title: Trypanosoma cruzi: inhibition of intracellular and extracellular differentiation by ADP-ribosyl transferase antagonists.
abstract: Both the intracellular and the extracellular differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes was studied. Intracellular differentiation was monitored during the parasite's cycle of infection in mammalian cells, and extracellular differentiation was monitored after transfer of the parasites to Warren's medium at 27 C. Several different chemical antagonists of ADP-ribosyl transferase inhibited parasite differentiation in both systems. This inhibition was mediated by a specific effect on the differentiation process and could not be ascribed to interference with simple proliferation of the parasite. The effect is strikingly similar to that observed in studies of the cell differentiation of several higher animals and suggests that ADP-ribosyl transferase frequently constitutes an important element in the mechanism of eukaryotic cell differentiation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001549:Benzamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D013806:Theophylline / Q000494:pharmacology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D001549:Benzamides; D009536:Niacinamide; C037689:benzamide; C025160:3-aminobenzamide; D013806:Theophylline; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases