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Fonseca TH, Gomes JM, Alacoque M, Vannier-Santos MA, Gomes MA, Busatti HG. Transmission electron microscopy revealing the mechanism of action of photodynamic therapy on Trichomonas vaginalis. Acta Trop 2019; 190:112-118. [PMID: 30447179 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is an amitochondrial parasite that causes human trichomoniasis. Despite metronidazole effectiveness, resistant cases are becoming more frequent. This scenario reveals the need to develop new therapeutic options. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is an experimental treatment that involves the activation of photosensitive substances and the generation of cytotoxic oxygen species and free radicals to promote the selective destruction of target tissues. In previous work, we identified an excellent in vitro PDT activity using methylene blue and light emitting diode against metronidazole sensitive and resistant strains of T. vaginalis. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of PDT in vivo and its high trichomonicidal activity was assessed through transmission electron microscopy. Female Balb/c mice were infected intravaginally with T. vaginalis trophozoites. On the third day of infection, methylene blue was introduced into the vaginal canal, which then received 68.1 J/cm2 of radiation for 35.6 s. Twenty-four hours after treatment the vaginal canal of the animals was scraped and the samples processed by the immunocytochemistry technique. Besides that, in vitro photodynamic treatment was performed and T. vaginalis trophozoites were processed by transmission electron microscopy. PDT significantly reduced infection in animals treated, compared to control groups, being as efficient as metronidazole. Morphological changes observed have suggested that PDT activity on T. vaginalis was due to necrosis. These results, added to the high trichomonicidal activity of PDT confirm its feasibility for trichomoniasis treatment.
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2
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de Brum Vieira P, Silva NLF, Menezes CB, da Silva MV, Silva DB, Lopes NP, Macedo AJ, Bastida J, Tasca T. Trichomonicidal and parasite membrane damaging activity of bidesmosic saponins from Manilkara rufula. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188531. [PMID: 29190689 PMCID: PMC5708768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common but overlooked non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Treatment relies on one class of drugs, the 5-nitroimidazoles, but resistance is widespread. New drugs are urgently needed. We reported the effect of crude and purified saponin fractions of Manilkara rufula against Trichomonas vaginalis. The compound responsible for antitrichomonal activity was isolated and identified as an uncommon bidesmosic saponin, Mi-saponin C. This saponin eliminated parasite viability without toxicity against the human vaginal epithelial line (HMVII). In addition, the isolated saponin fraction improved the metronidazole effect against a metronidazole-resistant isolate and dramatically reduced the cytoadherence of T. vaginalis to human cells. Investigation of the mechanism of death showed that the saponin fraction induced the parasite death due to profound membrane damage, inducing a disturbance of intracellular content without nuclear damage. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of antitrichomonal activity in the bidesmosic saponins of Manilkara rufula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia de Brum Vieira
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pampa, São Gabriel, RS, Brasil
- * E-mail:
| | - Nícolas Luiz Feijó Silva
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Camila Braz Menezes
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Márcia Vanusa da Silva
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil
| | - Denise Brentan Silva
- Laboratório de Produtos Naturais e Espectrometria de Massas, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - Norberto Peporine Lopes
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - Alexandre José Macedo
- Faculdade de Farmácia e Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
- Instituto Nacional do Semi-Árido (INSA), Núcleo de Biprospecção da Caatinga (NBioCaat), Campina Grande, PE, Brasil
| | - Jaume Bastida
- Departament de Productes Naturals, Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
- Instituto Nacional do Semi-Árido (INSA), Núcleo de Biprospecção da Caatinga (NBioCaat), Campina Grande, PE, Brasil
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3
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Margraf-Ferreira A, Carvalho ICS, Machado SM, Pacheco-Soares C, Galvão CW, Etto RM, da Silva NS. DNA analysis of cattle parasitic protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus after photodynamic therapy. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2017; 18:193-197. [PMID: 28238893 DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2017.02.012] [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: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a modality of therapy that involves the activation of photosensitive substances and the generation of cytotoxic oxygen species and free radicals to promote the selective destruction of target tissues. This study analyzed the application of PDT to Tritrichomonas foetus, a scourged and etiological agent of bovine trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infectious disease. As it is an amitochondrial and aerotolerant protozoan, it produces energy under low O2 tension via hydrogenosome. T. foetus from an axenic culture was incubated with photosensitizer tetrasulfonated aluminium phthalocyanine and then irradiated with a laser source (InGaAIP) at a density of 4.5Jcm-2. The DNA integrity of the control and treated group parasites was analyzed by conventional gel electrophoresis and comet assay techniques. In previous results, morphological changes characterized by apoptotic cell death were observed after T. foetus was submitted to PDT treatment. In the treated groups, T. foetus DNA showed a higher concentration of small fragments, about 200pb, in gel electrophoresis after PDT. In the comet assay, the DNA tail percentage was significantly higher in the treated groups. These results demonstrate that PDT leads to DNA fragmentation with changes in nuclear morphology and apoptotic features.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Margraf-Ferreira
- Research and Development Institute, UNIVAP, São José dos Campos, SP 12244-000, Brazil
| | - I C S Carvalho
- Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis Department, ICT/UNESP, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - S M Machado
- Research and Development Institute, UNIVAP, São José dos Campos, SP 12244-000, Brazil
| | - C Pacheco-Soares
- Research and Development Institute, UNIVAP, São José dos Campos, SP 12244-000, Brazil
| | - C W Galvão
- Structural, Molecular and Genetics Biology Department, UEPG, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
| | - R M Etto
- Chemistry Department, UEPG, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
| | - N S da Silva
- Research and Development Institute, UNIVAP, São José dos Campos, SP 12244-000, Brazil.
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4
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Pereira-Neves A, Menna-Barreto RFS, Benchimol M. The fungal metabolite gliotoxin inhibits proteasome proteolytic activity and induces an irreversible pseudocystic transformation and cell death in Tritrichomonas foetus. Parasitol Res 2016; 115:3057-69. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5061-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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5
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Novel insights into the molecular events linking to cell death induced by tetracycline in the amitochondriate protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2015; 59:6891-903. [PMID: 26303799 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01779-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis colonizes the human urogenital tract and causes trichomoniasis, the most common nonviral sexually transmitted disease. Currently, 5-nitroimidazoles are the only recommended drugs for treating trichomoniasis. However, increased resistance of the parasite to 5-nitroimidazoles has emerged as a highly problematic public health issue. Hence, it is essential to identify alternative chemotherapeutic agents against refractory trichomoniasis. Tetracycline (TET) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with activity against several protozoan parasites, but the mode of action of TET in parasites remains poorly understood. The in vitro effect of TET on the growth of T. vaginalis was examined, and the mode of cell death was verified by various apoptosis-related assays. Next-generation sequencing-based RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was employed to elucidate the transcriptome of T. vaginalis in response to TET. We show that TET has a cytotoxic effect on both metronidazole (MTZ)-sensitive and -resistant T. vaginalis isolates, inducing some features resembling apoptosis. RNA-seq data reveal that TET significantly alters the transcriptome via activation of specific pathways, such as aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and carbohydrate metabolism. Functional analyses demonstrate that TET disrupts the hydrogenosomal membrane potential and antioxidant system, which concomitantly elicits a metabolic shift toward glycolysis, suggesting that the hydrogenosomal function is impaired and triggers cell death. Collectively, we provide in vitro evidence that TET is a potential alternative therapeutic choice for treating MTZ-resistant T. vaginalis. The in-depth transcriptomic signatures in T. vaginalis upon TET treatment presented here will shed light on the signaling pathways linking to cell death in amitochondriate organisms.
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6
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Nelson C, Baehrecke EH. Eaten to death. FEBS J 2014; 281:5411-7. [PMID: 25323556 DOI: 10.1111/febs.13114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Revised: 10/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Macro-autophagy (hereafter referred to as autophagy) delivers cytoplasmic material to the lysosome for degradation, and has been implicated in many cellular processes, including stress, infection, survival and death. Although the regulation and role of autophagy in stress, infection and survival is apparent, its involvement during cell death remains relatively unclear. In this review, we highlight what is known about the role that autophagy can play during physiological cell death, and discuss the implications of better understanding cellular destruction that involves autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Nelson
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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7
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The effect of 3-(biphenyl-4-yl)-3-hydoxyquinuclidine (BPQ-OH) and metronidazole on Trichomonas vaginalis: a comparative study. Parasitol Res 2014; 113:2185-97. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-014-3871-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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8
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Rocha DAS, de Andrade Rosa I, de Souza W, Benchimol M. Evaluation of the effect of miltefosine on Trichomonas vaginalis. Parasitol Res 2013; 113:1041-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-013-3738-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Taylor-Brown E, Hurd H. The first suicides: a legacy inherited by parasitic protozoans from prokaryote ancestors. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6:108. [PMID: 23597031 PMCID: PMC3640913 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It is more than 25 years since the first report that a protozoan parasite could die by a process resulting in a morphological phenotype akin to apoptosis. Since then these phenotypes have been observed in many unicellular parasites, including trypanosomatids and apicomplexans, and experimental evidence concerning the molecular pathways that are involved is growing. These observations support the view that this form of programmed cell death is an ancient one that predates the evolution of multicellularity. Here we review various hypotheses that attempt to explain the origin of apoptosis, and look for support for these hypotheses amongst the parasitic protists as, with the exception of yeast, most of the work on death mechanisms in unicellular organisms has focussed on them. We examine the role that addiction modules may have played in the original eukaryote cell and the part played by mitochondria in the execution of present day cells, looking for examples from Leishmania spp. Trypanosoma spp. and Plasmodium spp. In addition, the expanding knowledge of proteases, nucleases and other molecules acting in protist execution pathways has enabled comparisons to be made with extant Archaea and bacteria and with biochemical pathways that evolved in metazoans. These comparisons lend support to the original sin hypothesis but also suggest that present-day death pathways may have had multifaceted beginnings.
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10
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Abstract
Espirito Santo virus (ESV) is a newly discovered virus recovered as contamination in a sample of a virulent strain of dengue-2 virus (strain 44/2), which was recovered from a patient in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, and amplified in insect cells. ESV was found to be dependent upon coinfection with a virulent strain of dengue-2 virus and to replicate in C6/36 insect cells but not in mammalian Vero cells. A sequence of the genome has been produced by de novo assembly and was not found to match to any known viral sequence. An incomplete match to the nucleotide sequence of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Drosophila X virus (DXV), another birnavirus, could be detected. Mass spectrometry analysis of ESV proteins found no matches in the protein data banks. However, peptides recovered by mass spectrometry corresponded to the de novo-assembled sequence by BLAST analysis. The composition and three-dimensional structure of ESV are presented, and its sequence is compared to those of other members of the birnavirus family. Although the virus was found to belong to the family Birnaviridae, biochemical and sequence information for ESV differed from that of DXV, the representative species of the genus Entomobirnavirus. Thus, significant differences underscore the uniqueness of this infectious agent, and its relationship to the coinfecting virus is discussed.
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11
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Villalba-Magdaleno JD, Pérez-Ishiwara G, Serrano-Luna J, Tsutsumi V, Shibayama M. In vivo programmed cell death of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites in a hamster model of amoebic liver abscess. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2011; 157:1489-1499. [PMID: 21349978 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.047183-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites can induce host cell apoptosis, which correlates with the virulence of the parasite. This phenomenon has been seen during the resolution of an inflammatory response and the survival of the parasites. Other studies have shown that E. histolytica trophozoites undergo programmed cell death (PCD) in vitro, but how this process occurs within the mammalian host cell remains unclear. Here, we studied the PCD of E. histolytica trophozoites as part of an in vivo event related to the inflammatory reaction and the host-parasite interaction. Morphological study of amoebic liver abscesses showed only a few E. histolytica trophozoites with peroxidase-positive nuclei identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase enzyme-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL). To better understand PCD following the interaction between amoebae and inflammatory cells, we designed a novel in vivo model using a dialysis bag containing E. histolytica trophozoites, which was surgically placed inside the peritoneal cavity of a hamster and left to interact with the host's exudate components. Amoebae collected from bags were then examined by TUNEL assay, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and transmission electron microscopy. Nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation of E. histolytica trophozoites were observed after exposure to peritoneal exudates, which were mainly composed of neutrophils and macrophages. Our results suggest that production of nitric oxide by inflammatory cells could be involved in PCD of trophozoites. In this modified in vivo system, PCD appears to play a prominent role in the host-parasite interaction and parasite cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- José D'Artagnan Villalba-Magdaleno
- Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Valle de México, Campus Chapultepec, CP 11850, Mexico.,Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, CINVESTAV-IPN, CP 07300, Mexico
| | | | | | - Víctor Tsutsumi
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, CINVESTAV-IPN, CP 07300, Mexico
| | - Mineko Shibayama
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, CINVESTAV-IPN, CP 07300, Mexico
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12
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Silva NSD, Machado SM, Filho FCES, Pacheco-Soares C. Basic biological aspects of Tritrichomonas foetus of re-levance to the treatment of bovines suffering of tricho-moniasis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.4236/ojas.2011.13015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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13
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Giordani RB, Vieira PDB, Weizenmann M, Rosemberg DB, Souza AP, Bonorino C, De Carli GA, Bogo MR, Zuanazzi JA, Tasca T. Candimine-induced cell death of the amitochondriate parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2010; 73:2019-2023. [PMID: 21105684 DOI: 10.1021/np100449g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Candimine (1), an alkaloid from the bulbs of Hippeastrum morelianum, was found to be cytotoxic for the amitochondriate parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. Candimine (1) induced cell death with an unprecedented group of effects that failed to fulfill the criteria for apoptosis and apoptosis-like death already reported in trichomonads. Arrest of the parasite cell cycle, and morphologic and ultrastructural alterations, including marked cytoplasmic vacuolization, were induced by 1. The present findings suggest some similarities to paraptotic cell death, described for multicellular organisms. This study contributes to both a better understanding of the biological effects of 1 and T. vaginalis cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel B Giordani
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 2752, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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14
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Nedelcu AM, Driscoll WW, Durand PM, Herron MD, Rashidi A. On the paradigm of altruistic suicide in the unicellular world. Evolution 2010; 65:3-20. [PMID: 20722725 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01103.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Altruistic suicide is best known in the context of programmed cell death (PCD) in multicellular individuals, which is understood as an adaptive process that contributes to the development and functionality of the organism. After the realization that PCD-like processes can also be induced in single-celled lineages, the paradigm of altruistic cell death has been extended to include these active cell death processes in unicellular organisms. Here, we critically evaluate the current conceptual framework and the experimental data used to support the notion of altruistic suicide in unicellular lineages, and propose new perspectives. We argue that importing the paradigm of altruistic cell death from multicellular organisms to explain active death in unicellular lineages has the potential to limit the types of questions we ask, thus biasing our understanding of the nature, origin, and maintenance of this trait. We also emphasize the need to distinguish between the benefits and the adaptive role of a trait. Lastly, we provide an alternative framework that allows for the possibility that active death in single-celled organisms is a maladaptive trait maintained as a byproduct of selection on pro-survival functions, but that could-under conditions in which kin/group selection can act-be co-opted into an altruistic trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora M Nedelcu
- University of New Brunswick, Department of Biology, Fredericton, NB, Canada.
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15
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Vilela R, Menna-Barreto RFS, Benchimol M. Methyl jasmonate induces cell death and loss of hydrogenosomal membrane potential in Trichomonas vaginalis. Parasitol Int 2010; 59:387-93. [PMID: 20483382 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2010.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2009] [Revised: 03/25/2010] [Accepted: 05/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is an important human parasite of the urogenital tract. Jasmonates are a group of small lipids that are produced in plants and function as stress hormones. Naturally occurring methyl jasmonate (MJ) has been used to treat several types of cancer cells and it is cytotoxic to protistan parasites. It has been suggested that mitochondria are the target organelles of jasmonates. Here, we tested this drug against T. vaginalis. Although metronidazole has been the drug of choice for trichomoniasis, side effects from this treatment are common, and nausea and dizziness have been reported in up to 12% of patients. In addition, there has been increased recognition of resistance to metronidazole. We demonstrate here using flow cytometry, JC-1 and scanning and transmission electron microscopy that MJ induced the cell death of T. vaginalis parasites. Our results are discussed with previous findings published by others.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Vilela
- Universidade Santa Ursula, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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16
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Staurosporine-induced programmed cell death in Blastocystis occurs independently of caspases and cathepsins and is augmented by calpain inhibition. Microbiology (Reading) 2010; 156:1284-1293. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.034025-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the protozoan parasite Blastocystis exhibits apoptotic features with caspase-like activity upon exposure to a cytotoxic monoclonal antibody or the anti-parasitic drug metronidazole. The present study reports that staurosporine (STS), a common apoptosis inducer in mammalian cells, also induces cytoplasmic and nuclear features of apoptosis in Blastocystis, including cell shrinkage, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, maintenance of plasma membrane integrity, extensive cytoplasmic vacuolation, nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation. STS-induced PS exposure and DNA fragmentation were abolished by the mitochondrial transition pore blocker cyclosporine A and significantly inhibited by the broad-range cysteine protease inhibitor iodoacetamide. Interestingly, the apoptosis phenotype was insensitive to inhibitors of caspases and cathepsins B and L, while calpain-specific inhibitors augmented the STS-induced apoptosis response. While the identities of the proteases responsible for STS-induced apoptosis warrant further investigation, these findings demonstrate that programmed cell death in Blastocystis is complex and regulated by multiple mediators.
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17
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Corrêa G, Vilela R, Menna-Barreto RF, Midlej V, Benchimol M. Cell death induction in Giardia lamblia: Effect of beta-lapachone and starvation. Parasitol Int 2009; 58:424-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2009.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2009] [Revised: 07/28/2009] [Accepted: 08/10/2009] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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18
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Benchimol M. Hydrogenosomes under microscopy. Tissue Cell 2009; 41:151-68. [PMID: 19297000 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2009.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2008] [Revised: 01/04/2009] [Accepted: 01/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A hydrogenosome is a hydrogen-producing organelle, evolutionary related to mitochondria and is found in Parabasalia protozoa, certain chytrid fungi and certain ciliates. It displays similarities to and differences from mitochondria. Hydrogenosomes are spherical or slightly elongated organelles, although very elongated hydrogenosomes are also found. They measure from 200 nm to 1 microm, but under stress conditions can reach up to 2 microm. Hydrogenosomes are surrounded by two closely apposed membranes and present a granular matrix. Cardiolipin has been detected in their membranes, and frataxin, which is a conserved mitochondrial protein involved in iron metabolism, was also recently found. Hydrogenosomes have one or multiple peripheral vesicles, which incorporate calcium. The peripheral vesicle can be isolated from the hydrogenosomal matrix and can be considered as a distinct hydrogenosomal compartment. Dysfunctional hydrogenosomes can be removed by an autophagic process and further digested by lysosomes. Hydrogenosomes divide in three different ways, like mitochondria, by segmentation, partition and the heart form. They may divide at any phase of the cell cycle. Nucleoid or electron dense deposits found in hydrogenosomes can be considered artifacts or dysfunctional hydrogenosomes. The hydrogenosome does not contain a genome, although DNA has already been detected in one anaerobic ciliate. Hydrogenosomes can be considered as good drug targets since their metabolism is distinct from mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Benchimol
- Universidade Santa Ursula, Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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19
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Different cell death pathways induced by drugs in Trypanosoma cruzi: An ultrastructural study. Micron 2009; 40:157-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2008.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2008] [Accepted: 08/26/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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20
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Durand PM, Coetzer TL. Utility of computational methods to identify the apoptosis machinery in unicellular eukaryotes. Bioinform Biol Insights 2008; 2:101-17. [PMID: 19812769 PMCID: PMC2735952 DOI: 10.4137/bbi.s430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Apoptosis is the phenotypic result of an active, regulated process of self-destruction. Following various cellular insults, apoptosis has been demonstrated in numerous unicellular eukaryotes, but very little is known about the genes and proteins that initiate and execute this process in this group of organisms. A bioinformatic approach presents an array of powerful methods to direct investigators in the identification of the apoptosis machinery in protozoans. In this review, we discuss some of the available computational methods and illustrate how they may be applied using the identification of a Plasmodium falciparum metacaspase gene as an example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Marcel Durand
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of the Witwatersrand and National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Deponte M. Programmed cell death in protists. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2008; 1783:1396-405. [PMID: 18291111 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2008.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2007] [Revised: 01/11/2008] [Accepted: 01/19/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Programmed cell death in protists does not seem to make sense at first sight. However, apoptotic markers in unicellular organisms have been observed in all but one of the six/eight major groups of eukaryotes suggesting an ancient evolutionary origin of this regulated process. This review summarizes the available data on apoptotic markers in non-opisthokonts and elucidates potential functions and evolution of programmed cell death. A newly discovered family of caspase-like proteases, the metacaspases, is considered to exert the function of caspases in unicellular organisms. Important results on metacaspases, however, showed that they cannot be always correlated to the measured proteolytic activity during protist cell death. Thus, a major challenge for apoptosis research in a variety of protists remains the identification of the molecular cell death machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Deponte
- Adolf-Butenandt-Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany.
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Abstract
The progress in discerning the structure and function of cells and tissues in health and disease has been achieved to a large extent by the continued development of new reagents for histochemistry, the improvement of existing techniques and new imaging techniques. This review will highlight some advancements made in these fields.
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23
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Carvalho KP, Gadelha APR. Effects of three benzimidazoles on growth, general morphology and ultrastructure ofTritrichomonas foetus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2007; 275:292-300. [PMID: 17825070 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00897.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tritrichomonas foetus is a venereal pathogen of cattle, which causes infertility, early embryonic death or abortion. In order to evaluate the potential trichomonicidal activity of benzimidazoles, the effects of thiabendazole, mebendazole and albendazole were analyzed on the multiplication, general morphology and ultrastructure of T. foetus. It was found that mebendazole presented the highest IC(50%) (2.3 microM), when compared with albendazole (IC(50%)=9.4 microM) and thiabendazole (IC(50%)=142.6 microM), and that such effects were irreversible. Concerning microscopic analysis, thiabendazole- and mebendazole-treated cells presented increased volume, internalization of the flagella, disruption or multiplication of the nucleus, multiple organelles and cytoplasmic vacuolization. Albendazole-treated cells exhibited slight alterations, because the parasite became slightly rounded, its flagella were not internalized but the cytoplasm was vacuolated. Mebendazole was indeed highly effective as an in vitro trichomonicidal agent, and this might open up new possibilities for the use of mebendazole in the therapy of bovine trichomoniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Penedo Carvalho
- Laboratório de Microscopia e Processamento de Imagens, Instituto de Biologia Prof. Roberto Alcântara Gomes - Departamento de Histologia e Embriologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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24
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da Silva NS, Ribeiro CDM, Machado AHA, Pacheco-Soares C. Ultrastructural changes in Tritrichomonas foetus after treatments with AlPcS4 and photodynamic therapy. Vet Parasitol 2007; 146:175-81. [PMID: 17399904 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2006] [Revised: 02/05/2007] [Accepted: 02/08/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The Tritrichomonas foetus is an amitochondrial parasitic protist which causes bovine trichomoniasis, a major sexually transmitted disease in cattle. No effective drugs for this disease have been approved to this date. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an experimental treatment that shows great potential for treating bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses. However, the cytotoxic effect of PDT on protozoan has been poorly studied. In this study, PDT with aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonated (AlPcS4) photosensitizer was efficient in killing T. foetus. The mode of cell death in T. foetus after PDT was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Morphological changes, such as membrane projections, nucleus fragmentation with peripheral masses of heterochromatin, endoplasmic reticulum proliferation, intense cytoplasmic vacuolization, fragmented axostyle-pelta complex, and internalized flagella could be observed. This is the first report to demonstrate cell death in T. foetus after PDT, and thus will open up new lines of investigation to develop new treatments for bovine trichomoniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Newton Soares da Silva
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi 2911, 12244-000 São José dos Campos, SP, Brasil.
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Taatjes DJ, Zuber C, Roth J. The histochemistry and cell biology vade mecum: a review of 2005–2006. Histochem Cell Biol 2006; 126:743-88. [PMID: 17149649 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-006-0253-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/03/2006] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The procurement of new knowledge and understanding in the ever expanding discipline of cell biology continues to advance at a breakneck pace. The progress in discerning the physiology of cells and tissues in health and disease has been driven to a large extent by the continued development of new probes and imaging techniques. The recent introduction of semi-conductor quantum dots as stable, specific markers for both fluorescence light microscopy and electron microscopy, as well as a virtual treasure-trove of new fluorescent proteins, has in conjunction with newly introduced spectral imaging systems, opened vistas into the seemingly unlimited possibilities for experimental design. Although it oftentimes proves difficult to predict what the future will hold with respect to advances in disciplines such as cell biology and histochemistry, it is facile to look back on what has already occurred. In this spirit, this review will highlight some advancements made in these areas in the past 2 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J Taatjes
- Department of Pathology, Microscopy Imaging Center, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
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