Enzymatic detoxification of O<sub>2</sub> and NO in the human parasite, <i>Giardia intestinalis</i>: A mini review
IR@NISCAIR: CSIR-NISCAIR, New Delhi - ONLINE PERIODICALS REPOSITORY (NOPR)
View Archive Info| Field | Value | |
| Creator |
Testa, Fabrizio
Giuffrè, Alessandro Mastronicola, Daniela Forte, Elena Sarti, Paolo |
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| Date |
2011-10-31T10:31:58Z
2011-10-31T10:31:58Z 2011-10 |
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| Identifier |
0975-0967 (Online); 0972-5849 (Print)
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/12976 |
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| Description |
404-409
<i>Giardia intestinalis </i>is the etiological agent of <i>giardiasis</i>, a common human intestinal disease with 280 million cases per year. <i>G</i><i>iardiasis</i> is typically treated with the broad-range antibiotic metronidazole; however, the emergence of drug-resistant strains calls for the development of new anti-parasitic drugs. Very little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms adopted by <i>Giardia</i> to cope with the oxidative/nitrosative environmental stress, encountered by the parasite during colonization of the human intestine. <i>Giardia</i> is particularly sensitive to oxidative stress, as it lacks some of the most common ROS-detoxifying enzymes and it is endowed with O<sub>2</sub>-labile key metabolic enzymes. Surprisingly, it colonizes a fairly aerobic (up to 50 <img src='/image/spc_char/micro.gif' border=0> <i>M</i> O<sub>2</sub>) tract of the human gut (the upper part of the small intestine). Accordingly, survival of the parasite relies on antioxidant systems, though, as yet, the only two H<sub>2</sub>O-forming and O<sub>2</sub>-consuming enzymes described in <i>Giardia</i> are NADH oxidase and flavodiiron protein (FDP). Nitric oxide (NO) is an antimicrobial agent produced, together with ROS, by the host immune system to fight pathogens. <i>In vitro</i> NO-stress has been reported to have cytostatic, rather than cytotoxic, effects on <i>Giardia</i>. This effect leads to the suggestion that <i>Giardia</i> is endowed with defense mechanisms against NO and, very recently, the NO-detoxifying flavohemoglobin from it has been characterized. |
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| Language |
en_US
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| Publisher |
NISCAIR-CSIR, India
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| Rights |
<img src='http://nopr.niscair.res.in/image/cc-license-sml.png'> <a href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/in' target='_blank'>CC Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India</a>
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| Source |
IJBT Vol.10(4) [October 2011]
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| Subject |
Flavodiiron protein
Flavohemoglobin <i>Giardia intestinalis</i> NADH-oxidase Stress response |
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| Title |
Enzymatic detoxification of O<sub>2</sub> and NO in the human parasite, <i>Giardia intestinalis</i>: A mini review
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| Type |
Article
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