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Schwarzer E, Skorokhod O. Post-Translational Modifications of Proteins of Malaria Parasites during the Life Cycle. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6145. [PMID: 38892332 PMCID: PMC11173270 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential for regulating protein functions, influencing various fundamental processes in eukaryotes. These include, but are not limited to, cell signaling, protein trafficking, the epigenetic control of gene expression, and control of the cell cycle, as well as cell proliferation, differentiation, and interactions between cells. In this review, we discuss protein PTMs that play a key role in the malaria parasite biology and its pathogenesis. Phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation, lipidation and lipoxidation, glycosylation, ubiquitination and sumoylation, nitrosylation and glutathionylation, all of which occur in malarial parasites, are reviewed. We provide information regarding the biological significance of these modifications along all phases of the complex life cycle of Plasmodium spp. Importantly, not only the parasite, but also the host and vector protein PTMs are often crucial for parasite growth and development. In addition to metabolic regulations, protein PTMs can result in epitopes that are able to elicit both innate and adaptive immune responses of the host or vector. We discuss some existing and prospective results from antimalarial drug discovery trials that target various PTM-related processes in the parasite or host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelin Schwarzer
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy;
| | - Oleksii Skorokhod
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
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2
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Chan AW, Broncel M, Yifrach E, Haseley NR, Chakladar S, Andree E, Herneisen AL, Shortt E, Treeck M, Lourido S. Analysis of CDPK1 targets identifies a trafficking adaptor complex that regulates microneme exocytosis in Toxoplasma. eLife 2023; 12:RP85654. [PMID: 37933960 PMCID: PMC10629828 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites use Ca2+-regulated exocytosis to secrete essential virulence factors from specialized organelles called micronemes. Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are required for microneme exocytosis; however, the molecular events that regulate trafficking and fusion of micronemes with the plasma membrane remain unresolved. Here, we combine sub-minute resolution phosphoproteomics and bio-orthogonal labeling of kinase substrates in Toxoplasma gondii to identify 163 proteins phosphorylated in a CDPK1-dependent manner. In addition to known regulators of secretion, we identify uncharacterized targets with predicted functions across signaling, gene expression, trafficking, metabolism, and ion homeostasis. One of the CDPK1 targets is a putative HOOK activating adaptor. In other eukaryotes, HOOK homologs form the FHF complex with FTS and FHIP to activate dynein-mediated trafficking of endosomes along microtubules. We show the FHF complex is partially conserved in T. gondii, consisting of HOOK, an FTS homolog, and two parasite-specific proteins (TGGT1_306920 and TGGT1_316650). CDPK1 kinase activity and HOOK are required for the rapid apical trafficking of micronemes as parasites initiate motility. Moreover, parasites lacking HOOK or FTS display impaired microneme protein secretion, leading to a block in the invasion of host cells. Taken together, our work provides a comprehensive catalog of CDPK1 targets and reveals how vesicular trafficking has been tuned to support a parasitic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex W Chan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Malgorzata Broncel
- Signaling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Eden Yifrach
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
| | - Nicole R Haseley
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
| | | | - Elena Andree
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
| | - Alice L Herneisen
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Emily Shortt
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
| | - Moritz Treeck
- Signaling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Lourido
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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3
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Burda PC, Ramaprasad A, Bielfeld S, Pietsch E, Woitalla A, Söhnchen C, Singh MN, Strauss J, Sait A, Collinson LM, Schwudke D, Blackman MJ, Gilberger TW. Global analysis of putative phospholipases in Plasmodium falciparum reveals an essential role of the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in parasite maturation. mBio 2023; 14:e0141323. [PMID: 37489900 PMCID: PMC10470789 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01413-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
For its replication within red blood cells, the malaria parasite depends on a highly active and regulated lipid metabolism. Enzymes involved in lipid metabolic processes such as phospholipases are, therefore, potential drug targets. Here, using reverse genetics approaches, we show that only 1 out of the 19 putative phospholipases expressed in asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum is essential for proliferation in vitro, pointing toward a high level of redundancy among members of this enzyme family. Using conditional mislocalization and gene disruption techniques, we show that this essential phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC, PF3D7_1013500) has a previously unrecognized essential role during intracellular parasite maturation, long before its previously perceived role in parasite egress and invasion. Subsequent lipidomic analysis suggests that PI-PLC mediates cleavage of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2) in schizont-stage parasites, underlining its critical role in regulating phosphoinositide levels in the parasite. IMPORTANCE The clinical symptoms of malaria arise due to repeated rounds of replication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells (RBCs). Central to this is an intense period of membrane biogenesis. Generation of membranes not only requires de novo synthesis and acquisition but also the degradation of phospholipids, a function that is performed by phospholipases. In this study, we investigate the essentiality of the 19 putative phospholipase enzymes that the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum expresses during its replication within RBCs. We not only show that a high level of functional redundancy exists among these enzymes but, at the same time, also identify an essential role for the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in parasite development and cleavage of the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul-Christian Burda
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Abhinay Ramaprasad
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sabrina Bielfeld
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Emma Pietsch
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Woitalla
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, Borstel, Germany
| | - Christoph Söhnchen
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mehar Nihal Singh
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Aaron Sait
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy M. Collinson
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dominik Schwudke
- Division of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, Borstel, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Thematic Translational Unit Tuberculosis, Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Borstel, Germany
- German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Airway Research Center North (ARCN), Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, Borstel, Germany
| | - Michael J. Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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4
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Chan AW, Broncel M, Yifrach E, Haseley N, Chakladar S, Andree E, Herneisen AL, Shortt E, Treeck M, Lourido S. Analysis of CDPK1 targets identifies a trafficking adaptor complex that regulates microneme exocytosis in Toxoplasma. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.11.523553. [PMID: 36712004 PMCID: PMC9882037 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.11.523553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites use Ca2+-regulated exocytosis to secrete essential virulence factors from specialized organelles called micronemes. Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are required for microneme exocytosis; however, the molecular events that regulate trafficking and fusion of micronemes with the plasma membrane remain unresolved. Here, we combine sub-minute resolution phosphoproteomics and bio-orthogonal labeling of kinase substrates in Toxoplasma gondii to identify 163 proteins phosphorylated in a CDPK1-dependent manner. In addition to known regulators of secretion, we identify uncharacterized targets with predicted functions across signaling, gene expression, trafficking, metabolism, and ion homeostasis. One of the CDPK1 targets is a putative HOOK activating adaptor. In other eukaryotes, HOOK homologs form the FHF complex with FTS and FHIP to activate dynein-mediated trafficking of endosomes along microtubules. We show the FHF complex is partially conserved in T. gondii, consisting of HOOK, an FTS homolog, and two parasite-specific proteins (TGGT1_306920 and TGGT1_316650). CDPK1 kinase activity and HOOK are required for the rapid apical trafficking of micronemes as parasites initiate motility. Moreover, parasites lacking HOOK or FTS display impaired microneme protein secretion, leading to a block in the invasion of host cells. Taken together, our work provides a comprehensive catalog of CDPK1 targets and reveals how vesicular trafficking has been tuned to support a parasitic lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex W Chan
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Malgorzata Broncel
- Signaling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Eden Yifrach
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicole Haseley
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Elena Andree
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alice L Herneisen
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Emily Shortt
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Moritz Treeck
- Signaling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Sebastian Lourido
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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5
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He L, Qiu Y, Pang G, Li S, Wang J, Feng Y, Chen L, Zhu L, Liu Y, Cui L, Cao Y, Zhu X. Plasmodium falciparum GAP40 Plays an Essential Role in Merozoite Invasion and Gametocytogenesis. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0143423. [PMID: 37249423 PMCID: PMC10269477 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01434-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclic invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by Plasmodium merozoites is associated with the symptoms and pathology of malaria. Merozoite invasion is powered actively and rapidly by a parasite actomyosin motor called the glideosome. The ability of the glideosome to generate force to support merozoite entry into the host RBCs is thought to rely on its stable anchoring within the inner membrane complex (IMC) through membrane-resident proteins, such as GAP50 and GAP40. Using a conditional knockdown (KD) approach, we determined that PfGAP40 was required for asexual blood-stage replication. PfGAP40 is not needed for merozoite egress from host RBCs or for the attachment of merozoites to new RBCs. PfGAP40 coprecipitates with PfGAP45 and PfGAP50. During merozoite invasion, PfGAP40 is associated strongly with stabilizing the expression levels of PfGAP45 and PfGAP50 in the schizont stage. Although PfGAP40 KD did not influence IMC integrity, it impaired the maturation of gametocytes. In addition, PfGAP40 is phosphorylated, and mutations that block phosphorylation of PfGAP40 at the C-terminal serine residues S370, S372, S376, S405, S409, S420, and S445 reduced merozoite invasion efficiency. Overall, our findings implicate PfGAP40 as an important regulator for the gliding activity of merozoites and suggest that phosphorylation is required for PfGAP40 function. IMPORTANCE Red blood cell invasion is central to the pathogenesis of the malaria parasite, and the parasite proteins involved in this process are potential therapeutic targets. Gliding motility powers merozoite invasion and is driven by a unique molecular motor termed the glideosome. The glideosome is stably anchored to the parasite inner membrane complex (IMC) through membrane-resident proteins. In the present study, we demonstrate the importance of an IMC-resident glideosome component, PfGAP40, that plays a critical role in stabilizing the expression levels of glideosome components in the schizont stage. We determined that phosphorylation of PfGAP40 at C-terminal residues is required for efficient merozoite invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu He
