Trypanosoma cruzi: Biological Characterization of 19 Clones Derived from Two Chronic Chagasic Patients. I. Growth Kinetics in Liquid Medium1

Nineteen clones of Trypanosoma cruzi were obtained as single-cell isolates from Triatoma infestans. Ten of the clones were isolates from a patient with chronic Chagas' disease; nine clones were isolates from a dog infected with T. cruzi strain CA-I isolated originally from a chronic chagasic patient. The growth kinetics and peak modal Coulter volume of these clones were characterized. Significant inter- and intra-group differences between growth rates and peak modal volumes were found. These data indicate that subpopulations and, consequently, genetic heterogeneity of T. cruzi exist in chronic chagasic patients. All of the clones infected vertebrate cells in vitro.     

High-valent intermediates in the reaction of N alpha-acetyl microperoxidase-8 with hydrogen peroxide: models for compounds 0, I and II of horseradish peroxidase.

N-acetyl microperoxidase-8 (Ac-MP-8) is a water soluble, ferric heme model for the peroxidases. The reaction of Ac-MP-8 with H2O2 in 10 mM potassium phosphate over the pH range of 7-11 gives rise sequentially to relatively stable green and red species with properties that closely mimic those of HRP compounds I and II, respectively. Low-temperature stopped-flow studies of this reaction carried out in 50% v/v methanol/10 mM potassium phosphate, pH* 9.1 at -25.8 degrees C indicate that the pseudo-first-order rate constant, kobs, that describes the formation of the green intermediate exhibits saturation kinetics as a function of [H2O2] with kmaxobs = 95 s-1 and KM = 87 mM. Rapid-scan studies carried out with [H2O2] = 200 mM at -38.0 degrees C show that a compound 0 species with a characteristic band near 340 nm is formed whose conversion to the green species is rate limiting. Thus, Ac-MP-8 has high-valent forms that are models for all three known intermediates in the peroxidase cycle of horseradish peroxidase.     

Venom peptides from solitary hunting wasps induce feeding disorder in lepidopteran larvae

The cell lytic activity and toxicity against lepidopteran larvae of 13 venom peptides (4 OdVPs and 9 EpVPs) from two solitary hunting wasps, Orancistrocerus drewseni and Eumenes pomiformis, were examined with mastoparan as a reference peptide. Of the 13 peptides, 7 were predicted to have α-helical structures that exhibit the typical character of amphipathic α-helical antimicrobial peptides. The remaining peptides exhibited coil structures; among these, EpVP5 possesses two Cys residues that form an internal disulfide bridge. All the helical peptides including mastoparan showed antimicrobial and insect cell lytic activities, whereas only two of them were hemolytic against human erythrocytes. The helical peptides induced a feeding disorder when injected into the vicinity of the head and thorax of Spodoptera exigua larvae, perhaps because their non-specific neurotoxic or myotoxic action induced cell lysis. At low concentrations, however, these helical peptides increased cell permeability without inducing cell lysis. These findings suggest that the helical venom peptides may function as non-specific neurotoxins or myotoxins and venom-spreading factors at low concentrations, as well as preservatives for long-term storage of the prey via antimicrobial, particularly antifungal, activities.