Carlota Carriazo

Prevalence of Circulating Trypanosoma cruzi Detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction in Patients With Chagas' Cardiomyopathy

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Polymerase chain reaction procedure to detect Trypanosoma cruzi in blood samples from chronic chagasic patients

The feasibility of DNA amplification by the polymerase chain reaction for specific detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in human blood was investigated. We have used primers flanking a 220-bp fragment of highly repetitive elements, the E13 element, in T. cruzi nuclear DNA. Only polymerase chain reaction products from blood samples of chronic chagasic patients showed several amplified fragments in 1.6% agarose gels stained with ethidium bromide. Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the 220-bp amplified fragment is specific for T. cruzi DNA and very useful to detect the presence of the parasite in blood from chronic chagasic patients.

Circadian rhythm of lactate dehydrogenase in rat testis

Activity of total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and of the isozyme X (LDH X or C4) have been determined at 2 hr intervals during 24 hr cycles in testis of adult rats maintained since birth in a photoperiod of 14 hr light: 10 hr dark. LDH X activity of epididymal sections (caput, corpus and cauda) from the same animals was also determined. Total LDH and LDH X activities in testis exhibited circadian rhythms with different timing. LDH X in the three portions of epididymis showed diurnal variations similar to those in testis. Rats subjected to constant light or constant dark presented marked modifications of LDH X profiles, indicating that the photoperiod plays a synchronizer role. While total soluble proteins did not show variations in testis of rats exposed to the photoperiod, a circadian rhythm was demonstrated in animals maintained in constant light or dark.

Differential Expression of Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Isoforms in Flight Muscles of the Chagas Disease Vector Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera, Reduviidae)

Flight muscles of Triatoma infestans have two glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) isoforms: GPDH-1 is involved in flight metabolism and GPDH-2 provides lipid precursors. Total GPDH activity was greater in the natural population and almost only due to GPDH-1. Different expression and activity observed between GPDH isoforms in the natural population and the first laboratory generation was not detected in the second laboratory generation. This pattern may be caused by gradual adaptation to laboratory nutritional conditions. During development, the expression of GPDH-2 increased with a longer time of intake, which would imply an increment in lipid biosynthesis. The GPDH-1 transcript predominated with respect to that of GPDH-2 in the lower nutritional condition, suggesting the necessity of insects to fly during this nutritional status. The transcriptional pattern showed a delay at 22°C. The isoforms activities and transcript patterns in flight muscles suggest transcriptional adaptation to metabolic requirements originated by alternative splicing.

Lactate dehydrogenase X, malate dehydrogenase and total protein in rat spermatozoa during epididymal transit

Lactate dehydrogenase isozyme X (LDH X), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and total soluble protein have been determined in lysates of spermatozoa isolated from caput, corpus and cauda of rat epididymis. Transit of spermatozoa through epididymis is accompanied by a reduction of LDH X, MDH and total protein per cell in sexually rested animals. The profiles of reduction along epididymal segments are different for the three variables studied. Mating with receptive females during the 5 days prior to determinations increases significantly the levels of MDH in spermatozoa from all sections of epididymis and produces increase of total soluble protein in the cells contained in cauda.

Alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes in plasma of chagasic and healthy pregnant women

Catedra de Quimica Biologica, Facultad de CienciasMedicas **Catedra de Estadistica y Biometria,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales,Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Pabellon Argentina2° Piso, Ciudad Universitaria, Cordoba, Argentina*Servicio Nacional de Chagas, Cordoba, ArgentinaKey words: alkaline phosphatase - pregnancy -Chagas disease

Determination of alkaline phosphatase isozymes in amniotic fluid

A simple method for the determination of the three isozymes of alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) contained in amniotic fluid (fetal intestinal, placental, and liver-bone-kidney) is presented. Total alkaline phosphatase activity was assayed in 10,000 g supernatants of amniotic fluid from 30 normal women between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy. Electrophoretic patterns and inhibition by L-phenylalanine and L-homoarginine studies showed that all the fetal intestinal isozyme was precipitated in the pellet after centrifugation at 100,000 g for 90 min. Thus, the difference between total alkaline phosphatase activity and activity in the 100,000 g supernatant corresponds to fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatase. Placental isozyme can be determined by assaying alkaline phosphatase in the 100,000 g supernatant after heating at 56 degrees C for 90 min. Liver-bone-kidney isozyme activity is obtained by subtracting placental alkaline phosphatase activity from that of the 100,000 g supernatant. Mean percentages of the total alkaline phosphatase for each of the isozymes in amniotic fluid were 81% for fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatase, 7.5% for placental alkaline phosphatase and 12.0% for liver-bone-kidney alkaline phosphatase. Determination of fetal intestinal alkaline phosphatase by this method could be applied to the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in fetuses having a 1:4 risk of being affected.

Daily Variations in the Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Isoforms Expression in Triatoma infestans Flight Muscles

Triatoma infestans, the main vector of Chagas disease, is a blood-sucking insect. Flight dispersal of adults is the most important mechanism for reinfestation of houses after insecticide spraying. Flight muscles have two glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) isoforms: GPDH-1 is involved in flight metabolism and GPDH-2 provides lipid precursors. In this study, we explored the profile of GPDH expression in females and males adult flight muscles under light/dark cycle, constant light, and constant dark conditions. Under constant dark conditions, GPDH-1 flight muscles of T. infestans showed a rhythmic pattern of transcription synchronous with a rhythmic profile of activity suggesting regulation by the endogenous circadian clock. Otherwise, the GPDH-2 expression analysis showed no regulation by the endogenous clock, but showed that an external factor, such as the dark/light period, was necessary for synchronization of GPDH-2 transcription and activity.