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Bong JJ, Lee W, Lee CH, Park Q, Noh KT. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of pvmdr-1 in Plasmodium vivax isolated from military personnel of Republic of Korea in 2016 and 2017. Malar J 2022; 21:205. [PMID: 35765071 PMCID: PMC9238087 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04214-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Malaria chemoprophylaxis using chloroquine (CQ) and primaquine (PQ) has been administered to resident soldiers in the 3rd Army of Republic of Korea (ROK) to prevent malaria infection since the year 1997. Due to mass chemoprophylaxis against malaria, concern exists about the occurrence of chloroquine resistance (CQR). This study aimed to investigate the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Plasmodium vivax multi-drug resistance protein-1 (pvmdr-1) gene to monitor the risk of CQR. Methods SNPs of the pvmdr-1 gene were analysed in 73 soldiers of the 3rd Army of ROK diagnosed with infection by P. vivax. Results Quintuple mutations (G698S, L845F, M908L, T958M, and F1076L) were detected in 73 soldiers. A newly identified non-synonymous mutation in the Y541C position had been introduced into P. vivax malaria-endemic areas in ROK, at a frequency of 1.3% (1/73). In addition, synonymous mutations were detected at positions K44 (38.4%, 28/73), L493 (26%, 19/73), T529 (61.6%, 45/73), and E1233 (52.1%, 38/73). Based on these SNPs, pvmdr-1 sequences of ROK were classified into 6 haplotypes. The phylogenetic analysis closed to the type of North Korean showed that P. vivax malaria of ROK could be a reason of influx from North Korea. Conclusions This study showed that synonymous and non-synonymous mutations of pvmdr-1 were observed in the malaria chemoprophylaxis-executed regions of ROK from 2016 to 2017. Based on the rapid transition of pvmdr-1 SNPs, continuous surveillance for SNPs of pvmdr-1 related to CQR in the malaria-endemic regions of ROK is essential. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-022-04214-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Jong Bong
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, 90bun, Jaunro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34059, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonsig Lee
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, 90bun, Jaunro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34059, Republic of Korea
| | - Chan Hee Lee
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, 90bun, Jaunro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34059, Republic of Korea
| | - Quehn Park
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, 90bun, Jaunro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34059, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Tae Noh
- Department of Infectious Disease Research, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, 90bun, Jaunro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34059, Republic of Korea.
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Wunderlich J. Updated List of Transport Proteins in Plasmodium falciparum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:926541. [PMID: 35811673 PMCID: PMC9263188 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.926541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a leading cause of death and disease in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Due to the alarming spread of resistance to almost all available antimalarial drugs, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. As the intracellular human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depends entirely on the host to meet its nutrient requirements and the majority of its transmembrane transporters are essential and lack human orthologs, these have often been suggested as potential targets of novel antimalarial drugs. However, membrane proteins are less amenable to proteomic tools compared to soluble parasite proteins, and have thus not been characterised as well. While it had been proposed that P. falciparum had a lower number of transporters (2.5% of its predicted proteome) in comparison to most reference genomes, manual curation of information from various sources led to the identification of 197 known and putative transporter genes, representing almost 4% of all parasite genes, a proportion that is comparable to well-studied metazoan species. This transporter list presented here was compiled by collating data from several databases along with extensive literature searches, and includes parasite-encoded membrane-resident/associated channels, carriers, and pumps that are located within the parasite or exported to the host cell. It provides updated information on the substrates, subcellular localisation, class, predicted essentiality, and the presence or absence of human orthologs of P. falciparum transporters to quickly identify essential proteins without human orthologs for further functional characterisation and potential exploitation as novel drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Wunderlich
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Juliane Wunderlich,
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Peterson MS, Joyner CJ, Lapp SA, Brady JA, Wood JS, Cabrera-Mora M, Saney CL, Fonseca LL, Cheng WT, Jiang J, Soderberg SR, Nural MV, Hankus A, Machiah D, Karpuzoglu E, DeBarry JD, Tirouvanziam R, Kissinger JC, Moreno A, Gumber S, Voit EO, Gutierrez JB, Cordy RJ, Galinski MR. Plasmodium knowlesi Cytoadhesion Involves SICA Variant Proteins. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:888496. [PMID: 35811680 PMCID: PMC9260704 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.888496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium knowlesi poses a health threat throughout Southeast Asian communities and currently causes most cases of malaria in Malaysia. This zoonotic parasite species has been studied in Macaca mulatta (rhesus monkeys) as a model for severe malarial infections, chronicity, and antigenic variation. The phenomenon of Plasmodium antigenic variation was first recognized during rhesus monkey infections. Plasmodium-encoded variant proteins were first discovered in this species and found to be expressed at the surface of infected erythrocytes, and then named the Schizont-Infected Cell Agglutination (SICA) antigens. SICA expression was shown to be spleen dependent, as SICA expression is lost after P. knowlesi is passaged in splenectomized rhesus. Here we present data from longitudinal P. knowlesi infections in rhesus with the most comprehensive analysis to date of clinical parameters and infected red blood cell sequestration in the vasculature of tissues from 22 organs. Based on the histopathological analysis of 22 tissue types from 11 rhesus monkeys, we show a comparative distribution of parasitized erythrocytes and the degree of margination of the infected erythrocytes with the endothelium. Interestingly, there was a significantly higher burden of parasites in the gastrointestinal tissues, and extensive margination of the parasites along the endothelium, which may help explain gastrointestinal symptoms frequently reported by patients with P. knowlesi malarial infections. Moreover, this margination was not observed in splenectomized rhesus that were infected with parasites not expressing the SICA proteins. This work provides data that directly supports the view that a subpopulation of P. knowlesi parasites cytoadheres and sequesters, likely via SICA variant antigens acting as ligands. This process is akin to the cytoadhesive function of the related variant antigen proteins, namely Erythrocyte Membrane Protein-1, expressed by Plasmodium falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko S. Peterson
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Chester J. Joyner
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Stacey A. Lapp
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jessica A. Brady
- School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Jennifer S. Wood
- Division of Animal Resources, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Monica Cabrera-Mora
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Celia L. Saney
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Luis L. Fonseca
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Wayne T. Cheng
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Jianlin Jiang
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Stephanie R. Soderberg
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mustafa V. Nural
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Allison Hankus
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Deepa Machiah
- Division of Pathology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ebru Karpuzoglu
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jeremy D. DeBarry
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Rabindra Tirouvanziam
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jessica C. Kissinger
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Alberto Moreno
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Sanjeev Gumber
- Division of Pathology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Eberhard O. Voit
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Juan B. Gutierrez
- Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Regina Joice Cordy
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Mary R. Galinski
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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de Jong RM, Singh SK, Teelen K, van de Vegte-Bolmer M, van Gemert GJ, Stone WJR, Locke E, Plieskatt J, Theisen M, Bousema T, Jore MM. Heterologous Expression and Evaluation of Novel Plasmodium falciparum Transmission Blocking Vaccine Candidates. Front Immunol 2022; 13:909060. [PMID: 35812379 PMCID: PMC9259988 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.909060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria transmission blocking vaccines (TBV) aim to induce antibodies that can interrupt Plasmodium falciparum development in the mosquito midgut and thereby prevent onward malaria transmission. A limited number of TBV candidates have been identified and only three (Pfs25, Pfs230 and Pfs48/45) have entered clinical testing. While one of these candidates may emerge as a highly potent TBV candidate, it is premature to determine if they will generate sufficiently potent and sustained responses. It is therefore important to explore novel candidate antigens. We recently analyzed sera from naturally exposed individuals and found that the presence and/or intensity of antibodies against 12 novel putative surface expressed gametocyte antigens was associated with transmission reducing activity. In this study, protein fragments of these novel TBV candidates were designed and heterologously expressed in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells and Lactococcus lactis. Eleven protein fragments, covering seven TBV candidates, were successfully produced. All tested antigens were recognized by antibodies from individuals living in malaria-endemic areas, indicating that native epitopes are present. All antigens induced antigen-specific antibody responses in mice. Two antigens induced antibodies that recognized a native protein in gametocyte extract, and antibodies elicited by four antigens recognized whole gametocytes. In particular, we found that antigen Pf3D7_0305300, a putative transporter, is abundantly expressed on the surface of gametocytes. However, none of the seven novel TBV candidates expressed here induced an antibody response that reduced parasite development in the mosquito midgut as assessed in the standard membrane feeding assay. Altogether, the antigen fragments used in this study did not prove to be promising transmission blocking vaccine constructs, but led to the identification of two gametocyte surface proteins that may provide new leads for studying gametocyte biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roos M. de Jong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Susheel K. Singh
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Karina Teelen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | | | - Geert-Jan van Gemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Will J. R. Stone
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Locke
- PATH‘s Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Jordan Plieskatt
- PATH‘s Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Michael Theisen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Teun Bousema
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Matthijs M. Jore
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Matthijs M. Jore,
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105
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Giorgalli M, Cunningham DA, Broncel M, Sait A, Harrison TE, Hosking C, Vandomme A, Amis SI, Antonello A, Sullivan L, Uwadiae F, Torella L, Higgins MK, Langhorne J. Differential Trafficking and Expression of PIR Proteins in Acute and Chronic Plasmodium Infections. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:877253. [PMID: 35782145 PMCID: PMC9245118 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.877253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium multigene families are thought to play important roles in the pathogenesis of malaria. Plasmodium interspersed repeat (pir) genes comprise the largest multigene family in many Plasmodium species. However, their expression pattern and localisation remain to be elucidated. Understanding protein subcellular localisation is fundamental to reveal the functional importance and cell-cell interactions of the PIR proteins. Here, we use the rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi, as a model to investigate the localisation pattern of this gene family. We found that most PIR proteins are co-expressed in clusters during acute and chronic infection; members of the S7 clade are predominantly expressed during the acute-phase, whereas members of the L1 clade dominate the chronic-phase of infection. Using peptide antisera specific for S7 or L1 PIRS, we show that these PIRs have different localisations within the infected red blood cells. S7 PIRs are exported into the infected red blood cell cytoplasm where they are co-localised with parasite-induced host cell modifications termed Maurer’s clefts, whereas L1 PIRs are localised on or close to the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane. This localisation pattern changes following mosquito transmission and during progression from acute- to chronic-phase of infection. The presence of PIRs in Maurer’s clefts, as seen for Plasmodium falciparum RIFIN and STEVOR proteins, might suggest trafficking of the PIRs on the surface of the infected erythrocytes. However, neither S7 nor L1 PIR proteins detected by the peptide antisera are localised on the surface of infected red blood cells, suggesting that they are unlikely to be targets of surface variant-specific antibodies or to be directly involved in adhesion of infected red blood cells to host cells, as described for Plasmodium falciparum VAR proteins. The differences in subcellular localisation of the two major clades of Plasmodium chabaudi PIRs across the blood cycle, and the apparent lack of expression on the red cell surface strongly suggest that the function(s) of this gene family may differ from those of other multigene families of Plasmodium, such as the var genes of Plasmodium falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Giorgalli
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Malgorzata Broncel
- Proteomics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron Sait
