Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus secrete neuraminidase into the culture medium.
Supernatants taken from axenic cultures of Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus contain a neuraminidase activity, the detection of which is augmented when the trichomonad culture media are supplemented with 30% supernatant of confluent epithelial cultures. The enzyme was active against human erythrocytes, which became highly reactive to peanut agglutinin lectin. The specificity of the enzyme was checked by using a substrate specific to neuraminidase: 2'-(4-methylumbelliferyl)-alpha-D-N-acetylneuramic acid.
Costa e Silva Filho
F
F
Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Breier-Saraiva
E M
EM
Tosta
M X
MX
de Souza
W
W
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media / Q000378:metabolism; D004586:Electrophoresis; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000494:pharmacology; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D019887:Peanut Agglutinin; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014244:Trichomonas / Q000201:enzymology*; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000201:enzymology*
D003470:Culture Media; D037102:Lectins; D019887:Peanut Agglutinin; D009439:Neuraminidase