Characterization and subcellular localization of adenylate kinases and nucleoside diphosphates kinases in T. cruzi

CAMARA , MARIA DE LOS MILAGROS; BOUVIER LEON A; MARIANA R. MIRANDA; CANEPA GASPAR E; PEREIRA CLAUDIO A

San Miguel de Tucuman

Congreso; XLV Reunión Anual Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular; 2009

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Cellular energetic homeostasis is maintained by the enzymes, adenylate kinases (Adks) and nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs). They are the ones involved in nucleotide interconvertion. In typical eukaryotic cells, there are very few isoforms of these enzymes, in trypanosomatids there have been characterized additional isoforms. This unusual number could be explained by the compartmentalized metabolism which characterizes these organisms, each isoforms AdK2 , AdK3 and the nuclear isoform of T. cruzi. We measured de activity of these enzymes and generated transgenic parasites which express each variant fused to GFP to find their subcellular localization.  With respect to nucleoside diphosphate kinases we have identified two groups in T. cruzi, which differ in the presence of an N-terminal domain known as DM10. We studied these isoforms and their role in osmorregulation, nuclease activity and subcellular localization. The identification of the factors that regulate the subcellular localization and expression of this group of enzymes could be a powerful resource in the understanding cellular phosphotransfer network.