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Alonso P, Blas J, Amaro F, de Francisco P, Martín-González A, Gutiérrez JC. Cellular Response of Adapted and Non-Adapted Tetrahymena thermophila Strains to Europium Eu(III) Compounds. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:285. [PMID: 38785768 PMCID: PMC11117543 DOI: 10.3390/biology13050285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Europium is one of the most reactive lanthanides and humans use it in many different applications, but we still know little about its potential toxicity and cellular response to its exposure. Two strains of the eukaryotic microorganism model Tetrahymena thermophila were adapted to high concentrations of two Eu(III) compounds (EuCl3 or Eu2O3) and compared to a control strain and cultures treated with both compounds. In this ciliate, EuCl3 is more toxic than Eu2O3. LC50 values show that this microorganism is more resistant to these Eu(III) compounds than other microorganisms. Oxidative stress originated mainly by Eu2O3 is minimized by overexpression of genes encoding important antioxidant enzymes. The overexpression of metallothionein genes under treatment with Eu(III) compounds supports the possibility that this lanthanide may interact with the -SH groups of the cysteine residues from metallothioneins and/or displace essential cations of these proteins during their homeostatic function. Both lipid metabolism (lipid droplets fusing with europium-containing vacuoles) and autophagy are involved in the cellular response to europium stress. Bioaccumulation, together with a possible biomineralization to europium phosphate, seems to be the main mechanism of Eu(III) detoxification in these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Juan Carlos Gutiérrez
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (P.A.); (J.B.); (F.A.); (P.d.F.); (A.M.-G.)
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Xiong W, Wei W, He M, Hu B, Men J, Tu J, Miao W. Construction of Tetrahymena strains with highly active arsenic methyltransferase genes for arsenic detoxification in aquatic environments. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 275:116258. [PMID: 38547732 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Biomethylation is an effective means of arsenic detoxification by organisms living in aquatic environments. Ciliated protozoa (including Tetrahymena species) play an important role in the biochemical cycles of aquatic ecosystems and have a potential application in arsenic biotransformation. This study compared arsenic tolerance, accumulation, methylation, and efflux in 11 Tetrahymena species. Nineteen arsenite (As(III)) S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) methyltransferase (arsM) genes, of which 12 are new discoveries, were identified, and protein sequences were studied. We then constructed recombinant cell lines based on the Tetrahymena thermophila (T. thermophila) wild-type SB210 strain and expressed each of the 19 arsM genes under the control of the metal-responsive the MTT1 promoter. In the presence of Cd2+ and As(V), expression of the arsM genes in the recombinant cell lines was much higher than in the donor species. Evaluation of the recombinant cell line identified one with ultra-high arsenic methylation enzyme activity, significantly higher arsenic methylation capacity and much faster methylation rate than other reported arsenic methylated organisms, which methylated 89% of arsenic within 6.5 h. It also had an excellent capacity for the arsenic detoxification of lake water containing As(V), 56% of arsenic was methylated at 250 μg/L As(V) in 48 h. This study has made a significant contribution to our knowledge on arsenic metabolism in protozoa and demonstrates the great potential to use Tetrahymena species in the arsenic biotransformation of aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Xiong
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Man He
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Bin Hu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jun Men
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jiawei Tu
- School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
| | - Wei Miao
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
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Fekete-Kertész I, Pous N, Feigl V, Márton R, Berkl Z, Ceballos-Escalera A, Balaguer MD, Puig S, Molnár M. Ecotoxicity characterization assisted performance assessment of electro-bioremediation reactors for nitrate and arsenite elimination. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:250-265. [PMID: 37881108 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The performance of combined reduction of nitrate (NO3 - ) to dinitrogen gas (N2 ) and oxidation of arsenite (As[III]) to arsenate (As[V]) by a bioelectrochemical system was assessed, supported by ecotoxicity characterization. For the comprehensive toxicity characterization of the untreated model groundwater and the treated reactor effluents, a problem-specific ecotoxicity test battery was established. The performance of the applied technology in terms of toxicity and target pollutant elimination was compared and analyzed. The highest toxicity attenuation was achieved under continuous flow mode with hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 7.5 h, with 95%, nitrate removal rate and complete oxidation of arsenite to arsenate. Daphnia magna proved to be the most sensitive test organism. The results of the D. magna lethality test supported the choice of the ideal operational conditions based on chemical data analysis. The outcomes of the study demonstrated that the applied technology was able to improve the groundwater quality in terms of both chemical and ecotoxicological characteristics. The importance of ecotoxicity evaluation was also highlighted, given that significant target contaminant elimination did not necessarily lower the environmental impact of the initial, untreated medium, in addition, anomalies might occur during the technology operational process which in some instances, could result in elevated toxicity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildikó Fekete-Kertész
