Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T22:22:15.476Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Utilization of amino acids by Trypanosoma brucei in culture: L-threonine as a precursor for acetate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

G. A. M. Cross ,
R. A. Klein  and
D. J. Linstead
G. A. M. Cross
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Biochemical Parasitology Unit, Molteno Institute, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE
R. A. Klein
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Biochemical Parasitology Unit, Molteno Institute, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE
D. J. Linstead
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Biochemical Parasitology Unit, Molteno Institute, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EE
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The amino acid compositions of several culture media have been analysed and compared. The utilization and excretion of amino acids and other metabolites have been followed during growth of Trypanosoma brucei S42 in a defined medium. All of the added L-threonine was metabolized by the cells, even when it was present at elevated concentrations. Glucose was consumed throughout the growth cycle: glutamine was consumed more rapidly than glutamic acid, which was itself used at about the same rate as proline. Threonine was cleaved to form glycine and acetate, both of which accumulated in the medium. Alanine and succinate were excreted together with a small amount of pyruvate, but these three products accounted for less than half of the glucose used. CO2 production from glucose was not measured, but insignificant amounts of CO2 were produced from threonine. Tetraethylthiuram disulphide blocked the cleavage of threonine and was a potent inhibitor of trypanosome growth.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 71 , Issue 2 , October 1975 , pp. 311 - 326
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baker, J. R., Green, S. M., Chaloner, L. A. & Gaborax, M. (1972). Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) dionisii of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Chiroptera): intra- and extracellular development in vitro. Parasitology 65, 251–63.Google Scholar
Bowman, I. B. R., Srivastava, H. K. & Flynn, I. W. (1972). Adaptations in oxidative metabolism during the transformation of Trypanosoma rhodesiense from bloodstream into culture form. In Comparative Biochemistry of Parasites (ed. Van den Bossche, H.), pp. 329–42. Academic Press.Google Scholar
Chappell, L. H., Southworth, G. C. & Read, C. P. (1972). Short-interval absorption and metabolism of some amino acids in Trypanosoma gambiense. Parasitology 64, 379–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cross, G. A. M., Klein, R. A. & Baker, J. R. (1975). Trypanosoma cruzi: growth, amino acid utilization and drug action in a defined medium. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. (In the Press.)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cross, G. A. M. & Manning, J. C. (1973). Cultivation of Trypanosoma brucei sspp. in semi-defined and defined media. Parasitology 67, 315–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dietrich, R. A. & Hellerman, L. (1963). Diphosphopyridine nucleotide-linked aldehyde dehydrogenase. II. Inhibitors. Journal of Biological Chemistry 238, 1683–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dusanic, D. G. (1969). Cultivation of Trypanosoma lewisi in a dialysate medium. I. Amino acid alterations during growth. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 30, 895–901.Google Scholar
Erwin, V. G. & Dietrich, R. A. (1966). Brain aldehyde dehydrogenase. Localisation, purification and properties. Journal of Biological Chemistry 241, 3533–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, D. A. & Brown, R. C. (1972). The utilization of glucose and proline by culture forms of Trypanosoma brucei. Journal of Protozoology 19, 686–90.Google Scholar
Graham, W. D. (1951). In vitro inhibition of liver aldehyde dehydrogenase by tetraethylthiuram disulphide. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 3, 160–8.Google Scholar
Karasex, M. A. & Greenberg, D. M. (1957). Studies on the properties of threonine aldolases. Journal of Biological Chemistry 227, 191–205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kidder, G. W. & Dutta, B. N. (1958). The growth and nutrition of Crithidia fasciculata. Journal of General Microbiology 18, 621–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kilgour, V. & Godfrey, D. C. (1973). Species-characteristic isoenzymes of two amino transferases in trypanosomes. Nature, New Biology 244, 69–70.Google Scholar
Klein, R. A. & Cross, G. A. M. (1975). Threonine as a two-carbon precursor for lipid synthesis in Trypanosoma brucei. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 69, 267.Google Scholar
McGilvray, P. & Morris, J. G. (1969). Utilization of L-threonine by a species of Arthrobacter. A novel catabolic role for ‘aminoacetone synthase’. Biochemical Journal 112, 657–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, J. F., Morton, H. J. & Parker, R. C. (1950). Nutrition of animal cells in tissue culture. I. Initial studies on a synthetic medium. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Medicine 73, 1–8.Google Scholar
Newton, B. A., Cross, G. A. M. & Baker, J. R. (1973). Differentiation in Trypanosomatidae. In Microbial Differentiation, the Twenty-Third Symposium of the Society for General Microbiology (ed. Smith, J. E. and Ashworth, J. M.), pp. 339–73. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Ruff, M. D. & Read, C. P. (1974). Specificity of amino acid transport in Trypanosoma equiperdum. Journal of Protozoology 21, 368–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryley, J. F. (1962). Studies on the metabolism of the protozoa. 9. Comparative metabolism of blood-stream and culture forms of Trypanosoma rhodesiense. Biochemical Journal 85, 211–23.Google Scholar
Southworth, G. C. & Read, C. P. (1972). Absorption of some amino acids by the haemo flagellate Trypanosoma gambiense. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 41 A, 905–11.Google Scholar
Vogel, A. I. (1956). ‘A Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry’, 3rd Edition. Longmans, London.Google Scholar
Voorheis, H. P. (1973). Studies on the active site of the N1 amino acid transport carrier of T. brucei. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 67, 256–7.Google Scholar