Mitochondrial development in Trypanosoma brucei brucei transitional bloodstream forms.

Intermediate and short stumpy bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei brucei are transitional stages in the differentiation of mammal-infective long slender bloodstream forms into the procyclic forms found in the midgut of the tsetse vector. Although the mitochondria of the proliferative long slender forms do not accumulate rhodamine 123, the mitochondria of the transitional forms attain this ability thus revealing the development of an electromotive force (EMF) across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The EMF is inhibited by 2,4-dinitrophenol, rotenone and salicylhydroxamic acid but not by antimycin A or cyanide. Consequently, NADH dehydrogenase, site I of oxidative phosphorylation, is the source of the EMF and the plant-like trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) supports the electron flow serving as the terminal oxidase of the chain. Although the TAO is present in the long slender forms as well, it serves only as the terminal oxidase for electrons from glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The data presented here, combined with older data, lead to the conclusion that the mitochondria of transitional intermediate and short stumpy forms likely produce ATP. This putative production is either by F1F0 ATPase driven by the complex I proton pump or by mitochondrial substrate level phosphorylation, or most likely by both. These conclusions contrast with the previously held dogma that all bloodstream form mitochondria are incapable of ATP production.     

In vivo effects of alpha-DL-difluoromethylornithine on the metabolism and morphology of Trypanosoma brucei brucei

The EATRO 110 isolate of Trypanosoma brucei brucei was grown in rats for 60 h and the animals treated with the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor alpha-DL-difluoromethylornithine 12 h or 36 h prior to sacrifice. Control untreated animals died 72-80 h after infection. Treated parasites were shorter and broader than the predominantly long slender forms found in untreated controls and many had two or more nuclei and kinetoplasts. Trypanosomes were purified from blood and examined for disruption of polyamine metabolism. ODC activity decreased by more than 99% after 12 h treatment and putrescine and spermidine levels also decreased dramatically. Spermine, not normally present in control cells, increased to detectable, low levels (less than 1 nmol mg-1 protein) after 36 h treatment. alpha-DL-Difluoromethylornithine-treated cells were unable to synthesize putrescine from [3H]ornithine but were able to convert [3H]putrescine + methionine to spermidine. 12-h treated parasites responded to polyamine depletion by assimilating radiolabeled polyamines in vitro at 2- to 4-times the rate of untreated cells. The metabolism of S-adenosylmethionine was also altered in treated parasites: decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine increased more than 1000-fold over untreated cells while S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity, associated with the formation of spermidine and spermine in other eukaryotes, paradoxically declined in treated cells. Synthesis of macromolecules was perturbed in treated parasites: rates of DNA and RNA synthesis declined 50-100%, while protein synthesis increased up to 4-fold in 36-h treated cells. alpha-DL-Difluoromethylornithine treatment progressively limits the parasites' ability to synthesize nucleic acids and blocks cytokinesis while inducing morphological changes resembling long slender leads to short stumpy transformation.     

Trypsin-stimulated transformation of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense bloodstream forms to procyclic forms in vitro

The effect of trypsin treatment on the transformation of monomorphic Trypanosoma b. gambiense (Wellcome strain) bloodstream forms to procyclic forms was studied in HEPES-buffered RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 20% inactivated fetal calf serum in the presence of GA-1 cells as feeder layers at 27 C. In this system, 35%–40% of the bloodstream forms transformed to procyclic forms within 24 h, and over 95% of the trypanosomes changed into procyclic forms by day 3 after initiation of the culture. Established cultures of procyclic forms yielded up to 1.5–2×10⁷ trypanosomes/ml. However, transformation of nontreated and inhibited trypsin-treated bloodstream forms were prolonged compared to trypsin-treated populations. In this experiment, the first procyclic forms could be detected on day 7 after initiation of the culture and transformation was complete within 15 days. The transformation of T. b. gambiense from bloodstream to procyclic forms required the living GA-1 cells as feeder layer cells, but established cultures of procyclic forms could be maintained in the culture medium without feeder cells for more than 300 days.     

Differential expression of the oligomycin-sensitive ATPase in bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei brucei.

