Comparative Metabolism of C14‐Glucose in Two Strains of Trypanosoma cruzi*

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Abstract
SYNOPSIS. The Tulahuen and Peruvian strains of Trypanosoma cruzi have been compared as to their ability to metabolize C14‐glucose uniformly labeled, or labeled in carbons 1, 2, or 6. Most of the radioactivity from uniformly labeled glucose is incorporated into organic acids in both strains, but significant radioactivity is also recovered in CO2. The Tulahuen strain has a slightly higher rate of glucose consumption, and the rate of incorporation of uniformly labeled glucose‐C14 into CO2 is also higher. More radioactivity is incorporated into proteins from uniformly labeled glucose‐C14 in the Tulahuen strain, but the radioactivity recovered in total organic acids is fairly similar in both cases. On the basis of the rates of C14O2 production from C14‐glucose specifically labeled in carbons 1, 2, or 6, as well as the rates of incorporation into glycerol from uniformly labeled C14‐glucose and glucose‐6‐C14, it is considered that the reactions of the pentose phosphate pathway play a more important role in the Tulahuen strain. The pentose phosphate pathway accounts for 41.4% of the glucose catabolized by the Tulahuen strain compared to only 27.9% in the Peruvian strain. It is suggested that differences in the participation of alternative pathways of carbohydrate metabolism may have some relationship to pathogenicity.