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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
ISSN: 1678-8060 EISSN: 1678-8060
Vol. 110, No. 7, 2015, pp. 890-897
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Bioline Code: oc15122
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 110, No. 7, 2015, pp. 890-897
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Identification of the nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase of Trypanosoma cruzi
Niño, Carlos H.; Forero-Baena, Nicolás; Contreras, Luis E.; Sánchez-Lancheros, Diana; Figarella, Katherine & Ramírez, María H.
Abstract
The intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is the aetiological agent of Chagas disease, a public health concern
with an increasing incidence rate. This increase is due, among other reasons, to the parasite’s drug resistance
mechanisms, which require nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+). Furthermore, this molecule is involved in
metabolic and intracellular signalling processes necessary for the survival of T. cruzi throughout its life cycle. NAD+
biosynthesis is performed by de novo and salvage pathways, which converge on the step that is catalysed by the enzyme
nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) (enzyme commission number: 2.7.7.1). The identification
of the NMNAT of T. cruzi is important for the development of future therapeutic strategies to treat Chagas
disease. In this study, a hypothetical open reading frame (ORF) for NMNAT was identified in the genome of T. cruzi.
The corresponding putative protein was analysed by simulating structural models. The ORF was amplified from
genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction and was further used for the construction of a corresponding recombinant
expression vector. The expressed recombinant protein was partially purified and its activity was evaluated
using enzymatic assays. These results comprise the first identification of an NMNAT in T. cruzi using bioinformatics
and experimental tools and hence represent the first step to understanding NAD+ metabolism in these parasites.
Keywords
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; nicotinic acid mononucleotide; nicotinamide mononucleotide; nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase; Trypanosoma cruzi; Chagas disease
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