We report the differential expression of the oligomycin-sensitive mitochondrial ATPase in pleomorphic bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei brucei as observed with enzymatic assays and electron microscope histochemistry. As the cells differentiate from long slender to short stumpy forms, total specific activity of the mitochondrial ATPase in a crude mitochondrial fraction doubles and the oligomycin-sensitive specific activity increases 5-fold. Upon in vitro differentiation to procyclic forms, there is a further doubling of total specific activity and a further tripling of oligomycin-sensitive specific activity. The oligomycin-insensitive ATPase activity remained essentially constant throughout differentiation. We have attempted to characterize this oligomycin-insensitive activity utilizing inhibitors of several other ATPases.     

Ubiquitination of plasma membrane ectophosphatase in bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei

Bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei contain plasma-membrane-integral acidic ectophosphatase. Here, it is shown by N-terminal sequencing that the ectophosphatase found in ricin-binding material was modified by ubiquitin. Three different ubiquitinated species corresponding to single, double and triple ubiquitinated forms of the enzyme were identified. Immunofluorescence studies with live bloodstream-form parasites showed that the ectophosphatase was localized in the flagellar pocket—the sole site for endocytosis in trypanosomes. As ubiquitin modification of plasma membrane proteins serves as an internalization signal, it is suggested that ubiquitinated ectophosphatase is labelled for endocytosis. This work was supported by the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technik, Schwerpunkt für tropenmedizinische Forschung in Heidelberg (01 KA 9301/3).     

Cysteine is an essential growth factor for Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms.

A modified cystine-free minimum essential medium has been used to address the question whether cysteine is an essential growth factor for bloodstream form trypanosomes or if its reducing power is sufficient to support parasite growth in axenic culture. Bloodstream-form trypanosomes, taken either from freshly isolated infected mouse blood or form logarithmically growing axenic cultures were transferred to a medium containing 20% dialysed foctal calf serum, 10 μM bathocuproine sulphonate and 250 μM cysteine. Growth curves of these cultures have been compared to those obtained in identical cultures containing no cysteine but cystine and reducing agents (β-mercaptoethanol, monothioglycerol), or reducing agents alone. The results clearly show that cell growth was only obtained if cysteine was either directly added to the medium or was reduced from cysteine by the action of reducing agents. However, neither reducing agents alone, nor -cysteine, supported cell growth. Since cysteine is not taken up by bloodstream form trypanosomes, and methionine is a regular constituent of the medium, we conclude from our results that cysteine is an essential growth factor for Trypanosoma brucei.     

Uptake of the trypanocidal drug suramin by bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei and its effect on respiration and growth rate in vivo

After a single intravenous injection of suramin the rate of removal of the drug from the plasma into other tissue compartments of the rat is independent of initial concentration. The data can be fitted to the sum of two exponential functions, consistent with a two-compartment, open model system. Trypanosomes take up only small amounts of suramin in vivo and do not actively concentrate the drug within the cell. Uptake is apparently by a non-saturable process that decreases with time and is dependent on the amount of suramin already taken up. Once within the cell, suramin progressively inhibits respiration and glycolysis, such that, for a given exposure in vivo, inhibition of oxygen consumption is proportional to the total amount of suramin absorbed. It can be calculated that only a fraction (4--9%) of this total is required to inhibit respiration to the extent found in broken cell preparations. The combined inhibition of two key enzymes in glycolysis--the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase (EC unassigned) and the glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD+) (sn-glycerol-3-phosphate: NAD+ 2-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.8)--are sufficient to account for the differential inhibition of glucose and oxygen consumption and of pyruvate production, together with the small, but significant, production of glycerol. Even at the highest dose of suramin tolerated by the rat, trypanosomes continue to increase exponentially in the bloodstream for at least 6 h. The mean doubling time is increased from 4.6 h to a maximum of about 12.5 h in rats treated with doses of suramin in the range 25--150 mg/kg. In the light of these and other findings, it is concluded that part of the trypanocidal action of suramin results from the inhibition of ATP production by glycolysis.     

Involvement of lysosomes in the uptake of macromolecular material by bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei

To investigate whether the lysosomes of Trypanosoma brucei are capable of uptake of macromolecules after internalization by the cell, we used Triton WR-1339, a non-digestible macromolecular compound, which is known to cause a marked decrease in the density of hepatic lysosomes due to massive intralysosomal storage. Intraperitoneal administration of 0.4 g/kg Triton WR-1339 to rats infected with T. brucei led to the development of a large vacuole in the trypanosomes between nucleus and kinetoplast within 22 h. Higher doses (2 g/kg) led to the disappearance of the trypanosomes from the blood and resulted in permanent cures (greater than 100 days). Lysosomes isolated from the trypanosomes of animals treated with a sub-curative dose showed a decrease in equilibrium density of 0.03 g/cm3 in sucrose gradients. These lysosomes were partly damaged as evidenced by a reduction in latency and an increase in the non-sedimentable part of lysosomal enzymes. We conclude that acid proteinase and alpha-mannosidase-containing organelles of T. brucei take up exogenous macromolecules and must therefore be considered as true lysosomes and that Triton WR-1339 acts in T. brucei as a true lysosomotropic drug. Its trypanocidal action probably results from an interference with lysosomal function.     

The use of transgenic Trypanosoma brucei to identify compounds inducing the differentiation of bloodstream forms to procyclic forms

The expression of procyclins is the earliest known marker of differentiation of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei to procyclic forms. We have generated transgenic bloodstream and procyclic forms in which the coding region of one procyclin gene was replaced by E. coli beta-glucuronidase (GUS). GUS activity can be monitored in a simple one-step colour reaction in microtitre plates; this assay is potentially suitable for large-scale screening for compounds that influence differentiation. GUS was stage-specifically expressed in procyclic forms and its synthesis occurred in parallel with that of procyclin when bloodstream forms were triggered to differentiate by the addition of cis-aconitate. GUS could also be induced by brief treatment with the proteases trypsin, pronase or thermolysin, but not with pepsin or thrombin. Interestingly, a combination of one of the active proteases with cis-aconitate resulted in increased GUS activity relative to either trigger alone. In contrast to cis-aconitate, protease treatment resulted in considerable cell death. Experiments with the pleomorphic strain AnTat 1.1 showed that long slender bloodstream forms were rapidly killed by proteases, whereas stumpy forms were largely resistant. Stumpy forms treated with trypsin differentiated synchronously and expressed procyclin with faster kinetics than when they were triggered by cis-aconitate. As predicted by the GUS assay, differentiation was even more rapid when both inducers were used simultaneously, with all cells expressing maximal levels of procyclin within 3 h.     

Import of a constitutively expressed protein into mitochondria from procyclic and bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei developmentally regulates mitochondrial function during its life cycle. Numerous nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins undergo posttranslational regulation in a developmental fashion, but exactly how that regulation is achieved is unclear. We are interested in mitochondrial import as a potential regulatory step for nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins. Previously, an in vitro import system was developed for the procyclic lifestage. We report here the development of an in vitro import system for bloodstream trypanosomes using a crude mitochondrial preparation. NADH dehydrogenase subunit K (NdhK) is a nuclear encoded mitochondrial protein that is constitutively expressed in bloodstream and procyclic trypanosomes. We examined the import of NdhK into procylic and bloodstream mitochondria in vitro. In both lifestages import of NdhK requires a membrane potential across the inner mitochondrial membrane, mitochondrial matrix ATP, and is time dependent. The precursor protein is processed by a matrix associated metalloprotease in a single cleavage step to mature protein.     

Differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream trypomastigotes from long slender to short stumpy-like forms in axenic culture

An axenic cultivation system was used to study the differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms from long slender to short stumpy-like forms. Trypanosomes in the logarithmic phase are similar to long slender bloodstream forms freshly isolated from infected mice, differing only in the rate of oxygen uptake. In contrast, trypanosomes in the stationary phase show a decreased level of glucose oxidation, express pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (proline oxidase), are inhibited in oxygen uptake to about 44% by KCN, undergo considerable morphological changes on the cellular and subcellular level, and have a significantly smaller cell volume. These results are comparable to those observed during the differentiation of long slender to short stumpy forms in infected animals, suggesting that the differentiation process towards insect procyclic forms can be initiated in culture at 37 degrees C. As judged from immunofluorescence and electron microscopy analysis, the surface coat remains intact.     

