The plasma membrane potential (ΔΨ) of procyclic and bloodstream trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma brucei was studied using the potentiometric fluorescent dye bisoxonol. Our results suggest that a proton pump plays a significant role in the regulation of ΔΨ in procyclic and bloodstream forms, as evidenced by depolarization of the plasma membrane by H -ATPase inhibitors (e.g. dicyclohexylcarbo-diimide, N-ethylmaleimide, diethylstilbestrol, and bafilomycin A1). In bloodstream stages the plasma membrane was significantly depolarized by ouabain only when the cells were incubated in sodium-rich buffers indicating that a sodium pump was being inhibited. In contrast, ouabain had no effect on the ΔΨ of the procyclic stages in a sodium-rich buffer. However, it induced an additional significant depolarization in these stages when their plasma membrane was already partially depolarized by the H -ATPase inhibitor dicyclohexylcarbo-diimide, indicating the presence of an ouabain-sensitive sodium pump whose activity is masked by the H -ATPase. Unlike procyclic forms, the ΔΨ of bloodstream-stage trypomastigotes was markedly sensitive to extracellular Na and K concentrations. Thus, there are significant differences between procyclic and blooodstream forms in the maintenance of the ΔΨ and in their permeability to cations.
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1 September 2002
Significant Differences Between Procyclic and Bloodstream Forms of Trypanosoma brucei in the Maintenance of their Plasma Membrane Potential
NICOLE VAN DER HEYDEN,
ROBERTO DOCAMPO
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The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology
Vol. 49 • No. 5
September 2002
Vol. 49 • No. 5
September 2002
Bisoxonol
dicyclohexylcarbo-diimide
diethylstilbestrol
H -ATPase
Na /K ATPase
N-ethylmaleimide
ouabain