Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Differentiating Leishmania Parasites Reveals a Unique Stage-Specific Phosphorylation Motif

Comparative analysis of phosphorylated proteomes between plerocercoid and adult Spirometra mansoni reveals phosphoproteomic profiles of the medical tapeworm

BACKGROUND

Plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Spirometra mansoni can infect both humans and animals, leading to severe parasitic zoonosis worldwide. Despite ongoing research efforts, our understanding of the developmental process of S. mansoni remains inadequate. To better characterize posttranslational regulation associated with parasite growth, development, and reproduction, a comparative phosphoproteomic study was conducted on the plerocercoid and adult stages of S. mansoni.

METHODS

In this study, site-specific phosphoproteomic analysis was conducted via 4D label-free quantitative analysis technology to obtain primary information about the overall phosphorylation status of plerocercoids and adults.

RESULTS

A total of 778 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were detected between adults and plerocercoids, of which 704 DAPs were upregulated and only 74 were downregulated. DAPs involved in metabolic activity were upregulated in plerocercoid larvae compared with adults, whereas DAPs associated with binding were upregulated in adults. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes (KEGG) analyses indicated that most DAPs involved in signal transduction and environmental information processing pathways were highly active in adults. DAPs upregulated in the plerocercoid group were enriched mainly in metabolic activities. The kinases PKACA, GSK3B, and smMLCK closely interact, suggesting potential active roles in the growth and development of S. mansoni.

CONCLUSIONS

The dataset presented in this study offers a valuable resource for forthcoming research on signaling pathways as well as new insights into functional studies on the molecular mechanisms of S. mansoni.

Phosphoproteomic analysis reveals changes in A-Raf-related protein phosphorylation in response to Toxoplasma gondii infection in porcine macrophages

BACKGROUND

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes severe threats to humans and livestock. Macrophages are the cell type preferentially infected by T. gondii in vivo. Protein phosphorylation is an important posttranslational modification involved in diverse cellular functions. A rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma kinase (A-Raf) is a member of the Raf family of serine/threonine protein kinases that is necessary for MAPK activation. Our previous research found that knockout of A-Raf could reduce T. gondii-induced apoptosis in porcine alveolar macrophages (3D4/21 cells). However, limited information is available on protein phosphorylation variations and the role of A-Raf in macrophages infected with T. gondii.

METHODS

We used immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) in combination with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to profile changes in phosphorylation in T. gondii-infected 3D4/21 and 3D4/21-ΔAraf cells.

RESULTS

A total of 1647 differentially expressed phosphorylated proteins (DEPPs) with 3876 differentially phosphorylated sites (DPSs) were identified in T. gondii-infected 3D4/21 cells (p3T group) when compared with uninfected 3D4/21 cells (pho3 group), and 959 DEPPs with 1540 DPSs were identified in the p3T group compared with infected 3D4/21-ΔAraf cells (p3KT group). Venn analysis revealed 552 DPSs corresponding to 406 DEPPs with the same phosphorylated sites when comparing p3T/pho3 versus p3T/p3KT, which were identified as DPSs and DEPPs that were directly or indirectly related to A-Raf.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results revealed distinct responses of macrophages to T. gondii infection and the potential roles of A-Raf in fighting infection via phosphorylation of crucial proteins.

The protein map of the protozoan parasite Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum during growth phase transition and temperature stress

Leishmania parasites cause a spectrum of diseases termed leishmaniasis, which manifests in two main clinical forms, cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Leishmania promastigotes transit from proliferative exponential to quiescent stationary phases inside the insect vector, a relevant step that recapitulates early molecular events of metacyclogenesis. During the insect blood meal of the mammalian hosts, the released parasites interact initially with the skin, an event marked by temperature changes. Deep knowledge on the molecular events activated during Leishmania-host interactions in each step is crucial to develop better therapies and to understand the pathogenesis. In this study, the proteomes of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis (La), Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis (Lb), and Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (syn L. L. chagasi) (Lc) were analyzed using quantitative proteomics to uncover the proteome modulation in three different conditions related to growth phases and temperature shifts: 1) exponential phase (Exp); 2) stationary phase (Sta25) and; 3) stationary phase subjected to heat stress (Sta34). Functional validations were performed using orthogonal techniques, focusing on α-tubulin, gp63 and heat shock proteins (HSPs). Species-specific and condition-specific modulation highlights the plasticity of the Leishmania proteome, showing that pathways related to metabolism and cytoskeleton are significantly modulated from exponential to stationary growth phases, while protein folding, unfolded protein binding, signaling and microtubule-based movement were differentially altered during temperature shifts. This study provides an in-depth proteome analysis of three Leishmania spp., and contributes compelling evidence of the molecular alterations of these parasites in conditions mimicking the interaction of the parasites with the insect vector and vertebrate hosts. SIGNIFICANCE: Leishmaniasis disease manifests in two main clinical forms according to the infecting Leishmania species and host immune responses, cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. In Brazil, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is associated with L. braziliensis and L. amazonensis, while visceral leishmaniasis, also called kala-azar, is caused by L. infantum. Leishmania parasites remodel their proteomes during growth phase transition and changes in their mileu imposed by the host, including temperature. In this study, we performed a quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to compare the proteome of three New world Leishmania species, L. amazonensis (La), L. braziliensis (Lb) and L. infantum (syn L. chagasi) (Lc) in three conditions: a) exponential phase at 25 °C (Exp); b) stationary phase at 25 °C (Sta25) and; c) stationary phase subjected to temperature stress at 34 °C (Sta34). This study provides an in-depth proteome analysis of three Leishmania spp. with varying pathophysiological outcomes, and contributes compelling evidence of the molecular alterations of these parasites in conditions mimicking the interaction of the parasites with the insect vector and vertebrate hosts.

A divergent protein kinase A regulatory subunit essential for morphogenesis of the human pathogen Leishmania

Parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania cycle between the phagolysosome of mammalian macrophages, where they reside as rounded intracellular amastigotes, and the midgut of female sand flies, which they colonize as elongated extracellular promastigotes. Previous studies indicated that protein kinase A (PKA) plays an important role in the initial steps of promastigote differentiation into amastigotes. Here, we describe a novel regulatory subunit of PKA (which we have named PKAR3) that is unique to Leishmania and most (but not all) other Kinetoplastidae. PKAR3 is localized to subpellicular microtubules (SPMT) in the cell cortex, where it recruits a specific catalytic subunit (PKAC3). Promastigotes of pkar3 or pkac3 null mutants lose their elongated shape and become rounded but remain flagellated. Truncation of an N-terminal formin homology (FH)-like domain of PKAR3 results in its detachment from the SPMT, also leading to rounded promastigotes. Thus, the tethering of PKAC3 via PKAR3 at the cell cortex is essential for maintenance of the elongated shape of promastigotes. This role of PKAR3 is reminiscent of PKARIβ and PKARIIβ binding to microtubules of mammalian neurons, which is essential for the elongation of dendrites and axons, respectively. Interestingly, PKAR3 binds nucleoside analogs, but not cAMP, with a high affinity similar to the PKAR1 isoform of Trypanosoma. We propose that these early-diverged protists have re-purposed PKA for a novel signaling pathway that spatiotemporally controls microtubule remodeling and cell shape.

Potential selection of antimony and methotrexate cross-resistance in Leishmania infantum circulating strains

BACKGROUND

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) resolution depends on a wide range of factors, including the instauration of an effective treatment coupled to a functional host immune system. Patients with a depressed immune system, like the ones receiving methotrexate (MTX), are at higher risk of developing VL and refusing antileishmanial drugs. Moreover, the alarmingly growing levels of antimicrobial resistance, especially in endemic areas, contribute to the increasing the burden of this complex zoonotic disease.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

To understand the potential links between immunosuppressants and antileishmanial drugs, we have studied the interaction of antimony (Sb) and MTX in a Leishmania infantum reference strain (LiWT) and in two L. infantum clinical strains (LiFS-A and LiFS-B) naturally circulating in non-treated VL dogs in Spain. The LiFS-A strain was isolated before Sb treatment in a case that responded positively to the treatment, while the LiFS-B strain was recovered from a dog before Sb treatment, with the dog later relapsing after the treatment. Our results show that, exposure to Sb or MTX leads to an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in LiWT which correlates with a sensitive phenotype against both drugs in promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. LiFS-A was sensitive against Sb but resistant against MTX, displaying high levels of protection against ROS when exposed to MTX. LiFS-B was resistant to both drugs. Evaluation of the melting proteomes of the two LiFS, in the presence and absence of Sb and MTX, showed a differential enrichment of direct and indirect targets for both drugs, including common and unique pathways.

CONCLUSION

Our results show the potential selection of Sb-MTX cross-resistant parasites in the field, pointing to the possibility to undermine antileishmanial treatment of those patients being treated with immunosuppressant drugs in Leishmania endemic areas.

Inhibition of HSP90 distinctively modulates the global phosphoproteome of Leishmania mexicana developmental stages

IMPORTANCE

In the unicellular parasites Leishmania spp., the etiological agents of leishmaniasis, a complex infectious disease that affects 98 countries in 5 continents, chemical inhibition of HSP90 protein leads to differentiation from promastigote to amastigote stage. Recent studies indicate potential role for protein phosphorylation in the life cycle control of Leishmania. Also, recent studies suggest a fundamentally important role of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in regulating the downstream effects of the HSP90 inhibition in Leishmania. Phosphorylation-dephosphorylation dynamics of RBPs in higher eukaryotes serves as an important on/off switch to regulate RNA processing and decay in response to extracellular signals and cell cycle check points. In the current study, using a combination of highly sensitive TMT labeling-based quantitative proteomic MS and robust phosphoproteome enrichment, we show for the first time that HSP90 inhibition distinctively modulates global protein phosphorylation landscapes in the different life cycle stages of Leishmania, shedding light into a crucial role of the posttranslational modification in the differentiation of the parasite under HSP90 inhibition stress. We measured changes in phosphorylation of many RBPs and signaling proteins including protein kinases upon HSP90 inhibition in the therapeutically relevant amastigote stage. This work provides insights into the importance of HSP90-mediated protein cross-talks and regulation of phosphorylation in Leishmania, thus significantly expanding our knowledge of the posttranslational modification in Leishmania biology.

LeishMANIAdb: a comparative resource for Leishmania proteins

Leishmaniasis is a detrimental disease causing serious changes in quality of life and some forms can lead to death. The disease is spread by the parasite Leishmania transmitted by sandfly vectors and their primary hosts are vertebrates including humans. The pathogen penetrates host cells and secretes proteins (the secretome) to repurpose cells for pathogen growth and to alter cell signaling via host-pathogen protein-protein interactions). Here, we present LeishMANIAdb, a database specifically designed to investigate how Leishmania virulence factors may interfere with host proteins. Since the secretomes of different Leishmania species are only partially characterized, we collated various experimental evidence and used computational predictions to identify Leishmania secreted proteins to generate a user-friendly unified web resource allowing users to access all information available on experimental and predicted secretomes. In addition, we manually annotated host-pathogen interactions of 211 proteins and the localization/function of 3764 transmembrane (TM) proteins of different Leishmania species. We also enriched all proteins with automatic structural and functional predictions that can provide new insights in the molecular mechanisms of infection. Our database may provide novel insights into Leishmania host-pathogen interactions and help to identify new therapeutic targets for this neglected disease. Database URL  https://leishmaniadb.ttk.hu/.

Transgenic overexpression of heat shock protein (HSP83) enhances protein kinase A activity, disrupts GP63 surface protease expression and alters promastigote morphology in Leishmania amazonensis

Leishmania parasites undergo morphological changes during their infectious life cycle, including developmental transitions within the sandfly vector, culminating in metacyclic stages that are pre-adapted for infection. Upon entering vertebrate host phagocytes, Leishmania differentiate into intracellular amastigotes, the form that is ultimately transmitted back to the vector to complete the life cycle. Although environmental conditions that induce these cellular transitions are well-established, molecular mechanisms governing Leishmania morphologic differentiation in response to these cues remain largely uncharacterized. Previous studies indicate a key role for HSP83 in both promastigote metacyclogenesis and amastigote differentiation. To further elucidate HSP83 functions in the Leishmania lifecycle, we examined the biological impact of experimentally elevating HSP83 gene expression in Leishmania. Significantly, HSP83 overexpression was associated with altered metacyclic morphology, increased protein kinase A (PKA) activity and decreased expression of the Leishmania major surface protease, GP63. Corroborating these findings, overexpression of the L. amazonensis PKA catalytic subunit resulted in a largely similar phenotype. Our findings demonstrate for the first time in Leishmania, a functional link between HSP83 and PKA in the control of Leishmania gene expression, replication and morphogenesis.

In Vitro and In Silico Studies of Kinase Inhibitor of MAPK3 Protein to Determine Leishmania martiniquensis Treatment

PURPOSE

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of the phlebotomine female sand fly. Currently, no reported effective vaccines are available for the treatment of leishmaniasis; consequently, restricting this disease completely depends on controlling its transmission. Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases have been reported to be involved in the regulation of the flagellum length and hence play an important role in disease transmission, especially the MAPK3 protein. Therefore, the current work focused on identifying approved drugs that can inhibit the MAPK3 protein.

METHODS

First, the recombinant plasmid (pET28b( +) MAPK3) was cloned into E. coli strain BL21 using the heatshock method. Afterward, E. coli was induced using IPTG, and cells were harvested for protein purification in the next step. After that, the MAPK3 protein was purified using Ni-NTA column. Then, the inhibition kinase activity of the purified MAPK3 protein was performed using an ADP-Glo^™ Kinase Assay kit. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of Leishmania cells were detected by alamarBlue^™ Cell Viability Reagent. Finally, the binding affinity within the binding site of MAPK3 protein was performed by computational methods.

RESULTS

Purification of the MAPK3 protein was done using an Ni-NTA column and a protein band was identified at the expected 44 kDa molecular weight. Afterward, the ability of commercial drugs (afatinib and lapatinib) to inhibit the purified MAPK3 kinase activity was performed using an ADP-Glo^™ Kinase Assay kit. The half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of two drugs inhibited the MAPK3 protein within the same range of IC₅₀ values (3.27 and 2.22 µM for afatinib and lapatinib, respectively). Furthermore, the cytotoxicity assay of compounds toward the extracellular promastigote and intracellular amastigote stages was investigated using alamarBlue^™ Cell Viability Reagent. The results showed that both drugs were more efficient against extracellular promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of both Leishmania donovani and Leishmania martiniquensis. Finally, the molecular dynamics simulation (MD) was performed to study the intermolecular interactions of both drugs with MAPK3 protein. From 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation, the structural stability of both drugs in a complex with MAPK3 was quite stable.

CONCLUSION

This work was suggesting that afatinib and lapatinib act as MAPK3 inhibitors and might be developed for leishmaniasis treatment.

Morphogenesis Dynamics in Leishmania Differentiation

Leishmania, the causative agent of leishmaniasis, is an obligatory intracellular parasite that cycles between phagolysosome of mammalian macrophages, where it resides as round intracellular amastigotes, and the midgut of female sandflies, where it resides as extracellular elongated promastigotes. This protozoan parasite cytoskeleton is composed of stable and abundant subpellicular microtubules (SPMT). This study aims to determine the kinetics of developmental morphogenesis and assess whether microtubules remodelling is involved in this process. Using image-streaming technology, we observed that rounding of promastigotes during differentiation into amastigotes was initiated promptly after exposure to the differentiation signal. Stabilizing microtubules with taxol sped rounding, but later killed differentiating parasites if taxol was not removed. Microtubule destabilizers such as vinblastine had no effect on the rate of rounding, nor on the viability of differentiating parasites. In the reverse process, elongation is initiated after a delay of 7.5 and completed 72 h after exposure to the amastigote to the promastigote differentiation signal. During the delay, parasites became highly sensitive to treatment with microtubule destabilizers. The addition of vinblastine during the first 7.5 h halted differentiation and killed parasites. Between 8 and 24 h, parasites gradually became resistant to vinblastine and, in parallel, started to elongate. In contrast, taxol had no effect on parasite elongation, nor on the viability of these cells. In a parallel study, we showed that the Leishmania-specific protein kinase A (PKA) holoenzyme containing the LdPKAR3-C3 complex is essential for promastigote elongation. Mutant promastigotes lacking either of these proteins are round, but maintain their flagella. Here, we observed that during differentiation into amastigotes, these mutants round at the same rate as the wild type, but never exceed the WT density of round amastigotes. In the reverse process, these mutants undergo the same initial delay and then elongate at the same rate as the WT. They stop elongating when they reach 20% of elongated cells in mature promastigotes. Our analysis indicates that while promastigote rounding into amastigotes did not require microtubule remodelling, morphogenesis of round amastigotes into elongated promastigotes required microtubule rearrangement before elongation was initiated. This is the first study that investigates the dynamics of microtubules during parasite development.

