1
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Liu J, Tan YY, Zheng W, Wang Y, Ju LA, Su QP. Nanoscale insights into hematology: super-resolved imaging on blood cell structure, function, and pathology. J Nanobiotechnology 2024; 22:363. [PMID: 38910248 PMCID: PMC11194919 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02605-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence nanoscopy, also known as super-resolution microscopy, has transcended the conventional resolution barriers and enabled visualization of biological samples at nanometric resolutions. A series of super-resolution techniques have been developed and applied to investigate the molecular distribution, organization, and interactions in blood cells, as well as the underlying mechanisms of blood-cell-associated diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of various fluorescence nanoscopy technologies, outlining their current development stage and the challenges they are facing in terms of functionality and practicality. We specifically explore how these innovations have propelled forward the analysis of thrombocytes (platelets), erythrocytes (red blood cells) and leukocytes (white blood cells), shedding light on the nanoscale arrangement of subcellular components and molecular interactions. We spotlight novel biomarkers uncovered by fluorescence nanoscopy for disease diagnosis, such as thrombocytopathies, malignancies, and infectious diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the technological hurdles and chart out prospective avenues for future research directions. This review aims to underscore the significant contributions of fluorescence nanoscopy to the field of blood cell analysis and disease diagnosis, poised to revolutionize our approach to exploring, understanding, and managing disease at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinghan Liu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Yuping Yolanda Tan
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Heart Research Institute, Newtown, NSW, 2042, Australia
| | - Wen Zheng
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia
| | - Yao Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW, 2008, Australia
| | - Lining Arnold Ju
- School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Sydney, Darlington, NSW, 2008, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Heart Research Institute, Newtown, NSW, 2042, Australia
| | - Qian Peter Su
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia.
- Heart Research Institute, Newtown, NSW, 2042, Australia.
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2
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Guttery DS, Zeeshan M, Holder AA, Tewari R. The molecular mechanisms driving Plasmodium cell division. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:593-602. [PMID: 38563493 PMCID: PMC11088906 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230403] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Malaria, a vector borne disease, is a major global health and socioeconomic problem caused by the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Plasmodium. The parasite alternates between mosquito vector and vertebrate host, with meiosis in the mosquito and proliferative mitotic cell division in both hosts. In the canonical eukaryotic model, cell division is either by open or closed mitosis and karyokinesis is followed by cytokinesis; whereas in Plasmodium closed mitosis is not directly accompanied by concomitant cell division. Key molecular players and regulatory mechanisms of this process have been identified, but the pivotal role of certain protein complexes and the post-translational modifications that modulate their actions are still to be deciphered. Here, we discuss recent evidence for the function of known proteins in Plasmodium cell division and processes that are potential novel targets for therapeutic intervention. We also identify key questions to open new and exciting research to understand divergent Plasmodium cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Guttery
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, U.K
| | - Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, U.K
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K
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3
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Liffner B, Absalon S. Expansion microscopy of apicomplexan parasites. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:619-635. [PMID: 37571814 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites comprise significant pathogens of humans, livestock and wildlife, but also represent a diverse group of eukaryotes with interesting and unique cell biology. The study of cell biology in apicomplexan parasites is complicated by their small size, and historically this has required the application of cutting-edge microscopy techniques to investigate fundamental processes like mitosis or cell division in these organisms. Recently, a technique called expansion microscopy has been developed, which rather than increasing instrument resolution like most imaging modalities, physically expands a biological sample. In only a few years since its development, a derivative of expansion microscopy known as ultrastructure-expansion microscopy (U-ExM) has been widely adopted and proven extremely useful for studying cell biology of Apicomplexa. Here, we review the insights into apicomplexan cell biology that have been enabled through the use of U-ExM, with a specific focus on Plasmodium, Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium. Further, we summarize emerging expansion microscopy modifications and modalities and forecast how these may influence the field of parasite cell biology in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Liffner
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Sabrina Absalon
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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4
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Stürmer VS, Stopper S, Binder P, Klemmer A, Lichti NP, Becker NB, Guizetti J. Progeny counter mechanism in malaria parasites is linked to extracellular resources. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011807. [PMID: 38051755 PMCID: PMC10723702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011807] [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] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is caused by the rapid proliferation of Plasmodium parasites in patients and disease severity correlates with the number of infected red blood cells in circulation. Parasite multiplication within red blood cells is called schizogony and occurs through an atypical multinucleated cell division mode. The mechanisms regulating the number of daughter cells produced by a single progenitor are poorly understood. We investigated underlying regulatory principles by quantifying nuclear multiplication dynamics in Plasmodium falciparum and knowlesi using super-resolution time-lapse microscopy. This confirmed that the number of daughter cells was consistent with a model in which a counter mechanism regulates multiplication yet incompatible with a timer mechanism. P. falciparum cell volume at the start of nuclear division correlated with the final number of daughter cells. As schizogony progressed, the nucleocytoplasmic volume ratio, which has been found to be constant in all eukaryotes characterized so far, increased significantly, possibly to accommodate the exponentially multiplying nuclei. Depleting nutrients by dilution of culture medium caused parasites to produce fewer merozoites and reduced proliferation but did not affect cell volume or total nuclear volume at the end of schizogony. Our findings suggest that the counter mechanism implicated in malaria parasite proliferation integrates extracellular resource status to modify progeny number during blood stage infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa S. Stürmer
- Heidelberg University Medical Faculty, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sophie Stopper
- Heidelberg University Medical Faculty, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Patrick Binder
- Institute for Theoretical Physics and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Theoretical Systems Biology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anja Klemmer
- Heidelberg University Medical Faculty, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicolas P. Lichti
- Heidelberg University Medical Faculty, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nils B. Becker
- Theoretical Systems Biology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Heidelberg University Medical Faculty, Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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5
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Voß Y, Klaus S, Lichti NP, Ganter M, Guizetti J. Malaria parasite centrins can assemble by Ca2+-inducible condensation. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011899. [PMID: 38150475 PMCID: PMC10775985 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011899] [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] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Centrins are small calcium-binding proteins that have a variety of roles and are universally associated with eukaryotic centrosomes. Rapid proliferation of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum in the human blood depends on a particularly divergent and acentriolar centrosome, which incorporates several essential centrins. Their precise mode of action, however, remains unclear. In this study calcium-inducible liquid-liquid phase separation is revealed as an evolutionarily conserved principle of assembly for multiple centrins from P. falciparum and other species. Furthermore, the disordered N-terminus and calcium-binding motifs are defined as essential features for reversible biomolecular condensation, and we demonstrate that certain centrins can form co-condensates. In vivo analysis using live cell STED microscopy shows liquid-like dynamics of centrosomal centrin. Additionally, implementation of an inducible protein overexpression system reveals concentration-dependent formation of extra-centrosomal centrin assemblies with condensate-like properties. The timing of foci formation and dissolution suggests that centrin assembly is regulated. This study thereby provides a new model for centrin accumulation at eukaryotic centrosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannik Voß
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Severina Klaus
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicolas P. Lichti
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Ganter
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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6
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Rosa C, Singh P, Chen P, Sinha A, Claës A, Preiser PR, Dedon PC, Baumgarten S, Scherf A, Bryant JM. Cohesin contributes to transcriptional repression of stage-specific genes in the human malaria parasite. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e57090. [PMID: 37592911 PMCID: PMC10561359 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex life cycle of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is driven by specific transcriptional programs, but it is unclear how most genes are activated or silenced at specific times. There is an association between transcription and spatial organization; however, the molecular mechanisms behind genome organization are unclear. While P. falciparum lacks key genome-organizing proteins found in metazoans, it has all core components of the cohesin complex. To investigate the role of cohesin in P. falciparum, we functionally characterize the cohesin subunit Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes protein 3 (SMC3). SMC3 knockdown during early stages of the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) upregulates a subset of genes involved in erythrocyte egress and invasion, which are normally expressed at later stages. ChIP-seq analyses reveal that during the IDC, SMC3 enrichment at the promoter regions of these genes inversely correlates with gene expression and chromatin accessibility. These data suggest that SMC3 binding contributes to the repression of specific genes until their appropriate time of expression, revealing a new mode of stage-specific gene repression in P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Rosa
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Biology of Host‐Parasite Interactions UnitParisFrance
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral Complexité du Vivant ED515ParisFrance
| | - Parul Singh
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Biology of Host‐Parasite Interactions UnitParisFrance
| | - Patty Chen
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Biology of Host‐Parasite Interactions UnitParisFrance
| | - Ameya Sinha
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
- Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore‐MIT Alliance for Research and TechnologySingaporeSingapore
| | - Aurélie Claës
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Biology of Host‐Parasite Interactions UnitParisFrance
| | - Peter R Preiser
- School of Biological SciencesNanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
- Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore‐MIT Alliance for Research and TechnologySingaporeSingapore
| | - Peter C Dedon
- Antimicrobial Resistance Interdisciplinary Research Group, Singapore‐MIT Alliance for Research and TechnologySingaporeSingapore
- Department of Biological EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | | | - Artur Scherf
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Biology of Host‐Parasite Interactions UnitParisFrance
| | - Jessica M Bryant
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1201, CNRS EMR9195, Biology of Host‐Parasite Interactions UnitParisFrance
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7
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Wenz C, Simon CS, Romão TP, Stürmer VS, Machado M, Klages N, Klemmer A, Voß Y, Ganter M, Brochet M, Guizetti J. An Sfi1-like centrin-interacting centriolar plaque protein affects nuclear microtubule homeostasis. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011325. [PMID: 37130129 PMCID: PMC10180636 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria-causing parasites achieve rapid proliferation in human blood through multiple rounds of asynchronous nuclear division followed by daughter cell formation. Nuclear divisions critically depend on the centriolar plaque, which organizes intranuclear spindle microtubules. The centriolar plaque consists of an extranuclear compartment, which is connected via a nuclear pore-like structure to a chromatin-free intranuclear compartment. Composition and function of this non-canonical centrosome remain largely elusive. Centrins, which reside in the extranuclear part, are among the very few centrosomal proteins conserved in Plasmodium falciparum. Here we identify a novel centrin-interacting centriolar plaque protein. Conditional knock down of this Sfi1-like protein (PfSlp) caused a growth delay in blood stages, which correlated with a reduced number of daughter cells. Surprisingly, intranuclear tubulin abundance was significantly increased, which raises the hypothesis that the centriolar plaque might be implicated in regulating tubulin levels. Disruption of tubulin homeostasis caused excess microtubules and aberrant mitotic spindles. Time-lapse microscopy revealed that this prevented or delayed mitotic spindle extension but did not significantly interfere with DNA replication. Our study thereby identifies a novel extranuclear centriolar plaque factor and establishes a functional link to the intranuclear compartment of this divergent eukaryotic centrosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Wenz
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Marta Machado
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Natacha Klages
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anja Klemmer
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yannik Voß
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Ganter
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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8
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Abstract
Malaria remains a significant threat to global health, and despite concerted efforts to curb the disease, malaria-related morbidity and mortality increased in recent years. Malaria is caused by unicellular eukaryotes of the genus Plasmodium, and all clinical manifestations occur during asexual proliferation of the parasite inside host erythrocytes. In the blood stage, Plasmodium proliferates through an unusual cell cycle mode called schizogony. Contrary to most studied eukaryotes, which divide by binary fission, the parasite undergoes several rounds of DNA replication and nuclear division that are not directly followed by cytokinesis, resulting in multinucleated cells. Moreover, despite sharing a common cytoplasm, these nuclei multiply asynchronously. Schizogony challenges our current models of cell cycle regulation and, at the same time, offers targets for therapeutic interventions. Over the recent years, the adaptation of advanced molecular and cell biological techniques have given us deeper insight how DNA replication, nuclear division, and cytokinesis are coordinated. Here, we review our current understanding of the chronological events that characterize the unusual cell division cycle of P. falciparum in the clinically relevant blood stage of infection.
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9
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Kehrer J, Pietsch E, Heinze J, Spielmann T, Frischknecht F. Clearing of hemozoin crystals in malaria parasites enables whole-cell STED microscopy. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:286288. [PMID: 36511329 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a devastating mosquito-borne parasitic disease that manifests when Plasmodium parasites replicate within red blood cells. During the development within the red blood cell, the parasite digests hemoglobin and crystalizes the otherwise toxic heme. The resulting hemozoin crystals limit imaging by STED nanoscopy owing to their high light-absorbing capacity, which leads to immediate cell destruction upon contact with the laser. Here, we establish CUBIC-P-based clearing of hemozoin crystals, enabling whole-cell STED nanoscopy of parasites within red blood cells. Hemozoin-cleared infected red blood cells could reliably be stained with antibodies, and hence proteins in the hemozoin-containing digestive vacuole membrane, as well as in secretory vesicles of gametocytes, could be imaged at high resolution. Thus, this process is a valuable tool to study and understand parasite biology and the potential molecular mechanisms mediating drug resistance. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Kehrer
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 344, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research, DZIF, partner site Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Infectious Diseases Imaging Platform, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 344, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Emma Pietsch
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 344, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julia Heinze
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 344, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Str. 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Integrative Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 344, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research, DZIF, partner site Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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Li J, Shami GJ, Cho E, Liu B, Hanssen E, Dixon MWA, Tilley L. Repurposing the mitotic machinery to drive cellular elongation and chromatin reorganisation in Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5054. [PMID: 36030238 PMCID: PMC9419145 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32579-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The sexual stage gametocytes of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, adopt a falciform (crescent) shape driven by the assembly of a network of microtubules anchored to a cisternal inner membrane complex (IMC). Using 3D electron microscopy, we show that a non-mitotic microtubule organizing center (MTOC), embedded in the parasite's nuclear membrane, orients the endoplasmic reticulum and the nascent IMC and seeds cytoplasmic microtubules. A bundle of microtubules extends into the nuclear lumen, elongating the nuclear envelope and capturing the chromatin. Classical mitotic machinery components, including centriolar plaque proteins, Pfcentrin-1 and -4, microtubule-associated protein, End-binding protein-1, kinetochore protein, PfNDC80 and centromere-associated protein, PfCENH3, are involved in the nuclear microtubule assembly/disassembly process. Depolymerisation of the microtubules using trifluralin prevents elongation and disrupts the chromatin, centromere and kinetochore organisation. We show that the unusual non-mitotic hemispindle plays a central role in chromatin organisation, IMC positioning and subpellicular microtubule formation in gametocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahong Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Gerald J Shami
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Ellie Cho
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.,Biological Optical Microscopy Platform, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Boyin Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Eric Hanssen
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.,Ian Holmes Imaging Center, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Matthew W A Dixon
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Peter Doherty Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia. .,Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
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11
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Abstract
Blood cell analysis is essential for the diagnosis and identification of hematological malignancies. The use of digital microscopy systems has been extended in clinical laboratories. Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) has attracted wide attention in the medical field due to its nanoscale spatial resolution and high sensitivity. It is considered to be a potential method of blood cell analysis that may have more advantages than traditional approaches such as conventional optical microscopy and hematology analyzers in certain examination projects. In this review, we firstly summarize several common blood cell analysis technologies in the clinic, and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies. Then, we focus on the basic principles and characteristics of three representative SRM techniques, as well as the latest advances in these techniques for blood cell analysis. Finally, we discuss the developmental trend and possible research directions of SRM, and provide some discussions on further development of technologies for blood cell analysis.
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12
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The transcriptional regulator HDP1 controls expansion of the inner membrane complex during early sexual differentiation of malaria parasites. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:289-299. [PMID: 35087229 PMCID: PMC8852293 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-01045-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Transmission of Plasmodium falciparum and other malaria parasites requires their differentiation from asexual blood stages into gametocytes, the non-replicative sexual stage necessary to infect the mosquito vector. This transition involves changes in gene expression and chromatin reorganization that result in the activation and silencing of stage-specific genes. However, the genomes of malaria parasites have been noted for their limited number of transcriptional and chromatin regulators, and the molecular mediators of these changes remain largely unknown. We recently identified homeodomain protein 1 (HDP1) as a DNA-binding protein, first expressed in gametocytes, that enhances the expression of key genes critical for early sexual differentiation. The discovery of HDP1 marks a new class of transcriptional regulator in malaria parasites outside of the better-characterized ApiAP2 family. Here, using molecular biology, biochemistry and microscopy techniques, we show that HDP1 is essential for gametocyte maturation, facilitating the necessary upregulation of inner membrane complex components during early gametocytogenesis that gives P. falciparum gametocytes their characteristic shape.
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13
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Jiao T, Collado A, Mahdi A, Jurga J, Tengbom J, Saleh N, Verouhis D, Böhm F, Zhou Z, Yang J, Pernow J. Erythrocytes from patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction induce cardioprotection through the purinergic P2Y 13 receptor and nitric oxide signaling. Basic Res Cardiol 2022; 117:46. [PMID: 36112326 PMCID: PMC9481504 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-022-00953-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Red blood cells (RBCs) are suggested to play a role in cardiovascular regulation by exporting nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity and ATP under hypoxia. It remains unknown whether such beneficial effects of RBCs are protective in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We investigated whether RBCs from patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) protect against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and whether such effect involves NO and purinergic signaling in the RBCs. RBCs from patients with STEMI undergoing primary coronary intervention and healthy controls were administered to isolated rat hearts subjected to global ischemia and reperfusion. Compared to RBCs from healthy controls, RBCs from STEMI patients reduced myocardial infarct size (30 ± 12% RBC healthy vs. 11 ± 5% RBC STEMI patients, P < 0.001), improved recovery of left-ventricular developed pressure and dP/dt and reduced left-ventricular end-diastolic pressure in hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion. Inhibition of RBC NO synthase with L-NAME or soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) with ODQ, and inhibition of cardiac protein kinase G (PKG) abolished the cardioprotective effect. Furthermore, the non-selective purinergic P2 receptor antagonist PPADS but not the P1 receptor antagonist 8PT attenuated the cardioprotection induced by RBCs from STEMI patients. The P2Y13 receptor was expressed in RBCs and the cardioprotection was abolished by the P2Y13 receptor antagonist MRS2211. By contrast, perfusion with PPADS, L-NAME, or ODQ prior to RBCs administration failed to block the cardioprotection induced by RBCs from STEMI patients. Administration of RBCs from healthy subjects following pre-incubation with an ATP analog reduced infarct size from 20 ± 6 to 7 ± 2% (P < 0.001), and this effect was abolished by ODQ and MRS2211. This study demonstrates a novel function of RBCs in STEMI patients providing protection against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through the P2Y13 receptor and the NO-sGC-PKG pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Jiao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aida Collado
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ali Mahdi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Juliane Jurga
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Tengbom
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nawzad Saleh
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dinos Verouhis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Felix Böhm
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zhichao Zhou
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jiangning Yang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Pernow
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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14
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Rashpa R, Brochet M. Expansion microscopy of Plasmodium gametocytes reveals the molecular architecture of a bipartite microtubule organisation centre coordinating mitosis with axoneme assembly. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010223. [PMID: 35077503 PMCID: PMC8789139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission of malaria-causing parasites to mosquitoes relies on the production of gametocyte stages and their development into gametes. These stages display various microtubule cytoskeletons and the architecture of the corresponding microtubule organisation centres (MTOC) remains elusive. Combining ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) with bulk proteome labelling, we first reconstructed in 3D the subpellicular microtubule network which confers cell rigidity to Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. Upon activation, as the microgametocyte undergoes three rounds of endomitosis, it also assembles axonemes to form eight flagellated microgametes. U-ExM combined with Pan-ExM further revealed the molecular architecture of the bipartite MTOC coordinating mitosis with axoneme formation. This MTOC spans the nuclear membrane linking cytoplasmic basal bodies to intranuclear bodies by proteinaceous filaments. In P. berghei, the eight basal bodies are concomitantly de novo assembled in a SAS6- and SAS4-dependent manner from a deuterosome-like structure, where centrin, γ-tubulin, SAS4 and SAS6 form distinct subdomains. Basal bodies display a fusion of the proximal and central cores where centrin and SAS6 are surrounded by a SAS4-toroid in the lumen of the microtubule wall. Sequential nucleation of axonemes and mitotic spindles is associated with a dynamic movement of γ-tubulin from the basal bodies to the intranuclear bodies. This dynamic architecture relies on two non-canonical regulators, the calcium-dependent protein kinase 4 and the serine/arginine-protein kinase 1. Altogether, these results provide insights into the molecular organisation of a bipartite MTOC that may reflect a functional transition of a basal body to coordinate axoneme assembly with mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravish Rashpa
- University of Geneva, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- University of Geneva, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
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15
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Ganter M, Guizetti J, Kilian N. Visualization of Infected Red Blood Cell Surface Antigens by Fluorescence Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2470:425-433. [PMID: 35881363 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2189-9_31] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Immunofluorescence labeling enables the detection and characterization of various parasite proteins presented on the surface of the infected red blood cell. Several approaches for immunofluorescence detection of red blood cell surface-presented proteins of Plasmodium spp. have been successfully established and published over the years. However, finding the right approach depends on the scientific question, and different protocols have different advantages. Here, we discuss some aspects that should be considered and present an easily applicable protocol for labeling parasite surface antigens, which subsequently can be analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy (or flow cytometry).
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Ganter
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicole Kilian
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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Liffner B, Absalon S. Expansion Microscopy Reveals Plasmodium falciparum Blood-Stage Parasites Undergo Anaphase with A Chromatin Bridge in the Absence of Mini-Chromosome Maintenance Complex Binding Protein. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2306. [PMID: 34835432 PMCID: PMC8620465 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum undergoes closed mitosis, which occurs within an intact nuclear envelope, and differs significantly from its human host. Mitosis is underpinned by the dynamics of microtubules and the nuclear envelope. To date, our ability to study P. falciparum mitosis by microscopy has been hindered by the small size of the P. falciparum nuclei. Ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) has recently been developed for P. falciparum, allowing the visualization of mitosis at the individual nucleus level. Using U-ExM, three intranuclear microtubule structures are observed: hemispindles, mitotic spindles, and interpolar spindles. A previous study demonstrated that the mini-chromosome maintenance complex binding-protein (MCMBP) depletion caused abnormal nuclear morphology and microtubule defects. To investigate the role of microtubules following MCMBP depletion and study the nuclear envelope in these parasites, we developed the first nuclear stain enabled by U-ExM in P. falciparum. MCMBP-deficient parasites show aberrant hemispindles and mitotic spindles. Moreover, anaphase chromatin bridges and individual nuclei containing multiple microtubule structures were observed following MCMBP knockdown. Collectively, this study refines our understanding of MCMBP-deficient parasites and highlights the utility of U-ExM coupled with a nuclear envelope stain for studying mitosis in P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sabrina Absalon
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA;
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17
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Simon CS, Funaya C, Bauer J, Voβ Y, Machado M, Penning A, Klaschka D, Cyrklaff M, Kim J, Ganter M, Guizetti J. An extended DNA-free intranuclear compartment organizes centrosome microtubules in malaria parasites. Life Sci Alliance 2021; 4:e202101199. [PMID: 34535568 PMCID: PMC8473725 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proliferation of Plasmodium falciparum in red blood cells is the cause of malaria and is underpinned by an unconventional cell division mode, called schizogony. Contrary to model organisms, P. falciparum replicates by multiple rounds of nuclear divisions that are not interrupted by cytokinesis. Organization and dynamics of critical nuclear division factors remain poorly understood. Centriolar plaques, the centrosomes of P. falciparum, serve as microtubule organizing centers and have an acentriolar, amorphous structure. The small size of parasite nuclei has precluded detailed analysis of intranuclear microtubule organization by classical fluorescence microscopy. We apply recently developed super-resolution and time-lapse imaging protocols to describe microtubule reconfiguration during schizogony. Analysis of centrin, nuclear pore, and microtubule positioning reveals two distinct compartments of the centriolar plaque. Whereas centrin is extranuclear, we confirm by correlative light and electron tomography that microtubules are nucleated in a previously unknown and extended intranuclear compartment, which is devoid of chromatin but protein-dense. This study generates a working model for an unconventional centrosome and enables a better understanding about the diversity of eukaryotic cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline S Simon
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Charlotta Funaya
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Johanna Bauer
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yannik Voβ
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marta Machado
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexander Penning
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Darius Klaschka
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marek Cyrklaff
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Juyeop Kim
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Ganter
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
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18
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Gobbo F, Sarli G, De Silva M, Galiazzo G, Chiocchetti R, Morini M. A Double Histochemical/Immunohistochemical Staining for the Identification of Canine Mast Cells in Light Microscopy. Vet Sci 2021; 8:vetsci8100229. [PMID: 34679059 PMCID: PMC8537840 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8100229] [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: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a widely used technique in diagnostic pathology, but the simultaneous analysis of more than one antibody at a time with different chromogens is rather complex, time-consuming, and quite expensive. In order to facilitate the identification of mast cells (MCs) during immunohistochemical analysis of membrane and/or nuclear markers, we propose a new staining method that includes the association of IHC and toluidine blue as a counterstain. To achieve this goal, we tested c-kit, Ki67, and cannabinoid receptor 2 on several cases of cutaneous canine mast cell tumors (MCTs), cutaneous mastocytosis, and atopic dermatitis. The results obtained show how this double staining technique, although limited to non-cytoplasmic markers and of little use in poorly differentiated MCTs in which MC metachromasia is hard to see, can be used during the evaluation of nuclear and/or membranous immunohistochemical markers in all canine cutaneous disorders, especially if characterized by the presence of a low number of MCs. It can help to evaluate those MCTs in which neoplastic MCs must be clearly distinguished from inflammatory cells that can infiltrate the tumor itself, in facilitating the calculation of the Ki67 index. Moreover, it can be used to study the expression of new markers in both animal and human tissues containing MCs and in MC disorders.
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19
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Collins JE, Lee JW, Bohmer MJ, Welden JD, Arshadi AK, Du L, Cichewicz RH, Chakrabarti D. Cyclic Tetrapeptide HDAC Inhibitors with Improved Plasmodium falciparum Selectivity and Killing Profile. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:2889-2903. [PMID: 34491031 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic tetrapeptide histone deacetylase inhibitors represent a promising class of antiplasmodial agents that epigenetically disrupt a wide range of cellular processes in Plasmodium falciparum. Unfortunately, certain limitations, including reversible killing effects and host cell toxicity, prevented these inhibitors from further development and clinical use as antimalarials. In this study, we present a series of cyclic tetrapeptide analogues derived primarily from the fungus Wardomyces dimerus that inhibit P. falciparum with low nanomolar potency and high selectivity. This cyclic tetrapeptide scaffold was diversified further via semisynthesis, leading to the identification of several key structural changes that positively impacted the selectivity, potency, and in vitro killing profiles of these compounds. We confirmed their effectiveness as HDAC inhibitors through the inhibition of PfHDAC1 catalytic activity, in silico modeling, and the hyperacetylation of histone H4. Additional analysis revealed the in vitro inhibition of the most active epoxide-containing analogue was plasmodistatic, exhibiting reversible inhibitory effects upon compound withdrawal after 24 or 48 h. In contrast, one of the new diacetyloxy semisynthetic analogues, CTP-NPDG 19, displayed a rapid and irreversible action against the parasite following compound exposure for 24 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Collins
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Jin Woo Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Monica J. Bohmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Joshua D. Welden
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Arash K. Arshadi
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
| | - Lin Du
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Robert H. Cichewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute for Natural Products Applications & Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, United States
| | - Debopam Chakrabarti
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, 12722 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States
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20
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Co-chaperone involvement in knob biogenesis implicates host-derived chaperones in malaria virulence. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009969. [PMID: 34614006 PMCID: PMC8544838 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathology associated with malaria infection is largely due to the ability of infected human RBCs to adhere to a number of receptors on endothelial cells within tissues and organs. This phenomenon is driven by the export of parasite-encoded proteins to the host cell, the exact function of many of which is still unknown. Here we inactivate the function of one of these exported proteins, PFA66, a member of the J-domain protein family. Although parasites lacking this protein were still able to grow in cell culture, we observed severe defects in normal host cell modification, including aberrant morphology of surface knobs, disrupted presentation of the cytoadherence molecule PfEMP1, and a total lack of cytoadherence, despite the presence of the knob associated protein KAHRP. Complementation assays demonstrate that an intact J-domain is required for recovery to a wild-type phenotype and suggest that PFA66 functions in concert with a HSP70 to carry out host cell modification. Strikingly, this HSP70 is likely to be of host origin. ATPase assays on recombinant protein verify a functional interaction between PFA66 and residual host cell HSP70. Taken together, our data reveal a role for PFA66 in host cell modification, strongly implicate human HSP70s as being essential in this process and uncover a new KAHRP-independent molecular factor required for correct knob biogenesis. To survive in the human body, the malaria parasite invades and lives within human red blood cells. Once within the red blood cell, the parasite renovates the host cell to its own needs. Here we have studied which factors from both parasite and host cell are required for this renovation process, and discover that human chaperone proteins, referred to as HSP70, are required. It appears that a particular parasite-derived protein, PFA66, recruits and modifies the function of the human HSP70. As this interaction between a parasite and human protein is novel and essential for parasite survival, our study identifies a potential Achilles’ Heel which may be targeted for development of new anti-malaria therapies.