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas E. Harrison
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Hosking
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Audrey Vandomme
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah I. Amis
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Antonello
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren Sullivan
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Faith Uwadiae
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Torella
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew K. Higgins
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jean Langhorne
- Malaria Immunology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Jean Langhorne,
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106
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Singh V, Hada RS, Jain R, Vashistha M, Kumari G, Singh S, Sharma N, Bansal M, Poonam, Zoltner M, Caffrey CR, Rathi B, Singh S. Designing and development of phthalimides as potent anti-tubulin hybrid molecules against malaria. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 239:114534. [PMID: 35749989 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Constant emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum warrants urgent need for effective and inexpensive drugs. Herein, phthalimide (Pht) analogs possessing the bioactive scaffolds, benzimidazole and 1,2,3-triazole, were evaluated for in vitro and in vivo anti-plasmodial activity without any apparent hemolysis, or cytotoxicity. Analogs 4(a-e) inhibited the growth of 3D7 and RKL-9 strains at submicromolar concentrations. Defects were observed during parasite egress from or invasion of the red blood cells. Mitochondrial membrane depolarization was measured as one of the causes of cell death. Phts 4(a-e) in combination with artemisinin exhibited two-to three-fold increased efficacy. Biophysical and biochemical analysis suggest that Pht analogs mediate plasmodial growth inhibition by interacting with tubulin protein of the parasite. Lastly, Phts 4(a-e) significantly decreased parasitemia and extended host survival in murine model Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Combined, the data indicate that Pht analogs should be further explored, which could offer novel value to the antimalarial drug development pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vigyasa Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Rahul Singh Hada
- Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Buddha Nagar, UP, 201314, India
| | - Ravi Jain
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Manu Vashistha
- Advanced Instrumentation Research Facility, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Geeta Kumari
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Snigdha Singh
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Neha Sharma
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Meenakshi Bansal
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Poonam
- Department of Chemistry, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India; Delhi School of Public Health, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Martin Zoltner
- Drug Discovery and Evaluation Unit, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Conor R Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Brijesh Rathi
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India; Delhi School of Public Health, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
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Salman AA, Goldring JPD. Expression and copper binding characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum cytochrome c oxidase assembly factor 11, Cox11. Malar J 2022; 21:173. [PMID: 35672733 PMCID: PMC9172173 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04188-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Copper is an essential metal for living organisms as a catalytic co-factor for important enzymes, like cytochrome c oxidase the final enzyme in the electron transport chain. Plasmodium falciparum parasites in infected red blood cells are killed by excess copper and development in erythrocytes is inhibited by copper chelators. Cytochrome c oxidase in yeast obtains copper for the CuB site in the Cox1 subunit from Cox11. Methods A 162 amino acid carboxy-terminal domain of the P. falciparum Cox11 ortholog (PfCox11Ct) was recombinantly expressed and the rMBPPfCox11Ct affinity purified. Copper binding was measured in vitro and in Escherichia coli host cells. Site directed mutagenesis was used to identify key copper binding cysteines. Antibodies confirmed the expression of the native protein. Results rMBPPfCox11Ct was expressed as a 62 kDa protein fused with the maltose binding protein and affinity purified. rMBPPfCox11Ct bound copper measured by: a bicinchoninic acid release assay; atomic absorption spectroscopy; a bacterial host growth inhibition assay; ascorbate oxidation inhibition and in a thermal shift assay. The cysteine 157 amino acid was shown to be important for in vitro copper binding by PfCox11whilst Cys 60 was not. The native protein was detected by antibodies against rMBPPfCox11Ct. Conclusions Plasmodium spp. express the PfCox11 protein which shares structural features and copper binding motifs with Cox11 from other species. PfCox11 binds copper and is, therefore, predicted to transfer copper to the CuB site of Plasmodium cytochrome c oxidase. Characterization of Plasmodium spp. proteins involved in copper metabolism will help sceintists understand the role of cytochrome c oxidase and this essential metal in Plasmodium homeostasis.
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108
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An update on cerebral malaria for therapeutic intervention. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:10579-10591. [PMID: 35670928 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07625-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cerebral malaria is often pronounced as a major life-threatening neurological complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. The complex pathogenic landscape of the parasite and the associated neurological complications are still not elucidated properly. The growing concerns of drugresistant parasite strains along with the failure of anti-malarial drugs to subdue post-recovery neuro-cognitive dysfunctions in cerebral malaria patients have called for a demand to explore novel biomarkers and therapeutic avenues. Due course of the brain infection journey of the parasite, events such as sequestration of infected RBCs, cytoadherence, inflammation, endothelial activation, and blood-brain barrier disruption are considered critical. METHODS In this review, we briefly summarize the diverse pathogenesis of the brain-invading parasite associated with loss of the blood-brain barrier integrity. In addition, we also discuss proteomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics strategies to identify an array of new biomarkers and drug candidates. CONCLUSION A proper understanding of the parasite biology and mechanism of barrier disruption coupled with emerging state-of-art therapeutic approaches could be helpful to tackle cerebral malaria.
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Abstract
"The Primate Malarias" book has been a uniquely important resource for multiple generations of scientists, since its debut in 1971, and remains pertinent to the present day. Indeed, nonhuman primates (NHPs) have been instrumental for major breakthroughs in basic and pre-clinical research on malaria for over 50 years. Research involving NHPs have provided critical insights and data that have been essential for malaria research on many parasite species, drugs, vaccines, pathogenesis, and transmission, leading to improved clinical care and advancing research goals for malaria control, elimination, and eradication. Whilst most malaria scientists over the decades have been studying Plasmodium falciparum, with NHP infections, in clinical studies with humans, or using in vitro culture or rodent model systems, others have been dedicated to advancing research on Plasmodium vivax, as well as on phylogenetically related simian species, including Plasmodium cynomolgi, Plasmodium coatneyi, and Plasmodium knowlesi. In-depth study of these four phylogenetically related species over the years has spawned the design of NHP longitudinal infection strategies for gathering information about ongoing infections, which can be related to human infections. These Plasmodium-NHP infection model systems are reviewed here, with emphasis on modern systems biological approaches to studying longitudinal infections, pathogenesis, immunity, and vaccines. Recent discoveries capitalizing on NHP longitudinal infections include an advanced understanding of chronic infections, relapses, anaemia, and immune memory. With quickly emerging new technological advances, more in-depth research and mechanistic discoveries can be anticipated on these and additional critical topics, including hypnozoite biology, antigenic variation, gametocyte transmission, bone marrow dysfunction, and loss of uninfected RBCs. New strategies and insights published by the Malaria Host-Pathogen Interaction Center (MaHPIC) are recapped here along with a vision that stresses the importance of educating future experts well trained in utilizing NHP infection model systems for the pursuit of innovative, effective interventions against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary R Galinski
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory National Primate Research Center (Yerkes National Primate Research Center), Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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110
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Kent RS, Briggs EM, Colon BL, Alvarez C, Silva Pereira S, De Niz M. Paving the Way: Contributions of Big Data to Apicomplexan and Kinetoplastid Research. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:900878. [PMID: 35734575 PMCID: PMC9207352 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.900878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the age of big data an important question is how to ensure we make the most out of the resources we generate. In this review, we discuss the major methods used in Apicomplexan and Kinetoplastid research to produce big datasets and advance our understanding of Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania biology. We debate the benefits and limitations of the current technologies, and propose future advancements that may be key to improving our use of these techniques. Finally, we consider the difficulties the field faces when trying to make the most of the abundance of data that has already been, and will continue to be, generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn S. Kent
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Emma M. Briggs
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice L. Colon
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Catalina Alvarez
- de Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sara Silva Pereira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mariana De Niz
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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111
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Ochoa R, Lunardelli VAS, Rosa DS, Laio A, Cossio P. Multiple-Allele MHC Class II Epitope Engineering by a Molecular Dynamics-Based Evolution Protocol. Front Immunol 2022; 13:862851. [PMID: 35572587 PMCID: PMC9094701 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.862851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epitopes that bind simultaneously to all human alleles of Major Histocompatibility Complex class II (MHC II) are considered one of the key factors for the development of improved vaccines and cancer immunotherapies. To engineer MHC II multiple-allele binders, we developed a protocol called PanMHC-PARCE, based on the unsupervised optimization of the epitope sequence by single-point mutations, parallel explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations and scoring of the MHC II-epitope complexes. The key idea is accepting mutations that not only improve the affinity but also reduce the affinity gap between the alleles. We applied this methodology to enhance a Plasmodium vivax epitope for multiple-allele binding. In vitro rate-binding assays showed that four engineered peptides were able to bind with improved affinity toward multiple human MHC II alleles. Moreover, we demonstrated that mice immunized with the peptides exhibited interferon-gamma cellular immune response. Overall, the method enables the engineering of peptides with improved binding properties that can be used for the generation of new immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ochoa
- Biophysics of Tropical Diseases, Max Planck Tandem Group, University of Antioquia UdeA, Medellin, Colombia
| | | | - Daniela Santoro Rosa
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.,Institute for Investigation in Immunology (iii), Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alessandro Laio
- Physics Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.,Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics Section, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy
| | - Pilar Cossio
- Biophysics of Tropical Diseases, Max Planck Tandem Group, University of Antioquia UdeA, Medellin, Colombia.,Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, United States
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112
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Carvalho L, Bernardes GJL. The Impact of Activity-based Protein Profiling in Malaria Drug Discovery. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200174. [PMID: 35506504 PMCID: PMC9401580 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) is an approach used at the interface of chemical biology and proteomics that uses small molecular probes to provide dynamic fingerprints of enzymatic activity in complex proteomes. Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites with a significant death burden and for which new therapies are actively being sought. Here, we compile the main achievements from ABPP studies in malaria and highlight the probes used and the different downstream platforms for data analysis. ABPP has excelled at studying Plasmodium cysteine proteases and serine hydrolase families, the targeting of the proteasome and metabolic pathways, and in the deconvolution of targets and mechanisms of known antimalarials. Despite the major impact in the field, many antimalarials and enzymatic families in Plasmodium remain to be studied, which suggests ABPP will be an evergreen technique in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Carvalho
- University of Cambridge, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Rd, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UNITED KINGDOM
| | - Gonçalo J L Bernardes
- University of Cambridge Department of Chemistry, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Rd, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UNITED KINGDOM