The electrophoretic mobilities and activities of eleven enzymes of bloodstream and culture forms of Trypanosoma brucei compared

Eleven soluble enzymes in the supernatant of bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei were compared for electrophoretic mobility and activity with those of T. brucei cultures grown in 3 different media. All bands of each enzyme found in the bloodstream form were also present in the cultured material, but extra bands of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) (EC 1.1.1.37), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) (EC 2.6.1.1), and in 2 to 6 cultures of isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD) (EC 1.1.1.42) were present in culture forms but not in bloodstream forms. An interfering enzyme, peculiar to cultured T. brucei, which reacted with 2-oxoglutarate and possibly a trace amount of ammonium ions, ran with the fast-moving ASAT bands. Threonine dehydrogenase activity, high in cultured trypanosomes irrespective of the medium used but low in bloodstream trypanosomes, was markedly lower in Trypanosoma evansi and a much passaged T. brucei 8/18. Glucosephosphate isomerase activity on the other hand was high in bloodstream and low in cultured trypanosomes. Glutamate dehydrogenase activity was too low to record reliably in bloodstream trypanosomes, but could be clearly detected in cultured forms. As the differences point to some changes in gene expression between the two forms, culture material is likely to replace trypanosomes from living animals for electrophoretic characterization only when considerable comparative work has been done.     

Release of the variant surface glycoprotein during differentiation of bloodstream to procyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei

Investigations on the turnover of the membrane-form variant surface glycoprotein (mfVSG) of Trypanosoma brucei during cultivation in vitro of the monomorphic variant clones MIT at 1.2 and MIT at 1.4 showed that bloodstream forms slowly released the surface coat into the medium (time required to decline to half the initial amount, t50% = 32 +/- 3 h). VSG appeared in the medium in its soluble form (sVSG) which lacked the dimyristoylglycerol membrane anchor as judged by electrophoretic mobility and exposure of the cross-reacting determinant. The total VSG in the culture was very stable with a t50% = 189 +/- 24 h, compared to the other cellular proteins with a t50% approximately 28 h. Coat release during differentiation of bloodstream forms to procyclic cells could be distinguished from this turnover both by its more rapid kinetics (t50% = 13 +/- 1 h) and by the appearance in the medium of a predominant proteolytic fragment in addition to sVSG. Coat release during the transition to procyclic forms was not inhibited by the lysosomotropic agents ammonium chloride or chloroquine, by the proton ionophore monensin, or by the protease inhibitor tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone. The experiments demonstrate that coat release during differentiation is a specific cellular event distinct from simple turnover. The possibility is discussed that VSG release under both conditions occurs by endocytosis of mfVSG, degradation by a phospholipase C or a protease or both in a non-acidic intracellular compartment and recycling to the surface by exocytosis.     

Transport of ethanolamine and its incorporation into the variant surface glycoprotein of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei

The membrane-attached form of the variant surface glycoprotein (mf-VSG) of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei is anchored to the plasma membrane by a hydrophobic C-terminal lipo-oligosaccharide containing ethanolamine. Analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that several different cloned T. brucei strains (strain EATRO 110 and variants 117 and 118 of strain 427) incorporated [3H]ethanolamine into both mf-VSG and the soluble VSG derived from it, but not into other proteins. Other trypanosomatids, e.g. Leishmania mexicana promastigotes, T. cruzi epimastigotes, and T. brucei procyclic forms, did not incorporate ethanolamine into cellular proteins. Thus, [3H]ethanolamine can be used as a specific biosynthetic label for T. brucei VSG polypeptides. The time course of incorporation of [3H]ethanolamine into VSG showed a lag period of about 15 min. Double-labelling experiments using [3H]ethanolamine and H3[32P]O4 demonstrated that ethanolamine labelled only the C-terminal moiety and was not incorporated into other portions of the VSG molecule. Cellular uptake of ethanolamine occurred via a specific carrier-mediated transport system having a Vmax of 132 pmol min-1 mg-1 protein and a Km of 3.7 microM. The properties of this transport system are consistent with the possibility that ethanolamine is derived entirely from the host.     

