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Scheckhuber CQ, Damián Ferrara R, Gómez-Montalvo J, Maciver SK, de Obeso Fernández Del Valle A. Oxidase enzyme genes are differentially expressed during Acanthamoeba castellanii encystment. Parasitol Res 2024; 123:116. [PMID: 38289423 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08138-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii, a ubiquitous protozoan, is responsible for significant diseases such as Acanthamoeba keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. A crucial survival strategy of A. castellanii involves the formation of highly resistant cysts during adverse conditions. This study delves into the cellular processes underpinning encystment, focusing on gene expression changes related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance, with a particular emphasis on mitochondrial processes. Our findings reveal a dynamic response within the mitochondria during encystment, with the downregulation of key enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation (COX, AOX, and NADHalt) during the initial 48 h, followed by their overexpression at 72 h. This orchestrated response likely creates a pro-oxidative environment, facilitating encystment. Analysis of other ROS processing enzymes across the cell reveals differential expression patterns. Notably, antioxidant enzymes, such as catalases, glutaredoxins, glutathione S-transferases, peroxiredoxins, and thioredoxins, mirror the mitochondrial trend of downregulation followed by upregulation. Additionally, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis are downregulated during the early stages in order to potentially balance the metabolic requirement of the cyst. Our study underscores the importance of ROS regulation in Acanthamoeba encystment. Understanding these mechanisms offers insights into infection control and identifies potential therapeutic targets. This work contributes to unraveling the complex biology of A. castellanii and may aid in combatting Acanthamoeba-related infections. Further research into ROS and oxidase enzymes is warranted, given the organism's remarkable respiratory versatility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Q Scheckhuber
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, 64849, Monterrey, N.L, Mexico
| | - Rebeca Damián Ferrara
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, 64849, Monterrey, N.L, Mexico
| | - Jesús Gómez-Montalvo
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, 64849, Monterrey, N.L, Mexico
| | - Sutherland K Maciver
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Scotland, UK
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Bellini NK, Thiemann OH, Reyes-Batlle M, Lorenzo-Morales J, Costa AO. A history of over 40 years of potentially pathogenic free-living amoeba studies in Brazil - a systematic review. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2022; 117:e210373. [PMID: 35792751 PMCID: PMC9252135 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760210373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Free-living amoeba (FLA) group includes the potentially pathogenic genera Acanthamoeba, Naegleria, Balamuthia, Sappinia, and Vermamoeba, causative agents of human infections (encephalitis, keratitis, and disseminated diseases). In Brazil, the first report on pathogenic FLA was published in the 70s and showed meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria spp. FLA studies are emerging, but no literature review is available to investigate this trend in Brazil critically. Thus, the present work aims to integrate and discuss these data. Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched, retrieving studies from 1974 to 2020. The screening process resulted in 178 papers, which were clustered into core and auxiliary classes and sorted into five categories: wet-bench studies, dry-bench studies, clinical reports, environmental identifications, and literature reviews. The papers dating from the last ten years account for 75% (134/178) of the total publications, indicating the FLA topic has gained Brazilian interest. Moreover, 81% (144/178) address Acanthamoeba-related matter, revealing this genus as the most prevalent in all categories. Brazil’s Southeast, South, and Midwest geographic regions accounted for 96% (171/178) of the publications studied in the present work. To the best of our knowledge, this review is the pioneer in summarising the FLA research history in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália Karla Bellini
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Faculdade de Farmácia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
| | - Otavio Henrique Thiemann
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brasil.,Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Departamento de Genética e Evolução, São Carlos, SP, Brasil
| | - María Reyes-Batlle
- Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Departamento de Obstetricia, Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Tropicales, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
| | - Jacob Lorenzo-Morales
- Universidad de La Laguna, Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Departamento de Obstetricia, Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Tropicales, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain.,Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red MP de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adriana Oliveira Costa
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Faculdade de Farmácia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
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Baig AM, Khaleeq A. First Reports of Effects of Insulin, Human-like Insulin Receptors and Adapter Proteins in Acanthamoeba castellanii. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11759. [PMID: 32678116 PMCID: PMC7366918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63435-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1-R) play key roles in growth, regulation of nutrient metabolism and carbohydrate homeostasis. Insulin-like molecules in prokaryotes and other early life have been reported. However, an account of metabolic effects of insulin, transcriptomic evidence of expression of glucose transporting channels (GLUT) and homology modelling of IR and IGF1-R like proteins in unicellular life-forms have yet to be established. Acanthamoeba spp. has existed for about 2 billion years and is one of the earliest mitochondriate unicellular eukaryotic cells on Earth. Despite Acanthamoeba spp. being grown in a medium called peptone-yeast-glucose (PYG) for over 50 years, the mechanism and regulation of glucose uptake by IR or IGF1-R molecules in this microbe has not yet been reported. Several methods were utilized to validate the effects of insulin on trophozoites of A. castellanii, including: growth assays with insulin, estimation of glucose and potassium (K+) entry into the cell, and histology showing anabolic effects on proteins. Bioinformatic computational tools and homology modeling demonstrated the involvement of IR like proteins, GLUT, and adapter proteins in mediating the IR cascade. Growth assays showed proliferative effects in a dose range of 2.98-5.97 µmol/mL of insulin. After insulin exposure, A. castellanii trophozoites displayed enhanced Periodic acid-Sciff (PAS) staining. Amino acid sequence similarities and homology modelling revealed ACA1_163470 in Acanthamoeba spp. to be a homolog of human-IR. Acanthamoeba protein ACA1_336150 shares similarities with IGF1-R. Additionally, some proteins like ACA1_060920 have attributes of GLUT like channels on homology modelling and show similarity with human GLUT. Knowledge of IR and insulin effects in Acanthamoeba spp. contributes to its biology and advances current understanding behind the evolution of IR and IGF1-R signalling cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Mannan Baig
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
| | - Areeba Khaleeq
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
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Li P, Liao ST, Wang JS, Zhang Q, Lv Y, Yang MH, Kong LY. Pharmacokinetic and NMR metabolomics approach to evaluate therapeutic effect of berberine and Coptidis Rhizoma for sepsis. CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Wu D, Feng M, Wang ZX, Qiao K, Tachibana H, Cheng XJ. Molecular and biochemical characterization of key enzymes in the cysteine and serine metabolic pathways of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:604. [PMID: 30477573 PMCID: PMC6257972 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3188-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acanthamoeba spp. can cause serious human infections, including Acanthamoeba keratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and cutaneous acanthamoebiasis. Cysteine biosynthesis and the L-serine metabolic pathway play important roles in the energy metabolism of Acanthamoeba spp. However, no study has confirmed the functions of cysteine synthase (AcCS) in the cysteine pathway and phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (AcGDH) or phosphoserine aminotransferase (AcSPAT) in the non-phosphorylation serine metabolic pathway of Acanthamoeba. Methods The AcCS, AcGDH and AcSPAT genes were amplified by PCR, and their recombinant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli. Polyclonal antibodies against the recombinant proteins were prepared in mice and used to determine the subcellular localisation of each native protein by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The enzymatic activity of each recombinant protein was also analysed. Furthermore, each gene expression level was analysed by quantitative PCR after treatment with different concentrations of cysteine or L-serine. Results The AcCS gene encodes a 382-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 43.1 kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 8.11. The AcGDH gene encodes a 350-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 39.1 kDa and a pI of 5.51. The AcSPAT gene encodes a 354-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular mass of 38.3 kDa and a pI of 6.26. Recombinant AcCS exhibited a high cysteine synthesis activity using O-acetylserine and Na2S as substrates. Both GDH and SPAT catalysed degradation, rather than synthesis, of serine. Exogenous L-serine or cysteine inhibited the expression of all three enzymes in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Conclusions This study demonstrated that AcCS participates in cysteine biosynthesis and serine degradation via the non-phosphorylation serine metabolic pathway, providing a molecular basis for the discovery of novel anti-Acanthamoeba drugs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3188-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duo Wu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Meng Feng
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhi-Xin Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ke Qiao
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hiroshi Tachibana
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa, 259-1193, Japan
| | - Xun-Jia Cheng
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Maschio VJ, Virginio VG, Ferreira HB, Rott MB. Comparative proteomic analysis of soluble and surface-enriched proteins from Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2018; 225:47-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Martín-Pérez T, Criado-Fornelio A, Ávila-Blanco M, Pérez-Serrano J. Development and optimization of new culture media for Acanthamoeba spp. (Protozoa: Amoebozoa). Eur J Protistol 2018; 64:91-102. [PMID: 29730482 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The isolation and growth in axenic liquid media of Acanthamoeba strains is necessary in order to carry out primary in vitro drug screening. Amoebic isolates which are hard to grow in the current liquid media have been reported. Such circumstances hampers the ability of conducting drug sensitivity tests. Therefore, finding suitable universal growth media for Acanthamoeba species is required. The present study was aimed at the development of liquid medium suitable for growing a fastidious (F) genotype T3 Acanthamoeba isolate, and eventually for other genotypes of this genus as well. Trophozoite growth was indirectly monitored by respiration analysis with oxygen-sensitive microplates (OSM) and further confirmed by manual counting. Media were empirically designed and tested first in a non-fastidious (NF) T3 isolate and then tested with 14 different strains, including the fastidious one. Combinations of nutritive components such as meat/vegetable broth, LB medium, malt and skimmed milk led to the design of new media suitable for culturing all the isolates tested, in conditions similar to those obtained in standard culture media such as PYG or CERVA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Martín-Pérez
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Laboratorio de Parasitología, Grupo ECOMYP, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Angel Criado-Fornelio
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Laboratorio de Parasitología, Grupo ECOMYP, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Ávila-Blanco
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Laboratorio de Parasitología, Grupo ECOMYP, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Laboratorio de ciencias morfológicas, Departamento de Morfología, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Ciudad Universitaria, Aguascalientes, Ags., México
| | - Jorge Pérez-Serrano
- Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Laboratorio de Parasitología, Grupo ECOMYP, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
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