PROTON NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE ANALYSIS OF METABOLIC END-PRODUCTS OF THE BOLIVIA STRAIN OF TRYPANOSOMA-CRUZI AND 3 OF ITS CLONES

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) was used to study the in v ivo metabolism of Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen causing American try panosomiasis (Chagas' disease). Three clones were isolated from a stra in of T. cruzi (Bolivia strain), The clones I, II and III and the orig inal strain were characterized according to the spectra of their metab olic pathways to test the hypothesis that clonal evolution of T. cruzi has a major impact on biologically relevant properties of this parasi te. T. cruzi (Bolivia strain) excreted acetate, alanine, glycerol, and succinate as major end products, in the proportion 6:4:2:2. Comparing the spectra of T. cruzi clones with the original Bolivia strain revea led both quantitative, as well as qualitative differences in the metab olites excreted: the clones I and II, as opposed to the Bolivia strain and clone III, excreted significant quantities of ethanol. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.