Enzyme, protein, and nucleic acid content of two morphological forms of Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) cruzi

✍ Scribed by Stohlman, Stephan A. ;Kuwahara, Steven S. ;Kazan, Betty H.

• Book ID: 104762088
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1973
• Weight: 698 KB
• Volume: 92
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-9276
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00409283

✦ Synopsis

Trypanosoma (Schizo~rypanura) cruzi (Corpus Christi strain) was cultivated at 28~ over a monolayer of African Green Monkey kidney cells (Veto line). The epimastigote was converted into the trypomastigote by serial passage of the organisms at 33~ in a modified culture system. This resulted in preparations containing better than 90~ trypomastigotes.

The biochemical composition of the epimastigotes and trypomastigotes was determined in whole cells and cell-free homogenates of organisms grown in these systems. The epimastigote contained 50 4-2 ~g of protein, 2.0 4-0.1 {~g of RNA, and 1.7 4-0.2 tzg of DNA per 107 organisms; while the trypomastigote contained: 24 • 1 tzg of protein, 1.4 4-0.1 lzg of RNA, and 2.4 • 0.3 t~g of DNA per 107 organisms. Data was also obtained on the specific activities of certain metabolically important enzymes. The following (in nmoles min-lmg -1 of protein) are given in the order; enzyme, epimastigote activity, trypomastigote activity: