MOLECULAR STUDIES FOR TRIATOMA INFESTANS THORACIC MUSCLES GLYCEROL-3-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE (E.C. 1..1.1.8)

STROPPA, M. M., SORIA N., CARRIAZO C., PEREIRA R., GEREZ DE BURGOS, N. M.

Pinamar - Buenos Aires

Congreso; Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, 41° Encuentro Anual; 2005

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

Triatoma infestans (T. infestans), Chagas disease vector, adquirers wings and the ability to fly after the last molt from fifth instar nymph to adult.  The ability to fly is important for dispersion.  In previous studies, in our laboratory, it was demonstratedthat glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), enzyme involved at glycerolphosphate shuttle, increase it´s activity 30 fold in adults thoracic muscles.  Adults muscles should have higher glycolitic and respiratory capacity to support fly activity.  Electrophoretic studies from thoracic muscles showed, in T. infestans, two GPDH isoenzymes.  Nymphs predominat isoform has less movility. The aim of this work is to begin GPDH molecular studies in T. infestans.   We have enhanced molecular studies comparing adults members from three insects species: T. infestans, Apis mellifera (A. mellifera) and Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster).  On the basis of protein and nucleotic acid GPDH secuences alignaments from good flyer insects there were designed specific primer for A. mellifera and D. melanogaster and the corresponding degenerated forms to be employed for T. infestans reactions.  Those primers were used in PCR and RT-PCR to amplifie DNA and cDNA secuences. As a result, 200 pb fragments were obtained with degenerated and specific primers for the three species analyzed.  This size was the waited for the fragments and corresponds to a portion of GPDH DNA exon and of cDNA secuence. Secuencing results alow homology studies between the diferents species.