The Astonishing Large Family of HSP40/DnaJ Proteins Existing in Leishmania

Abrupt environmental changes are faced by Leishmania parasites during transmission from a poikilothermic insect vector to a warm-blooded host. Adaptation to harsh environmental conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, oxidative stress and heat shock needs to be accomplished by rapid reconfiguration of gene expression and remodeling of protein interaction networks. Chaperones play a central role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, and they are responsible for crucial tasks such as correct folding of nascent proteins, protein translocation across different subcellular compartments, avoiding protein aggregates and elimination of damaged proteins. Nearly one percent of the gene content in the Leishmania genome corresponds to members of the HSP40 family, a group of proteins that assist HSP70s in a variety of cellular functions. Despite their expected relevance in the parasite biology and infectivity, little is known about their functions or partnership with the different Leishmania HSP70s. Here, we summarize the structural features of the 72 HSP40 proteins encoded in the Leishmania infantum genome and their classification into four categories. A review of proteomic data, together with orthology analyses, allow us to postulate cellular locations and possible functional roles for some of them. A detailed study of the members of this family would provide valuable information and opportunities for drug discovery and improvement of current treatments against leishmaniasis.

Polyamine Metabolism in Leishmania Parasites: A Promising Therapeutic Target

Parasites of the genus Leishmania cause a variety of devastating and often fatal diseases in humans and domestic animals worldwide. The need for new therapeutic strategies is urgent because no vaccine is available, and treatment options are limited due to a lack of specificity and the emergence of drug resistance. Polyamines are metabolites that play a central role in rapidly proliferating cells, and recent studies have highlighted their critical nature in Leishmania. Numerous studies using a variety of inhibitors as well as gene deletion mutants have elucidated the pathway and routes of transport, revealing unique aspects of polyamine metabolism in Leishmania parasites. These studies have also shed light on the significance of polyamines for parasite proliferation, infectivity, and host-parasite interactions. This comprehensive review article focuses on the main polyamine biosynthetic enzymes: ornithine decarboxylase, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, and spermidine synthase, and it emphasizes recent discoveries that advance these enzymes as potential therapeutic targets against Leishmania parasites.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis: multiomics approaches to unravel the role of immune cells checkpoints

INTRODUCTION

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most frequent form of leishmaniases, associated with skin inflammation and ulceration. Understanding the interaction of different phagocytic cells in the recognition and uptake of different Leishmania species is critical for controlling the infection. Phagocytic cells have a pivotal role as professional antigen-presenting cells that bridge the innate and adaptive immunity and shape the outcome of the disease.

AREAS COVERED

Here we reviewed new technologies with high-throughput data collection capabilities along with systems biology approaches which are recently being used to decode the paradox of CL immunology.

EXPERT OPINION

We emphasized on the crosstalk between DC and T-cells while focusing on the immune checkpoints interactions between the human immune system and the Leishmania species. Further, we discussed omics technologies including bulk RNA sequencing, reverse transcriptase-multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (RT-MLPA), and proximity extension assay (PEA) in studies on human blood or tissue-driven samples from CL patients in which we have so far been involved.

Comparative Phosphoproteomic Analysis of Sporulated Oocysts and Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii Reveals Stage-Specific Patterns

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan of severe threat to humans and livestock, whose life history harbors both gamic and apogamic stages. Chinese 1 (ToxoDB#9) was a preponderant genotype epidemic in food-derived animals and humans in China, with a different pathogenesis from the strains from the other nations of the world. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins were critical mediators of the biology, developmental transforms, and pathogenesis of protozoan parasites. The phosphoprotein profiling and the difference between the developmental phases of T. gondii, contributing to development and infectivity, remain unknown. A quantitative phosphoproteomic approach using IBT integrated with TiO₂ affinity chromatography was applied to identify and analyze the difference in the phosphoproteomes between the sporulated oocysts and the tachyzoites of the virulent ToxoDB#9 (PYS) strain of T. gondii. A total of 4058 differential phosphopeptides, consisting of 2597 upregulated and 1461 downregulated phosphopeptides, were characterized between sporulated the oocysts and tachyzoites. Twenty-one motifs extracted from the upregulated phosphopeptides contained 19 serine motifs and 2 threonine motifs (GxxTP and TP), whereas 16 motifs identified from downregulated phosphopeptides included 13 serine motifs and 3 threonine motifs (KxxT, RxxT, and TP). Beyond the traditional kinases, some infrequent classes of kinases, including Ab1, EGFR, INSR, Jak, Src and Syk, were found to be corresponding to motifs from the upregulated and downregulated phosphopeptides. Remarkable functional properties of the differentially expressed phosphoproteins were discovered by GO analysis, KEGG pathway analysis, and STRING analysis. S8GFS8 (DNMT1-RFD domain-containing protein) and S8F5G5 (Histone kinase SNF1) were the two most connected peptides in the kinase-associated network. Out of these, phosphorylated modifications in histone kinase SNF1 have functioned in mitosis and interphase of T. gondii, as well as in the regulation of gene expression relevant to differentiation. Our study discovered a remarkable difference in the abundance of phosphopeptides between the sporulated oocysts and tachyzoites of the virulent ToxoDB#9 (PYS) strain of T. gondii, which may provide a new resource for understanding stage-specific differences in PTMs and may enhance the illustration of the regulatory mechanisms contributing to the development and infectivity of T. gondii.

Oxidant activated soluble adenylate cyclase of Leishmania donovani regulates the cAMP-PKA signaling axis for its intra-macrophage survival during infection

Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) is a stress sensor molecule that transduces the cellular signal when Leishmania donovani moves from insect vector to mammalian host. At this stage, the parasite membrane-bound receptor adenylate cyclase predominantly produces cAMP to cope with the oxidative assault imposed by host macrophages. However, the role of soluble adenylate cyclase of L. donovani (LdHemAC) has not been investigated fully. In the present investigation, we monitored an alternative pool of cAMP, maintained by LdHemAC. The elevated cAMP effectively transmits signals by binding to Protein Kinase A (PKA) present in the cytosol and regulates antioxidant gene expression and phosphorylates several unknown PKA substrate proteins. Menadione-catalyzed production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) mimics host oxidative condition in vitro in parasites where cAMP production and PKA activity were found increased by ~1.54 ± 0.35, and ~1.78 ± 0.47-fold, respectively while expression of LdHemAC gene elevated by ~2.18 ± 0.17-fold. The LdHemAC sense these oxidants and became activated to cyclize ATP to enhance the cAMP basal level that regulates antioxidant gene expression to rescue parasites from oxidative stress. In knockdown parasites (LdHemAC-KD), the downregulated antioxidant genes expression, namely, Sod (2.30 ± 0.46), Pxn (2.73 ± 0.15), Tdr (2.7 ± 0.12), and Gss (1.57 ± 0.15) results in decreased parasite viability while in overexpressed parasites (LdHemAC-OE), the expression was upregulated by ~5.7 ± 0.35, ~2.57 ± 0.56, ~4.7 ± 0.36, and ~2.4 ± 0.83, respectively, which possibly overcomes ROS accumulation and enhances viability. Furthermore, LdHemAC-OE higher PKA activity regulates phosphorylation of substrate proteins (~56 kDs in membrane fraction and ~25 kDs in the soluble fraction). It reduced significantly when treated with inhibitors like DDA, Rp-cAMP, and H-89 and increased by ~2.1 ± 0.28-fold, respectively under oxidative conditions. The LdHemAC-KD was found less infective to RAW 264.7 macrophages and more prone to oxidative damage as compared to LdHemAC-OE and control parasites. Together, this study demonstrates mechanistic links among LdHemAC, cAMP, and PKA in parasite survival and invasion under host oxidative condition.

