Metabolism of [3-13C]alanine in liver of mice infected with cysticerci of Taenia crassiceps

I. Corbin, B. J. Blackburn, M. Novak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Carbon-13-decoupled proton spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, with and without 13C population inversion, was used to study carbon flow between the host and the parasite in the mouse - Taenia crassiceps system. This NMR analysis revealed that 2 h after intraduodenal injection of [3-13C]alanine, livers from both uninfected mice and those infected with cysticerci of T. crassiceps contained 13C label in glycogen, glucose, succinate, glutamate, alanine, and lactate. Livers of infected animals had a lower percentage of 13C in alanine, indicating increased utilization of the substrate. In addition, infected mice had a lower concentration of total hepatic glucose and glutamate. The data are consistent with an increased rate of gluconeogenesis in the liver of infected animals. Cysticerci possessed 13C label in glucose, acetate, alanine, and lactate. Since these metacestodes are unable to make glucose de novo from pyruvate, labelled glucose found in cysticerci had to be newly synthesized via the host gluconeogenic pathway and then siphoned off by the parasite.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1367-1372
Number of pages6
JournalCanadian Journal of Zoology
Volume77
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Animal Science and Zoology

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