Trypanosoma cruzi: Multiple nucleoside diphosphate kinase isoforms in a single cell

MIRANDA, MARIANA; CANEPA, GASPAR; BOUVIER, LEON; PEREIRA, CA

EXPERIMENTAL PARASITOLOGY

Elsevier

Lugar: Holanda; Año: 2008 p. 103 - 107

0014-4894

Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) are multifunctional enzymes involved mainly in the conservationof nucleotides and deoxynucleotides at intracellular levels. Here we report the characterization oftwo NDPKs from the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease.TcNDPK1 and TcNDPK2 were biochemically characterized presenting different kinetic parameters andregulation mechanisms. NDPK activity was mainly detected in soluble fractions according to the digitoninextraction technique; however 20% of the activity remains insoluble at digitonin concentrations up to5mgml1. TcNDPK1 is a short enzyme isoform, whereas TcNDPK2 is a long one containing a DM10 motif.In addition, two other putative NDPK genes (TcNPDK3 and TcNDPK4) were detected by data mining at theT. cruzi genome database. The large number and diversity of NDPK isoforms are in agreement with thosepreviously observed for other T. cruzi phosphotransferases, such as adenylate kinases.