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21
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Sanchez CP, Patra P, Chang SYS, Karathanasis C, Hanebutte L, Kilian N, Cyrklaff M, Heilemann M, Schwarz US, Kudryashev M, Lanzer M. KAHRP dynamically relocalizes to remodeled actin junctions and associates with knob spirals in Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Mol Microbiol 2021; 117:274-292. [PMID: 34514656 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The knob-associated histidine-rich protein (KAHRP) plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of Plasmodium falciparum malaria by forming membrane protrusions in infected erythrocytes, which anchor parasite-encoded adhesins to the membrane skeleton. The resulting sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes in the microvasculature leads to severe disease. Despite KAHRP being an important virulence factor, its physical location within the membrane skeleton is still debated, as is its function in knob formation. Here, we show by super-resolution microscopy that KAHRP initially associates with various skeletal components, including ankyrin bridges, but eventually colocalizes with remnant actin junctions. We further present a 35 Å map of the spiral scaffold underlying knobs and show that a KAHRP-targeting nanoprobe binds close to the spiral scaffold. Single-molecule localization microscopy detected ~60 KAHRP molecules/knob. We propose a dynamic model of KAHRP organization and a function of KAHRP in attaching other factors to the spiral scaffold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia P Sanchez
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pintu Patra
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,BioQuant-Center for Quantitative Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Shih-Ying Scott Chang
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysics and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christos Karathanasis
- Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lukas Hanebutte
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicole Kilian
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marek Cyrklaff
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mike Heilemann
- BioQuant-Center for Quantitative Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ulrich S Schwarz
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,BioQuant-Center for Quantitative Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mikhail Kudryashev
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysics and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michael Lanzer
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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22
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CRISPR/Cas9-engineered inducible gametocyte producer lines as a valuable tool for Plasmodium falciparum malaria transmission research. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4806. [PMID: 34376675 PMCID: PMC8355313 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24954-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates inside erythrocytes in the blood of infected humans. During each replication cycle, a small proportion of parasites commits to sexual development and differentiates into gametocytes, which are essential for parasite transmission via the mosquito vector. Detailed molecular investigation of gametocyte biology and transmission has been hampered by difficulties in generating large numbers of these highly specialised cells. Here, we engineer P. falciparum NF54 inducible gametocyte producer (iGP) lines for the routine mass production of synchronous gametocytes via conditional overexpression of the sexual commitment factor GDV1. NF54/iGP lines consistently achieve sexual commitment rates of 75% and produce viable gametocytes that are transmissible by mosquitoes. We also demonstrate that further genetic engineering of NF54/iGP parasites is a valuable tool for the targeted exploration of gametocyte biology. In summary, we believe the iGP approach developed here will greatly expedite basic and applied malaria transmission stage research.
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23
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Avalos-Padilla Y, Georgiev VN, Lantero E, Pujals S, Verhoef R, N. Borgheti-Cardoso L, Albertazzi L, Dimova R, Fernàndez-Busquets X. The ESCRT-III machinery participates in the production of extracellular vesicles and protein export during Plasmodium falciparum infection. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009455. [PMID: 33798247 PMCID: PMC9159051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection with Plasmodium falciparum enhances extracellular
vesicle (EV) production in parasitized red blood cells (pRBCs), an important
mechanism for parasite-to-parasite communication during the asexual
intraerythrocytic life cycle. The endosomal
sorting complex
required for transport
(ESCRT), and in particular the ESCRT-III sub-complex, participates in the
formation of EVs in higher eukaryotes. However, RBCs have lost the majority of
their organelles through the maturation process, including an important
reduction in their vesicular network. Therefore, the mechanism of EV production
in P. falciparum-infected RBCs remains to be
elucidated. Here we demonstrate that P.
