Open AccessAspartate transport and metabolism in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi
Author(s) -
Canepa Gaspar E.,
Bouvier León A.,
Urias Ursula,
Miranda Mariana R.,
Colli Walter,
Alves Maria Júlia M.,
Pereira Claudio A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsle.2005.04.029
Subject(s) - trypanosoma cruzi , biology , amino acid , biochemistry , metabolism , parasite hosting , trypanosoma , genetics , world wide web , computer science
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 pmol min −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.