On the occurrence of thioredoxin in Trypanosoma cruzi

The full coding sequence for thioredoxin from Trypanosoma cruzi (TcTRX) strain Tulahuen O has been cloned into the pRSETA vector. The protein was expressed in Escherichia coli with an N-terminal extension of six histidine residues for purification through metal ion chromatography. The biological activity of recombinant TcTRX was proved utilizing the insulin reduction assay. Amino acid sequence alignment indicates a high identity of TcTRX with thioredoxins from different sources. Immunocytochemistry assays showed that TcTRX is present in epimastigote forms of T. cruzi, thus, indicating that the gene is expressed in vivo, rather than being a pseudogene. The in vivo occurrence of TcTRX points out the necessity of considering this protein as a molecular component of the redox metabolism in trypanosomatids.