Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Regulatory volume decrease in Trypanosoma cruzi involves amino acid efflux and changes in intracellular calcium.

Peter Rohloff1, Claudia O Rodrigues, R Docampo

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology and Center for Zoonoses Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL 61802, USA.

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology
|March 5, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Evaluating implementation of the HEARTS model for management of hypertension and diabetes in Guatemala: protocol for a prospective observational hybrid type 3 study.

Implementation science communications·2026
Same author

Smartphone-based support for early childhood development in a rural low-resource setting: an individually randomised pilot feasibility trial from Guatemala.

BMJ paediatrics open·2026
Same author

Cost of adapting the International Guide for Monitoring Child Development, Guatemala and India.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization·2026
Same author

Understanding implementation of HEARTS for hypertension and diabetes in Guatemala: Qualitative and mixed-methods pilot results.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2026
Same author

Comparing adiposity-related predictors of cardiometabolic disease in two Indigenous Guatemalan municipalities: a cross-sectional receiver operating characteristic analysis.

BMJ open·2026
Same author

Modeling Growth Trajectories in Stunted Children Under 5 Years of Age: A Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Data from Guatemala.

Food and nutrition bulletin·2026
Same journal

Cloning-based analysis of MHC class II DRB variation and Enterocytozoon bieneusi association in the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica).

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
Same journal

Ethyl acetate extract from Dinizia excelsa Ducke wood: A potential phytotherapeutic agent with antioxidant, cytotoxic and hemolytic (in normal cells), immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antiparasitic and antitumor activities.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
Same journal

Plasmodium falciparum invasion ligand gene transcript profiles in different populations.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
Same journal

Exploring the Warburg effect in Chagas disease: A biochemical approach to metabolic reprogramming.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
Same journal

Stage-specific differential gene expression leads to adaptive changes in the promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania donovani.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
Same journal

De-novo discovery of posttranslational histone modifications in Schistosoma mansoni stages.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology·2026
See all related articles

Trypanosoma cruzi cells rapidly decrease volume (regulatory volume decrease) under hyposmotic stress via selective amino acid efflux. Intracellular calcium increases, but doesn't directly drive this volume recovery.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Parasitology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Trypanosoma cruzi exhibits regulatory volume decrease (RVD) in response to hyposmotic stress.
  • This RVD is a critical survival mechanism for the parasite.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of RVD is key to targeting parasite physiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the RVD mechanism in Trypanosoma cruzi across different life stages.
  • To investigate the role of amino acid efflux and intracellular calcium in RVD.
  • To identify the specific amino acids involved in the efflux process.

Main Methods:

  • Induction of hyposmotic stress and monitoring of cell volume changes.
  • Measurement of amino acid efflux using radiolabeled amino acids.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of intracellular calcium levels using fura-2 fluorescence.
  • Investigation of calcium influx using manganese quenching and calcium channel blockers.

    • Main Results:

    • Hyposmotic stress caused rapid cell swelling followed by complete volume recovery within 5 minutes.
    • Approximately 50% of the RVD was attributed to selective amino acid efflux (neutral and anionic, excluding cationic).
    • Hyposmotic stress triggered an influx of extracellular calcium, but calcium levels had minimal impact on amino acid efflux rate or volume recovery.

    Conclusions:

    • Trypanosoma cruzi employs a rapid RVD mechanism involving selective amino acid efflux.
    • While intracellular calcium rises during hyposmotic stress, it is not the primary driver of amino acid efflux or volume recovery.
    • The characterized RVD pathway offers potential targets for antiparasitic drug development.