Bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei lack cytochromes and are, therefore, insensitive to cyanide. Azide is a toxic anion that bears chemical and biological properties in common with cyanide and may act in a similar way by inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase. It was, therefore, surprising to find that bloodstream forms of T. brucei are sensitive to azide; growth is reduced by 50% with 0.1 mM azide. So far, the only enzyme known in bloodstream forms of T. brucei to be sensitive to azide is the iron-containing superoxide dismutase. However, because the activity of the superoxide dismutase was not affected in parasites incubated for 16 hr with 0.5 mM azide (a concentration at which no cell proliferates), the toxic action of azide cannot be due to inhibition of this enzyme. These results indicate that the general toxicity of azide is different from that of cyanide.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
October 2004
RESEARCH NOTES|
October 01 2004
Trypanosoma brucei: Unexpected Azide Sensitivity of Bloodstream Forms
Dietmar Steverding;
Dietmar Steverding
aSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
Stefan Scory
Stefan Scory
bAbteilung Parasitologie, Hygiene-Institut der Ruprecht-Karls Universität, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
cPresent address: BD Biosciences, Tullastrasse 8-12, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany. [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
J Parasitol (2004) 90 (5): 1188–1190.
Citation
Dietmar Steverding, Stefan Scory; Trypanosoma brucei: Unexpected Azide Sensitivity of Bloodstream Forms. J Parasitol 1 October 2004; 90 (5): 1188–1190. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-275R
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
SEROPREVALENCE OF TOXOPLASMA GONDII AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS IN ONE-HUMPED CAMELS (CAMELUS DROMEDARIUS) IN QATAR
Sonia Boughattas, Hashim Alhussain, Ahmed Gawish, Nahla O. Eltai
SCOLICIDAL POTENCY OF BILE AGAINST ECHINOCOCCUS GRANULOSUS
İsa Caner Aydın, Noyan İlhan, Ahmet Şeker, Cem Batuhan Ofluoğlu, Fırat Mülküt, Nuri Emrah Göret, Kenan Çetin, Erdal Polat, Gökhan Aygün, Hasan Fehmi Kücük
SYNONYMIZATION OF PLACOBDELLA PICTA (VERRILL, 1872) (HIRUDINEA: GLOSSIPHONIIDAE) WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES REVEALED BY MOLECULAR SPECIES DELIMITATION
Anna J. Phillips, Dennis J. Richardson, Charlotte I. Hammond, Brett C. Gonzalez, Eric A. Lazo-Wasem, William E. Moser
A RE-EVALUATION OF ZYGOCOTYLE (DIGENEA, PARAMPHISTOMOIDEA) BASED ON NEW GENETIC DATA SUPPORTS ITS SYNONYMIZATION WITH WARDIUS
Tyler J. Achatz, Dawn W. Cleveland, Sarah A. Orlofske, Robert C. Jadin, Jason Block, Lisa K. Belden, Hudson A. Pinto, Vasyl V. Tkach
DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF GYRINICOLA YAMAGUTI, 1938, FROM THE MONTEZUMA FROG, RANA MONTEZUMAE, IN THE TRANSITION ZONE BETWEEN THE NEARCTIC AND NEOTROPICS
Matthew A. Walker, Rogelio Aguilar-Aguilar, Virginia León-Règagnon, F. Agustín Jiménez