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Yue Qiu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Cardiovascular Ultrasound, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Geping Pang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Siqi Li
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Yonghui Feng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Lumeng Chen
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Liying Zhu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Yinjie Liu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Liwang Cui
- College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Yaming Cao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Xiaotong Zhu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
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Wilkinson MD, Ferreira JL, Beeby M, Baum J, Willison KR. The malaria parasite chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT) complex: Data integration with other CCT proteomes. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1057232. [PMID: 36567946 PMCID: PMC9772883 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1057232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The multi-subunit chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT) is an essential molecular chaperone that functions in the folding of key cellular proteins. This paper reviews the interactome of the eukaryotic chaperonin CCT and its primary clients, the ubiquitous cytoskeletal proteins, actin and tubulin. CCT interacts with other nascent proteins, especially the WD40 propeller proteins, and also assists in the assembly of several protein complexes. A new proteomic dataset is presented for CCT purified from the human malarial parasite, P. falciparum (PfCCT). The CCT8 subunit gene was C-terminally FLAG-tagged using Selection Linked Integration (SLI) and CCT complexes were extracted from infected human erythrocyte cultures synchronized for maximum expression levels of CCT at the trophozoite stage of the parasite's asexual life cycle. We analyze the new PfCCT proteome and incorporate it into our existing model of the CCT system, supported by accumulated data from biochemical and cell biological experiments in many eukaryotic species. Together with measurements of CCT mRNA, CCT protein subunit copy number and the post-translational and chemical modifications of the CCT subunits themselves, a cumulative picture is emerging of an essential molecular chaperone system sitting at the heart of eukaryotic cell growth control and cell cycle regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Wilkinson
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Josie L. Ferreira
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom,School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Keith R. Willison
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Keith R. Willison,
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Anam Z, Kumari G, Mukherjee S, Rex DAB, Biswas S, Maurya P, Ravikumar S, Gupta N, Kushawaha AK, Sah RK, Chaurasiya A, Singhal J, Singh N, Kaushik S, Prasad TSK, Pati S, Ranganathan A, Singh S. Complementary crosstalk between palmitoylation and phosphorylation events in MTIP regulates its role during Plasmodium falciparum invasion. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:924424. [PMID: 36250062 PMCID: PMC9556994 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.924424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) including phosphorylation and palmitoylation have emerged as crucial biomolecular events that govern many cellular processes including functioning of motility- and invasion-associated proteins during Plasmodium falciparum invasion. However, no study has ever focused on understanding the possibility of a crosstalk between these two molecular events and its direct impact on preinvasion- and invasion-associated protein–protein interaction (PPI) network-based molecular machinery. Here, we used an integrated in silico analysis to enrich two different catalogues of proteins: (i) the first group defines the cumulative pool of phosphorylated and palmitoylated proteins, and (ii) the second group represents a common set of proteins predicted to have both phosphorylation and palmitoylation. Subsequent PPI analysis identified an important protein cluster comprising myosin A tail interacting protein (MTIP) as one of the hub proteins of the glideosome motor complex in P. falciparum, predicted to have dual modification with the possibility of a crosstalk between the same. Our findings suggested that blocking palmitoylation led to reduced phosphorylation and blocking phosphorylation led to abrogated palmitoylation of MTIP. As a result of the crosstalk between these biomolecular events, MTIP’s interaction with myosin A was found to be abrogated. Next, the crosstalk between phosphorylation and palmitoylation was confirmed at a global proteome level by click chemistry and the phenotypic effect of this crosstalk was observed via synergistic inhibition in P. falciparum invasion using checkerboard assay and isobologram method. Overall, our findings revealed, for the first time, an interdependence between two PTM types, their possible crosstalk, and its direct impact on MTIP-mediated invasion via glideosome assembly protein myosin A in P. falciparum. These insights can be exploited for futuristic drug discovery platforms targeting parasite molecular machinery for developing novel antimalarial therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zille Anam
