Canepa GE, Bouvier LA, Urias U, Miranda MR, Colli W, Alves MJM, Pereira CA. Aspartate transport and metabolism in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
FEMS Microbiol Lett 2006;
247:65-71. [PMID:
15927749 DOI:
10.1016/j.femsle.2005.04.029]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2004] [Revised: 03/23/2005] [Accepted: 04/19/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspartate is one of the compounds that induce the differentiation process of the non-infective epimastigote stage to the infective trypomastigote stage of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. l-aspartate is transported by both epimastigote and trypomastigote cells at the same rate, about 3.4 pmolmin(-1) per 10(7) cells. Aspartate transport is only competed by glutamate suggesting that this transport system is specific for anionic amino acids. Aspartate uptake rates increase along the parasite growth curve, by amino acids starvation or pH decrease. The metabolic fate of the transported aspartate was predicted in silico by identification of seven putative genes coding for enzymes involved in aspartate metabolism that could be related to the differentiation process.
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