RESUMO

Apyrases are nucleoside triphosphate-diphosphohydrolases that remove Pi from ATP and ADP. The blood feeding reduviid Triatoma infestans, which transmits the Trypanosoma cruzi agent of Chagas disease to animals and man, presents in its salivary glands five apyrases with molecular masses of 88, 82, 79, 68 and 67 kDa. These triatomine apyrases have been associated with the prevention of ADP induced platelet aggregation in the host. Here we provide biochemical data showing that these apyrases are stored in the lumen of the salivary gland D1 pairs, and that about one half of the pool of the enzyme is consumed during feeding. After the feeding recovery of apyrases to maximal activity level takes days, thus suggesting de novo protein synthesis. This hypothesis is supported by quantitative RT-PCR analysis which shows an upregulation of the 79 kDa apyrase mRNA level after feeding.

Assuntos

Apirase/metabolismo , Triatoma/enzimologia , Animais , Apirase/química , Apirase/genética , Sequência de Bases , Sangue , Doença de Chagas/transmissão , DNA/genética , Ingestão de Alimentos , Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Insetos Vetores/enzimologia , Insetos Vetores/genética , Insetos Vetores/parasitologia , Cinética , Peso Molecular , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Glândulas Salivares/enzimologia , Triatoma/genética , Triatoma/parasitologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/patogenicidade