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Rawat M, Kanyal A, Choubey D, Deshmukh B, Malhotra R, Mamatharani DV, Rao AG, Karmodiya K. Identification of Co-Existing Mutations and Gene Expression Trends Associated With K13-Mediated Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. Front Genet 2022; 13:824483. [PMID: 35464842 PMCID: PMC9019836 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.824483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum infects millions and kills thousands of people annually the world over. With the emergence of artemisinin and/or multidrug resistant strains of the pathogen, it has become even more challenging to control and eliminate the disease. Multiomics studies of the parasite have started to provide a glimpse into the confounding genetics and mechanisms of artemisinin resistance and identified mutations in Kelch13 (K13) as a molecular marker of resistance. Over the years, thousands of genomes and transcriptomes of artemisinin-resistant/sensitive isolates have been documented, supplementing the search for new genes/pathways to target artemisinin-resistant isolates. This meta-analysis seeks to recap the genetic landscape and the transcriptional deregulation that demarcate artemisinin resistance in the field. To explore the genetic territory of artemisinin resistance, we use genomic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) datasets from 2,517 isolates from 15 countries from the MalariaGEN Network (The Pf3K project, pilot data release 4, 2015) to dissect the prevalence, geographical distribution, and co-existing patterns of genetic markers associated with/enabling artemisinin resistance. We have identified several mutations which co-exist with the established markers of artemisinin resistance. Interestingly, K13-resistant parasites harbor α-ß hydrolase and putative HECT domain-containing protein genes with the maximum number of SNPs. We have also explored the multiple, publicly available transcriptomic datasets to identify genes from key biological pathways whose consistent deregulation may be contributing to the biology of resistant parasites. Surprisingly, glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways were consistently downregulated in artemisinin-resistant parasites. Thus, this meta-analysis highlights the genetic and transcriptomic features of resistant parasites to propel further exploratory studies in the community to tackle artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukul Rawat
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Abhishek Kanyal
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Deepak Choubey
- Life Science Research Unit, Persistent Systems Limited, Pune, India
| | - Bhagyashree Deshmukh
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Rashim Malhotra
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - D V Mamatharani
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Anjani Gopal Rao
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Krishanpal Karmodiya
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
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Wichers JS, Mesén-Ramírez P, Fuchs G, Yu-Strzelczyk J, Stäcker J, von Thien H, Alder A, Henshall I, Liffner B, Nagel G, Löw C, Wilson D, Spielmann T, Gao S, Gilberger TW, Bachmann A, Strauss J. PMRT1, a Plasmodium-Specific Parasite Plasma Membrane Transporter, Is Essential for Asexual and Sexual Blood Stage Development. mBio 2022; 13:e0062322. [PMID: 35404116 PMCID: PMC9040750 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00623-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane transport proteins perform crucial roles in cell physiology. The obligate intracellular parasite Plasmodium falciparum, an agent of human malaria, relies on membrane transport proteins for the uptake of nutrients from the host, disposal of metabolic waste, exchange of metabolites between organelles, and generation and maintenance of transmembrane electrochemical gradients for its growth and replication within human erythrocytes. Despite their importance for Plasmodium cellular physiology, the functional roles of a number of membrane transport proteins remain unclear, which is particularly true for orphan membrane transporters that have no or limited sequence homology to transporter proteins in other evolutionary lineages. Therefore, in the current study, we applied endogenous tagging, targeted gene disruption, conditional knockdown, and knockout approaches to investigate the subcellular localization and essentiality of six membrane transporters during intraerythrocytic development of P. falciparum parasites. They are localized at different subcellular structures-the food vacuole, the apicoplast, and the parasite plasma membrane-and four out of the six membrane transporters are essential during asexual development. Additionally, the plasma membrane resident transporter 1 (PMRT1; PF3D7_1135300), a unique Plasmodium-specific plasma membrane transporter, was shown to be essential for gametocytogenesis and functionally conserved within the genus Plasmodium. Overall, we reveal the importance of four orphan transporters to blood stage P. falciparum development, which have diverse intracellular localizations and putative functions. IMPORTANCE Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes possess multiple compartments with designated membranes. Transporter proteins embedded in these membranes not only facilitate movement of nutrients, metabolites, and other molecules between these compartments, but also are common therapeutic targets and can confer antimalarial drug resistance. Orphan membrane transporters in P. falciparum without sequence homology to transporters in other evolutionary lineages and divergent from host transporters may constitute attractive targets for novel intervention approaches. Here, we localized six of these putative transporters at different subcellular compartments and probed their importance during asexual parasite growth by using reverse genetic approaches. In total, only two candidates turned out to be dispensable for the parasite, highlighting four candidates as putative targets for therapeutic interventions. This study reveals the importance of several orphan transporters to blood stage P. falciparum development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Stephan Wichers
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Gwendolin Fuchs
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jing Yu-Strzelczyk
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jan Stäcker
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arne Alder
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabelle Henshall
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Benjamin Liffner
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Georg Nagel
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Shiqiang Gao
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
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115
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In Silico and In Vitro Antimalarial Screening and Validation Targeting Plasmodium falciparum Plasmepsin V. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27092670. [PMID: 35566023 PMCID: PMC9102085 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Malaria chemotherapy is greatly threatened by the recent emergence and spread of resistance in the Plasmodium falciparum parasite against artemisinins and their partner drugs. Therefore, it is an urgent priority to develop new antimalarials. Plasmepsin V (PMV) is regarded as a superior drug target for its essential role in protein export. In this study, we performed virtual screening based on homology modeling of PMV structure, molecular docking and pharmacophore model analysis against a library with 1,535,478 compounds, which yielded 233 hits. Their antimalarial activities were assessed amongst four non-peptidomimetic compounds that demonstrated the promising inhibition of parasite growth, with mean IC50 values of 6.67 μM, 5.10 μM, 12.55 μM and 8.31 μM. No significant affection to the viability of L929 cells was detected in these candidates. These four compounds displayed strong binding activities with the PfPMV model through H-bond, hydrophobic, halogen bond or π-π interactions in molecular docking, with binding scores under −9.0 kcal/mol. The experimental validation of molecule-protein interaction identified the binding of four compounds with multiple plasmepsins; however, only compound 47 showed interaction with plasmepsin V, which exhibited the potential to be developed as an active PfPMV inhibitor.
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Erath J, Djuranovic S. Association of the receptor for activated C-kinase 1 with ribosomes in Plasmodium falciparum. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101954. [PMID: 35452681 PMCID: PMC9120242 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The receptor for activated C-kinase 1 (RACK1), a highly conserved eukaryotic protein, is known to have many varying biological roles and functions. Previous work has established RACK1 as a ribosomal protein, with defined regions important for ribosome binding in eukaryotic cells. In Plasmodium falciparum, RACK1 has been shown to be required for parasite growth, however, conflicting evidence has been presented about RACK1 ribosome binding and its role in mRNA translation. Given the importance of RACK1 as a regulatory component of mRNA translation and ribosome quality control, the case could be made in parasites that RACK1 either binds or does not bind the ribosome. Here, we used bioinformatics and transcription analyses to further characterize the P. falciparum RACK1 protein. Based on homology modeling and structural analyses, we generated a model of P. falciparum RACK1. We then explored mutant and chimeric human and P. falciparum RACK1 protein binding properties to the human and P. falciparum ribosome. We found that WT, chimeric, and mutant RACK1 exhibit distinct ribosome interactions suggesting different binding characteristics for P. falciparum and human RACK1 proteins. The ribosomal binding of RACK1 variants in human and parasite cells shown here demonstrates that although RACK1 proteins have highly conserved sequences and structures across species, ribosomal binding is affected by species-specific alterations to this protein. In conclusion, we show that in the case of P. falciparum, contrary to the structural data, RACK1 is found to bind ribosomes and actively translating polysomes in parasite cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessey Erath
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Sergej Djuranovic
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
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117
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Disrupting a Plasmodium berghei putative phospholipase impairs efficient egress of merosomes. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:547-558. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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118
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Adderley J, Doerig C. Comparative analysis of the kinomes of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and their host Homo sapiens. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:237. [PMID: 35346035 PMCID: PMC8960227 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08457-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Novel antimalarials should be effective across all species of malaria parasites that infect humans, especially the two species that bear the most impact, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Protein kinases encoded by pathogens, as well as host kinases required for survival of intracellular pathogens, carry considerable potential as targets for antimalarial intervention (Adderley et al. Trends Parasitol 37:508–524, 2021; Wei et al. Cell Rep Med 2:100423, 2021). To date, no comprehensive P. vivax kinome assembly has been conducted; and the P. falciparum kinome, first assembled in 2004, requires an update. The present study, aimed to fill these gaps, utilises a recently published structurally-validated multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of the human kinome (Modi et al. Sci Rep 9:19790, 2019). This MSA is used as a scaffold to assist the alignment of all protein kinase sequences from P. falciparum and P. vivax, and (where possible) their assignment to specific kinase groups/families. Results We were able to assign six P. falciparum previously classified as OPK or ‘orphans’ (i.e. with no clear phylogenetic relation to any of the established ePK groups) to one of the aforementioned ePK groups. Direct phylogenetic comparison established that despite an overall high level of similarity between the P. falciparum and P. vivax kinomes, which will help in selecting targets for intervention, there are differences that may underlie the biological specificities of these species. Furthermore, we highlight a number of Plasmodium kinases that have a surprisingly high level of similarity with their human counterparts and therefore not well suited as targets for drug discovery. Conclusions Direct comparison of the kinomes of Homo sapiens, P. falciparum and P. vivax sheds additional light on the previously documented divergence of many P. falciparum and P. vivax kinases from those of their human host. We provide the first direct kinome comparison between the phylogenetically distinct species of P. falciparum and P. vivax, illustrating the key similarities and differences which must be considered in the context of kinase-directed antimalarial drug discovery, and discuss the divergences and similarities between the human and Plasmodium kinomes to inform future searches for selective antimalarial intervention. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08457-0.
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Repurposing Lansoprazole and Posaconazole to treat leishmaniasis: Integration of in vitro testing, pharmacological corroboration, and mechanisms of action. J Food Drug Anal 2022; 30:128-149. [PMID: 35647721 PMCID: PMC9931003 DOI: 10.38212/2224-6614.3394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis remains a serious public health problem in many tropical regions of the world. Among neglected tropical diseases, the mortality rate of leishmaniasis is second only to malaria. All currently approved therapeutics have toxic side effects and face rapidly increasing resistance. To identify existing drugs with antileishmanial activity and predict the mechanism of action, we designed a drug-discovery pipeline utilizing both in-silico and in-vitro methods. First, we screened compounds from the Selleckchem Bio-Active Compound Library containing ~1622 FDA-approved drugs and narrowed these down to 96 candidates based on data mining for possible anti-parasitic properties. Next, we completed preliminary in-vitro testing of compounds against Leishmania amastigotes and selected the most promising active compounds, Lansoprazole and Posaconazole. We identified possible Leishmania drug targets of Lansoprazole and Posaconazole using several available servers. Our in-silico screen identified likely Lansoprazole targets as the closely related calcium-transporting ATPases (LdBPK_352080.1, LdBPK_040010.1, and LdBPK_170660.1), and the Posaconazole target as lanosterol 14-alpha-demethylase (LdBPK_111100.1). Further validation showed LdBPK_352080.1 to be the most plausible target based on induced-fit docking followed by long (100ns) MD simulations to confirm the stability of the docked complexes. We present a likely ion channel-based mechanism of action of Lansoprazole against Leishmania calcium-transporting ATPases, which are essential for parasite metabolism and infectivity. The LdBPK_111100.1 interaction with Posaconazole is very similar to the known fungal orthologue. Herein, we present two novel anti-leishmanial agents, Posaconazole and Lansoprazole, already approved by the FDA for different indications and propose plausible mechanisms of action for their antileishmanial activity.