Lysosome Sensing Is a Key Mechanism in Leishmania Intracellular Development

Phagolysosomes of macrophages are the niche where the parasitic protozoan Leishmania resides and causes human leishmaniasis. During infection, this organism encounters dramatic environmental changes. These include heat shock (from 26°C in the vector to 33°C or 37°C in the host, for cutaneous and visceral species, respectively) and acidic pH typical to the lysosome and nutrient availability. Leishmania cells developed ways to sense the lysosome-specific environment (acidic pH and body temperature) as means of recognition and, subsequently, initiation of differentiation into the intracellular form. Recent studies have indicated that protein kinase A plays a role as the gatekeeper that enables differentiation initiation. This review provides an update on the lysosome signaling pathway-mediated Leishmania intracellular development.

Involvement of Leishmania Phosphatases in Parasite Biology and Pathogeny

In the Leishmania lifecycle, the motile promastigote form is transmitted from the sand fly vector to a mammalian host during a blood meal. Inside vertebrate host macrophages, the parasites can differentiate into the amastigote form and multiply, causing leishmaniasis, one of the most significant neglected tropical diseases. Leishmania parasites face different conditions throughout their development inside sand flies. Once in the mammalian host, the parasites have to overcome the microbicide repertoire of the cells of the immune system to successfully establish the infection. In this context, the expression of protein phosphatases is of particular interest. Several members of the serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase (STP), protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP), and histidine acid phosphatase (HAcP) families have been described in different Leishmania species. Although their physiological roles have not been fully elucidated, many studies suggest they have an involvement with parasite biology and pathogeny. Phosphatases play a role in adaptation to nutrient starvation during parasite passage through the sand fly midgut. They are also important to parasite virulence, mainly due to the modulation of host cytokine production and impairment of the microbiocidal potential of macrophages. Furthermore, recent whole-genome expression analyses have shown that different phosphatases are upregulated in metacyclic promastigotes, the infective form of the mammalian host. Leishmania phosphatases are also upregulated in drug-resistant strains, probably due to the increase in drug efflux related to the activation of ABC transporters. Throughout this review, we will describe the physiological roles that have been attributed to Leishmania endogenous phosphatases, including their involvement in the adaptation, survival, and proliferation of the parasites inside their hosts.

The Leishmania donovani LDBPK_220120.1 Gene Encodes for an Atypical Dual Specificity Lipid-Like Phosphatase Expressed in Promastigotes and Amastigotes; Substrate Specificity, Intracellular Localizations, and Putative Role(s)

The intracellular protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus are responsible for Leishmaniases, vector borne diseases with a wide range of clinical manifestations. Leishmania (L.) donovani causes visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar), the most severe of these diseases. Along their biological cycle, Leishmania parasites undergo distinct developmental transitions including metacyclogenesis and differentiation of metacyclic promastigotes (MPs) to amastigotes. Metacyclogenesis inside the phlebotomine sandfly host's midgut converts the procyclic dividing promastigotes to non-dividing infective MPs eventually injected into the skin of mammalian hosts and phagocytosed by macrophages where the MPs are converted inside modified phagolysosomes to the intracellular amastigotes. These developmental transitions involve dramatic changes in cell size and shape and reformatting of the flagellum requiring thus membrane and cytoskeleton remodeling in which phosphoinositide (PI) signaling and metabolism must play central roles. This study reports on the LDBPK_220120.1 gene, the L. donovani ortholog of LmjF.22.0250 from L. major that encodes a phosphatase from the "Atypical Lipid Phosphatases" (ALPs) enzyme family. We confirmed the expression of the LDBPK_220120.1 gene product in both L. donovani promastigotes and axenic amastigotes and showed that it behaves in vitro as a Dual Specificity P-Tyr and monophosphorylated [PI(3)P and PI(4)P] PI phosphatase and therefore named it LdTyrPIP_22 (Leishmaniad onovani Tyrosine PI Phosphatase, gene locus at chromosome 22). By immunofluorescence confocal microscopy we localized the LdTyrPIP_22 in several intracellular sites in the cell body of L. donovani promastigotes and amastigotes and in the flagellum. A temperature and pH shift from 25°C to 37°C and from pH 7 to 5.5, induced a pronounced recruitment of LdTyrPIP_22 epitopes to the flagellar pocket and a redistribution around the nucleus. These results suggest possible role(s) for this P-Tyr/PI phosphatase in the regulation of processes initiated or upregulated by this temperature/pH shift that contribute to the developmental transition from MPs to amastigotes inside the mammalian host macrophages.

Dangerous Duplicity: The Dual Functions of Casein Kinase 1 in Parasite Biology and Host Subversion

Casein Kinase 1 (CK1) family members are serine/threonine protein kinases that are involved in many biological processes and highly conserved in eukaryotes from protozoan to humans. Even though pathogens exploit host CK1 signaling pathways to survive, the role of CK1 in infectious diseases and host/pathogen interaction is less well characterized compared to other diseases, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. Here we present the current knowledge on CK1 in protozoan parasites highlighting their essential role for parasite survival and their importance for host-pathogen interactions. We also discuss how the dual requirement of CK1 family members for parasite biological processes and host subversion could be exploited to identify novel antimicrobial interventions.

Comparative phosphoproteomic analysis unravels MAPK1 regulated phosphoproteins in Leishmania donovani

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase1 (MAPK1) of Leishmania donovani functions as key regulators of various cellular activities, which seem to be imperative for parasite survival, infectivity, drug resistance and post-translational modification of chaperones/co-chaperones. However, very less is known about LdMAPK1 target proteins. With recent advancements in proteomics, we aimed to identify phosphoproteins which were differentially expressed in LdMAPK1 overexpressing (Dd8++/++) and single replacement mutants (Dd8+/) as compared to wild type (Dd8+/+) parasites, utilizing LC-MS/MS approach. An in-depth label-free phospoproteomic analysis revealed that modulation of LdMAPK1 expression significantly modulates expression levels of miscellaneous phosphoproteins which may act as its targets/substrates. Out of 1974 quantified phosphoproteins in parasite, 140 were significantly differentially expressed in MAPK1 overexpressing and single replacement mutants. These differentially expressed phosphoproteins are majorly associated with metabolism, signal transduction, replication, transcription, translation, transporters and cytoskeleton/motor proteins, hence suggested that MAPK1 may act in concert to modulate global biological processes. The study further implicated possible role of LdMAPK1 in regulation and management of stress machinery in parasite through post translational modifications. Precisely, comparative phosphoproteomics study has elucidated significant role of LdMAPK1 in regulating various pathways contributing in parasite biology with relevance to future drug development. SIGNIFICANCE: MAPKinase1, the downstream kinase of MAPK signal transduction pathway, has drawn much attention as potential therapeutic drug target due to their indispensable role in survival and infectivity of Leishmania donovani. However, limited information is available about its downstream effector proteins/signaling networks. Utilizing label free LC-MS/MS analysis, phosphoproteome of LdMAPK1 over-expressing (Dd8++/++) and LdMAPK1 single replacement mutants (Dd8+/-) with wild type (Dd8+/+) parasites was compared and identified 140 LdMAPK1 modulated phosphoproteins, mainly involved in pathways like signal transduction, metabolism, transcriptional, translational, post-translational modification and regulation of heat shock proteins. Interestingly, LdMAPK1 interacts directly with only six phosphoproteins i.e. casein kinase, casein kinase II, HSP83/HSP90, LACK, protein kinase and serine/threonine protein kinase. Thus, the study elucidates significant role of LdMAPK1 in Leishmania biology which may drive drug-discovery efforts against visceral leishmaniasis.

Alpha-Tubulin Acetylation in Trypanosoma cruzi: A Dynamic Instability of Microtubules Is Required for Replication and Cell Cycle Progression

Trypanosomatids have a cytoskeleton arrangement that is simpler than what is found in most eukaryotic cells. However, it is precisely organized and constituted by stable microtubules. Such microtubules compose the mitotic spindle during mitosis, the basal body, the flagellar axoneme and the subpellicular microtubules, which are connected to each other and also to the plasma membrane forming a helical arrangement along the central axis of the parasite cell body. Subpellicular, mitotic and axonemal microtubules are extensively acetylated in Trypanosoma cruzi. Acetylation on lysine (K) 40 of α-tubulin is conserved from lower eukaryotes to mammals and is associated with microtubule stability. It is also known that K40 acetylation occurs significantly on flagella, centrioles, cilia, basal body and the mitotic spindle in eukaryotes. Several tubulin posttranslational modifications, including acetylation of K40, have been cataloged in trypanosomatids, but the functional importance of these modifications for microtubule dynamics and parasite biology remains largely undefined. The primary tubulin acetyltransferase was recently identified in several eukaryotes as Mec-17/ATAT, a Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase. Here, we report that T. cruzi ATAT acetylates α-tubulin in vivo and is capable of auto-acetylation. TcATAT is located in the cytoskeleton and flagella of epimastigotes and colocalizes with acetylated α-tubulin in these structures. We have expressed TcATAT with an HA tag using the inducible vector pTcINDEX-GW in T. cruzi. Over-expression of TcATAT causes increased levels of the alpha tubulin acetylated species, induces morphological and ultrastructural defects, especially in the mitochondrion, and causes a halt in the cell cycle progression of epimastigotes, which is related to an impairment of the kinetoplast division. Finally, as a result of TcATAT over-expression we observed that parasites became more resistant to microtubule depolymerizing drugs. These results support the idea that α-tubulin acetylation levels are finely regulated for the normal progression of T. cruzi cell cycle.

