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Ramírez-Sotelo U, García-Carnero LC, Martínez-Álvarez JA, Gómez-Gaviria M, Mora-Montes HM. An ELISA-based method for Galleria mellonella apolipophorin-III quantification. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17117. [PMID: 38500532 PMCID: PMC10946395 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammalian models, such as murine, are used widely in pathophysiological studies because they have a high degree of similarity in body temperature, metabolism, and immune response with humans. However, non-vertebrate animal models have emerged as alternative models to study the host-pathogen interaction with minimal ethical concerns. Galleria mellonella is an alternative model that has proved useful in studying the interaction of the host with either bacteria or fungi, performing drug testing, and assessing the immunological response to different microorganisms. The G. mellonella immune response includes cellular and humoral components with structural and functional similarities to the immune effectors found in higher vertebrates, such as humans. An important humoral effector stimulated during infections is apolipophorin III (apoLp-III), an opsonin characterized by its lipid and carbohydrate-binding properties that participate in lipid transport, as well as immunomodulatory activity. Despite some parameters, such as the measurement of phenoloxidase activity, melanin production, hemocytes counting, and expression of antimicrobial peptides genes are already used to assess the G. mellonella immune response to pathogens with different virulence degrees, the apoLp-III quantification remains to be a parameter to assess the immune response in this invertebrate. Here, we propose an immunological tool based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that allows apoLp-III quantification in the hemolymph of larvae challenged with pathogenic agents. We tested the system with hemolymph coming from larvae infected with Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Sporothrix schenckii, Sporothrix globosa, and Sporothrix brasiliensis. The results revealed significantly higher concentrations of apoLp-III when each microbial species was inoculated, in comparison with untouched larvae, or inoculated with phosphate-buffered saline. We also demonstrated that the apoLp-III levels correlated with the strains' virulence, which was already reported. To our knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to quantify apoLp-III, using a quick and easy-to-use serological technique.
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Ahamefule CS, Ezeuduji BC, Ogbonna JC, Moneke AN, Ike AC, Jin C, Wang B, Fang W. Caenorhabditis elegans as an Infection Model for Pathogenic Mold and Dimorphic Fungi: Applications and Challenges. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:751947. [PMID: 34722339 PMCID: PMC8554291 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.751947] [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: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat burden from pathogenic fungi is universal and increasing with alarming high mortality and morbidity rates from invasive fungal infections. Understanding the virulence factors of these fungi, screening effective antifungal agents and exploring appropriate treatment approaches in in vivo modeling organisms are vital research projects for controlling mycoses. Caenorhabditis elegans has been proven to be a valuable tool in studies of most clinically relevant dimorphic fungi, helping to identify a number of virulence factors and immune-regulators and screen effective antifungal agents without cytotoxic effects. However, little has been achieved and reported with regard to pathogenic filamentous fungi (molds) in the nematode model. In this review, we have summarized the enormous breakthrough of applying a C. elegans infection model for dimorphic fungi studies and the very few reports for filamentous fungi. We have also identified and discussed the challenges in C. elegans-mold modeling applications as well as the possible approaches to conquer these challenges from our practical knowledge in C. elegans-Aspergillus fumigatus model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chukwuemeka Samson Ahamefule
- National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China.,College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.,Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | | | - James C Ogbonna
- Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Anene N Moneke
- Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Anthony C Ike
- Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Cheng Jin
- National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China.,College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Bin Wang
- National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China.,State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China
| | - Wenxia Fang
- National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Biorefinery, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China.,State Key Laboratory of Non-Food Biomass and Enzyme Technology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanning, China
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Wojda I, Staniec B, Sułek M, Kordaczuk J. The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella: biology and use in immune studies. Pathog Dis 2020; 78:ftaa057. [PMID: 32970818 PMCID: PMC7683414 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftaa057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella is an invertebrate that is increasingly being used in scientific research. Its ease of reproduction, numerous offspring, short development cycle, and finally, its known genome and immune-related transcriptome provide a convenient research model for investigation of insect immunity at biochemical and molecular levels. Galleria immunity, consisting of only innate mechanisms, shows adaptive plasticity, which has recently become the subject of intensive scientific research. This insect serves as a mini host in studies of the pathogenicity of microorganisms and in vivo tests of the effectiveness of single virulence factors as well as new antimicrobial compounds. Certainly, the Galleria mellonella species deserves our attention and appreciation for its contribution to the development of research on innate immune mechanisms. In this review article, we describe the biology of the greater wax moth, summarise the main advantages of using it as a model organism and present some of the main techniques facilitating work with this insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Wojda
- Maria Curie Sklodowska University, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Immunobiology, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Bernard Staniec
- Maria Curie Sklodowska University, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Zoology and Nature Protection, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Michał Sułek
- Maria Curie Sklodowska University, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Immunobiology, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Jakub Kordaczuk
- Maria Curie Sklodowska University, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Immunobiology, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
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Piatek M, Sheehan G, Kavanagh K. UtilisingGalleria mellonella larvae for studying in vivo activity of conventional and novel antimicrobial agents. Pathog Dis 2020; 78:5917982. [DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftaa059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe immune response of insects displays many structural and functional similarities to the innate immune response of mammals. As a result of these conserved features, insects may be used for evaluating microbial virulence or for testing the in vivo efficacy and toxicity of antimicrobial compounds and results show strong similarities to those from mammals. Galleria mellonella larvae are widely used in this capacity and have the advantage of being easy to use, inexpensive to purchase and house, and being free from the ethical and legal restrictions that relate to the use of mammals in these tests. Galleria mellonella larvae may be used to assess the in vivo toxicity and efficacy of novel antimicrobial compounds. A wide range of antibacterial and antifungal therapies have been evaluated in G. mellonella larvae and results have informed subsequent experiments in mammals. While insect larvae are a convenient and reproducible model to use, care must be taken in their use to ensure accuracy of results. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive account of the use of G. mellonella larvae for assessing the in vivo toxicity and efficacy of a wide range of antibacterial and antifungal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Piatek
- SSPC Pharma Research Centre, Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Co. Kildare W23 F2H6, Ireland
| | - Gerard Sheehan
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Kevin Kavanagh
- SSPC Pharma Research Centre, Department of Biology, Maynooth University, Co. Kildare W23 F2H6, Ireland
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Gómez-Gaviria M, Lozoya-Pérez NE, Staniszewska M, Franco B, Niño-Vega GA, Mora-Montes HM. Loss of Kex2 Affects the Candida albicans Cell Wall and Interaction with Innate Immune Cells. J Fungi (Basel) 2020; 6:jof6020057. [PMID: 32365492 PMCID: PMC7344602 DOI: 10.3390/jof6020057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The secretory pathway in Candida albicans involves the protein translocation into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and transport to the Golgi complex, where proteins undergo posttranslational modifications, including glycosylation and proteolysis. The Golgi-resident Kex2 protease is involved in such processing and disruption of its encoding gene affected virulence and dimorphism. These previous studies were performed using cells without URA3 or with URA3 ectopically placed into the KEX2 locus. Since these conditions are known to affect the cellular fitness and the host-fungus interaction, here we generated a kex2Δ null mutant strain with URA3 placed into the neutral locus RPS1. The characterization of this strain showed defects in the cell wall composition, with a reduction in the N-linked mannan content, and the increment in the levels of O-linked mannans, chitin, and β-glucans. The defects in the mannan content are likely linked to changes in Golgi-resident enzymes, as the α-1,2-mannosyltransferase and α-1,6-mannosyltransferase activities were incremented and reduced, respectively. The mutant cells also showed reduced ability to stimulate cytokine production and phagocytosis by human mononuclear cells and macrophages, respectively. Collectively, these data showed that loss of Kex2 affected the cell wall composition, the protein glycosylation pathways, and interaction with innate immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Gómez-Gaviria
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato Gto 36050, Mexico; (M.G.-G.); (N.E.L.-P.); (B.F.); (G.A.N.-V.)
| | - Nancy E. Lozoya-Pérez
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato Gto 36050, Mexico; (M.G.-G.); (N.E.L.-P.); (B.F.); (G.A.N.-V.)
| | - Monika Staniszewska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Bernardo Franco
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato Gto 36050, Mexico; (M.G.-G.); (N.E.L.-P.); (B.F.); (G.A.N.-V.)
| | - Gustavo A. Niño-Vega
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato Gto 36050, Mexico; (M.G.-G.); (N.E.L.-P.); (B.F.); (G.A.N.-V.)
| | - Hector M. Mora-Montes
- Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato Gto 36050, Mexico; (M.G.-G.); (N.E.L.-P.); (B.F.); (G.A.N.-V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +52-473-732-0006 (ext. 8193)
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