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Rex DB, Patil AH, Modi PK, Kandiyil MK, Kasaragod S, Pinto SM, Tanneru N, Sijwali PS, Prasad TSK. Dissecting Plasmodium yoelii Pathobiology: Proteomic Approaches for Decoding Novel Translational and Post-Translational Modifications. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:8246-8257. [PMID: 35309442 PMCID: PMC8928344 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c03892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a vector-borne disease. It is caused by Plasmodium parasites. Plasmodium yoelii is a rodent model parasite, primarily used for studying parasite development in liver cells and vectors. To better understand parasite biology, we carried out a high-throughput-based proteomic analysis of P. yoelii. From the same mass spectrometry (MS)/MS data set, we also captured several post-translational modified peptides by following a bioinformatics analysis without any prior enrichment. Further, we carried out a proteogenomic analysis, which resulted in improvements to some of the existing gene models along with the identification of several novel genes. Analysis of proteome and post-translational modifications (PTMs) together resulted in the identification of 3124 proteins. The identified PTMs were found to be enriched in mitochondrial metabolic pathways. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis provided an insight into proteins associated with metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Among these, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and the isoprenoid synthesis pathway are found to be essential for parasite survival and drug resistance. The proteogenomic analysis discovered 43 novel protein-coding genes. The availability of an in-depth proteomic landscape of a malaria pathogen model will likely facilitate further molecular-level investigations on pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devasahayam
Arokia Balaya Rex
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | - Arun H. Patil
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | - Prashant Kumar Modi
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | - Mrudula Kinarulla Kandiyil
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | - Sandeep Kasaragod
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | - Sneha M. Pinto
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore 575018, India
| | - Nandita Tanneru
- CSIR-Centre
for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
| | - Puran Singh Sijwali
- CSIR-Centre
for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
- Academy
of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Siddiqui G, De Paoli A, MacRaild CA, Sexton AE, Boulet C, Shah AD, Batty MB, Schittenhelm RB, Carvalho TG, Creek DJ. A new mass spectral library for high-coverage and reproducible analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cell proteome. Gigascience 2022; 11:6543637. [PMID: 35254426 PMCID: PMC8900498 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plasmodium falciparum causes the majority of malaria mortality worldwide, and the disease occurs during the asexual red blood cell (RBC) stage of infection. In the absence of an effective and available vaccine, and with increasing drug resistance, asexual RBC stage parasites are an important research focus. In recent years, mass spectrometry–based proteomics using data-dependent acquisition has been extensively used to understand the biochemical processes within the parasite. However, data-dependent acquisition is problematic for the detection of low-abundance proteins and proteome coverage and has poor run-to-run reproducibility. Results Here, we present a comprehensive P. falciparum–infected RBC (iRBC) spectral library to measure the abundance of 44,449 peptides from 3,113 P. falciparum and 1,617 RBC proteins using a data-independent acquisition mass spectrometric approach. The spectral library includes proteins expressed in the 3 morphologically distinct RBC stages (ring, trophozoite, schizont), the RBC compartment of trophozoite-iRBCs, and the cytosolic fraction from uninfected RBCs. This spectral library contains 87% of all P. falciparum proteins that have previously been reported with protein-level evidence in blood stages, as well as 692 previously unidentified proteins. The P. falciparum spectral library was successfully applied to generate semi-quantitative proteomics datasets that characterize the 3 distinct asexual parasite stages in RBCs, and compared artemisinin-resistant (Cam3.IIR539T) and artemisinin-sensitive (Cam3.IIrev) parasites. Conclusion A reproducible, high-coverage proteomics spectral library and analysis method has been generated for investigating sets of proteins expressed in the iRBC stage of P. falciparum malaria. This will provide a foundation for an improved understanding of parasite biology, pathogenesis, drug mechanisms, and vaccine candidate discovery for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghizal Siddiqui
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Amanda De Paoli
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Christopher A MacRaild
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Anna E Sexton
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Coralie Boulet
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Anup D Shah
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.,Monash Bioinformatics Platform, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Mitchell B Batty
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Ralf B Schittenhelm
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Teresa G Carvalho
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Darren J Creek
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
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Kalia I, Anand R, Quadiri A, Bhattacharya S, Sahoo B, Singh AP. Plasmodium berghei-Released Factor, PbTIP, Modulates the Host Innate Immune Responses. Front Immunol 2022; 12:699887. [PMID: 34987497 PMCID: PMC8721568 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.699887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Plasmodium parasite has to cross various immunological barriers for successful infection. Parasites have evolved mechanisms to evade host immune responses, which hugely contributes to the successful infection and transmission by parasites. One way in which a parasite evades immune surveillance is by expressing molecular mimics of the host molecules in order to manipulate the host responses. In this study, we report a Plasmodium berghei hypothetical protein, PbTIP (PbANKA_124360.0), which is a Plasmodium homolog of the human T-cell immunomodulatory protein (TIP). The latter possesses immunomodulatory activities and suppressed the host immune responses in a mouse acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) model. The Plasmodium berghei protein, PbTIP, is expressed on the merozoite surface and exported to the host erythrocyte surface upon infection. It is shed in the blood circulation by the activity of an uncharacterized membrane protease(s). The shed PbTIP could be detected in the host serum during infection. Our results demonstrate that the shed PbTIP exhibits binding on the surface of macrophages and reduces their inflammatory cytokine response while upregulating the anti-inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-β and IL-10. Such manipulated immune responses are observed in the later stage of malaria infection. PbTIP induced Th2-type gene transcript changes in macrophages, hinting toward its potential to regulate the host immune responses against the parasite. Therefore, this study highlights the role of a Plasmodium-released protein, PbTIP, in immune evasion using macrophages, which may represent the critical strategy of the parasite to successfully survive and thrive in its host. This study also indicates the human malaria parasite TIP as a potential diagnostic molecule that could be exploited in lateral flow-based immunochromatographic tests for malaria disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inderjeet Kalia
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajesh Anand
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Afshana Quadiri
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Shreya Bhattacharya
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Bijayalaxmi Sahoo
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, India
| | - Agam Prasad Singh
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
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123
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Edwards-Smallbone J, Jensen AL, Roberts LE, Totañes FIG, Hart SR, Merrick CJ. Plasmodium falciparum GBP2 Is a Telomere-Associated Protein That Binds to G-Quadruplex DNA and RNA. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:782537. [PMID: 35273922 PMCID: PMC8902816 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.782537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In the early-diverging protozoan parasite Plasmodium, few telomere-binding proteins have been identified and several are unique. Plasmodium telomeres, like those of most eukaryotes, contain guanine-rich repeats that can form G-quadruplex structures. In model systems, quadruplex-binding drugs can disrupt telomere maintenance and some quadruplex-binding drugs are potent anti-plasmodial agents. Therefore, telomere-interacting and quadruplex-interacting proteins may offer new targets for anti-malarial therapy. Here, we report that P. falciparum GBP2 is such a protein. It was identified via 'Proteomics of Isolated Chromatin fragments', applied here for the first time in Plasmodium. In vitro, PfGBP2 binds specifically to G-rich telomere repeats in quadruplex form and it can also bind to G-rich RNA. In vivo, PfGBP2 partially colocalises with the known telomeric protein HP1 but is also found in the cytoplasm, probably due to its affinity for RNA. Consistently, its interactome includes numerous RNA-associated proteins. PfGBP2 is evidently a multifunctional DNA/RNA-binding factor in Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Edwards-Smallbone
- Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Anders L. Jensen
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lydia E. Roberts
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sarah R. Hart
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine J. Merrick
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Catherine J. Merrick,
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124
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Dietrich MH, Chan LJ, Adair A, Boulet C, O'Neill MT, Tan LL, Keremane S, Mok YF, Lo AW, Gilson P, Tham WH. Structure of the Pf12 and Pf41 heterodimeric complex of Plasmodium falciparum 6-cysteine proteins. FEMS MICROBES 2022; 3:xtac005. [PMID: 35308105 PMCID: PMC8930183 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
During the different stages of the Plasmodium life cycle, surface-associated proteins establish key interactions with the host and play critical roles in parasite survival. The 6-cysteine (6-cys) protein family is one of the most abundant surface antigens and expressed throughout the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle. This protein family is conserved across Plasmodium species and plays critical roles in parasite transmission, evasion of the host immune response and host cell invasion. Several 6-cys proteins are present on the parasite surface as hetero-complexes but it is not known how two 6-cys proteins interact together. Here, we present a crystal structure of Pf12 bound to Pf41 at 2.85 Å resolution, two P. falciparum proteins usually found on the parasite surface of late schizonts and merozoites. Our structure revealed two critical interfaces required for complex formation with important implications on how different 6-cysteine proteins may interact with each other. Using structure-function analyses, we identified important residues for Pf12-Pf41 complex formation. In addition, we generated 16 nanobodies against Pf12 and Pf41 and showed that several Pf12-specific nanobodies inhibit Pf12-Pf41 complex formation. Using X-ray crystallography, we were able to describe the structural mechanism of an inhibitory nanobody in blocking Pf12-Pf41 complex formation. Future studies using these inhibitory nanobodies will be useful to determine the functional role of these two 6-cys proteins in malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie H Dietrich
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Li-Jin Chan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amy Adair
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Matthew T O'Neill
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Li Lynn Tan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sravya Keremane
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Yee-Foong Mok
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alvin W Lo
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Wai-Hong Tham
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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125
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Cell biological analysis reveals an essential role for Pfcerli2 in erythrocyte invasion by malaria parasites. Commun Biol 2022; 5:121. [PMID: 35140336 PMCID: PMC8828742 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03020-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Merozoite invasion of host red blood cells (RBCs) is essential for survival of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Proteins involved with RBC binding and invasion are secreted from dual-club shaped organelles at the apical tip of the merozoite called the rhoptries. Here we characterise P. falciparum Cytosolically Exposed Rhoptry Leaflet Interacting protein 2 (PfCERLI2), as a rhoptry bulb protein that is essential for merozoite invasion. Phylogenetic analyses show that cerli2 arose through an ancestral gene duplication of cerli1. We show that PfCERLI2 is essential for blood-stage growth and localises to the cytosolic face of the rhoptry bulb. Inducible knockdown of PfCERLI2 led to a proportion of merozoites failing to invade and was associated with elongation of the rhoptry organelle during merozoite development and inhibition of rhoptry antigen processing. These findings identify PfCERLI2 as a protein that has key roles in rhoptry biology during merozoite invasion. Benjamin Liffner and Miguel Balbin et al. report that the Plasmodium falciparum protein, PfCERLI2, localises to the cytosolic face of the parasite’s rhoptry bulb and is essential for invasion and growth within human red blood cells.
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126
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Structure and function of an atypical homodimeric actin capping protein from the malaria parasite. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:125. [PMID: 35132495 PMCID: PMC8821504 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04032-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites, such as Plasmodium spp., rely on an unusual actomyosin motor, termed glideosome, for motility and host cell invasion. The actin filaments are maintained by a small set of essential regulators, which provide control over actin dynamics in the different stages of the parasite life cycle. Actin filament capping proteins (CPs) are indispensable heterodimeric regulators of actin dynamics. CPs have been extensively characterized in higher eukaryotes, but their role and functional mechanism in Apicomplexa remain enigmatic. Here, we present the first crystal structure of a homodimeric CP from the malaria parasite and compare the homo- and heterodimeric CP structures in detail. Despite retaining several characteristics of a canonical CP, the homodimeric Plasmodium berghei (Pb)CP exhibits crucial differences to the canonical heterodimers. Both homo- and heterodimeric PbCPs regulate actin dynamics in an atypical manner, facilitating rapid turnover of parasite actin, without affecting its critical concentration. Homo- and heterodimeric PbCPs show partially redundant activities, possibly to rescue actin filament capping in life cycle stages where the β-subunit is downregulated. Our data suggest that the homodimeric PbCP also influences actin kinetics by recruiting lateral actin dimers. This unusual function could arise from the absence of a β-subunit, as the asymmetric PbCP homodimer lacks structural elements essential for canonical barbed end interactions suggesting a novel CP binding mode. These findings will facilitate further studies aimed at elucidating the precise actin filament capping mechanism in Plasmodium.
