The aerobic/anaerobic transition of glucose metabolism in Trypanosoma brucei.

The ratio of glycerol to pyruvate produced by T. brucei incubated with glucose at various oxygen tensions has been used as an index of the aerobic and anaerobic pathways of glucose metabolism. A minimal model is presented which fits the observed data. The value of the notional K of the aerobic/anaerobic transition from the model is close to that of the Km of trypanosomal glycerophosphate oxidase. The anaerobic pathway appears to be almost completely inoperative at oxygen tensions in the range of those found in venous and arterial blood.