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Geeta Kumari
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Soumyadeep Mukherjee
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Shreeja Biswas
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Preeti Maurya
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Susendaran Ravikumar
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nutan Gupta
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Raj Kumar Sah
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Ayushi Chaurasiya
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Jhalak Singhal
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Niharika Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Shikha Kaushik
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - T. S. Keshava Prasad
- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India
| | - Soumya Pati
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
- *Correspondence: Shailja Singh, ; Anand Ranganathan, ; Soumya Pati,
| | - Anand Ranganathan
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Shailja Singh, ; Anand Ranganathan, ; Soumya Pati,
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Shailja Singh, ; Anand Ranganathan, ; Soumya Pati,
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8
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Gupta P, Venkadesan S, Mohanty D. Pf-Phospho: a machine learning-based phosphorylation sites prediction tool for Plasmodium proteins. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6618232. [PMID: 35753700 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though several in silico tools are available for prediction of the phosphorylation sites for mammalian, yeast or plant proteins, currently no software is available for predicting phosphosites for Plasmodium proteins. However, the availability of significant amount of phospho-proteomics data during the last decade and advances in machine learning (ML) algorithms have opened up the opportunities for deciphering phosphorylation patterns of plasmodial system and developing ML-based phosphosite prediction tools for Plasmodium. We have developed Pf-Phospho, an ML-based method for prediction of phosphosites by training Random Forest classifiers using a large data set of 12 096 phosphosites of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium bergei. Of the 12 096 known phosphosites, 75% of sites have been used for training/validation of the classifier, while remaining 25% have been used as completely unseen test data for blind testing. It is encouraging to note that Pf-Phospho can predict the kinase-independent phosphosites with 84% sensitivity, 75% specificity and 78% precision. In addition, it can also predict kinase-specific phosphosites for five plasmodial kinases-PfPKG, Plasmodium falciparum, PfPKA, PfPK7 and PbCDPK4 with high accuracy. Pf-Phospho (http://www.nii.ac.in/pfphospho.html) outperforms other widely used phosphosite prediction tools, which have been trained using mammalian phosphoproteome data. It also has been integrated with other widely used resources such as PlasmoDB, MPMP, Pfam and recently available ML-based predicted structures by AlphaFold2. Currently, Pf-phospho is the only bioinformatics resource available for ML-based prediction of phospho-signaling networks of Plasmodium and is a user-friendly platform for integrative analysis of phospho-signaling along with metabolic and protein-protein interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Gupta
- National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi - 110067, India
| | | | - Debasisa Mohanty
- National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi - 110067, India
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9
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N-terminal phosphorylation regulates the activity of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 from Plasmodium falciparum. Biochem J 2022; 479:337-356. [PMID: 35023554 PMCID: PMC8883495 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
As the decline of malaria cases stalled over the last five years, novel targets in Plasmodium falciparum are necessary for the development of new drugs. Glycogen Synthase Kinase (PfGSK3) has been identified as a potential target, since its selective inhibitors were shown to disrupt the parasitès life cycle. In the uncanonical N-terminal region of the parasite enzyme, we identified several autophosphorylation sites and probed their role in activity regulation of PfGSK3. By combining molecular modeling with experimental small-angle X-ray scattering data, we show that increased PfGSK3 activity is promoted by conformational changes in the PfGSK3 N-terminus, triggered by N-terminal phosphorylation. Our work provides novel insights into the structure and regulation of the malarial PfGSK3.
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10
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Chahine Z, Le Roch KG. Decrypting the complexity of the human malaria parasite biology through systems biology approaches. FRONTIERS IN SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2022; 2:940321. [PMID: 37200864 PMCID: PMC10191146 DOI: 10.3389/fsysb.2022.940321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is a unicellular protozoan responsible for over half a million deaths annually. With a complex life cycle alternating between human and invertebrate hosts, this apicomplexan is notoriously adept at evading host immune responses and developing resistance to all clinically administered treatments. Advances in omics-based technologies, increased sensitivity of sequencing platforms and enhanced CRISPR based gene editing tools, have given researchers access to more in-depth and untapped information about this enigmatic micro-organism, a feat thought to be infeasible in the past decade. Here we discuss some of the most important scientific achievements made over the past few years with a focus on novel technologies and platforms that set the stage for subsequent discoveries. We also describe some of the systems-based methods applied to uncover gaps of knowledge left through single-omics applications with the hope that we will soon be able to overcome the spread of this life-threatening disease.
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11
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Prata IO, Cubillos EFG, Krüger A, Barbosa D, Martins J, Setubal JC, Wunderlich G. Plasmodium falciparum Acetyl-CoA Synthetase Is Essential for Parasite Intraerythrocytic Development and Chromatin Modification. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:3224-3240. [PMID: 34766750 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum possesses a unique Acetyl-CoA Synthetase (PfACS), which provides acetyl moieties for different metabolic and regulatory cellular pathways. We characterized PfACS and studied its role focusing on epigenetic modifications using the var gene family as reporter genes. For this, mutant lines to modulate plasmodial ACS expression by degron-mediated protein degradation and ribozyme-induced transcript decay were created. Additionally, an inhibitor of the human Acetyl-CoA Synthetase 2 was tested for its effectiveness in interfering with PfACS. The knockdown of PfACS or its inhibition resulted in impaired parasite growth. Decreased levels of PfACS also led to differential histone acetylation patterns, altered variant gene expression, and concomitantly decreased cytoadherence of infected red blood cells containing knocked-down parasites. Further, ChIP analysis revealed the presence of PfACS in many loci in ring stage parasites, underscoring its involvement in the regulation of chromatin. Due to its central function in the plasmodial metabolism and significant differences to human ACS, PfACS is an interesting target for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isadora Oliveira Prata
- Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 1374, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - Eliana Fernanda Galindo Cubillos
- Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 1374, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - Arne Krüger
- Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 1374, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - Deibs Barbosa
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 748, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - Joaquim Martins
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 748, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - João Carlos Setubal
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 748, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
| | - Gerhard Wunderlich
- Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Avenida Professor Lineu Prestes 1374, 05508-000 São Paulo-SP, Brazil
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12
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Hitz E, Wiedemar N, Passecker A, Graça BAS, Scheurer C, Wittlin S, Brancucci NMB, Vakonakis I, Mäser P, Voss TS. The 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 is an essential upstream activator of protein kinase A in malaria parasites. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001483. [PMID: 34879056 PMCID: PMC8687544 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signalling is essential for the proliferation of Plasmodium falciparum malaria blood stage parasites. The mechanisms regulating the activity of the catalytic subunit PfPKAc, however, are only partially understood, and PfPKAc function has not been investigated in gametocytes, the sexual blood stage forms that are essential for malaria transmission. By studying a conditional PfPKAc knockdown (cKD) mutant, we confirm the essential role for PfPKAc in erythrocyte invasion by merozoites and show that PfPKAc is involved in regulating gametocyte deformability. We furthermore demonstrate that overexpression of PfPKAc is lethal and kills parasites at the early phase of schizogony. Strikingly, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of parasite mutants selected to tolerate increased PfPKAc expression levels identified missense mutations exclusively in the gene encoding the parasite orthologue of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PfPDK1). Using targeted mutagenesis, we demonstrate that PfPDK1 is required to activate PfPKAc and that T189 in the PfPKAc activation loop is the crucial target residue in this process. In summary, our results corroborate the importance of tight regulation of PfPKA signalling for parasite survival and imply that PfPDK1 acts as a crucial upstream regulator in this pathway and potential new drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Hitz
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natalie Wiedemar
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Armin Passecker
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Beatriz A. S. Graça
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Scheurer
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas M. B. Brancucci
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ioannis Vakonakis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Till S. Voss
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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13
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Wu K, Zhai X, Huang S, Jiang L, Yu Z, Huang J. Protein Kinases: Potential Drug Targets Against Schistosoma japonicum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:691757. [PMID: 34277472 PMCID: PMC8282181 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.691757] [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: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection can induce serious organ damage and cause schistosomiasis japonica which is mainly prevalent in Asia and currently one of the most seriously neglected tropical diseases. Treatment of schistosomiasis largely depends on the drug praziquantel (PZQ). However, PZQ exhibits low killing efficacy on juvenile worms and the potential emergence of its drug resistance is a continual concern. Protein kinases (PKs) are enzymes that catalyze the phosphorylation of proteins and can participate in many signaling pathways in vivo. Recent studies confirmed the essential roles of PKs in the growth and development of S. japonicum, as well as in schistosome-host interactions, and researches have screened drug targets about PKs from S. japonicum (SjPKs), which provide new opportunities of developing new treatments on schistosomiasis. The aim of this review is to present the current progress on SjPKs from classification, different functions and their potential to become drug targets compared with other schistosomes. The efficiency of related protein kinase inhibitors on schistosomes is highlighted. Finally, the current challenges and problems in the study of SjPKs are proposed, which can provide future guidance for developing anti-schistosomiasis drugs and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaijuan Wu
- Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xingyu Zhai
- China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shuaiqin Huang
- Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Liping Jiang
- Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zheng Yu
- China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jing Huang
- Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, China.,China-Africa Research Center of Infectious Diseases, Central South University, Changsha, China
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14
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Lasonder E, More K, Singh S, Haidar M, Bertinetti D, Kennedy EJ, Herberg FW, Holder AA, Langsley G, Chitnis CE. cAMP-Dependent Signaling Pathways as Potential Targets for Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Blood Stages. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:684005. [PMID: 34108954 PMCID: PMC8183823 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.684005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the role of signaling pathways in regulation of the key processes of merozoite egress and red blood cell invasion by Plasmodium falciparum and, in particular, the importance of the second messengers, cAMP and Ca2+, and cyclic nucleotide dependent kinases. cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is comprised of cAMP-binding regulatory, and catalytic subunits. The less well conserved cAMP-binding pockets should make cAMP analogs attractive drug leads, but this approach is compromised by the poor membrane permeability of cyclic nucleotides. We discuss how the conserved nature of ATP-binding pockets makes ATP analogs inherently prone to off-target effects and how ATP analogs and genetic manipulation can be useful research tools to examine this. We suggest that targeting PKA interaction partners as well as substrates, or developing inhibitors based on PKA interaction sites or phosphorylation sites in PKA substrates, may provide viable alternative approaches for the development of anti-malarial drugs. Proximity of PKA to a substrate is necessary for substrate phosphorylation, but the P. falciparum genome encodes few recognizable A-kinase anchor proteins (AKAPs), suggesting the importance of PKA-regulatory subunit myristylation and membrane association in determining substrate preference. We also discuss how Pf14-3-3 assembles a phosphorylation-dependent signaling complex that includes PKA and calcium dependent protein kinase 1 (CDPK1) and how this complex may be critical for merozoite invasion, and a target to block parasite growth. We compare altered phosphorylation levels in intracellular and egressed merozoites to identify potential PKA substrates. Finally, as host PKA may have a critical role in supporting intracellular parasite development, we discuss its role at other stages of the life cycle, as well as in other apicomplexan infections. Throughout our review we propose possible new directions for the therapeutic exploitation of cAMP-PKA-signaling in malaria and other diseases caused by apicomplexan parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Lasonder
- Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Kunal More
- Unité de Biologie de Plasmodium et Vaccins, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Malak Haidar
- Laboratoire de Biologie Comparative des Apicomplexes, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | | | - Eileen J Kennedy
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | | | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gordon Langsley
- Laboratoire de Biologie Comparative des Apicomplexes, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France
| | - Chetan E Chitnis
- Unité de Biologie de Plasmodium et Vaccins, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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15
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Rachidi N, Knippschild U, Späth GF. Dangerous Duplicity: The Dual Functions of Casein Kinase 1 in Parasite Biology and Host Subversion. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:655700. [PMID: 33869086 PMCID: PMC8044801 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.655700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Casein Kinase 1 (CK1) family members are serine/threonine protein kinases that are involved in many biological processes and highly conserved in eukaryotes from protozoan to humans. Even though pathogens exploit host CK1 signaling pathways to survive, the role of CK1 in infectious diseases and host/pathogen interaction is less well characterized compared to other diseases, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. Here we present the current knowledge on CK1 in protozoan parasites highlighting their essential role for parasite survival and their importance for host-pathogen interactions. We also discuss how the dual requirement of CK1 family members for parasite biological processes and host subversion could be exploited to identify novel antimicrobial interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najma Rachidi
- Unité de Parasitologie moléculaire et Signalisation, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur and INSERM U1201, Paris, France
| | - Uwe Knippschild
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Surgery Centre, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
| | - Gerald F. Späth
- Unité de Parasitologie moléculaire et Signalisation, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur and INSERM U1201, Paris, France
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16
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Molecular dynamics simulations and biochemical characterization of Pf14-3-3 and PfCDPK1 interaction towards its role in growth of human malaria parasite. Biochem J 2020; 477:2153-2177. [PMID: 32484216 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20200145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Scaffold proteins play pivotal role as modulators of cellular processes by operating as multipurpose conformation clamps. 14-3-3 proteins are gold-standard scaffold modules that recognize phosphoSer/Thr (pS/pT) containing conserved motifs, and confer conformational changes leading to modulation of functional parameters of their target proteins. Modulation in functional activity of kinases has been attributed to their interaction with 14-3-3 proteins. Herein, we have annotated and characterized PF3D7_0818200 as 14-3-3 isoform I in Plasmodium falciparum 3D7, and its interaction with one of the key kinases of the parasite, Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 1 (CDPK1) by performing various analytical biochemistry and biophysical assays. Molecular dynamics simulation studies indicated that CDPK1 polypeptide sequence (61KLGpS64) behaves as canonical Mode I-type (RXXpS/pT) consensus 14-3-3 binding motif, mediating the interaction. The 14-3-3I/CDPK1 interaction was validated in vitro with ELISA and SPR, which confirmed that the interaction is phosphorylation dependent, with binding affinity constant of 670 ± 3.6 nM. The interaction of 14-3-3I with CDPK1 was validated with well characterized optimal 14-3-3 recognition motifs: Mode I-type ARSHpSYPA and Mode II-type RLYHpSLPA, by simulation studies and ITC. This interaction was found to marginally enhance CDPK1 functional activity. Furthermore, interaction antagonizing peptidomimetics showed growth inhibitory impact on the parasite indicating crucial physiological role of 14-3-3/CDPK1 interaction. Overall, this study characterizes 14-3-3I as a scaffold protein in the malaria parasite and unveils CDPK1 as its previously unidentified target. This sets a precedent for the rational design of 14-3-3 based PPI inhibitors by utilizing 14-3-3 recognition motif peptides, as a potential antimalarial strategy.
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17
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Hollin T, Le Roch KG. From Genes to Transcripts, a Tightly Regulated Journey in Plasmodium. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:618454. [PMID: 33425787 PMCID: PMC7793691 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.618454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, we have witnessed significant progresses in understanding gene regulation in Apicomplexa including the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. This parasite possesses the ability to convert in multiple stages in various hosts, cell types, and environments. Recent findings indicate that P. falciparum is talented at using efficient and complementary molecular mechanisms to ensure a tight control of gene expression at each stage of its life cycle. Here, we review the current understanding on the contribution of the epigenome, atypical transcription factors, and chromatin organization to regulate stage conversion in P. falciparum. The adjustment of these regulatory mechanisms occurring during the progression of the life cycle will be extensively discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hollin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, CA, United States
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18
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Liu Y, Zhao Q, Xu F, Wang K, Zhao Y, Chen H, He W, Wang W, Zhang J, Zhang J. Dysregulation of phosphoproteins in hepatocellular carcinoma revealed via quantitative analysis of the phosphoproteome. Oncol Lett 2020; 21:117. [PMID: 33408763 PMCID: PMC7779902 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.12378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed types of cancer in the world. Post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, serve an essential role during cancer development. To identify aberrant phosphorylation in HCC, a multiplexed tandem mass tag approach combined with liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry was used in the present study. The results are available via ProteomeXchange (identifier no. PXD013934). A total of 4,780 phosphorylated sites distributed on 2,209 proteins were identified and quantified, including 74 and 459 phosphorylated upregulated and downregulated proteins, respectively. Bioinformatic analysis revealed differences and similarities between HCC and normal tissues. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis provided information on biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and sub-cellular localizations. Protein domains enrichment of differentially expressed proteins was analyzed using InterPro database. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis revealed pathways that may potentially be involved in HCC. Integrative analysis of the functions, pathways, motifs of phosphorylated peptides, protein domains and protein interactions established a profile of the phosphoproteome of HCC, which may contribute to identify novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC, as well as novel therapeutic targets for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixian Liu
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Qianwei Zhao
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Fang Xu
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Kaijuan Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory for Tumor Epidemiology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Ying Zhao
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Huiping Chen
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Wei He
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Weidong Wang
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Jianying Zhang
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China.,Henan Key Laboratory for Tumor Epidemiology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
| | - Jintao Zhang
- Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China.,Henan Key Laboratory for Tumor Epidemiology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.R. China
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19
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Moolman C, van der Sluis R, Beteck RM, Legoabe LJ. An Update on Development of Small-Molecule Plasmodial Kinase Inhibitors. Molecules 2020; 25:E5182. [PMID: 33171706 PMCID: PMC7664427 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25215182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria control relies heavily on the small number of existing antimalarial drugs. However, recurring antimalarial drug resistance necessitates the continual generation of new antimalarial drugs with novel modes of action. In order to shift the focus from only controlling this disease towards elimination and eradication, next-generation antimalarial agents need to address the gaps in the malaria drug arsenal. This includes developing drugs for chemoprotection, treating severe malaria and blocking transmission. Plasmodial kinases are promising targets for next-generation antimalarial drug development as they mediate critical cellular processes and some are active across multiple stages of the parasite's life cycle. This review gives an update on the progress made thus far with regards to plasmodial kinase small-molecule inhibitor development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantalle Moolman
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.M.); (R.M.B.)
