1
|
Al-Khalaifah HS. Major Molecular Factors Related to Leishmania Pathogenicity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:847797. [PMID: 35769465 PMCID: PMC9236557 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.847797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a major health problem with 600k - 1M new cases worldwide and 1 billion at risk. It involves a wide range of clinical forms ranging from self-healing cutaneous lesions to systemic diseases that are fatal if not treated, depending on the species of Leishmania. Leishmania sp. are digenetic parasites that have two different morphological stages. Leishmania parasites possess a number of invasive/evasive and pathoantigenic determinants that seem to have critical roles in Leishmania infection of macrophages which leads to successful intracellular parasitism in the parasitophorous vacuoles. These determinants are traditionally known as “virulence factors”, and are considered to be good targets for developing specific inhibitors to attenuate virulence of Leishmania by gene deletions or modifications, thus causing infective, but non-pathogenic mutants for vaccination. Pathway of biosynthesis is critical for keeping the parasite viable and is important for drug designing against these parasites. These drugs are aimed to target enzymes that control these pathways. Accordingly, maintaining low level of parasitic infection and in some cases as a weapon to eradicate infection completely. The current paper focuses on several virulence factors as determinants of Leishmania pathogenicity, as well as the metabolites produced by Leishmania to secure its survival in the host.
Collapse
|
2
|
Davila M, Pineda V, Calzada JE, Saldaña A, Samudio F. Evaluation of cytochrome b sequence to identify Leishmania species and variants: the case of Panama. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2021; 116:e200572. [PMID: 33886871 PMCID: PMC8061342 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760200572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genetic heterogeneity of Leishmania parasites is a major factor responsible for the wide variety of Leishmania-associated manifestations. Consequently, understanding the genetic make-up of Leishmania species using suitable molecular markers is an important component of realising local and regional scale disease risk. The cytochrome b (cytb) is frequently used to type New World Leishmania species. However, its potential to discriminate Leishmania species and variants requires further evaluation. OBJECTIVES To explore the capacity of cytb gene to identify New World Leishmania species and variants and to develop an approach able to type local Leishmania species and variants. METHODS We retrieved 360 partial and complete Leishmania cytb gene sequences publicly available in GenBank database to study all single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the cytb gene that differentiate New World Leishmania species. This information was used to develop an approach based upon the polymorphisms found in a DNA segment of 948bp. We also compared the typing results found with this technique with the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) profiling obtained using HSP70 gene as target. One hundred Panamanian isolates were used to both typed Leishmania species and assess local genetic variability. FINDINGS We found complete agreement between our cytb approach and the PCR-RFLP profiling method based on HSP70 for Leishmania species identification. Ninety-two isolates were identified as L. panamensis, although other Viannia species were found circulating at a lower frequency. Three L. panamensis haplotypes were identified in Panamanian provinces. We also provide an initial report of L. guyanensis haplotypes circulating in Panama. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Cytb gene sequence encompasses key main SNPs that aid to identify Leishmania species. The cytb approach developed with this information was able to identify and assess genetic variability of local Leishmania species found in this study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Davila
- Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Panama, Panama
| | - Vanessa Pineda
- Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Laboratorio de Investigación en Parasitología, Panama, Panama
| | - José E Calzada
- Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Laboratorio de Investigación en Parasitología, Panama, Panama
| | - Azael Saldaña
- Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Laboratorio de Investigación en Parasitología, Panama, Panama.,Universidad de Panamá, Centro de Investigación y Diagnóstico de Enfermedades Parasitarias, Panama, Panama
| | - Franklyn Samudio
- Universidad de Panamá, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Exactas y Tecnología, Panama, Panama.,Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Laboratorio de Investigación en Parasitología, Panama, Panama
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Three Alkaloids from an Apocynaceae Species, Aspidosperma spruceanum as Antileishmaniasis Agents by In Silico Demo-case Studies. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9080983. [PMID: 32756456 PMCID: PMC7465237 DOI: 10.3390/plants9080983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This paper is focused on demonstrating with a real case that Ethnobotany added to Bioinformatics is a promising tool for new drugs search. It encourages the in silico investigation of "challua kaspi", a medicinal kichwa Amazonian plant (Aspidosperma spruceanum) against a Neglected Tropical Disease, leishmaniasis. The illness affects over 150 million people especially in subtropical regions, there is no vaccination and conventional treatments are unsatisfactory. In attempts to find potent and safe inhibitors of its etiological agent, Leishmania, we recovered the published traditional knowledge on kichwa antimalarials and selected three A. spruceanum alkaloids, (aspidoalbine, aspidocarpine and tubotaiwine), to evaluate by molecular docking their activity upon five Leishmania targets: DHFR-TS, PTR1, PK, HGPRT and SQS enzymes. Our simulation results suggest that aspidoalbine interacts competitively with the five targets, with a greater affinity for the active site of PTR1 than some physiological ligands. Our virtual data also point to the demonstration of few side effects. The predicted binding free energy has a greater affinity to Leishmania proteins than to their homologous in humans (TS, DHR, PKLR, HGPRT and SQS), and there is no match with binding pockets of physiological importance. Keys for the in silico protocols applied are included in order to offer a standardized method replicable in other cases. Apocynaceae having ethnobotanical use can be virtually tested as molecular antileishmaniasis new drugs.
Collapse
|
4
|
Kato H, Gomez EA, Seki C, Furumoto H, Martini-Robles L, Muzzio J, Calvopiña M, Velez L, Kubo M, Tabbabi A, Yamamoto DS, Hashiguchi Y. PCR-RFLP analyses of Leishmania species causing cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis revealed distribution of genetically complex strains with hybrid and mito-nuclear discordance in Ecuador. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007403. [PMID: 31059516 PMCID: PMC6522058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analyses targeting multiple nuclear genes were established for the simple and practical identification of Leishmania species without using expensive equipment. This method was applied to 92 clinical samples collected at 33 sites in 14 provinces of Ecuador, which have been identified at the species level by the kinetoplast cytochrome b (cyt b) gene sequence analysis, and the results obtained by the two analyses were compared. Although most results corresponded between the two analyses, PCR-RFLP analyses revealed distribution of hybrid strains between Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis and L. (V.) braziliensis and between L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (V.) panamensis, of which the latter was firstly identified in Ecuador. Moreover, unexpected parasite strains having the kinetoplast cyt b gene of L. (V.) braziliensis and nuclear genes of L. (V.) guyanensis, L. (V.) panamensis, or a hybrid between L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (V.) panamensis were identified. This is the first report of the distribution of a protozoan parasite having mismatches between kinetoplast and nuclear genes, known as mito-nuclear discordance. The result demonstrated that genetically complex Leishmania strains are present in Ecuador. Since genetic exchanges such as hybrid formation were suggested to cause higher pathogenicity in Leishmania and may be transmitted by more species of sand flies, further country-wide epidemiological studies on clinical symptoms, as well as transmissible vectors, will be necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hirotomo Kato
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Eduardo A. Gomez
- Departamento de Parasitologia y Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Chisato Seki
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hayato Furumoto
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Luiggi Martini-Robles
- Hospital de Especialidades Guayaquil “Dr. Abel Gilberto Pinton”, Ministerio de Salud Publica, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Jenny Muzzio
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Insitituto de Investigacion de Salud Publica, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Manuel Calvopiña
- Escuela de Medicina, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad De Las Américas (UDLA), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Lenin Velez
- Departamento de Parasitologia y Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Makoto Kubo
- Division of Immunology, Kitasato University School of Allied Health Sciences, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Ahmed Tabbabi
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Daisuke S. Yamamoto
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Hashiguchi
- Departamento de Parasitologia y Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|