Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-08T07:40:17.302Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The uptake in vitro of dyes, monosaccharides and amino acids by the filarial worm Brugia pahangi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

S. N. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA
R. E. Howells
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA

Summary

The uptake in vitro of various substances by Brugia pahangi was investigated using infective larvae obtained from Aedes aegypti and worms removed from Meriones unguiculatus at 2, 3, 10, 20 and 90 days post-infection. Worms incubated in growth medium 199 containing 1% Trypan blue possessed demonstrable dye in the oral orifice, the anterior oesophageal lumen and the external openings of the vulva and the cloaca or anus but the dye was not found in the gut lumen even after incubation for 24 h. No uptake of ferritin particles into the intestine of the worms was found and no fluorescence could be demonstrated in the gut lumen of worms incubated in medium containing 50% (v/v) fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated calf serum for up to 24 h. Trypan blue uptake by the gut of Aspiculuris tetraptera was clearly observed after incubation for several hours. The uptake of D-glucose and L-leucine by B. pahangi was demonstrated using autoradiographic and scintillation counting techniques and incorporation into worm tissues was detected. Glucose was found to be readily incorporated in the apical, glycogen-rich areas of the myocytes of worms of all ages studied and in the uterine epithelium of the adult female. In contrast, a lower incorporation of D-glucose was found in the eggs, embryos and vas deferens and especially in the gut. The incorporation of L-leucine occurred throughout the tissue of the worms during a 30 mm incubation. Labelling was also located over the surface of the cuticle of the worms, when incubated for a period of 15 to 60 mm in L-[3H]leucine. Scintillation counting techniques demonstrated that there was no uptake of 14C-labelled L-glucose or sucrose by B. pahangi. The data presented on the uptake in vitro of nutrients or other compounds by infective larvae and adult stages of B. pahangi did not demonstrate an intestinal route of uptake but indicated that the transcuticular route of uptake may be employed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Baylis, H. A. (1947). The larval stages of the nematode Mermis nigrescens. Parasitology 38, 1016.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buckley, J. J. C. (1958). Tropical pulmonary eosinophilia in relation to filarial infections (Wuchereria spp.) of animals. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 52, 335–6.Google Scholar
Buckley, J. J. C. & Edeson, J. F. B. (1956). On the adult morphology of Wuchereria sp. (malayi?) from a monkey (Macaca irus) and from cats in Malaya, and Wuchereria pahangi n.sp. from a dog and a cat. Journal of Helminthology 30, 120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caro, L. G. & Van Tubergen, R. P. (1962). High resolution autoradiography. I. Method. Journal of Cell Biology 15, 173–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castro, G. A. & Fairbairn, D. (1969). Comparison of cuticular and intestinal absorption of glucose by adult Ascaris lumbricoides. Journal of Parasitology 55, 1316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chadwick, C. S. & Fothergill, J. E. (1962). Fluorochromes and their conjugation with protein. In Fluorescent Protein Tracing (ed. Nairn, R. E.), pp. 101–26. Edinburgh and London: E. and S. Livingstone.Google Scholar
Collin, W. K. (1971). Ultrastructural morphology of the esophageal region of the infective larva of Brugia pahangi. Journal of Parasitology 57, 449–68.Google Scholar
Despommier, D. D., Kajima, M. & Wostmann, B. S. (1967). Ferritin-conjugated antibody studies on the larvae of Trichinella spiralis. Journal of Parasitology 53, 618–24.Google Scholar
Fernando, M. A. & Wong, H. A. (1964). Metabolism of hookworms. II. Glucose metabolism and glycogen synthesis in adult female Ancylostoma caninum. Experimental Parasitology 15, 284–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gentner, H., Savage, W. R. & Castro, G. A. (1972). Disaccharidase activity in isolated brush border from the gut of Ascaris suum. Journal of Parasitology 58, 247–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gordon, R. & Webster, J. M. (1972). Nutritional requirements for protein synthesis during parasitic development of entomophilic nematode Mermis nigrescens. Parasitology 64, 161–72.Google Scholar
Hanna, R. E. B. (1975). Fasciola hepatica: an electron microscope autoradiographic study of protein synthesis and excretion by gut cells in tissue slices. Experimental Parasitology 38, 167–80.Google Scholar
Jackson, G. J. (1959). Fluorescent antibody studies of Trichinella spiralis infections. Journal of Infectious Diseases 105, 97117.Google ScholarPubMed
