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Ferreira BA, Santos GDA, Coser EM, Sousa JM, Gama MEA, Júnior LLB, Pessoa FS, Lima MIS, Uliana SRB, Coelho AC. In Vitro Drug Susceptibility of a Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum Isolate from a Visceral Leishmaniasis Pediatric Patient after Multiple Relapses. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:354. [PMID: 37505650 PMCID: PMC10383904 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8070354] [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: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The parasitic protozoan Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum is the etiological agent of human visceral leishmaniasis in South America, an infectious disease associated with malnutrition, anemia, and hepatosplenomegaly. In Brazil alone, around 2700 cases are reported each year. Treatment failure can occur as a result of drug, host, and/or parasite-related factors. Here, we isolated a Leishmania species from a pediatric patient with visceral leishmaniasis that did not respond to chemotherapy, experiencing a total of nine therapeutic relapses and undergoing a splenectomy. The parasite was confirmed as L. (L.) infantum after sequencing of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer, and the clinical isolate, in both promastigote and amastigote forms, was submitted to in vitro susceptibility assays with all the drugs currently used in the chemotherapy of leishmaniasis. The isolate was susceptible to meglumine antimoniate, amphotericin B, pentamidine, miltefosine, and paromomycin, similarly to another strain of this species that had previously been characterized. These findings indicate that the multiples relapses observed in this pediatric patient were not due to a decrease in the drug susceptibility of this isolate; therefore, immunophysiological aspects of the patient should be further investigated to understand the basis of treatment failure in this case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca A Ferreira
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Gustavo de A Santos
- Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Ambiente, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth M Coser
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Juliana M Sousa
- Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Mônica E A Gama
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Ambiente, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Leônidas L B Júnior
- Departamento de Medicina, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Fabrício S Pessoa
- Departamento de Medicina, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
- Hospital Universitário, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Mayara I S Lima
- Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Ambiente, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Silvia R B Uliana
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Adriano C Coelho
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
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Pereira LOR, Sousa CS, Ramos HCP, Torres-Santos EC, Pinheiro LS, Alves MR, Cuervo P, Romero GAS, Boité MC, Porrozzi R, Cupolillo E. Insights from Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis in vitro behavior and intercellular communication. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:556. [PMID: 34711290 PMCID: PMC8554959 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-05057-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pentavalent antimonial-based chemotherapy is the first-line approach for leishmaniasis treatment and disease control. Nevertheless antimony-resistant parasites have been reported in some endemic regions. Treatment refractoriness is complex and is associated with patient- and parasite-related variables. Although amastigotes are the parasite stage in the vertebrate host and, thus, exposed to the drug, the stress caused by trivalent antimony in promastigotes has been shown to promote significant modification in expression of several genes involved in various biological processes, which will ultimately affect parasite behavior. Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis is one of the main etiological agents in the Amazon Basin region, with a high relapse rate (approximately 25%). METHODS Herein, we conducted several in vitro analyses with L. (V.) guyanensis strains derived from cured and refractory patients after treatment with standardized antimonial therapeutic schemes, in addition to a drug-resistant in vitro-selected strain. Drug sensitivity assessed through Sb(III) half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) assays, growth patterns (with and without drug pressure) and metacyclic-like percentages were determined for all strains and compared to treatment outcomes. Finally, co-cultivation without intercellular contact was followed by parasitic density and Sb(III) IC50 measurements. RESULTS Poor treatment response was correlated with increased Sb(III) IC50 values. The decrease in drug sensitivity was associated with a reduced cell replication rate, increased in vitro growth ability, and higher metacyclic-like proportion. Additionally, in vitro co-cultivation assays demonstrated that intercellular communication enabled lower drug sensitivity and enhanced in vitro growth ability, regardless of direct cell contact. CONCLUSIONS Data concerning drug sensitivity in the Viannia subgenus are emerging, and L. (V.) guyanensis plays a pivotal epidemiological role in Latin America. Therefore, investigating the parasitic features potentially related to relapses is urgent. Altogether, the data presented here indicate that all tested strains of L. (V.) guyanensis displayed an association between treatment outcome and in vitro parameters, especially the drug sensitivity. Remarkably, sharing enhanced growth ability and decreased drug sensitivity, without intercellular communication, were demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiza O R Pereira
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Cíntia S Sousa
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Hellen C P Ramos
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Liliane S Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanossomatídeos, IOC, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto de Saúde e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Campus Coari, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Marcelo R Alves
- Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em DST-AIDS, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana C Boité
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renato Porrozzi
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elisa Cupolillo
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmanioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Anti-leishmanial compounds from microbial metabolites: a promising source. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:8227-8240. [PMID: 34625819 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11610-6] [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: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania is a complex disease caused by the protozoan parasites and transmitted by female phlebotomine sandfly. The disease affects some of the poorest people on earth with an estimated 700,000 to 1 million new cases annually. The current treatment for leishmaniasis is toxic, long, and limited, in view of the high resistance rate presented by the parasite, necessitating new perspectives for treatment. The discovery of new compounds with different targets can be a hope to make the treatment more efficient. Microbial metabolites and their structural analogues with enormous scaffold diversity and structural complexity have historically played a key role in drug discovery. We found thirty-nine research articles published between 1999 and 2021 in the scientific database (PubMed, Science Direct) describing microbes and their metabolites with activity against leishmanial parasites which is the focus of this review. KEY POINTS: • Leishmania affects the poorest regions of the globe • Current treatments for leishmaniasis are toxic and of limited efficacy • Microbial metabolites are potential sources of antileishmania drugs.