Systematic functional analysis of Leishmania protein kinases identifies regulators of differentiation or survival

Differentiation between distinct stages is fundamental for the life cycle of intracellular protozoan parasites and for transmission between hosts, requiring stringent spatial and temporal regulation. Here, we apply kinome-wide gene deletion and gene tagging in Leishmania mexicana promastigotes to define protein kinases with life cycle transition roles. Whilst 162 are dispensable, 44 protein kinase genes are refractory to deletion in promastigotes and are likely core genes required for parasite replication. Phenotyping of pooled gene deletion mutants using bar-seq and projection pursuit clustering reveal functional phenotypic groups of protein kinases involved in differentiation from metacyclic promastigote to amastigote, growth and survival in macrophages and mice, colonisation of the sand fly and motility. This unbiased interrogation of protein kinase function in Leishmania allows targeted investigation of organelle-associated signalling pathways required for successful intracellular parasitism.

The Experimental Proteome of Leishmania infantum Promastigote and Its Usefulness for Improving Gene Annotations

Leishmania infantum causes visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar), the most severe form of leishmaniasis, which is lethal if untreated. A few years ago, the re-sequencing and de novo assembling of the L. infantum (JPCM5 strain) genome was accomplished, and now we aimed to describe and characterize the experimental proteome of this species. In this work, we performed a proteomic analysis from axenic cultured promastigotes and carried out a detailed comparison with other Leishmania experimental proteomes published to date. We identified 2352 proteins based on a search of mass spectrometry data against a database built from the six-frame translated genome sequence of L. infantum. We detected many proteins belonging to organelles such as glycosomes, mitochondria, or flagellum, as well as many metabolic enzymes and many putative RNA binding proteins and molecular chaperones. Moreover, we listed some proteins presenting post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylations, acetylations, and methylations. On the other hand, the identification of peptides mapping to genomic regions previously annotated as non-coding allowed for the correction of annotations, leading to the N-terminal extension of protein sequences and the uncovering of eight novel protein-coding genes. The alliance of proteomics, genomics, and transcriptomics has resulted in a powerful combination for improving the annotation of the L. infantum reference genome.

PRMT7 regulates RNA-binding capacity and protein stability in Leishmania parasites

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are the primary gene regulators in kinetoplastids as transcriptional control is nearly absent, making Leishmania an exceptional model for investigating methylation of non-histone substrates. Arginine methylation is an evolutionarily conserved protein modification catalyzed by Protein aRginine Methyl Transferases (PRMTs). The chromatin modifier PRMT7 is the only Type III PRMT found in higher eukaryotes and a restricted number of unicellular eukaryotes. In Leishmania major, PRMT7 is a cytoplasmic protein implicit in pathogenesis with unknown substrates. Using comparative methyl-SILAC proteomics for the first time in protozoa, we identified 40 putative targets, including 17 RBPs hypomethylated upon PRMT7 knockout. PRMT7 can modify Alba3 and RBP16 trans-regulators (mammalian RPP25 and YBX2 homologs, respectively) as direct substrates in vitro. The absence of PRMT7 levels in vivo selectively reduces Alba3 mRNA-binding capacity to specific target transcripts and can impact the relative stability of RBP16 in the cytoplasm. RNA immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrate PRMT7-dependent methylation promotes Alba3 association with select target transcripts and thus indirectly stabilizes mRNA of a known virulence factor, δ-amastin surface antigen. These results highlight a novel role for PRMT7-mediated arginine methylation of RBP substrates, suggesting a regulatory pathway controlling gene expression and virulence in Leishmania. This work introduces Leishmania PRMTs as epigenetic regulators of mRNA metabolism with mechanistic insight into the functional manipulation of RBPs by methylation.

Phosphoproteomic analysis of mammalian infective Trypanosoma brucei subjected to heat shock suggests atypical mechanisms for thermotolerance

The symptoms of African sleeping sickness, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, can include periods of fever as high as 41 °C which triggers a heat shock response in the parasite. To capture events involved in sensing and responding to heat shock in the mammalian infective form we have conducted a SILAC-based quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of T. brucei cells treated at 41 °C for 1h. Our analysis identified 193 heat shock responsive phosphorylation sites with an average of 5-fold change in abundance, but only 20 heat shock responsive proteins with average of 1.5-fold change. These data indicate that protein abundance does not rapidly respond (≤1 h) to heat shock, and that the changes observed in phosphorylation site abundance are larger and more widespread. The heat shock responsive phosphorylation sites showed enrichment of RNA binding proteins with putative roles in heat shock response included P-body / stress granules and the eukaryotic translation initiation 4F complex. The ZC3H11-MKT1 complex, which stabilises mRNAs of thermotolerance proteins, appears to represent a key signal integration node in the heat shock response. SIGNIFICANCE: We report the first quantitative study of changes in protein and phosphorylation site abundance in response to heat shock in the clinically relevant form of the human parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The identification of heat shock responsive phosphorylation sites on proteins with putative roles in thermotolerance including the ZC3H11-MKT1 complex provides evidence of the role dynamic phosphorylation of RNA binding proteins in co-ordinating heat shock. Temperature changes in the host are a major physiological challenge to parasites and factors conferring tolerance to heat shock constitute overlooked virulence factors. A better understanding of these virulence factors will pave the way for the development of novel drug therapies which selectively target T. brucei.

Protein phosphorylation networks in spargana of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei revealed by phosphoproteomic analysis

Background

Sparganosis caused by Spirometra erinaceieuropaei spargana is a zoonotic parasitic infection that has been reported in many countries, including China, Japan, Thailand and Korea, as well as European countries and the USA. The biological and clinical significance of the parasite have previously been reported. Although the genomic and transcriptomic analysis of S. erinaceieuropaei provided insightful views about the development and pathogenesis of this species, little knowledge has been acquired in terms of post-translational regulation that is essential for parasite growth, development and reproduction. Here, we performed site-specific phosphoproteomic profiling, with an aim to obtain primary information about the global phosphorylation status of spargana.

Results

A total of 3228 phosphopeptides and 3461 phosphorylation sites were identified in 1758 spargana proteins. The annotated phosphoproteins were involved in a variety of biological pathways, including cellular (28%), metabolic (20%) and single-organism (17%) processes. The functional enrichment of phosphopeptides by Gene Ontology analysis indicated that most spargana phosphoproteins were related to the cytoskeleton cellular compartment, signaling molecular function, and a variety of biological processes, including a molecular function regulator, guanyl-nucleotide exchange factor activity, protein kinase activities, and calcium ion binding. The highly enriched pathways of phosphorylation proteins include the phosphatidylinositol signaling system, phagosome, endocytosis, inositol phosphate metabolism, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and peroxisome. Domain analysis identified an EF-hand domain and pleckstrin homology domain among the key domains.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this study performed the first global phosphoproteomic analysis of S. erinaceieuropaei. The dataset reported herein provides a valuable resource for future studies on the signaling pathways of this important zoonotic parasite.

