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Goyzueta-Mamani LD, Barazorda-Ccahuana HL, Candia-Puma MA, Galdino AS, Machado-de-Avila RA, Giunchetti RC, Medina-Franco JL, Florin-Christensen M, Ferraz Coelho EA, Chávez-Fumagalli MA. Targeting Leishmania infantum Mannosyl-oligosaccharide glucosidase with natural products: potential pH-dependent inhibition explored through computer-aided drug design. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1403203. [PMID: 38873424 PMCID: PMC11169604 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1403203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious public health issue, documented in more than ninety countries, where an estimated 500,000 new cases emerge each year. Regardless of novel methodologies, advancements, and experimental interventions, therapeutic limitations, and drug resistance are still challenging. For this reason, based on previous research, we screened natural products (NP) from Nuclei of Bioassays, Ecophysiology, and Biosynthesis of Natural Products Database (NuBBEDB), Mexican Compound Database of Natural Products (BIOFACQUIM), and Peruvian Natural Products Database (PeruNPDB) databases, in addition to structural analogs of Miglitol and Acarbose, which have been suggested as treatments for VL and have shown encouraging action against parasite's N-glycan biosynthesis. Using computer-aided drug design (CADD) approaches, the potential inhibitory effect of these NP candidates was evaluated by inhibiting the Mannosyl-oligosaccharide Glucosidase Protein (MOGS) from Leishmania infantum, an enzyme essential for the protein glycosylation process, at various pH to mimic the parasite's changing environment. Also, computational analysis was used to evaluate the Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) profile, while molecular dynamic simulations were used to gather information on the interactions between these ligands and the protein target. Our findings indicated that Ocotillone and Subsessiline have potential antileishmanial effects at pH 5 and 7, respectively, due to their high binding affinity to MOGS and interactions in the active center. Furthermore, these compounds were non-toxic and had the potential to be administered orally. This research indicates the promising anti-leishmanial activity of Ocotillone and Subsessiline, suggesting further validation through in vitro and in vivo experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Daniel Goyzueta-Mamani
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Haruna Luz Barazorda-Ccahuana
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Mayron Antonio Candia-Puma
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
- Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Bioquímicas y Biotecnológicas, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
| | | | | | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT), Salvador, Brazil
| | - José L. Medina-Franco
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mónica Florin-Christensen
- Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria, CICVyA, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Antonio Ferraz Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Colégio Técnico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (COLTEC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Miguel Angel Chávez-Fumagalli
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
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Fernández-García M, Mesquita I, Ferreira C, Araújo M, Saha B, Rey-Stolle MF, García A, Silvestre R, Barbas C. Leishmania donovani Induces Multiple Dynamic Responses in the Metabolome Associated with Amastigote Differentiation and Maturation Inside the Human Macrophage. J Proteome Res 2023. [PMID: 37339249 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.2c00845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania donovani infection of macrophages drives profound changes in the metabolism of both the host macrophage and the parasite, which undergoes different phases of development culminating in replication and propagation. However, the dynamics of this parasite-macrophage cometabolome are poorly understood. In this study, a multiplatform metabolomics pipeline combining untargeted, high-resolution CE-TOF/MS and LC-QTOF/MS with targeted LC-QqQ/MS was followed to characterize the metabolome alterations induced in L. donovani-infected human monocyte-derived macrophages from different donors at 12, 36, and 72 h post-infection. The set of alterations known to occur during Leishmania infection of macrophages, substantially expanded in this investigation, characterized the dynamics of the glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, purine, pentose phosphate, glycolytic, TCA, and amino acid metabolism. Our results showed that only citrulline, arginine, and glutamine exhibited constant trends across all studied infection time points, while most metabolite alterations underwent a partial recovery during amastigote maturation. We determined a major metabolite response pointing to an early induction of sphingomyelinase and phospholipase activities and correlated with amino acid depletion. These data represent a comprehensive overview of the metabolome alterations occurring during promastigote-to-amastigote differentiation and maturation of L. donovani inside macrophages that contributes to our understanding of the relationship between L. donovani pathogenesis and metabolic dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Fernández-García
- Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis (CEMBIO), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, España
- Departamento de Ciencias Médicas Básicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, España
| | - Inês Mesquita
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carolina Ferreira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Marta Araújo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bhaskar Saha
- National Centre for Cell Science, 411007 Pune, India
| | - Ma Fernanda Rey-Stolle
- Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis (CEMBIO), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, España
| | - Antonia García
- Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis (CEMBIO), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, España
| | - Ricardo Silvestre
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909 Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Coral Barbas
- Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis (CEMBIO), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Urbanización Montepríncipe, 28660 Boadilla del Monte, España
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3
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Gutierrez Guarnizo SA, Tikhonova EB, Karamyshev AL, Muskus CE, Karamysheva ZN. Translational reprogramming as a driver of antimony-drug resistance in Leishmania. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2605. [PMID: 37147291 PMCID: PMC10163012 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38221-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania is a unicellular protozoan that has a limited transcriptional control and mostly uses post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, although the molecular mechanisms of the process are still poorly understood. Treatments of leishmaniasis, pathologies associated with Leishmania infections, are limited due to drug resistance. Here, we report dramatic differences in mRNA translation in antimony drug-resistant and sensitive strains at the full translatome level. The major differences (2431 differentially translated transcripts) were demonstrated in the absence of the drug pressure supporting that complex preemptive adaptations are needed to efficiently compensate for the loss of biological fitness once they are exposed to the antimony. In contrast, drug-resistant parasites exposed to antimony activated a highly selective translation of only 156 transcripts. This selective mRNA translation is associated with surface protein rearrangement, optimized energy metabolism, amastins upregulation, and improved antioxidant response. We propose a novel model that establishes translational control as a major driver of antimony-resistant phenotypes in Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneider Alexander Gutierrez Guarnizo
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Antioquia. Medellín, Medellín, 050010, Colombia
| | - Elena B Tikhonova
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA
| | - Andrey L Karamyshev
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, 79430, USA.
| | - Carlos E Muskus
- Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Antioquia. Medellín, Medellín, 050010, Colombia.
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Cortazzo da Silva L, Aoki JI, Floeter-Winter LM. Finding Correlations Between mRNA and Protein Levels in Leishmania Development: Is There a Discrepancy? Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:852902. [PMID: 35903202 PMCID: PMC9318571 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.852902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple genes and proteins have been identified as differentially expressed in the stages of the Leishmania life cycle. The differentiation processes are implicated in specific transcriptional and proteomic adjustments driven by gene expression regulation mechanisms. Leishmania parasites lack gene-specific transcriptional control, and gene expression regulation mostly depends on posttranscriptional mechanisms. Due to the lack of transcriptional regulation, criticism regarding the relevance of transcript quantification as a possible and efficient prediction of protein levels is recurrent in studies that use transcriptomic information. The advent of high-throughput technologies has improved the analysis of genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes for different organisms under several conditions. Nevertheless, defining the correlation between transcriptional and proteomic profiles requires arduous and expensive work and remains a challenge in Leishmania. In this review, we analyze transcriptomic and proteomic data for several Leishmania species in two different stages of the parasite life cycle: metacyclogenesis and amastigogenesis (amastigote differentiation). We found a correlation between mRNA and protein levels of 60.9% and 69.8% for metacyclogenesis and amastigogenesis, respectively; showing that majority mRNA and protein levels increase or decrease concomitantly. Among the analyzed genes that did not present correlation indicate that transcriptomic data should be carefully interpreted as protein expression. We also discuss possible explanations and mechanisms involved for this lack of correlation.
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Mukkala AN, Kariyawasam R, Lau R, Valencia BM, Llanos-Cuentas A, Boggild AK. Elevated baseline expression of seven virulence factor RNA transcripts in visceralizing species of Leishmania: a preliminary quantitative PCR study. Ther Adv Infect Dis 2022; 9:20499361221102665. [PMID: 35663431 PMCID: PMC9158425 DOI: 10.1177/20499361221102665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that manifests as three major disease phenotypes: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. In this preliminary study, we quantified virulence factor (VF) RNA transcript expression in Leishmania species, stratified by geographic origin and propensity for specific disease phenotypes. Methods: Cultured promastigotes of 19 Leishmania clinical and ATCC isolates were extracted for total cellular RNA, cDNA was reverse transcribed, and qPCR assays were performed to quantify VF RNA transcript expression for hsp23, hsp70, hsp83, hsp100, mpi, cpb, and gp63. Results: Comparison of visceralizing species (Leishmania donovani, Leishmania chagasi, and Leishmania infantum) versus non-visceralizing species [Leishmania (Viannia) spp., Leishmania tropica, Leishmania major, Leishmania mexicana, and Leishmania amazonensis] revealed a significantly greater pooled transcript expression for visceralizing species (p = 0.0032). Similarly, Old World species demonstrated significantly higher VF RNA transcript expression than New World species (p = 0.0015). On a per-gene basis, species with a propensity to visceralize ubiquitously expressed higher levels of gp63 (p = 0.005), cpb (p = 0.0032), mpi (p = 0.0032), hsp23 (p = 0.0039), hsp70 (p = 0.0032), hsp83 (p = 0.0032), and hsp100 (p = 0.0032). Conclusion: Here, we provide quantitative, preliminary evidence of elevated VF RNA transcript expression driven largely by the visceralizing causative species of Leishmania. This work highlights the extensive heterogeneity in pathogenicity mechanisms between Leishmania species, which may partly underpin the fatal progression of visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ruwandi Kariyawasam
- Division of Diagnostic and Applied Microbiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Alberta Precision Laboratories-Public Health Laboratory (ProvLab), Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Rachel Lau
- Public Health Ontario Laboratory, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Braulio M. Valencia
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Facultad de Salud Pública y Administración, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Andrea K. Boggild
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Tropical Disease Unit, Toronto General Hospital, Room 13EN-218, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada
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Lage DP, Machado AS, Vale DL, Freitas CS, Linhares FP, Cardoso JMO, Pereira IAG, Ramos FF, Tavares GSV, Ludolf F, Oliveira-da-Silva JA, Bandeira RS, Silva AM, Simões LC, Reis TAR, Oliveira JS, Christodoulides M, Chávez-Fumagalli MA, Roatt BM, Martins VT, Coelho EAF. Recombinant guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein associated with Poloxamer 407-based polymeric micelles protects against Leishmania infantum infection. Cytokine 2022; 153:155865. [PMID: 35339043 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2022.155865] [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: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania virulence proteins should be considered as vaccine candidates against disease, since they are involved in developing infection in mammalian hosts. In a previous study, a Leishmania guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein was identified as a potential parasite virulence factor. In the present work, the gene encoding GTP was cloned and the recombinant protein (rGTP) was evaluated as a vaccine candidate against Leishmania infantum infection. The protein was associated with saponin (rGTP/Sap) or Poloxamer 407-based micelles (rGTP/Mic) as adjuvants, and protective efficacy was investigated in BALB/c mice after parasite challenge. Both rGTP/Sap and rGTP/Mic compositions induced a Th1-type immune response in vaccinated animals, with significantly higher levels of IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-2, TNF-α, GM-CSF, nitrite, specific IgG2a isotype antibody and positive lymphoproliferation, when compared to the control groups. This response was accompanied by significantly lower parasite load in the spleens, livers, bone marrows and draining lymph nodes of the animals. Immunological and parasitological evaluations indicated that rGTP/Mic induced a more polarized Th1-type response and higher reduction in the organ parasitism, and with lower hepatotoxicity, when compared to the use of rGTP/Sap. In conclusion, our preliminary data suggest that rGTP could be considered for further development as a vaccine candidate to protect against VL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela P Lage
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Amanda S Machado
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Danniele L Vale
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Camila S Freitas
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Flávia P Linhares
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jamille M O Cardoso
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Insituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Isabela A G Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda F Ramos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Grasiele S V Tavares
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Ludolf
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João A Oliveira-da-Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Raquel S Bandeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alessandra M Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Luciana C Simões
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Thiago A R Reis
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jamil S Oliveira
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901 Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Myron Christodoulides
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, England
| | | | - Bruno M Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Insituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vívian T Martins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A F Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Departamento de Patologia Clínica, COLTEC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Zulfiqar B, Avery VM. Assay development in leishmaniasis drug discovery: a comprehensive review. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2021; 17:151-166. [PMID: 34818139 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2022.2002843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cutaneous, muco-cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis occur due to an infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania. The current therapeutic options are limited mainly due to extensive toxicity, emerging resistance and variation in efficacy based on species and strain of the Leishmania parasite. There exists a high unmet medical need to identify new chemical starting points for drug discovery to tackle the disease. AREAS COVERED The authors have highlighted the recent progress, limitations and successes achieved in assay development for leishmaniasis drug discovery. EXPERT OPINION It is true that sophisticated and robust phenotypic in vitro assays have been developed during the last decade, however limitations and challenges remain with respect to variation in activity reported between different research groups and success in translating in vitro outcomes in vivo. The variability is not only due to strain and species differences but also a lack of well-defined criteria and assay conditions, e.g. culture media, host cell type, assay formats, parasite form used, multiplicity of infection and incubation periods. Thus, there is an urgent need for more physiologically relevant assays that encompass multi-species phenotypic approaches to identify new chemical starting points for leishmaniasis drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal Zulfiqar
- Discovery Biology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Vicky M Avery
- Discovery Biology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.,Discovery Biology, Griffith University Drug Discovery Programme for Cancer Therapeutics, Brisbane, Australia.,School of Environment and Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
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8
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Pissarra J, Pagniez J, Petitdidier E, Séveno M, Vigy O, Bras-Gonçalves R, Lemesre JL, Holzmuller P. Proteomic Analysis of the Promastigote Secretome of Seven Leishmania Species. J Proteome Res 2021; 21:30-48. [PMID: 34806897 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is one of the most impactful parasitic diseases worldwide, endangering the lives of 1 billion people every year. There are 20 different species of Leishmania able to infect humans, causing cutaneous (CL), visceral (VL), and/or mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). Leishmania parasites are known to secrete a plethora of proteins to establish infection and modulate the host's immune system. In this study, we analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry the total protein content of the secretomes produced by promastigote forms from seven Leishmania species grown in serum-free in vitro cultures. The core secretome shared by all seven Leishmania species corresponds to up to one-third of total secreted proteins, suggesting conserved mechanisms of adaptation to the vertebrate host. The relative abundance confirms the importance of known virulence factors and some proteins uniquely present in CL- or VL-causing species and may provide further insight regarding their pathogenesis. Bioinformatic analysis showed that most proteins were secreted via unconventional mechanisms, with an important role for vesicle-based secretion for all species. Gene Ontology annotation and enrichment analyses showed a high level of functional conservation among species. This study contributes to the current knowledge on the biological significance of differently secreted proteins and provides new information on the correlation of Leishmania secretome to clinical outcomes and species-specific pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Pissarra
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Julie Pagniez
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Elodie Petitdidier
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Martial Séveno
- BCM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Oana Vigy
- IGF, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Rachel Bras-Gonçalves
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Loup Lemesre
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Philippe Holzmuller
- UMR ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier (I-MUSE), 34090 Montpellier, France
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Gomez MA, Belew AT, Navas A, Rosales-Chilama M, Murillo J, Dillon LAL, Alexander TA, Martinez-Valencia A, El-Sayed NM. Early Leukocyte Responses in Ex-Vivo Models of Healing and Non-Healing Human Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis Infections. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:687607. [PMID: 34557423 PMCID: PMC8453012 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.687607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early host-pathogen interactions drive the host response and shape the outcome of natural infections caused by intracellular microorganisms. These interactions involve a number of immune and non-immune cells and tissues, along with an assortment of host and pathogen-derived molecules. Our current knowledge has been predominantly derived from research on the relationships between the pathogens and the invaded host cell(s), limiting our understanding of how microbes elicit and modulate immunological responses at the organismal level. In this study, we explored the early host determinants of healing and non-healing responses in human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis. We performed a comparative transcriptomic profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors (PBMCs, n=3) exposed to promastigotes isolated from patients with chronic (CHR, n=3) or self-healing (SH, n=3) CL, and compared these to human macrophage responses. Transcriptomes of L. V. panamensis-infected PBMCs showed enrichment of functional gene categories derived from innate as well as adaptive immune cells signatures, demonstrating that Leishmania modulates adaptive immune cell functions as early as after 24h post interaction with PBMCs from previously unexposed healthy individuals. Among differentially expressed PBMC genes, four broad categories were commonly modulated by SH and CHR strains: cell cycle/proliferation/differentiation, metabolism of macromolecules, immune signaling and vesicle trafficking/transport; the first two were predominantly downregulated, and the latter upregulated in SH and CHR as compared to uninfected samples. Type I IFN signaling genes were uniquely up-regulated in PBMCs infected with CHR strains, while genes involved in the immunological synapse were uniquely downregulated in SH infections. Similarly, pro-inflammatory response genes were upregulated in isolated macrophages infected with CHR strains. Our data demonstrate that early responses during Leishmania infection extend beyond innate cell and/or phagocytic host cell functions, opening new frontiers in our understanding of the triggers and drivers of human CL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Adelaida Gomez
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
- Universidad IcesiI, Cali, Colombia
| | - Ashton Trey Belew
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Adriana Navas
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | - Mariana Rosales-Chilama
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
- Universidad IcesiI, Cali, Colombia
| | - Julieth Murillo
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia
| | - Laura A. L. Dillon
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Theresa A. Alexander
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | | | - Najib M. El-Sayed
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
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10
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Briggs EM, Warren FSL, Matthews KR, McCulloch R, Otto TD. Application of single-cell transcriptomics to kinetoplastid research. Parasitology 2021; 148:1223-1236. [PMID: 33678213 PMCID: PMC8311972 DOI: 10.1017/s003118202100041x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Kinetoplastid parasites are responsible for both human and animal diseases across the globe where they have a great impact on health and economic well-being. Many species and life cycle stages are difficult to study due to limitations in isolation and culture, as well as to their existence as heterogeneous populations in hosts and vectors. Single-cell transcriptomics (scRNA-seq) has the capacity to overcome many of these difficulties, and can be leveraged to disentangle heterogeneous populations, highlight genes crucial for propagation through the life cycle, and enable detailed analysis of host–parasite interactions. Here, we provide a review of studies that have applied scRNA-seq to protozoan parasites so far. In addition, we provide an overview of sample preparation and technology choice considerations when planning scRNA-seq experiments, as well as challenges faced when analysing the large amounts of data generated. Finally, we highlight areas of kinetoplastid research that could benefit from scRNA-seq technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M. Briggs
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Felix S. L. Warren
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Keith R. Matthews
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Richard McCulloch
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Thomas D. Otto
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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11
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Camacho E, González-de la Fuente S, Solana JC, Rastrojo A, Carrasco-Ramiro F, Requena JM, Aguado B. Gene Annotation and Transcriptome Delineation on a De Novo Genome Assembly for the Reference Leishmania major Friedlin Strain. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12091359. [PMID: 34573340 PMCID: PMC8468144 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania major is the main causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. The Friedlin strain of this species (LmjF) was chosen when a multi-laboratory consortium undertook the objective of deciphering the first genome sequence for a parasite of the genus Leishmania. The objective was successfully attained in 2005, and this represented a milestone for Leishmania molecular biology studies around the world. Although the LmjF genome sequence was done following a shotgun strategy and using classical Sanger sequencing, the results were excellent, and this genome assembly served as the reference for subsequent genome assemblies in other Leishmania species. Here, we present a new assembly for the genome of this strain (named LMJFC for clarity), generated by the combination of two high throughput sequencing platforms, Illumina short-read sequencing and PacBio Single Molecular Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing, which provides long-read sequences. Apart from resolving uncertain nucleotide positions, several genomic regions were reorganized and a more precise composition of tandemly repeated gene loci was attained. Additionally, the genome annotation was improved by adding 542 genes and more accurate coding-sequences defined for around two hundred genes, based on the transcriptome delimitation also carried out in this work. As a result, we are providing gene models (including untranslated regions and introns) for 11,238 genes. Genomic information ultimately determines the biology of every organism; therefore, our understanding of molecular mechanisms will depend on the availability of precise genome sequences and accurate gene annotations. In this regard, this work is providing an improved genome sequence and updated transcriptome annotations for the reference L. major Friedlin strain.
