Abstract

;Three distinct DNA polymerase fractions (A, B and C), were isolated from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote forms. Fraction A is a low molecular mass enzyme corresponding to beta-like DNA polymerase of T. cruzi. Fraction B co-purified along several purification steps with fraction A, but in the last step it was clearly separated by a phosphocellulose chromatography. Fraction C was separated from fractions A and B by binding to DEAE-cellulose column, since the other two fractions were eluted in the flowthrough. This enzyme has an apparent native molecular mass of 100 kDa and showed it high preference for poly(dC)-oligo(dG) among different template-primers tested as substrate. Western-blot and biochemical analysis strongly suggest that the three DNA polymerase fractions correspond to different molecular entities. These results are in agreement with the idea that fraction C is a new DNA polymerase of T. cruzi, not described before. (C) 1000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.