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Omondi D, Zweygarth E, Murungi E, Jongejan F, Nijhof AM. De novo assembly and annotation of the Amblyomma hebraeum tick midgut transcriptome response to Ehrlichia ruminantium infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011554. [PMID: 37578991 PMCID: PMC10449191 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011554] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The South African bont tick Amblyomma hebraeum is a hematophagous vector for the heartwater disease pathogen Ehrlichia ruminantium in southern Africa. During feeding, the tick's enterocytes express proteins that perform vital functions in blood digestion, including proteins that may be involved in E. ruminantium acquisition, colonization or immunity. To delineate the molecular mechanism of midgut response to E. ruminantium infection, we performed comparative analyses of midgut transcriptomes of E. ruminantium infected engorged A. hebraeum nymphs, and infected adult male and female ticks with their corresponding matched uninfected controls, before and during feeding. A total of 102,036 unigenes were annotated in public databases and their expression levels analyzed for engorged nymphs as well as unfed and partly-fed adult ticks. There were 2,025 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in midguts, of which 1,225 unigenes were up-regulated and 800 unigenes were down-regulated in the midguts of infected ticks. Annotation of DEGs revealed an increase in metabolic and cellular processes among E. ruminantium infected ticks. Notably, among the infected ticks, there was up-regulation in the expression of genes involved in tick immunity, histone proteins and oxidative stress responses. We also observed up-regulation of glycoproteins that E. ruminantium could potentially use as docking sites for host cell entry. Insights uncovered in this study offer a platform for further investigations into the molecular interaction between E. ruminantium and A. hebraeum.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Omondi
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya
| | - Erich Zweygarth
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Edwin Murungi
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Health Sciences, Kisii University, Kisii, Kenya
| | - Frans Jongejan
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ard M. Nijhof
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Revisiting Ehrlichia ruminantium Replication Cycle Using Proteomics: The Host and the Bacterium Perspectives. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9061144. [PMID: 34073568 PMCID: PMC8229282 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9061144] [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: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Rickettsiales Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causal agent of the fatal tick-borne disease Heartwater, induces severe damage to the vascular endothelium in ruminants. Nevertheless, E. ruminantium-induced pathobiology remains largely unknown. Our work paves the way for understanding this phenomenon by using quantitative proteomic analyses (2D-DIGE-MS/MS, 1DE-nanoLC-MS/MS and biotin-nanoUPLC-MS/MS) of host bovine aorta endothelial cells (BAE) during the in vitro bacterium intracellular replication cycle. We detect 265 bacterial proteins (including virulence factors), at all time-points of the E. ruminantium replication cycle, highlighting a dynamic bacterium–host interaction. We show that E. ruminantium infection modulates the expression of 433 host proteins: 98 being over-expressed, 161 under-expressed, 140 detected only in infected BAE cells and 34 exclusively detected in non-infected cells. Cystoscape integrated data analysis shows that these proteins lead to major changes in host cell immune responses, host cell metabolism and vesicle trafficking, with a clear involvement of inflammation-related proteins in this process. Our findings led to the first model of E. ruminantium infection in host cells in vitro, and we highlight potential biomarkers of E. ruminantium infection in endothelial cells (such as ROCK1, TMEM16K, Albumin and PTPN1), which may be important to further combat Heartwater, namely by developing non-antibiotic-based strategies.
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Tjale MA, Liebenberg J, Steyn H, Van Kleef M, Pretorius A. Transcriptome analysis of Ehrlichia ruminantium in the ruminant host at the tick bite site and in the tick vector salivary glands. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020; 12:101646. [PMID: 33508537 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Heartwater is a non-contagious tick-borne disease of domestic and wild ruminants. Data regarding the complex processes involved during pathogen-vector-host interaction during Ehrlichia ruminantium infection is lacking and could be improved with knowledge associated with gene expression changes in both the pathogen and the host. Thus, in the current study, we aimed to identify E. ruminantium genes that are up-regulated when the pathogen enters the host and before the disease is established. Identification of such genes/proteins may aid in future vaccine development strategies against heartwater. RNA-sequencing was used to identify E. ruminantium genes that were exclusively expressed at the tick bite site in sheep skin biopsies (SB) and in adult tick salivary glands (SG). RNA was extracted from pooled samples of the SB or SG collected at different time points during tick attachment and prior to disease manifestation. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was removed and the samples were sequenced. Several E. ruminantium genes were highly expressed in all the samples while others were exclusively expressed in each. It was concluded that E. ruminantium genes that were exclusively expressed in the SB or both SB and SG when compared to the transcriptome datasets from bovine elementary bodies (BovEBs) from cell culture may be considered as early antigenic targets of host immunity. In silico immunogenic epitope prediction analysis and preliminary characterization of selected genes in vitro using ELIspot assay showed that they could possibly be ideal targets for future vaccine development against heartwater, however, further epitope characterization is still required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabotse A Tjale
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa; Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Private Bag X5, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
| | - Junita Liebenberg
- Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Private Bag X5, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Helena Steyn
- Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Private Bag X5, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Mirinda Van Kleef
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa; Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Private Bag X5, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
| | - Alri Pretorius
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa; Agricultural Research Council - Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Private Bag X5, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
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Ribeiro DM, Salama AAK, Vitor ACM, Argüello A, Moncau CT, Santos EM, Caja G, de Oliveira JS, Balieiro JCC, Hernández-Castellano LE, Zachut M, Poleti MD, Castro N, Alves SP, Almeida AM. The application of omics in ruminant production: a review in the tropical and sub-tropical animal production context. J Proteomics 2020; 227:103905. [PMID: 32712373 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The demand for animal products (e.g. dairy and beef) in tropical regions is expected to increase in parallel with the public demand for sustainable practices, due to factors such as population growth and climate change. The necessity to increase animal production output must be achieved with better management and production technologies. For this to happen, novel research methodologies, animal selection and postgenomic tools play a pivotal role. Indeed, improving breeder selection programs, the quality of meat and dairy products as well as animal health will contribute to higher sustainability and productivity. This would surely benefit regions where resource quality and quantity are increasingly unstable, and research is still very incipient, which is the case of many regions in the tropics. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate how omics-based approaches play a major role in animal science, particularly concerning ruminant production systems and research associated to the tropics and developing countries. SIGNIFICANCE: Environmental conditions in the tropics make livestock production harder, compared to temperate regions. Due to global warming, the sustainability of livestock production will become increasingly problematic. The use of novel omics technologies could generate useful information to understand adaptation mechanisms of resilient breeds and/or species. The application of omics to tropical animal production is still residual in the currently available literature. With this review, we aim to summarize the most notable results in the field whilst encouraging further research to deal with the future challenges that animal production in the tropics will need to face.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Ribeiro
- LEAF Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ahmed A K Salama
- Group of Research in Ruminants (G2R), Department of Animal and Food Science, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana C M Vitor
- CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Anastasio Argüello
- Animal Production and Biotechnology group, Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
| | - Cristina T Moncau
- FZEA - Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Avenida Duque de Caxias Norte - 225, 13635-900 Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Edson M Santos
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, Brazil
| | - Gerardo Caja
- Group of Research in Ruminants (G2R), Department of Animal and Food Science, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juliana S de Oliveira
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, PB, Brazil
| | - Júlio C C Balieiro
- FMVZ - School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Avenida Duque de Caxias Norte - 225, 13635-900 Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Maya Zachut
- Department of Ruminant Science, Institute of Animal Sciences Agricultural Research Organization/Volcani Center, Rishon Lezion 7505101, Israel
| | - Mirele D Poleti
- FZEA - Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Avenida Duque de Caxias Norte - 225, 13635-900 Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Noemi Castro
- Animal Production and Biotechnology group, Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
| | - Susana P Alves
- CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - André M Almeida
- LEAF Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal.
