A highly selective, high-affinity transporter for uracil in Trypanosoma brucei brucei: evidence for proton-dependent transport

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Abstract
The presence of an uptake mechanism for uracil in procyclic forms of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei brucei was investigated. Uptake of [3H]uracil at 22°C was rapid and saturable and appeared to be mediated by a single high-affinity transporter, designated U1, with an apparent Km of 0.46 ± 0.09 µM and a Vmax of 0.65 ± 0.08 pmol·(107 cells)-1·s-1. [3H]Uracil uptake was not inhibited by a broad range of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and nucleobases (concentrations up to 1 mM), with the exception of uridine, which acted as an apparent weak inhibitor (Ki value of 48 ± 15 µM). Similarly, most chemical analogues of uracil, such as 5-chlorouracil, 3-deazauracil, and 2-thiouracil, had little or no affinity for the U1 carrier. Only 5-fluorouracil was found to be a relatively potent inhibitor of uracil uptake (Ki = 3.2 ± 0.4 µM). Transport of uracil was independent of extracellular sodium and potassium gradients, as replacement of NaCl in the assay buffer by N-methyl-D-glucamine, KCl, LiCl, CsCl, or RbCl did not affect initial rates of transport. However, the proton ionophore carbonyl cyanide chlorophenylhydrazone inhibited up to 70% of [3H]uracil flux. These data show that uracil uptake in T. b. brucei procyclics is mediated by a single high-affinity transporter with high substrate selectivity and are consistent with a nucleobase-H+-symporter model for this carrier.Key words: uracil, trypanosome, proton-nucleobase cotransport, nucleobase transport.

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