Echinococcus granulosus: specificity of amino acid transport systems in protoscoleces

Abstract

SUMMARYProtoscoleces ofEchinococcus granulosusabsorb the l-amino acids proline, methionine, leucine, alanine, serine, phenylalanine, lysine and glutamic acid by a combination of mediated transport and diffusion. All eight amino acids were accumulated against a concentration gradient. Comparison ofKtandVmaxvalues suggests that a low affinity for a particular compound is compensated for by a relatively larger number of transport sites for that compound. Four systems serve for the transport of the eight substrates studied: 2 for neutral (EgNl, EgN2) and 1 each for acidic (EgA) and basic (EgB) amino acids. All eight amino acids are incorporated into protein to varying degrees and substantial portions of absorbed l-alanine and l-methionine are metabolized into other compounds.