Control of Trypanosoma cruzi Epimastigote Motility through the Nitric Oxide Pathway

PEREIRA, CLAUDIO; PAVETO, CRISTINA; ESPINOSA, JOAQUIN; ALONSO, GUILLERMO; FLAWÁ, MIRTHA M.; TORRES, HECTOR N.

JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 1997 vol. 44 p. 155 - 156

1066-5234

Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote motility can be enhanced by addition of L-arginine, to the culture. This effect is blocked by N-methyl-L-arginine, a competitive inhibitor of the nitric oxide synthase. N-methyl-D-aspartate and L-glutamate, two agonists of the NMDA/L-glutamate receptor, also enhanced motility. This stimulation is blocked by MK-801 a noncompetitive antagonist of the NMDA receptor. In addition, sodium nitroprusside, a guanylyl cyclase stimulator and 8-Br-cyclic GMP, and analog of cyclic GMP, also stimulated epimastigote motility. It is suggested that an increase of intracellular cyclic GMP levels mediated by nitric oxide may be responsible for the increase in epimastigote motility.