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Van den Kerkhof M, Leprohon P, Mabille D, Hendrickx S, Tulloch LB, Wall RJ, Wyllie S, Chatelain E, Mowbray CE, Braillard S, Ouellette M, Maes L, Caljon G. Identification of Resistance Determinants for a Promising Antileishmanial Oxaborole Series. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9071408. [PMID: 34210040 PMCID: PMC8305145 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Current treatment options for visceral leishmaniasis have several drawbacks, and clinicians are confronted with an increasing number of treatment failures. To overcome this, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) has invested in the development of novel antileishmanial leads, including a very promising class of oxaboroles. The mode of action/resistance of this series to Leishmania is still unknown and may be important for its further development and implementation. Repeated in vivo drug exposure and an in vitro selection procedure on both extracellular promastigote and intracellular amastigote stages were both unable to select for resistance. The use of specific inhibitors for ABC-transporters could not demonstrate the putative involvement of efflux pumps. Selection experiments and inhibitor studies, therefore, suggest that resistance to oxaboroles may not emerge readily in the field. The selection of a genome-wide cosmid library coupled to next-generation sequencing (Cos-seq) was used to identify resistance determinants and putative targets. This resulted in the identification of a highly enriched cosmid, harboring genes of chromosome 2 that confer a subtly increased resistance to the oxaboroles tested. Moderately enriched cosmids encompassing a region of chromosome 34 contained the cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (cpsf) gene, encoding the molecular target of several related benzoxaboroles in other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Van den Kerkhof
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (D.M.); (S.H.); (L.M.)
| | - Philippe Leprohon
- Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie du Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (P.L.); (M.O.)
| | - Dorien Mabille
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (D.M.); (S.H.); (L.M.)
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (D.M.); (S.H.); (L.M.)
| | - Lindsay B. Tulloch
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK; (L.B.T.); (R.J.W.); (S.W.)
| | - Richard J. Wall
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK; (L.B.T.); (R.J.W.); (S.W.)
| | - Susan Wyllie
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK; (L.B.T.); (R.J.W.); (S.W.)
| | - Eric Chatelain
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; (E.C.); (C.E.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Charles E. Mowbray
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; (E.C.); (C.E.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Stéphanie Braillard
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; (E.C.); (C.E.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Marc Ouellette
- Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie du Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada; (P.L.); (M.O.)
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (D.M.); (S.H.); (L.M.)
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (D.M.); (S.H.); (L.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-32652610
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Zheng Z, Chen J, Ma G, Satoskar AR, Li J. Integrative genomic, proteomic and phenotypic studies of Leishmania donovani strains revealed genetic features associated with virulence and antimony-resistance. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:510. [PMID: 33046138 PMCID: PMC7552375 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04397-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Emerging drug resistance of Leishmania species poses threaten to the effective control and elimination programme of this neglected tropical disease. Methods In this work, we conducted drug-resistance testing, whole genome resequencing and proteome profiling for a recently reported clinical isolate with supposed drug resistance (HCZ), and two reference sensitive strains (DD8 and 9044) of Leishmania donovani, to explore molecular mechanisms underlying drug resistance in this parasite. Results With reference to DD8 and 9044 strains, HCZ isolate showed higher-level virulence and clear resistance to antimonials in promastigote culture, infected macrophages and animal experiment. Pairwise genomic comparisons revealed genetic variations (86 copy number variations, 271 frameshift mutations in protein-coding genes and two site mutations in non-coding genes) in HCZ isolate that were absent from the reference sensitive strains. Proteomic analysis indicated different protein expression between HCZ isolate and reference strains, including 69 exclusively detected proteins and 82 consistently down-/upregulated molecules in the HCZ isolate. Integrative analysis showed linkage of 12 genomic variations (gene duplication, insertion and deletion) and their protein expression changes in HCZ isolate, which might be associated with pathogenic and antimony-resistant phenotype. Functional annotation analyses further indicated that molecules involved in nucleotide-binding, fatty acid metabolism, oxidation-reduction and transport might play a role in host-parasite interaction and drug-resistance. Conclusions This comprehensive integrative work provided novel insights into the genetic basis underlying virulence and resistance, suggesting new aspects to be investigated for a better intervention against L. donovani and associated diseases.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwan Zheng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianping Chen
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China
| | - Guangxu Ma
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Abhay R Satoskar
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - Jiao Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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Imamura H, Monsieurs P, Jara M, Sanders M, Maes I, Vanaerschot M, Berriman M, Cotton JA, Dujardin JC, Domagalska MA. Evaluation of whole genome amplification and bioinformatic methods for the characterization of Leishmania genomes at a single cell level. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15043. [PMID: 32929126 PMCID: PMC7490275 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71882-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we report a pilot study paving the way for further single cell genomics studies in Leishmania. First, the performances of two commercially available kits for Whole Genome Amplification (WGA), PicoPLEX and RepliG were compared on small amounts of Leishmania donovani DNA, testing their ability to preserve specific genetic variations, including aneuploidy levels and SNPs. We show here that the choice of WGA method should be determined by the planned downstream genetic analysis, PicoPLEX and RepliG performing better for aneuploidy and SNP calling, respectively. This comparison allowed us to evaluate and optimize corresponding bio-informatic methods. As PicoPLEX was shown to be the preferred method for studying single cell aneuploidy, this method was applied in a second step, on single cells of L. braziliensis, which were sorted by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Even sequencing depth was achieved in 28 single cells, allowing accurate somy estimation. A dominant karyotype with three aneuploid chromosomes was observed in 25 cells, while two different minor karyotypes were observed in the other cells. Our method thus allowed the detection of aneuploidy mosaicism, and provides a solid basis which can be further refined to concur with higher-throughput single cell genomic methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Imamura