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Narcís Pous
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Viktória Feigl
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rita Márton
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Berkl
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Maria D Balaguer
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Sebastià Puig
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Mónika Molnár
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
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Yang H, Wang Z, Xiao J, Hu J, Tu X, Gu Z. Integrated morphological and transcriptome profiles reveal a highly-developed extrusome system associated to virulence in the notorious fish parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Virulence 2023; 14:2242622. [PMID: 37551042 PMCID: PMC10411306 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2242622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is an obligate parasitic ciliate that causes severe economic damage in aquaculture. The parasite contains numerous extrusive organelles (extrusomes) that assist in its pathogenesis and reproduction. However, the structure of these extrusomes and the molecular profiles involved in exocytosis remain unclear. In the present study, through comparative ultrastructural observations across the life cycle of I. multifiliis, we demonstrated that all three of its life stages (theront, trophont, and tomont) exhibited an abundance of extrusomes. In addition, two different types of extrusomes were identified according to their unique structures. Type I extrusomes (mucocysts) are crystalline, oval-shaped, 0.7-1.4 × 0.6-1.1 μm, and distributed as "rosettes" below the trophont membrane. Type II extrusomes, 2.0-3.0 × 0.2-0.3 μm, are rod-shaped with tubular cores and identified as toxicysts, the aggregation of which in the anterior part of the theront and cortex of the trophont revealed their potential roles in I. multifiliis invasion. This was confirmed by our transcriptome investigations of the three stages of I. multifiliis, which revealed that a set of genes involved in proteolysis and DNA/protein biogenesis was highly expressed in the theront and trophont. Furthermore, to map the molecular mechanisms of extrusome release, we characterized 25 Rab family genes in I. multifiliis and determined their expression profiles across the life cycle, reflecting the distribution patterns of the two extrusomes. Collectively, our data revealed that a highly developed extrusome system could play a potential role in the virulence of I. multifiliis, which facilitates a better understanding of the parasite's development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yang
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
- National Aquatic Animal Diseases Para-Reference Laboratory (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, China
| | - Jieyin Xiao
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
- National Aquatic Animal Diseases Para-Reference Laboratory (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Jingbo Hu
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
- National Aquatic Animal Diseases Para-Reference Laboratory (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao Tu
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
- National Aquatic Animal Diseases Para-Reference Laboratory (HZAU), Wuhan, China
| | - Zemao Gu
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan, China
- National Aquatic Animal Diseases Para-Reference Laboratory (HZAU), Wuhan, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China
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Ovando-Ovando CI, Feregrino-Mondragón RD, Rincón-Rosales R, Jasso-Chávez R, Ruíz-Valdiviezo VM. Isolation and Identification of Arsenic-Resistant Extremophilic Bacteria from the Crater-Lake Volcano "El Chichon", Mexico. Curr Microbiol 2023; 80:257. [PMID: 37358656 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03327-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
The crater lake at "El Chichón" volcano is an extreme acid-thermal environment with high concentrations of heavy metals. In this study, two bacterial strains with the ability to resist high concentrations of arsenic (As) were isolated from water samples from the crater lake. Staphylococcus ARSC1-P and Stenotrophomonas ARSC2-V isolates were identified by use of the 16S rDNA gene. Staphylococcus ARSC1-P was able to grow in 400 mM of arsenate [As(V)] under oxic and anoxic conditions. The IC50 values were 36 and 382 mM for oxic and anoxic conditions, respectively. For its part, Stenotrophomonas ARSC2-V showed IC50 values of 110 mM and 2.15 for As(V) and arsenite [As(III)], respectively. Arsenic accumulated intracellularly in both species [11-25 nmol As × mg cellular prot-1 in cells cultured in 50 mM As(V)]. The present study shows evidence of microbes that can potentially be a resource for the bio-treatment of arsenic in contaminated sites, which highlights the importance of the "El Chichón" volcano as a source of bacterial strains that are adaptable to extreme conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar Ivan Ovando-Ovando
- Tecnologico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, México
| | | | - Reiner Rincón-Rosales
- Tecnologico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico de Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
| | - Ricardo Jasso-Chávez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, México.
