13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of anaerobic glycolysis in Trypanosoma brucei spp.

Abstract

Anaerobic glycolysis in Trypanosoma brucei spp. has been studied by 13C NMR at 50 and 75.5 MHz. The uptake of [U-13C]glucose by cell suspensions of T. b. brucei was monitored by time-course spectroscopy, and while no anomeric specificity was found, the end -products of glycolysis were confirmed as glycerol and pyruvate together with alanine and dihydroxypropionat e. The intermediacy of L-glycerol-3-phosphate was also ascertained. The incorporation of C-I of [1-13C]glucose and of C-6 of [6-13C]glucose into glycerol and pyruvate in T. b. gambiense was quantified by measurement of the longitudinal relaxation times of the species involved. An incorporation to the extent of 66% of each substrate into equimolar amounts of glycerol and pyruvate indicate that Keq for the triosephosphate-isomerase-mediated reaction approaches unity.