title: Purine metabolism in Echinococcus multilocularis.
abstract: The activities of the enzymes in Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes involved in purine salvage were studied by HPLC. As in most parasites, this cestode relies entirely on salvage of preformed bases and nucleosides for its purine requirement. Therefore, these enzymes may be targets for drugs in the chemotherapeutic treatment of diseases caused by this parasite. The animals used in this study were gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Enzyme activities from sera and hepatic tissue in control and infected animals were similar with the exception of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase which showed an activity 4-fold greater in the serum from control than in serum from infected animals. In the parasite, adenine and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferases and adenosine deaminase had the highest activities. Therefore, in E. multilocularis metacestodes, this pathway seems to be important for the parasite's metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Medical Mycology, Claude-Bernard University, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suchail
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sarciron
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Petavy
mesh_terms: D000228:Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000469:parasitology; D004446:Echinococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006148:Guanine Deaminase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D011683:Purine-Nucleoside Phosphorylase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011687:Purines / Q000378:metabolism*; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011687:Purines; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase; D011683:Purine-Nucleoside Phosphorylase; D000228:Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase; D006148:Guanine Deaminase; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase