Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T22:15:13.575Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Synthesis and degradation of glycogen by Schistosoma mansoni worms in vitro

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

A. G. M. Tielens
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.176, 3508 TD Utrecht, AN
C. Celik
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.176, 3508 TD Utrecht, AN
J. M. Van Den Heuvel
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.176, 3508 TD Utrecht, AN
R. H. Elfring
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.176, 3508 TD Utrecht, AN
S. G. Van Den Bergh
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.176, 3508 TD Utrecht, AN

Summary

The glycogen stores of adult Schistosoma mansoni worms could be labelled by incubation of the worms, after an initial reduction of their glycogen content, in the presence of [6-14C]glucose. Subsequent breakdown of the labelled glycogen by the parasite revealed that glycogen was degraded to lactate and carbon dioxide. The degradation of glycogen, as compared to that of glucose, resulted in slightly different ratios of these two end-products. This indicates that glycogen breakdown did not replace glucose breakdown to the same extent in all cells and that Krebs-cycle activity was not uniformly distributed throughout the cells of this parasite. Both fructose and mannose could replace glucose as an energy source and the rate of glycogen synthesis from either of these two carbohydrates was higher than from glucose. No indications for glyconeogenesis from C3-units were found. Glycogen metabolism of S. mansoni was not influenced by hormones of the mammalian host. It is regulated by the external glucose concentration and by the level of the endogenous glycogen stores. Studies on paired and unpaired worms showed that no interaction between male and female was necessary for the synthesis of glycogen by female worms.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barrett, J. (1981). Biochemistry of Parasitic Helminths. London: Macmillan Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergmeyer, H. U., Bernt, E., Schmidt, F. & Stork, H. (1970). D-Glucose. Bestimmung mit Hexokinase und Glucose-6-phosphat-Dehydrogenase. In Methoden der Enzymatischen Analyse (ed. Bergmeyer, H. U.), pp. 1163–5. Weinheim/Bergstr.: Verlag Chemie.Google Scholar
Bueding, E. (1950). Carbohydrate metabolism of Schistosoma mansoni. Journal of General Physiology 33, 475–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bueding, E. & Fisher, J. (1982). Metabolic requirements of schistosomes. Journal of Parasitology 68, 208–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cornford, E. M. & Fitzpatrick, A. M. (1985). The mechanism and rate of glucose transfer from male to female schistosomes. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 17, 131–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Devos, P. & Hers, H. G. (1979). A molecular order in the synthesis and degradation of glycogen in the liver. European Journal of Biochemistry 99, 161–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gupta, B. C. & Basch, P. F. (1987). The role of Schistosoma mansoni males in feeding and development of female worms. Journal of Parasitology 73, 481–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gutman, A. (1985). Regulation of glycogen metabolism. In Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism, vol. 2 (ed. Beitner, R.) pp. 3352. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. R. (1983). The neuropharmacology of schistosomes. Pharmacology and Therapeutics 22, 103–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lane, C. A., Pax, R. A. & Bennett, J. L. (1987). L-Glutamine: an amino acid required for maintenance of the tegumental membrane potential of Schistosoma mansoni. Parasitology 94, 233–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mansour, T. E. (1984). Serotonin receptors in parasitic worms. Advances in Parasitology 23, 136.Google ScholarPubMed
Pande, s. v. (1976). Liquid scintillation counting of aqueous samples using Triton-containing scintillants. Analytical Biochemistry 74, 2534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Popiel, I. (1986). Male-stimulated female maturation in Schistosoma: A review. Journal of Chemical Ecology 12, 1745–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shallenberger, R. S. (1974). Occurrence of varying sugars in food. In Sugars in Nutrition (ed. Sipple, H. L. and McNutt, K. W.), p. 67, New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Shapiro, T. A. & Talalay, P. (1982). Schistosoma mansoni: mechanisms in regulation of glycolysis. Experimental Parasitology 54, 379–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tielens, A. G. M., Van Den Heuvel, J. M. & Van Den Bergh, S. G. (1984). The energy metabolism of Fasciola hepatica during its development in the final host. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 13, 301–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tielens, A. G. M. & Van Den Bergh, S. G. (1987). Glycogen metabolism in Schistosoma mansoni worms after their isolation from the host. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 24, 247–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Oordt, B. E. P., Van Den Heuvel, J. M., Tielens, A. G. M. & Van Den Bergh, S. G. (1985). The energy production of the adult Schistosoma mansoni is for a large part aerobic. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 16, 117–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed