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Jirapattharasate C, Udonsom R, Prachasuphap A, Jongpitisub K, Dhepakson P. Development and evaluation of recombinant GRA8 protein for the serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection in goats. BMC Vet Res 2021; 17:27. [PMID: 33422085 PMCID: PMC7796619 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02719-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of sensitive and specific methods for detecting Toxoplasma gondii infection is critical for preventing and controlling toxoplasmosis in humans and other animals. Recently, various recombinant proteins have been used in serological tests for diagnosing toxoplasmosis. The production of these antigens is associated with live tachyzoites obtained from cell cultures or laboratory animals for genomic extraction to amplify target genes. Synthetic genes have gained a key role in recombinant protein production. For the first time, we demonstrated the production of the recombinant protein of the T. gondii dense granular antigen 8 (TgGRA8) gene based on commercial gene synthesis. Recombinant TgGRA8 plasmids were successfully expressed in an Escherichia coli system. The recombinant protein was affinity-purified and characterized via sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Furthermore, the diagnostic potential of the recombinant protein was assessed using 306 field serum samples from goats via indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) and the latex agglutination test (LAT). RESULTS Western blotting using known positive serum samples from goats identified a single antigen at the expected molecular weight of TgGRA8 (27 kDa). iELISA illustrated that 15.40% of goat samples were positive for T. gondii-specific IgG antibodies. In addition, TgGRA8 provided high sensitivity and specificity, with significant concordance (91.83) and kappa values (0.69) compared with the results obtained using LAT. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the production of a recombinant protein from a synthetic TgGRA8 gene and the ability to detect T. gondii infection in field samples. The sensitivity and specificity of TgGRA8 demonstrated that this protein could be a good serological marker for detecting specific IgG in goat sera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charoonluk Jirapattharasate
- Department of Preclinic and Applied Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, 999 Phutthamonthon sai 4 Rd, Salaya, Nakhonpathom, 73170 Thailand
| | - Ruenruetai Udonsom
- Department of Protozoology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Ratchawithi Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400 Thailand
| | - Apichai Prachasuphap
- Department of Medical Sciences, Medical Life Sciences Institute, 88/7 Tiwanon Road, Talad Kwan Subdistrict, Muang District, Nonthaburi, 11000 Thailand
| | - Kodcharad Jongpitisub
- Department of Medical Sciences, Medical Life Sciences Institute, 88/7 Tiwanon Road, Talad Kwan Subdistrict, Muang District, Nonthaburi, 11000 Thailand
| | - Panadda Dhepakson
- Department of Medical Sciences, Medical Life Sciences Institute, 88/7 Tiwanon Road, Talad Kwan Subdistrict, Muang District, Nonthaburi, 11000 Thailand
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Duong HD, Appiah-Kwarteng C, Takashima Y, Aye KM, Nagayasu E, Yoshida A. A novel luciferase-linked antibody capture assay (LACA) for the diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii infection in chickens. Parasitol Int 2020; 77:102125. [PMID: 32311471 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes the most common parasitic zoonosis worldwide in multiples species of mammals and birds. Although free-range chickens may play a role as an important reservoir for T. gondii, there is no reliable and commercially available diagnostic test for this disease in chickens. In this study, we aimed to develop a novel Luciferase-linked Antibody Capture Assay (LACA) for the serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma infection in chickens. Recombinant nanoluciferase fused-T. gondii dense granule antigen 8 (rNluc-GRA8) was produced and applied to LACA assay as a diagnostic antigen. GRA8-LACA was tested with the sera from uninfected and experimentally infected chickens with T. gondii and other parasitic pathogens and showed unexpectedly high sensitivity (90.5%) and specificity (95.4%). Interestingly, E. coli lysate expressing rNluc-GRA8 could be applied in GRA8-LACA with 85.7% sensitivity and an increased specificity (96.9%) that gave better diagnostic performance compared to conventional ELISA. We applied our diagnostic system to examine 267 free-range chicken sera collected from 12 farms and 100 closed-house broiler chicken sera from local poultry abattoirs. The overall seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in free-range chickens was 10.9% (95% CI: 10.6%-11.1%), while no positive case was found in broiler chickens. GRA8-LACA could be a useful diagnostic technique for T. gondii infection in chickens. The detection of T. gondii seropositive chickens in this study warns a potential risk of Toxoplasma transmission by the consumption of raw or undercooked chicken meat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hieu Duc Duong
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitic Diseases, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan; Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Viet Nam
| | - Cornelia Appiah-Kwarteng
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Takashima
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Khin Myo Aye
- Division of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan; Parasitology Research Division, Department of Medical Research, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Eiji Nagayasu
- Division of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan
| | - Ayako Yoshida
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitic Diseases, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan; Centre for Animal Diseases Control (CADIC), University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.
