α-Glucosidase isoform G contributes to heme detoxification in Rhodnius prolixus and its knockdown affects Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclogenesis.

ABSTRACT: The triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus is a hematophagous hemipteran and a primary vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease (CD), in Central America and Northern South America. Blood-feeding poses significant challenges for hematophagous organisms, particularly due to the release of high doses of pro-oxidant free heme during hemoglobin digestion. In this arthropod, most of the free heme in the gut is aggregated into hemozoin (Hz), an inert and non-oxidative biocrystal. Two major components present in the perimicrovillar membranes (PMM) of triatomine insects have been previously implicated in heme crystallization: lipids and the biochemical marker of the PMM, the enzyme α-glucosidase. In this study, we investigated the role of R. prolixus α-gluc

SUBMITTER: Maissner FF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11539128 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature