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A comparative assessment of mitochondrial function in epimastigotes and bloodstream trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi

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Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi is a hemoflagellate protozoan that causes Chagas’ disease. The life cycle of T. cruzi is complex and involves different evolutive forms that have to encounter different environmental conditions provided by the host. Herein, we performed a functional assessment of mitochondrial metabolism in the following two distinct evolutive forms of T. cruzi: the insect stage epimastigote and the freshly isolated bloodstream trypomastigote. We observed that in comparison to epimastigotes, bloodstream trypomastigotes facilitate the entry of electrons into the electron transport chain by increasing complex II-III activity. Interestingly, cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity and the expression of CCO subunit IV were reduced in bloodstream forms, creating an “electron bottleneck” that favored an increase in electron leakage and H2O2 formation. We propose that the oxidative preconditioning provided by this mechanism confers protection to bloodstream trypomastigotes against the host immune system. In this scenario, mitochondrial remodeling during the T. cruzi life cycle may represent a key metabolic adaptation for parasite survival in different hosts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Bioquímica de Resposta ao Estresse, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Renata L. S. Gonçalves & Marcus F. Oliveira

  2. Laboratório de Inflamação e Metabolismo, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Renata L. S. Gonçalves & Marcus F. Oliveira

  3. Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Rubem F. S. Menna Barreto & Solange L. Castro

  4. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Carla R. Polycarpo

  5. Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Fernanda R. Gadelha

Authors
  1. Renata L. S. Gonçalves
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  2. Rubem F. S. Menna Barreto
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  3. Carla R. Polycarpo
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  4. Fernanda R. Gadelha
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  5. Solange L. Castro
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  6. Marcus F. Oliveira
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcus F. Oliveira.

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This work is dedicated to the memory of the honorable Brazilian scientist, teacher and human being Dr. Henrique Leonel Lenzi (1943–2011).

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Gonçalves, R.L.S., Barreto, R.F.S.M., Polycarpo, C.R. et al. A comparative assessment of mitochondrial function in epimastigotes and bloodstream trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi . J Bioenerg Biomembr 43, 651–661 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-011-9398-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-011-9398-8

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