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12
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Dias-Lopes G, Zabala-Peñafiel A, de Albuquerque-Melo BC, Souza-Silva F, Menaguali do Canto L, Cysne-Finkelstein L, Alves CR. Axenic amastigotes of Leishmania species as a suitable model for in vitro studies. Acta Trop 2021; 220:105956. [PMID: 33979642 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania spp. are etiological agents of infection diseases, which in some cases can be fatal. The main forms of their biological cycle, promastigotes and amastigotes, can be maintained in vitro. While promastigotes are easier to maintain, amastigotes are more complex and can be obtained through different ways, including infection assays of tissues or in vitro cells, and differentiation from promastigotes to axenic amastigotes. Several protocols have been proposed for in vitro differentiation for at least 12 Leishmania spp. of both subgenera, Leishmania and Viannia. In this review we propose a critical summary of axenic amastigotes induction, as well as the impact of these strategies on metabolic pathways and regulatory networks analyzed by omics approaches. The parameters used by different research groups show considerable variations in temperature, pH and induction stages, as highlighted here for Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Therefore, a consensus on strategies for inducing amastigogenesis is necessary to improve accuracy and even define stage-specific biomarkers. In fact, the axenic amastigote model has contributed to elucidate several aspects of the parasite cycle, however, since it does not reproduce the intracellular environment, its use requires several precautions. In addition, we present a discussion about using axenic amastigotes for drug screening, suggesting the need of a more sensitive methodology to verify cell viability in these tests. Collectively, this review explores the advantages and limitations found in studies with axenic amastigotes, done for more than 30 years, and discuss the gaps that impair their use as a suitable model for in vitro studies.
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Espada CR, Albuquerque-Wendt A, Hornillos V, Gluenz E, Coelho AC, Uliana SRB. Ros3 (Lem3p/CDC50) Gene Dosage Is Implicated in Miltefosine Susceptibility in Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Clinical Isolates and in Leishmania (Leishmania) major. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:849-858. [PMID: 33724800 PMCID: PMC8042657 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The Ros3 protein is a component of
the MT-Ros3 transporter complex,
considered as the main route of miltefosine entry in Leishmania. L. braziliensis clinical isolates presenting differences
in miltefosine susceptibility and uptake were previously shown to
differentially express ros3. In this work, we showed
that the ros3 gene copy number was increased in the
isolate presenting the highest rates of miltefosine uptake and, thus,
the highest susceptibility to this drug. The role of the ros3 gene dosage in miltefosine susceptibility was then investigated
through a modulation of the gene copy number using two distinct approaches:
through an overexpression of ros3 in a tolerant L. braziliensis clinical isolate and in L. major and by generating mono- and diallelic knockouts of this gene in L. major using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic
repeats (CRISPR) Cas9 (Cas = CRISPR-associated). Although the levels
of ros3 mRNA were increased at least 40-fold in overexpressing
clones, no significant reduction in the half-maximal effective concentration
(EC50) for miltefosine was observed in these parasites.
The partial or complete deletion of ros3 in L. major, in turn, resulted in a significant increase of
3 and 20 times, respectively, in the EC50 to miltefosine.
We unequivocally showed that the ros3 copy number
is one of the factors involved in the differential susceptibility
and uptake of miltefosine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline R. Espada
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andreia Albuquerque-Wendt
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Valentín Hornillos
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad de Sevilla and Centro de Innovación en Química Avanzada, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Eva Gluenz
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Adriano C. Coelho
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Silvia R. B. Uliana
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Amiri-Dashatan N, Koushki M, Rezaei-Tavirani M, Ahmadi N. Stage-Specific Differential Gene Expression of Glutathione Peroxidase in Leishmania Major and Leishmania Tropica. Rep Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 9:324-330. [PMID: 33649726 PMCID: PMC7816781 DOI: 10.29252/rbmb.9.3.324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania (L) major and L. tropica are the etiological agents of cutaneous leishmaniosis. Leishmania species cause a board spectrum of phenotypes. A small number of genes are differentially expressed between them that have likely an important role in the disease phenotype. Procyclic and metacyclic are two morphological promastigote forms of Leishmania that express different genes. The glutathione peroxidase is an important antioxidant enzyme that essential in parasite protection against oxidative stress and parasite survival. This study aimed to compare glutathione peroxidase (TDPX) gene expression in procyclic and metacyclic and also interspecies in Iranian isolates of L. major and L. tropica. METHODS The samples were cultured in Novy-Nicolle-Mc Neal medium to obtain the promastigotes and identified using PCR-RFLP technique. They were then grown in RPMI1640 media for mass cultivation. The expression level of TDPX gene was compared by Real-time PCR. RESULTS By comparison of expression level, up-regulation of TDPX gene was observed (5.37 and 2.29 folds) in L. major and L. tropica metacyclic compared to their procyclic, respectively. Moreover, there was no significant difference between procyclic forms of isolates, while 3.05 folds up-regulation in metacyclic was detected in L. major compared L. tropica. CONCLUSION Our data provide a foundation for identifying infectivity and high survival related factors in the Leishmania spp. In addition, the results improve our understanding of the molecular basis of metacyclogenesis and development of new potential targets to control or treatment and also, to the identification of species-specific factors contributing to virulence and pathogenicity in the host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasrin Amiri-Dashatan
- Proteomics Research Center, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Koushki
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
| | - Mostafa Rezaei-Tavirani
- Proteomics Research Center, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Nayebalia Ahmadi
- Proteomics Research Center, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Medical Lab Technology, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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15
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Yagoubat A, Corrales RM, Bastien P, Lévêque MF, Sterkers Y. Gene Editing in Trypanosomatids: Tips and Tricks in the CRISPR-Cas9 Era. Trends Parasitol 2020; 36:745-760. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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16
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Ranatunga M, Rai R, Richardson SCW, Dyer P, Harbige L, Deacon A, Pecorino L, Getti GTM. Leishmania aethiopica cell-to-cell spreading involves caspase-3, AkT, and NF-κB but not PKC-δ activation and involves uptake of LAMP-1-positive bodies containing parasites. FEBS J 2020; 287:1777-1797. [PMID: 31804757 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Development of human leishmaniasis is dependent on the ability of intracellular Leishmania parasites to spread and enter macrophages. The mechanism through which free promastigotes and amastigotes bind and enter host macrophages has been previously investigated; however, little is known about intracellular trafficking and cell-to-cell spreading. In this study, the mechanism involved in the spreading of Leishmania aethiopica and Leishmania mexicana was investigated. A significant increase in phosphatidylserine (PS) exhibition, cytochrome C release, and active caspase-3 expression was detected (P < 0.05) during L. aethiopica, but not L. mexicana spreading. A decrease (P < 0.05) of protein kinase B (Akt) protein and BCL2-associated agonist of cell death (BAD) phosphorylation was also observed. The nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) signaling pathway and pro-apoptotic protein protein kinase C delta (PKC-δ) were downregulated while inhibition of caspase-3 activation prevented L. aethiopica spreading. Overall suggesting that L. aethiopica induces host cell's apoptosis during spreading in a caspase-3-dependent manner. The trafficking of amastigotes within macrophages following cell-to-cell spreading differed from that of axenic parasites and involved co-localization with lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP-1) within 10 min postinfection. Interestingly, following infection with axenic amastigotes and promastigotes, co-localization of parasites with LAMP-1-positive structures took place at 1 and 4 h, respectively, suggesting that the membrane coat and LAMP-1 protein were derived from the donor cell. Collectively, these findings indicate that host cell apoptosis, demonstrated by PS exhibition, caspase-3 activation, cytochrome C release, downregulation of Akt, BAD phosphorylation, NF-kB activation, and independent of PKC-δ expression, is involved in L. aethiopica spreading. Moreover, L. aethiopica parasites associate with LAMP-rich structures when taken up by neighboring macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rajeev Rai
- University of Greenwich at Medway, Kent, UK
| | | | - Paul Dyer
- University of Greenwich at Medway, Kent, UK
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17
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Coutinho-Abreu IV, Serafim TD, Meneses C, Kamhawi S, Oliveira F, Valenzuela JG. Distinct gene expression patterns in vector-residing Leishmania infantum identify parasite stage-enriched markers. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008014. [PMID: 32126078 PMCID: PMC7053709 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne neglected disease. Inside the natural sand fly vector, the promastigote forms of Leishmania undergo a series of extracellular developmental stages to reach the infectious stage, the metacyclic promastigote. There is limited information regarding the expression profile of L. infantum developmental stages inside the sand fly vector, and molecular markers that can distinguish the different parasite stages are lacking. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We performed RNAseq on unaltered midguts of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis after infection with L. infantum parasites. RNAseq was carried out at various time points throughout parasite development. Principal component analysis separated the transcripts corresponding to the different Leishmania promastigote stages, the procyclic, nectomonad, leptomonad and metacyclics. Importantly, there were a significant number of differentially expressed genes when comparing the sequential development of the various Leishmania stages in the sand fly. There were 836 differentially expressed (DE) genes between procyclic and long nectomonad promastigotes; 113 DE genes between nectomonad and leptomonad promastigotes; and 302 DE genes between leptomonad and metacyclic promastigotes. Most of the DE genes do not overlap across stages, highlighting the uniqueness of each Leishmania stage. Furthermore, the different stages of Leishmania parasites exhibited specific transcriptional enrichment across chromosomes. Using the transcriptional signatures exhibited by distinct Leishmania stages during their development in the sand fly midgut, we determined the genes predominantly enriched in each stage, identifying multiple potential stage-specific markers for L. infantum. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these findings demonstrate the transcriptional plasticity of the Leishmania parasite inside the sand fly vector and provide a repertoire of potential stage-specific markers for further development as molecular tools for epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iliano V. Coutinho-Abreu
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tiago D. Serafim
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Claudio Meneses
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shaden Kamhawi
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Fabiano Oliveira
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jesus G. Valenzuela
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
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18
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Major changes in chromosomal somy, gene expression and gene dosage driven by Sb III in Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania panamensis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9485. [PMID: 31263131 PMCID: PMC6603004 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45538-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania panamensis are two species clinically and epidemiologically important, among others because of their relative resistance to first-line drugs (antimonials). The precise mechanism underlying the ability of these species to survive antimony treatment remains unknown. Therefore, elucidating the pathways mediating drug resistance is essential. We herein experimentally selected resistance to trivalent antimony (SbIII) in the reference strains of L. braziliensis (MHOM/BR75/M2904) and L. panamensis (MHOM/COL/81L13) and compared whole genome and transcriptome alterations in the culture promastigote stage. The results allowed us to identify differences in somy, copy number variations in some genes related to antimony resistance and large-scale copy number variations (deletions and duplications) in chromosomes with no somy changes. We found mainly in L. braziliensis, a direct relation between the chromosomal/local copy number variation and the gene expression. We identified differentially expressed genes in the resistant lines that are involved in antimony resistance, virulence, and vital biological processes in parasites. The results of this study may be useful for characterizing the genetic mechanisms of these Leishmania species under antimonial pressure, and for clarifying why the parasites are resistant to first-line drug treatments.
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19
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Vesteg M, Hadariová L, Horváth A, Estraño CE, Schwartzbach SD, Krajčovič J. Comparative molecular cell biology of phototrophic euglenids and parasitic trypanosomatids sheds light on the ancestor of Euglenozoa. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1701-1721. [PMID: 31095885 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Parasitic trypanosomatids and phototrophic euglenids are among the most extensively studied euglenozoans. The phototrophic euglenid lineage arose relatively recently through secondary endosymbiosis between a phagotrophic euglenid and a prasinophyte green alga that evolved into the euglenid secondary chloroplast. The parasitic trypanosomatids (i.e. Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp.) and the freshwater phototrophic euglenids (i.e. Euglena gracilis) are the most evolutionary distant lineages in the Euglenozoa phylogenetic tree. The molecular and cell biological traits they share can thus be considered as ancestral traits originating in the common euglenozoan ancestor. These euglenozoan ancestral traits include common mitochondrial presequence motifs, respiratory chain complexes containing various unique subunits, a unique ATP synthase structure, the absence of mitochondria-encoded transfer RNAs (tRNAs), a nucleus with a centrally positioned nucleolus, closed mitosis without dissolution of the nuclear membrane and nucleoli, a nuclear genome containing the unusual 'J' base (β-D-glucosyl-hydroxymethyluracil), processing of nucleus-encoded precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs) via spliced-leader RNA (SL-RNA) trans-splicing, post-transcriptional gene silencing by the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway and the absence of transcriptional regulation of nuclear gene expression. Mitochondrial uridine insertion/deletion RNA editing directed by guide RNAs (gRNAs) evolved in the ancestor of the kinetoplastid lineage. The evolutionary origin of other molecular features known to be present only in either kinetoplastids (i.e. polycistronic transcripts, compaction of nuclear genomes) or euglenids (i.e. monocistronic transcripts, huge genomes, many nuclear cis-spliced introns, polyproteins) is unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matej Vesteg
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, 974 01, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
| | - Lucia Hadariová
- Biotechnology and Biomedicine Center of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University in Vestec (BIOCEV), 252 50, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anton Horváth
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Carlos E Estraño
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152-3560, USA
| | - Steven D Schwartzbach
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152-3560, USA
| | - Juraj Krajčovič
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of ss. Cyril and Methodius, 917 01, Trnava, Slovakia
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20
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Kariyawasam R, Mukkala AN, Lau R, Valencia BM, Llanos-Cuentas A, Boggild AK. Virulence factor RNA transcript expression in the Leishmania Viannia subgenus: influence of species, isolate source, and Leishmania RNA virus-1. Trop Med Health 2019; 47:25. [PMID: 31007536 PMCID: PMC6458769 DOI: 10.1186/s41182-019-0153-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania RNA virus-1 (LRV1) is a double-stranded RNA virus identified in 20-25% of Viannia-species endemic to Latin America, and is believed to accelerate cutaneous to mucosal leishmaniasis over time. Our objective was to quantify known virulence factor (VF) RNA transcript expression according to LRV1 status, causative species, and isolate source. METHODS Eight cultured isolates of Leishmania were used, four of which were LRV1-positive (Leishmania Viannia braziliensis [n = 1], L. (V.) guyanensis [n = 1], L. (V.) panamensis [n = 2]), and four were LRV1-negative (L. (V.) panamensis [n = 3], L. (V.) braziliensis [n = 1]). Promastigotes were inoculated into macrophage cultures, and harvested at 24 and 48 h. RNA transcript expression of hsp23, hsp70, hsp90, hsp100, mpi, cpb, and gp63 were quantified by qPCR. RESULTS RNA transcript expression of hsp100 (p = 0.012), cpb (p = 0.016), and mpi (p = 0.022) showed significant increases from baseline pure culture expression to 24- and 48-h post-macrophage infection, whereas hsp70 (p = 0.004) was significantly decreased. A trend toward increased transcript expression of hsp100 at baseline in isolates of L. (V.) panamensis was noted. Pooled VF RNA transcript expression by L. (V.) panamensis isolates was lower than that of L. (V.) braziliensis and L. (V.) guyananesis at 24 h (p = 0.03). VF RNA transcript expression did not differ by LRV1 status, or source of cultured isolate at baseline, 24, or 48 h; however, a trend toward increased VF RNA transcript expression of 2.71- and 1.93-fold change of mpi (p = 0.11) and hsp90 (p = 0.11), respectively, in LRV1 negative isolates was noted. Similarly, a trend toward lower levels of overall VF RNA transcript expression in clinical isolates (1.15-fold change) compared to ATCC® strains at 24 h was noted (p = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that known VF RNA transcript expression may be affected by the process of macrophage infection. We were unable to demonstrate definitively that LRV-1 presence affected VF RNA transcript expression in the species and isolates studied. L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (V.) braziliensis demonstrated higher pooled VF RNA transcript expression than L. (V.) panamensis; however, further analyses of protein expression to corroborate this finding are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Avinash N. Mukkala
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Rachel Lau
- Public Health Ontario Laboratory, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Braulio M. Valencia
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alejandro von Humboldt”, Lima, Peru
- Viral Immunology Systems Program, Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alejandro von Humboldt”, Lima, Peru
- Facultad de Salud Pública y Administración, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Andrea K. Boggild
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
- Public Health Ontario Laboratory, Toronto, ON Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
- Tropical Disease Unit, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, 13EN-218, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4 Canada
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Stamper BD, Davis M, Scott-Collins S, Tran J, Ton C, Simidyan A, Roberts SC. Model-based Evaluation of Gene Expression Changes in Response to Leishmania Infection. GENE REGULATION AND SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2019; 13:1177625019828350. [PMID: 30792575 PMCID: PMC6376507 DOI: 10.1177/1177625019828350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Since the development of high-density microarray technology in the late 1990s, global host gene expression changes in response to various stimuli have been extensively studied. More than a dozen peer-reviewed publications have investigated the effect of Leishmania infection in various models since 2001. This review covers the transcriptional changes in macrophage models induced by various Leishmania species and summarizes the resulting impact these studies have on our understanding of the host response to leishmaniasis in vitro. Characterization of the similarities and differences between various model systems will not only further our understanding of Leishmania-induced changes to macrophage gene expression but also identify potential therapeutic targets in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Madison Davis
- School of Pharmacy, Pacific University Oregon, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | | | - Julie Tran
- School of Pharmacy, Pacific University Oregon, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Caryn Ton
- School of Pharmacy, Pacific University Oregon, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Agapi Simidyan
- School of Pharmacy, Pacific University Oregon, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Sigrid C Roberts
- School of Pharmacy, Pacific University Oregon, Hillsboro, OR, USA
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Abstract
High-throughput sequencing of cDNA copies of mRNA (RNA-seq) provides a digital readout of mRNA levels over several orders of magnitude, as well as mapping the transcripts to the nucleotide level. Here we describe two different RNA-seq approaches, including one that exploits the 39-nucleotide mini-exon or spliced leader (SL) sequence found at the 5' end of all Leishmania (and other trypanosomatid) mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Myler
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Childrens Research Institute, 307 Westlake Ave N, Suite 500, Seattle, 98109-5219, WA, USA.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA.
| | - Jacqueline A McDonald
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Childrens Research Institute, 307 Westlake Ave N, Suite 500, Seattle, 98109-5219, WA, USA
| | - Pedro J Alcolea
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Childrens Research Institute, 307 Westlake Ave N, Suite 500, Seattle, 98109-5219, WA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC), Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Aakash Sur
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Childrens Research Institute, 307 Westlake Ave N, Suite 500, Seattle, 98109-5219, WA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA
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Alonso A, Larraga V, Alcolea PJ. The contribution of DNA microarray technology to gene expression profiling in Leishmania spp.: A retrospective view. Acta Trop 2018; 187:129-139. [PMID: 29746872 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The first completed genome project of any living organism, excluding viruses, was of the gammaproteobacteria Haemophilus influenzae in 1995. Until the last decade, genome sequencing was very tedious because genome survey sequences (GSS) and/or expressed sequence tags (ESTs) belonging to plasmid, cosmid, and artificial chromosome genome libraries had to be sequenced and assembled in silico. No genome is completely assembled because gaps and unassembled contigs are always remaining. However, most represent an organism's whole genome from a practical point of view. The first genome sequencing projects of trypanosomatid parasites Leishmania major, Trypanosoma cruzi, and T. brucei were completed in 2005 following those strategies. The functional genomics era developed on the basis of microarray technology and has been continuously evolving. In the case of the genus Leishmania, substantial information about differentiation in the digenetic life cycle of the parasite has been obtained. More recently, next generation sequencing has revolutionized genome sequencing and functional genomics, leading to more sensitive and accurate results by using much fewer resources. Though this new technology is more advantageous, it does not invalidate microarray results. In fact, promising vaccine candidates and drug targets have been found by means of microarray-based screening and preliminary proof-of-concept tests.