Leishmania dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 1 (DYRK1) is required for sustaining Leishmania stationary phase phenotype

Although the multiplicative and growth-arrested states play key roles in Leishmania development, the regulators of these transitions are largely unknown. In an attempt to gain a better understanding of these processes, we characterised one member of a family of protein kinases with dual specificity, LinDYRK1, which acts as a stasis regulator in other organisms. LinDYRK1 overexpressing parasites displayed a decrease in proliferation and in cell cycle re-entry of arrested cells. Parasites lacking LinDYRK1 displayed distinct fitness phenotypes in logarithmic and stationary growth phases. In logarithmic growth phase, LinDYRK1-/- parasites proliferated better than control lines, supporting a role of this kinase in stasis, while in stationary growth phase, LinDYRK1-/- parasites had important defects as they rounded up, accumulated vacuoles and lipid bodies and displayed subtle but consistent differences in lipid composition. Moreover, they expressed less metacyclic-enriched transcripts, displayed increased sensitivity to complement lysis and a significant reduction in survival within peritoneal macrophages. The distinct LinDYRK1-/- growth phase phenotypes were mirrored by the distinct LinDYRK1 localisations in logarithmic (mainly in flagellar pocket area and endosomes) and late stationary phase (mitochondrion). Overall, this work provides first evidence for the role of a DYRK family member in sustaining promastigote stationary phase phenotype and infectivity.

The complexity and diversity of the actin cytoskeleton of trypanosomatids

Trypanosomatids are a monophyletic group of parasitic flagellated protists belonging to the order Kinetoplastida. Their cytoskeleton is primarily made up of microtubules in which no actin microfilaments have been detected. Although all these parasites contain actin, it is widely thought that their actin cytoskeleton is reduced when compared to most eukaryotic organisms. However, there is increasing evidence that it is more complex than previously thought. As in other eukaryotic organisms, trypanosomatids encode for a conventional actin that is expected to form microfilament-like structures, and for members of three conserved actin-related proteins probably involved in microfilament nucleation (ARP2, ARP3) and in gene expression regulation (ARP6). In addition to these canonical proteins, also encode for an expanded set of actins and actin-like proteins that seem to be restricted to kinetoplastids. Analysis of their amino acid sequences demonstrated that, although very diverse in primary sequence when compared to actins of model organisms, modelling of their tertiary structure predicted the presence of the actin fold in all of them. Experimental characterization has been done for only a few of the trypanosomatid actins and actin-binding proteins. The most studied is the conventional actin of Leishmania donovani (LdAct), which unusually requires both ATP and Mg²⁺ for polymerization, unlike other conventional actins that do not require ATP. Additionally, polymerized LdAct tends to assemble in bundles rather than in single filaments. Regulation of actin polymerization depends on their interaction with actin-binding proteins. In trypanosomatids, there is a reduced but sufficient core of actin-binding proteins to promote microfilament nucleation, turnover and stabilization. There are also genes encoding for members of two families of myosin motor proteins, including one lineage-specific. Homologues to all identified actin-family proteins and actin-binding proteins of trypanosomatids are also present in Paratrypanosoma confusum (an early branching trypanosomatid) and in Bodo saltans (a closely related free-living organism belonging to the trypanosomatid sister order of Bodonida) suggesting they were all present in their common ancestor. Secondary losses of these genes may have occurred during speciation within the trypanosomatids, with salivarian trypanosomes having lost many of them and stercorarian trypanosomes retaining most.

Genome-Wide Proteomics and Phosphoproteomics Analysis of Leishmania spp. During Differentiation

Determining variations in protein abundance and/or posttranslational modification as a function of time or upon induction by a signal in a particular cell type is central to quantitative proteomics. Isobaric labeling methodologies now allow for parallel quantification of proteins at various conditions concurrently or multiplexing in relatively quantitative proteomics workflows. Hence, mapping the protein expression profiles of various developmental stages of Leishmania parasites is possible with high-resolution mass spectrometry. To analyze global changes in protein expression and cellular signaling pathways during Leishmania differentiation and development is possible with a quantitative proteomics approach. The tandem mass tags (TMT) approach provides a chemical labeling method based on the principle of amine reactive tags; the maximum number of conditions that can be multiplexed is 10-plex. We describe herein a detailed method for sample preparation, TMT-labeling, mass spectrometry and data analysis of different developmental stages of Leishmania donovani parasites. This quantitative proteomic approach is useful to study dynamic changes in protein expression levels during L. donovani differentiation, and also allows in-depth analysis of signaling pathways via phosphoproteomics.

Coupling chemical mutagenesis to next generation sequencing for the identification of drug resistance mutations in Leishmania

Current genome-wide screens allow system-wide study of drug resistance but detecting small nucleotide variants (SNVs) is challenging. Here, we use chemical mutagenesis, drug selection and next generation sequencing to characterize miltefosine and paromomycin resistant clones of the parasite Leishmania. We highlight several genes involved in drug resistance by sequencing the genomes of 41 resistant clones and by concentrating on recurrent SNVs. We associate genes linked to lipid metabolism or to ribosome/translation functions with miltefosine or paromomycin resistance, respectively. We prove by allelic replacement and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing that the essential protein kinase CDPK1 is crucial for paromomycin resistance. We have linked CDPK1 in translation by functional interactome analysis, and provide evidence that CDPK1 contributes to antimonial resistance in the parasite. This screen is powerful in exploring networks of drug resistance in an organism with diploid to mosaic aneuploid genome, hence widening the scope of its applicability.

Here, Bhattacharya et al. chemically mutagenize Leishmania and identify genes associated with resistance to miltefosine and paromomycin by next generation sequencing. The study shows that a protein kinase (CDPK1) can mediate resistance to paromomycin by affecting translation.

The Novel Serine/Threonine Protein Kinase LmjF.22.0810 from Leishmania major may be Involved in the Resistance to Drugs such as Paromomycin

The identification and clarification of the mechanisms of action of drugs used against leishmaniasis may improve their administration regimens and prevent the development of resistant strains. Herein, for the first time, we describe the structure of the putatively essential Ser/Thr kinase LmjF.22.0810 from Leishmania major. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to assess the stability of the kinase model. The analysis of its sequence and structure revealed two druggable sites on the protein. Furthermore, in silico docking of small molecules showed that aminoglycosides preferentially bind to the phosphorylation site of the protein. Given that transgenic LmjF.22.0810-overexpressing parasites displayed less sensitivity to aminoglycosides such as paromomycin, our predicted models support the idea that the mechanism of drug resistance observed in those transgenic parasites is the tight binding of such compounds to LmjF.22.0810 associated with its overexpression. These results may be helpful to understand the complex machinery of drug response in Leishmania.

Biochemical characterization and chemical validation of Leishmania MAP Kinase-3 as a potential drug target

Protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus have evolved unique signaling pathways that can sense various environmental changes and trigger stage differentiation for survival and host infectivity. MAP kinase (MAPK) plays a critical role in various cellular activities like cell differentiation, proliferation, stress regulation, and apoptosis. The Leishmania donovani MAPK3 (LdMAPK3) is involved in the regulation of flagella length and hence plays an important role in disease transmission. Here, we reported the gene cloning, protein expression, biochemical characterizations, inhibition studies and cell proliferation assay of LdMAPK3. The recombinant purified LdMAPK3 enzyme obeys the Michaelis-Menten equation with K_m and V_max of LdMAPK3 was found to be 20.23 nM and 38.77 ± 0.71 nmoles ATP consumed/mg LdMAPK3/min respectively. The maximum kinase activity of LdMAPK3 was recorded at 35 °C and pH 7. The in-vitro inhibition studies with two natural inhibitors genistein (GEN) and chrysin (CHY) was evaluated against LdMAPK3. The K_i value for GEN and CHY were found to be 3.76 ± 0.28 µM and K_i = 8.75 ± 0.11 µM respectively. The IC₅₀ value for the compounds, GEN and CHY against L. donovani promastigotes were calculated as 9.9 µg/mL and 13 µg/mL respectively. Our study, therefore, reports LdMAPK3 as a new target for therapeutic approach against leishmaniasis.

Evolution of protein kinase substrate recognition at the active site

Protein kinases catalyse the phosphorylation of target proteins, controlling most cellular processes. The specificity of serine/threonine kinases is partly determined by interactions with a few residues near the phospho-acceptor residue, forming the so-called kinase-substrate motif. Kinases have been extensively duplicated throughout evolution, but little is known about when in time new target motifs have arisen. Here, we show that sequence variation occurring early in the evolution of kinases is dominated by changes in specificity-determining residues. We then analysed kinase specificity models, based on known target sites, observing that specificity has remained mostly unchanged for recent kinase duplications. Finally, analysis of phosphorylation data from a taxonomically broad set of 48 eukaryotic species indicates that most phosphorylation motifs are broadly distributed in eukaryotes but are not present in prokaryotes. Overall, our results suggest that the set of eukaryotes kinase motifs present today was acquired around the time of the eukaryotic last common ancestor and that early expansions of the protein kinase fold rapidly explored the space of possible target motifs.

