Silva Dias Vieira 2023 PLoS Negl Trop Dis
| Silva Dias Vieira C, Pinheiro Aguiar R, de Almeida Nogueira NP, Costa Dos Santos Junior G, Paes MC (2023) Glucose metabolism sustains heme-induced Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote growth in vitro. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011725 |
» PLoS Negl Trop Dis 17:e0011725. PMID: 37948458 Open Access
Silva Dias Vieira Carolina, Pinheiro Aguiar Ramon, de Almeida Nogueira Natalia Pereira, Costa Dos Santos Junior Gilson, Paes Marcia Cristina (2023) PLoS Negl Trop Dis
Abstract: Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite alternates between an insect vector and a mammalian host. T. cruzi epimastigotes reside in the insect vector and coexist with the blood components of the vertebrate host. The metabolic profile of T. cruzi has been extensively studied; however, changes in its metabolism in response to signaling molecules present in the vector are poorly understood. Heme acts as a physiological oxidant that triggers intense epimastigote proliferation and upregulates the expression of genes related to glycolysis and aerobic fermentation in vitro. Here, heme-cultured epimastigotes increased D-glucose consumption. In fact, heme-cultured parasites secreted more succinate (the end product of the so-called succinic fermentation) followed by glucose intake. Increased succinate levels reduced the extracellular pH, leading to acidification of the supernatant. However, the acidification and proliferation stimulated by heme was impaired when glycolysis was inhibited. Otherwise, when glucose amount is enhanced in supernatant, heme-cultured parasites increased its growth whereas the glucose depletion caused a delay in proliferation. Heme supplementation increased epimastigote electron transport system-related O2 consumption rates, while glucose addition reduced both the electron transport system-related O2 consumption rates and spare respiratory capacity, indicating a Crabtree-like effect. These results show that glycolysis predominated in heme-cultured epimastigotes over oxidative phosphorylation for energy supply when glucose is present to sustain its high proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, it provided an insight into the parasite biology in the vector environment that supply glucose and the digestion of blood generates free heme that can lead to the growth of T. cruzi epimastigotes.
• Bioblast editor: Plangger M
Labels: MiParea: Respiration
HRR: Oxygraph-2k
2023-11
