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A alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase is present in Trypanosoma cruzi glycosomes
J L Concepcion1, H Acosta, W Quiñones
1Unidad de Bioquímica de Parásitos, Centro de Ingenería Genética, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela.
Abstract:
alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPDH-EC.1.1.1.8) has been considered absent in Trypanosoma cruzi in contradiction with all other studied trypanosomatids. After observing that the sole malate dehydrogenase can not maintain the intraglycosomal redox balance, GPDH activity was looked for and found, although in very variable levels, in epimastigotes extracts. GPDH was shown to be exclusively located in the glycosome of T. cruzi by digitonin treatment and isopycnic centrifugation. Antibody against T. brucei GPDH showed that this enzyme seemed to be present in an essentially inactive form at the beginning of the epimastigotes growth. GPDH is apparently linked to a salicylhydroxmic-sensitive glycerophosphate reoxidizing system and plays an essential role in the glycosome redox balance.