Publications by authors named "Noirin Nic a' Bhaird"
Flagellar attachment is a visibly striking morphological feature of African trypanosomes but little is known about the requirements for attachment at a molecular level. This study characterizes a previously undescribed membrane protein, FLA3, which plays an essential role in flagellar attachment in Trypanosoma brucei. FLA3 is heavily N-glycosylated, locates to the flagellar attachment zone and appears to be a bloodstream stage specific protein.
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- African trypanosomes have high levels of alanine aminotransferase, but its role in their metabolism, especially in slender bloodstream forms, is unclear.
- Researchers characterized the alanine aminotransferase gene (TbAAT) and found that its activity is largely unnecessary for the growth of bloodstream or procyclic forms using glucose.
- However, when procyclic forms use proline, TbAAT plays a crucial role in converting glutamate to alanine, with reduced activity leading to slower cell growth and less alanine production, highlighting its importance in proline metabolism, particularly in the tsetse fly vector.