Transient inhibition of protein synthesis accompanies differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei from bloodstream to procyclic forms.

It has been widely believed that bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei must be first transformed into intermediary and/or short-stumpy forms in the bloodstream of the mammalian host before differentiation to the procyclic culture form can occur. In our recent studies, the pleomorphic T. brucei strain TREU667 was found to differentiate directly from the long-slender bloodstream form to the procyclic form in Cunningham's medium at 26 degrees C [7]. In the present investigation, the same was found true for another pleomorphic strain of T. brucei, STIB366D. Four independent monomorphic strains of T. brucei were tested; two, #427 and EATRO164, were found capable of differentiating in vitro directly into procyclic forms, whereas the other two, TREU667/RP-56 and EATRO110, could not. There is thus no correlation between the capability of differentiating in vitro and the ability of being converted from long-slender to intermediary and short-stumpy bloodstream forms. Two additional markers for following differentiation, other than observing morphological changes, were tested. Assays for the emerging phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) by immunoblottings worked well, with results agreeing closely with the morphological change. But immunoblottings of glycosomal phosphoglycerate kinase (gPGK) failed to demonstrate a significant decrease in the protein level upon completion of differentiation. Apparently, gPGK has a rather long half-life and is unsuitable as a marker of differentiation. When temperature was dropped from 37 degrees C to 26 degrees C at the starting point of in vitro differentiation, protein synthetic activity in the pleomorphic T. brucei TREU667 bloodstream form was decreased by 4-fold. When the activity was gradually brought back to and beyond the original level after a day's incubation, the profile of newly synthesized proteins was that of the procyclic form. A monomorphic variant of TREU667, RP-56, which is incapable of differentiating in vitro, has a much higher protein synthetic activity than its pleomorphic parent in the bloodstream form. This high activity and the bloodstream profile of proteins thus synthesized were unaffected by the decreased temperature in Cunningham's medium until cell death. We thus conclude that a general inhibition of protein synthesis in bloodstream forms caused by temperature drop may be among the early events triggering differentiation into the procyclic form.     

Characterisation of melarsen-resistant Trypanosoma brucei brucei with respect to cross-resistance to other drugs and trypanothione metabolism.

An arsenical resistant cloned line of Trypanosoma brucei brucei was derived from a parent sensitive clone by repeated selection in vivo with the pentavalent melaminophenyl arsenical, sodium melarsen. The melarsen-resistant line was tested in vivo in mice against a range of trypanocidal compounds and found to be cross-resistant to the trivalent arsenicals, melarsen oxide, melarsoprol and trimelarsen (33, 67 and 122-fold, respectively). A similar pattern of cross-resistance was found in vitro using a spectrophotometric lysis assay (greater than 200-fold resistance to melarsen oxide and greater than 20-fold resistance to both trimelarsen and melarsoprol). Both lines were equally sensitive to lysis by the lipophilic analogue phenylarsine oxide in vitro, suggesting that the melamine moiety is involved in the resistance mechanism. Although trypanothione has been reported to be the primary target for trivalent arsenical drugs [1], levels of trypanothione and glutathione were not significantly different between the resistant and sensitive lines. Statistically significant differences were found in the levels of trypanothione reductase (50% lower in the resistant clone) and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (38% higher in the resistant clone). However, the Km for trypanothione disulphide, the Ki for the competitive inhibitor Mel T (the melarsen oxide adduct with trypanothione) and the pseudo-first order inactivation rates with melarsen oxide were the same for trypanothione reductase purified from both clones. The melarsen-resistant line also showed varying degrees of cross-resistance to the diamidines: stilbamidine (38-fold), berenil (31.5-fold), propamidine (5.7-fold) and pentamidine (1.5-fold). Cross-resistance correlates with the maximum interatomic distance between the amidine groups of these drugs and suggests that the diamidines and melaminophenyl arsenicals are recognised by the same transport system.