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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Characterization of Membrane Transporters by Heterologous Expression in E. coli and Production of Membrane Vesicles
Published on: December 31, 2019
Phytomonas: transport of amino acids, hexoses and polyamines
Gaspar E Canepa1, Carolina Carrillo, Arnaldo R Armesto
1Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Trypanosoma cruzi (LBMTC), Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, 1427 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abstract:
Phytomonas cells (Phytomonas Jma) isolated from the latex of Jatropha macrantha were assayed for amino acid, hexose and polyamine transport. Results showed high transport rates for glucose and fructose (193 and 128 pmol min(-1) 10(-7) cells, respectively) and lower, but significant rates, for proline, arginine, cysteine and glutamate (between 1.7 and 5.8 pmol min(-1) 10(-7) cells). Minor transport activities were observed for serine, glycine and aspartate (<1 pmol min(-1) 10(-7) cells). Amino acid transport processes do not seem to be regulated by starvation or during the growth phases. Polyamine transport was also evaluated showing a clear preference for spermidine over putrescine (3.4 and 0.4 pmol min(-1) 10(-7) cells, respectively). This work represents the first report on metabolite transport in phytomonads.
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