Understanding Leishmania parasites through proteomics and implications for the clinic

INTRODUCTION

Leishmania spp. are causative agents of leishmaniasis, a broad-spectrum neglected vector-borne disease. Genomic and transcriptional studies are not capable of solving intricate biological mysteries, leading to the emergence of proteomics, which can provide insights into the field of parasite biology and its interactions with the host. Areas covered: The combination of genomics and informatics with high throughput proteomics may improve our understanding of parasite biology and pathogenesis. This review analyses the roles of diverse proteomic technologies that facilitate our understanding of global protein profiles and definition of parasite development, survival, virulence and drug resistance mechanisms for disease intervention. Additionally, recent innovations in proteomics have provided insights concerning the drawbacks associated with conventional chemotherapeutic approaches and Leishmania biology, host-parasite interactions and the development of new therapeutic approaches. Expert commentary: With progressive breakthroughs in the foreseeable future, proteome profiles could provide target molecules for vaccine development and therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, proteomics, in combination with genomics and informatics, could facilitate the elimination of several diseases. Taken together, this review provides an outlook on developments in Leishmania proteomics and their clinical implications.

Function of Macrophage and Parasite Phosphatases in Leishmaniasis

The kinetoplastid protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, a vector-borne infectious disease with worldwide prevalence. The protective host immune response against Leishmania parasites relies on myeloid cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages in which upon stimulation by cytokines (e.g., interferon-γ) a complex network of signaling pathways is switched on leading to strong antimicrobial activities directed against the intracellular parasite stage. The regulation of these pathways classically depends on post-translational modifications of proteins, with phosphorylation events playing a cardinal role. Leishmania parasites deactivate their phagocytic host cells by inducing specific mammalian phosphatases that are capable to impede signaling. On the other hand, there is now also evidence that Leishmania spp. themselves express phosphatases that might target host cell molecules and thereby facilitate the intracellular survival of the parasite. This review will present an overview on the modulation of host phosphatases by Leishmania parasites as well as on the known families of Leishmania phosphatases and their possible function as virulence factors. A more detailed understanding of the role of phosphatases in Leishmania–host cell interactions might open new avenues for the treatment of non-healing, progressive forms of leishmaniasis.

Phagosome proteomics to study Leishmania's intracellular niche in macrophages

Intracellular pathogens invade their host cells and replicate within specialized compartments. In turn, the host cell initiates a defensive response trying to kill the invasive agent. As a consequence, intracellular lifestyle implies morphological and physiological changes in both pathogen and host cell. Leishmania spp. are medically important intracellular protozoan parasites that are internalized by professional phagocytes such as macrophages, and reside within the parasitophorous vacuole inhibiting their microbicidal activity. Whereas the proteome of the extracellular promastigote form and the intracellular amastigote form have been extensively studied, the constituents of Leishmania's intracellular niche, an endolysosomal compartment, are not fully deciphered. In this review we discuss protocols to purify such compartments by means of an illustrating example to highlight generally relevant considerations and innovative aspects that allow purification of not only the intracellular parasites but also the phagosomes that harbor them and analyze the latter by gel free proteomics.

MAPK1 of Leishmania donovani interacts and phosphorylates HSP70 and HSP90 subunits of foldosome complex

MAP kinases (MAPK) are the most downstream kinases in signal transduction cascades and regulate critical cellular activities such as cell proliferation, differentiation, mortality, stress response, and apoptosis. The Leishmania donovani MAPK1 (LdMAPK1) is involved in parasite viability and drug resistance, but its substrates have not been identified yet. Aiming to identify the possible targets(s) of LdMAPK1, we sought to isolate interacting partners by co-immunoprecipitation, gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Out of fifteen analyzed protein bands, four were identified as subunits of the HSP90 foldosome complex, namely HSP 90, HSP70, STI and SGT. Western blot analysis not only confirmed that LdMAPK1 interacts with HSP70 and HSP90 but also demonstrated that MAPK1 abundance modulates their expression. The interaction is sensitive to treatment with AMTZD, a competitive ERK inhibitor. MAPK1 also displayed kinase activity with HSP90 or HSP70 as substrates. By phosphorylating HSPs in the foldosome complex, MAPK1 may regulate the stability and activity of the foldosome which in turn plays a pivotal role in the parasitic life cycle of L. donovani. Our study therefore implicates LdMAPK1 in the post-translational modification and possibly the regulation of heat shock proteins. Conversely, HSP90 and HSP70 are identified as the first substrates of LdMAPK1.

An analysis of phosphorylation sites in protein kinases from Leishmania

Protein kinases are promising drug targets for Leishmaniasis. We have evaluated the phosphorylation potential of protein kinases in different species and strains of Leishmania. Phosphorylation potential of serine, threonine and tyrosine residues of kinases in Leishmania parasite were studied. The results indicate that some species specific residues of serine, threonine and tyrosine have a phosphorylation potential of 1 suggesting that these residues are important target sites in protein kinases based anti-leishmanial therapies.

An Arginine Deprivation Response Pathway Is Induced in Leishmania during Macrophage Invasion

Amino acid sensing is an intracellular function that supports nutrient homeostasis, largely through controlled release of amino acids from lysosomal pools. The intracellular pathogen Leishmania resides and proliferates within human macrophage phagolysosomes. Here we describe a new pathway in Leishmania that specifically senses the extracellular levels of arginine, an amino acid that is essential for the parasite. During infection, the macrophage arginine pool is depleted due to its use to produce metabolites (NO and polyamines) that constitute part of the host defense response and its suppression, respectively. We found that parasites respond to this shortage of arginine by up-regulating expression and activity of the Leishmania arginine transporter (LdAAP3), as well as several other transporters. Our analysis indicates the parasite monitors arginine levels in the environment rather than the intracellular pools. Phosphoproteomics and genetic analysis indicates that the arginine-deprivation response is mediated through a mitogen-activated protein kinase-2-dependent signaling cascade.

Protozoa of the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of leishmaniasis in humans. These parasites cycle between promastigotes in the sand fly mid-gut and amastigotes in phagolysosome of mammalian macrophages. During infection, host cells up-regulate nitric oxide while/or parasites induce expression of host arginase, both of which use arginine as a substrate. These elevated activities deplete macrophage arginine pools, a situation that invading Leishmania must overcome since it is an essential amino acid. Leishmania donovani imports exogenous arginine via a mono-specific amino acid transporter (AAP3) and utilizes it primarily through the polyamine pathway to provide precursors for trypanothione biosynthesis as well as hypusination of eukaryotic translation Initiation Factor 5A. Here we report the discovery of a pathway whereby Leishmania sense the lack of environmental arginine and respond with rapid up-regulation in the expression and activity of AAP3, as well as several other transporters. Significantly, this arginine deprivation response is also activated in parasites during macrophage infection. Phosphoproteomic analyses of L. donovani promastigotes have implicated a mitogen-activated protein kinase 2 (MPK2)-mediated signaling cascade in this response, and L. mexicana mutants lacking MPK2 are unable to respond to arginine deprivation. The arginine-sensing pathway might play an important role in Leishmania virulence and hence serve as target for drug development.