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127
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Cabrera-Orefice A, Potter A, Evers F, Hevler JF, Guerrero-Castillo S. Complexome Profiling-Exploring Mitochondrial Protein Complexes in Health and Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:796128. [PMID: 35096826 PMCID: PMC8790184 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.796128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Complexome profiling (CP) is a state-of-the-art approach that combines separation of native proteins by electrophoresis, size exclusion chromatography or density gradient centrifugation with tandem mass spectrometry identification and quantification. Resulting data are computationally clustered to visualize the inventory, abundance and arrangement of multiprotein complexes in a biological sample. Since its formal introduction a decade ago, this method has been mostly applied to explore not only the composition and abundance of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes in several species but also to identify novel protein interactors involved in their assembly, maintenance and functions. Besides, complexome profiling has been utilized to study the dynamics of OXPHOS complexes, as well as the impact of an increasing number of mutations leading to mitochondrial disorders or rearrangements of the whole mitochondrial complexome. Here, we summarize the major findings obtained by this approach; emphasize its advantages and current limitations; discuss multiple examples on how this tool could be applied to further investigate pathophysiological mechanisms and comment on the latest advances and opportunity areas to keep developing this methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Cabrera-Orefice
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Alisa Potter
- Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Center for Mitochondrial Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Felix Evers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Johannes F Hevler
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Sergio Guerrero-Castillo
- University Children's Research@Kinder-UKE, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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128
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Fenollar À, Ros-Lucas A, Pía Alberione M, Martínez-Peinado N, Ramírez M, Ángel Rosales-Motos M, Y. Lee L, Alonso-Padilla J, Izquierdo L. Compounds targeting GPI biosynthesis or N-glycosylation are active against Plasmodium falciparum. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:850-863. [PMID: 35222844 PMCID: PMC8841962 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Compounds targeting key steps in GPI biosynthesis abrogate P. falciparum growth. N-glycosylation disruption halts parasite development and induces delayed death. Tunicamycin-induced delayed death is not linked with the synthesis of isoprenoids. In summary, two metabolic pathways are outlined for further drug target exploration.
The emergence of resistance to first-line antimalarials, including artemisinin, the last effective malaria therapy in some regions, stresses the urgent need to develop new effective treatments against this disease. The identification and validation of metabolic pathways that could be targeted for drug development may strongly contribute to accelerate this process. In this study, we use fully characterized specific inhibitors targeting glycan biosynthetic pathways as research tools to analyze their effects on the growth of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and to validate these metabolic routes as feasible chemotherapeutic targets. Through docking simulations using models predicted by AlphaFold, we also shed new light into the modes of action of some of these inhibitors. Molecules inhibiting N-acetylglucosaminyl-phosphatidylinositol de-N-acetylase (GlcNAc-PI de-N-acetylase, PIGL/GPI12) or the inositol acyltransferase (GWT1), central for glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) biosynthesis, halt the growth of intraerythrocytic asexual parasites during the trophozoite stages of the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC). Remarkably, the nucleoside antibiotic tunicamycin, which targets UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:dolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase (ALG7) and N-glycosylation in other organisms, induces a delayed-death effect and inhibits parasite growth during the second IDC after treatment. Our data indicate that tunicamycin induces a specific inhibitory effect, hinting to a more substantial role of the N-glycosylation pathway in P. falciparum intraerythrocytic asexual stages than previously thought. To sum up, our results place GPI biosynthesis and N-glycosylation pathways as metabolic routes with potential to yield much-needed therapeutic targets against the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Àngel Fenollar
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Ros-Lucas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Pía Alberione
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nieves Martínez-Peinado
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miriam Ramírez
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Rosales-Motos
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ling Y. Lee
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Alonso-Padilla
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Izquierdo
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
- Corresponding author at: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
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129
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Cárdenas P, Esherick LY, Chambonnier G, Dey S, Turlo CV, Nasamu AS, Niles JC. GeneTargeter: Automated In Silico Design for Genome Editing in the Malaria Parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. CRISPR J 2022; 5:155-164. [PMID: 35191751 PMCID: PMC8892962 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2021.0069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional characterization of the multitude of poorly described proteins in the human malarial pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum, requires tools to enable genome-scale perturbation studies. Here, we present GeneTargeter (genetargeter.mit.edu), a software tool for automating the design of homology-directed repair donor vectors to achieve gene knockouts, conditional knockdowns, and epitope tagging of P. falciparum genes. We demonstrate GeneTargeter-facilitated genome-scale design of six different types of knockout and conditional knockdown constructs for the P. falciparum genome and validate the computational design process experimentally with successful donor vector assembly and transfection. The software's modular nature accommodates arbitrary destination vectors and allows customizable designs that extend the genome manipulation outcomes attainable in Plasmodium and other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Cárdenas
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lisl Y. Esherick
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gaël Chambonnier
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sumanta Dey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christopher V. Turlo
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Armiyaw Sebastian Nasamu
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jacquin C. Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Address correspondence to: Jacquin C. Niles, MD, PhD, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Room 56-341, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA,
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130
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Hesping E, Chua MJ, Pflieger M, Qian Y, Dong L, Bachu P, Liu L, Kurz T, Fisher GM, Skinner-Adams TS, Reid RC, Fairlie DP, Andrews KT, Gorse ADJ. QSAR Classification Models for Prediction of Hydroxamate Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Activity against Malaria Parasites. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:106-117. [PMID: 34985259 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites, results in >400,000 deaths annually. There is no effective vaccine, and new drugs with novel modes of action are needed because of increasing parasite resistance to current antimalarials. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are epigenetic regulatory enzymes that catalyze post-translational protein deacetylation and are promising malaria drug targets. Here, we describe quantitative structure-activity relationship models to predict the antiplasmodial activity of hydroxamate-based HDAC inhibitors. The models incorporate P. falciparum in vitro activity data for 385 compounds containing a hydroxamic acid and were subject to internal and external validation. When used to screen 22 new hydroxamate-based HDAC inhibitors for antiplasmodial activity, model A7 (external accuracy 91%) identified three hits that were subsequently verified as having potent in vitro activity against P. falciparum parasites (IC50 = 6, 71, and 84 nM), with 8 to 51-fold selectivity for P. falciparum versus human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Hesping
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Australia
| | - Ming Jang Chua
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Australia
| | - Marc Pflieger
- Institut für pharmazeutische und medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Dusseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Yunan Qian
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Australia
| | - Lilong Dong
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Prabhakar Bachu
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Ligong Liu
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas Kurz
- Institut für pharmazeutische und medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Dusseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Gillian M. Fisher
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Australia
| | | | - Robert C. Reid
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - David P. Fairlie
- Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Katherine T. Andrews
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Australia
| | - Alain-Dominique J.P. Gorse
- QCIF Bioinformatics, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia 4072, Australia
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131
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Georgiadou A, Dunican C, Soro-Barrio P, Lee HJ, Kaforou M, Cunnington AJ. Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals translationally relevant processes in mouse models of malaria. eLife 2022; 11:e70763. [PMID: 35006075 PMCID: PMC8747512 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent initiatives to improve translation of findings from animal models to human disease have focussed on reproducibility but quantifying the relevance of animal models remains a challenge. Here, we use comparative transcriptomics of blood to evaluate the systemic host response and its concordance between humans with different clinical manifestations of malaria and five commonly used mouse models. Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection of mice most closely reproduces the profile of gene expression changes seen in the major human severe malaria syndromes, accompanied by high parasite biomass, severe anemia, hyperlactatemia, and cerebral microvascular pathology. However, there is also considerable discordance of changes in gene expression between the different host species and across all models, indicating that the relevance of biological mechanisms of interest in each model should be assessed before conducting experiments. These data will aid the selection of appropriate models for translational malaria research, and the approach is generalizable to other disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athina Georgiadou
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Claire Dunican
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Pablo Soro-Barrio
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Hyun Jae Lee
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Myrsini Kaforou
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Aubrey J Cunnington
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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132
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Peterson MS, Joyner CJ, Brady JA, Wood JS, Cabrera-Mora M, Saney CL, Fonseca LL, Cheng WT, Jiang J, Lapp SA, Soderberg SR, Nural MV, Humphrey JC, Hankus A, Machiah D, Karpuzoglu E, DeBarry JD, Tirouvanziam R, Kissinger JC, Moreno A, Gumber S, Voit EO, Gutiérrez JB, Cordy RJ, Galinski MR. Clinical recovery of Macaca fascicularis infected with Plasmodium knowlesi. Malar J 2021; 20:486. [PMID: 34969401 PMCID: PMC8719393 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03925-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Kra monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), a natural host of Plasmodium knowlesi, control parasitaemia caused by this parasite species and escape death without treatment. Knowledge of the disease progression and resilience in kra monkeys will aid the effective use of this species to study mechanisms of resilience to malaria. This longitudinal study aimed to define clinical, physiological and pathological changes in kra monkeys infected with P. knowlesi, which could explain their resilient phenotype. METHODS Kra monkeys (n = 15, male, young adults) were infected intravenously with cryopreserved P. knowlesi sporozoites and the resulting parasitaemias were monitored daily. Complete blood counts, reticulocyte counts, blood chemistry and physiological telemetry data (n = 7) were acquired as described prior to infection to establish baseline values and then daily after inoculation for up to 50 days. Bone marrow aspirates, plasma samples, and 22 tissue samples were collected at specific time points to evaluate longitudinal clinical, physiological and pathological effects of P. knowlesi infections during acute and chronic infections. RESULTS As expected, the kra monkeys controlled acute infections and remained with low-level, persistent parasitaemias without anti-malarial intervention. Unexpectedly, early in the infection, fevers developed, which ultimately returned to baseline, as well as mild to moderate thrombocytopenia, and moderate to severe anaemia. Mathematical modelling and the reticulocyte production index indicated that the anaemia was largely due to the removal of uninfected erythrocytes and not impaired production of erythrocytes. Mild tissue damage was observed, and tissue parasite load was associated with tissue damage even though parasite accumulation in the tissues was generally low. CONCLUSIONS Kra monkeys experimentally infected with P. knowlesi sporozoites presented with multiple clinical signs of malaria that varied in severity among individuals. Overall, the animals shared common mechanisms of resilience characterized by controlling parasitaemia 3-5 days after patency, and controlling fever, coupled with physiological and bone marrow responses to compensate for anaemia. Together, these responses likely minimized tissue damage while supporting the establishment of chronic infections, which may be important for transmission in natural endemic settings. These results provide new foundational insights into malaria pathogenesis and resilience in kra monkeys, which may improve understanding of human infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko S Peterson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Chester J Joyner
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jessica A Brady
- School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jennifer S Wood
- Division of Animal Resources, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Monica Cabrera-Mora
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Celia L Saney
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Luis L Fonseca
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Wayne T Cheng
- Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jianlin Jiang
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stacey A Lapp
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie R Soderberg
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mustafa V Nural
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jay C Humphrey
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Allison Hankus
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The MITRE Corporation, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Deepa Machiah
- Division of Pathology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ebru Karpuzoglu
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biosciences and Diagnostic Imaging, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jeremy D DeBarry
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Topical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - Jessica C Kissinger
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Alberto Moreno
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sanjeev Gumber
- Division of Pathology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Pathology, Drug Safety, and DMPK, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA, Inc., Athens, GA, USA
| | - Eberhard O Voit
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Juan B Gutiérrez
- Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Mathematics, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Regina Joice Cordy
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Mary R Galinski
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Sloan MA, Aghabi D, Harding CR. Orchestrating a heist: uptake and storage of metals by apicomplexan parasites. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2021; 167. [PMID: 34898419 PMCID: PMC7612242 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Megan A Sloan
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Dana Aghabi
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, UK
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134
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Band G, Leffler EM, Jallow M, Sisay-Joof F, Ndila CM, Macharia AW, Hubbart C, Jeffreys AE, Rowlands K, Nguyen T, Gonçalves S, Ariani CV, Stalker J, Pearson RD, Amato R, Drury E, Sirugo G, d'Alessandro U, Bojang KA, Marsh K, Peshu N, Saelens JW, Diakité M, Taylor SM, Conway DJ, Williams TN, Rockett KA, Kwiatkowski DP. Malaria protection due to sickle haemoglobin depends on parasite genotype. Nature 2021; 602:106-111. [PMID: 34883497 PMCID: PMC8810385 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04288-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Host genetic factors can confer resistance against malaria1, raising the question of whether this has led to evolutionary adaptation of parasite populations. Here we searched for association between candidate host and parasite genetic variants in 3,346 Gambian and Kenyan children with severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. We identified a strong association between sickle haemoglobin (HbS) in the host and three regions of the parasite genome, which is not explained by population structure or other covariates, and which is replicated in additional samples. The HbS-associated alleles include nonsynonymous variants in the gene for the acyl-CoA synthetase family member2–4PfACS8 on chromosome 2, in a second region of chromosome 2, and in a region containing structural variation on chromosome 11. The alleles are in strong linkage disequilibrium and have frequencies that covary with the frequency of HbS across populations, in particular being much more common in Africa than other parts of the world. The estimated protective effect of HbS against severe malaria, as determined by comparison of cases with population controls, varies greatly according to the parasite genotype at these three loci. These findings open up a new avenue of enquiry into the biological and epidemiological significance of the HbS-associated polymorphisms in the parasite genome and the evolutionary forces that have led to their high frequency and strong linkage disequilibrium in African P. falciparum populations. A strong association has been found between three regions of the Plasmodium falciparum genome and sickle haemoglobin in children with severe malaria, suggesting parasites have adapted to overcome natural host immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Band
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK. .,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK. .,Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health and Information Discovery, Old Road Campus, Oxford, USA.
