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Trypanosoma cruzi High Mobility Group B (TcHMGB) can act as an inflammatory mediator on mammalian cells. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005350. [PMID: 28178282 PMCID: PMC5319819 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background High Mobility Group B (HMGB) proteins are nuclear architectural factors involved in chromatin remodeling and important nuclear events. HMGBs also play key roles outside the cell acting as alarmins or Damage-associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs). In response to a danger signal these proteins act as immune mediators in the extracellular milieu. Moreover, these molecules play a central role in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune and both infectious and sterile inflammatory chronic diseases. Principal findings We have previously identified a High mobility group B protein from Trypanosoma cruzi (TcHMGB) and showed that it has architectural properties interacting with DNA like HMGBs from other eukaryotes. Here we show that TcHMGB can be translocated to the cytoplasm and secreted out of the parasite, a process that seems to be stimulated by acetylation. We report that recombinant TcHMGB is able to induce an inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo, evidenced by the production of Nitric Oxide and induction of inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1β and IFN-γ gene expression. Also, TGF-β and IL-10, which are not inflammatory cytokines but do play key roles in Chagas disease, were induced by rTcHMGB. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that TcHMGB can act as an exogenous immune mediator that may be important for both the control of parasite replication as the pathogenesis of Chagas disease and can be envisioned as a pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) partially overlapping in function with the host DAMPs. When an infection occurs, the innate immune cells recognize Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs) through their Pattern Recognition Receptors. This triggers an inflammatory response intended to kill the foreign microbe. But inflammation can also be triggered by the recognition of endogenous molecules called “Danger (or Damage) Associated Molecular Patterns” (DAMPs) that are released by damaged or necrotic cells to “ring the alarm” of the immune system that repair is needed, so some of them are also known as “alarmins”. High Mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a prototypical alarmin molecule released by injured cells and it is also actively secreted by cells of the innate immune system in response to invasion as well as to sterile damage. Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas Disease, has its own HMGB protein that we called TcHMGB. Using in vitro and in vivo experimental systems, we demonstrated for the first time that TcHMGB is able to mediate inflammation on mammalian cells, inducing the expression of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our results suggest that the parasite´s protein could have a role in the immune response and the pathogenesis of Chagas disease, probably overlapping to some extent with the host cell DAMP molecules´ functions.
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Angiostrongylus cantonensis: a review of its distribution, molecular biology and clinical significance as a human pathogen. Parasitology 2016; 143:1087-118. [PMID: 27225800 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182016000652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a metastrongyloid nematode found widely in the Asia-Pacific region, and the aetiological agent of angiostrongyliasis; a disease characterized by eosinophilic meningitis. Rattus rats are definitive hosts of A. cantonensis, while intermediate hosts include terrestrial and aquatic molluscs. Humans are dead-end hosts that usually become infected upon ingestion of infected molluscs. A presumptive diagnosis is often made based on clinical features, a history of mollusc consumption, eosinophilic pleocytosis in cerebral spinal fluid, and advanced imaging such as computed tomography. Serological tests are available for angiostrongyliasis, though many tests are still under development. While there is no treatment consensus, therapy often includes a combination of anthelmintics and corticosteroids. Angiostrongyliasis is relatively rare, but is often associated with morbidity and sometimes mortality. Recent reports suggest the parasites' range is increasing, leading to fatalities in regions previously considered Angiostrongylus-free, and sometimes, delayed diagnosis in newly invaded regions. Increased awareness of angiostrongyliasis would facilitate rapid diagnosis and improved clinical outcomes. This paper summarizes knowledge on the parasites' life cycle, clinical aspects and epidemiology. The molecular biology of Angiostrongylus spp. is also discussed. Attention is paid to the significance of angiostrongyliasis in Australia, given the recent severe cases reported from the Sydney region.
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Kang R, Chen R, Zhang Q, Hou W, Wu S, Cao L, Huang J, Yu Y, Fan XG, Yan Z, Sun X, Wang H, Wang Q, Tsung A, Billiar TR, Zeh HJ, Lotze MT, Tang D. HMGB1 in health and disease. Mol Aspects Med 2014; 40:1-116. [PMID: 25010388 PMCID: PMC4254084 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 683] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Complex genetic and physiological variations as well as environmental factors that drive emergence of chromosomal instability, development of unscheduled cell death, skewed differentiation, and altered metabolism are central to the pathogenesis of human diseases and disorders. Understanding the molecular bases for these processes is important for the development of new diagnostic biomarkers, and for identifying new therapeutic targets. In 1973, a group of non-histone nuclear proteins with high electrophoretic mobility was discovered and termed high-mobility group (HMG) proteins. The HMG proteins include three superfamilies termed HMGB, HMGN, and HMGA. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), the most abundant and well-studied HMG protein, senses and coordinates the cellular stress response and plays a critical role not only inside of the cell as a DNA chaperone, chromosome guardian, autophagy sustainer, and protector from apoptotic cell death, but also outside the cell as the prototypic damage associated molecular pattern molecule (DAMP). This DAMP, in conjunction with other factors, thus has cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor activity, orchestrating the inflammatory and immune response. All of these characteristics make HMGB1 a critical molecular target in multiple human diseases including infectious diseases, ischemia, immune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Indeed, a number of emergent strategies have been used to inhibit HMGB1 expression, release, and activity in vitro and in vivo. These include antibodies, peptide inhibitors, RNAi, anti-coagulants, endogenous hormones, various chemical compounds, HMGB1-receptor and signaling pathway inhibition, artificial DNAs, physical strategies including vagus nerve stimulation and other surgical approaches. Future work further investigating the details of HMGB1 localization, structure, post-translational modification, and identification of additional partners will undoubtedly uncover additional secrets regarding HMGB1's multiple functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Kang
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
| | - Ruochan Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Qiuhong Zhang
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Wen Hou
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Sha Wu
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Lizhi Cao
- Department of Pediatrics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Jin Huang
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Yan Yu
- Department of Pediatrics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Xue-Gong Fan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Zhengwen Yan
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA; Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, China
| | - Xiaofang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Experimental Department of Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510510, China
| | - Haichao Wang
- Laboratory of Emergency Medicine, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA
| | - Qingde Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Allan Tsung
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Timothy R Billiar
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Herbert J Zeh
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Michael T Lotze
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Daolin Tang
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
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A nuclear factor of high mobility group box protein in Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111993. [PMID: 25369210 PMCID: PMC4219823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear factor that usually binds DNA and modulates gene expression in multicellular organisms. Three HMGB1 orthologs were predicted in the genome of Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen, termed TgHMGB1a, b and c. Phylogenetic and bioinformatic analyses indicated that these proteins all contain a single HMG box and which shared in three genotypes. We cloned TgHMGB1a, a 33.9 kDa protein that can stimulates macrophages to release TNF-α, and, we demonstrated that the TgHMGB1a binds distorted DNA structures such as cruciform DNA in electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). Immunofluorescence assay indicated TgHMGB1a concentrated in the nucleus of intracellular tachyzoites but translocated into the cytoplasm while the parasites release to extracellular. There were no significant phenotypic changes when the TgHMGB1a B box was deleted, while transgenic parasites that overexpressed TgHMGB1a showed slower intracellular growth and caused delayed death in mouse, further quantitative RT-PCR analyses showed that the expression levels of many important genes, including virulence factors, increased when TgHMGB1a was overexpressed, but no significant changes were observed in TgHMGB1a B box-deficient parasites. Our findings demonstrated that TgHMGB1a is indeed a nuclear protein that maintains HMG box architectural functions and is a potential proinflammatory factor during the T.gondii infection. Further studies that clarify the functions of TgHMGB1s will increase our knowledge of transcriptional regulation and parasite virulence, and might provide new insight into host-parasite interactions for T. gondii infection.