Jamuar, M. P. (1966). Cytochemical and electron microscope studies on the pharynx and intestinal epithelium of Nippostrongylus braziliensis. Journal of Parasitology 52, 1116–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, C. C. (1970). Ancylostoma caninum: intestinal pigment granules. Experimental Parasitology 27, 246–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, C. C. & Miller, J. H. (1969). Fine structure of the intestinal epithelium of Dirofilaria immitis and changes occurring after vermicidal treatment with caparsolate sodium. Journal of Parasitology 55, 1035–45.Google Scholar
Lee, D. L. (1965). The Physiology of Nematodes, pp. 36. Edinburgh and London: Oliver and Boyd.Google Scholar
Lotz, W. E. & Johnson, P. M. (1953). Preparation of microautographs with the use of stripping film. Nucleonics 11, 54.Google Scholar
MacDonald, W. W. (1962). The genetic basis of susceptibility to infection with semi-periodic Brugia malayi in Aedes aegypti. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 56, 373–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, C. K. & Kent, N. H. (1965). Excretions and secretions of Trichinella spiralis and their role in immunity. Experimental Parasitology 16, 300–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Neame, K. D. & Homewood, C. A. (1974). Introduction to Liquid Scintillation Counting, pp. 83114. London: Butterworth and Co. (Publishers) Ltd.Google Scholar
Nicholas, W. L. (1972). The fine structure of the cuticle of Heterotylenchus. Nematologia 9, 138–40.Google Scholar
Oliver-Gonzalez, J. (1941). The dual antibody basis of acquired immunity to trichinosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases 69, 254–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pappas, P. W. & Read, C. P. (1975). Membrane transport in helminth parasites: a review. Experimental Parasitology 37, 469530.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Poinar, G. O. Jr & Hess, R. (1977). Romanomermis culicivorax: morphological evidence of transcuticular uptake. Experimental Parasitology 42, 2733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Read, C. P. (1966). Nutrition of intestinal helminths. In Biology of Parasites – Emphasis on Veterinary Parasites (ed. Soulsby, E. J. L.), pp. 101–26. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Riding, I. L. (1970). Microvilli on the outside of a nematode. Nature, London 226, 179–80.Google Scholar
Rogers, R., Denham, D. A. & Nelson, G. S. (1974). Studies with Brugia pahangi. 5. Structure of the cuticle. Journal of Helminthology 48, 113–17.Google Scholar
Rutherford, T. A. & Webster, J. M. (1974). Transcuticular uptake of glucose by the entomophilic nematode Mermis nigrescens. Journal of Parasitology 60, 804–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sadun, E. H. (1963). Seminar on immunity to parasitic helminths VII. Fluorescent antibody technique for helminthic infections. Experimental Parasitology 13, 7282.Google Scholar
Schacher, J. F. (1962). Developmental stages of Brugia pahangi in the final host. Journal of Parasitology 48, 693706.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sheffield, H. G. (1964). Electron microscopy studies on the intestine epithelium of Ascaris suum. Journal of Parasitology 50, 365–79.Google Scholar
Sommerville, R. I. & Davey, K. G. (1976). Stimuli for cuticle formation and ecdysis in vitro of the infective larva of Anisakis sp. (Nematoda: Ascaridoidea). International Journal for Parasitology 6, 433–9.Google Scholar
Stoner, R. D. & Hankes, L. V. (1958). In vitro metabolism of DL-tyrosine-2-C-14 and DL-tryptophan-2-C-14 by Trichinella spiralis larvae. Experimental Parasitology 7, 145–51.Google Scholar
Thorsell, W. & Bjorkman, N. (1965). Morphological and biochemical studies on the absorption and secretion in the alimentary tract of Fasciola hepatica, L. Journal of Parasitology 51, 217–23.Google Scholar
Von Brand, T. (1966). Biochemistry of Parasites, pp. 254. NewYork and London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Von Brand, T. (1973). Biochemistry of Parasites, pp. 91. NewYork and London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Van Den Bossche, H. & Borgers, M. (1973). Subcellular distribution of digestive enzymes in Ascaris suum intestine. International Journal for Parasitology 3, 5965.Google Scholar
Wade, J. O. (1976). A new design of membrane feeder incorporating an electrical blood stirring device. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 70, 113–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wong, H. A. & Fernando, M. A. (1970). Ancylostoma caninum: uptake of 14C-glucose in vitro. Experimental Parasitology 28, 253–7.Google Scholar
Zam, S. G., Martin, W. E. & Thomas, L. J. Jr (1963). In vitro uptake of Co60-vitamin B12 by Ascaris suum. Journal of Parasitology 49, 190–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed