The effect of nutritional and oxidative stress on the metabolome of
Trypanosoma cruzi
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan, is the causative
agent of Chagas disease. The parasite has developed various mechanisms
to get through its intricate life cycle and adapt to different
evolutionary phases. T. cruzi proliferates in the insect vector’s
digestive tract as an epimastigote form, encountering fluctuating
nutrient availability and oxidative stress caused by the digestion of
red blood cells from the mammalian host blood meal. To unravel how the
parasite’s metabolism adapts to these changing conditions, we conducted
an analysis of the chemical species present in epimastigote forms. This
involved comparing cultured parasites with those subjected to
nutritional deficiency or oxidative stress using untargeted
metabolomics. We looked at twenty-one samples: seven biological copies
of parasites that were actively growing, seven samples that were put in
a medium without nutrients for three hours, and seven samples that were
treated with glucose oxidase for thirty minutes to make H
2O 2 continuously. Importantly, in all
conditions, parasite viability was maintained when the samples were
collected. Upon nutrient removal, we observed a substantial decrease in
amino acids and carbohydrate metabolites, accompanied by the
accumulation of fatty acids and steroids, with the predominance of
inositol and sphingolipid metabolism, along with a simultaneous decrease
in the levels of H 2O 2. In the presence
of H 2O 2, a significant rise in
components of the pentose pathway and specific amino acids such as
methionine and serine occurred, along with pathways related to an
increase in antioxidant species metabolism such as ribulose 5-phosphate
and glyceric acid. Conversely, fatty acid and steroid levels decrease.
We found no common increase in metabolites or lipids. In contrast, eight
species (succinic acid, glutamic acid, valine, 2-hydroxyisocaproic acid,
alanine, indolelactic acid, proline, and lanosterol) were consumed under
both stresses. These findings underscore the rapid and distinct
enrichment responses in amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrates required
to cope with each different environmental condition. This information
not only enhances our understanding of T. cruzi’s metabolic
flexibility but also opens avenues for studying cellular metabolism
changes in diverse environments used by the parasite.