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Takamiya NT, Rogerio LA, Torres C, Leonel JAF, Vioti G, de Sousa Oliveira TMF, Valeriano KC, Porcino GN, de Miranda Santos IKF, Costa CHN, Costa DL, Ferreira TS, Gurgel-Gonçalves R, da Silva JS, Teixeira FR, De Almeida RP, Ribeiro JMC, Maruyama SR. Parasite Detection in Visceral Leishmaniasis Samples by Dye-Based qPCR Using New Gene Targets of Leishmania infantum and Crithidia. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:405. [PMID: 37624343 PMCID: PMC10457869 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8080405] [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: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected disease considered a serious public health problem, especially in endemic countries. Several studies have discovered monoxenous trypanosomatids (Leptomonas and Crithidia) in patients with VL. In different situations of leishmaniasis, investigations have examined cases of co-infection between Leishmania spp. and Crithidia spp. These coinfections have been observed in a wide range of vertebrate hosts, indicating that they are not rare. Diagnostic techniques require improvements and more robust tools to accurately detect the causative agent of VL. This study aimed to develop a real-time quantitative dye-based PCR (qPCR) assay capable of distinguishing Leishmania infantum from Crithidia-related species and to estimate the parasite load in samples of VL from humans and animals. The primer LinJ31_2420 targets an exclusive phosphatase of L. infantum; the primer Catalase_LVH60-12060_1F targets the catalase gene of Crithidia. Therefore, primers were designed to detect L. infantum and Crithidia sp. LVH60A (a novel trypanosomatid isolated from VL patients in Brazil), in samples related to VL. These primers were considered species-specific, based on sequence analysis using genome data retrieved from the TriTryp database and the genome assembling of Crithidia sp. LVH60A strain, in addition to experimental and clinical data presented herein. This novel qPCR assay was highly accurate in identifying and quantifying L. infantum and Crithidia sp. LVH60A in samples obtained experimentally (in vitro and in vivo) or collected from hosts (humans, dogs, cats, and vectors). Importantly, the screening of 62 cultured isolates from VL patients using these primers surprisingly revealed that 51 parasite cultures were PCR+ for Crithidia sp. In addition, qPCR assays identified the co-infection of L. infantum with Crithidia sp. LVH60A in two new VL cases in Brazil, confirming the suspicion of co-infection in a previously reported case of fatal VL. We believe that the species-specific genes targeted in this study can be helpful for the molecular diagnosis of VL, as well as for elucidating suspected co-infections with monoxenous-like trypanosomatids, which is a neglected fact of a neglected disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayore Tamie Takamiya
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil; (N.T.T.); (F.R.T.)
| | - Luana Aparecida Rogerio
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil; (N.T.T.); (F.R.T.)
| | - Caroline Torres
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil; (N.T.T.); (F.R.T.)
| | - João Augusto Franco Leonel
- Post-Graduate Program in Experimental Epidemiology Applied to Zoonoses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil
| | - Geovanna Vioti
- Post-Graduate Program in Experimental Epidemiology Applied to Zoonoses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil
| | - Tricia Maria Ferreira de Sousa Oliveira
- Post-Graduate Program in Experimental Epidemiology Applied to Zoonoses at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-270, SP, Brazil
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga 13635-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Karoline Camila Valeriano
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, FMRP-USP, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Carlos H. N. Costa
- Natan Portela Institute of Tropical Diseases, Teresina 64002-510, PI, Brazil
| | | | - Tauana Sousa Ferreira
- Laboratory of Medical Parasitology and Vector Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Gurgel-Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Medical Parasitology and Vector Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil
| | - João Santana da Silva
- Fiocruz-Bi-Institutional Translational Medicine Project, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Felipe Roberti Teixeira
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil; (N.T.T.); (F.R.T.)
| | - Roque Pacheco De Almeida
- Department of Medicine, Center for Biology and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju 49060-108, SE, Brazil
| | - José M. C. Ribeiro
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, NIH/NIAID, Rockville, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sandra Regina Maruyama
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos 13565-905, SP, Brazil; (N.T.T.); (F.R.T.)
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Diupotex M, Zamora-Chimal J, Cervantes-Sarabia RB, Salaiza-Suazo N, Becker I. Alpha-galactosylceramide as adjuvant induces protective cell-mediated immunity against Leishmania mexicana infection in vaccinated BALB/c mice. Cell Immunol 2023; 386:104692. [PMID: 36870122 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2023.104692] [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: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Adjuvants represent a promising strategy to improve vaccine effectiveness against infectious diseases such as leishmaniasis. Vaccination with the invariant natural killer T cell ligand α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer) has been used successfully as adjuvant, generating a Th1-biased immunomodulation. This glycolipid enhances experimental vaccination platforms against intracellular parasites including Plasmodium yoelii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the present study, we assessed the protective immunity induced by a single-dose intraperitoneal injection of αGalCer (2 μg) co-administrated with a lysate antigen of amastigotes (100 μg) against Leishmania mexicana infection in BALB/c mice. The prophylactic vaccination led to 5.0-fold reduction of parasite load at the infection site, compared to non-vaccinated mice. A predominant pro-inflammatory response was observed in challenged vaccinated mice, represented by a 1.9 and 2.8-fold-increase of IL-1β and IFN-γ producing cells, respectively, in the lesions, and by 23.7-fold-increase of IFN-γ production in supernatants of restimulated splenocytes, all compared to control groups. The co-administration of αGalCer also stimulated the maturation of splenic dendritic cells and modulated a Th1-skewed immune response, with high amounts of IFN-γ production in serum. Furthermore, peritoneal cells of αGalCer-immunized mice exhibited an elevated expression of Ly6G and MHCII. These findings indicate that αGalCer improves protection against cutaneous leishmaniasis, supporting evidence for its potential use as adjuvant in Leishmania-vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Diupotex
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, C.P. 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Jaime Zamora-Chimal
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, C.P. 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Rocely Buenaventura Cervantes-Sarabia
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, C.P. 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Norma Salaiza-Suazo
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, C.P. 04510 Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, C.P. 04510 Ciudad de México, México.
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Parasite protein phosphatases: biological function, virulence, and host immune evasion. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:2703-2715. [PMID: 34309709 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07259-9] [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: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Protein phosphatases are enzymes that dephosphorylate tyrosine and serine/threonine amino acid residues. Although their role in cellular processes has been best characterized in higher eukaryotes, they have also been identified and studied in different pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., parasites) in the last two decades. Whereas some parasite protein phosphatases carry out functions similar to those of their homologs in yeast and mammalian cells, others have unique structural and/or functional characteristics. Thus, the latter unique phosphatases may be instrumental as targets for drug therapy or as markers for diagnosis. It is important to better understand the involvement of protein phosphatases in parasites in relation to their cell cycle, metabolism, virulence, and evasion of the host immune response. The up-to-date information about parasite phosphatases of medical and veterinarian relevance is herein reviewed.
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Freitas-Mesquita AL, Dos-Santos ALA, Meyer-Fernandes JR. Involvement of Leishmania Phosphatases in Parasite Biology and Pathogeny. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:633146. [PMID: 33968798 PMCID: PMC8100340 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.633146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the Leishmania lifecycle, the motile promastigote form is transmitted from the sand fly vector to a mammalian host during a blood meal. Inside vertebrate host macrophages, the parasites can differentiate into the amastigote form and multiply, causing leishmaniasis, one of the most significant neglected tropical diseases. Leishmania parasites face different conditions throughout their development inside sand flies. Once in the mammalian host, the parasites have to overcome the microbicide repertoire of the cells of the immune system to successfully establish the infection. In this context, the expression of protein phosphatases is of particular interest. Several members of the serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase (STP), protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP), and histidine acid phosphatase (HAcP) families have been described in different Leishmania species. Although their physiological roles have not been fully elucidated, many studies suggest they have an involvement with parasite biology and pathogeny. Phosphatases play a role in adaptation to nutrient starvation during parasite passage through the sand fly midgut. They are also important to parasite virulence, mainly due to the modulation of host cytokine production and impairment of the microbiocidal potential of macrophages. Furthermore, recent whole-genome expression analyses have shown that different phosphatases are upregulated in metacyclic promastigotes, the infective form of the mammalian host. Leishmania phosphatases are also upregulated in drug-resistant strains, probably due to the increase in drug efflux related to the activation of ABC transporters. Throughout this review, we will describe the physiological roles that have been attributed to Leishmania endogenous phosphatases, including their involvement in the adaptation, survival, and proliferation of the parasites inside their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Leocadio Freitas-Mesquita
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo De Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André Luiz Araújo Dos-Santos
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo De Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Meyer-Fernandes
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo De Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Escalona-Montaño AR, Zuñiga-Fabián M, Cabrera N, Mondragón-Flores R, Gómez-Sandoval JN, Rojas-Bernabé A, González-Canto A, Gutiérrez-Kobeh L, Pérez-Montfort R, Becker I, Aguirre-García MM. Protein Serine/Threonine Phosphatase Type 2C of Leishmania mexicana. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:641356. [PMID: 33937094 PMCID: PMC8082450 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.641356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are increasingly recognized as important processes for regulating multiple physiological mechanisms. Phosphorylation is carried out by protein kinases and dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases. Phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPPs), one of three families of protein serine/threonine phosphatases, have great structural diversity and are involved in regulating many cell functions. PP2C, a type of PPP, is found in Leishmania, a dimorphic protozoan parasite and the causal agent of leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to clone, purify, biochemically characterize and quantify the expression of PP2C in Leishmania mexicana (LmxPP2C). Recombinant LmxPP2C dephosphorylated a specific threonine (with optimal activity at pH 8) in the presence of the manganese divalent cation (Mn+2). LmxPP2C activity was inhibited by sanguinarine (a specific inhibitor) but was unaffected by protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors. Western blot analysis indicated that anti-LmxPP2C antibodies recognized a molecule of 45.2 kDa. Transmission electron microscopy with immunodetection localized LmxPP2C in the flagellar pocket and flagellum of promastigotes but showed poor staining in amastigotes. Interestingly, LmxPP2C belongs to the ortholog group OG6_142542, which contains only protozoa of the family Trypanosomatidae. This suggests a specific function of the enzyme in the flagellar pocket of these microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alma Reyna Escalona-Montaño
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez., Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Mariana Zuñiga-Fabián
- Ciencias Experimentales, Escuela Nacional Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades Plantel, Naucalpan, Mexico
| | - Nallely Cabrera
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ricardo Mondragón-Flores
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV-IPN), Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jenny Nancy Gómez-Sandoval
- División de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad Politécnica del Valle de Toluca, Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico
| | - Araceli Rojas-Bernabé
- Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Augusto González-Canto
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Laila Gutiérrez-Kobeh
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez., Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ruy Pérez-Montfort
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maria Magdalena Aguirre-García
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez., Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Leishmania mexicana: Novel Insights of Immune Modulation through Amastigote Exosomes. J Immunol Res 2020; 2020:8894549. [PMID: 33344659 PMCID: PMC7728480 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8894549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exosomes are extracellular microvesicles of endosomal origin (multivesicular bodies, MVBs) constitutively released by eukaryotic cells by fusion of MVBs to the plasma membrane. The exosomes from Leishmania parasites contain an array of parasite molecules such as virulence factors and survival messengers, capable of modulating the host immune response and thereby favoring the infection of the host. We here show that exosomes of L. mexicana amastigotes (aExo) contain the virulence proteins gp63 and PP2C. The incubation of aExo with bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) infected with L. mexicana led to their internalization and were found to colocalize with the cellular tetraspanin CD63. Furthermore, aExo inhibited nitric oxide production of infected BMMs, permitting enhanced intracellular parasite survival. Expressions of antigen-presenting (major histocompatibility complex class I, MHC-I, and CD1d) and costimulatory (CD86 and PD-L1) molecules were modulated in a dose-dependent fashion. Whereas MHC-I, CD86 and PD-L1 expressions were diminished by exosomes, CD1d was enhanced. We conclude that aExo of L. mexicana are capable of decreasing microbicidal mechanisms of infected macrophages by inhibiting nitric oxide production, thereby enabling parasite survival. They also hamper the cellular immune response by diminishing MHC-I and CD86 on an important antigen-presenting cell, which potentially interferes with CD8 T cell activation. The enhanced CD1d expression in combination with reduction of PD-L1 on BMMs point to a potential shift of the activation route towards lipid presentations, yet the effectivity of this immune activation is not evident, since in the absence of costimulatory molecules, cellular anergy and tolerance would be expected.
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Identifying miltefosine-resistant key genes in protein-protein interactions network and experimental verification in Iranian Leishmania major. Mol Biol Rep 2019; 46:5371-5388. [PMID: 31385238 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-019-04992-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Drug resistance is a complex phenomenon during leishmaniasis chemotherapy. In this study, the genes and pathways involved in miltefosine (MIL)-resistant Leishmania were identified using microarray data and in silico approaches. GSE30685 and GSE45496 were obtained from GEO database and analyzed with GEO2R tool to identify genes involved in MIL-resistant Leishmania. 177 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected from these GSEs, which about half of them were uncharacterized/hypothetical proteins. The interactions between DEGs were investigated using STRING database and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Five hub nodes were found in the PPI network. The gene ontology (GO) analysis of the resulting network revealed that DNA replication (GO:0006260) and ATP hydrolysis coupled proton transport (GO:0015991) were the most enriched GO term. Iranian MIL-resistant Leishmania major (L. major) parasites were generated by exposure of wild-type isolates to the increasing concentrations of MIL over a period of 5 months. Proof of mRNA expression levels of the obtained hub genes was assessed in Iranian wild-type and acquired resistant L. major parasites by real-time PCR. A significant higher expression level of LDBPK_150170 (encoding protein phosphatase 2C, PP2C), was only observed in Iranian L. major parasites resistance to MIL. Moreover, the RT-PCR results showed that the expression of metacyclic marker (small hydrophilic endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein, SHERP) and MIL-resistant marker (Leishmania MIL-transporter, LMT) was significantly increased and decreased, respectively, in Iranian MIL-resistant L. major parasites. Taken together, these data suggested that PP2C as well as SHERP and LMT genes may be prospective targets for the treatment of MIL-resistant Leishmania.
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Aranda-Souza MÂ, de Lorena VMB, Dos Santos Correia MT, de Figueiredo RCBQ. In vitro effect of Bothrops leucurus lectin (BLL) against Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis infection. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 120:431-439. [PMID: 30118767 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.08.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis are the main causative agents of American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (ATL) in Brazil. As intracellular parasites, the infection by Leishmania species is dependent on the host immune response and the immunotherapy could be promissory for the development of new strategies to combat ATL. In this work we investigated the leishmanicidal potential of a galactose-binding lectin from the snake venom of Bothrops leucurus (BLL) during the infection with L. amazonensis and L. braziliensis. BLL inhibited the promastigote growth and viability of both species in a mechanism dependent on galactose and calcium. The treatment with BLL also decreases the survival of intracellular parasites for both species and induced profound ultrastructural changes on amastigotes without apparent damage to the host cells. The analysis of the cytokine profile revealed that BLL induced an increase in the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α by infected macrophages in both species, but differed in relation to IL-1β and IL-10 response. Future works using in vitro and in vivo models are necessary to support the use of these lectins as biotechnological tool in immunological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ângela Aranda-Souza
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Patógenos, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Departamento de Microbiologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Recife, Brazil.
| | - Virginia Maria Barros de Lorena
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Departamento de Imunologia, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Recife, Brazil
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Jakkula P, Qureshi R, Iqbal A, Sagurthi SR, Qureshi IA. Leishmania donovani PP2C: Kinetics, structural attributes and in vitro immune response. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2018; 223:37-49. [PMID: 29964060 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Most of the signaling pathways are regulated by reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation which involves enzymes- kinases and phosphatases. Current knowledge about the protein phosphatases in parasites like Trypanosoma and Leishmania is very minimal despite their enormousity. In present study, full length ORF of Leishmania donovani PP2C was cloned into expression vector followed by purification and molecular weight determination using Ni-NTA affinity and gel giltration chromatography respectively. Purified LdPP2C was found to be enzymatically active, while inhibition study suggested that sanguinarine acts as a non-competitive inhibitor. CD and fluorescence spectroscopy results indicated towards an adequate protein conformation from pH 3.5 to 8.5. The quenching constant (Ksv) and free energy (ΔG) of LdPP2C was found to be 11.1 ± 0.2 mM-1 and 2.0 ± 1.1 kcal mol-1 in presence of acrylamide and urea respectively. The protein was found to elicit the innate immune functions through upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) as well as nitric oxide generation. Simultaneously, these cytokines were found to be fairly higher in protein treated cells as compared to untreated cells at transcript level too. These observations advocate that LdPP2C generates a pro-inflammatory environment in macrophages and hence plays important role in immunomodulation. Computational modelling showed similar three-dimensional structure and metal binding sites present in other member of PP2C subfamily, while docking studies revealed its interaction with substrate as well as its specific inhibitor. Our study has provided first time reports on enzyme kinetics, structural features and immune response inside the host macrophage of metal-dependent protein phosphatases from a trypanosomatid parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranay Jakkula
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad, 500046, India
| | - Rahila Qureshi
- Department of Genetics, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Atif Iqbal
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad, 500046, India
| | - S R Sagurthi
- Department of Genetics, Osmania University, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Insaf A Qureshi
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad, 500046, India.
