Trypanosoma brucei: Stimulation of Adenylate Cyclase by Proventriculus and Esophagus Tissue of the Tsetse Fly, Glossina morsitans morsitans

• Published in: Experimental parasitology 1995-12, Vol.81 (4), p.618-620
• Main Authors: Vandenabbeele, J., Rolin, S., Claes, Y., Leray, D., Pays, E., Coosemans, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ACTIVIDAD ENZIMATICA; ACTIVITE ENZYMATIQUE; ADENILATO CICLASA; ADENYLATE CYCLASE; Adenylyl Cyclases - metabolism; ANIMAL TISSUES; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Digestive System - chemistry; Digestive System - parasitology; ENZYMIC ACTIVITY; ESOFAGO; ESTIMULO; EXPERIMENTACION IN VITRO; EXPERIMENTATION IN VITRO; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GLOSSINA MORSITANS; Glossina morsitans morsitans; Glossinidae; HOST PARASITE RELATIONS; Host-Parasite Interactions; IN VITRO EXPERIMENTATION; Insect Vectors - chemistry; Insect Vectors - parasitology; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Male; OESOPHAGE; OESOPHAGUS; Protozoa; PROVENTRICULE; PROVENTRICULO; PROVENTRICULUS; RELACIONES HUESPED PARASITO; RELATION HOTE PARASITE; STIMULI; STIMULUS; TEJIDOS ANIMALES; TISSU ANIMAL; TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI; Trypanosoma brucei brucei - enzymology; Tsetse Flies - anatomy & histology; Tsetse Flies - chemistry; Tsetse Flies - parasitology
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1006/expr.1995.1158

African trypanosomes of the Trypanosoma brucei group have a complex developmental cycle in the bloodsucking insect, the tsetse fly (Glossina spp.), ending with the infective metacyclic stage in the salivary glands. This development depends on several intermediate stages at different locations in the digestive tract of the fly involving drastic morphological and biochemical changes and cell cycle switches between multiplicative and nonproliferative stages. It is speculated that at least some developmental changes are triggered by molecular biocommunication between competent trypanosome cells and tsetse tissues. These interactions are assumed to occur at the surface of the trypanosome to be transferred to its intracellular environment by one of the signal transduction mechanisms. Adenylate cyclases are already evidenced in African trypanosomes. T. brucei contains several isoforms of adenylate cyclase. One of them is encoded by a gene (ESAG 4) linked to that of the VSG and is only expressed in bloodstream forms while the others, encoded by GRESAGs 4, are expressed in both bloodstream and procyclic forms. In bloodstream forms the adenylate cyclase is down-regulated since it can be strongly stimulated upon rupturing of the cells. The adenylate cyclase activity of bloodstream forms differs from that of procyclic forms with respect to its response to both Ca super(2+) and membrane perturbating agents. Moreover, in bloodstream forms, changes in cAMP levels seem associated with events triggering differentiation from slender to stumpy forms and from bloodstream to procyclic forms. In the present study we aimed at determining whether tsetse tissue compounds might be capable of activating adenylate cyclase of T. brucei parasites.