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Hexokinase Activity in Cell-free Extracts of Leishmania donovani

Abstract

Leishmania donovani, the protozoan organism causing visceral leishmaniasis, is known to utilize glucose and other carbohydrate substrates for its continued metabolic activity. The evidence available, however, does not show whether phosphorylation plays a direct or an indirect part in the utilization of carbohydrates by this organism. During an investigation into the mechanism of utilization of various carbohydrates by L. donovani, strong hexokinase activity has been detected in the cell-free extracts of this organism. L. donovani, strain 81, cultured on Ray's medium1 at 24° C. and recycled every three weeks from the N.N.N. medium, was used in this study. After growth for three days on Ray's medium, the organism was scraped from the surface of the agar, washed once with ice-cold isotonic saline and ground with glass powder, with gradual additions of ice-cold isotonic saline. Isotonic potassium chloride in place of sodium chloride was found to be equally satisfactory. The crushed suspension was centrifuged at 3,000 r.p.m. for 5 min. and the supernatant was used as crude enzyme extract.

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CHATTERJEE, A., RAY, J. & GHOSH, J. Hexokinase Activity in Cell-free Extracts of Leishmania donovani . Nature 182, 109–110 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1038/182109a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/182109a0

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