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Characterization of developmentally-regulated nucleases in promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania mexicana

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>02/1993
<mark>Journal</mark>FEMS Microbiology Letters
Issue number1
Volume107
Number of pages6
Pages (from-to)53-58
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The parasitic protozoon Leishmania mexicana was examined for the presence of 3'-nucleotidase/nuclease using substrate SDS-PAGE. Two activities were detected: one with an apparent molecular mass of 40 kDa, and a doublet of 29/31 kDa. The two enzymes showed differences in their levels of expression in the two life-cycle stages of parasite examined: the 29/31 kDa doublet was detected at 60-fold higher levels in the pathogenic amastigote stage, but was also expressed by promastigotes, whereas the 40 kDa activity was only detected in promastigotes. Both were capable of hydrolysing a variety of substrates including 3'-AMP and poly(A). However, the 29/31 kDa form showed a broader, unique substrate specificity in that it was also capable of digesting double-stranded RNA and DNA.