Identification, purification, and characterization of a secretory serine protease in an Indian strain of Leishmania donovani

Exploring the role of secretory proteins in the human infectious diseases diagnosis and therapeutics

Secretory proteins are playing important role during the host-pathogen interaction to develop the infection or protection into the cell. Pathogens developing infectious disease to human being are taken up by host macrophages or number of immune cells, play an important role in physiological, developmental and immunological function. At the same time, infectious agents are also secreting various proteins to neutralize the resistance caused by host cells and also helping the pathogens to develop the infection. Secretory proteins (secretome) are only developed at the time of host-pathogen interaction, therefore they become very important to develop the targeted and potential therapeutic strategies. Pathogen specific secretory proteins released during interaction with host cell provide opportunity to develop point of care and rapid diagnostic kits. Proteins secreted by pathogens at the time of interaction with host cell have also been found as immunogenic in nature and numbers of vaccines have been developed to control the spread of human infectious diseases. This chapter highlights the importance of secretory proteins in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to fight against human infectious diseases.

Curative efficacy of purified serine protease inhibitor PTF3 from potato tuber in experimental visceral leishmaniasis

To overcome the drug toxicity and frequent resistance of parasites against the conventional drugs for the healing of human visceral leishmaniasis, innovative plant derived antileishmanial components are very imperative. Fuelled by the complications of clinically available antileishmanial drugs, a novel potato serine protease inhibitor was identified with its efficacy on experimental visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The serine protease inhibitors from potato tuber extract (PTEx) bearing molecular mass of 39 kDa (PTF1), 23 kDa (PTF2) and 17 kDa (PTF3) were purified and identified. Among them, PTF3 was selected as the most active inhibitor (IC₅₀ 143.5 ± 2.4 µg/ml) regarding its antileishmanial property. Again, intracellular amastigote load was reduced upto 83.1 ± 1.7% in pre-treated parasite and 88.5 ± 0.5% in in vivo model with effective dose of PTF3. Protective immune response by PTF3 was noted with increased production of antimicrobial substances and up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therapeutic potency of PTF3 is also followed by 80% survival in infected hamster. The peptide mass fingerprint (MALDI-TOF) results showed similarity of PTF3 with serine protease inhibitors database. Altogether, these results strongly propose the effectiveness of PTF3 as potent immunomodulatory therapeutics for controlling VL.

Protective inflammatory response against visceral leishmaniasis with potato tuber extract: A new approach of successful therapy

The increasing number of drug resistance issue of Leishmania donovani strain to common drugs compels to develop new therapeutics against leishmaniasis with minimal toxicity. In this regard, bioactive phytocomponents may lead to the discovery of new medicines with appropriate efficiency. The important roles of Leishmania proteases in the virulence of Leishmania parasite make them very hopeful targets for the improvement of current remedial of leishmaniasis. As part of a hunt for new drugs, we have evaluated in vivo anti-leishmanial activity of serine protease inhibitor rich fraction (PTEx), isolated by sodium bisulfite extraction from potato tuber. The amastigote load of 25mg/kg body weight/day treated BALB/c mice showed 86.9% decrease in liver and 88.7% in case of spleen. This anti-leishmanial effect was also supported by PTEx induced immunomodulatory activity like acute formation of ROS and prolonged NO generation. The Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in splenocytes of PTEx treated animals was estimated and evaluated by ELISA assay as well as by mRNA expression using RT-PCR. Furthermore, significant survival rate (80%) was observed in PTEx treated hamsters. Thus, from the present observations we could accentuate the potential of PTEx to be employed as a new therapeutics from natural source against L. donovani. This might also provide a novel perception of natural serine protease inhibitor from potato tuber as an alternate approach for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.

Identification and characterization of a Leishmania donovani serine protease inhibitor: Possible role in regulation of host serine proteases

AIMS

This study aims to identify, purify, and characterize an endogenous serine protease inhibitor from an Indian strain of Leishmania donovani, which causes the fatal visceral leishmaniasis.

MAIN METHODS

(i) Reverse zymography was used to identify the serine protease inhibitor by inhibiting the gelatinolytic activity of serine protease. (ii) Purification was performed by combining heat treatment, ultracentrifugation, and affinity and gel permeation chromatography. (iii) Spectrophotometric assays were conducted to quantify and compare the inhibitory activity of the L. donovani serine protease inhibitor (LdISP). (iv) Further, the protein was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (ToF) mass spectrometry (MS).

KEY FINDINGS

An endogenous inhibitor with an apparent molecular weight of 21.8 kDa, which is acidic in nature, having a pI of 5.9 was identified. The Ki value of the inhibitor for trypsin was determined to be in the nanomolar range. The protein has the following features: (i) ecotin-like nature, (ii) cross-organism functionality, that is, an inhibitory effect on the serine proteases of higher organisms other than its own, and (iii) homology with other such proteins from a different species of Leishmania on conducting protein mass fingerprinting after MALDI ToF MS.

SIGNIFICANCE

The inhibitor shows varying and entirely contrasting efficacies toward serine proteases of its own as well as of higher organisms. This indicates that it accelerates disease progression and drives parasite survival as it inhibits the activities of the host serine proteases.

115 kDa serine protease confers sustained protection to visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani via IFN-γ induced down-regulation of TNF-α mediated MMP-9 activity

Visceral leishmaniasis caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania donovani is a major public health problem in the developing world. The emergence of increasing number of L. donovani strains resistance to antimonial drugs recommended worldwide requires the intervention of effective vaccine strategy for treatment of VL. In the present study L. donovani culture derived, soluble, secretory serine protease (pSP) has been shown to be vaccine target of VL. Protection from VL could be achieved by the use of safer vaccine which generally requires an adjuvant for induction of strong Th1 response. To assess the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of pSP as vaccine candidate in mouse model we used IL-12 as adjuvant. BALB/c mice immunized with pSP+IL-12 were protected significantly from challenged infection even after four months by reducing the parasite load in liver and spleen and suppressed the development of the disease along with an increase in IgG2a antibody level in serum, enhanced delayed type hypersensitivity and strong T-cell proliferation. Groups receiving pSP+IL-12 had an augmented pSP antigen specific Th1 cytokines like IFN-γ and TNF-α response with concomitant decrease of Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 after vaccination. In this study the vaccine efficacy of pSP was further assessed for its prophylactic potential by enumerating matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) profile which has been implicated in various diseases. MMP-9 associated with different microbial infections is controlled by their natural inhibitors (TIMPS) and by some cytokines. In this study pSP was found to regulate excessive inflammation by modulating the balance between MMP-9 and TIMP-1 expression. This modulatory effect has also been demonstrated by IFN-γ mediated down regulation of TNF-α induced MMP-9 expression in activated murine macrophages. This is the first report where a secretory L. donovani serine protease (pSP) adjuvanted with IL-12 could also act as protective imunogen by modifying cytokine mediated MMP-9 expression in experimental VL. These findings elucidate the mechanisms of regulation of MMP-9 following infection of L. donovani in vaccinated animals and thus pave the way for developing new immunotherapeutic interventions for VL.

Immunolocalization and characterization of two novel proteases in Leishmania donovani: putative roles in host invasion and parasite development

Two novel intracellular proteases having identical molecular mass (58 kDa) were purified from virulent Indian strain of Leishmania donovani by a combination of aprotinin-agarose affinity chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and finally continuous elution electrophoresis. Both of these proteases migrate in SDS-PAGE as a single homogeneous bands suggesting monomeric nature of these proteases. The enzyme activity of one of the proteases was inhibited by serine protease inhibitor aprotinin and another one was inhibited by metalloprotease inhibitor 1, 10 phenanthroline. The purified enzymes were thus of serine protease (SP-Ld) and metalloprotease (MP-Ld) type. The optimal pH for protease activity is 8.0 and 7.5 for SP-Ld and MP-Ld respectively. The temperature optimum for SP-Ld is 28 °C and for MP-Ld is 37 °C showing their thermostability upto 60 °C. Broad substrate (both natural and synthetic) specificity and the effect of Ca2+ upon these enzymes suggested novelty of these proteases. Kinetic data indicate that SP-Ld is of trypsin like as BAPNA appears to be the best substrate and MP-Ld seems to be collagenase type as it degrades azocoll with maximum efficiency. Both immunofluorescence and immune-gold electron microscopy studies revealed that the SP-Ld is localized in the flagellar pocket as well as at the surface of the parasite, whereas MP-Ld is located extensively near the flagellar pocket region. This work also suggests that the uses of anti SP-Ld and anti MP-Ld antibodies are quite significant in interfering with the process of parasite invasion and multiplication respectively. Thus the major role of SP-Ld could be predicted in invasion process as it down regulates the phagocytic activity of macrophages, and MP-Ld appears to play important roles in parasitic development.

In situ immunolocalization and stage-dependent expression of a secretory serine protease in Leishmania donovani and its role as a vaccine candidate

Proteases have been found to play essential roles in many biological processes, including the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis. Most parasites rely on their intracellular and extracellular protease repertoire to invade and multiply in mammalian host cells. However, few studies have addressed serine proteases in Leishmania and their role in host pathogenesis. Here we report the intracellular distribution of a novel L. donovani secretory serine protease in the flagellar pocket, as determined by immunogold labeling. Flow cytometry and confocal immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the expression of the protease diminishes sequentially from virulent to attenuated strains of this species and is also highly associated with the metacyclic stage of L. donovani promastigotes. The level of internalization of parasites treated with the anti-115-kDa antibody into host macrophages was significantly reduced from that of non-antibody-treated parasites, suggesting that this serine protease probably plays a role in the infection process. In vivo studies confirmed that this serine protease is a potential vaccine candidate. Altogether, the 115-kDa serine protease might play vital roles in L. donovani pathogenesis and hence could be recognized as a potential candidate for drug design.