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Reyna-Beltrán E, Iranzo M, Calderón-González KG, Mondragón-Flores R, Labra-Barrios ML, Mormeneo S, Luna-Arias JP. The Candida albicans ENO1 gene encodes a transglutaminase involved in growth, cell division, morphogenesis, and osmotic protection. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:4304-4323. [PMID: 29386353 PMCID: PMC5868267 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.810440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus that is part of the normal microflora commonly found in the human digestive tract and the normal mucosa or skin of healthy individuals. However, in immunocompromised individuals, it becomes a serious health concern and a threat to their lives and is ranked as the leading fungal infection in humans worldwide. As existing treatments for this infection are non-specific or under threat of developing resistance, there is a dire necessity to find new targets for designing specific drugs to defeat this fungus. Some authors reported the presence of the transglutaminase activity in Candida and Saccharomyces, but its identity remains unknown. We report here the phenotypic effects produced by the inhibition of transglutaminase enzymatic activity with cystamine, including growth inhibition of yeast cells, induction of autophagy in response to damage caused by cystamine, alteration of the normal yeast division pattern, changes in cell wall, and inhibition of the yeast-to-mycelium transition. The latter phenomenon was also observed in the C. albicans ATCC 26555 strain. Growth inhibition by cystamine was also determined in other Candida strains, demonstrating the importance of transglutaminase in these species. Finally, we identified enolase 1 as the cell wall protein responsible for TGase activity. After studying the inhibition of enzymatic activities with anti-CaEno1 antibodies and through bioinformatics studies, we suggest that the enolase and transglutaminase catalytic sites are localized in different domains of the protein. The aforementioned data indicate that TGase/Eno1 is a putative target for designing new drugs to control C. albicans infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María Iranzo
- the Department de Microbiologia i Ecologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Unidad de Microbiología, Universitat de València, 46100 Valencia, España
| | | | - Ricardo Mondragón-Flores
- Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN), C.P. 07360, Ciudad de México, México and
| | | | - Salvador Mormeneo
- the Department de Microbiologia i Ecologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Unidad de Microbiología, Universitat de València, 46100 Valencia, España
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Soulat D, Bogdan C. Function of Macrophage and Parasite Phosphatases in Leishmaniasis. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1838. [PMID: 29312331 PMCID: PMC5743797 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The kinetoplastid protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, a vector-borne infectious disease with worldwide prevalence. The protective host immune response against Leishmania parasites relies on myeloid cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages in which upon stimulation by cytokines (e.g., interferon-γ) a complex network of signaling pathways is switched on leading to strong antimicrobial activities directed against the intracellular parasite stage. The regulation of these pathways classically depends on post-translational modifications of proteins, with phosphorylation events playing a cardinal role. Leishmania parasites deactivate their phagocytic host cells by inducing specific mammalian phosphatases that are capable to impede signaling. On the other hand, there is now also evidence that Leishmania spp. themselves express phosphatases that might target host cell molecules and thereby facilitate the intracellular survival of the parasite. This review will present an overview on the modulation of host phosphatases by Leishmania parasites as well as on the known families of Leishmania phosphatases and their possible function as virulence factors. A more detailed understanding of the role of phosphatases in Leishmania–host cell interactions might open new avenues for the treatment of non-healing, progressive forms of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Soulat
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Medical Immunology Campus Erlangen, Interdisciplinary Center of the FAU, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christian Bogdan
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.,Medical Immunology Campus Erlangen, Interdisciplinary Center of the FAU, Erlangen, Germany
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