Electrophysiological characterization of potassium conductive pathways in Trypanosoma cruzi.

摘要: Potassium channels (K+ channels) are members of one the largest and most diverse families membrane proteins, widely described from bacteria to humans. Their functions include voltage-membrane potential maintenance, pH cell volume regulation, excitability, organogenesis death. K+ involved in sensing responsing environmental changes such as acidification, O2 pressure, osmolarity, ionic concentration. Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasitic protozoan, causative agent Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) an endemic pathology Latin America, where up 200,000 new cases reported annually. In protozoan parasites, presence has been suggested, but functional direct evidence supporting this hypothesis limited, mainly due difficulty employing conventional electrophysiological methods intact parasites. T. cruzi, conductive pathways thought contribute regulatory decrease observed under hyposmotic stress, steady state compensatory response extracellular acidification maintenance plasma potential. work we describe isolation enriched fractions epimastigotes, their reconstitution into giant liposomes first characterization by patch-clamp J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 1093–1102, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.