Fetal bovine serum concentration affects delta9 desaturase activity of Trypanosoma cruzi.
Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is an important factor in the culture of Trypanosoma cruzi, since this parasite obtains and metabolizes fatty acids (FAs) from the culture medium, and changes in FBS concentration reduce the degree of unsaturation of FAs in phosphoinositides. When T. cruzi epimastigotes were cultured with 5% instead of 10% FBS, and stearic acid was used as the substrate, (9) desaturase activity decreased by 50%. Apparent K (m) and V (m) values for stearic acid, determined from Lineaweaver-Burk plots, were 2 microM and 219 pmol/min/mg of protein, respectively. In studies of the requirement for reduced pyridine nucleotide, (9) desaturase activity reached a maximum with 8 microM NADH and then remained constant; the apparent K (m) and V (m) were 4.3 microM and 46.8 pmol/min/mg of protein, respectively. The effect of FBS was observed only for (9) desaturase activity; (12) desaturase activity was not affected. The results suggest that decreased FBS in culture medium is a signal that modulates (9) desaturase activity in T. cruzi epimastigotes.
Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, CPX5804BYA, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina.
Ana L
AL
Villasuso
Patricio
P
Romero
Mariela
M
Woelke
Patricia
P
Moyano
Estela
E
Machado
Mirta García
MG
de Lema
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D044967:Serum / Q000378:metabolism*; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase / Q000378:metabolism*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000201:enzymology*
D005227:Fatty Acids; D007527:Isoenzymes; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D009243:NAD; D013230:Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase