Section: New Results

Metabolic cooperation of symbionts and their host trypanosomatids

Trypanosomatids that harbour a symbiotic bacterium (SHTs) are known to have less nutritional requirements when compared to their counterparts without symbionts (RTs). Nutritional and biochemical data indicated that the symbionts largely contributed to the routes for amino acid and vitamin biosynthesis. We analysed the genomic data of 5 SHTs and their respective symbionts and 2 RTs and we found most of the genes related to those pathways in the symbionts. This work will soon be submitted for publication. It is being done with Ana Tereza Vasconcelos in a collaboration with Erney P. Camargo, Marta M.G. Teixeira (USP - Brazil), João M.P. Alves, Gregory A. Buck (VCU - USA), and Maria Cristina Machado Motta (UFRJ - Brazil).