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Growth and Differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi Cultivated with a Triatoma infestans Embryo Cell Line *
Author(s) -
LANAR DAVID E.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1979.tb04653.x
Subject(s) - trypanosoma cruzi , triatoma infestans , amastigote , biology , infectivity , cell culture , embryo , cellular differentiation , triatoma , microbiology and biotechnology , parasite hosting , virology , genetics , virus , leishmania , world wide web , computer science , gene
SYNOPSIS.Trypanosoma cruzi strain Peru was cultivated in the presence of an established cell line of Triatoma infestans embryo cells (TI‐32). Bloodstream trypomastigotes differentiated into amastigote‐like cells (first differentiation phase) which multiplied to form large clusters of cells. Because of their clustering nature, a new term, “staphylomastigotes,” has been proposed for this stage. After 10 days of cultivation, 90% of the staphylomastigotes underwent differentiation (2nd differentiation phase) to trypomastigotes (˜98%) or epimastigotes (˜2%). Bloodstream trypomastigotes cultivated without TI‐32 cells underwent the first, but not the 2nd differentiation phase, although occasional epimastigotes were seen (< 1%). The evidence presented suggests that TI‐32 cells produce a labile factor(s) important not only for initiation of the 2nd differentiation phase but also for maintaining the parasites in the trypomastigote stage. The pH of the culture medium was not the initiating factor for the 2nd differentiation phase. Infectivity studies indicated that staphylomastigotes were as infective as bloodstream trypomastigotes, but that metacyclic trypomastigotes isolated from culture after the 2nd differentiation phase were slightly more infective than bloodstream forms. Electromicrographs of styphylomastigotes do not provide any evidence of exchange of genetic material between cells.