Purification, cloning, and expression of the mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH) from protoscolices of Echinococcus granulosus.

Protoscolices of the parasitic helminth Echinococcus granulosus contain two malate dehydrogenases (EC 1.1.1.

Effects of buthionine sulfoximine nifurtimox and benznidazole upon trypanothione and metallothionein proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Proteins rich in sulfhydryl groups, such as metallothionein, are present in several strains of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease. Metallothionein-like protein concentrations ranged from 5.1 to 13.

Trypanosoma cruzi: effect and mode of action of nitroimidazole and nitrofuran derivatives.

With the aim of determining the actual target(s) of nitro-group bearing compounds considered as possible leads for the development of drugs against Chagas' disease, we studied in parallel nitrofurans and nitroimidazoles. We investigated nine representative compounds for the following properties: efficacy on different Trypanosoma cruzi strains, redox cyclers, inhibition of respiration, production of corresponding nitroso derivatives and intracellular thiol scavengers. Our results indicate that nifurtimox and related compounds act as redox cyclers, whereas the most active in the series, the 5-nitroimidazole megazol essentially acts as thiol scavenger particularly for trypanothione, the cofactor for trypanothione reductase, an essential enzyme in the detoxification process.

Two casein kinase 1 isoforms are differentially expressed in Trypanosoma cruzi.

The cDNAs for two casein kinase 1 (CK1) homologues, TcCK1.1 and TcCK1.2, have been isolated from Trypanosoma cruzi.