Comprehensive proteomics analysis of glycosomes from Leishmania donovani

Leishmania donovani is a kinetoplastid protozoan that causes a severe and fatal disease kala-azar, or visceral leishmaniasis. L. donovani infects human host after the phlebotomine sandfly takes a blood meal and resides within the phagolysosome of infected macrophages. Previous studies on host-parasite interactions have not focused on Leishmania organelles and the role that they play in the survival of this parasite within macrophages. Leishmania possess glycosomes that are unique and specialized subcellular microbody organelles. Glycosomes are known to harbor most peroxisomal enzymes and, in addition, they also possess nine glycolytic enzymes. In the present study, we have carried out proteomic profiling using high resolution mass spectrometry of a sucrose density gradient-enriched glycosomal fraction isolated from L. donovani promastigotes. This study resulted in the identification of 4022 unique peptides, leading to the identification of 1355 unique proteins from a preparation enriched in L. donovani glycosomes. Based on protein annotation, 566 (41.8%) were identified as hypothetical proteins with no known function. A majority of the identified proteins are involved in metabolic processes such as carbohydrate, lipid, and nucleic acid metabolism. Our present proteomic analysis is the most comprehensive study to date to map the proteome of L. donovani glycosomes.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Four Leishmania infantum Potentially Excreted/Secreted Proteins on Human Dendritic Cells Differentiation and Maturation

Leishmania parasites and some molecules they secrete are known to modulate innate immune responses through effects on dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages. Here, we characterized four Leishmania infantum potentially excreted/secreted recombinant proteins (LipESP) identified in our laboratory: Elongation Factor 1 alpha (LiEF-1α), a proteasome regulatory ATPase (LiAAA-ATPase) and two novel proteins with unknown functions, which we termed LiP15 and LiP23, by investigating their effect on in vitro differentiation and maturation of human DCs and on cytokine production by DCs and monocytes. During DCs differentiation, LipESP led to a significant decrease in CD1a. LiP23 and LiEF-1α, induced a decrease of HLA-DR and an increase of CD86 surface expression, respectively. During maturation, an up-regulation of HLA-DR and CD80 was found in response to LiP15, LiP23 and LiAAA-ATPase, while an increase of CD40 expression was only observed in response to LiP15. All LipESP induced an over-expression of CD86 with significant differences between proteins. These proteins also induced significant IL-12p70 levels in immature DCs but not in monocytes. The LipESP-induced IL-12p70 production was significantly enhanced by a co-treatment with IFN-γ in both cell populations. TNF-α and IL-10 were induced in DCs and monocytes with higher levels observed for LiP15 and LiAAA-ATPase. However, LPS-induced cytokine production during DC maturation or in monocyte cultures was significantly down regulated by LipESP co-treatment. Our findings suggest that LipESP strongly interfere with DCs differentiation suggesting a possible involvement in mechanisms established by the parasite for its survival. These proteins also induce DCs maturation by up-regulating several costimulatory molecules and by inducing the production of proinflammatory cytokines, which is a prerequisite for T cell activation. However, the reduced ability of LipESP-stimulated DCs and monocytes to respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that can be observed during human leishmaniasis, suggests that under certain circumstances LipESP may play a role in disease progression.

Protein kinase A signaling during bidirectional axenic differentiation in Leishmania

Parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania are obligatory intracellular parasites that cycle between the phagolysosome of mammalian macrophages, where they proliferate as intracellular amastigotes, and the midgut of female sand flies, where they proliferate as extracellular promastigotes. Shifting between the two environments induces signaling pathway-mediated developmental processes that enable adaptation to both host and vector. Developmentally regulated expression and phosphorylation of protein kinase A subunits in Leishmania and in Trypanosoma brucei point to an involvement of protein kinase A in parasite development. To assess this hypothesis in Leishmania donovani, we determined proteome-wide changes in phosphorylation of the conserved protein kinase A phosphorylation motifs RXXS and RXXT, using a phospho-specific antibody. Rapid dephosphorylation of these motifs was observed upon initiation of promastigote to amastigote differentiation in culture. No phosphorylated sites were detected in axenic amastigotes. To analyse the kinetics of (re)phosphorylation during axenic reverse differentiation from L. donovani amastigotes to promastigotes, we first established a map of this process with morphological and molecular markers. Upon initiation, the parasites rested for 6-12 h before proliferation of an asynchronous population resumed. After early changes in cell shape, the major changes in molecular marker expression and flagella biogenesis occurred between 24 and 33 h after initiation. RXXS/T re-phosphorylation and expression of the regulatory subunit PKAR1 correlated with promastigote maturation, indicating a promastigote-specific function of protein kinase A signaling. This is supported by the localization of PKAR1 to the flagellum, an organelle reduced to a remnant in amastigote forms. We conclude that a significant increase in protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation is part of the ordered changes that characterise the amastigote to promastigote differentiation.

Systems analysis of host-parasite interactions

Parasitic diseases caused by protozoan pathogens lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths per year in addition to substantial suffering and socioeconomic decline for millions of people worldwide. The lack of effective vaccines coupled with the widespread emergence of drug‐resistant parasites necessitates that the research community take an active role in understanding host–parasite infection biology in order to develop improved therapeutics. Recent advances in next‐generation sequencing and the rapid development of publicly accessible genomic databases for many human pathogens have facilitated the application of systems biology to the study of host–parasite interactions. Over the past decade, these technologies have led to the discovery of many important biological processes governing parasitic disease. The integration and interpretation of high‐throughput ‐omic data will undoubtedly generate extraordinary insight into host–parasite interaction networks essential to navigate the intricacies of these complex systems. As systems analysis continues to build the foundation for our understanding of host–parasite biology, this will provide the framework necessary to drive drug discovery research forward and accelerate the development of new antiparasitic therapies. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2015, 7:381–400. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1311

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Phosphoproteomic analysis of wild-type and antimony-resistant Leishmania braziliensis lines by 2D-DIGE technology

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most studied post-translational modifications that is involved in different cellular events in Leishmania. In this study, we performed a comparative phosphoproteomics analysis of potassium antimonyl tartrate (SbIII)-resistant and -susceptible lines of Leishmania braziliensis using a 2D-DIGE approach followed by MS. In order to investigate the differential phosphoprotein abundance associated with the drug-induced stress response and SbIII-resistance mechanisms, we compared nontreated and SbIII-treated samples of each line. Pair wise comparisons revealed a total of 116 spots that showed a statistically significant difference in phosphoprotein abundance, including 11 and 34 spots specifically correlated with drug treatment and resistance, respectively. We identified 48 different proteins distributed into seven biological process categories. The category "protein folding/chaperones and stress response" is mainly implicated in response to SbIII treatment, while the categories "antioxidant/detoxification," "metabolic process," "RNA/DNA processing," and "protein biosynthesis" are modulated in the case of antimony resistance. Multiple sequence alignments were performed to validate the conservation of phosphorylated residues in nine proteins identified here. Western blot assays were carried out to validate the quantitative phosphoproteome analysis. The results revealed differential expression level of three phosphoproteins in the lines analyzed. This novel study allowed us to profile the L. braziliensis phosphoproteome, identifying several potential candidates for biochemical or signaling networks associated with antimony resistance phenotype in this parasite.

A touch of Zen: post-translational regulation of the Leishmania stress response

Across bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic kingdoms, heat shock proteins (HSPs) are defined as a class of highly conserved chaperone proteins that are rapidly induced in response to temperature increase through dedicated heat shock transcription factors. While this transcriptional response governs cellular adaptation of fungal, plant and animal cells to thermic shock and other forms of stress, early-branching eukaryotes of the kinetoplastid order, including trypanosomatid parasites, lack classical mechanisms of transcriptional regulation and show largely constitutive expression of HSPs, thus raising important questions on the function of HSPs in the absence of stress and the regulation of their chaperone activity in response to environmental adversity. Understanding parasite-specific mechanisms of stress-response regulation is especially relevant for protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania that are adapted for survival inside highly toxic phagolysosomes of host macrophages causing the various immuno-pathologies of leishmaniasis. Here we review recent advances on the function and regulation of chaperone activities in these kinetoplastid pathogens and propose a new model for stress-response regulation through a reciprocal regulatory relationship between stress kinases and chaperones that may be relevant for parasite-adaptive differentiation and infectivity.

Inferring Aberrant Signal Transduction Pathways in Ovarian Cancer from TCGA Data

This paper concerns a new method for identifying aberrant signal transduction pathways (STPs) in cancer using case/control gene expression-level datasets, and applying that method and an existing method to an ovarian carcinoma dataset. Both methods identify STPs that are plausibly linked to all cancers based on current knowledge. Thus, the paper is most appropriate for the cancer informatics community. Our hypothesis is that STPs that are altered in tumorous tissue can be identified by applying a new Bayesian network (BN)-based method (causal analysis of STP aberration (CASA)) and an existing method (signaling pathway impact analysis (SPIA)) to the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) gene expression-level datasets. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed 20 cancer-related STPs and 6 randomly chosen STPs using the 591 cases in the TCGA ovarian carcinoma dataset, and the 102 controls in all 5 TCGA cancer datasets. We identified all the genes related to each of the 26 pathways, and developed separate gene expression datasets for each pathway. The results of the two methods were highly correlated. Furthermore, many of the STPs that ranked highest according to both methods are plausibly linked to all cancers based on current knowledge. Finally, CASA ranked the cancer-related STPs over the randomly selected STPs at a significance level below 0.05 (P = 0.047), but SPIA did not (P = 0.083).