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Chu JQ, Huang S, Ye W, Fan XY, Huang R, Ye SC, Yu CY, Wu WY, Zhou Y, Zhou W, Lee YH, Quan JH. Evaluation of Protective Immune Response Induced by a DNA Vaccine Encoding GRA8 against Acute Toxoplasmosis in a Murine Model. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2018; 56:325-334. [PMID: 30196664 PMCID: PMC6137303 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2018.56.4.325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most species of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The heavy incidence and severe or lethal damage caused by T. gondii infection clearly indicate a need for the development of an effective vaccine. T. gondii GRA8 is a member of the dense granules protein family and is used as a marker of acute infection. In the present study, we evaluated the protective immunity induced by DNA vaccination based on a recombinant eukaryotic plasmid, pDsRed2-GRA8, against acute toxoplasmosis in mice. BALB/c mice were intramuscularly immunized with the pDsRed2-GRA8 plasmid and then challenged by infection with the highly virulent GFP-RH strain of T. gondii. The specific immune responses and protective efficacy against T. gondii of this vaccine were analyzed by measuring cytokine and serum antibody titers, splenocyte proliferation assays, and the survival times of mice after challenge. Our results showed that mice immunized with pDsRed2-GRA8 demonstrated specific humoral and cellular responses, induced higher IgG antibody titers with predominant IgG2a production; increased levels of IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IFN-γ, TNF-α, and splenocyte proliferation; and prolonged survival times compared to those of control mice. The present study showed that DNA immunization with pDsRed2-GRA8 induced humoral and cellular immune responses, and all immunized mice showed greater Th1-type immune responses and longer survival times than those of control mice. These results indicated that T. gondii GRA8 DNA immunization induces a partial protective effect against acute toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Qi Chu
- Stem Cell Research and Cellular Therapy Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Shuai Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Wei Ye
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Xuan-Yan Fan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Rui Huang
- Stem Cell Research and Cellular Therapy Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Shi-Cai Ye
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Cai-Yuan Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Wei-Yun Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Institute of Immunology, Taishan Medical College, Tai’an, Shandong 271000, China
| | - Young-Ha Lee
- Department of Infection Biology and Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon 35015, Korea
| | - Juan-Hua Quan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
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Döşkaya M, Liang L, Jain A, Can H, Gülçe İz S, Felgner PL, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Davies DH, Gürüz AY. Discovery of new Toxoplasma gondii antigenic proteins using a high throughput protein microarray approach screening sera of murine model infected orally with oocysts and tissue cysts. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:393. [PMID: 29973272 PMCID: PMC6033234 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2934-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes congenital toxoplasmosis, as well as other serious clinical presentations in immune compromised humans. The parasite has also been recently linked to behavioral diseases in humans and other mammalian hosts. New antigens are being evaluated to develop a diagnostic kit for the diagnosis of acute infection or a protective vaccine. METHODS In this study, we have focused on the discovery of new antigenic proteins from T. gondii genomic data using a high throughput protein microarray screening. To date, microarrays containing > 2870 candidate exon products of T. gondii have been probed with sera collected from patients with toxoplasmosis. Here, the protein microarrays are probed with well-characterized serum samples from animal models administered orally with oocysts or tissue cysts. The aim was to discover the antigens that overlap in the mouse profile with human antibody profiles published previously. For this, a reactive antigen list of 240 antigens recognized by murine IgG and IgM was identified using pooled sera from orally infected mice. RESULTS Analyses of screening data have identified plenty of antigens and showed strong immunogenicity in both mouse and human antibody profiles. Among them, ROP1, GRA2, GRA3, GRA4, GRA5, GRA6, GRA7, GRA8, GRA14, MIC1, MIC2 and MAG1 have shown strong immunogenicity and used as antigen in development of vaccines or serological diagnostic assays in previous studies. CONCLUSION In addition to the above findings, ROP6, MIC12, SRS29A and SRS13 have shown strong immunogenicity but have not been tested in development of a diagnostic assay or a vaccine model yet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mert Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - Li Liang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Aarti Jain