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Monsieurs
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marlene Jara
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Ilse Maes
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Manu Vanaerschot
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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Van den Kerkhof M, Sterckx YGJ, Leprohon P, Maes L, Caljon G. Experimental Strategies to Explore Drug Action and Resistance in Kinetoplastid Parasites. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E950. [PMID: 32599761 PMCID: PMC7356981 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinetoplastids are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis, and American trypanosomiasis. They are responsible for high mortality and morbidity in (sub)tropical regions. Adequate treatment options are limited and have several drawbacks, such as toxicity, need for parenteral administration, and occurrence of treatment failure and drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgency for the development of new drugs. Phenotypic screening already allowed the identification of promising new chemical entities with anti-kinetoplastid activity potential, but knowledge on their mode-of-action (MoA) is lacking due to the generally applied whole-cell based approach. However, identification of the drug target is essential to steer further drug discovery and development. Multiple complementary techniques have indeed been used for MoA elucidation. In this review, the different 'omics' approaches employed to define the MoA or mode-of-resistance of current reference drugs and some new anti-kinetoplastid compounds are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Van den Kerkhof
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (L.M.)
| | - Yann G.-J. Sterckx
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry (LMB), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium;
| | - Philippe Leprohon
- Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie du Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada;
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (L.M.)
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.V.d.K.); (L.M.)
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dos Santos Meira C, Gedamu L. Protective or Detrimental? Understanding the Role of Host Immunity in Leishmaniasis. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7120695. [PMID: 31847221 PMCID: PMC6956275 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7120695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease of major public health concern, estimated to affect 12 million people worldwide. The clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis are highly variable and can range from self-healing localized cutaneous lesions to life-threatening disseminated visceral disease. Once introduced into the skin by infected sandflies, Leishmania parasites interact with a variety of immune cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and macrophages. The resolution of infection requires a finely tuned interplay between innate and adaptive immune cells, culminating with the activation of microbicidal functions and parasite clearance within host cells. However, several factors derived from the host, insect vector, and Leishmania spp., including the presence of a double-stranded RNA virus (LRV), can modulate the host immunity and influence the disease outcome. In this review, we discuss the immune mechanisms underlying the main forms of leishmaniasis, some of the factors involved with the establishment of infection and disease severity, and potential approaches for vaccine and drug development focused on host immunity.
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Capela R, Moreira R, Lopes F. An Overview of Drug Resistance in Protozoal Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E5748. [PMID: 31731801 PMCID: PMC6888673 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Protozoan diseases continue to be a worldwide social and economic health problem. Increased drug resistance, emerging cross resistance, and lack of new drugs with novel mechanisms of action significantly reduce the effectiveness of current antiprotozoal therapies. While drug resistance associated to anti-infective agents is a reality, society seems to remain unaware of its proportions and consequences. Parasites usually develops ingenious and innovative mechanisms to achieve drug resistance, which requires more research and investment to fight it. In this review, drug resistance developed by protozoan parasites Plasmodium, Leishmania, and Trypanosoma will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Capela
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.M.); (F.L.)
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Environmental Conditions May Shape the Patterns of Genomic Variations in Leishmania panamensis. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10110838. [PMID: 31652919 PMCID: PMC6896075 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the absence of transcriptional regulation of gene expression in Leishmania parasites, it is now well accepted that several forms of genomic variations modulate the levels of critical proteins through changes in gene dosage. We previously observed many of these variations in our reference laboratory strain of L. panamensis (PSC-1 strain), including chromosomes with an increased somy and the presence of a putative linear minichromosome derived from chromosome 34. Here, we compared the previously described genomic variations with those occurring after exposure of this strain to increasing concentrations of trivalent antimony (SbIII), as well as those present in two geographically unrelated clinical isolates of L. panamensis. We observed changes in the somy of several chromosomes, amplifications of several chromosomal regions, and copy number variations in gene arrays after exposure to SbIII. Occurrence of amplifications potentially beneficial for the Sb-resistant phenotype appears to be associated with the loss of other forms of amplification, such as the linear minichromosome. In contrast, we found no evidence of changes in somy or amplification of relatively large chromosomal regions in the clinical isolates. In these isolates, the predominant amplifications appear to be those that generate genes arrays; however, in many cases, the amplified arrays have a notably higher number of copies than those from the untreated and Sb-treated laboratory samples.
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Yasur-Landau D, Jaffe CL, David L, Doron-Faigenboim A, Baneth G. Resistance of Leishmania infantum to allopurinol is associated with chromosome and gene copy number variations including decrease in the S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (METK) gene copy number. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2018; 8:403-410. [PMID: 30173105 PMCID: PMC6122375 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania infantum is one of the causative agents of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a widespread, life-threatening disease. This parasite is responsible for the majority of human VL cases in Brazil, the Middle East, China, Central Asia and the Mediterranean basin. Its main reservoir are domestic dogs which, similar to human patients, may develop severe visceral disease and die if not treated. The drug allopurinol is used for the long-term maintenance of dogs with canine leishmaniasis. Following our report of allopurinol resistance in treated relapsed dogs, we investigated the mechanisms and markers of resistance to this drug. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of clinical resistant and susceptible strains, and laboratory induced resistant parasites, was carried out in order to detect genetic changes associated with resistance. Significant gene copy number variation (CNV) was found between resistant and susceptible isolates at several loci, including a locus on chromosome 30 containing the genes LinJ.30.3550 through LinJ.30.3580. A reduction in copy number for LinJ.30.3560, encoding the S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (METK) gene, was found in two resistant clinical isolates and four induced resistant clonal strains. Using quantitative real time PCR, this reduction in METK copy number was also found in three additional resistant clinical isolates. Furthermore, inhibition of S-adenosylmethionine synthetase encoded by the METK gene in allopurinol susceptible strains resulted in increased allopurinol resistance, confirming its role in resistance to allopurinol. In conclusion, this study identified genetic changes associated with L. infantum resistance to allopurinol and the reduction in METK copy number identified may serve as a marker for resistance in dogs, and reduced protein activity correlated with increased allopurinol resistance. Allopurinol resistance was previously described in L. infantum isolated from dogs. This study aimed at defining the genetic differences between susceptible and resistant strains. Gene and chromosome copy numbers differed between susceptible and resistant L. infantum strains. Decrease in METK gene copies was associated with increased allopurinol resistance. Inhibition of the enzyme encoded by METK increased allopurinol resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles L Jaffe
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, IMRIC, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lior David
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Adi Doron-Faigenboim
- Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Institute of Plant Science, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | - Gad Baneth
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel.
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12
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Ayotte Y, Bilodeau F, Descoteaux A, LaPlante SR. Fragment-Based Phenotypic Lead Discovery: Cell-Based Assay to Target Leishmaniasis. ChemMedChem 2018; 13:1377-1386. [PMID: 29722149 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A rapid and practical approach for the discovery of new chemical matter for targeting pathogens and diseases is described. Fragment-based phenotypic lead discovery (FPLD) combines aspects of traditional fragment-based lead discovery (FBLD), which involves the screening of small-molecule fragment libraries to target specific proteins, with phenotypic lead discovery (PLD), which typically involves the screening of drug-like compounds in cell-based assays. To enable FPLD, a diverse library of fragments was first designed, assembled, and curated. This library of soluble, low-molecular-weight compounds was then pooled to expedite screening. Axenic cultures of Leishmania promastigotes were screened, and single hits were then tested for leishmanicidal activity against intracellular amastigote forms in infected murine bone-marrow-derived macrophages without evidence of toxicity toward mammalian cells. These studies demonstrate that FPLD can be a rapid and effective means to discover hits that can serve as leads for further medicinal chemistry purposes or as tool compounds for identifying known or novel targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Ayotte
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - François Bilodeau
- NMX Research and Solutions Inc., 500 boulevard Cartier, Laval, Québec, H7V 5B7, Canada
| | - Albert Descoteaux
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Steven R LaPlante
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531 boulevard des Prairies, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
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13
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Rastrojo A, García-Hernández R, Vargas P, Camacho E, Corvo L, Imamura H, Dujardin JC, Castanys S, Aguado B, Gamarro F, Requena JM. Genomic and transcriptomic alterations in Leishmania donovani lines experimentally resistant to antileishmanial drugs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2018; 8:246-264. [PMID: 29689531 PMCID: PMC6039315 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a serious medical issue in many countries around the World, but it remains largely neglected in terms of research investment for developing new control and treatment measures. No vaccines exist for human use, and the chemotherapeutic agents currently used are scanty. Furthermore, for some drugs, resistance and treatment failure are increasing to alarming levels. The aim of this work was to identify genomic and trancriptomic alterations associated with experimental resistance against the common drugs used against VL: trivalent antimony (SbIII, S line), amphotericin B (AmB, A line), miltefosine (MIL, M line) and paromomycin (PMM, P line). A total of 1006 differentially expressed transcripts were identified in the S line, 379 in the A line, 146 in the M line, and 129 in the P line. Also, changes in ploidy of chromosomes and amplification/deletion of particular regions were observed in the resistant lines regarding the parental one. A series of genes were identified as possible drivers of the resistance phenotype and were validated in both promastigotes and amastigotes from Leishmania donovani, Leishmania infantum and Leishmania major species. Remarkably, a deletion of the gene LinJ.36.2510 (coding for 24-sterol methyltransferase, SMT) was found to be associated with AmB-resistance in the A line. In the P line, a dramatic overexpression of the transcripts LinJ.27.T1940 and LinJ.27.T1950 that results from a massive amplification of the collinear genes was suggested as one of the mechanisms of PMM resistance. This conclusion was reinforced after transfection experiments in which significant PMM-resistance was generated in WT parasites over-expressing either gene LinJ.27.1940 (coding for a D-lactate dehydrogenase-like protein, D-LDH) or gene LinJ.27.1950 (coding for an aminotransferase of branched-chain amino acids, BCAT). This work allowed to identify new drivers, like SMT, the deletion of which being associated with resistance to AmB, and the tandem D-LDH-BCAT, the amplification of which being related to PMM resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Rastrojo
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Paola Vargas
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina ''López-Neyra'' (IPBLN-CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Esther Camacho
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Corvo
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Hideo Imamura
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Santiago Castanys
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina ''López-Neyra'' (IPBLN-CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Begoña Aguado
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Gamarro
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina ''López-Neyra'' (IPBLN-CSIC), Granada, Spain.
| | - Jose M Requena
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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14
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Ponte-Sucre A, Gamarro F, Dujardin JC, Barrett MP, López-Vélez R, García-Hernández R, Pountain AW, Mwenechanya R, Papadopoulou B. Drug resistance and treatment failure in leishmaniasis: A 21st century challenge. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0006052. [PMID: 29240765 PMCID: PMC5730103 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 510] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Reevaluation of treatment guidelines for Old and New World leishmaniasis is urgently needed on a global basis because treatment failure is an increasing problem. Drug resistance is a fundamental determinant of treatment failure, although other factors also contribute to this phenomenon, including the global HIV/AIDS epidemic with its accompanying impact on the immune system. Pentavalent antimonials have been used successfully worldwide for the treatment of leishmaniasis since the first half of the 20th century, but the last 10 to 20 years have witnessed an increase in clinical resistance, e.g., in North Bihar in India. In this review, we discuss the meaning of “resistance” related to leishmaniasis and discuss its molecular epidemiology, particularly for Leishmania donovani that causes visceral leishmaniasis. We also discuss how resistance can affect drug combination therapies. Molecular mechanisms known to contribute to resistance to antimonials, amphotericin B, and miltefosine are also outlined. Chemotherapy is central to the control and management of leishmaniasis. Antimonials remain the primary drugs against different forms of leishmaniasis in several regions. However, resistance to antimony has necessitated the use of alternative medications, especially in the Indian subcontinent (ISC). Compounds, notably the orally available miltefosine (MIL), parenteral paromomycin, and amphotericin B (AmB), are increasingly used to treat leishmaniasis. Although treatment failure (TF) has been observed in patients treated with most anti-leishmanials, its frequency of appearance may be important in patients treated with MIL, which has replaced antimonials within the kala-azar elimination program in the ISC. AmB is highly efficacious, and the associated toxic effects—when administered in its free deoxycholate form—are somewhat ameliorated in its liposomal formulation. Regrettably, laboratory experimentation has demonstrated a risk of resistance towards AmB as well. The rise of drug resistance impacts treatment outcome, and understanding its causes, spread, and impact will help us manage the risks it imposes. Here, we review the problem of TF in leishmaniasis and the contribution of drug resistance to the problem. Molecular mechanisms causing resistance to anti-leishmanials are discussed along with the appropriate use of additional available drugs, as well as the urgent need to consolidate strategies to monitor drug efficacy, epidemiological surveillance, and local policies. Coordination of these activities in national and international programs against leishmaniasis might represent a successful guide to further research and prevention activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Ponte-Sucre
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Luis Razetti School of Medicine, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
- * E-mail: (BP); (APS)
| | - Francisco Gamarro
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, Spanish National Research Council (IPBLN-CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Michael P. Barrett
- Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Rogelio López-Vélez
- Department of Infectious Diseases, National Referral Unit for Tropical Diseases, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel García-Hernández
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, Spanish National Research Council (IPBLN-CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | - Andrew W. Pountain
- Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Roy Mwenechanya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Barbara Papadopoulou
- Research Center in Infectious Diseases, CHU de Quebec Research Center and Department of Microbiology-Infectious Disease and Immunology, University Laval, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail: (BP); (APS)
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15
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Lamotte S, Späth GF, Rachidi N, Prina E. The enemy within: Targeting host-parasite interaction for antileishmanial drug discovery. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005480. [PMID: 28594938 PMCID: PMC5464532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The state of antileishmanial chemotherapy is strongly compromised by the emergence of drug-resistant Leishmania. The evolution of drug-resistant phenotypes has been linked to the parasites’ intrinsic genome instability, with frequent gene and chromosome amplifications causing fitness gains that are directly selected by environmental factors, including the presence of antileishmanial drugs. Thus, even though the unique eukaryotic biology of Leishmania and its dependence on parasite-specific virulence factors provide valid opportunities for chemotherapeutical intervention, all strategies that target the parasite in a direct fashion are likely prone to select for resistance. Here, we review the current state of antileishmanial chemotherapy and discuss the limitations of ongoing drug discovery efforts. We finally propose new strategies that target Leishmania viability indirectly via mechanisms of host–parasite interaction, including parasite-released ectokinases and host epigenetic regulation, which modulate host cell signaling and transcriptional regulation, respectively, to establish permissive conditions for intracellular Leishmania survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Lamotte
- Institut Pasteur and INSERM U1201, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Gerald F. Späth
- Institut Pasteur and INSERM U1201, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Najma Rachidi
- Institut Pasteur and INSERM U1201, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
| | - Eric Prina
- Institut Pasteur and INSERM U1201, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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16
