Why does glycolysis take place in peroxisomes in trypanosomes?

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670205
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Juntendo University
• Principal Investigator: Nara Takeshi 順天堂大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (40276473)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MORALES Jorge 順天堂大学, 医学部, 助教 (20596126)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: トリパノソーマ / 解糖系 / ペルオキシソーム / オルガネラ進化 / ディプロネマ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The remodelling of organelle function is increasingly appreciated as a central driver of eukaryotic biodiversity and evolution. Kinetoplastids including Trypanosoma and Leishmania have evolved specialised peroxisomes, called glycosomes. Glycosomes uniquely contain a glycolytic pathway as well as other enzymes, which underpin the physiological flexibility of these major human pathogens. The sister group of kinetoplastids are the diplonemids, which are among the most abundant eukaryotes in marine plankton. Here we demonstrate the compartmentalisation of gluconeogenesis, or glycolysis in reverse, in the peroxisomes of the free-living marine diplonemid, Diplonema papillatum. Our results suggest that peroxisome modification was already underway in the common ancestor of kinetoplastids and diplonemids, and raise the possibility that the central importance of gluconeogenesis to carbon metabolism in the heterotrophic free-living ancestor may have been an important selective driver.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学