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ege University Faculty of Sciences, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - Sultan Gülçe İz
- Department of Bioengineering, Ege University Faculty of Engineering, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - Philip Louis Felgner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Aysu Değirmenci Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
| | - David Huw Davies
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California USA
| | - Adnan Yüksel Gürüz
- Department of Parasitology, Vaccine Research and Development Laboratory, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Bornova/İzmir, Turkey
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Costa JG, Vilariño MJ. Antigens to detect the acute phase of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women: standardized comparison. Biomark Med 2018; 12:517-534. [DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2017-0345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A key element in any diagnostic technique is the antigen (Ag), a biomarker, but this is usually a protein that has a function to the parasite. Some biological aspects of the Ags and of the Toxoplasma gondii can influence the effectiveness of the diagnosis, as well as the antibody isotype and the characteristics of the assay. A large number of papers have assessed different proteins to distinguish the phases of infection, but the ‘indices of effectiveness’ differ among reports. This work presents for the first time a summary of all the Ags that have been evaluated, with standardized measurements of sensitivity and specificity. These values were calculated with information presented in the papers on Ag evaluations to differentiate the infection phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Gabriel Costa
- Laboratorio de Microbiología, Hospital provincial del Centenario, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Cátedra de Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas de Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - María Julia Vilariño
- Departamento de Neurología pediátrica, Hospital Escuela Eva Perón, Granadero Baigorria, Santa Fe, Argentina
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Costa JG, Vilariño MJ. Semiquantitative Dot Blot with the GRA8 antigen to differentiate the stages of toxoplasmosis infection. J Microbiol Methods 2018; 149:9-13. [PMID: 29684398 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this work we present a novel methodology to differentiate the phases of toxoplasmosis infection: the "semiquantitative Dot Blot". It is a simple technique that does not require expensive equipment, does not involve a long technique development, and can be used in a low-complexity laboratory. In this study, two recombinant sequences of Toxoplasma gondii GRA8 antigen were used, and specific IgG antibodies were detected in selected patient samples. This method makes it possible to obtain a score for each serum and define whether the patient is in the acute or chronic phase of the infection. The sensitivity and specificity results varied depending on the antigenic sequence used. With GRA8A, 62.1% and 72.7% were obtained, while with GRA8B, 82.8% and 72.1% were obtained, respectively. Although the sensitivity and specificity values were not close to 100%, they were similar to those reported with the same antigens in ELISA. Therefore, this quantitative technique would be a good alternative to ELISA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Gabriel Costa
- Cátedra de Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Ciudad Universitaria, Santa Fe, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - María Julia Vilariño
- Hospital Escuela Eva Perón, Av. San Martín 1645, Granadero Baigorria, Santa Fe, Argentina
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Toxoplasma gondii GRA8 induces ATP5A1-SIRT3-mediated mitochondrial metabolic resuscitation: a potential therapy for sepsis. Exp Mol Med 2018; 50:e464. [PMID: 29869623 PMCID: PMC5898902 DOI: 10.1038/emm.2017.308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii has unique dense granule antigens (GRAs) that are crucial for host infection. Emerging evidence suggests that GRA8 of T. gondii is a promising serodiagnostic marker in toxoplasmosis. However, little is known about the intracellular regulatory mechanisms involved in GRA8-induced host responses. We found that GRA8 interacts with host proteins involved in mitochondria activation and might be useful as a therapeutic strategy for sepsis. Here, we show that protein kinase-Cα (PKCα)-mediated phosphorylation of T. gondii GRA8 (Thr220) is required for mitochondrial trafficking and regulates the interaction of C terminal of GRA8 with nucleotide binding domain of ATP5A1. Furthermore, GRA8 interacts with SIRT3 in mitochondria, facilitating ATP5A1 deacetylation (K506 and K531), adenosine triphosphate production and subsequent anti-septic activity in vivo. Taken together, these results demonstrate a new anti-sepsis therapeutic strategy using T. gondii GRA8-induced mitochondrial metabolic resuscitation. This strategy represents an urgently needed paradigm shift for therapeutic intervention.
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