1
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Kwakye-Nuako G, Middleton CE, McCall LI. Small molecule mediators of host-T. cruzi-environment interactions in Chagas disease. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012012. [PMID: 38457443 PMCID: PMC10923493 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Small molecules (less than 1,500 Da) include major biological signals that mediate host-pathogen-microbiome communication. They also include key intermediates of metabolism and critical cellular building blocks. Pathogens present with unique nutritional needs that restrict pathogen colonization or promote tissue damage. In parallel, parts of host metabolism are responsive to immune signaling and regulated by immune cascades. These interactions can trigger both adaptive and maladaptive metabolic changes in the host, with microbiome-derived signals also contributing to disease progression. In turn, targeting pathogen metabolic needs or maladaptive host metabolic changes is an important strategy to develop new treatments for infectious diseases. Trypanosoma cruzi is a single-celled eukaryotic pathogen and the causative agent of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease associated with cardiac and intestinal dysfunction. Here, we discuss the role of small molecules during T. cruzi infection in its vector and in the mammalian host. We integrate these findings to build a theoretical interpretation of how maladaptive metabolic changes drive Chagas disease and extrapolate on how these findings can guide drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Godwin Kwakye-Nuako
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Caitlyn E. Middleton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Laura-Isobel McCall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America
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2
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Rapado LN, Nascimento JF, Manchola NC, Damasceno FS, Achjian RW, Silber AM. The branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) modulate the development of the intra-cellular stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. Exp Parasitol 2023; 255:108642. [PMID: 37939824 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, involves different forms of the parasite, which alternates between insect and vertebrate hosts. One critical process in the parasite's life cycle is metacyclogenesis, in which the replicative non-infective forms present in the insect midgut differentiate into non-dividing vertebrate-infective forms. It is known that proline (Pro) is important for this process and that leucine (Leu) and isoleucine (Ile) can act as inhibitors of metacyclogenesis. In this study, we investigated further the role of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) as negative modulators of parasite differentiation and infection capability in vitro. We found that BCAAs can down-regulate metacyclogenesis, inhibiting Pro-dependent differentiation. Furthermore, we evaluated the ability of all three BCAAs to influence the differentiation of intracellular stages and found that they could modulate the release of trypomastigotes from infected host cells. These findings suggest that BCAAs may have an important role in the complex life cycle of T. cruzi. Thus, enzymes of their metabolism and other interacting proteins could be potential targets for the development of new therapeutic strategies for Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- L N Rapado
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - J F Nascimento
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - N C Manchola
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - F S Damasceno
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - R W Achjian
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - A M Silber
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil.
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3
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Menezes AP, Murillo AM, de Castro CG, Bellini NK, Tosi LRO, Thiemann OH, Elias MC, Silber AM, da Cunha JPC. Navigating the boundaries between metabolism and epigenetics in trypanosomes. Trends Parasitol 2023; 39:682-695. [PMID: 37349193 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.05.010] [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: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic marks enable cells to acquire new biological features that favor their adaptation to environmental changes. These marks are chemical modifications on chromatin-associated proteins and nucleic acids that lead to changes in the chromatin landscape and may eventually affect gene expression. The chemical tags of these epigenetic marks are comprised of intermediate cellular metabolites. The number of discovered associations between metabolism and epigenetics has increased, revealing how environment influences gene regulation and phenotype diversity. This connection is relevant to all organisms but underappreciated in digenetic parasites, which must adapt to different environments as they progress through their life cycles. This review speculates and proposes associations between epigenetics and metabolism in trypanosomes, which are protozoan parasites that cause human and livestock diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula Menezes
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular - Instituto Butantan, São Paulo-SP, Brazil; Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune e Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Milena Murillo
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tryps - LabTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - Camila Gachet de Castro
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular - Instituto Butantan, São Paulo-SP, Brazil; Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune e Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Natalia Karla Bellini
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular - Instituto Butantan, São Paulo-SP, Brazil; Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune e Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Maria Carolina Elias
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular - Instituto Butantan, São Paulo-SP, Brazil; Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune e Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tryps - LabTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo-SP, Brazil.
| | - Julia Pinheiro Chagas da Cunha
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular - Instituto Butantan, São Paulo-SP, Brazil; Centro de Toxinas, Resposta Imune e Sinalização Celular (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.
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4
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Osorio-Méndez JF, Téllez GA, Zapata-López D, Echeverry S, Castaño JC. Sequence analysis of SWEET transporters from trypanosomatids and evaluation of its expression in Trypanosoma cruzi. Exp Parasitol 2023; 248:108496. [PMID: 36878387 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is an obligate parasite that uses glucose as one of the main resources to maintain its survival and proliferation. In eukaryotic cells glucose transport across membranes is mediated by facilitated transport through a variety of transporters. Herein, genes from the recently described SWEET family of carbohydrate transporters were identified in trypanosomatid parasites, including the medically important species T. cruzi and Leishmania spp. The identified genes have sequences with the typical attributes of known SWEET transporters. The expression of TcSWEET, the gene for the SWEET transporter found in the T. cruzi genome, was evidenced by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal serum raised against peptides selected from the deduced TcSWEET protein sequence. In Western blot analysis, this α-TcSWEET serum detected proteins within the theoretical molecular mass for TcSWEET (25.8 kDa) in total epimastigote lysates, suggesting its expression at this parasite stage. Additionally, this serum stained epimastigotes at localizations consistent with the cell body and the flagellum. Together, these data suggests that SWEET transporters may contribute to glucose transport in trypanosomatid parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Felipe Osorio-Méndez
- Laboratorio de Microbiología y Biología Molecular, Programa de Medicina, Corporación Universitaria Empresarial Alexander von Humboldt, Armenia, Colombia.
| | - Germán Alberto Téllez
- Laboratorio de Microbiología y Biología Molecular, Programa de Medicina, Corporación Universitaria Empresarial Alexander von Humboldt, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Daniela Zapata-López
- Laboratorio de Microbiología y Biología Molecular, Programa de Medicina, Corporación Universitaria Empresarial Alexander von Humboldt, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Sebastián Echeverry
- Laboratorio de Microbiología y Biología Molecular, Programa de Medicina, Corporación Universitaria Empresarial Alexander von Humboldt, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Jhon Carlos Castaño
- Grupo de Inmunología Molecular (Gymol), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia
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5
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Mantilla BS, Paes-Vieira L, de Almeida Dias F, Calderano SG, Elias MC, Cosentino-Gomes D, Oliveira PL, Meyer-Fernandes JR, Silber AM. Higher expression of proline dehydrogenase altered mitochondrial function and increased Trypanosoma cruzi differentiation in vitro and in the insect vector. Biochem J 2021; 478:3891-3903. [PMID: 34661234 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The pathogenic protist Trypanosoma cruzi uses kissing bugs as invertebrate hosts that vectorize the infection among mammals. This parasite oxidizes proline to glutamate through two enzymatic steps and one nonenzymatic step. In insect vectors, T. cruzi differentiates from a noninfective replicating form to nonproliferative infective forms. Proline sustains this differentiation, but to date, a link between proline metabolism and differentiation has not been established. In T. cruzi, the enzymatic steps of the proline-glutamate oxidation pathway are catalyzed exclusively by the mitochondrial enzymes proline dehydrogenase [TcPRODH, EC: 1.5.5.2] and Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase [TcP5CDH, EC: 1.2.1.88]. Both enzymatic steps produce reducing equivalents that are able to directly feed the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) and thus produce ATP. In this study, we demonstrate the contribution of each enzyme of the proline-glutamate pathway to ATP production. In addition, we show that parasites overexpressing these enzymes produce increased levels of H2O2, but only those overexpressing TcP5CDH produce increased levels of superoxide anion. We show that parasites overexpressing TcPRODH, but not parasites overexpressing TcP5CDH, exhibit a higher rate of differentiation into metacyclic trypomastigotes in vitro. Finally, insect hosts infected with parasites overexpressing TcPRODH showed a diminished parasitic load but a higher percent of metacyclic trypomastigotes, when compared with controls. Our data show that parasites overexpressing both, PRODH and P5CDH had increased mitochondrial functions that orchestrated different oxygen signaling, resulting in different outcomes in relation to the efficiency of parasitic differentiation in the invertebrate host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian S Mantilla
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps- LabTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Lisvane Paes-Vieira
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps- LabTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Felipe de Almeida Dias
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Simone G Calderano
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Center of Toxines, Immune response and Cell Signallig, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Maria Carolina Elias
- Laboratório de Ciclo Celular, Center of Toxines, Immune response and Cell Signallig, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Daniela Cosentino-Gomes
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro L Oliveira
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Meyer-Fernandes
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ariel M Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps- LabTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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6
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Gahura O, Hierro-Yap C, Zíková A. Redesigned and reversed: architectural and functional oddities of the trypanosomal ATP synthase. Parasitology 2021; 148:1151-1160. [PMID: 33551002 PMCID: PMC8311965 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021000202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondrial F-type adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthases are commonly introduced as highly conserved membrane-embedded rotary machines generating the majority of cellular ATP. This simplified view neglects recently revealed striking compositional diversity of the enzyme and the fact that in specific life stages of some parasites, the physiological role of the enzyme is to maintain the mitochondrial membrane potential at the expense of ATP rather than to produce ATP. In addition, mitochondrial ATP synthases contribute indirectly to the organelle's other functions because they belong to major determinants of submitochondrial morphology. Here, we review current knowledge about the trypanosomal ATP synthase composition and architecture in the context of recent advances in the structural characterization of counterpart enzymes from several eukaryotic supergroups. We also discuss the physiological function of mitochondrial ATP synthases in three trypanosomatid parasites, Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania, with a focus on their disease-causing life cycle stages. We highlight the reversed proton-pumping role of the ATP synthase in the T. brucei bloodstream form, the enzyme's potential link to the regulation of parasite's glycolysis and its role in generating mitochondrial membrane potential in the absence of mitochondrial DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Gahura
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Carolina Hierro-Yap
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Zíková
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
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7
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Coutinho JVP, Rosa-Fernandes L, Mule SN, de Oliveira GS, Manchola NC, Santiago VF, Colli W, Wrenger C, Alves MJM, Palmisano G. The thermal proteome stability profile of Trypanosoma cruzi in epimastigote and trypomastigote life stages. J Proteomics 2021; 248:104339. [PMID: 34352427 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a flagellate protozoa being the etiological agent of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease, which still poses a public health problem worldwide. The intricate molecular changes during T. cruzi-host interaction have been explored using different largescale omics techniques. However, protein stability is largely unknown. Thermal proteome profiling (TPP) methodology has the potential to characterize proteome-wide stability highlighting key proteins during T. cruzi infection and life stage transition from the invertebrate to the mammalian host. In the present work, T. cruzi epimastigotes and trypomastigotes cell lysates were subjected to TPP workflow and analyzed by quantitative large-scale mass spectrometry-based proteomics to fit a melting profile for each protein. A total of 2884 proteins were identified and associated to 1741 melting curves being 1370 in trypomastigotes (TmAVG 53.53 °C) and 1279 in epimastigotes (TmAVG 50.89 °C). A total of 453 proteins were identified with statistically different melting profiles between the two life stages. Proteins associated to pathogenesis and intracellular transport had regulated melting temperatures. Membrane and glycosylated proteins had a higher average Tm in trypomastigotes compared to epimastigotes. This study represents the first large-scale comparison of parasite protein stability between life stages. SIGNIFICANCE: Trypanosoma cruzi, a unicellular flagellate parasite, is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, endemic in South America and affecting more that 7 million people worldwide. There is an intense research to identify novel chemotherapeutic and diagnostic targets of Chagas disease. Proteomic approaches have helped in elucidating the quantitative proteome and PTMs changes of T. cruzi during life cycle transition and upon different biotic and abiotic stimuli. However, a comprehensive knowledge of the protein-protein interaction and protein conformation is still missing. In order to fill this gap, this manuscript elucidates the T. cruzi Y strain proteome-wide thermal stability map in the epimastigote and trypomastigote life stages. Comparison between life stages showed a higher average melting temperature stability for trypomastigotes than epimastigotes indicating a host temperature adaptation. Both presented a selective thermal stability shift for cellular compartments, molecular functions and biological processes based on the T. cruzi life stage. Membrane and glycosylated proteins presented a higher thermal stability in trypomastigotes when compared to the epimastigotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joao V P Coutinho
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Livia Rosa-Fernandes
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Simon Ngao Mule
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gilberto Santos de Oliveira
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Veronica Feijoli Santiago
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Walter Colli
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Giuseppe Palmisano
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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De Araújo JS, da Silva PB, Batista MM, Peres RB, Cardoso-Santos C, Kalejaiye TD, Munday JC, De Heuvel E, Sterk GJ, Augustyns K, Salado IG, Matheeussen A, De Esch I, De Koning HP, Leurs R, Maes L, Soeiro MDNC. Evaluation of phthalazinone phosphodiesterase inhibitors with improved activity and selectivity against Trypanosoma cruzi. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 75:958-967. [PMID: 31860098 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkz516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chagas' disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, needs urgent alternative therapeutic options as the treatments currently available display severe limitations, mainly related to efficacy and toxicity. OBJECTIVES As phosphodiesterases (PDEs) have been claimed as novel targets against T. cruzi, our aim was to evaluate the biological aspects of 12 new phthalazinone PDE inhibitors against different T. cruzi strains and parasite forms relevant for human infection. METHODS In vitro trypanocidal activity of the inhibitors was assessed alone and in combination with benznidazole. Their effects on parasite ultrastructural and cAMP levels were determined. PDE mRNA levels from the different T. cruzi forms were measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. RESULTS Five TcrPDEs were found to be expressed in all parasite stages. Four compounds displayed strong effects against intracellular amastigotes. Against bloodstream trypomastigotes (BTs), three were at least as potent as benznidazole. In vitro combination therapy with one of the most active inhibitors on both parasite forms (NPD-040) plus benznidazole demonstrated a quite synergistic profile (xΣ FICI = 0.58) against intracellular amastigotes but no interaction (xΣ FICI = 1.27) when BTs were assayed. BTs treated with NPD-040 presented disrupted Golgi apparatus, a swollen flagellar pocket and signs of autophagy. cAMP measurements of untreated parasites showed that amastigotes have higher ability to efflux this second messenger than BTs. NPD-001 and NPD-040 increase the intracellular cAMP content in both BTs and amastigotes, which is also released into the extracellular milieu. CONCLUSIONS The findings demonstrate the potential of PDE inhibitors as anti-T. cruzi drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcos Meuser Batista
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Raiza Brandão Peres
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Camila Cardoso-Santos
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Titilola D Kalejaiye
- Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Jane C Munday
- Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Erik De Heuvel
- Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines & Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Jan Sterk
- Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines & Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Koen Augustyns
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Irene G Salado
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - An Matheeussen
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Iwan De Esch
- Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines & Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harry P De Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Rob Leurs
- Medicinal Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines & Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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9
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Lander N, Chiurillo MA, Docampo R. Signaling pathways involved in environmental sensing in Trypanosoma cruzi. Mol Microbiol 2021; 115:819-828. [PMID: 33034088 PMCID: PMC8032824 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a unicellular parasite and the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. The parasite has a digenetic life cycle alternating between mammalian and insect hosts, where it faces a variety of environmental conditions to which it must adapt in order to survive. The adaptation to these changes is mediated by signaling pathways that coordinate the cellular responses to the new environmental settings. Major environmental changes include temperature, nutrient availability, ionic composition, pH, osmolarity, oxidative stress, contact with host cells and tissues, host immune response, and intracellular life. Some of the signaling pathways and second messengers potentially involved in the response to these changes have been elucidated in recent years and will be the subject of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Lander
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Miguel A. Chiurillo
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Roberto Docampo
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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10
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Michels PAM, Villafraz O, Pineda E, Alencar MB, Cáceres AJ, Silber AM, Bringaud F. Carbohydrate metabolism in trypanosomatids: New insights revealing novel complexity, diversity and species-unique features. Exp Parasitol 2021; 224:108102. [PMID: 33775649 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2021.108102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The human pathogenic trypanosomatid species collectively called the "TriTryp parasites" - Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. - have complex life cycles, with each of these parasitic protists residing in a different niche during their successive developmental stages where they encounter diverse nutrients. Consequently, they adapt their metabolic network accordingly. Yet, throughout the life cycles, carbohydrate metabolism - involving the glycolytic, gluconeogenic and pentose-phosphate pathways - always plays a central role in the biology of these parasites, whether the available carbon and free energy sources are saccharides, amino acids or lipids. In this paper, we provide an updated review of the carbohydrate metabolism of the TriTryps, highlighting new data about this metabolic network, the interconnection of its pathways and the compartmentalisation of its enzymes within glycosomes, cytosol and mitochondrion. Differences in the expression of the branches of the metabolic network between the successive life-cycle stages of each of these parasitic trypanosomatids are discussed, as well as differences between them. Recent structural and kinetic studies have revealed unique regulatory mechanisms for some of the network's key enzymes with important species-specific variations. Furthermore, reports of multiple post-translational modifications of trypanosomal glycolytic enzymes suggest that additional mechanisms for stage- and/or environmental cues that regulate activity are operational in the parasites. The detailed comparison of the carbohydrate metabolism of the TriTryps has thus revealed multiple differences and a greater complexity, including for the reduced metabolic network in bloodstream-form T. brucei, than previously appreciated. Although these parasites are related, share many cytological and metabolic features and are grouped within a single taxonomic family, the differences highlighted in this review reflect their separate evolutionary tracks from a common ancestor to the extant organisms. These differences are indicative of their adaptation to the different insect vectors and niches occupied in their mammalian hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A M Michels
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution and Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
| | - Oriana Villafraz
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité (MFP), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR-5234, France
| | - Erika Pineda
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité (MFP), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR-5234, France
| | - Mayke B Alencar
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ana J Cáceres
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela.
| | - Ariel M Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil.
| | - Frédéric Bringaud
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité (MFP), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR-5234, France.
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11
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Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier Subunits Are Essential for Pyruvate-Driven Respiration, Infectivity, and Intracellular Replication of Trypanosoma cruzi. mBio 2021; 12:mBio.00540-21. [PMID: 33824204 PMCID: PMC8092248 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00540-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease. Pyruvate is the end product of glycolysis, and its transport into the mitochondrion is mediated by the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) subunits. Pyruvate is the final metabolite of glycolysis and can be converted into acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) in mitochondria, where it is used as the substrate for the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Pyruvate availability in mitochondria depends on its active transport through the heterocomplex formed by the mitochondrial pyruvate carriers 1 and 2 (MPC1/MPC2). We report here studies on MPC1/MPC2 of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. Endogenous tagging of T. cruziMPC1 (TcMPC1) and TcMPC2 with 3×c-Myc showed that both encoded proteins colocalize with MitoTracker to the mitochondria of epimastigotes. Individual knockout (KO) of TcMPC1 and TcMPC2 genes using CRISPR/Cas9 was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analyses. Digitonin-permeabilized TcMPC1-KO and TcMPC2-KO epimastigotes showed reduced O2 consumption rates when pyruvate, but not succinate, was used as the mitochondrial substrate, while α-ketoglutarate increased their O2 consumption rates due to an increase in α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase activity. Defective mitochondrial pyruvate import resulted in decreased Ca2+ uptake. The inhibitors UK5099 and malonate impaired pyruvate-driven oxygen consumption in permeabilized control cells. Inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase by malonate indicated that pyruvate needs to be converted into succinate to increase respiration. TcMPC1-KO and TcMPC2-KO epimastigotes showed little growth differences in standard or low-glucose culture medium. However, the ability of trypomastigotes to infect tissue culture cells and replicate as intracellular amastigotes was decreased in TcMPC-KOs. Overall, T. cruzi MPC1 and MPC2 are essential for cellular respiration in the presence of pyruvate, invasion of host cells, and replication of amastigotes.
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12
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Fargnoli L, Panozzo-Zénere EA, Pagura L, Barisón MJ, Cricco JA, Silber AM, Labadie GR. Targeting L-Proline Uptake as New Strategy for Anti-chagas Drug Development. Front Chem 2020; 8:696. [PMID: 33195007 PMCID: PMC7477874 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
L-Proline is an important amino acid for the pathogenic protists belonging to Trypanosoma and Leishmania genera. In Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, this amino acid is involved in fundamental biological processes such as ATP production, differentiation of the insect and intracellular stages, the host cell infection and the resistance to a variety of stresses. In this study, we explore the L-Proline uptake as a chemotherapeutic target for T. cruzi. Novel inhibitors have been proposed containing the amino acid with a linker and a variable region able to block the transporter. A series of sixteen 1,2,3-triazolyl-proline derivatives have been prepared for in vitro screening against T. cruzi epimastigotes and proline uptake assays. We successfully obtained inhibitors that interfere with the amino acid internalization, which validated our design targeting the metabolite's transport. The presented structures are one of few examples of amino acid transporter inhibitors. The unprecedent application of this strategy on the development of new chemotherapy against Chagas disease, opens a new horizon on antiparasitic drug development against parasitic diseases and other pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Fargnoli
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Química de Rosario (IQUIR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Esteban A Panozzo-Zénere
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Química de Rosario (IQUIR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Lucas Pagura
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET-Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - María Julia Barisón
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps-LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julia A Cricco
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET-Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Ariel M Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps-LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Guillermo R Labadie
- Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Instituto de Química de Rosario (IQUIR), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
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13
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Shiratsubaki IS, Fang X, Souza ROO, Palsson BO, Silber AM, Siqueira-Neto JL. Genome-scale metabolic models highlight stage-specific differences in essential metabolic pathways in Trypanosoma cruzi. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008728. [PMID: 33021977 PMCID: PMC7567352 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease and a leading cause of heart failure in Latin America caused by a protozoan called Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite presents a complex multi-stage life cycle. Anti-Chagas drugs currently available are limited to benznidazole and nifurtimox, both with severe side effects. Thus, there is a need for alternative and more efficient drugs. Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) can accurately predict metabolic capabilities and aid in drug discovery in metabolic genes. This work developed an extended GEM, hereafter referred to as iIS312, of the published and validated T. cruzi core metabolism model. From iIS312, we then built three stage-specific models through transcriptomics data integration, and showed that epimastigotes present the most active metabolism among the stages (see S1-S4 GEMs). Stage-specific models predicted significant metabolic differences among stages, including variations in flux distribution in core metabolism. Moreover, the gene essentiality predictions suggest potential drug targets, among which some have been previously proven lethal, including glutamate dehydrogenase, glucokinase and hexokinase. To validate the models, we measured the activity of enzymes in the core metabolism of the parasite at different stages, and showed the results were consistent with model predictions. Our results represent a potential step forward towards the improvement of Chagas disease treatment. To our knowledge, these stage-specific models are the first GEMs built for the stages Amastigote and Trypomastigote. This work is also the first to present an in silico GEM comparison among different stages in the T. cruzi life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel S Shiratsubaki
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Xin Fang
- Department of Bioengineering, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Rodolpho O O Souza
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps - LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bernhard O Palsson
- Department of Bioengineering, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ariel M Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps - LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jair L Siqueira-Neto
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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14
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Glutamine Analogues Impair Cell Proliferation, the Intracellular Cycle and Metacyclogenesis in Trypanosoma cruzi. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25071628. [PMID: 32252252 PMCID: PMC7180609 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25071628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the aetiologic agent of Chagas disease, which affects people in the Americas and worldwide. The parasite has a complex life cycle that alternates among mammalian hosts and insect vectors. During its life cycle, T. cruzi passes through different environments and faces nutrient shortages. It has been established that amino acids, such as proline, histidine, alanine, and glutamate, are crucial to T. cruzi survival. Recently, we described that T. cruzi can biosynthesize glutamine from glutamate and/or obtain it from the extracellular environment, and the role of glutamine in energetic metabolism and metacyclogenesis was demonstrated. In this study, we analysed the effect of glutamine analogues on the parasite life cycle. Here, we show that glutamine analogues impair cell proliferation, the developmental cycle during the infection of mammalian host cells and metacyclogenesis. Taken together, these results show that glutamine is an important metabolite for T. cruzi survival and suggest that glutamine analogues can be used as scaffolds for the development of new trypanocidal drugs. These data also reinforce the supposition that glutamine metabolism is an unexplored possible therapeutic target.
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15
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Fernandes PM, Kinkead J, McNae IW, Vásquez-Valdivieso M, Wear MA, Michels PAM, Walkinshaw MD. Kinetic and structural studies of Trypanosoma and Leishmania phosphofructokinases show evolutionary divergence and identify AMP as a switch regulating glycolysis versus gluconeogenesis. FEBS J 2020; 287:2847-2861. [PMID: 31838765 PMCID: PMC7383607 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosomatids possess glycosome organelles that contain much of the glycolytic machinery, including phosphofructokinase (PFK). We present kinetic and structural data for PFK from three human pathogenic trypanosomatids, illustrating intriguing differences that may reflect evolutionary adaptations to differing ecological niches. The activity of Leishmania PFK – to a much larger extent than Trypanosoma PFK – is reliant on AMP for activity regulation, with 1 mm AMP increasing the L. infantum PFK (LiPFK) kcat/K0.5F6P value by 10‐fold, compared to only a 1.3‐ and 1.4‐fold increase for T. cruzi and T. brucei PFK, respectively. We also show that Leishmania PFK melts at a significantly lower (> 15 °C) temperature than Trypanosoma PFKs and that addition of either AMP or ATP results in a marked stabilization of the protein. Sequence comparisons of Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp. show that divergence of the two genera involved amino acid substitutions that occur in the enzyme’s ‘reaching arms’ and ‘embracing arms’ that determine tetramer stability. The dramatic effects of AMP on Leishmania activity compared with the Trypanosoma PFKs may be explained by differences between the T‐to‐R equilibria for the two families, with the low‐melting Leishmania PFK favouring the flexible inactive T‐state in the absence of AMP. Sequence comparisons along with the enzymatic and structural data presented here also suggest there was a loss of AMP‐dependent regulation in Trypanosoma species rather than gain of this characteristic in Leishmania species and that AMP acts as a key regulator in Leishmania governing the balance between glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Fernandes
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - James Kinkead
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Iain W McNae
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Monserrat Vásquez-Valdivieso
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Martin A Wear
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Paul A M Michels
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Malcolm D Walkinshaw
- Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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16
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Duque TL, Siqueira MS, Travassos LH, Moreira OC, Bozza PT, Melo RC, Henriques-Pons A, Menna-Barreto RF. The induction of host cell autophagy triggers defense mechanisms against Trypanosoma cruzi infection in vitro. Eur J Cell Biol 2020; 99:151060. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2019.151060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
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17
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Cordeiro AT. NADPH Producing Enzymes as Promising Drug Targets for Chagas Disease. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:6564-6571. [PMID: 30306853 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666181009152844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Reduced Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADPH) is a cofactor used in different anabolic reactions, such as lipid and nucleic acid synthesis, and for oxidative stress defense. NADPH is essential for parasite growth and viability. In trypanosomatid parasites, NADPH is supplied by the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway and by enzymes associated with the citric acid cycle. The present article will review recent achievements that suggest glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the cytosolic isoform of the malic enzyme as promising drug targets for the discovery of new drugs against Trypanosoma cruzi and T. brucei. Topics involving an alternative strategy in accelerating T. cruzi drug-target validation and the concept of drug-target classification will also be revisited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur T Cordeiro
- Brazilian Bioscience National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas- SP, Brazil
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18
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Mesías AC, Garg NJ, Zago MP. Redox Balance Keepers and Possible Cell Functions Managed by Redox Homeostasis in Trypanosoma cruzi. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:435. [PMID: 31921709 PMCID: PMC6932984 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The toxicity of oxygen and nitrogen reactive species appears to be merely the tip of the iceberg in the world of redox homeostasis. Now, oxidative stress can be seen as a two-sided process; at high concentrations, it causes damage to biomolecules, and thus, trypanosomes have evolved a strong antioxidant defense system to cope with these stressors. At low concentrations, oxidants are essential for cell signaling, and in fact, the oxidants/antioxidants balance may be able to trigger different cell fates. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the current knowledge of the oxidant environment experienced by T. cruzi along the different phases of its life cycle, and the molecular tools exploited by this pathogen to deal with oxidative stress, for better or worse. Further, we discuss the possible redox-regulated processes that could be governed by this oxidative context. Most of the current research has addressed the importance of the trypanosomes' antioxidant network based on its detox activity of harmful species; however, new efforts are necessary to highlight other functions of this network and the mechanisms underlying the fine regulation of the defense machinery, as this represents a master key to hinder crucial pathogen functions. Understanding the relevance of this balance keeper program in parasite biology will give us new perspectives to delineate improved treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Mesías
- Instituto de Patología Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Nisha J Garg
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - M Paola Zago
- Instituto de Patología Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina
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19
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Rocha SC, Pérez AR, Beloscar J, Bottasso O, Silber AM. Diminished Prolinemia in Chronic Chagasic Patients: A New Clue for Disease Pathology? Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24173167. [PMID: 31480397 PMCID: PMC6749509 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24173167] [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: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is dependent on proline for a variety of processes, such as energy metabolism, host cell invasion, differentiation, and resistance to osmotic, metabolic, and oxidative stress. On this basis, we investigated a possible relationship between prolinemia and severity of T. cruzi infection in chronic patients, as reported here. The study population consisted of 112 subjects, separated into 83 chronically T. cruzi-infected patients and 29 age-matched healthy volunteers (control) of both sexes, recruited at the Chagas Disease Service from the Department of Cardiology, Hospital Provincial del Centenario de Rosario (Rosario, Argentina). Chagasic patients were separated into three groups: chronic asymptomatic, mild/moderate, and severe chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) subjects. We observed a significant decrease of 11.7% in prolinemia in chagasic patients when compared to controls. Further analysis within the three groups of chagasic patients also revealed a statistically significant decrease of prolinemia in severe CCC patients compared to controls, showing a relative difference of 13.6% in proline concentrations. These data point to the possibility that collagen—which participates in the healing process of cardiac tissue—and proline metabolism in the myocardium could constitute new factors affecting the evolution of Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Carla Rocha
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps - LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil
| | - Ana Rosa Pérez
- Institute of Clinical and Experimental Immunology of Rosario (IDICER-CONICET UNR), Suipacha 590, Rosario 2000, Argentina
| | - Juan Beloscar
- Institute of Clinical and Experimental Immunology of Rosario (IDICER-CONICET UNR), Suipacha 590, Rosario 2000, Argentina
| | - Oscar Bottasso
- Institute of Clinical and Experimental Immunology of Rosario (IDICER-CONICET UNR), Suipacha 590, Rosario 2000, Argentina
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps - LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil.
