Glycerol, a metabolic end product of Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus.

ABSTRACT

Glycerol was demonstrated as an end product of anaerobic glucose metabolism in Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus, produced in addition to acetate, H2, CO2, and lactate or succinate. In T. vaginalis strain C-1, glycerol amounted to 16% of the fermentation products and was formed at an average rate of 38 nmol min-1 (mg protein)-1. Corresponding figures for T. foetus strain KV1 were 7% and 4.8 nmol min-1 (mg protein)-1. The amounts of glycerol detected compensated almost exactly for the deficits in fermentation products recognized earlier, thus complete redox balances can now be provided for both organisms. The metronidazole-resistant T. foetus strain KV1-1MR-100 excreted only negligible amounts of glycerol and carried out an ethanol-CO2 fermentation. Aerobiosis hardly affected glycerol formation in T. vaginalis strains C-1 and NYH 286, but almost completely abolished it in T. foetus strain KV1. An NADP-dependent glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and a Mg2+-dependent glycerol 3-phosphatase were detected in the cytosol of both species. The phosphatase is distinct from the particle-bound nonspecific acid phosphatase. Glycerol kinase activity was not detected in either organism. Enhanced pCO2 did not affect the ratio of fermentation products in T. vaginalis strain C-1, but significantly increased the amount of succinate, and decreased the amounts of acetate, H2, and CO2, formed by T. foetus.