Arginine metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi is coupled to parasite stage and replication

PEREIRA, CLAUDIO A.; ALONSO, GUILLERMO D.; IVALDI, SOLEDAD; SILBER, ARIEL; ALVES, MARIA JÚLIA M.; BOUVIER, LEÓN A.; FLAWIÁ, MIRTHA M.; TORRES, HÉCTOR N.

FEBS LETTERS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2002 vol. 526 p. 111 - 114

0014-5793

L-Arginine plays an essential role in the energetic metabolism of Trypanosoma cruzi. In this work we propose a relationship between L-arginine uptake, arginine kinase activity and the parasite replication ability. In epimastigote cultures L-arginine uptake decreases continuously accompanying a cell replication rate reduction. The use of conditioned or fresh medium mimics uptake variations. Interestingly, in non-replicative trypomastigote cells, L-arginine uptake was undetectable. The association between L-arginine uptake and cell replication was demonstrated using the antimitotic agent hydroxyurea. Arginine kinase, the enzyme responsible for phosphoarginine and ATP synthesis, also shows a differential activity in epimastigote and trypomastigote parasite stages. © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.