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20
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Mercaldi GF, D'Antonio EL, Aguessi A, Rodriguez A, Cordeiro AT. Discovery of antichagasic inhibitors by high-throughput screening with Trypanosoma cruzi glucokinase. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2019; 29:1948-1953. [PMID: 31133533 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2019.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign was carried out for Trypanosoma cruzi glucokinase (TcGlcK), a potential drug-target of the pathogenic protozoan parasite. Glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) are important metabolic pathways for T. cruzi and the inhibition of the glucose kinases (i.e. glucokinase and hexokinase) may be a strategic approach for drug discovery. Glucose kinases phosphorylate d-glucose with co-substrate ATP to yield G6P, and moreover, the produced G6P enters both pathways for catabolism. The TcGlcK - HTS campaign revealed 25 novel enzyme inhibitors that were distributed in nine chemical classes and were discovered from a primary screen of 13,040 compounds. Thirteen of these compounds were found to have low micromolar IC50 enzyme - inhibition values; strikingly, four of those compounds exhibited low toxicity towards NIH-3T3 murine host cells and notable in vitro trypanocidal activity. These compounds were of three chemical classes: (a) the 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene scaffold, (b) the N-phenyl-benzenesulfonamide scaffold, and (c) the gossypol scaffold. Two compounds from the 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene scaffold were determined to be hit-to-lead candidates that can proceed further down the early-stage drug discovery process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo F Mercaldi
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Edward L D'Antonio
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA.
| | - Annelie Aguessi
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ana Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Artur T Cordeiro
- Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials, Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil
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21
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Acosta H, Burchmore R, Naula C, Gualdrón-López M, Quintero-Troconis E, Cáceres AJ, Michels PAM, Concepción JL, Quiñones W. Proteomic analysis of glycosomes from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2019; 229:62-74. [PMID: 30831156 PMCID: PMC7082770 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2019.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease, the first seven steps of glycolysis are compartmentalized in glycosomes, which are authentic but specialized peroxisomes. Besides glycolysis, activity of enzymes of other metabolic processes have been reported to be present in glycosomes, such as β-oxidation of fatty acids, purine salvage, pentose-phosphate pathway, gluconeogenesis and biosynthesis of ether-lipids, isoprenoids, sterols and pyrimidines. In this study, we have purified glycosomes from T. cruzi epimastigotes, collected the soluble and membrane fractions of these organelles, and separated peripheral and integral membrane proteins by Na2CO3 treatment and osmotic shock. Proteomic analysis was performed on each of these fractions, allowing us to confirm the presence of enzymes involved in various metabolic pathways as well as identify new components of this parasite's glycosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héctor Acosta
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | - Richard Burchmore
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Christina Naula
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Melisa Gualdrón-López
- Instituto Salud Global, Hospital Clinic-Universitat de Barcelona, and Institute for Health Sciences Trias i Pujol, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ender Quintero-Troconis
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | - Ana J Cáceres
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | - Paul A M Michels
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution and Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Juan Luis Concepción
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela
| | - Wilfredo Quiñones
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, 5101, Venezuela.
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22
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de Lima LP, Calderano SG, da Silva MS, de Araujo CB, Vasconcelos EJR, Iwai LK, Pereira CA, Fragoso SP, Elias MC. Ortholog of the polymerase theta helicase domain modulates DNA replication in Trypanosoma cruzi. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2888. [PMID: 30814563 PMCID: PMC6393585 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39348-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA polymerase theta (Polθ), a member of the DNA polymerase family A, exhibits a polymerase C-terminal domain, a central domain, and an N-terminal helicase domain. Polθ plays important roles in DNA repair via its polymerase domain, regulating genome integrity. In addition, in mammals, Polθ modulates origin firing timing and MCM helicase recruitment to chromatin. In contrast, as a model eukaryote, Trypanosoma cruzi exhibits two individual putative orthologs of Polθ in different genomic loci; one ortholog is homologous to the Polθ C-terminal polymerase domain, and the other is homologous to the Polθ helicase domain, called Polθ-polymerase and Polθ-helicase, respectively. A pull-down assay using the T. cruzi component of the prereplication complex Orc1/Cdc6 as bait captured Polθ-helicase from the nuclear extract. Orc1/Cdc6 and Polθ-helicase directly interacted, and Polθ-helicase presented DNA unwinding and ATPase activities. A T. cruzi strain overexpressing the Polθ-helicase domain exhibited a significantly decreased amount of DNA-bound MCM7 and impaired replication origin firing. Taken together, these data suggest that Polθ-helicase modulates DNA replication by directly interacting with Orc1/Cdc6, which reduces the binding of MCM7 to DNA and thereby impairs the firing of replication origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loyze P de Lima
- Laboratorio Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Marcelo S da Silva
- Laboratorio Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Christiane B de Araujo
- Laboratorio Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elton J R Vasconcelos
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, 91766, USA
| | - Leo K Iwai
- Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia Aplicada, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudio A Pereira
- Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Combatientes de Malvinas, (C1427ARO) Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - M Carolina Elias
- Laboratorio Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Lander N, Chiurillo MA, Bertolini MS, Storey M, Vercesi AE, Docampo R. Calcium-sensitive pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase is required for energy metabolism, growth, differentiation, and infectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:17402-17417. [PMID: 30232153 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.004498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In vertebrate cells, mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) leads to Ca2+-mediated stimulation of an intramitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP). This enzyme dephosphorylates serine residues in the E1α subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), thereby activating PDH and resulting in increased ATP production. Although a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cycle for the E1α subunit of PDH from nonvertebrate organisms has been described, the Ca2+-mediated PDP activation has not been studied. In this work, we investigated the Ca2+ sensitivity of two recombinant PDPs from the protozoan human parasites Trypanosoma cruzi (TcPDP) and T. brucei (TbPDP) and generated a TcPDP-KO cell line to establish TcPDP's role in cell bioenergetics and survival. Moreover, the mitochondrial localization of the TcPDP was studied by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated endogenous tagging. Our results indicate that TcPDP and TbPDP both are Ca2+-sensitive phosphatases. Of note, TcPDP-KO epimastigotes exhibited increased levels of phosphorylated TcPDH, slower growth and lower oxygen consumption rates than control cells, an increased AMP/ATP ratio and autophagy under starvation conditions, and reduced differentiation into infective metacyclic forms. Furthermore, TcPDP-KO trypomastigotes were impaired in infecting cultured host cells. We conclude that TcPDP is a Ca2+-stimulated mitochondrial phosphatase that dephosphorylates TcPDH and is required for normal growth, differentiation, infectivity, and energy metabolism in T. cruzi Our results support the view that one of the main roles of the MCU is linked to the regulation of intramitochondrial dehydrogenases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Lander
- From the Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083, Brazil and
| | - Miguel A Chiurillo
- From the Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083, Brazil and
| | - Mayara S Bertolini
- From the Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083, Brazil and
| | - Melissa Storey
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
| | - Anibal E Vercesi
- From the Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083, Brazil and
| | - Roberto Docampo
- From the Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083, Brazil and .,Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
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24
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L-Glutamine uptake is developmentally regulated and is involved in metacyclogenesis in Trypanosoma cruzi. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2018; 224:17-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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25
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The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids. Pathogens 2018; 7:pathogens7020036. [PMID: 29614775 PMCID: PMC6027508 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens7020036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, as well as Trypanosoma cruzi and more than 20 species of the genus Leishmania, form a group of flagellated protists that threaten human health. These organisms are transmitted by insects that, together with mammals, are their natural hosts. This implies that during their life cycles each of them faces environments with different physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological characteristics. In this work we review how amino acids are obtained from such environments, how they are metabolized, and how they and some of their intermediate metabolites are used as a survival toolbox to cope with the different conditions in which these parasites should establish the infections in the insects and mammalian hosts.
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26
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Crispim M, Damasceno FS, Hernández A, Barisón MJ, Pretto Sauter I, Souza Pavani R, Santos Moura A, Pral EMF, Cortez M, Elias MC, Silber AM. The glutamine synthetase of Trypanosoma cruzi is required for its resistance to ammonium accumulation and evasion of the parasitophorous vacuole during host-cell infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006170. [PMID: 29320490 PMCID: PMC5779702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, consumes glucose and amino acids depending on the environmental availability of each nutrient during its complex life cycle. For example, amino acids are the major energy and carbon sources in the intracellular stages of the T. cruzi parasite, but their consumption produces an accumulation of NH4+ in the environment, which is toxic. These parasites do not have a functional urea cycle to secrete excess nitrogen as low-toxicity waste. Glutamine synthetase (GS) plays a central role in regulating the carbon/nitrogen balance in the metabolism of most living organisms. We show here that the gene TcGS from T. cruzi encodes a functional glutamine synthetase; it can complement a defect in the GLN1 gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and utilizes ATP, glutamate and ammonium to yield glutamine in vitro. Overall, its kinetic characteristics are similar to other eukaryotic enzymes, and it is dependent on divalent cations. Its cytosolic/mitochondrial localization was confirmed by immunofluorescence. Inhibition by Methionine sulfoximine revealed that GS activity is indispensable under excess ammonium conditions. Coincidently, its expression levels are maximal in the amastigote stage of the life cycle, when amino acids are preferably consumed, and NH4+ production is predictable. During host-cell invasion, TcGS is required for the parasite to escape from the parasitophorous vacuole, a process sine qua non for the parasite to replicate and establish infection in host cells. These results are the first to establish a link between the activity of a metabolic enzyme and the ability of a parasite to reach its intracellular niche to replicate and establish host-cell infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcell Crispim
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Flávia Silva Damasceno
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Agustín Hernández
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - María Julia Barisón
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ismael Pretto Sauter
- Immunobiology of Leishmania-Macrophage Interaction Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Raphael Souza Pavani
- Special Laboratory of Cell Cycle, Center of Toxins, Immunology and Cell Signalling, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Santos Moura
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Mieko Furusho Pral
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mauro Cortez
- Immunobiology of Leishmania-Macrophage Interaction Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Carolina Elias
- Special Laboratory of Cell Cycle, Center of Toxins, Immunology and Cell Signalling, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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27
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Modulation of host central carbon metabolism and in situ glucose uptake by intracellular Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006747. [PMID: 29176805 PMCID: PMC5720825 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Obligate intracellular pathogens satisfy their nutrient requirements by coupling to host metabolic processes, often modulating these pathways to facilitate access to key metabolites. Such metabolic dependencies represent potential targets for pathogen control, but remain largely uncharacterized for the intracellular protozoan parasite and causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. Perturbations in host central carbon and energy metabolism have been reported in mammalian T. cruzi infection, with no information regarding the impact of host metabolic changes on the intracellular amastigote life stage. Here, we performed cell-based studies to elucidate the interplay between infection with intracellular T. cruzi amastigotes and host cellular energy metabolism. T. cruzi infection of non-phagocytic cells was characterized by increased glucose uptake into infected cells and increased mitochondrial respiration and mitochondrial biogenesis. While intracellular amastigote growth was unaffected by decreased host respiratory capacity, restriction of extracellular glucose impaired amastigote proliferation and sensitized parasites to further growth inhibition by 2-deoxyglucose. These observations led us to consider whether intracellular T. cruzi amastigotes utilize glucose directly as a substrate to fuel metabolism. Consistent with this prediction, isolated T. cruzi amastigotes transport extracellular glucose with kinetics similar to trypomastigotes, with subsequent metabolism as demonstrated in 13C-glucose labeling and substrate utilization assays. Metabolic labeling of T. cruzi-infected cells further demonstrated the ability of intracellular parasites to access host hexose pools in situ. These findings are consistent with a model in which intracellular T. cruzi amastigotes capitalize on the host metabolic response to parasite infection, including the increase in glucose uptake, to fuel their own metabolism and replication in the host cytosol. Our findings enrich current views regarding available carbon sources for intracellular T. cruzi amastigotes and underscore the metabolic flexibility of this pathogen, a feature predicted to underlie successful colonization of tissues with distinct metabolic profiles in the mammalian host. The kinetoplastid protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi, is a highly successful parasite with a broad mammalian host range and the capacity to colonize a variety of tissues within a given host to establish life-long infection. T. cruzi infection causes Chagas disease in humans, characterized by severe cardiomyopathy and gastrointestinal motility disorders, with limited treatment options. Despite the critical role of T. cruzi amastigotes in sustaining mammalian infection, little is known about their metabolic requirements or the range of nutrients available to these parasites in the host cell cytoplasm. Here, we demonstrate that T. cruzi infection triggers a host response in infected cells that includes increased mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis and increased glucose uptake into infected cells. We show that exogenous glucose supports optimal intracellular parasite replication and that cytosolic T. cruzi amastigotes access glucose in situ, potentially via a facilitated transport process characterized here. These findings expand our view of the range of carbons available to the intracellular parasite and suggest even greater metabolic flexibility of the tissue-infective stages of T. cruzi than previously appreciated, a capability predicted to contribute to successful host colonization.
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28
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Rojas-Pirela M, Rigden DJ, Michels PA, Cáceres AJ, Concepción JL, Quiñones W. Structure and function of Per-ARNT-Sim domains and their possible role in the life-cycle biology of Trypanosoma cruzi. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2017; 219:52-66. [PMID: 29133150 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domains of proteins play important roles as modules for signalling and cellular regulation processes in widely diverse organisms such as Archaea, Bacteria, protists, plants, yeasts, insects and vertebrates. These domains are present in many proteins where they are used as sensors of stimuli and modules for protein interactions. Characteristically, they can bind a broad spectrum of molecules. Such binding causes the domain to trigger a specific cellular response or to make the protein containing the domain susceptible to responding to additional physical or chemical signals. Different PAS proteins have the ability to sense redox potential, light, oxygen, energy levels, carboxylic acids, fatty acids and several other stimuli. Such proteins have been found to be involved in cellular processes such as development, virulence, sporulation, adaptation to hypoxia, circadian cycle, metabolism and gene regulation and expression. Our analysis of the genome of different kinetoplastid species revealed the presence of PAS domains also in different predicted kinases from these protists. Open-reading frames coding for these PAS-kinases are unusually large. In addition, the products of these genes appear to contain in their structure combinations of domains uncommon in other eukaryotes. The physiological significance of PAS domains in these parasites, specifically in Trypanosoma cruzi, is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maura Rojas-Pirela
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Daniel J Rigden
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A Michels
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution and Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Ana J Cáceres
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Juan Luis Concepción
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Wilfredo Quiñones
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela.
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29
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Dawidowski M, Emmanouilidis L, Kalel VC, Tripsianes K, Schorpp K, Hadian K, Kaiser M, Mäser P, Kolonko M, Tanghe S, Rodriguez A, Schliebs W, Erdmann R, Sattler M, Popowicz GM. Inhibitors of PEX14 disrupt protein import into glycosomes and kill Trypanosoma parasites. Science 2017; 355:1416-1420. [PMID: 28360328 DOI: 10.1126/science.aal1807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The parasitic protists of the Trypanosoma genus infect humans and domestic mammals, causing severe mortality and huge economic losses. The most threatening trypanosomiasis is Chagas disease, affecting up to 12 million people in the Americas. We report a way to selectively kill Trypanosoma by blocking glycosomal/peroxisomal import that depends on the PEX14-PEX5 protein-protein interaction. We developed small molecules that efficiently disrupt the PEX14-PEX5 interaction. This results in mislocalization of glycosomal enzymes, causing metabolic catastrophe, and it kills the parasite. High-resolution x-ray structures and nuclear magnetic resonance data enabled the efficient design of inhibitors with trypanocidal activities comparable to approved medications. These results identify PEX14 as an "Achilles' heel" of the Trypanosoma suitable for the development of new therapies against trypanosomiases and provide the structural basis for their development.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dawidowski
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.,Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Chair of Biomolecular NMR, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - L Emmanouilidis
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.,Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Chair of Biomolecular NMR, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - V C Kalel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department of Systems Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - K Tripsianes
- CEITEC, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - K Schorpp
- Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - K Hadian
- Assay Development and Screening Platform, Institute of Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - M Kaiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4051 Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - P Mäser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, 4051 Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - M Kolonko
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - S Tanghe
- New York University School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, 341 East 25th Street, Room 513, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - A Rodriguez
- New York University School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, 341 East 25th Street, Room 513, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - W Schliebs
- Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department of Systems Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - R Erdmann
- Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Department of Systems Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
| | - M Sattler
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany. .,Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Chair of Biomolecular NMR, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - G M Popowicz
- Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany. .,Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Chair of Biomolecular NMR, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747 Garching, Germany
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30
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Manchola NC, Silber AM, Nowicki C. The Non-Canonical Substrates of Trypanosoma cruzi Tyrosine and Aspartate Aminotransferases: Branched-Chain Amino Acids. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2017; 65:70-76. [PMID: 28618210 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, lacks genes that encode canonical branched-chain aminotransferases. However, early studies showed that when epimastigotes were grown in the presence of 14 C1 -DL-leucine, the label was incorporated into various intermediates. More recently, our studies provided evidence that T. cruzi epimastigotes display a single ATP-dependent and saturable transport system that enables epimastigotes to uptake branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) from the culture media. To extend our knowledge of the first step of BCAA catabolism, the ability of this parasite's noncanonical broad specificity aminotransferases, such as tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), to transaminate these amino acids was investigated. Indeed, our results show that TAT and ASAT utilize BCAAs as substrates; however, both enzymes differ in their catalytic competence in utilizing these amino donors. For instance, ASAT transaminates isoleucine nearly 10-fold more efficiently than does TAT. This unique characteristic of TAT and ASAT allows to explain how BCAAs can be oxidized in the absence of a BCAA transaminase in T. cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nubia Carolina Manchola
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps - LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo USP, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitaria, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps - LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo USP, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes, 1374, Cidade Universitaria, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Cristina Nowicki
- IQUIFIB (CONICET, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires), Junin 956, Buenos Aires, 1113, Argentina
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31
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Rondón-Mercado R, Acosta H, Cáceres AJ, Quiñones W, Concepción JL. Subcellular localization of glycolytic enzymes and characterization of intermediary metabolism of Trypanosoma rangeli. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2017. [PMID: 28645481 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2017.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protist that infects wild and domestic mammals as well as humans in Central and South America. Although this parasite is not pathogenic for human, it is being studied because it shares with Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease, biological characteristics, geographic distribution, vectors and vertebrate hosts. Several metabolic studies have been performed with T. cruzi epimastigotes, however little is known about the metabolism of T. rangeli. In this work we present the subcellular distribution of the T. rangeli enzymes responsible for the conversion of glucose to pyruvate, as determined by epifluorescense immunomicroscopy and subcellular fractionation involving either selective membrane permeabilization with digitonin or differential and isopycnic centrifugation. We found that in T. rangeli epimastigotes the first six enzymes of the glycolytic pathway, involved in the conversion of glucose to 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate are located within glycosomes, while the last four steps occur in the cytosol. In contrast with T. cruzi, where three isoenzymes (one cytosolic and two glycosomal) of phosphoglycerate kinase are expressed simultaneously, only one enzyme with this activity is detected in T. rangeli epimastigotes, in the cytosol. Consistent with this latter result, we found enzymes involved in auxiliary pathways to glycolysis needed to maintain adenine nucleotide and redox balances within glycosomes such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, malate dehydrogenase, fumarate reductase, pyruvate phosphate dikinase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Glucokinase, galactokinase and the first enzyme of the pentose-phosphate pathway, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, were also located inside glycosomes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that T. rangeli epimastigotes growing in LIT medium only consume glucose and do not excrete ammonium; moreover, they are unable to survive in partially-depleted glucose medium. The velocity of glucose consumption is about 40% higher than that of procyclic Trypanosoma brucei, and four times faster than by T. cruzi epimastigotes under the same culture conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Rondón-Mercado
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Héctor Acosta
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Ana J Cáceres
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Wilfredo Quiñones
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Juan Luis Concepción
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela.
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Berná L, Chiribao ML, Greif G, Rodriguez M, Alvarez-Valin F, Robello C. Transcriptomic analysis reveals metabolic switches and surface remodeling as key processes for stage transition in Trypanosoma cruzi. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3017. [PMID: 28286708 PMCID: PMC5345387 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
American trypanosomiasis is a chronic and endemic disease which affects millions of people. Trypanosoma cruzi, its causative agent, has a life cycle that involves complex morphological and functional transitions, as well as a variety of environmental conditions. This requires a tight regulation of gene expression, which is achieved mainly by post-transcriptional regulation. In this work we conducted an RNAseq analysis of the three major life cycle stages of T. cruzi: amastigotes, epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. This analysis allowed us to delineate specific transcriptomic profiling for each stage, and also to identify those biological processes of major relevance in each state. Stage specific expression profiling evidenced the plasticity of T. cruzi to adapt quickly to different conditions, with particular focus on membrane remodeling and metabolic shifts along the life cycle. Epimastigotes, which replicate in the gut of insect vectors, showed higher expression of genes related to energy metabolism, mainly Krebs cycle, respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation related genes, and anabolism related genes associated to nucleotide and steroid biosynthesis; also, a general down-regulation of surface glycoprotein coding genes was seen at this stage. Trypomastigotes, living extracellularly in the bloodstream of mammals, express a plethora of surface proteins and signaling genes involved in invasion and evasion of immune response. Amastigotes mostly express membrane transporters and genes involved in regulation of cell cycle, and also express a specific subset of surface glycoprotein coding genes. In addition, these results allowed us to improve the annotation of the Dm28c genome, identifying new ORFs and set the stage for construction of networks of co-expression, which can give clues about coded proteins of unknown functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Berná
- Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Maria Laura Chiribao
- Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gonzalo Greif
- Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Matias Rodriguez
- Sección Biomatemática, Unidad de Genómica Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Fernando Alvarez-Valin
- Sección Biomatemática, Unidad de Genómica Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Carlos Robello
- Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.,Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Alves MJM, Kawahara R, Viner R, Colli W, Mattos EC, Thaysen-Andersen M, Larsen MR, Palmisano G. Comprehensive glycoprofiling of the epimastigote and trypomastigote stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. J Proteomics 2016; 151:182-192. [PMID: 27318177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2016.05.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan that causes Chagas disease, has a complex life cycle involving insect and mammalian hosts and distinct developmental stages. During T. cruzi developmental stages, glycoproteins play important role in the host-parasite interaction, such as cellular recognition, host cell invasion and adhesion, and immune evasion. In this study, comprehensive glycoprofiling analysis was performed in the epimastigote and trypomastigote stages of T. cruzi using two glycopeptide enrichment strategies, lectin-based and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, followed by high resolution LC-MS/MS. Following deglycosylation, a total of 1306 N-glycosylation sites in NxS/T/C motifs were identified from 690 T. cruzi glycoproteins. Among them, 170 and 334 glycoproteins were exclusively identified in epimastigotes and trypomastigotes, respectively. Besides, global site-specific characterization of the N- and O-linked glycan heterogeneity in the two life stages of T. cruzi was achieved by intact glycopeptide analysis, revealing 144/466 unique N-linked and 10/97 unique O-linked intact glycopeptides in epimastigotes/trypomastigotes, respectively. Conclusively, this study documents the significant T. cruzi stage-specific expression of glycoproteins that can help to better understand the T. cruzi phenotype and response caused by the interaction with different hosts during its complex life cycle. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE Chagas disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is a neglected disease which affects millions of people especially in Latin America. The absence of efficient drugs and vaccines against Chagas disease stimulates the search for novel targets. Glycoproteins are very attractive therapeutic candidate targets since they mediate key processes in the host-parasite interaction, such as cellular recognition, host cell invasion and adhesion, and immune evasion. This study aimed to provide an in depth characterization of the N-linked and O-linked glycoproteome of two T. cruzi life stages: epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics showed interesting stage-specific glycoproteome signatures that are valuable to better understand the importance of protein glycosylation in epimastigotes and trypomastigotes and to expand the repertoire of potential therapeutic targets against Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Julia Manso Alves
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rebeca Kawahara
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rosa Viner
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Walter Colli
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eliciane Cevolani Mattos
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Martin Røssel Larsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern, Odense, DK, Denmark
| | - Giuseppe Palmisano
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Li Y, Shah-Simpson S, Okrah K, Belew AT, Choi J, Caradonna KL, Padmanabhan P, Ndegwa DM, Temanni MR, Corrada Bravo H, El-Sayed NM, Burleigh BA. Transcriptome Remodeling in Trypanosoma cruzi and Human Cells during Intracellular Infection. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005511. [PMID: 27046031 PMCID: PMC4821583 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracellular colonization and persistent infection by the kinetoplastid protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, underlie the pathogenesis of human Chagas disease. To obtain global insights into the T. cruzi infective process, transcriptome dynamics were simultaneously captured in the parasite and host cells in an infection time course of human fibroblasts. Extensive remodeling of the T. cruzi transcriptome was observed during the early establishment of intracellular infection, coincident with a major developmental transition in the parasite. Contrasting this early response, few additional changes in steady state mRNA levels were detected once mature T. cruzi amastigotes were formed. Our findings suggest that transcriptome remodeling is required to establish a modified template to guide developmental transitions in the parasite, whereas homeostatic functions are regulated independently of transcriptomic changes, similar to that reported in related trypanosomatids. Despite complex mechanisms for regulation of phenotypic expression in T. cruzi, transcriptomic signatures derived from distinct developmental stages mirror known or projected characteristics of T. cruzi biology. Focusing on energy metabolism, we were able to validate predictions forecast in the mRNA expression profiles. We demonstrate measurable differences in the bioenergetic properties of the different mammalian-infective stages of T. cruzi and present additional findings that underscore the importance of mitochondrial electron transport in T. cruzi amastigote growth and survival. Consequences of T. cruzi colonization for the host include dynamic expression of immune response genes and cell cycle regulators with upregulation of host cholesterol and lipid synthesis pathways, which may serve to fuel intracellular T. cruzi growth. Thus, in addition to the biological inferences gained from gene ontology and functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes in parasite and host, our comprehensive, high resolution transcriptomic dataset provides a substantially more detailed interpretation of T. cruzi infection biology and offers a basis for future drug and vaccine discovery efforts. In-depth knowledge of the functional processes governing host colonization and transmission of pathogenic microorganisms is essential for the advancement of effective intervention strategies. This study focuses on Trypanosoma cruzi, the vector-borne protozoan parasite responsible for human Chagas disease and the leading cause of infectious myocarditis worldwide. To gain global insights into the biology of this parasite and its interaction with mammalian host cells, we have exploited a deep-sequencing approach to generate comprehensive, high-resolution transcriptomic maps for mammalian-infective stages of T. cruzi with the simultaneous interrogation of the human host cell transcriptome across an infection time course. We demonstrate that the establishment of intracellular T. cruzi infection in mammalian host cells is accompanied by extensive remodeling of the parasite and host cell transcriptomes. Despite the lack of transcriptional control mechanisms in trypanosomatids, our analyses identified functionally-enriched processes within sets of developmentally-regulated transcripts in T. cruzi that align with known or predicted biological features of the parasite. The novel insights into the biology of intracellular T. cruzi infection and the regulation of amastigote development gained in this study establish a unique foundation for functional network analyses that will be instrumental in providing functional links between parasite dependencies and host functional pathways that have the potential to be exploited for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Li
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sheena Shah-Simpson
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kwame Okrah
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - A Trey Belew
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jungmin Choi
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kacey L Caradonna
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Prasad Padmanabhan
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - David M Ndegwa
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - M Ramzi Temanni
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Héctor Corrada Bravo
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Najib M El-Sayed
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.,Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Barbara A Burleigh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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González-Marcano E, Acosta H, Mijares A, Concepción JL. Kinetic and molecular characterization of the pyruvate phosphate dikinase from Trypanosoma cruzi. Exp Parasitol 2016; 165:81-7. [PMID: 27003459 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2016.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, like other trypanosomatids analyzed so far, can use both glucose and amino acids as carbon and energy source. In these parasites, glycolysis is compartmentalized in glycosomes, authentic but specialized peroxisomes. The major part of this pathway, as well as a two-branched glycolytic auxiliary system, are present in these organelles. The first enzyme of one branch of this auxiliary system is the PPi-dependent pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) that converts phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) and AMP into pyruvate, inorganic phosphate (Pi) and ATP, thus contributing to the ATP/ADP balance within the glycosomes. In this work we cloned, expressed and purified the T. cruzi PPDK. It kinetic parameters were determined, finding KM values for PEP, PPi and AMP of 320, 70 and 17 μM, respectively. Using molecular exclusion chromatography, two native forms of the enzyme were found with estimated molecular weights of 200 and 100 kDa, corresponding to a homodimer and monomer, respectively. It was established that T. cruzi PPDK's specific activity can be enhanced up to 2.6 times by the presence of ammonium in the assay mixture. During growth of epimastigotes in batch culture an apparent decrease in the specific activity of PPDK was observed. However, when its activity is normalized for the presence of ammonium in the medium, no significant modification of the enzyme activity per cell in time was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eglys González-Marcano
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, La Hechicera, Mérida 5101, Venezuela.
| | - Héctor Acosta
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, La Hechicera, Mérida 5101, Venezuela.
| | - Alfredo Mijares
- Laboratorio de Fisiología de Parásitos, Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela.
| | - Juan Luis Concepción
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, La Hechicera, Mérida 5101, Venezuela.
