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Science 15 September 1978:
Vol. 201. no. 4360, pp. 1018 - 1020
DOI: 10.1126/science.356267
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Articles

Science, Vol 201, Issue 4360, 1018-1020
Copyright © 1978 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Antitrypanosomal effect of allopurinol: conversion in vivo to aminopyrazolopyrimidine nucleotides by Trypanosoma curzi

JJ Marr, RL Berens, and DJ Nelson

The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi metabolizes allopurinol by a sequential conversion to allopurinol mononucleotide and aminopurinol mononucleotide. The latter is incorporated into RNA. This transformation of a widely used innocuous agent, allopurinol, into a toxic adenine analog appears to account for the antiprotozoan effect of allopurinol. These unique enzymatic activities appear to occur only in T. cruzi and the pathogenic lesihaminae. Allopurinol may serve as a model for the synthesis of similar antiprotozoan agents.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Purine Nucleobase Transport in Amastigotes of Leishmania mexicana: Involvement in Allopurinol Uptake.
M. I. Al-Salabi and H. P. de Koning (2005)
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49, 3682-3689
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Comparative biochemistry and drug design for infectious disease.
S. Cohen (1979)
Science 205, 964-971
   Abstract »    PDF »


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