L-arginine availability and arginase activity: Characterization of amino acid permease 3 in Leishmania amazonensis.

In this report, we described the differential transcriptional profiling of amino acids transporters from La-WT and La-arg- promastigotes and axenic amastigotes. We also showed the increased AAP3 levels under amino acid starvation or its decrease in L-arginine supplementation. The differential AAP3 expression was determined in the differentiation of promastigotes to amastigotes conditions, as well as the detection of AAP3 in the plasma membrane reflecting in the L-arginine uptake. Our data suggest that depending on the amino acid pool and arginase activity, Leishmania senses and could use an alternative route for the amino acid transport in response to stress signaling.