thus the TK inhibitors described here demonstrate the key role of T. vaginalis TK for protozoal growth and viability and indicate TK as a new target for the design of antitrichomonal drugs.

Expression, purification, and characterization of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase from Toxoplasma gondii

The coding region derived from a full-length CDNA spanning the uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) gene of Toxoplasma gondii has been ligated into a bacterial expression vector and overexpressed in E. coli. Recombinant UPRT protein migrated with a molecular mass of 27 kDa on SDS polyacrylamide gels and was purified to homogeneity by conventional protein purification techniques. In solution, UPRT behaved as a monomer and exhibited K(m)app values of 3.5 microM for uracil and 243 microM for phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, respectively. Other naturally occurring pyrimidine or purine bases were not recognized as substrates. [14C]Uracil phosphoribosylation was inhibited by 5-fluorouracil with a Ki value of 25 microM and was not activated by GTP. Ample quantities of recombinant enzyme are now available for biochemical and structural studies, facilitating evaluation of UPRT as a possible therapeutic target.

Pyrimidine metabolism by intracellular Chlamydia psittaci

Pyrimidine metabolism was studied in the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia psittaci AA Mp in the wild type and a variety of mutant host cell lines with well-defined mutations affecting pyrimidine metabolism. C. psittaci AA Mp cannot synthesize pyrimidines de novo, as assessed by its inability to incorporate aspartic acid into nucleic acid pyrimidines. In addition, the parasite cannot take UTP, CTP, or dCTP from the host cell, nor can it salvage exogenously supplied uridine, cytidine, or deoxycytidine. The primary source of pyrimidine nucleotides is via the salvage of uracil by a uracil phosphoribosyltransferase. Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase activity was detected in crude extracts prepared from highly purified C. psittaci AA Mp reticulate bodies. The presence of CTP synthetase and ribonucleotide reductase is implicated from the incorporation of uracil into nucleic acid cytosine and deoxycytidine. Deoxyuridine was used by the parasite only after cleavage to uracil. C. psittaci AA Mp grew poorly in mutant host cell lines auxotrophic for thymidine. Furthermore, the parasite could not synthesize thymidine nucleotides de novo. C. psittaci AA Mp could take TTP directly from the host cell. In addition, the parasite could incorporate exogenous thymidine and thymine into DNA. Thymidine kinase activity and thymidine-cleaving activity were detected in C. psittaci AA Mp reticulate body extract. Thus, thymidine salvage was totally independent of other pyrimidine salvage.

The biology of Giardia spp

Gardia spp. are flagellated protozoans that parasitize the small intestines of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The infectious cysts begin excysting in the acidic environment of the stomach and become trophozoites (the vegetative form). The trophozoites attach to the intestinal mucosa through the suction generated by a ventral disk and cause diarrhea and malabsorption by mechanisms that are not well understood. Giardia spp. have a number of unique features, including a predominantly anaerobic metabolism, complete dependence on salvage of exogenous nucleotides, a limited ability to synthesize and degrade carbohydrates and lipids, and two nuclei that are equal by all criteria that have been tested. The small size and unique sequence of G. lamblia rRNA molecules have led to the proposal that Giardia is the most primitive eukaryotic organism. Three Giardia spp. have been identified by light lamblia, G. muris, and G. agilis, but electron microscopy has allowed further species to be described within the G. lamblia group, some of which have been substantiated by differences in the rDNA. Animal models and human infections have led to the conclusion that intestinal infection is controlled primarily through the humoral immune system (T-cell dependent in the mouse model). A major immunogenic cysteine-rich surface antigen is able to vary in vitro and in vivo in the course of an infection and may provide a means of evading the host immune response or perhaps a means of adapting to different intestinal environments.

Effects of pyrimidine salvage inhibitors on uracil incorporation of Toxoplasma gondii

Metabolic inhibitors which act in the process of pyrimidine salvage influenced on the uracil incorporation into nucleic acids of Toxoplasma. Inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase, pyrimethamine and methotrexate, and inhibitors of thymidylate synthase, fluoro-uridine, fluoro-dUMP and fluoro-uracil, diminished isotopic uracil uptake in dose-dependent manners. Azauridine which suppresses de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis did not affect the salvage even in a relatively high dose. These results suggested that the activation of uracil salvage should be closely related with the function of TMP biosynthetic enzymes. The pattern of thymidine uptake had no differences between control HL-60 cells and Toxoplasma infected cells, which did not reflect the specific proliferation of Toxoplasma. It can be exploited to characterize the effects of various compounds related with the proliferation of Toxoplasma, especially its DNA synthesis.

Novel biochemical pathways in parasitic protozoa

Throughout evolution, enzymes and their metabolites have been highly conserved. Parasites are no exception to this and differ most markedly by the absence of metabolic pathways that are present in the mammalian host. In general, parasites are metabolically lazy and rely on the metabolism of the host both for a supply of prefabricated components such as purines, fatty acids, sterols and amino acids and for the removal of end-products. Nonetheless, parasites are metabolically highly sophisticated in that (1) they retain the genetic capacity to induce many pathways, when needed, and (2) they have developed complex mechanisms for their survival in the host. Certain unique features of the metabolism of trypanosomes, leishmania, malaria and anaerobic protozoa will be discussed. This will include (1) glycolysis and electron transport with reference to the unique organelles: the glycosome and the hydrogenosome, (2) purine salvage, pyrimidine biosynthesis and folic acid metabolism and (3) polyamine and thiol metabolism with special reference to the role of the unique metabolite of trypanosomes and leishmanias, trypanothione.

