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Histochemical localization of key glycolytic and related enzymes in adult Onchocerca fasciata

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2009

M.S. Omar  and
A.M.S. Raoof
M.S. Omar
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology
A.M.S. Raoof
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Box 641, Abha, Saudi Arabia
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Abstract

The activities of some key enzymes of the glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways were investigated histochemically in adult female Onchocerca fasciata (Nematoda: Filarioidea). The distribution patterns of phosphofructokinase (PFK), aldolase (ALD), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) in different tissues of the worm were determined by employing NitroBlue Tetrazolium (NBT). The glycolytic enzymes PFK, ALD, and G3PDH were distributed throughout the hypodermal tissue, somatic muscles and reproductive organs. These enzyme activities were predominantly expressed in the hypodermal and reproductive tissues, both of which appeared to be metabolically more active than adjacent tissues. The high activities of the enzymes studied in the hypodermal tissue when compared with the minimal or low activity in the intestinal epithelium support the assumption that the worm's intestine, in contrast to the body wall, plays no significant role in the nutrient acquisition process. The results emphasize that both the glycolytic and hexose monophosphate pathways of carbohydrate metabolism are active components in energy production and biosynthetic processes in the various tissues of the worm. The functional significance of these glucose-metabolizing enzymes has been discussed with regard to their location in the tissues concerned.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 68 , Issue 4 , December 1994 , pp. 337 - 341
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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