Trypanosoma cruzi: intracellular stages grown in a cell-free medium at 37 C.

A liquid medium containing a high concentration of water-soluble vitamins and ATP was developed for serial cultivation of Trypanosoma cruzi at 27–37 C; fetal bovine serum and trypticase were the only undefined substances in this medium. At 27 C, Trypanosoma cruzi grows primarily (over 99%) as epimastigotes with a population density reaching 92.7 × 10⁶/ml after 12 days of incubation. During the first subculture at 37 C, many epimastigotes from the original inocula changed into metacyclic trypomastigotes after 48 hr; the trypomastigotes subsequently transformed into amastigotes by 96 hr. In the second passage at 48 hr, 57.8% of the organisms were trypomastigotes which changed into amastigotes by the end of the incubation period. The proportion of amastigotes in the third and subsequent passages increased steadily as the proportion of epimastigotes gradually diminished. Amastigotes thus obtained could be serially subcultured indefinitely, yielding population densities of over 3.0 × 10⁷/ml of medium in 4–5 days at 37 C. Available evidence indicates that these amastigotes are morphologically and physiologically similar to intracellular amastigotes.     

Leishmania mexicana: Purine metabolism in promastigotes,axenic amastigotes,and amastigotes derived from vero cells

Leishmania mexicana mexicana promastigotes, axenic amastigotes, and amastigotes derived from Vero cells were examined for de novo purine synthesis and mechanisms of purine salvage. Both promastigotes and axenic amastigotes were incapable of de novo purine synthesis, as shown by the lack of [¹⁴C]formate and [¹⁴C]glycine incorporation into purine nucleotide pools. However, the ready incorporation of [¹⁴C]hypoxanthine, [¹⁴C]adenine, and [¹⁴C]guanine suggested that purine salvage pathways were operating. In addition, a significant percentage (?60%) of the total label from these purine precursors was associated with adenylate nucleotides. Nucleotide pool levels of axenic amastigotes were consistently greater but the specific activities were less than those of promastigotes, suggesting a slower rate of purine metabolism in the axenic amastigote form. Similar results were obtained from amastigotes isolated from infected Vero cells.     

Leishmania tropica: Biochemical aspects of promastigotes' attachment to macrophages in vitro

The in vitro attachment of promastigotes of Leishmania tropica to mouse peritoneal macrophages was studied under experimental conditions. Parasite binding by macrophages required an intact intracellular physiology as suggested by the action of several metabolic inhibitors. Parasite attachment was inhibited in the presence of azide, fluoride, iodoacetamide, and 2-deoxyglucose, but was affected very little by inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation, by 2,4,-dinitrophenol and by cyanide. Parasite attachment was not prevented by cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Successful parasite attachment required the simultaneous presence of magnesium, glucose, and a macromolecular component of fetal calf serum in the extracellular medium. Furthermore, glucose and serum supported parasite binding synergistically. The requirement for extracellular glucose could be replaced by mannose, suggesting that such a requirement is structural rather than metabolic. The active fraction of serum was nondialyzable, heat labile, and precipitable by ammonium sulfate. These various chemical ingredients of the culture medium were required mainly during the interaction of parasites with macrophages. The extracellular and metabolic requirements of successful parasite binding suggest that attachment of parasites to macrophages possess the characteristics of a biochemical reaction which is probably mediated by one or more enzymatic reactions.     

Leishmania mexicana: Immunology and histopathology in C3H mice

C3H mice were infected subcutaneously with 10⁵ promastigotes of Leishmania mexicana and subsequent lesions were examined at 3, 5, and 8 months. All animals developed persistent nonulcerating nodules of variable size which did not metastasize. The nodules contained amastigotes with a mononuclear infiltrate of histiocytes, lymphocytes, and plasma cells, but without formation of tuberculoid-type granulomas. Neutrophils and eosinophils were also encountered in some cases. Specific antileishmanial antibodies and delayed-type hypersensitivity to leishmanial antigen were present at 3, 5, and 8 months postinfection. L. mexicana infection in C3H mice differs from classic self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis by the pesistence of nonhealing, nonulcerating, nonmetastasizing lesions, despite evidence of cellular and humoral immunity.     

Trypanosoma cruzi: defined medium for continuous cultivation of virulent parasites.

A liquid medium was developed for the continuous cultivation of Trypanosoma cruzi. Among the several highly purified macromolecules tested only bovine liver catalase, horseradish peroxidase, lactoperoxidase, and bovine hemoglobin supported the continuous growth, at high yield, of mice-virulent Trypanosoma cruzi; other hemoproteins were inactive. Bovine liver catalase showed optimal Trypanosoma cruzi growth-promoting activity, parasites reaching 20 × 10⁶ parasites/ml (95% epimastigotes) at about 10 days in most of the 45 subpassages to date. Furthermore, this protein in the incubation medium provided all the amino acid requirements of actively growing parasites, thus eliminating the need for exogeneous free amino acids. Additional experiments revealed that the hemoprotein's growth-promoting activity was independent of any enzymatic activity and that reconstituting the exact protein composition by means of exogeneous amino acids did not support parasite multiplication, suggesting the importance of the primary structure of the active proteins for growth-promoting activity. These active macromolecules supported the multiplication of five different strains of Trypanosoma cruzi, but did not support Leishmania brasiliensis or Leishmania mexicana proliferation, suggesting species specificity.     

Trypanosoma cruzi: Isolation and characterization of a proteinase

Lysates of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes were able to hydrolyze casein (K_m = 2.5 mg/ml) as well as bovine and human hemoglobins (K_m = 12.2 mg/ml); there was optimum activity was around pH 7.0. The proteinase activity detected with these substrates was enhanced by sodium diaminotetraacetate (EDTA) and reducing agents (SO^2?₃, mercaptoethanol, cysteine) and was inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents, thus suggesting an SH-dependent enzyme. Purification (60×) of the proteinase was carried out as follows: (1) precipitation at ?20 C, pH 4.5, with 80% acetone, (2) gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, (3) affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B covalently linked to p-aminophenyl mercuric acetate. Only a single component (with an estimated molecular weight of 60,000) was detected in purified preparations by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However, in addition to the major component identified as a proteinase, crossed immunoelectrophoresis experiments indicated the presence of at least three other antigens that apparently were devoid of proteinase activity. Optimum pH activity of the purified preparations was around pH 6.0 for casein and pH 3.0 for hemoglobins, but these activities probably are due to the one enzyme since they were altered identically by the same agents.     

Leishmania mexicana: Energy metabolism of amastigotes and promastigotes

The utilisation of substrates by Leishmania mexicana amastigotes and promastigotes differed significantly. The rates of uptake and catabolism of nonesterified fatty acids were up to 10-fold higher with amastigotes. Almost all the available exogenous fatty acids were consumed during amastigote transformation and by stationary phase of promastigote growth. The results suggest that fatty acids are important energy substrates for amastigotes, whereas promastigote utilisation may reflect the requirement for these substrates in anabolism. Glucose was utilised by amastigotes and promastigotes but the rate of catabolism was up to 10-fold higher in promastigotes. Uptake of glucose occurred throughout amastigote transformation and growth in vitro of promastigotes. High-subpassage promastigotes exhibited markedly lower glucose but higher amino acid utilisation than low-subpassage promastigotes. Asparagine, glutamine, glutamate, leucine, lysine, methionine, and threonine were consumed in large quantities by amastigotes and promastigotes, whereas alanine and glycine were excreted. Proline was catabolised to CO₂ by amastigotes and promastigotes but only at a low rate, and it was excreted in large amounts throughout promastigote growth. The major end products of energy metabolism were found to be CO₂ and succinate with both forms of the parasite and there was a secretion of up to 12 and 16% of the total protein synthesised by transforming amastigotes and growing promastigotes, respectively. Catabolism in amastigotes and promastigotes was found to be sensitive to cyanide and amytal, whereas 2-mercaptoacetate and 4-pentenoate primarily affected β-oxidation in the amastigote.     

Leishmania mexicana: Conversion of dihydroorotate to orotate in amastigotes and promastigotes

The specific activity of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, catalysing the conversion of l-5,6-dihydroorotate (l-DHO) to orotate, in Leishmania mexicana mexicana was found to be 22.1 ± 3.5 nmole/hr/mg protein in the amastigote, and 28.7 ± 4.6 nmole/hr/mg protein in the promastigote. The enzyme was found to be soluble and to require molecular O₂ for activity in both forms of the parasite. Oxygen utilisation was not mediated through the mitochondrial cytochrome-containing respiratory chain, and phenazine methosulphate and ferricyanide could be used as electron acceptors by the enzyme in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The enzyme from both amastigote and promastigote had a pH optimum of 7.0, and the K_m values for l-DHO were 11.8 ± 4.9 and 2.3 ± 0.4 μM, respectively. The pyrimidine analogs 5-methylorotate (K_i = 8.8 μM) and 5-aminoorotate (K_i = 57 μM) were shown to be competitive inhibitors of the promastigote enzyme, as was the reaction product orotate (K_i = 10 μM).     

Leishmania donovani: Surface membrane acid phosphatase activity of promastigotes

Subcellular fractionation of Leishmania donovani promastigotes yielded plasma membranes, which were enriched in acid phosphatase (E.C.3.1.3.2.) activity. Cytochemically, the enzyme displayed a uniform distribution over the surface of intact protozoa. The enzyme was also visualized on the external face of the isolated plasma membranes, as indicated by the distribution of subpellicular microtubules. Various parameters of the membrane-bound enzyme were also determined including pH and temperature optima and substrate specificity. The results suggest that these organisms are adapted for existence in a hydrolytic environment.     

Leishmania donovani: Oral efficacy and toxicity of formycin B in the infected hamster

Formycin B, a structural analog of inosine, was evaluated as an orally administrable antileishmanial agent. Against Leishmania donovani in hamsters, it achieved an 85–92% reduction in numbers of parasites in livers of infected animals after oral administration at 13 mg/kg/day for 4 days. Its efficacy by oral administration was approximately four to eight times that by intramuscular administration and four times that of the positive control drug Glucantime by intramuscular administration. The levels of formycin B in serum after the final oral administration of 26 mg/kg/day were 1.4 μg/ml at 1 hr and 0.3 μg/ml at 2 hr. The concentration in liver was greater (9.0 μg/ml at 1 hr) and declined more slowly. With this latter dosage or with 104 mg/kg/day there was no acute toxicity of formycin B to bone marrow or formed elements of the blood. The only statistically significant toxicity to the liver was a doubling of serum total bilirubin levels. Comparison of the in vivo efficacy of formycin B against L. donovani to the mild acute toxicity of the drug suggests that formycin B has potential as an oral agent against visceral leishmaniasis.     

Leishmania tropica: Surface antigens of intracellular and flagellate forms

Promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania tropica were surface-radioiodinated using the lactoperoxidase technique. Detergent lysates of the labeled organisms were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Analysis of radioiodinated promastigote membrane proteins revealed six major and some minor acidic polypeptides. Analysis of the amastigote membrane proteins revealed six major proteins, mostly acidic, and some poorly resolved basic proteins. Four of the major membrane proteins appeared to be common to the two parasitic forms (M_r 67,000, M_r 50,000, M_r 68,000, and M_r 80,000). These polypeptides were recognized by antipromastigote antibodies as well as antibodies from CBA/H mice that had recovered from infection. Peptide mapping confirmed their homology in the two parasite forms. One polypeptide appeared to be specific for the promastigote (M_r 50,000) and two polypeptides appeared to be specific for the amastigote form of the parasite (M_r 94,000 and M_r 43,000).     

Tritrichomonas foetus: Partly defined cultivation medium for study of the purine and pyrimidine metabolism

A partly defined medium was successfully designed for the cultivation of Tritrichomonas foetus, an anaerobic protozoan parasite of cattle. The medium consists of hypoxanthine, uracil, and thymidine as the sole precursors of nucleotides in T. foetus. Elimination of any one of the three precursors from the medium led to cessation of T. foetus growth. The information provided by this medium verifies our previous observations that T. foetus is incapable of de novo purine and pyrimidine synthesis, that hypoxanthine can be converted to AMP and GMP, that uracil is incorporated into all pyrimidine ribonucleotides including UDP-glucose—the precursor of glycogen synthesis, and that thymidine is the only precursor of TMP. The omission of folate from the medium, without affecting growth of T. foetus, also supports our previous finding that the parasite does not have functioning dihydrofolate reductase or thymidylate synthetase. The successful plating of T. foetus on agar plates incorporating the partly defined medium with near 100% plating efficiency makes it possible to isolate T. foetus mutants for further studies of purine and pyrimidine metabolism in this parasite.     

Trypanosoma congolense: Specific transformation in vitro of leukocytes from infected or immunized cattle

An assay to measure the specific proliferation in vitro of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) in response to ultrasonicated trypanosomes was adapted for use in cattle. The kinetics of mitosis exhibited by PBL from cattle which had been treated following infection with Trypanosoma congolense paralleled the development of a delayed-type skin reaction elicited with ultrasonicated and Formalin-fixed T. congolense. Responses in both tests were maximal on the fourth day after initiation. Specific proliferation of PBL harvested from cattle which had been immunized with intact, nonviable trypanosomes was also elicited in vitro by trypanosomal antigen. Peripheral blood leukocytes taken from cattle immunized with 50 μg of variant-specific surface antigen (VSSA) from T. brucei and from cattle infected with T. congolense were not stimulated to divide in vitro by ultrasonicated trypanosomes.     

Plasmodium falciparum: continuous cultivation of erythrocyte stages in plasma-free culture medium

Continuous in vitro cultivation of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, was performed in plasma-free medium. The medium used was standard RPMI 1640 supplemented with adenosine, unsaturated C-18 fatty acids, and fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin. The medium was changed daily and the cultures were diluted with washed erythrocytes twice weekly. Growth was routinely maintained for 1 month at which time the experiments were usually terminated. Although the overall growth rates were consistently lower than in control cultures with plasma, continuous growth occurred in the absence of plasma in cultures containing cis-vaccenic, oleic, and linoleic acids.     

Transcriptomics throughout the life cycle of Leishmania infantum: High down-regulation rate in the amastigote stage

Leishmania infantum is the causative agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean Basin. The promastigote and amastigote stages alternate in the life cycle of the parasite, developing inside the sand-fly gut and inside mammalian phagocytic cells, respectively. High-throughput genomic and proteomic analyses have not focused their attention on promastigote development, although partial approaches have been made in Leishmania major and Leishmania braziliensis. For this reason we have studied the expression modulation of an etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis throughout the life cycle, which has been performed by means of complete genomic microarrays. In the context of constitutive genome expression in Leishmania spp. described elsewhere and confirmed here (5.7%), we found a down-regulation rate of 68% in the amastigote stage, which has been contrasted by binomial tests and includes the down-regulation of genes involved in translation and ribosome biogenesis. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis of pre-adaptation of the parasite to intracellular survival at this stage.     

Brugia pahangi: Growth improvement with lecithin in the diet of axenically reared hosts, Aedes aegypti

Growth and development of the filarial nematode Brugia pahangi was examined in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes axenically reared on defined synthetic dietary media containing crude animal lecithin and synthetic dipalmitoyl lecithin. The first was a crude preparation containing impurities (mostly lipids) up to 40%, while the second was a highly purified preparation of lecithin (99.95%). Substantial proportions of apparently alive but undeveloped prefirst-stage parasite juveniles (presausage forms) were found in mosquitoes reared on all synthetic dietary media but not in mosquitoes reared on liver powder (control). Of the two lecithin preparations tested, parasites grew best in mosquitoes reared on a diet augmented with crude animal lecithin. Development was synchronized and the filarial parasites were able to complete two molts to become third-stage juveniles. Synthetic dl-dipalmitoyl lecithin in mosquito diets did not improve filarial development. The improvement of worm growth in terms of rate of morphogenesis and facility in molting, with the addition of crude, and not the pure lecithin preparation, suggested that the effect observed on filariae may not be directly due to the lecithin molecule, but due to a compound (probably a lipid), associated with the lecithin molecule in the crude preparation.     

Brachymeria lasus: Culture in vitro of a chalcid insect parasite

The composition and formulation of an artificial medium and handling techniques are described for rearing the chalcid insect endoparasite, Brachymeria lasus (Walker) from the egg to adult stage under in vitro conditions. The medium was devoid of host materials, prepared aseptically, and contained 15% ($\text{w}\text{v}$) albumin, 1% amino acids, 4% glucose, and approximately 2.5% lipids, 0.3% inorganic salts, 0.01% B vitamins, and 0.2% lipogenic growth factors. Eggs were obtained by host dissection and developing larvae were reared in tissue culture plates. Adults were fecund.     

Brugia malayi and B. pahangi: Cultivation in vitro of infective larvae to the fourth and fifth stages

Cultivation of fourth stage Brugia pahangi and B. malayi larvae from infective larvae (stage 3) were obtained in culture medium RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% human AB serum and an LCC-MK₂ rhesus monkey kidney continuous cell line feeder layer. This culture system kept larvae alive in excess of 7 weeks, and served as a source for collection of the worms' secretory, excretory, and moulting antigens.     

The biosynthesis of 12α-hydroxylated gibberellins in a cell-free system from cucurbita maxima endosperm

A previously unknown pathway for the biosynthesis of 12α-hydroxylated gibberellins was found in a cell-free system from Cucurbita maxima endosperm. The microsome fraction converts the gibberellin precursor GA_12-aldehyde simultaneously to GA₁₂ and 12α-hydroxy-GA₁₂-aldehyde. The ratio of these products is pH-dependent: above pH 6.5, the production of GA₁₂ is favoured, whilst below pH 6.5, 12α-hydroxy-GA₁₂-aldehyde is the predominant product. 12α-Hydroxy-GA₁₂-aldehyde is converted further by soluble enzymes to 12α-hydroxy-GA₁₄, 12α-hydroxy-GA₁₅, 12α-hydroxy-GA₃₇ and several unidentified products. This conversion is optimal between pH 6.0 and 6.5 in contrast to the previously known conversion of GA₁₂-aldehyde to GA₄₃ by soluble enzymes, which is optimal at pH 7.5. GA₅₈, a major 12α-hydroxylated endogenous constituent of C. maxima endosperm, was not obtained when 12α-hydroxy-GA₁₂-aldehyde was used as a substrate, but it was obtained together with GA₄ when GA₉ was incubated with a preparation containing both microsomal and soluble enzymes.