title: Metabolic changes in glucose transporter-deficient Leishmania mexicana and parasite virulence.
abstract: Leishmania mexicana are parasitic protozoa that express a variety of glycoconjugates that play important roles in their biology as well as the storage carbohydrate beta-mannan, which is an essential virulence factor for survival of intracellular amastigote forms in the mammalian host. Glucose transporter null mutants, which are viable as insect form promastigotes but not as amastigotes, do not take up glucose and other hexoses but are still able to synthesize these glycoconjugates and beta-mannan, although at reduced levels. Synthesis of these carbohydrate-containing macromolecules could be accounted for by incorporation of non-carbohydrate precursors into carbohydrates by gluconeogenesis. However, the significantly reduced level of the virulence factor beta-mannan in the glucose transporter null mutants compared with wild-type parasites may contribute to the non-viability of these null mutants in the disease-causing amastigote stage of the life cycle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
authors.forename: Dayana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Contreras
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Landfear
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000378:metabolism; D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D005943:Gluconeogenesis; D051246:Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism; D007894:Leishmania mexicana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008351:Mannans / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D051246:Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative; D008351:Mannans; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D000409:Alanine; D005990:Glycerol