Publications

• Host-derived glucose and its transporter in the obligate intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii are dispensable by glutaminolysis.

  Blume M., Rodriguez-Contreras D., Landfear S., Fleige T., Soldati-Favre D., Lucius R., Gupta N.

  Toxoplasma gondii, as an obligate intracellular and promiscuous pathogen of mammalian cells, utilizes host sugars for energy and to generate glycoconjugates that are important to its survival and virulence. Here, we report that T. gondii glucose transporter (TgGT1) is proficient in transporting ma ... >> More

  Toxoplasma gondii, as an obligate intracellular and promiscuous pathogen of mammalian cells, utilizes host sugars for energy and to generate glycoconjugates that are important to its survival and virulence. Here, we report that T. gondii glucose transporter (TgGT1) is proficient in transporting mannose, galactose, and fructose besides glucose, and serves as a major hexose transporter at its plasma membrane. Toxoplasma harbors 3 additional putative sugar transporters (TgST1-3), of which TgST2 is expressed at its surface, whereas TgST1 and TgST3 are intracellular. Surprisingly, TgGT1 and TgST2 are nonessential to the parasite as their ablations inflict only a 30% or no defect in its intracellular growth, respectively. Indeed, Toxoplasma can also tolerate the deletion of both genes while incurring no further growth phenotype. Unlike Deltatgst2, the modest impairment in Deltatggt1 and Deltatggt1/Deltatgst2 mutants is because of a minor delay in their intracellular replication, which is a direct consequence of the abolished import of glucose. The Deltatggt1 displays an attenuated motility in defined minimal media that is rescued by glutamine. TgGT1-complemented parasites show an entirely restored growth, motility, and sugar import. The lack of exogenous glucose in Deltatggt1 culture fails to accentuate its intrinsic growth defect and prompts it to procure glutamine to sustain its metabolism. Unexpectedly, in vivo virulence of Deltatggt1 in mice remains unaffected. Taken together, our data demonstrate that glucose is nonessential for T. gondii tachyzoites, underscore glutamine is a complement substrate, and provide a basis for understanding the adaptation of T. gondii to diverse host cells. << Less

  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:12998-13003(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 3 other entries.

• Kinetic analysis of the liver-type (GLUT2) and brain-type (GLUT3) glucose transporters in Xenopus oocytes: substrate specificities and effects of transport inhibitors.

  Colville C.A., Seatter M.J., Jess T.J., Gould G.W., Thomas H.M.

  We have expressed the human isoforms of the liver-type (GLUT2) and brain-type (GLUT3) facilitative glucose transporters in oocytes from Xenopus laevis via injection of in vitro transcribed mRNA. As reported previously [Gould, Thomas, Jess and Bell (1991) Biochemistry 30, 5139-5145], GLUT2 mediates ... >> More

  We have expressed the human isoforms of the liver-type (GLUT2) and brain-type (GLUT3) facilitative glucose transporters in oocytes from Xenopus laevis via injection of in vitro transcribed mRNA. As reported previously [Gould, Thomas, Jess and Bell (1991) Biochemistry 30, 5139-5145], GLUT2 mediates the transport of fructose and galactose, and GLUT3 mediates the transport of galactose. We have examined the effects of D-glucose, D-fructose and maltose on deoxyglucose transport in oocytes expressing GLUT2, and D-glucose, D-galactose and maltose on deoxyglucose transport in oocytes expressing GLUT3, and show that each sugar is a competitive inhibitor of transport. Moreover, D-glucose and maltose competitively inhibit fructose transport by GLUT2 and galactose transport by GLUT3, indicating that the transport of the alternative substrates for these transporters is likely to be mediated by the same outward-facing sugar-binding site used by glucose. Cytochalasin B is a non-competitive inhibitor of glucose transport by the well-characterized GLUT1 isoform. We show here that cytochalasin B is also a non-competitive inhibitor of the transport of deoxyglucose and alternative substrates by GLUT2 and GLUT3 expressed in oocytes. Km and Ki values for each substrate and inhibitor are presented for each isoform, together with further analysis of the binding sites for alternative substrates for these transporter isoforms. << Less

  Biochem. J. 290:701-706(1993) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]