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Sayé M, Miranda MR, Reigada C, Pereira CA. Trypanosoma cruzi Proline Transport Presents a Cell Density-dependent Regulation. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2016; 63:516-23. [PMID: 26750517 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Revised: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, uses proline as its main carbon source, essential for parasite growth and stage differentiation in epimastigotes and amastigotes. Since proline is mainly obtained from extracellular medium by transport proteins, in this work we studied the regulation of the T. cruzi proline transporter TcAAAP069. Proline uptake and intracellular concentration presented oscillations during epimastigote growth phases, increasing during the early exponential phase (322 pmol/min) and decreasing to undetectable levels during the late exponential phase. Transporter expression rate correlated with proline uptake, and its subcellular localization alternated from both, the plasma membrane and close to the flagellar pocket, when the transport is higher, to only the flagellar pocket region, when the transport decreased until proline uptake and TcAAAP069 protein became undetectable at the end of the growth curve. Interestingly, when parasites were treated with conditioned medium or were concentrated to artificially increase the culture density, the proline transport was completely abolished resembling the effects observed in late exponential phase. These data highlight for the first time the existence of a density-associated regulation of relevant physiological processes such as proline metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melisa Sayé
- Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana R Miranda
- Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Chantal Reigada
- Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Claudio A Pereira
- Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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The Trypanosoma cruzi Protein TcHTE Is Critical for Heme Uptake. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004359. [PMID: 26752206 PMCID: PMC4713871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease, presents nutritional requirements for several metabolites. It requires heme for the biosynthesis of several heme-proteins involved in essential metabolic pathways like mitochondrial cytochromes and respiratory complexes, as well as enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of sterols and unsaturated fatty acids. However, this parasite lacks a complete route for its synthesis. In view of these facts, T. cruzi has to incorporate heme from the environment during its life cycle. In other words, their hosts must supply the heme for heme-protein synthesis. Although the acquisition of heme is a fundamental issue for the parasite's replication and survival, how this cofactor is imported and distributed is poorly understood. In this work, we used different fluorescent heme analogs to explore heme uptake along the different life-cycle stages of T. cruzi, showing that this parasite imports it during its replicative stages: the epimastigote in the insect vector and the intracellular amastigote in the mammalian host. Also, we identified and characterized a T. cruzi protein (TcHTE) with 55% of sequence similarity to LHR1 (protein involved in L. amazonensis heme transport), which is located in the flagellar pocket, where the transport of nutrients proceeds in trypanosomatids. We postulate TcHTE as a protein involved in improving the efficiency of the heme uptake or trafficking in T. cruzi.
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Manchola NC, Rapado LN, Barisón MJ, Silber AM. Biochemical Characterization of Branched Chain Amino Acids Uptake in Trypanosoma cruzi. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2015; 63:299-308. [PMID: 26496801 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease. During its life cycle, it alternates among vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Metabolic flexibility is a main biochemical characteristic of this parasite, which is able to obtain energy by oxidizing a variety of nutrients that can be transported from the extracellular medium. Moreover, several of these metabolites, more specifically amino acids, have a variety of functions beyond being sources of energy. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA), beyond their role in ATP production, are involved in sterol biosynthesis; for example, leucine is involved as a negative regulator of the parasite differentiation process occurring in the insect midgut. BCAA are essential metabolites in most nonphotosynthetic eukaryotes, including trypanosomes. In view of this, the metabolism of BCAA in T. cruzi depends mainly on their transport into the cell. In this work, we kinetically characterized the BCAA transport in T. cruzi epimastigotes. Our data point to BCAA as being transported by a single saturable transport system able to recognize leucine, isoleucine and valine. In view of this, we used leucine to further characterize this system. The transport increased linearly with temperature from 10 to 45 °C, allowing the calculation of an activation energy of 51.30 kJ/mol. Leucine uptake was an active process depending on ATP production and a H(+) gradient, but not on a Na(+) or K(+) gradient at the cytoplasmic membrane level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nubia C Manchola
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Ludmila N Rapado
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - María J Barisón
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Ariel M Silber
- LaBTryps, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas II, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 1374, Cidade Universitária Butanta, São Paulo, CEP 05508-900, Brazil
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Mantilla BS, Paes LS, Pral EMF, Martil DE, Thiemann OH, Fernández-Silva P, Bastos EL, Silber AM. Role of Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase supports mitochondrial metabolism and host-cell invasion of Trypanosoma cruzi. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:7767-90. [PMID: 25623067 PMCID: PMC4367278 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.574525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Revised: 12/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Proline is crucial for energizing critical events throughout the life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. The proline breakdown pathway consists of two oxidation steps, both of which produce reducing equivalents as follows: the conversion of proline to Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C), and the subsequent conversion of P5C to glutamate. We have identified and characterized the Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase from T. cruzi (TcP5CDH) and report here on how this enzyme contributes to a central metabolic pathway in this parasite. Size-exclusion chromatography, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and small angle x-ray scattering analysis of TcP5CDH revealed an oligomeric state composed of two subunits of six protomers. TcP5CDH was found to complement a yeast strain deficient in PUT2 activity, confirming the enzyme's functional role; and the biochemical parameters (Km, kcat, and kcat/Km) of the recombinant TcP5CDH were determined, exhibiting values comparable with those from T. cruzi lysates. In addition, TcP5CDH exhibited mitochondrial staining during the main stages of the T. cruzi life cycle. mRNA and enzymatic activity levels indicated the up-regulation (6-fold change) of TcP5CDH during the infective stages of the parasite. The participation of P5C as an energy source was also demonstrated. Overall, we propose that this enzymatic step is crucial for the viability of both replicative and infective forms of T. cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian S Mantilla
- From the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lisvane S Paes
- From the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth M F Pral
- From the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daiana E Martil
- the Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, and
| | - Otavio H Thiemann
- the Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, and
| | - Patricio Fernández-Silva
- the Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza Spain
| | - Erick L Bastos
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Fundamental, Universidade de São Paulo, 13560-590 São Paulo, Brazil, and
| | - Ariel M Silber
- From the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil,
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Pariona-Llanos R, Pavani RS, Reis M, Noël V, Silber AM, Armelin HA, Cano MIN, Elias MC. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase-telomere association correlates with redox status in Trypanosoma cruzi. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0120896. [PMID: 25775131 PMCID: PMC4361584 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a classical metabolic enzyme involved in energy production and plays a role in additional nuclear functions, including transcriptional control, recognition of misincorporated nucleotides in DNA and maintenance of telomere structure. Here, we show that the recombinant protein T. cruzi GAPDH (rTcGAPDH) binds single-stranded telomeric DNA. We demonstrate that the binding of GAPDH to telomeric DNA correlates with the balance between oxidized and reduced forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides (NAD+/NADH). We observed that GAPDH-telomere association and NAD+/NADH balance changed throughout the T. cruzi life cycle. For example, in replicative epimastigote forms of T. cruzi, which show similar intracellular concentrations of NAD+ and NADH, GAPDH binds to telomeric DNA in vivo and this binding activity is inhibited by exogenous NAD+. In contrast, in the T. cruzi non-proliferative trypomastigote forms, which show higher NAD+ concentration, GAPDH was absent from telomeres. In addition, NAD+ abolishes physical interaction between recombinant GAPDH and synthetic telomere oligonucleotide in a cell free system, mimicking exogenous NAD+ that reduces GAPDH-telomere interaction in vivo. We propose that the balance in the NAD+/NADH ratio during T. cruzi life cycle homeostatically regulates GAPDH telomere association, suggesting that in trypanosomes redox status locally modulates GAPDH association with telomeric DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Pariona-Llanos
- Laboratório Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling—CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Raphael Souza Pavani
- Laboratório Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling—CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Reis
- Laboratório Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling—CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vincent Noël
- Laboratório Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling—CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Unit for Drug Discovery—Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hugo Aguirre Armelin
- Laboratório Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling—CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Isabel Nogueira Cano
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho—UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Maria Carolina Elias
- Laboratório Especial de Ciclo Celular, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center of Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling—CeTICS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Calderano S, Godoy P, Soares D, Sant’Anna OA, Schenkman S, Elias MC. ORC1/CDC6 and MCM7 distinct associate with chromatin through Trypanosoma cruzi life cycle. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2014; 193:110-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2014.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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González-Marcano E, Mijares A, Quiñones W, Cáceres A, Concepción JL. Post-translational modification of the pyruvate phosphate dikinase from Trypanosoma cruzi. Parasitol Int 2013; 63:80-6. [PMID: 24060543 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2013.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In kinetoplastids such as Trypanosoma cruzi, glycolysis is compartmentalized in peroxisome-like organelles called glycosomes. Pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK), an auxiliary enzyme of glycolysis, is also located in the glycosomes. We have detected that this protein is post-translationally modified by phosphorylation and proteolytic cleavage. On western blots of T. cruzi epimastigotes, two PPDK forms were found with apparent MW of 100 kDa and 75 kDa, the latter one being phosphorylated at Thr481, a residue present in a highly conserved region. In subcellular localization assays the 75 kDa PPDK was located peripherally at the glycosomal membrane. Both PPDK forms were found in all life-cycle stages of the parasite. When probing for both PPDK forms during a growth of epimastigotes in batch culture, an increase in the level of the 75 kDa form and a decrease of the 100 kDa one were observed by western blot analysis, signifying that glucose starvation and the concomitant switch of the metabolism to amino acid catabolism may play a role in the post-translational processing of the PPDK. Either one or both of the processes, phosphorylation and proteolytic cleavage of PPDK, result in inactivation of the enzyme. It remains to be established whether the phenomenon exerts a regulatory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eglys González-Marcano
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, La Hechicera, Mérida 5101, Venezuela.