| | - Ellen M Leffler
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Muminatou Jallow
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, The Gambia.,Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (formerly Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital), Independence Drive, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Fatoumatta Sisay-Joof
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Carolyne M Ndila
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, PO Box 230, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | - Christina Hubbart
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Anna E Jeffreys
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Kate Rowlands
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Thuy Nguyen
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Jim Stalker
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard D Pearson
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.,Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health and Information Discovery, Old Road Campus, Oxford, USA
| | | | | | - Giorgio Sirugo
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, The Gambia.,Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Umberto d'Alessandro
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Kalifa A Bojang
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, The Gambia
| | - Kevin Marsh
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, PO Box 230, Kilifi, Kenya.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, NDM Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford, UK
| | - Norbert Peshu
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, PO Box 230, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Joseph W Saelens
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mahamadou Diakité
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Steve M Taylor
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David J Conway
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, The Gambia.,Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, UK
| | - Thomas N Williams
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, PO Box 230, Kilifi, Kenya.,Institute for Global Health Innovation, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, London, UK
| | - Kirk A Rockett
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK. .,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Dominic P Kwiatkowski
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK. .,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK. .,Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health and Information Discovery, Old Road Campus, Oxford, USA.
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135
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Dumetz F, Chow EYC, Harris LM, Liew SW, Jensen A, Umar MI, Chung B, Chan TF, Merrick CJ, Kwok CK. G-quadruplex RNA motifs influence gene expression in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:12486-12501. [PMID: 34792144 PMCID: PMC8643661 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab1095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplexes are non-helical secondary structures that can fold in vivo in both DNA and RNA. In human cells, they can influence replication, transcription and telomere maintenance in DNA, or translation, transcript processing and stability of RNA. We have previously showed that G-quadruplexes are detectable in the DNA of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, despite a very highly A/T-biased genome with unusually few guanine-rich sequences. Here, we show that RNA G-quadruplexes can also form in P. falciparum RNA, using rG4-seq for transcriptome-wide structure-specific RNA probing. Many of the motifs, detected here via the rG4seeker pipeline, have non-canonical forms and would not be predicted by standard in silico algorithms. However, in vitro biophysical assays verified formation of non-canonical motifs. The G-quadruplexes in the P. falciparum transcriptome are frequently clustered in certain genes and associated with regions encoding low-complexity peptide repeats. They are overrepresented in particular classes of genes, notably those that encode PfEMP1 virulence factors, stress response genes and DNA binding proteins. In vitro translation experiments and in vivo measures of translation efficiency showed that G-quadruplexes can influence the translation of P. falciparum mRNAs. Thus, the G-quadruplex is a novel player in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in this major human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Dumetz
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Eugene Yui-Ching Chow
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Lynne M Harris
- Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Shiau Wei Liew
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Anders Jensen
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Mubarak I Umar
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Betty Chung
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Ting Fung Chan
- School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
| | - Catherine J Merrick
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK
| | - Chun Kit Kwok
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
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136
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Little TS, Cunningham DA, Vandomme A, Lopez CT, Amis S, Alder C, Addy JWG, McLaughlin S, Hosking C, Christophides G, Reid AJ, Langhorne J. Analysis of pir gene expression across the Plasmodium life cycle. Malar J 2021; 20:445. [PMID: 34823519 PMCID: PMC8614022 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03979-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plasmodium interspersed repeat (pir) is the largest multigene family in the genomes of most Plasmodium species. A variety of functions for the PIR proteins which they encode have been proposed, including antigenic variation, immune evasion, sequestration and rosetting. However, direct evidence for these is lacking. The repetitive nature of the family has made it difficult to determine function experimentally. However, there has been some success in using gene expression studies to suggest roles for some members in virulence and chronic infection. Methods Here pir gene expression was examined across the life cycle of Plasmodium berghei using publicly available RNAseq data-sets, and at high resolution in the intraerythrocytic development cycle using new data from Plasmodium chabaudi. Results Expression of pir genes is greatest in stages of the parasite which invade and reside in red blood cells. The marked exception is that liver merozoites and male gametocytes produce a very large number of pir gene transcripts, notably compared to female gametocytes, which produce relatively few. Within the asexual blood stages different subfamilies peak at different times, suggesting further functional distinctions. Representing a subfamily of its own, the highly conserved ancestral pir gene warrants further investigation due to its potential tractability for functional investigation. It is highly transcribed in multiple life cycle stages and across most studied Plasmodium species and thus is likely to play an important role in parasite biology. Conclusions The identification of distinct expression patterns for different pir genes and subfamilies is likely to provide a basis for the design of future experiments to uncover their function. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-021-03979-6.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Carlos Talavera Lopez
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.,Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Adam J Reid
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
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137
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Webster R, Sekuloski S, Odedra A, Woolley S, Jennings H, Amante F, Trenholme KR, Healer J, Cowman AF, Eriksson EM, Sathe P, Penington J, Blanch AJ, Dixon MWA, Tilley L, Duffy MF, Craig A, Storm J, Chan JA, Evans K, Papenfuss AT, Schofield L, Griffin P, Barber BE, Andrew D, Boyle MJ, de Labastida Rivera F, Engwerda C, McCarthy JS. Safety, infectivity and immunogenicity of a genetically attenuated blood-stage malaria vaccine. BMC Med 2021; 19:293. [PMID: 34802442 PMCID: PMC8606250 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-021-02150-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a clear need for novel approaches to malaria vaccine development. We aimed to develop a genetically attenuated blood-stage vaccine and test its safety, infectivity, and immunogenicity in healthy volunteers. Our approach was to target the gene encoding the knob-associated histidine-rich protein (KAHRP), which is responsible for the assembly of knob structures at the infected erythrocyte surface. Knobs are required for correct display of the polymorphic adhesion ligand P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), a key virulence determinant encoded by a repertoire of var genes. METHODS The gene encoding KAHRP was deleted from P. falciparum 3D7 and a master cell bank was produced in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice. Eight malaria naïve males were intravenously inoculated (day 0) with 1800 (2 subjects), 1.8 × 105 (2 subjects), or 3 × 106 viable parasites (4 subjects). Parasitemia was measured using qPCR; immunogenicity was determined using standard assays. Parasites were rescued into culture for in vitro analyses (genome sequencing, cytoadhesion assays, scanning electron microscopy, var gene expression). RESULTS None of the subjects who were administered with 1800 or 1.8 × 105 parasites developed parasitemia; 3/4 subjects administered 3× 106 parasites developed significant parasitemia, first detected on days 13, 18, and 22. One of these three subjects developed symptoms of malaria simultaneously with influenza B (day 17; 14,022 parasites/mL); one subject developed mild symptoms on day 28 (19,956 parasites/mL); and one subject remained asymptomatic up to day 35 (5046 parasites/mL). Parasitemia rapidly cleared with artemether/lumefantrine. Parasitemia induced a parasite-specific antibody and cell-mediated immune response. Parasites cultured ex vivo exhibited genotypic and phenotypic properties similar to inoculated parasites, although the var gene expression profile changed during growth in vivo. CONCLUSIONS This study represents the first clinical investigation of a genetically attenuated blood-stage human malaria vaccine. A P. falciparum 3D7 kahrp- strain was tested in vivo and found to be immunogenic but can lead to patent parasitemia at high doses. TRIAL REGISTRATION Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (number: ACTRN12617000824369 ; date: 06 June 2017).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Webster
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Silvana Sekuloski
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.,Current address: PharmOut, 111 Eagle Street, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia
| | - Anand Odedra
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.,Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Stephen Woolley
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.,Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.,Centre of Defence Pathology, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Joint Hospital Group, Birmingham, UK
| | - Helen Jennings
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Fiona Amante
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Katharine R Trenholme
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.,The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Julie Healer
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alan F Cowman
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Emily M Eriksson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Priyanka Sathe
- Current address: Medicines Development for Global Health Limited, 18 Kavanagh Street, Southbank, Victoria, 3006, Australia
| | - Jocelyn Penington
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Adam J Blanch
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Matthew W A Dixon
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Leann Tilley
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Michael F Duffy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Melbourne, Australia.,The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alister Craig
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Janet Storm
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Krystal Evans
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.,Current address: GSK, 436 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, Victoria, 3067, Australia
| | - Anthony T Papenfuss
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Louis Schofield
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.,Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - Paul Griffin
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.,The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Mater Hospital and Mater Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Dean Andrew
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | | | | | - James S McCarthy
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia. .,The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Australia.
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138
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Pereira PHS, Garcia CRS. Evidence of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCR) in the Parasitic Protozoa Plasmodium falciparum-Sensing the Host Environment and Coupling within Its Molecular Signaling Toolkit. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12381. [PMID: 34830263 PMCID: PMC8620569 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout evolution, the need for single-celled organisms to associate and form a single cluster of cells has had several evolutionary advantages. In complex, multicellular organisms, each tissue or organ has a specialty and function that make life together possible, and the organism as a whole needs to act in balance and adapt to changes in the environment. Sensory organs are essential for connecting external stimuli into a biological response, through the senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. The G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are responsible for many of these senses and therefore play a key role in the perception of the cells' external environment, enabling interaction and coordinated development between each cell of a multicellular organism. The malaria-causing protozoan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has a complex life cycle that is extremely dependent on a finely regulated cellular signaling machinery. In this review, we summarize strong evidence and the main candidates of GPCRs in protozoan parasites. Interestingly, one of these GPCRs is a sensor for K+ shift in Plasmodium falciparum, PfSR25. Studying this family of proteins in P. falciparum could have a significant impact, both on understanding the history of the evolution of GPCRs and on finding new targets for antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Celia R. S. Garcia
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo—USP, São Paulo 05508-900, Brazil;
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Characterization of Apicomplexan Amino Acid Transporters (ApiATs) in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum. mSphere 2021; 6:e0074321. [PMID: 34756057 PMCID: PMC8579892 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00743-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During the symptomatic human blood phase, malaria parasites replicate within red blood cells. Parasite proliferation relies on the uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and blood plasma, requiring transport across multiple membranes. Amino acids are delivered to the parasite through the parasite-surrounding vacuolar compartment by specialized nutrient-permeable channels of the erythrocyte membrane and the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). However, further transport of amino acids across the parasite plasma membrane (PPM) is currently not well characterized. In this study, we focused on a family of Apicomplexan amino acid transporters (ApiATs) that comprises five members in Plasmodium falciparum. First, we localized four of the P. falciparum ApiATs (PfApiATs) at the PPM using endogenous green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagging. Next, we applied reverse genetic approaches to probe into their essentiality during asexual replication and gametocytogenesis. Upon inducible knockdown and targeted gene disruption, a reduced asexual parasite proliferation was detected for PfApiAT2 and PfApiAT4. Functional inactivation of individual PfApiATs targeted in this study had no effect on gametocyte development. Our data suggest that individual PfApiATs are partially redundant during asexual in vitro proliferation and fully redundant during gametocytogenesis of P. falciparum parasites. IMPORTANCE Malaria parasites live and multiply inside cells. To facilitate their extremely fast intracellular proliferation, they hijack and transform their host cells. This also requires the active uptake of nutrients, such as amino acids, from the host cell and the surrounding environment through various membranes that are the consequence of the parasite’s intracellular lifestyle. In this paper, we focus on a family of putative amino acid transporters termed ApiAT. We show expression and localization of four transporters in the parasite plasma membrane of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes that represent one interface of the pathogen to its host cell. We probed into the impact of functional inactivation of individual transporters on parasite growth in asexual and sexual blood stages of P. falciparum and reveal that only two of them show a modest but significant reduction in parasite proliferation but no impact on gametocytogenesis, pointing toward dispensability within this transporter family.
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Sookpongthai P, Utayopas K, Sitthiyotha T, Pengsakul T, Kaewthamasorn M, Wangkanont K, Harnyuttanakorn P, Chunsrivirot S, Pattaradilokrat S. Global diversity of the gene encoding the Pfs25 protein-a Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking vaccine candidate. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:571. [PMID: 34749796 PMCID: PMC8574928 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-05078-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccines against the sexual stages of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum are indispensable for controlling malaria and abrogating the spread of drug-resistant parasites. Pfs25, a surface antigen of the sexual stage of P. falciparum, is a leading candidate for transmission-blocking vaccine development. While clinical trials have reported that Pfs25-based vaccines are safe and effective in inducing transmission-blocking antibodies, the extent of the genetic diversity of Pfs25 in malaria endemic populations has rarely been studied. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the global diversity of Pfs25 in P. falciparum populations. Methods A database of 307 Pfs25 sequences of P. falciparum was established. Population genetic analyses were performed to evaluate haplotype and nucleotide diversity, analyze haplotypic distribution patterns of Pfs25 in different geographical populations, and construct a haplotype network. Neutrality tests were conducted to determine evidence of natural selection. Homology models of the Pfs25 haplotypes were constructed, subjected to molecular dynamics (MD), and analyzed in terms of flexibility and percentages of secondary structures. Results The Pfs25 gene of P. falciparum was found to have 11 unique haplotypes. Of these, haplotype 1 (H1) and H2, the major haplotypes, represented 70% and 22% of the population, respectively, and were dominant in Asia, whereas only H1 was dominant in Africa, Central America, and South America. Other haplotypes were rare and region-specific, resulting in unique distribution patterns in different geographical populations. The diversity in Pfs25 originated from ten single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci located in the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains and anchor domain. Of these, an SNP at position 392 (GGA/GCA), resulting in amino acid substitution 131 (Gly/Ala), defined the two major haplotypes. The MD results showed that the structures of H1 and H2 variants were relatively similar. Limited polymorphism in Pfs25 could likely be due to negative selection. Conclusions The study successfully established a Pfs25 sequence database that can become an essential tool for monitoring vaccine efficacy, designing assays for detecting malaria carriers, and conducting epidemiological studies of P. falciparum. The discovery of the two major haplotypes, H1 and H2, and their conserved structures suggests that the current Pfs25-based vaccines could be used globally for malaria control. Graphical Abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-021-05078-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornpawee Sookpongthai
- M.Sc. program in Zoology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Korawich Utayopas
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Thassanai Sitthiyotha
- Structural and Computational Biology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Theerakamol Pengsakul
- Faculty of Medical Technology, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand
| | - Morakot Kaewthamasorn
- Veterinary Parasitology Research Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Kittikhun Wangkanont
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | | | - Surasak Chunsrivirot
- Structural and Computational Biology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
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New highly antigenic linear B cell epitope peptides from PvAMA-1 as potential vaccine candidates. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258637. [PMID: 34727117 PMCID: PMC8562794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based vaccines have demonstrated to be an important way to induce long-lived immune responses and, therefore, a promising strategy in the rational of vaccine development. As to malaria, among the classic vaccine targets, the Apical membrane antigen (AMA-1) was proven to have important B cell epitopes that can induce specific immune response and, hence, became key players for a vaccine approach. The peptides selection was carried out using a bioinformatic approach based on Hidden Markov Models profiles of known antigens and propensity scale methods based on hydrophilicity and secondary structure prediction. The antigenicity of the selected B-cell peptides was assessed by multiple serological assays using sera from acute P.vivax infected subjects. The synthetic peptides were recognized by 45.5%, 48.7% and 32.2% of infected subjects for peptides I, II and III respectively. Moreover, when synthetized together (tripeptide), the reactivity increases up to 62%, which is comparable to the reactivity found against the whole protein PvAMA-1 (57%). Furthermore, IgG reactivity against the tripeptide after depletion was reduced by 42%, indicating that these epitopes may be responsible for a considerable part of the protein immunogenicity. These results represent an excellent perspective regarding future chimeric vaccine constructions that may come to contemplate several targets with the potential to generate the robust and protective immune response that a vivax malaria vaccine needs to succeed.
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142
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Abstract
Malaria parasites need to cope with changing environmental conditions that require strong countermeasures to ensure pathogen survival in the human and mosquito hosts. The molecular mechanisms that protect Plasmodium falciparum homeostasis during the complex life cycle remain unknown. Here, we identify cytosine methylation of tRNAAsp (GTC) as being critical to maintain stable protein synthesis. Using conditional knockout (KO) of a member of the DNA methyltransferase family, called Pf-DNMT2, RNA bisulfite sequencing demonstrated the selective cytosine methylation of this enzyme of tRNAAsp (GTC) at position C38. Although no growth defect on parasite proliferation was observed, Pf-DNMT2KO parasites showed a selective downregulation of proteins with a GAC codon bias. This resulted in a significant shift in parasite metabolism, priming KO parasites for being more sensitive to various types of stress. Importantly, nutritional stress made tRNAAsp (GTC) sensitive to cleavage by an unknown nuclease and increased gametocyte production (>6-fold). Our study uncovers an epitranscriptomic mechanism that safeguards protein translation and homeostasis of sexual commitment in malaria parasites. IMPORTANCE P. falciparum is the most virulent malaria parasite species, accounting for the majority of the disease mortality and morbidity. Understanding how this pathogen is able to adapt to different cellular and environmental stressors during its complex life cycle is crucial in order to develop new strategies to tackle the disease. In this study, we identified the writer of a specific tRNA cytosine methylation site as a new layer of epitranscriptomic regulation in malaria parasites that regulates the translation of a subset of parasite proteins (>400) involved in different metabolic pathways. Our findings give insight into a novel molecular mechanism that regulates P. falciparum response to drug treatment and sexual commitment.
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Plasmodium falciparum Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 4 is Critical for Male Gametogenesis and Transmission to the Mosquito Vector. mBio 2021; 12:e0257521. [PMID: 34724830 PMCID: PMC8561384 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02575-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Gametocytes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium are taken up by the mosquito vector with an infectious blood meal, representing a critical stage for parasite transmission. Calcium-independent protein kinases (CDPKs) play key roles in calcium-mediated signaling across the complex life cycle of the parasite. We sought to understand their role in human parasite transmission from the host to the mosquito vector and thus investigated the role of the human-infective parasite Plasmodium falciparum CDPK4 in the parasite life cycle. P. falciparumcdpk4− parasites created by targeted gene deletion showed no effect in blood stage development or gametocyte development. However, cdpk4− parasites showed a severe defect in male gametogenesis and the emergence of flagellated male gametes. To understand the molecular underpinnings of this defect, we performed mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomic analyses of wild-type and Plasmodium falciparumcdpk4− late gametocyte stages to identify key CDPK4-mediated phosphorylation events that may be important for the regulation of male gametogenesis. We further employed in vitro assays to identify these putative substrates of Plasmodium falciparum CDPK4. This indicated that CDPK4 regulates male gametogenesis by directly or indirectly controlling key essential events, such as DNA replication, mRNA translation, and cell motility. Taken together, our work demonstrates that PfCDPK4 is a central kinase that regulates exflagellation and thereby is critical for parasite transmission to the mosquito vector.
