title: BAPTA-AM decreases cellular pH, inhibits acidocalcisome acidification and autophagy in amino acid-starved T. brucei.
abstract: To investigate the role of Ca2+signaling in starvation-induced autophagy in Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis, we used cell-permeant Ca2+chelator BAPTA-AM and cell impermeant chelator EGTA, and examined the potential involvement of several intracellular Ca2+signaling pathways in T. brucei autophagy. The results showed an unexpected effect of BAPTA-AM in decreasing cellular pH and inhibiting acidocalcisome acidification in starved cells. The implication of these results in the role of Ca2+signaling and cellular/organellar pH in T. brucei autophagy is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117543, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117545, Singapore. Electronic address: miclfj@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Feng-Jun
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117545, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kevin S W
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117543, Singapore; Centre for BioImaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, 117543, Singapore. Electronic address: dbshyc@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Cynthia Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D001343:Autophagy; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism*; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D002614:Chelating Agents; C070379:1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester; D004533:Egtazic Acid
keywords: Acidocalcisome acidification; Autophagy; BAPTA-AM; Calcium; IP3R; SERCA