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Thema N, Tshilwane S, Pretorius A, Son L, Smith R, Steyn H, Liebenberg J, van Kleef M. Identification and characterisation of conserved epitopes of E. ruminantium that activate Th1 CD4+ T cells: Towards the development of a multi-epitope vaccine. Mol Immunol 2019; 107:106-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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De La Fuente J, Villar M, Estrada-Peña A, Olivas JA. High throughput discovery and characterization of tick and pathogen vaccine protective antigens using vaccinomics with intelligent Big Data analytic techniques. Expert Rev Vaccines 2018; 17:569-576. [DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2018.1493928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José De La Fuente
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Margarita Villar
- SaBio. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | | | - José A. Olivas
- Technologies and Information Systems Institute UCLM, Ciudad Real, Spain
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Pruneau L, Lebrigand K, Mari B, Lefrançois T, Meyer DF, Vachiery N. Comparative Transcriptome Profiling of Virulent and Attenuated Ehrlichia ruminantium Strains Highlighted Strong Regulation of map1- and Metabolism Related Genes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:153. [PMID: 29868509 PMCID: PMC5962694 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular pathogenic bacterium, Ehrlichia ruminantium, is the causal agent of heartwater, a fatal disease in ruminants transmitted by Amblyomma ticks. So far, three strains have been attenuated by successive passages in mammalian cells. The attenuated strains have improved capacity for growth in vitro, whereas they induced limited clinical signs in vivo and conferred strong protection against homologous challenge. However, the mechanisms of pathogenesis and attenuation remain unknown. In order to improve knowledge of E. ruminantium pathogenesis, we performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of two distant strains of E. ruminantium, Gardel and Senegal, and their corresponding attenuated strains. Overall, our results showed an upregulation of gene expression encoding for the metabolism pathway in the attenuated strains compared to the virulent strains, which can probably be associated with higher in vitro replicative activity and a better fitness to the host cells. We also observed a significant differential expression of membrane protein-encoding genes between the virulent and attenuated strains. A major downregulation of map1-related genes was observed for the two attenuated strains, whereas upregulation of genes encoding for hypothetical membrane proteins was observed for the four strains. Moreover, CDS_05140, which encodes for a putative porin, displays the highest gene expression in both attenuated strains. For the attenuated strains, the significant downregulation of map1-related gene expression and upregulation of genes encoding other membrane proteins could be important in the implementation of efficient immune responses after vaccination with attenuated vaccines. Moreover, this study revealed an upregulation of gene expression for 8 genes encoding components of Type IV secretion system and 3 potential effectors, mainly in the virulent Gardel strain. Our transcriptomic study, supported by previous proteomic studies, provides and also confirms new information regarding the characterization of genes involved in E. ruminantium virulence and attenuation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Pruneau
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Guadeloupe, France.,ASTRE, CIRAD, INRA, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Université des Antilles, Guadeloupe, France
| | - Kevin Lebrigand
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IPMC, Université Côte d'Azur, Valbonne, France
| | - Bernard Mari
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IPMC, Université Côte d'Azur, Valbonne, France
| | - Thierry Lefrançois
- ASTRE, CIRAD, INRA, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France
| | - Damien F Meyer
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Guadeloupe, France.,ASTRE, CIRAD, INRA, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Vachiery
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Guadeloupe, France.,ASTRE, CIRAD, INRA, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France
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Kondethimmanahalli C, Ganta R. Impact of Three Different Mutations in Ehrlichia chaffeensis in Altering the Global Gene Expression Patterns. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6162. [PMID: 29670161 PMCID: PMC5906474 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24471-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The rickettsial pathogen Ehrlichia chaffeensis causes a tick-borne disease, human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Mutations within certain genomic locations of the pathogen aid in understanding the pathogenesis and in developing attenuated vaccines. Our previous studies demonstrated that mutations in different genomic sites in E. chaffeensis caused variable impacts on their growth and attenuation in vertebrate and tick hosts. Here, we assessed the effect of three mutations on transcriptional changes using RNA deep-sequencing technology. RNA sequencing aided in detecting 66-80% of the transcripts of wildtype and mutant E. chaffeensis. Mutation in an antiporter gene (ECH_0379) causing attenuated growth in vertebrate hosts resulted in the down regulation of many transcribed genes. Similarly, a mutation downstream to the ECH_0490 coding sequence resulted in minimal impact on the pathogen's in vivo growth, but caused major changes in its transcriptome. This mutation caused enhanced expression of several host stress response genes. Even though the ECH_0660 gene mutation caused the pathogen's rapid clearance in vertebrate hosts and aids in generating a protective response, there was minimal impact on the transcriptome. The transcriptomic data offer novel insights about the impact of mutations on global gene expression and how they may contribute to the pathogen's resistance and/or clearance from the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandramouli Kondethimmanahalli
- Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Roman Ganta
- Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA.
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