falciparum possesses a functional ESCRT-III machinery
activated by an alternative recruitment pathway involving the action of PfBro1
and PfVps32/PfVps60 proteins. Additionally, multivesicular body formation and
membrane shedding, both reported mechanisms of EV production, were reconstituted
in the membrane model of giant unilamellar vesicles using the purified
recombinant proteins. Moreover, the presence of PfVps32, PfVps60 and PfBro1 in
EVs purified from a pRBC culture was confirmed by super-resolution microscopy
and dot blot assays. Finally, disruption of the PfVps60 gene
led to a reduction in the number of the produced EVs in the KO strain and
affected the distribution of other ESCRT-III components. Overall, our results
increase the knowledge on the underlying molecular mechanisms during malaria
pathogenesis and demonstrate that ESCRT-III P.
falciparum proteins participate in EV production. Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that is
still a leading cause of death in many low-income countries, and for which
currently available therapeutic strategies are not succeeding in its control,
let alone eradication. An interesting feature observed after
Plasmodium invasion is the increase of extracellular
vesicles (EVs) generated by parasitized red blood cells (pRBCs), which lack a
vesicular trafficking that would explain EV production. Here, by combining
different approaches, we demonstrated the participation of the
endosomal sorting
complex required for
transport (ESCRT) machinery from Plasmodium
falciparum in the production of EVs in pRBCs. Moreover, we were
able to detect ESCRT-III proteins adjacent to the membrane of the host and in
EVs purified from a pRBC culture, which shows the export of these proteins and
their participation in EV production. Finally, the disruption of an ESCRT-III
associated gene, Pfvps60, led to a significant reduction in the
amount of EVs. Altogether, these results confirm ESCRT-III participation in EV
production and provide novel information on the P.
falciparum protein export mechanisms, which can be used for
the development of new therapeutic strategies against malaria, based on the
disruption of EV formation and trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunuen Avalos-Padilla
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Hospital
Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids
and Interfaces, Science Park Golm, Potsdam, Germany
- * E-mail: (YA-P); (XF-B)
| | - Vasil N. Georgiev
- Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids
and Interfaces, Science Park Golm, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Elena Lantero
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Hospital
Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Pujals
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Electronics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Physics,
Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - René Verhoef
- Computational Biology Group, Eindhoven University of Technology,
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Livia N. Borgheti-Cardoso
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Albertazzi
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Complex
Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The
Netherlands
| | - Rumiana Dimova
- Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids
and Interfaces, Science Park Golm, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Hospital
Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail: (YA-P); (XF-B)
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24
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Bertiaux E, Balestra AC, Bournonville L, Louvel V, Maco B, Soldati-Favre D, Brochet M, Guichard P, Hamel V. Expansion microscopy provides new insights into the cytoskeleton of malaria parasites including the conservation of a conoid. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001020. [PMID: 33705377 PMCID: PMC7951857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is caused by unicellular Plasmodium parasites. Plasmodium relies on diverse microtubule cytoskeletal structures for its reproduction, multiplication, and dissemination. Due to the small size of this parasite, its cytoskeleton has been primarily observable by electron microscopy (EM). Here, we demonstrate that the nanoscale cytoskeleton organisation is within reach using ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM). In developing microgametocytes, U-ExM allows monitoring the dynamic assembly of axonemes and concomitant tubulin polyglutamylation in whole cells. In the invasive merozoite and ookinete forms, U-ExM unveils the diversity across Plasmodium stages and species of the subpellicular microtubule arrays that confer cell rigidity. In ookinetes, we additionally identify an apical tubulin ring (ATR) that colocalises with markers of the conoid in related apicomplexan parasites. This tubulin-containing structure was presumed to be lost in Plasmodium despite its crucial role in motility and invasion in other apicomplexans. Here, U-ExM reveals that a divergent and considerably reduced form of the conoid is actually conserved in Plasmodium species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloïse Bertiaux
- University of Geneva, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aurélia C. Balestra
- University of Geneva, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lorène Bournonville
- University of Geneva, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Louvel
- University of Geneva, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bohumil Maco
- University of Geneva, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- University of Geneva, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- University of Geneva, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Paul Guichard
- University of Geneva, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Virginie Hamel
- University of Geneva, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Geneva, Switzerland
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25
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Sui M, Wang Z, Xi D, Wang H. miR‐142‐5P regulates triglyceride by targeting
CTNNB1
in goat mammary epithelial cells. Reprod Domest Anim 2020; 55:613-623. [DOI: 10.1111/rda.13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- MeiXia Sui
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Weifang University Weifang China
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Universities Weifang University Weifang China
| | - ZongWei Wang
- Administrative Examination and Approval Service Bureau of Shouguang Weifang China
| | - Dan Xi
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Weifang University Weifang China
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Universities Weifang University Weifang China
| | - HanHai Wang
- College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Weifang University Weifang China
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Universities Weifang University Weifang China
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