Regulation of amino acid transporters in Trypanosoma brucei by nutrient availability

Adaptation to changing nutritional environments plays an important role in the ability of Trypanosoma brucei to establish an infection when changing hosts, or during invasion of different host tissues. A well-known example being the adaption of a proline catabolism in procyclic forms compared to the glucose metabolism during the life of the parasite in mammalian blood. In this study we starved cultured procyclic T. brucei, for 2h or 6h, of amino acids or of glucose, and found multiple amino acid transporters as well as metabolic enzymes to be upregulated during both conditions. Additionally, we starved blood stream form T. brucei of amino acids as it might be encountered during invasion of the central spinal fluid.