Nucleoside transporters in Leishmania major: diversity in adenosine transporter expression or function in different strains
Baer, H.P.; Serignese, V.; Ogbunude, P.O.; Dzimiri, M.
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 47(1): 87-91
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9637 PMID: 1636887 Document Number: 401941
As part of drug development studies, the effect of a number of nucleosides (100 micro M) on the cellular transport of superscript 3H-adenosine and superscript 3H-inosine (each at 1 micro M) in promastigotes from 4 L. major strains (SU59, 126, 52 and 49) was investigated. When superscript 3H-inosine was used as permeant, all strains exhibited essentially the same inhibition profile, with unlabelled inosine, guanosine, formycin B, and 3'-deoxyinosine being strongly inhibitory, and adenosine-related compounds such as 2'-deoxyadenosine and tubercidin being inactive. However, when superscript 3H-adenosine was used as permeant, considerable differences in the inhibition profiles were noted among strains. Thus, both inosine transporter-selective nucleosides such as inosine and guanosine and adenosine transporter-selective nucleosides such as 2'-deoxyadenosine and tubercidin showed variable activity as inhibitors of superscript 3H-adenosine transport in different strains. These observations indicated that an adenosine transporter was variably expressed in different strains, and that inhibition profiles for adenosine transport indicated cellular entry via both the inosine and adenosine transporters. The existence of different types of adenosine transporters as an alternative explanation could not be ruled out. The apparent uniform expression of an inosine transporter among different species and strains of Leishmania suggests that inosine derivatives may be useful as anti-leishmanial drugs.