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Xie Y, Liang H, Jiang N, Liu D, Zhang N, Li Q, Zhang K, Sang X, Feng Y, Chen R, Zhang Y, Chen Q. Graphene quantum dots induce cascadic apoptosis via interaction with proteins associated with anti-oxidation after endocytosis by Trypanosoma brucei. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1022050. [PMID: 36561761 PMCID: PMC9763322 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1022050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, the pathogen causing African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) in humans, causes debilitating diseases in many regions of the world, but mainly in African countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Enormous efforts have been devoted to controlling trypanosomiasis, including expanding vector control programs, searching for novel anti-trypanosomial agents, and developing vaccines, but with limited success. In this study, we systematically investigated the effect of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on trypanosomal parasites and their underlying mechanisms. Ultrasmall-sized GQDs can be efficiently endocytosed by T. brucei and with no toxicity to mammalian-derived cells, triggering a cascade of apoptotic reactions, including mitochondrial disorder, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation, Ca2+ accumulation, DNA fragmentation, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis impairment, and cell cycle arrest. All of these were caused by the direct interaction between GQDs and the proteins associated with cell apoptosis and anti-oxidation responses, such as trypanothione reductase (TryR), a key protein in anti-oxidation. GQDs specifically inhibited the enzymatic activity of TryR, leading to a reduction in the antioxidant capacity and, ultimately, parasite apoptotic death. These data, for the first time, provide a basis for the exploration of GQDs in the development of anti-trypanosomials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Xie
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Hongrui Liang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Dingyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Naiwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Qilong Li
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiaoyu Sang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ying Feng
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ran Chen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yiwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Qijun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,*Correspondence: Qijun Chen,
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Jeacock L, Baker N, Wiedemar N, Mäser P, Horn D. Aquaglyceroporin-null trypanosomes display glycerol transport defects and respiratory-inhibitor sensitivity. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006307. [PMID: 28358927 PMCID: PMC5388498 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaglyceroporins (AQPs) transport water and glycerol and play important roles in drug-uptake in pathogenic trypanosomatids. For example, AQP2 in the human-infectious African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, is responsible for melarsoprol and pentamidine-uptake, and melarsoprol treatment-failure has been found to be due to AQP2-defects in these parasites. To further probe the roles of these transporters, we assembled a T. b. brucei strain lacking all three AQP-genes. Triple-null aqp1-2-3 T. b. brucei displayed only a very moderate growth defect in vitro, established infections in mice and recovered effectively from hypotonic-shock. The aqp1-2-3 trypanosomes did, however, display glycerol uptake and efflux defects. They failed to accumulate glycerol or to utilise glycerol as a carbon-source and displayed increased sensitivity to salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM), octyl gallate or propyl gallate; these inhibitors of trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) can increase intracellular glycerol to toxic levels. Notably, disruption of AQP2 alone generated cells with glycerol transport defects. Consistent with these findings, AQP2-defective, melarsoprol-resistant clinical isolates were sensitive to the TAO inhibitors, SHAM, propyl gallate and ascofuranone, relative to melarsoprol-sensitive reference strains. We conclude that African trypanosome AQPs are dispensable for viability and osmoregulation but they make important contributions to drug-uptake, glycerol-transport and respiratory-inhibitor sensitivity. We also discuss how the AQP-dependent inverse sensitivity to melarsoprol and respiratory inhibitors described here might be exploited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Jeacock
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Baker
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Natalie Wiedemar
- Parasite Chemotherapy Unit, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Parasite Chemotherapy Unit, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - David Horn
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee, United Kingdom
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Tiberti N, Matovu E, Hainard A, Enyaru JC, Lejon V, Robin X, Turck N, Ngoyi DM, Krishna S, Bisser S, Courtioux B, Büscher P, Kristensson K, Ndung'u JM, Sanchez JC. New biomarkers for stage determination in Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense sleeping sickness patients. Clin Transl Med 2013; 2:1. [PMID: 23369533 PMCID: PMC3561069 DOI: 10.1186/2001-1326-2-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 12/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate stage determination is crucial in the choice of treatment for patients suffering from sleeping sickness, also known as human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Current staging methods, based on the counting of white blood cells (WBC) and the detection of parasites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have limited accuracy. We hypothesized that immune mediators reliable for staging T. b. gambiense HAT could also be used to stratify T. b. rhodesiense patients, the less common form of HAT. A population comprising 85 T. b. rhodesiense patients, 14 stage 1 (S1) and 71 stage 2 (S2) enrolled in Malawi and Uganda, was investigated. The CSF levels of IgM, MMP-9, CXCL13, CXCL10, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, neopterin and B2MG were measured and their staging performances evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. IgM, MMP-9 and CXCL13 were the most accurate markers for stage determination (partial AUC 88%, 86% and 85%, respectively). The combination in panels of three molecules comprising CXCL13-CXCL10-MMP-9 or CXCL13-CXCL10-IgM significantly increased their staging ability to partial AUC 94% (p value < 0.01). The present study highlighted new potential markers for stage determination of T. b. rhodesiense patients. Further investigations are needed to better evaluate these molecules, alone or in panels, as alternatives to WBC to make reliable choice of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Tiberti
- Department of Human Protein Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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