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Baeza Garcia A, Siu E, Du X, Leng L, Franke-Fayard B, Janse CJ, Howland SW, Rénia L, Lolis E, Bucala R. Suppression of Plasmodium MIF-CD74 signaling protects against severe malaria. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21997. [PMID: 34719814 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101072r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The deadliest complication of infection by Plasmodium parasites, cerebral malaria, accounts for the majority of malarial fatalities. Although our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the pathology remains incomplete, recent studies support the contribution of systemic and neuroinflammation as the cause of cerebral edema and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction. All Plasmodium species encode an orthologue of the innate cytokine, Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF), which functions in mammalian biology to regulate innate responses. Plasmodium MIF (PMIF) similarly signals through the host MIF receptor CD74, leading to an enhanced inflammatory response. We investigated the PMIF-CD74 interaction in the onset of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) and liver stage Plasmodium development by using a combination of CD74 deficient (Cd74-/- ) hosts and PMIF deficient parasites. Cd74-/- mice were found to be protected from ECM and the protection was associated with the inability of brain microvessels to present parasite antigen to sequestered and pathogenic Plasmodium-specific CD8+ T cells. Infection of WT hosts with PMIF-deficient sporozoites or infection of Cd74-/- hosts with WT sporozoites impacted the survival of infected hepatocytes and subsequently reduced blood-stage associated inflammation, contributing to protection from ECM. We recapitulated these finding with a novel pharmacologic PMIF-selective antagonist that reduced PMIF/CD74 signaling and fully protected mice from ECM. These findings reveal a conserved mechanism for Plasmodium usurpation of host CD74 signaling and suggest a tractable approach for new pharmacologic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Baeza Garcia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Edwin Siu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lin Leng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Chris J Janse
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Shanshan W Howland
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Laurent Rénia
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Elias Lolis
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Richard Bucala
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Ayanful-Torgby R, Sarpong E, Abagna HB, Donu D, Obboh E, Mensah BA, Adjah J, Williamson KC, Amoah LE. Persistent Plasmodium falciparum infections enhance transmission-reducing immunity development. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21380. [PMID: 34725428 PMCID: PMC8560775 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00973-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Subclinical infections that serve as reservoir populations to drive transmission remain a hurdle to malaria control. Data on infection dynamics in a geographical area is required to strategically design and implement malaria interventions. In a longitudinal cohort, we monitored Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence and persistence, and anti-parasite immunity to gametocyte and asexual antigens for 10 weeks. Of the 100 participants, only 11 were never infected, whilst 16 had persistent infections detected by reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and one participant had microscopic parasites at all visits. Over 70% of the participants were infected three or more times, and submicroscopic gametocyte prevalence was high, ≥ 48% of the parasite carriers. Naturally induced responses against recombinant Pfs48/45.6C, Pfs230proC, and EBA175RIII-V antigens were not associated with either infection status or gametocyte carriage, but the antigen-specific IgG titers inversely correlated with parasite and gametocyte densities consistent with partial immunity. Longitudinal analysis of gametocyte diversity indicated at least four distinct clones circulated throughout the study period. The high prevalence of children infected with distinct gametocyte clones coupled with marked variation in infection status at the individual level suggests ongoing transmission and should be targeted in malaria control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Ayanful-Torgby
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
| | | | - Hamza B Abagna
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Dickson Donu
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Benedicta A Mensah
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Joshua Adjah
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kim C Williamson
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Linda E Amoah
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
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Yerlikaya S, Owusu EDA, Frimpong A, DeLisle RK, Ding XC. A Dual, Systematic Approach to Malaria Diagnostic Biomarker Discovery. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 74:40-51. [PMID: 34718455 PMCID: PMC8752250 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum parasites that lack HRP2/3 proteins and the resulting decreased utility of HRP2-based malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) prompted the World Health Organization and other global health stakeholders to prioritize the discovery of novel diagnostic biomarkers for malaria. Methods To address this pressing need, we adopted a dual, systematic approach by conducting a systematic review of the literature for publications on diagnostic biomarkers for uncomplicated malaria and a systematic in silico analysis of P. falciparum proteomics data for Plasmodium proteins with favorable diagnostic features. Results Our complementary analyses led us to 2 novel malaria diagnostic biomarkers compatible for use in an RDT format: glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase. Conclusions Overall, our results pave the way for the development of next-generation malaria RDTs based on new antigens by identifying 2 lead candidates with favorable diagnostic features and partially de-risked product development prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seda Yerlikaya
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ewurama D A Owusu
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Augustina Frimpong
- West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.,Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.,African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Xavier C Ding
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland
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147
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Population genomics and evidence of clonal replacement of Plasmodium falciparum in the Peruvian Amazon. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21212. [PMID: 34707204 PMCID: PMC8551272 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00806-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that P. falciparum parasites in South America have undergone population bottlenecks resulting in clonal lineages that are differentially distributed and that have been responsible for several outbreaks different endemic regions. In this study, we explored the genomic profile of 18 P. falciparum samples collected in the Peruvian Amazon Basin (Loreto) and 6 from the Peruvian North Coast (Tumbes). Our results showed the presence of three subpopulations that matched previously typed lineages in Peru: Bv1 (n = 17), Clonet D (n = 4) and Acre-Loreto type (n = 3). Gene coverage analysis showed that none of the Bv1 samples presented coverage for pfhrp2 and pfhrp3. Genotyping of drug resistance markers showed a high prevalence of Chloroquine resistance mutations S1034C/N1042D/D1246Y in pfmdr1 (62.5%) and K45T in pfcrt (87.5%). Mutations associated with sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine treatment failure were found on 88.8% of the Bv1 samples which were triple mutants for pfdhfr (50R/51I/108N) and pfdhps (437G/540E/581G). Analysis of the pfS47 gene that allows P. falciparum to evade mosquito immune responses showed that the Bv1 lineage presented one pfS47 haplotype exclusive to Loreto and another haplotype that was present in both Loreto and Tumbes. Furthermore, a possible expansion of Bv1 was detected since 2011 in Loreto. This replacement could be a result of the high prevalence of CQ resistance polymorphisms in Bv1, which could have provided a selective advantage to the indirect selection pressures driven by the use of CQ for P. vivax treatment.
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van Esveld SL, Meerstein‐Kessel L, Boshoven C, Baaij JF, Barylyuk K, Coolen JPM, van Strien J, Duim RAJ, Dutilh BE, Garza DR, Letterie M, Proellochs NI, de Ridder MN, Venkatasubramanian PB, de Vries LE, Waller RF, Kooij TWA, Huynen MA. A Prioritized and Validated Resource of Mitochondrial Proteins in Plasmodium Identifies Unique Biology. mSphere 2021; 6:e0061421. [PMID: 34494883 PMCID: PMC8550323 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00614-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium species have a single mitochondrion that is essential for their survival and has been successfully targeted by antimalarial drugs. Most mitochondrial proteins are imported into this organelle, and our picture of the Plasmodium mitochondrial proteome remains incomplete. Many data sources contain information about mitochondrial localization, including proteome and gene expression profiles, orthology to mitochondrial proteins from other species, coevolutionary relationships, and amino acid sequences, each with different coverage and reliability. To obtain a comprehensive, prioritized list of Plasmodium falciparum mitochondrial proteins, we rigorously analyzed and integrated eight data sets using Bayesian statistics into a predictive score per protein for mitochondrial localization. At a corrected false discovery rate of 25%, we identified 445 proteins with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 97%. They include proteins that have not been identified as mitochondrial in other eukaryotes but have characterized homologs in bacteria that are involved in metabolism or translation. Mitochondrial localization of seven Plasmodium berghei orthologs was confirmed by epitope labeling and colocalization with a mitochondrial marker protein. One of these belongs to a newly identified apicomplexan mitochondrial protein family that in P. falciparum has four members. With the experimentally validated mitochondrial proteins and the complete ranked P. falciparum proteome, which we have named PlasmoMitoCarta, we present a resource to study unique proteins of Plasmodium mitochondria. IMPORTANCE The unique biology and medical relevance of the mitochondrion of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum have made it the subject of many studies. However, we actually do not have a comprehensive assessment of which proteins reside in this organelle. Many omics data are available that are predictive of mitochondrial localization, such as proteomics data and expression data. Individual data sets are, however, rarely complete and can provide conflicting evidence. We integrated a wide variety of available omics data in a manner that exploits the relative strengths of the data sets. Our analysis gave a predictive score for the mitochondrial localization to each nuclear encoded P. falciparum protein and identified 445 likely mitochondrial proteins. We experimentally validated the mitochondrial localization of seven of the new mitochondrial proteins, confirming the quality of the complete list. These include proteins that have not been observed mitochondria before, adding unique mitochondrial functions to P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma L. van Esveld
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Radboud Center for Mitochondrial Medicine, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Lisette Meerstein‐Kessel
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Cas Boshoven
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jochem F. Baaij
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Konstantin Barylyuk
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jordy P. M. Coolen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Joeri van Strien
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ronald A. J. Duim
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Bas E. Dutilh
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Science for Life, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Daniel R. Garza
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology (Rega Institute), Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marijn Letterie
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Nicholas I. Proellochs
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Michelle N. de Ridder
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Laura E. de Vries
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ross F. Waller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Taco W. A. Kooij
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Martijn A. Huynen
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Radboud Center for Mitochondrial Medicine, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Schlott AC, Knuepfer E, Green JL, Hobson P, Borg AJ, Morales-Sanfrutos J, Perrin AJ, Maclachlan C, Collinson LM, Snijders AP, Tate EW, Holder AA. Inhibition of protein N-myristoylation blocks Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development, egress and invasion. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001408. [PMID: 34695132 PMCID: PMC8544853 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We have combined chemical biology and genetic modification approaches to investigate the importance of protein myristoylation in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Parasite treatment during schizogony in the last 10 to 15 hours of the erythrocytic cycle with IMP-1002, an inhibitor of N-myristoyl transferase (NMT), led to a significant blockade in parasite egress from the infected erythrocyte. Two rhoptry proteins were mislocalized in the cell, suggesting that rhoptry function is disrupted. We identified 16 NMT substrates for which myristoylation was significantly reduced by NMT inhibitor (NMTi) treatment, and, of these, 6 proteins were substantially reduced in abundance. In a viability screen, we showed that for 4 of these proteins replacement of the N-terminal glycine with alanine to prevent myristoylation had a substantial effect on parasite fitness. In detailed studies of one NMT substrate, glideosome-associated protein 45 (GAP45), loss of myristoylation had no impact on protein location or glideosome assembly, in contrast to the disruption caused by GAP45 gene deletion, but GAP45 myristoylation was essential for erythrocyte invasion. Therefore, there are at least 3 mechanisms by which inhibition of NMT can disrupt parasite development and growth: early in parasite development, leading to the inhibition of schizogony and formation of “pseudoschizonts,” which has been described previously; at the end of schizogony, with disruption of rhoptry formation, merozoite development and egress from the infected erythrocyte; and at invasion, when impairment of motor complex function prevents invasion of new erythrocytes. These results underline the importance of P. falciparum NMT as a drug target because of the pleiotropic effect of its inhibition. Understanding the essential factors needed for malaria parasite development could help us find new therapeutic targets. This study reveals that N-myristoylation is a posttranslational modification of proteins essential for the parasites’ growth and their invasion of red blood cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja C. Schlott
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Knuepfer
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Judith L. Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Hobson
- Flow Cytometry Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron J. Borg
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Abigail J. Perrin
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Maclachlan
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy M. Collinson
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ambrosius P. Snijders
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward W. Tate
- Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
- Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EWT); (AAH)
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (EWT); (AAH)
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150
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Agamah FE, Damena D, Skelton M, Ghansah A, Mazandu GK, Chimusa ER. Network-driven analysis of human-Plasmodium falciparum interactome: processes for malaria drug discovery and extracting in silico targets. Malar J 2021; 20:421. [PMID: 34702263 PMCID: PMC8547565 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03955-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence and spread of malaria drug resistance have resulted in the need to understand disease mechanisms and importantly identify essential targets and potential drug candidates. Malaria infection involves the complex interaction between the host and pathogen, thus, functional interactions between human and Plasmodium falciparum is essential to obtain a holistic view of the genetic architecture of malaria. Several functional interaction studies have extended the understanding of malaria disease and integrating such datasets would provide further insights towards understanding drug resistance and/or genetic resistance/susceptibility, disease pathogenesis, and drug discovery. METHODS This study curated and analysed data including pathogen and host selective genes, host and pathogen protein sequence data, protein-protein interaction datasets, and drug data from literature and databases to perform human-host and P. falciparum network-based analysis. An integrative computational framework is presented that was developed and found to be reasonably accurate based on various evaluations, applications, and experimental evidence of outputs produced, from data-driven analysis. RESULTS This approach revealed 8 hub protein targets essential for parasite and human host-directed malaria drug therapy. In a semantic similarity approach, 26 potential repurposable drugs involved in regulating host immune response to inflammatory-driven disorders and/or inhibiting residual malaria infection that can be appropriated for malaria treatment. Further analysis of host-pathogen network shortest paths enabled the prediction of immune-related biological processes and pathways subverted by P. falciparum to increase its within-host survival. CONCLUSIONS Host-pathogen network analysis reveals potential drug targets and biological processes and pathways subverted by P. falciparum to enhance its within malaria host survival. The results presented have implications for drug discovery and will inform experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis E Agamah
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Computational Biology Division, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Delesa Damena
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Michelle Skelton
- Computational Biology Division, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anita Ghansah
- College of Health Sciences, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana
| | - Gaston K Mazandu
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Computational Biology Division, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
- African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, 5-7 Melrose Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7945, South Africa.
| | - Emile R Chimusa
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
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