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Ansell BRE, Schnyder M, Deplazes P, Korhonen PK, Young ND, Hall RS, Mangiola S, Boag PR, Hofmann A, Sternberg PW, Jex AR, Gasser RB. Insights into the immuno-molecular biology of Angiostrongylus vasorum through transcriptomics--prospects for new interventions. Biotechnol Adv 2013; 31:1486-500. [PMID: 23895945 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Angiostrongylus vasorum is a metastrongyloid nematode of dogs and other canids of major clinical importance in many countries. In order to gain first insights into the molecular biology of this worm, we conducted the first large-scale exploration of its transcriptome, and predicted essential molecules linked to metabolic and biological processes as well as host immune responses. We also predicted and prioritized drug targets and drug candidates. Following Illumina sequencing (RNA-seq), 52.3 million sequence reads representing adult A. vasorum were assembled and annotated. The assembly yielded 20,033 contigs, which encoded proteins with 11,505 homologues in Caenorhabditis elegans, and additional 2252 homologues in various other parasitic helminths for which curated data sets were publicly available. Functional annotation was achieved for 11,752 (58.6%) proteins predicted for A. vasorum, including peptidases (4.5%) and peptidase inhibitors (1.6%), protein kinases (1.7%), G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) (1.5%) and phosphatases (1.2%). Contigs encoding excretory/secretory and immuno-modulatory proteins represented some of the most highly transcribed molecules, and encoded enzymes that digest haemoglobin were conserved between A. vasorum and other blood-feeding nematodes. Using an essentiality-based approach, drug targets, including neurotransmitter receptors, an important chemosensory ion channel and cysteine proteinase-3 were predicted in A. vasorum, as were associated small molecular inhibitors/activators. Future transcriptomic analyses of all developmental stages of A. vasorum should facilitate deep explorations of the molecular biology of this important parasitic nematode and support the sequencing of its genome. These advances will provide a foundation for exploring immuno-molecular aspects of angiostrongylosis and have the potential to underpin the discovery of new methods of intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan R E Ansell
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Saeung A, Choochote W. Development of a facile system for mass production of Brugia malayi in a small-space laboratory. Parasitol Res 2013; 112:3259-65. [PMID: 23820603 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-013-3504-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Brugia malayi is one of the important lymphatic filarial nematodes that cause elephantiasis and disability in humans in the Asian region. Mass production at any stage of this nematode in both small laboratory animal hosts and mosquito vectors is still necessary in order to continue various research aspects. This study elucidated on the use of nonblood feeding or the autogenous Ochlerotatus togoi (Thailand strain) and male Mongolian jird (Meriones unguiculatus) system. This has brought about a low-cost and highly-effective procedure for the mass production of blood containing microfilariae, infective (L3) larvae, and adults of B. malayi under nonanimal-blood-feeding insectary and small-space animal-house conditions. The highly-infective rates (human-heparinized blood, 86.67-93.33; swine-heparinized blood, 83.33-96.67; bovine-heparinized blood, 76.67-80; chicken-heparinized blood, 73.33-76.67) and parasite loads (human-heparinized blood, 10.58-12.36; swine-heparinized blood, 8.40-10.38; bovine-heparinized blood, 9.75-9.91; chicken-heparinized blood, 3.41-4.65) of autogenous O. togoi to B. malayi and high numbers of adults recovered from ten B. malayi-infected male jirds (total = 327, 16-52) are good supportive evidence. In addition, all special techniques required for succeeding in the establishment of a facile system regarding these matters are detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atiporn Saeung
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.
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Etebar F, Jalousian F, Hosseini SH, Kordafshari S, Najafi A. Immunoproteomics approach for EPC1 antigenic epitope prediction of G1 and G6 strains of Echinococcus granulosus. Parasitol Res 2013; 112:3129-35. [PMID: 23783398 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-013-3489-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
It is important to establish the diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE) infection and begin control management. Currently, it is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis of CE without the availability of an accurate test, which requires the use of sensitive and specific antigens. Using recombinant antigens the sensitivity and specificity of the CE serology assays could be improved considerably. Recently, a highly antigenic protein named EPC1was characterized and isolated from an Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces. The current study was designed to assess the sequences of EPC1 isolated from different intermediate hosts of E. granulosus. In addition, identification of a highly antigenic linear B cell epitope was found within EPC1 antigen candidate. The EPC1 sequence contains coding and non-coding regions and was compared between two predominant strains (G1 and G6) in Iran. Sequence polymorphism was not found in protein coding regions, suggesting that these regions may be useful for identification of protein expression as an antigen. The average antigenic activity for the whole protein is above 1.1, and hydrophobicity below 0 indicates that it is hydrophilic. Structural analysis showed alpha helical regions in amino acids 6-25, 35-44, 52-62, and 72-78. Nine B cell epitope residues were identified out of 67 total residues. The identity of EPC1 sequence in both G1 and G6 genotypes affects the antigenic efficacy of EPC1and suggests the recombinant protein will be useful in serological assays in the regions where the two strains are prevalent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fazeleh Etebar
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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