Proliferating bloodstream-form Trypanosoma brucei use a negligible part of consumed glucose for anabolic processes

Abstract:

Our quantitative knowledge of carbon fluxes in the long slender bloodstream form (BSF) Trypanosoma brucei is mainly based on non-proliferating parasites, isolated from laboratory animals and kept in buffers. In this paper we present a carbon balance for exponentially growing bloodstream form trypanosomes. The cells grew with a doubling time of 5.3h, contained 46 mu mol of carbon (10(8) cells)(-1) and had a glucose consumption flux of 160 nmol min(-1) (10(8) cells)(-1). The molar ratio of pyruvate excreted versus glucose consumed was 2.1. Furthermore, analysis of the (13)C label distribution in pyruvate in (13)C-glucose incubations of exponentially growing trypanosomes showed that glucose was the sole substrate for pyruvate production. We conclude that the glucose metabolised in glycolysis was hardly, if at all, used for biosynthetic processes. Carbon flux through glycolysis in exponentially growing trypanosomes was 10 times higher than the incorporation of carbon into biomass. This biosynthetic carbon is derived from other precursors present in the nutrient rich growth medium. Furthermore, we found that the glycolytic flux was unaltered when the culture went into stationary phase, suggesting that most of the ATP produced in glycolysis is used for processes other than growth.

SEEK ID: https://fairdomhub.org/publications/226

PubMed ID: 22580731

Projects: SilicoTryp

Publication type: Not specified

Journal: Int J Parasitol

Citation:

Date Published: 8th May 2012

Registered Mode: Not specified

Authors: , A. van Tuijl, J. van Dam, W. van Winden, A. G. Tielens, J. J. van Hellemond,

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Created: 31st Jul 2014 at 10:34

Last updated: 8th Dec 2022 at 17:26

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