Δ9 desaturase from Trypanosoma cruzi: Key enzyme in the parasite metabolism. Cloning and overexpression.

Desaturases, key enzymes in the metabolism of fatty acids, regulate the physical and biochemical properties of membranes. They adjust the composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in response to changes in the environmental. We demonstrated the existence of Δ9 desaturase activity in epimastigotes of the Trypanosoma cruzi Tulahuen strain.

Monounsaturated fatty acid aerobic synthesis in Bradyrhizobium TAL1000 peanut-nodulating is affected by temperature.

Aims: The aim of this work was to clarify the mechanism of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) synthesis in Bradyrhizobium TAL1000 and the effect of high temperature on this process.

Methods And Results: Bradyrhizobium TAL1000 was exposed to a high growth temperature and heat shock, and fatty acid composition and synthesis were tested. To determine the presence of a possible desaturase, a gene was identify and overexpressed in Escherichia coli.

Fetal bovine serum concentration affects delta9 desaturase activity of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is an important factor in the culture of Trypanosoma cruzi, since this parasite obtains and metabolizes fatty acids (FAs) from the culture medium, and changes in FBS concentration reduce the degree of unsaturation of FAs in phosphoinositides. When T. cruzi epimastigotes were cultured with 5% instead of 10% FBS, and stearic acid was used as the substrate, (9) desaturase activity decreased by 50%.

Whole blood coagulation thrombelastographic profiles employing minimal tissue factor activation.

We investigated whole blood coagulation by thrombelastography (TEG) employing activation with minute amounts of tissue factor (TF). Continuous raw data captured were transformed into novel parameters, such as the maximum velocity (MaxVel) and the time to maximum velocity (t,MaxVel) of whole blood clot formation. The courses of the whole blood clot development were very similar to thrombin generation curves reported in plasma.