Characterization of ecto-phosphatase activities of Trypanosoma cruzi: A comparative study between Colombiana and Y strains

The etiological agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, is consisted of two phylogenetic lineages. Using live epimastigotes, in this study we have characterized ecto-phosphatase activities of two strains of T. cruzi, one (Y strain) is a member of group T. cruzi I and the other (Colombiana) is a member of group T. cruzi II. About one-third of the total ecto-phosphatase activity from the Y strain was Mg2+-dependent, but no such activity was observed with Colombiana. The level of Mg2+-independent activity was dramatically different in the two strains, with Colombiana showing more than 15-fold higher activity. Experiments using classical inhibitors of acid phosphatases, as well as inhibitors of phosphotyrosine phosphatase, showed a decrease in these phosphatase activities, with different patterns of inhibition. The Mg2+-independent activities of the Colombiana and Y strains decreased inversely with pH, varying from 6.5 to 8.0. On the other hand, the Mg2+-dependent activity of the Y strain increased concomitantly with the increase in pH in the same range.