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Kohl J, Schweikert M, Klaas N, Lemloh ML. Intracellular bioaccumulation of the rare earth element Gadolinium in ciliate cells resulting in biogenic particle formation and excretion. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5650. [PMID: 37024513 PMCID: PMC10079679 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32596-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Ciliates are abundant unicellular organisms capable of resisting high concentrations of metal ions in the environment caused by various anthropogenic activities. Understanding the cellular pathways involved in resistance to and detoxification of elements is required to predict the impact of ciliates on environmental element cycles. Here, we investigated the so far unknown process of tolerance, cellular uptake and bioaccumulation of the emerging rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) in the common ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. Gd treatment results in the intracellular formation and excretion of biogenic Gd-containing particles. This cellular process effectively removes dissolved Gd from the organic growth medium by 53.37% within 72 h. Based on light and electron microscopic observations, we postulate a detoxification pathway: Cells take up toxic Gd3+ ions from the medium by endocytosis, process them into stable Gd-containing particles within food vacuoles, and exocytose them. Stable biogenic particles can be isolated, which are relatively homogeneous and have a diameter of about 3 µm. They consist of the elements Gd, C, O, P, Na, Mg, K, and Ca. These findings broaden the view of metal ion accumulation by protists and are of relevance to understand environmental elemental cycles and may inspire approaches for metal recovery or bioremediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Kohl
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Michael Schweikert
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
- SRF AMICA, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Norbert Klaas
- IWS, Research Facility for Subsurface Remediation (VEGAS), University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Marie-Louise Lemloh
- SRF AMICA, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Materials Testing Institute, University of Stuttgart, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany.
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Pan H, Deng M, Zhang B, Fang T, Liu Y. Transcriptome analysis of Tetrahymena thermophila response to exposure with dihydroartemisinin. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14069. [PMID: 36923843 PMCID: PMC10008979 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14069] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is a derivative of artemisinin and is toxic to parasites. We used the Tetrahymena thermophila (T. thermophila) as a model to explore DHA toxicity. Results showed that low concentration of DHA (20 μmol/L) promoted cell proliferation, whereas high concentrations of DHA (40-1280 μmol/L) inhibited that. Appearance of nucleus was pycnosis by laser scanning confocal microscope. DHA significantly elevated activities of SOD and GSH-Px (P < 0.01) and MDA was markedly increased at high level but decreased at low level (P < 0.01). Further results of transcriptome in T. thermophila treated with different concentration DHA group (0, 20, 160 μmol/L) showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in oxidation-reduction and metabolism of exogenous substances indicated oxidative stress stimulation. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes showed that DEGs were involved in the cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of exogenous substances, glutathione metabolism and ABC transport. Remarkably, DNA replication was significantly enriched in low concentration DHA, energy metabolism related pathways and necrotic process were considerably enriched in high concentration DHA. The results of RT-qPCR of 13 DEGs were the same as that of transcriptome, in which the expression of GST and GPx family genes were significantly altered after exposed to high-DHA group. DHA induced oxidative stress damage through disturbing with energy. However, detoxification pathways in T. thermophila to resist oxidative damage and cell alleviated low concentration DHA stress by regulating antioxidant enzyme. This study provides good practice on pharmacological mechanism of artemisinin-based drugs in antiparasitic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houjun Pan
- Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Key Laboratory of Fishery Drug Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Immune Technology of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, 510380, China
| | - Meiling Deng
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, China
| | - Tiantian Fang
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, China
| | - Yuguo Liu
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, China
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Morón Á, Martín-González A, Díaz S, Gutiérrez JC, Amaro F. Autophagy and lipid droplets are a defense mechanism against toxic copper oxide nanotubes in the eukaryotic microbial model Tetrahymena thermophila. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157580. [PMID: 35882336 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The widespread use of inorganic nanomaterials of anthropogenic origin has significantly increased in the last decade, being now considered as emerging pollutants. This makes it necessary to carry out studies to further understand their toxicity and interactions with cells. In the present work we analyzed the toxicity of CuO nanotubes (CuONT) in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, a eukaryotic unicellular model with animal biology. CuONT exposure rapidly induced ROS generation in the cell leading to oxidative stress and upregulation of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase), metal-chelating metallothioneins and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Comet assays and overexpression of genes involved in DNA repair confirmed oxidative DNA damage in CuONT-treated cells. Remarkably, both electron and fluorescent microscopy revealed numerous lipid droplets and autophagosomes containing CuONT aggregates and damaged mitochondria, indicating activation of macroautophagy, which was further confirmed by a dramatic upregulation of ATG (AuTophaGy related) genes. Treatment with autophagy inhibitors significantly increased CuONT toxicity, evidencing the protective role of autophagy towards CuONT-induced damage. Moreover, increased formation of lipid droplets appears as an additional mechanism of CuONT detoxification. Based on these results, we present a hypothetical scenario summarizing how T. thermophila responds to CuONT toxicity. This study corroborates the use of this ciliate as an excellent eukaryotic microbial model for analyzing the cellular response to stress caused by toxic metal nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Morón
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Martín-González
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Díaz
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Gutiérrez
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Amaro
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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