Babesia gibsoni: preferential multiplication in reticulocytes is related to the presence of mitochondria and a high concentration of adenosine 5'-triphosphate in the cells.
To determine the cause of the predilection of Babesia gibsoni for reticulocytes, the parasites were cultivated with various types of reconstituted erythrocyte ghosts, which were prepared by resealing erythrocyte ghosts together with variously treated erythrocyte lysate, in vitro. The level of parasitemia in the culture with reconstituted reticulocyte ghosts containing untreated reticulocyte lysate was significantly higher than that in the culture with reconstituted normocyte (mature erythrocyte) ghosts containing untreated normocyte lysate. The removal of mitochondria from reconstituted reticulocyte ghosts by filtration or centrifugation resulted in decreased of parasitemia in those cultures. In contrast, when mitochondria from reticulocytes were loaded into reconstituted normocyte ghosts, the parasitemia in the ghosts loaded mitochondria was increased to the same level as that in reconstituted reticulocyte ghosts. Furthermore, the parsitemia in the culture with reconstituted normocyte ghosts was proportional to the concentration of adenosine 5'-triphosphate in the ghosts. These results suggested that mitochondria of reticulocytes might enhance the multiplication of B. gibsoni through the generation of adenosine 5'-triphosphate within the cells.
Yamasaki
Masahiro
M
Laboratory of Internal Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
Yamato
Osamu
O
Hossain
Mohammad Alamgir
MA
Jeong
Ja-Ryong
JR
Chang
Hye-Sook
HS
Satoh
Hiroyuki
H
Maede
Yoshimitsu
Y
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000254:growth & development*; D004285:Dogs; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate