Evidence for glycerol 3-phosphate:glucose transphosphorylase activity in bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei brucei

1. Anaerobic glycolysis in intact bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei brucei was studied. 2. Fructose, glucose and mammose were aerobically catabolized at rates of 3.4, 3.0 and 2.5 and anaerobically at rates of 0.38, 2.75 and 2.35 mumol hexose/hr/10(8) trypanosomes respectively. 3. Glycerol 3-phosphate and ADP accumulated approximately to the same level from anaerobic catabolism of the three hexoses. However, fructose catabolism stopped within 15-20 min but addition of glucose to these already immobilized trypanosomes temporarily caused a rapid characteristic drop in glycerol 3-phosphate level at a rate of 40 nmol/min/10(8) trypanosomes and correspondingly glucose 6-phosphate, glycerol and pyruvate levels were raised. 4. These observations are not consistent with the proposed requirements for the reverse glycerol kinase in anaerobic net ATP production. Instead, we propose a glycerol 3-phosphate:glucose transphosphorylase that catalyses the formation of glycerol and glucose 6-phosphate.