Isolation and differentiation of herpes simplex virus and Trichomonas vaginalis in cell culture

During the period January 1982 to January 1985, 2,234 specimens were cultured for isolation of herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV was isolated from 23% of these, Trichomonas vaginalis was isolated from 1.6%, and 75.3% were negative. In 0.2% of these, HSV and T. vaginalis were isolated from the same specimen. Cytopathic effects produced by HSV were identified by their sensitivity to arabinosylthymine, whereas those produced by T. vaginalis were identified by their lack of sensitivity to arabinosylthymine and by observation of motility. Cytopathic effects produced by T. vaginalis were reproduced by trophozoites from axenic cultures of T. vaginalis as well as by lysates of T. vaginalis added to serum-free BHK cells.

Pyrimidine salvage in Giardia lamblia

We have found that the anaerobic protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia is incapable of de novo pyrimidine metabolism, as shown by its inability to incorporate orotate, bicarbonate, and aspartate into the pyrimidine nucleotide pool. Results from high performance liquid chromatography of pyrimidine and pyrimidine nucleoside pulse-labeled nucleotide pools and enzyme assays suggest that the parasite satisfies its pyrimidine nucleotide needs predominantly through salvage of uracil by a cytoplasmic uracil phosphoribosyltransferase. Exogenous uridine and cytidine are primarily converted to uracil by the action of uridine hydrolase and cytidine deaminase before incorporation into nucleotide pools. Direct salvage of cytosine occurs to a relatively limited extent via cytosine phosphoribosyltransferase. G. lamblia relies on salvage of exogenous thymidine for ribosylthymine monophosphate (TMP) synthesis, accomplished primarily through the action of a 100,000 g-pelletable thymidine phosphotransferase.

Pyrimidine metabolism in Trichomonas vaginalis

Pyrimidine metabolism in Trichomonas vaginalis was investigated using washed cell suspensions of the organism with radiolabelled pyrimidine ring precursors and preformed pyrimidines. The precursors [14C]orotate, [14C]bicarbonate and [14C]aspartate were not incorporated into the pyrimidine bases of trichomonal nucleic acids, indicating that the protozoan is unable to synthesise the pyrimidine ring and is dependent on the salvage of exogenous pyrimidines. [3H]uracil, [3H]uridine, [3H]cytidine, deoxy[3H]cytidine and [3H]thymidine were all efficiently salvaged, and interconversion between cytosine and uracil nucleotides was detected. Thymidylate synthase activity was not detected, suggesting that T. vaginalis is dependent upon an exogenous supply of thymidine for TMP synthesis.

The deoxyribonucleoside phosphotransferase of Trichomonas vaginalis. A potential target for anti-trichomonial chemotherapy

Trichomonas vaginalis, a human protozoan parasite known to lack the capability of synthesizing purine and pyrimidine nucleotides de novo, was found also incapable of converting its ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. The only apparent means of providing deoxyribonucleotides for DNA synthesis relies on salvaging exogenous deoxyribonucleosides by a deoxyribonucleoside phosphotransferase activity in the T. vaginalis 10(5) g pelletable fraction. The activity, constituted by at least two isozymes I and II, can be solubilized by Triton X-100, has a pH optimum of 5.0-6.0, and recognizes only thymidine, deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, and deoxycytidine as the phosphate acceptor. TMP, dAMP, dGMP, dCMP, dUMP, FdUMP, and p-nitrophenylphosphate can serve as phosphate donors. Enzyme I has been purified 10-fold by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography and Sephacryl 200 filtration, and is totally freed of the acid phosphatase of T. vaginalis. It has an estimated molecular weight of 200,000 and Km values of 2-3 mM for the four deoxyribonucleosides, which act on each other as competitive inhibitors. It also possesses phosphatase activity capable of hydrolyzing p-nitrophenylphosphate with a Michaelis constant of 0.74 mM. The rates of hydrolysis are enhanced by thymidine, which suggests that the latter may be the preferred phosphate acceptor, and Enzyme I may be, thus, more a transferase than a phosphatase. This enzyme could be a potential target for antitrichomonial chemotherapy.

Purine salvage networks in Giardia lamblia

Purine metabolism in Giardia lamblia was investigated by monitoring incorporation of radiolabeled precursors into purine nucleotides in the log-phase trophozoites cultivated in vitro in axenic media and incubated in buffered saline glucose. The lack of incorporation of formate, glycine, hypoxanthine, inosine, and xanthine into the nucleotide pool suggests the absence of de novo purine nucleotide synthesis and the inability to form IMP as the precursor of AMP and GMP in G. lamblia. Only adenine, adenosine, guanine, and guanosine were incorporated. Further analysis of the labeled nucleotides by HPLC indicated that adenine and adenosine are converted only to adenine nucleotides whereas guanine and guanosine are only incorporated into guanine nucleotides. There is no competition of incorporation between adenine/adenosine and guanine/guanosine, and there is no interconversion between adenine and guanine nucleotides. Results from analyzing [5'-3H]guanosine incorporation indicate that the ribose moiety is not incorporated with the guanine base. Assays of purine salvage enzymic activities in the crude extracts of G. lamblia revealed the presence of only four major enzymes; adenosine and guanosine hydrolases and adenine and guanine phosphoribosyl transferases. Apparently, G. lamblia has an exceedingly simple purine salvage system; it converts adenosine and guanosine to corresponding purine bases and then forms AMP and GMP by the actions of corresponding purine phosphoribosyl transferases. The guanine phosphoribosyl transferase in G. lamblia is interesting because it does not recognize either hypoxanthine or xanthine as substrate. It thus must have a unique substrate specificity and may be regarded as a potential target to attack as a rational approach to chemotherapeutic control of giardiasis.