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Hernández-Chinea C, Maimone L, Campos Y, Mosca W, Romero PJ. Apparent isocitrate lyase activity in Leishmania amazonensis. Acta Parasitol 2017; 62:701-707. [PMID: 29035856 DOI: 10.1515/ap-2017-0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Early reports have demonstrated the occurrence of glyoxylate cycle enzymes in several Leishmania species. However, these results have been underestimated because genes for the two key enzymes of the cycle, isocitrate lyase (ICL) and malate synthase (MS), are not annotated in Leishmania genomes. We have re-examined this issue in promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis. Enzyme activities were assayed spectrophotometrically in cellular extracts and characterized partially. A 40 kDa band displaying ICL activity was visualized on zymograms of the extracts. By immunoblotting with mouse antibodies against ICL from Bacillus stearothermophilus, a band of approximately 40 kDa was identified, coincident with the relative molecular mass of the activity band revealed on zymograms. Indirect immunofluorescence of intact promastigotes showed that the recognized antigen is distributed as a punctuated pattern, mainly distributed beneath the subpellicular microtubules, over a diffused cytoplasmic stain. These results clearly demonstrate the existence of an apparent ICL activity in L. amazonensis promastigotes, which is associated to a 40 kDa polypeptide and distributed both diffused and as punctuate aggregates in the cytoplasm. The relevance of this activity is discussed.
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25
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Patino LH, Ramírez JD. RNA-seq in kinetoplastids: A powerful tool for the understanding of the biology and host-pathogen interactions. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2017; 49:273-282. [PMID: 28179142 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The kinetoplastids include a large number of parasites responsible for serious diseases in humans and animals (Leishmania and Trypanosoma brucei) considered endemic in several regions of the world. These parasites are characterized by digenetic life cycles that undergo morphological and genetic changes that allow them to adapt to different microenvironments on their vertebrates and invertebrates hosts. Recent advances in ´omics´ technology, specifically transcriptomics have allowed to reveal aspects associated with such molecular changes. So far, different techniques have been used to evaluate the gene expression profile during the various stages of the life cycle of these parasites and during the host-parasite interactions. However, some of them have serious drawbacks that limit the precise study and full understanding of their transcriptomes. Therefore, recently has been implemented the latest technology (RNA-seq), which overcomes the drawbacks of traditional methods. In this review, studies that so far have used RNA-seq are presented and allowed to expand our knowledge regarding the biology of these parasites and their interactions with their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz Helena Patino
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas-UR (GIMUR), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario, Carrera 24# 63C-69, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Juan David Ramírez
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas-UR (GIMUR), Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario, Carrera 24# 63C-69, Bogotá, Colombia.
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Doehl JSP, Sádlová J, Aslan H, Pružinová K, Metangmo S, Votýpka J, Kamhawi S, Volf P, Smith DF. Leishmania HASP and SHERP Genes Are Required for In Vivo Differentiation, Parasite Transmission and Virulence Attenuation in the Host. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006130. [PMID: 28095465 PMCID: PMC5271408 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Differentiation of extracellular Leishmania promastigotes within their sand fly vector, termed metacyclogenesis, is considered to be essential for parasites to regain mammalian host infectivity. Metacyclogenesis is accompanied by changes in the local parasite environment, including secretion of complex glycoconjugates within the promastigote secretory gel and colonization and degradation of the sand fly stomodeal valve. Deletion of the stage-regulated HASP and SHERP genes on chromosome 23 of Leishmania major is known to stall metacyclogenesis in the sand fly but not in in vitro culture. Here, parasite mutants deficient in specific genes within the HASP/SHERP chromosomal region have been used to investigate their role in metacyclogenesis, parasite transmission and establishment of infection. Metacyclogenesis was stalled in HASP/SHERP mutants in vivo and, although still capable of osmotaxis, these mutants failed to secrete promastigote secretory gel, correlating with a lack of parasite accumulation in the thoracic midgut and failure to colonise the stomodeal valve. These defects prevented parasite transmission to a new mammalian host. Sand fly midgut homogenates modulated parasite behaviour in vitro, suggesting a role for molecular interactions between parasite and vector in Leishmania development within the sand fly. For the first time, stage-regulated expression of the small HASPA proteins in Leishmania (Leishmania) has been demonstrated: HASPA2 is expressed only in extracellular promastigotes and HASPA1 only in intracellular amastigotes. Despite its lack of expression in amastigotes, replacement of HASPA2 into the null locus background delays onset of pathology in BALB/c mice. This HASPA2-dependent effect is reversed by HASPA1 gene addition, suggesting that the HASPAs may have a role in host immunomodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes S. P. Doehl
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Jovana Sádlová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hamide Aslan
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kateřina Pružinová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sonia Metangmo
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jan Votýpka
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Shaden Kamhawi
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Petr Volf
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Deborah F. Smith
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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27
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Phosphorylation of Translation Initiation Factor 2-Alpha in Leishmania donovani under Stress Is Necessary for Parasite Survival. Mol Cell Biol 2016; 37:MCB.00344-16. [PMID: 27736773 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00344-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The transformation of Leishmania donovani from a promastigote to an amastigote during mammalian host infection displays the immense adaptability of the parasite to survival under stress. Induction of translation initiation factor 2-alpha (eIF2α) phosphorylation by stress-specific eIF2α kinases is the basic stress-perceiving signal in eukaryotes to counter stress. Here, we demonstrate that elevated temperature and acidic pH induce the phosphorylation of Leishmania donovani eIF2α (LdeIF2α). In vitro inhibition experiments suggest that interference of LdeIF2α phosphorylation under conditions of elevated temperature and acidic pH debilitates parasite differentiation and reduces parasite viability (P < 0.05). Furthermore, inhibition of LdeIF2α phosphorylation significantly reduced the infection rate (P < 0.05), emphasizing its deciding role in successful invasion and infection establishment. Notably, our findings suggested the phosphorylation of LdeIF2α under H2O2-induced oxidative stress. Inhibition of H2O2-induced LdeIF2α phosphorylation hampered antioxidant balance by impaired redox homeostasis gene expression, resulting in increased reactive oxygen species accumulation (P < 0.05) and finally leading to decreased parasite viability (P < 0.05). Interestingly, exposure to sodium antimony glucamate and amphotericin B induces LdeIF2α phosphorylation, indicating its possible contribution to protection against antileishmanial drugs in common use. Overall, the results strongly suggest that stress-induced LdeIF2α phosphorylation is a necessary event for the parasite life cycle under stressed conditions for survival.
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28
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Alonso G, Rastrojo A, López-Pérez S, Requena JM, Aguado B. Resequencing and assembly of seven complex loci to improve the Leishmania major (Friedlin strain) reference genome. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:74. [PMID: 26857920 PMCID: PMC4746890 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1329-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Leishmania parasites cause severe human diseases known as leishmaniasis. These eukaryotic microorganisms possess an atypical chromosomal architecture and the regulation of gene expression occurs almost exclusively at post-transcriptional levels. Accordingly, sequencing of the genome of Leishmania major, and subsequently the genome of other related species, was paramount for highlighting these peculiar molecular aspects. Recently, we carried out an analysis of gene expression by massive sequencing of RNA in the L. major promastigote, and data derived from that analysis were suggestive of possible errors in the current genome assembly for this Leishmania species. Results During the analysis by RNA-Seq of the transcriptome for L. major Friedlin strain, 163,714 reads could not be aligned with the reference genome. Thus, de novo assembly with these reads was carried out and the resulting contigs were further analyzed. After detailed homology searches using available databases, it was postulated that 15 contigs might correspond to genomic sequences lost during the initial genome assembly of the L. major Friedlin strain. This was experimentally confirmed by PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing of the new genomic regions. As a result, we have identified seven regions of the L. major (Friedlin) genome that were lost during the sequence assembly. This led to the uncovering of six new genes (LmjF.15.1475, LmjF.15.0285, LmjF.24.0765, LmjF.14.0860, LmjF.19.0305, and LmjF.27.2035), and correction of the annotation for two others (LmjF.15.1480 and LmjF.27.2030). Our data suggest that these genomic regions probably collapsed during the genome assembly due to the existence of gene duplications and/or repeated regions surrounding the missed genes. Conclusion RNA-seq data helped to reconstruct some genomic regions misassembled during the L. major Friedlin genome assembly, which is otherwise quite robust. On the other hand, this study shows that data derived from massive sequencing approaches, including RNA-Seq, should be carefully inspected to improve current genome definition and gene annotations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1329-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graciela Alonso
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Alberto Rastrojo
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sara López-Pérez
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Jose M Requena
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Begoña Aguado
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
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Jamdhade MD, Pawar H, Chavan S, Sathe G, Umasankar PK, Mahale KN, Dixit T, Madugundu AK, Prasad TSK, Gowda H, Pandey A, Patole MS. Comprehensive proteomics analysis of glycosomes from Leishmania donovani. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2015; 19:157-70. [PMID: 25748437 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2014.0163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania donovani is a kinetoplastid protozoan that causes a severe and fatal disease kala-azar, or visceral leishmaniasis. L. donovani infects human host after the phlebotomine sandfly takes a blood meal and resides within the phagolysosome of infected macrophages. Previous studies on host-parasite interactions have not focused on Leishmania organelles and the role that they play in the survival of this parasite within macrophages. Leishmania possess glycosomes that are unique and specialized subcellular microbody organelles. Glycosomes are known to harbor most peroxisomal enzymes and, in addition, they also possess nine glycolytic enzymes. In the present study, we have carried out proteomic profiling using high resolution mass spectrometry of a sucrose density gradient-enriched glycosomal fraction isolated from L. donovani promastigotes. This study resulted in the identification of 4022 unique peptides, leading to the identification of 1355 unique proteins from a preparation enriched in L. donovani glycosomes. Based on protein annotation, 566 (41.8%) were identified as hypothetical proteins with no known function. A majority of the identified proteins are involved in metabolic processes such as carbohydrate, lipid, and nucleic acid metabolism. Our present proteomic analysis is the most comprehensive study to date to map the proteome of L. donovani glycosomes.
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McConville MJ, Saunders EC, Kloehn J, Dagley MJ. Leishmania carbon metabolism in the macrophage phagolysosome- feast or famine? F1000Res 2015; 4:938. [PMID: 26594352 PMCID: PMC4648189 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.6724.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of medically important microbial pathogens target and proliferate within macrophages and other phagocytic cells in their mammalian hosts. While the majority of these pathogens replicate within the host cell cytosol or non-hydrolytic vacuolar compartments, a few, including protists belonging to the genus
Leishmania, proliferate long-term within mature lysosome compartments. How these parasites achieve this feat remains poorly defined. In this review, we highlight recent studies that suggest that
Leishmania virulence is intimately linked to programmed changes in the growth rate and carbon metabolism of the obligate intra-macrophage stages. We propose that activation of a slow growth and a stringent metabolic response confers resistance to multiple stresses (oxidative, temperature, pH), as well as both nutrient limitation and nutrient excess within this niche. These studies highlight the importance of metabolic processes as key virulence determinants in
Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm J McConville
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Eleanor C Saunders
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Joachim Kloehn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3010, Australia
| | - Michael J Dagley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3010, Australia
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Dillon LAL, Okrah K, Hughitt VK, Suresh R, Li Y, Fernandes MC, Belew AT, Corrada Bravo H, Mosser DM, El-Sayed NM. Transcriptomic profiling of gene expression and RNA processing during Leishmania major differentiation. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:6799-813. [PMID: 26150419 PMCID: PMC4538839 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania are the etiological agents of leishmaniasis, a group of diseases with a worldwide incidence of 0.9–1.6 million cases per year. We used RNA-seq to conduct a high-resolution transcriptomic analysis of the global changes in gene expression and RNA processing events that occur as L. major transforms from non-infective procyclic promastigotes to infective metacyclic promastigotes. Careful statistical analysis across multiple biological replicates and the removal of batch effects provided a high quality framework for comprehensively analyzing differential gene expression and transcriptome remodeling in this pathogen as it acquires its infectivity. We also identified precise 5′ and 3′ UTR boundaries for a majority of Leishmania genes and detected widespread alternative trans-splicing and polyadenylation. An investigation of possible correlations between stage-specific preferential trans-splicing or polyadenylation sites and differentially expressed genes revealed a lack of systematic association, establishing that differences in expression levels cannot be attributed to stage-regulated alternative RNA processing. Our findings build on and improve existing expression datasets and provide a substantially more detailed view of L. major biology that will inform the field and potentially provide a stronger basis for drug discovery and vaccine development efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A L Dillon
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Kwame Okrah
- Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - V Keith Hughitt
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Rahul Suresh
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Yuan Li
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Maria Cecilia Fernandes
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - A Trey Belew
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Hector Corrada Bravo
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - David M Mosser
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Najib M El-Sayed
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, 3128 Bioscience Research Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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Daviel C, Carter PM, Nation CS, Pizarro JC, Guidry J, Aiyar A, Kelly BL. LACK, a RACK1 ortholog, facilitates cytochrome c oxidase subunit expression to promote Leishmania major fitness. Mol Microbiol 2015; 96:95-109. [PMID: 25582232 PMCID: PMC6055511 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania are kinetoplastid parasites that cause the sandfly-transmitted disease leishmaniasis. To maintain fitness throughout their infectious life cycle, Leishmania must undergo rapid metabolic adaptations to the dramatically distinct environments encountered during transition between sandfly and vertebrate hosts. We performed proteomic and immunoblot analyses of attenuated L. major strains deficient for LACK, the Leishmania ortholog of the mammalian receptor for activated c kinase (RACK1), that is important for parasite thermotolerance and virulence. This approach identified cytochrome c oxidase (LmCOX) subunit IV as a LACK-dependent fitness protein. Consistent with decreased levels of LmCOX subunit IV at mammalian temperature, and in amastigotes, LmCOX activity and mitochondrial function were also impaired in LACK-deficient L. major under these conditions. Importantly, overexpression of LmCOX subunit IV in LACK-deficient L. major restored thermotolerance and macrophage infectivity. Interestingly, overexpression of LmCOX subunit IV enhanced LmCOX subunit VI expression at mammalian temperature. Collectively, our data suggest LACK promotes Leishmania adaptation to the mammalian host environment by sustaining LmCOX subunit IV expression and hence energy metabolism in response to stress stimuli such as heat. These findings extend the repertoire of RACK1 protein utility to include a role in mitochondrial function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cardenas Daviel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Pamela M. Carter
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Catherine S. Nation
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Juan C. Pizarro
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Jessie Guidry
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Ashok Aiyar
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Ben L. Kelly
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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Cantacessi C, Dantas-Torres F, Nolan MJ, Otranto D. The past, present, and future of Leishmania genomics and transcriptomics. Trends Parasitol 2015; 31:100-8. [PMID: 25638444 PMCID: PMC4356521 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2014.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
It has been nearly 10 years since the completion of the first entire genome sequence of a Leishmania parasite. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses have advanced our understanding of the biology of Leishmania, and shed new light on the complex interactions occurring within the parasite-host-vector triangle. Here, we review these advances and examine potential avenues for translation of these discoveries into treatment and control programs. In addition, we argue for a strong need to explore how disease in dogs relates to that in humans, and how an improved understanding in line with the 'One Health' concept may open new avenues for the control of these devastating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Cantacessi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Filipe Dantas-Torres
- Departamento de Imunologia, Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães, Fiocruz-PE, Brazil; Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Matthew J Nolan
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, North Mymms, UK
| | - Domenico Otranto
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy
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Teixeira PC, Velasquez LG, Lepique AP, de Rezende E, Bonatto JMC, Barcinski MA, Cunha-Neto E, Stolf BS. Regulation of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis protein expression by host T cell dependent responses: differential expression of oligopeptidase B, tryparedoxin peroxidase and HSP70 isoforms in amastigotes isolated from BALB/c and BALB/c nude mice. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003411. [PMID: 25692783 PMCID: PMC4333223 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is an important disease that affects 12 million people in 88 countries, with 2 million new cases every year. Leishmania amazonensis is an important agent in Brazil, leading to clinical forms varying from localized (LCL) to diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL). One interesting issue rarely analyzed is how host immune response affects Leishmania phenotype and virulence. Aiming to study the effect of host immune system on Leishmania proteins we compared proteomes of amastigotes isolated from BALB/c and BALB/c nude mice. The athymic nude mice may resemble patients with diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, considered T-cell hyposensitive or anergic to Leishmania's antigens. This work is the first to compare modifications in amastigotes' proteomes driven by host immune response. Among the 44 differentially expressed spots, there were proteins related to oxidative/nitrosative stress and proteases. Some correspond to known Leishmania virulence factors such as OPB and tryparedoxin peroxidase. Specific isoforms of these two proteins were increased in parasites from nude mice, suggesting that T cells probably restrain their posttranslational modifications in BALB/c mice. On the other hand, an isoform of HSP70 was increased in amastigotes from BALB/c mice. We believe our study may allow identification of potential virulence factors and ways of regulating their expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonardo Garcia Velasquez
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Lepique
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eloiza de Rezende
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Edecio Cunha-Neto
- Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo School of Medicine, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Simonsen Stolf
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
High-throughput sequencing of cDNA copies of mRNA (RNA-seq) provides a digital read-out of mRNA levels over several orders of magnitude, as well as mapping the transcripts to the nucleotide level. Here we describe an RNA-seq approach that exploits the 39-nucleotide mini-exon or spliced leader (SL) sequence found at the 5' end of all Leishmania (and other trypanosomatid) mRNAs.
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Saunders EC, de Souza DP, Chambers JM, Ng M, Pyke J, McConville MJ. Use of (13)C stable isotope labelling for pathway and metabolic flux analysis in Leishmania parasites. Methods Mol Biol 2015; 1201:281-296. [PMID: 25388122 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1438-8_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This protocol describes the combined use of metabolite profiling and stable isotope labelling to define pathways of central carbon metabolism in the protozoa parasite, Leishmania mexicana. Parasite stages are cultivated in standard or completely defined media and then rapidly transferred to chemically equivalent media containing a single (13)C-labelled nutrient. The incorporation of label can be followed over time or after establishment of isotopic equilibrium by harvesting parasites with rapid metabolic quenching. (13)C enrichment of multiple intracellular polar and apolar (lipidic) metabolites can be quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), while the uptake and secretion of (13)C-labelled metabolites can be measured by (13)C-NMR. Analysis of the mass isotopomer distribution of key metabolites provides information on pathway structure, while analysis of labelling kinetics can be used to infer metabolic fluxes. This protocol is exemplified using L. mexicana labelled with (13)C-U-glucose. The method can be used to measure perturbations in parasite metabolism induced by drug inhibition or genetic manipulation of enzyme levels and is broadly applicable to any cultured parasite stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor C Saunders
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
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Cayla M, Rachidi N, Leclercq O, Schmidt-Arras D, Rosenqvist H, Wiese M, Späth GF. Transgenic analysis of the Leishmania MAP kinase MPK10 reveals an auto-inhibitory mechanism crucial for stage-regulated activity and parasite viability. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004347. [PMID: 25232945 PMCID: PMC4169501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Protozoan pathogens of the genus Leishmania have evolved unique signaling mechanisms that can sense changes in the host environment and trigger adaptive stage differentiation essential for host cell infection. The signaling mechanisms underlying parasite development remain largely elusive even though Leishmania mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have been linked previously to environmentally induced differentiation and virulence. Here, we unravel highly unusual regulatory mechanisms for Leishmania MAP kinase 10 (MPK10). Using a transgenic approach, we demonstrate that MPK10 is stage-specifically regulated, as its kinase activity increases during the promastigote to amastigote conversion. However, unlike canonical MAPKs that are activated by dual phosphorylation of the regulatory TxY motif in the activation loop, MPK10 activation is independent from the phosphorylation of the tyrosine residue, which is largely constitutive. Removal of the last 46 amino acids resulted in significantly enhanced MPK10 activity both for the recombinant and transgenic protein, revealing that MPK10 is regulated by an auto-inhibitory mechanism. Over-expression of this hyperactive mutant in transgenic parasites led to a dominant negative effect causing massive cell death during amastigote differentiation, demonstrating the essential nature of MPK10 auto-inhibition for parasite viability. Moreover, phosphoproteomics analyses identified a novel regulatory phospho-serine residue in the C-terminal auto-inhibitory domain at position 395 that could be implicated in kinase regulation. Finally, we uncovered a feedback loop that limits MPK10 activity through dephosphorylation of the tyrosine residue of the TxY motif. Together our data reveal novel aspects of protein kinase regulation in Leishmania, and propose MPK10 as a potential signal sensor of the mammalian host environment, whose intrinsic pre-activated conformation is regulated by auto-inhibition. Leishmaniasis is an important human disease caused by Leishmania parasites. A crucial aspect of Leishmania infectivity is its capacity to sense different environments and adapt for survival inside insect vector and vertebrate host by stage differentiation. This process is triggered by environmental changes encountered in these organisms, including temperature and pH shifts, which usually are sensed and transduced by signaling cascades including protein kinases and their substrates. In this study, we analyzed the regulation of the Leishmania mitogen-activated protein kinase MPK10 using protein purified from transgenic parasites and combining site-directed mutagenesis and activity tests. We demonstrate that this kinase is activated during parasite differentiation and regulated by an atypical mechanism involving auto-inhibition, which is essential for parasite viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Cayla
- Institut Pasteur and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 2581, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Najma Rachidi
- Institut Pasteur and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 2581, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Leclercq
- Institut Pasteur and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 2581, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Dirk Schmidt-Arras
- Institut Pasteur and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 2581, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Heidi Rosenqvist
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland
- Protein Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Martin Wiese
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Gerald F. Späth
- Institut Pasteur and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique URA 2581, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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Pawar H, Renuse S, Khobragade SN, Chavan S, Sathe G, Kumar P, Mahale KN, Gore K, Kulkarni A, Dixit T, Raju R, Prasad TSK, Harsha HC, Patole MS, Pandey A. Neglected Tropical Diseases and Omics Science: Proteogenomics Analysis of the Promastigote Stage ofLeishmania majorParasite. OMICS-A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2014; 18:499-512. [DOI: 10.1089/omi.2013.0159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Harsh Pawar
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
- Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Santosh Renuse
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, India
| | | | - Sandip Chavan
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
- Manipal University, Madhav Nagar, Manipal, India
| | - Gajanan Sathe
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
- Manipal University, Madhav Nagar, Manipal, India
| | - Praveen Kumar
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
| | | | | | | | - Tanwi Dixit
- National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune, India
| | - Rajesh Raju
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
| | | | - H. C. Harsha
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Akhilesh Pandey
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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Induction of a stringent metabolic response in intracellular stages of Leishmania mexicana leads to increased dependence on mitochondrial metabolism. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1003888. [PMID: 24465208 PMCID: PMC3900632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania parasites alternate between extracellular promastigote stages in the insect vector and an obligate intracellular amastigote stage that proliferates within the phagolysosomal compartment of macrophages in the mammalian host. Most enzymes involved in Leishmania central carbon metabolism are constitutively expressed and stage-specific changes in energy metabolism remain poorly defined. Using 13C-stable isotope resolved metabolomics and 2H2O labelling, we show that amastigote differentiation is associated with reduction in growth rate and induction of a distinct stringent metabolic state. This state is characterized by a global decrease in the uptake and utilization of glucose and amino acids, a reduced secretion of organic acids and increased fatty acid β-oxidation. Isotopomer analysis showed that catabolism of hexose and fatty acids provide C4 dicarboxylic acids (succinate/malate) and acetyl-CoA for the synthesis of glutamate via a compartmentalized mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. In vitro cultivated and intracellular amastigotes are acutely sensitive to inhibitors of mitochondrial aconitase and glutamine synthetase, indicating that these anabolic pathways are essential for intracellular growth and virulence. Lesion-derived amastigotes exhibit a similar metabolism to in vitro differentiated amastigotes, indicating that this stringent response is coupled to differentiation signals rather than exogenous nutrient levels. Induction of a stringent metabolic response may facilitate amastigote survival in a nutrient-poor intracellular niche and underlie the increased dependence of this stage on hexose and mitochondrial metabolism. Leishmania are sandfly-transmitted parasitic protozoa that cause a spectrum of important diseases in humans. While the core metabolism of the readily cultivated insect (promastigote) stage has been studied, much less is known about the metabolism of the obligate intracellular amastigote stage, which proliferates within the mature lysosome of mammalian macrophages and is the target of anti-parasite therapies. We have used 13C-tracing experiments to delineate the major pathways of carbon metabolism in different promastigote stages, as well as amastigote stages generated in culture and isolated from animal lesions. Both dividing and non-dividing promastigotes exhibited high metabolic activity, with excessive rates of glucose and amino acid consumption and secretion of metabolic end-products. In contrast, both amastigote stages exhibited a stringent metabolic phenotype, characterized by low levels of glucose and amino acid uptake and catabolism and increased catabolism of fatty acids. This phenotype was not induced by nutrient limitation, but is hard-wired into amastigote differentiation. This response may lead to increased dependence on hexose catabolism for anabolic pathways, as chemical inhibition of de novo glutamate and glutamine biosynthesis inhibited parasite growth in macrophages. This study highlights key aspects of amastigote metabolism that underpin their capacity to survive in macrophage phagolysosomes.
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Rastrojo A, Carrasco-Ramiro F, Martín D, Crespillo A, Reguera RM, Aguado B, Requena JM. The transcriptome of Leishmania major in the axenic promastigote stage: transcript annotation and relative expression levels by RNA-seq. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:223. [PMID: 23557257 PMCID: PMC3637525 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the genome sequence of the protozoan parasite Leishmania major was determined several years ago, the knowledge of its transcriptome was incomplete, both regarding the real number of genes and their primary structure. RESULTS Here, we describe the first comprehensive transcriptome analysis of a parasite from the genus Leishmania. Using high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), a total of 10285 transcripts were identified, of which 1884 were considered novel, as they did not match previously annotated genes. In addition, our data indicate that current annotations should be modified for many of the genes. The detailed analysis of the transcript processing sites revealed extensive heterogeneity in the spliced leader (SL) and polyadenylation addition sites. As a result, around 50% of the genes presented multiple transcripts differing in the length of the UTRs, sometimes in the order of hundreds of nucleotides. This transcript heterogeneity could provide an additional source for regulation as the different sizes of UTRs could modify RNA stability and/or influence the efficiency of RNA translation. In addition, for the first time for the Leishmania major promastigote stage, we are providing relative expression transcript levels. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a concise view of the global transcriptome of the L. major promastigote stage, providing the basis for future comparative analysis with other development stages or other Leishmania species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Rastrojo
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Identification of protein complex associated with LYT1 of Trypanosoma cruzi. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2013; 2013:493525. [PMID: 23586042 PMCID: PMC3613072 DOI: 10.1155/2013/493525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/24/2012] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
To carry out the intracellular phase of its life cycle, Trypanosoma cruzi must infect a host cell. Although a few molecules have been reported to participate in this process, one known protein is LYT1, which promotes lysis under acidic conditions and is involved in parasite infection and development. Alternative transcripts from a single LYT1 gene generate two proteins with differential functions and compartmentalization. Single-gene products targeted to more than one location can interact with disparate proteins that might affect their function and targeting properties. The aim of this work was to study the LYT1 interaction map using coimmunoprecipitation assays with transgenic parasites expressing LYT1 products fused to GFP. We detected several proteins of sizes from 8 to 150 kDa that bind to LYT1 with different binding strengths. By MS-MS analysis, we identified proteins involved in parasite infectivity (trans-sialidase), development (kDSPs and histones H2A and H2B), and motility and protein traffic (dynein and α - and β -tubulin), as well as protein-protein interactions (TPR-protein and kDSPs) and several hypothetical proteins. Our approach led us to identify the LYT1 interaction profile, thereby providing insights into the molecular mechanisms that contribute to parasite stage development and pathogenesis of T. cruzi infection.
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Abstract
Leishmaniasis, like other neglected diseases is characterized by a small arsenal of drugs for its control. To safeguard the efficacy of current drugs and guide the development of new ones it is thus of utmost importance to acquire a deep understanding of the phenomenon of drug resistance and its link with treatment outcome. We discuss here how (post-)genomic approaches may contribute to this purpose. We highlight the need for a clear definition of the phenotypes under consideration: innate and acquired resistance versus treatment failure. We provide a recent update of our knowledge on the Leishmania genome structure and dynamics, and compare the contribution of targeted and untargeted methods for the understanding of drug resistance and show their limits. We also present the main assays allowing the experimental validation of the genes putatively involved in drug resistance. The importance of analysing information downstream of the genome is stressed and further illustrated by recent metabolomics findings. Finally, the attention is called onto the challenges for implementing the acquired knowledge to the benefit of the patients and the population at risk.
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Lynn MA, Marr AK, McMaster WR. Differential quantitative proteomic profiling of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania mexicana density gradient separated membranous fractions. J Proteomics 2013; 82:179-92. [PMID: 23466312 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2013.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Leishmaniasis, caused by infection with Leishmania, is a major public health concern affecting more than 20million people globally. Leishmania has a digenetic lifecycle consisting of an extracellular flagellated promastigote, adapted to live in the mid-gut of the sand fly host and an aflagellated intracellular amastigote that resides within the macrophage of the mammalian host. Leishmania mexicana and Leishmania infantum are causative agents of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, respectively. Membrane proteins play a pivotal role in host-pathogen interactions and in regulatory pathways. As the genome of Leishmania is essentially constitutively expressed, regulation of protein expression during differentiation occurs post-transcriptionally and/or post-translationally. Quantitative mass spectrometry using iTRAQ labeling identified differences in the proteomes of density gradient separated membranous fractions of promastigote and amastigote life-stages. We identified 189 L. infantum and 107 L. mexicana non-redundant proteins of which 20-40% showed differential expression levels between promastigote and amastigote lifecycle stages. Differentially expressed proteins mapped to several pathways including cell motility, metabolism, and infectivity as well as virulence factors such as eEF-1α, amastin and leishmanolysin (GP63). Western blot analysis validated iTRAQ quantitation for leishmanolysin. Focusing on differentially expressed proteins essential for pathogenesis, may ultimately lead to the identification of novel potential therapeutic targets. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE Leishmania, protozoan parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family, are the causative agents of leishmaniasis that represents a major public health concern affecting more than 20million people globally Membrane associated proteins play a pivotal role in host-pathogen interactions and in regulatory pathways. Quantitative proteomic analysis of the membranous fractions from L. mexicana and L. infantum (causative agents of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, respectively) identified a number of proteins that may have important stage-specific functions in either the sand fly or mammalian host. The function of these proteins includes roles in virulence, as well as differences in metabolic process between life stages. Many of the proteins identified may act as virulence factors playing significant roles in parasite invasion, host-parasite interaction or parasite survival and thus may have therapeutic potential as drug target candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A Lynn
- Infection and Immunity Research Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3Z6, Canada
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Coelho AC, Leprohon P, Ouellette M. Generation of Leishmania hybrids by whole genomic DNA transformation. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2012; 6:e1817. [PMID: 23029579 PMCID: PMC3447969 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2012] [Accepted: 08/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic exchange is a powerful tool to study gene function in microorganisms. Here, we tested the feasibility of generating Leishmania hybrids by electroporating genomic DNA of donor cells into recipient Leishmania parasites. The donor DNA was marked with a drug resistance marker facilitating the selection of DNA transfer into the recipient cells. The transferred DNA was integrated exclusively at homologous locus and was as large as 45 kb. The independent generation of L. infantum hybrids with L. major sequences was possible for several chromosomal regions. Interfering with the mismatch repair machinery by inactivating the MSH2 gene enabled an increased efficiency of recombination between divergent sequences, hence favouring the selection of hybrids between species. Hybrids were shown to acquire the phenotype derived from the donor cells, as demonstrated for the transfer of drug resistance genes from L. major into L. infantum. The described method is a first step allowing the generation of in vitro hybrids for testing gene functions in a natural genomic context in the parasite Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marc Ouellette
- Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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45
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Abstract
The decoding of the Tritryp reference genomes nearly 7 years ago provided a first peek into the biology of pathogenic trypanosomatids and a blueprint that has paved the way for genome-wide studies. Although 60-70% of the predicted protein coding genes in Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania major remain unannotated, the functional genomics landscape is rapidly changing. Facilitated by the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies, improved structural and functional annotation and genes and their products are emerging. Information is also growing for the interactions between cellular components as transcriptomes, regulatory networks and metabolomes are characterized, ushering in a new era of systems biology. Simultaneously, the launch of comparative sequencing of multiple strains of kinetoplastids will finally lead to the investigation of a vast, yet to be explored, evolutionary and pathogenomic space.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Choi
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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46
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Translational control through eIF2alpha phosphorylation during the Leishmania differentiation process. PLoS One 2012; 7:e35085. [PMID: 22693545 PMCID: PMC3365078 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Accepted: 03/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The parasitic protozoan Leishmania alternates between an invertebrate and a mammalian host. Upon their entry to mammalian macrophages, Leishmania promastigotes differentiate into amastigote forms within the harsh environment of the phagolysosomal compartment. Here, we provide evidence for the importance of translational control during the Leishmania differentiation process. We find that exposure of promastigotes to a combined elevated temperature and acidic pH stress, a key signal triggering amastigote differentiation, leads to a marked decrease in global translation initiation, which is associated with eIF2α phosphorylation. Interestingly, we show that amastigotes adapted to grow in a cell-free medium exhibit lower levels of protein synthesis in comparison to promastigotes, suggesting that amastigotes have to enter a slow growth state to adapt to the stressful conditions encountered inside macrophages. Reconversion of amastigotes back to promastigote growth results in upregulation of global translation and a decrease in eIF2α phosphorylation. In addition, we show that while general translation is reduced during amastigote differentiation, translation of amastigote-specific transcripts such as A2 is preferentially upregulated. We find that A2 developmental gene regulation is triggered by temperature changes in the environment and that occurs mainly at the level of translation. Upon elevated temperature, the A2 transcript is stabilized through its association with polyribosomes leading to high levels of translation. When temperature decreases during amastigote to promastigote differentiation, the A2 transcript is not longer associated with translating polyribosomes and is being gradually degraded. Overall, these findings contribute to our better understanding of the adaptive responses of Leishmania to stress during its development and highlight the importance of translational control in promastigote to amastigote differentiation and vice-versa.
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Pawar H, Sahasrabuddhe NA, Renuse S, Keerthikumar S, Sharma J, Kumar GSS, Venugopal A, Sekhar NR, Kelkar DS, Nemade H, Khobragade SN, Muthusamy B, Kandasamy K, Harsha HC, Chaerkady R, Patole MS, Pandey A. A proteogenomic approach to map the proteome of an unsequenced pathogen - Leishmania donovani. Proteomics 2012; 12:832-44. [DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201100505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Harsh Pawar
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences; Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - Nandini A. Sahasrabuddhe
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Manipal University; Madhav Nagar Manipal Karnataka India
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
| | - Santosh Renuse
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Biotechnology; Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; Kollam Kerala India
| | | | - Jyoti Sharma
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Manipal University; Madhav Nagar Manipal Karnataka India
| | - Ghantasala. S. Sameer Kumar
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Department of Biotechnology; Kuvempu University; Shimoga Karnataka India
| | - Abhilash Venugopal
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Department of Biotechnology; Kuvempu University; Shimoga Karnataka India
| | - Nirujogi Raja Sekhar
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Bioinformatics Centre; School of Life Sciences; Pondicherry University; Puducherry India
| | - Dhanashree S. Kelkar
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Department of Biotechnology; Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; Kollam Kerala India
| | - Harshal Nemade
- National Centre for Cell Sciences; Pune Maharashtra India
| | | | - Babylakshmi Muthusamy
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- Bioinformatics Centre; School of Life Sciences; Pondicherry University; Puducherry India
| | - Kumaran Kandasamy
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - H. C. Harsha
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
| | - Raghothama Chaerkady
- Institute of Bioinformatics; International Technology Park; Bangalore Karnataka India
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
| | | | - Akhilesh Pandey
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Oncology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
- Department of Pathology; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore MD USA
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Kramer S. Developmental regulation of gene expression in the absence of transcriptional control: The case of kinetoplastids. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2012; 181:61-72. [PMID: 22019385 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2011.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2011] [Revised: 10/03/2011] [Accepted: 10/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Coelho VTS, Oliveira JS, Valadares DG, Chávez-Fumagalli MA, Duarte MC, Lage PS, Soto M, Santoro MM, Tavares CAP, Fernandes AP, Coelho EAF. Identification of proteins in promastigote and amastigote-like Leishmania using an immunoproteomic approach. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2012; 6:e1430. [PMID: 22272364 PMCID: PMC3260309 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aims to identify antigens in protein extracts of promastigote and amastigote-like Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi syn. L. (L.) infantum recognized by antibodies present in the sera of dogs with asymptomatic and symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis (VL). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Proteins recognized by sera samples were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and identified by mass spectrometry. A total of 550 spots were observed in the 2DE gels, and approximately 104 proteins were identified. Several stage-specific proteins could be identified by either or both classes of sera, including, as expected, previously known proteins identified as diagnosis, virulence factors, drug targets, or vaccine candidates. Three, seven, and five hypothetical proteins could be identified in promastigote antigenic extracts; while two, eleven, and three hypothetical proteins could be identified in amastigote-like antigenic extracts by asymptomatic and symptomatic sera, as well as a combination of both, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The present study represents a significant contribution not only in identifying stage-specific L. infantum molecules, but also in revealing the expression of a large number of hypothetical proteins. Moreover, when combined, the identified proteins constitute a significant source of information for the improvement of diagnostic tools and/or vaccine development to VL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicio T. S. Coelho
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jamil S. Oliveira
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Diogo G. Valadares
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Miguel A. Chávez-Fumagalli
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Molecular, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mariana C. Duarte
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Coltec, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Paula S. Lage
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Manuel Soto
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, UAM, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcelo M. Santoro
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. P. Tavares
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Fernandes
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A. F. Coelho
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Coltec, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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