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Mondelaers A, Sanchez-Cañete MP, Hendrickx S, Eberhardt E, Garcia-Hernandez R, Lachaud L, Cotton J, Sanders M, Cuypers B, Imamura H, Dujardin JC, Delputte P, Cos P, Caljon G, Gamarro F, Castanys S, Maes L. Genomic and Molecular Characterization of Miltefosine Resistance in Leishmania infantum Strains with Either Natural or Acquired Resistance through Experimental Selection of Intracellular Amastigotes. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154101. [PMID: 27123924 PMCID: PMC4849676 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
During the last decade miltefosine (MIL) has been used as first-line treatment for visceral leishmaniasis in endemic areas with antimonial resistance, but a decline in clinical effectiveness is now being reported. While only two MIL-resistant Leishmania infantum strains from HIV co-infected patients have been documented, phenotypic MIL-resistance for L. donovani has not yet been identified in the laboratory. Hence, a better understanding of the factors contributing to increased MIL-treatment failure is necessary. Given the paucity of defined MIL-resistant L. donovani clinical isolates, this study used an experimental amastigote-selected MIL-resistant L. infantum isolate (LEM3323). In-depth exploration of the MIL-resistant phenotype was performed by coupling genomic with phenotypic data to gain insight into gene function and the mutant phenotype. A naturally MIL-resistant L. infantum clinical isolate (LEM5159) was included to compare both datasets. Phenotypically, resistance was evaluated by determining intracellular amastigote susceptibility in vitro and actual MIL-uptake. Genomic analysis provided supportive evidence that the resistance selection model on intracellular amastigotes can be a good proxy for the in vivo field situation since both resistant strains showed mutations in the same inward transporter system responsible for the acquired MIL-resistant phenotype. In line with previous literature findings in promastigotes, our data confirm a defective import machinery through inactivation of the LiMT/LiRos3 protein complex as the main mechanism for MIL-resistance also in intracellular amastigotes. Whole genome sequencing analysis of LEM3323 revealed a 2 base pair deletion in the LiMT gene that led to the formation an early stop codon and a truncation of the LiMT protein. Interestingly, LEM5159 revealed mutations in both the LiMT and LiRos3 genes, resulting in an aberrant expression of the LiMT protein. To verify that these mutations were indeed accountable for the acquired resistance, transfection experiments were performed to re-establish MIL-susceptibility. In LEM3323, susceptibility was restored upon expression of a LiMT wild-type gene, whereas the MIL-susceptibility of LEM5159 could be reversed after expression of the LiRos3 wild-type gene. The aberrant expression profile of the LiMT protein could be restored upon rescue of the LiRos3 gene both in the LEM5159 clinical isolate and a ΔLiRos3 strain, showing that expression of LdMT is dependent on LdRos3 expression. The present findings clearly corroborate the pivotal role of the LiMT/LiRos3 complex in resistance towards MIL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annelies Mondelaers
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Maria P. Sanchez-Cañete
- Instituto de Parasitologia y Biomedicina "Lopez-Neyra", Avda. Conocimiento S/N Parque Tecnológico Ciencias de la Salud, 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Eline Eberhardt
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Raquel Garcia-Hernandez
- Instituto de Parasitologia y Biomedicina "Lopez-Neyra", Avda. Conocimiento S/N Parque Tecnológico Ciencias de la Salud, 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Laurence Lachaud
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie et Centre National de Référence des Leishmanioses, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire et Université de Montpellier 39, Avenue Charles Flahault, 34295, Montpellier, France
| | - James Cotton
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mandy Sanders
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Bart Cuypers
- Molecular Parasitology Unit (MPU), Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium
- Advanced Database Research and Modeling (ADReM) research group, University of Antwerp, Middelheimlaan 1,2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Hideo Imamura
- Molecular Parasitology Unit (MPU), Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Molecular Parasitology Unit (MPU), Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Paul Cos
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Francisco Gamarro
- Instituto de Parasitologia y Biomedicina "Lopez-Neyra", Avda. Conocimiento S/N Parque Tecnológico Ciencias de la Salud, 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Santiago Castanys
- Instituto de Parasitologia y Biomedicina "Lopez-Neyra", Avda. Conocimiento S/N Parque Tecnológico Ciencias de la Salud, 18016, Granada, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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17
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Canuto GAB, da Cruz PLR, Faccio AT, Klassen A, Tavares MFM. Neglected diseases prioritized in Brazil under the perspective of metabolomics: A review. Electrophoresis 2015; 36:2336-2347. [PMID: 26095472 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201500102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Revised: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This review article compiles in a critical manner literature publications regarding seven neglected diseases (ND) prioritized in Brazil (Chagas disease, dengue, leishmaniasis, leprosy, malaria, schistosomiasis, and tuberculosis) under the perspective of metabolomics. Both strategies, targeted and untargeted metabolomics, were considered in the compilation. The majority of studies focused on biomarker discovery for diagnostic purposes, and on the search of novel or alternative therapies against the ND under consideration, although temporal progression of the infection at metabolic level was also addressed. Tuberculosis, followed by schistosomiasis, malaria and leishmaniasis are the diseases that received larger attention in terms of number of publications. Dengue and leprosy were the least studied and Chagas disease received intermediate attention. NMR and HPLC-MS technologies continue to predominate among the analytical platforms of choice in the metabolomic studies of ND. A plethora of metabolites were identified in the compiled studies, with expressive predominancy of amino acids, organic acids, carbohydrates, nucleosides, lipids, fatty acids, and derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisele A B Canuto
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro L R da Cruz
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Andrea T Faccio
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Aline Klassen
- Federal University of Sao Paulo, Diadema, SP, Brazil
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18
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A Multiplatform Metabolomic Approach to the Basis of Antimonial Action and Resistance in Leishmania infantum. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130675. [PMID: 26161866 PMCID: PMC4498920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 01/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a rising resistance against antimony drugs, the gold-standard for treatment until some years ago. That is a serious problem due to the paucity of drugs in current clinical use. In a research to reveal how these drugs affect the parasite during treatment and to unravel the underlying basis for their resistance, we have employed metabolomics to study treatment in Leishmania infantum promastigotes. This was accomplished first through the untargeted analysis of metabolic snapshots of treated and untreated parasites both resistant and responders, utilizing a multiplatform approach to give the widest as possible coverage of the metabolome, and additionally through novel monitoring of the origin of the detected alterations through a 13C traceability experiment. Our data stress a multi-target metabolic alteration with treatment, affecting in particular the cell redox system that is essential to cope with detoxification and biosynthetic processes. Additionally, relevant changes were noted in amino acid metabolism. Our results are in agreement with other authors studying other Leishmania species.
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19
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Coelho AC, Trinconi CT, Senra L, Yokoyama-Yasunaka JKU, Uliana SRB. Leishmania is not prone to develop resistance to tamoxifen. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2015; 5:77-83. [PMID: 26150922 PMCID: PMC4486464 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Tamoxifen, an antineoplastic agent, is active in vitro and in vivo against the parasitic protozoa Leishmania. As part of our efforts to unravel this drug's mechanisms of action against the parasite and understand how resistance could arise, we tried to select tamoxifen-resistant Leishmania amazonensis. Three different strategies to generate tamoxifen resistant mutants were used: stepwise increase in drug concentration applied to promastigote cultures, chemical mutagenesis followed by drug selection and treatment of infected mice followed by selection of amastigotes. For amastigote selection, we employed a method with direct plating of parasites recovered from lesions into semi-solid media. Tamoxifen resistant parasites were not rescued by any of these methods. Miltefosine was used as a control in selection experiments and both stepwise selection and chemical mutagenesis allowed successful isolation of miltefosine resistant mutants. These findings are consistent with a multi-target mode of action to explain tamoxifen's leishmanicidal properties. Considering that drug resistance is a major concern in anti-parasitic chemotherapy, these findings support the proposition of using tamoxifen as a partner in drug combination schemes for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Tamoxifen is effective in the treatment of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Resistance to tamoxifen was not found in promastigotes upon mutagenesis/selection. Resistance to tamoxifen was not detected in amastigotes after in vivo selection. Tamoxifen may be a good partner in drug combination schemes for leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano C Coelho
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Cristiana T Trinconi
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Luisa Senra
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Jenicer K U Yokoyama-Yasunaka
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Silvia R B Uliana
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, SP, Brazil
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20
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Experimental resistance to drug combinations in Leishmania donovani: metabolic and phenotypic adaptations. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2015; 59:2242-55. [PMID: 25645828 DOI: 10.1128/aac.04231-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Together with vector control, chemotherapy is an essential tool for the control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), but its efficacy is jeopardized by growing resistance and treatment failure against first-line drugs. To delay the emergence of resistance, the use of drug combinations of existing antileishmanial agents has been tested systematically in clinical trials for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In vitro, Leishmania donovani promastigotes are able to develop experimental resistance to several combinations of different antileishmanial drugs after 10 weeks of drug pressure. Using an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics approach, we identified metabolic changes in lines that were experimentally resistant to drug combinations and their respective single-resistant lines. This highlighted both collective metabolic changes (found in all combination therapy-resistant [CTR] lines) and specific ones (found in certain CTR lines). We demonstrated that single-resistant and CTR parasite cell lines show distinct metabolic adaptations, which all converge on the same defensive mechanisms that were experimentally validated: protection against drug-induced and external oxidative stress and changes in membrane fluidity. The membrane fluidity changes were accompanied by changes in drug uptake only in the lines that were resistant against drug combinations with antimonials, and surprisingly, drug accumulation was higher in these lines. Together, these results highlight the importance and the central role of protection against oxidative stress in the different resistant lines. Ultimately, these phenotypic changes might interfere with the mode of action of all drugs that are currently used for the treatment of VL and should be taken into account in drug development.
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Yazdanparast E, Dos Anjos A, Garcia D, Loeuillet C, Shahbazkia HR, Vergnes B. INsPECT, an open-source and versatile software for automated quantification of (Leishmania) intracellular parasites. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e2850. [PMID: 24831235 PMCID: PMC4022486 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Intracellular protozoan parasites are causative agents of infectious diseases that constitute major health problems for developing countries. Leishmania sp., Trypanosoma cruzi or Toxoplasma gondii are all obligate intracellular protozoan parasites that reside and multiply within the host cells of mammals, including humans. Following up intracellular parasite proliferation is therefore an essential and a quotidian task for many laboratories working on primary screening of new natural and synthetic drugs, analyzing drug susceptibility or comparing virulence properties of natural and genetically modified strains. Nevertheless, laborious manual microscopic counting of intracellular parasites is still the most commonly used approach. Here, we present INsPECT (Intracellular ParasitE CounTer), an open-source and platform independent software dedicated to automate infection level measurement based on fluorescent DNA staining. It offers the possibility to choose between different types of analyses (fluorescent DNA acquisitions only or in combination with phase contrast image set to further separate intra- from extracellular parasites), and software running modes (automatic or custom). A proof-of-concept study with intracellular Leishmania infantum parasites stained with DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) confirms a good correspondence between digital results and the “gold standard” microscopic counting method with Giemsa. Interestingly, this software is versatile enough to accurately detect intracellular T. gondii parasites on images acquired with High Content Screening (HCS) systems. In conclusion, INsPECT software is proposed as a new fast and simple alternative to the classical intracellular Leishmania quantification methods and can be adapted for mid to large-scale drug screening against different intracellular parasites. Research on intracellular parasites require using non-invasive technologies to follow up parasite proliferation inside their natural host cells by staying in the more physiological conditions as possible. High Content Screening (HCS) technology has recently emerged as a powerful image-based approach to screen new anti-parasitic compounds or to test parasite susceptibility to existing drugs in vitro. Nevertheless, such equipments will remain poorly accessible for most of academic and clinical diagnostic laboratories that mostly use more affordable, but laborious, microscopic counting procedures. The current work proposes new image-based, open-source software which provides a fast and accurate solution for investigating intracellular parasite quantification. Through an easy-to-use interface, cells' and parasites' information are dug out from DNA fluorescent images, and host cells' boundaries are extracted from corresponding phase contrast image set. Parasites are then reassigned to their related cells and intra/extracellular parasites are discriminated for each cell. The software further automatically calculates all data required for most of experimental infection studies. INsPECT software is proposed as a free substitute or complement to the available quantification methods for measuring Leishmania infection level in vitro. It may be enlarged, however, to different intracellular trypanosomatids or unrelated parasites such as T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Deborah Garcia
- MIVEGEC (UM1-CNRS 5290-IRD 224), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France
| | - Corinne Loeuillet
- MIVEGEC (UM1-CNRS 5290-IRD 224), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Hamid Reza Shahbazkia
- Universidade do Algarve, DEEI-FCT, Faro, Portugal
- MIVEGEC (UM1-CNRS 5290-IRD 224), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France
- * E-mail: (HRS); (BV)
| | - Baptiste Vergnes
- MIVEGEC (UM1-CNRS 5290-IRD 224), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France
- * E-mail: (HRS); (BV)
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Comparative analysis of the omics technologies used to study antimonial, amphotericin B, and pentamidine resistance in leishmania. J Parasitol Res 2014; 2014:726328. [PMID: 24900912 PMCID: PMC4036598 DOI: 10.1155/2014/726328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a serious threat in developing countries due to its endemic nature and debilitating symptoms. Extensive research and investigations have been carried out to learn about the mechanism of drug resistance in Leishmania but results obtained in the laboratory are not in agreement with those obtained from the field. Also the lack of knowledge about the mode of action for a number of drugs makes the study of drug resistance more complex. A major concern in recent times has been regarding the role of parasitic virulence in drug resistance for Leishmania. Researchers have employed various techniques to unravel the facts about resistance and virulence in Leishmania. With advent of advanced and more specific means of detection, further hints about probable mechanisms of conferring resistance are expected. This review aims to provide a consolidated picture along with a comparative account of the work done so far to study the mechanism of antimony, amphotericin B, and pentamidine resistance using various techniques.
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Vanaerschot M, Dumetz F, Roy S, Ponte-Sucre A, Arevalo J, Dujardin JC. Treatment failure in leishmaniasis: drug-resistance or another (epi-) phenotype? Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2014; 12:937-46. [PMID: 24802998 DOI: 10.1586/14787210.2014.916614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Two major leishmaniasis treatments have shown a significant decrease in effectiveness in the last few decades, mostly in the Indian subcontinent but also in other endemic areas. Drug resistance of Leishmania correlated only partially to treatment failure (TF) of pentavalent antimonials, and has so far proved not to be important for the increased miltefosine relapse rates observed in the Indian subcontinent. While other patient- or drug-related factors could also have played a role, recent studies identified several parasite features such as infectivity and host manipulation skills that might contribute to TF. This perspective aims to discuss how different parasitic features other than drug resistance can contribute to TF of leishmaniasis and how this may vary between different epidemiological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manu Vanaerschot
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
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