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Proline dehydrogenase regulates redox state and respiratory metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69419. [PMID: 23894476 PMCID: PMC3718742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past three decades, L-proline has become recognized as an important metabolite for trypanosomatids. It is involved in a number of key processes, including energy metabolism, resistance to oxidative and nutritional stress and osmoregulation. In addition, this amino acid supports critical parasite life cycle processes by acting as an energy source, thus enabling host-cell invasion by the parasite and subsequent parasite differentiation. In this paper, we demonstrate that L-proline is oxidized to Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) by the enzyme proline dehydrogenase (TcPRODH, E.C. 1.5.99.8) localized in Trypanosoma cruzi mitochondria. When expressed in its active form in Escherichia coli, TcPRODH exhibits a Km of 16.58±1.69 µM and a Vmax of 66±2 nmol/min mg. Furthermore, we demonstrate that TcPRODH is a FAD-dependent dimeric state protein. TcPRODH mRNA and protein expression are strongly upregulated in the intracellular epimastigote, a stage which requires an external supply of proline. In addition, when Saccharomyces cerevisiae null mutants for this gene (PUT1) were complemented with the TcPRODH gene, diminished free intracellular proline levels and an enhanced sensitivity to oxidative stress in comparison to the null mutant were observed, supporting the hypothesis that free proline accumulation constitutes a defense against oxidative imbalance. Finally, we show that proline oxidation increases cytochrome c oxidase activity in mitochondrial vesicles. Overall, these results demonstrate that TcPRODH is involved in proline-dependant cytoprotection during periods of oxidative imbalance and also shed light on the participation of proline in energy metabolism, which drives critical processes of the T. cruzi life cycle.
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44
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Abstract
The causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, metabolizes glucose through two major pathways: glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. Glucose is taken up via one facilitated transporter and its catabolism by the glycolytic pathway leads to the excretion of reduced products, succinate and l-alanine, even in the presence of oxygen; the first six enzymes are located in a peroxisome-like organelle, the glycosome, and the lack of regulatory controls in hexokinase and phosphofructokinase results in the lack of the Pasteur effect. All of the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway are present in the four major stages of the parasite's life cycle, and some of them are possible targets for chemotherapy. The gluconeogenic enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase are present, but there is no reserve polysaccharide.
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45
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On the evolution of hexose transporters in kinetoplastid Protozoans [corrected]. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36303. [PMID: 22567148 PMCID: PMC3342237 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2011] [Accepted: 04/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucose, an almost universally used energy and carbon source, is processed through several well-known metabolic pathways, primarily glycolysis. Glucose uptake is considered to be the first step in glycolysis. In kinetoplastids, a protozoan group that includes relevant human pathogens, the importance of glucose uptake in different phases of the life cycles is well established, and hexose transporters have been proposed as targets for therapeutic drugs. However, little is known about the evolutionary history of these hexose transporters. Hexose transporters contain an intracellular N- and C- termini, and 12 transmembrane spans connected by alternate intracellular and extracellular loops. In the present work we tested the hypothesis that the evolutionary rate of the transmembrane span is different from that of the whole sequence and that it is possible to define evolutionary units inside the sequence. The phylogeny of whole molecules was compared to that of their transmembrane spans and the loops connecting the transmembrane spans. We show that the evolutionary units in these proteins primarily consist of clustered rather than individual transmembrane spans. These analyses demonstrate that there are evolutionary constraints on the organization of these proteins; more specifically, the order of the transmembrane spans along the protein is highly conserved. Finally, we defined a signature sequence for the identification of kinetoplastid hexose transporters.
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Gonçalves RLS, Barreto RFSM, Polycarpo CR, Gadelha FR, Castro SL, Oliveira MF. A comparative assessment of mitochondrial function in epimastigotes and bloodstream trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi. J Bioenerg Biomembr 2011; 43:651-61. [PMID: 22081211 DOI: 10.1007/s10863-011-9398-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a hemoflagellate protozoan that causes Chagas' disease. The life cycle of T. cruzi is complex and involves different evolutive forms that have to encounter different environmental conditions provided by the host. Herein, we performed a functional assessment of mitochondrial metabolism in the following two distinct evolutive forms of T. cruzi: the insect stage epimastigote and the freshly isolated bloodstream trypomastigote. We observed that in comparison to epimastigotes, bloodstream trypomastigotes facilitate the entry of electrons into the electron transport chain by increasing complex II-III activity. Interestingly, cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity and the expression of CCO subunit IV were reduced in bloodstream forms, creating an "electron bottleneck" that favored an increase in electron leakage and H(2)O(2) formation. We propose that the oxidative preconditioning provided by this mechanism confers protection to bloodstream trypomastigotes against the host immune system. In this scenario, mitochondrial remodeling during the T. cruzi life cycle may represent a key metabolic adaptation for parasite survival in different hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata L S Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Resposta ao Estresse, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Expresión diferencial entre estadios de Trypanosoma cruzi I en el aislamiento de un paciente con cardiomiopatía chagásica crónica de zona endémica de Santander, Colombia. BIOMEDICA 2011. [DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.v31i4.400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Magdaleno A, Suárez Mantilla B, Rocha SC, Pral EMF, Silber AM. The Involvement of Glutamate Metabolism in the Resistance to Thermal, Nutritional, and Oxidative Stress in Trypanosoma cruzi. Enzyme Res 2011; 2011:486928. [PMID: 21629861 PMCID: PMC3092565 DOI: 10.4061/2011/486928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2010] [Accepted: 02/17/2011] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The inhibition of some glutamate metabolic pathways could lead to diminished parasite survival. In this study, the effects of L-methionine sulfoximine (MS), DL-methionine sulfone (MSO), and DL-methionine sulfoxide (MSE), three glutamate analogs, on several biological processes were evaluated. We found that these analogs inhibited the growth of epimastigotes cells and showed a synergistic effect with stress conditions such as temperature, nutritional starvation, and oxidative stress. The specific activity for the reductive amination of α-ketoglutaric acid, catalyzed by the NADP(+)-linked glutamate dehydrogenase, showed an increase in the NADP(+) levels, when MS, MSE, and MSO were added. It suggests an eventual conversion of the compounds tested by the T. cruzi cells. The fact that trypomastigote bursting was not significantly inhibited when infected cells were treated with these compounds, remarks the existence of relevant metabolic differences among the different life-cycle stages. It must be considered when proposing a new therapeutic drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anahí Magdaleno
- Departamento de Parasitología, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1374, CEP 05508-900, São Paulo, Brazil
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Avilán L, Gualdrón-López M, Quiñones W, González-González L, Hannaert V, Michels PAM, Concepción JL. Enolase: a key player in the metabolism and a probable virulence factor of trypanosomatid parasites-perspectives for its use as a therapeutic target. Enzyme Res 2011; 2011:932549. [PMID: 21603223 PMCID: PMC3092696 DOI: 10.4061/2011/932549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2011] [Accepted: 02/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycolysis and glyconeogenesis play crucial roles in the ATP supply and synthesis of glycoconjugates, important for the viability and virulence, respectively, of the human-pathogenic stages of Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp. These pathways are, therefore, candidate targets for antiparasite drugs. The glycolytic/gluconeogenic enzyme enolase is generally highly conserved, with similar overall fold and identical catalytic residues in all organisms. Nonetheless, potentially important differences exist between the trypanosomatid and host enzymes, with three unique, reactive residues close to the active site of the former that might be exploited for the development of new drugs. In addition, enolase is found both in the secretome and in association with the surface of Leishmania spp. where it probably functions as plasminogen receptor, playing a role in the parasite's invasiveness and virulence, a function possibly also present in the other trypanosomatids. This location and possible function of enolase offer additional perspectives for both drug discovery and vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisana Avilán
- Laboratorio de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, 5101 Mérida, Venezuela
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50
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Buchensky C, Almirón P, Mantilla BS, Silber AM, Cricco JA. The Trypanosoma cruzi proteins TcCox10 and TcCox15 catalyze the formation of heme A in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2011; 312:133-41. [PMID: 20979346 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2010.02109.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent for Chagas’ disease, has requirements for several cofactors, one of which is heme. Because this organism is unable to synthesize heme, which serves as a prosthetic group for several heme proteins (including the respiratory chain complexes), it therefore must be acquired from the environment. Considering this deficiency, it is an open question as to how heme A, the essential cofactor for eukaryotic CcO enzymes, is acquired by this parasite. In the present work, we provide evidence for the presence and functionality of genes coding for heme O and heme A synthases, which catalyze the synthesis of heme O and its conversion into heme A, respectively. The functions of these T. cruzi proteins were evaluated using yeast complementation assays, and the mRNA levels of their respective genes were analyzed at the different T. cruzi life stages. It was observed that the amount of mRNA coding for these proteins changes during the parasite life cycle, suggesting that this variation could reflect different respiratory requirements in the different parasite life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Buchensky
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina
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