| | - Rencia van der Sluis
- Focus Area for Human Metabolomics, Biochemistry, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa;
| | - Richard M. Beteck
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.M.); (R.M.B.)
| | - Lesetja J. Legoabe
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa; (C.M.); (R.M.B.)
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20
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Abstract
Malaria is one of the most impacting public health problems in tropical and subtropical areas of the globe, with approximately 200 million cases worldwide annually. In the absence of an effective vaccine, rapid treatment is vital for effective malaria control. However, parasite resistance to currently available drugs underscores the urgent need for identifying new antimalarial therapies with new mechanisms of action. Among potential drug targets for developing new antimalarial candidates, protein kinases are attractive. These enzymes catalyze the phosphorylation of several proteins, thereby regulating a variety of cellular processes and playing crucial roles in the development of all stages of the malaria parasite life cycle. Moreover, the large phylogenetic distance between Plasmodium species and its human host is reflected in marked differences in structure and function of malaria protein kinases between the homologs of both species, indicating that selectivity can be attained. In this review, we describe the functions of the different types of Plasmodium kinases and highlight the main recent advances in the discovery of kinase inhibitors as potential new antimalarial drug candidates.
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21
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Perrin AJ, Patel A, Flueck C, Blackman MJ, Baker DA. cAMP signalling and its role in host cell invasion by malaria parasites. Curr Opin Microbiol 2020; 58:69-74. [PMID: 33032143 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an important signalling molecule across evolution, but until recently there was little information on its role in malaria parasites. Advances in gene editing - in particular conditional genetic approaches and mass spectrometry have paved the way for characterisation of the key components of the cAMP signalling pathway in malaria parasites. This has revealed that cAMP signalling plays a critical role in invasion of host red blood cells by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites through regulating the phosphorylation of key parasite proteins by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). These insights will help us to investigate parasite cAMP signalling as a target for novel antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail J Perrin
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Avnish Patel
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Flueck
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - David A Baker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
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22
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Green JL, Wu Y, Encheva V, Lasonder E, Prommaban A, Kunzelmann S, Christodoulou E, Grainger M, Truongvan N, Bothe S, Sharma V, Song W, Pinzuti I, Uthaipibull C, Srichairatanakool S, Birault V, Langsley G, Schindelin H, Stieglitz B, Snijders AP, Holder AA. Ubiquitin activation is essential for schizont maturation in Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage development. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008640. [PMID: 32569299 PMCID: PMC7332102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ubiquitylation is a common post translational modification of eukaryotic proteins and in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) overall ubiquitylation increases in the transition from intracellular schizont to extracellular merozoite stages in the asexual blood stage cycle. Here, we identify specific ubiquitylation sites of protein substrates in three intraerythrocytic parasite stages and extracellular merozoites; a total of 1464 sites in 546 proteins were identified (data available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD014998). 469 ubiquitylated proteins were identified in merozoites compared with only 160 in the preceding intracellular schizont stage, suggesting a large increase in protein ubiquitylation associated with merozoite maturation. Following merozoite invasion of erythrocytes, few ubiquitylated proteins were detected in the first intracellular ring stage but as parasites matured through trophozoite to schizont stages the apparent extent of ubiquitylation increased. We identified commonly used ubiquitylation motifs and groups of ubiquitylated proteins in specific areas of cellular function, for example merozoite pellicle proteins involved in erythrocyte invasion, exported proteins, and histones. To investigate the importance of ubiquitylation we screened ubiquitin pathway inhibitors in a parasite growth assay and identified the ubiquitin activating enzyme (UBA1 or E1) inhibitor MLN7243 (TAK-243) to be particularly effective. This small molecule was shown to be a potent inhibitor of recombinant PfUBA1, and a structural homology model of MLN7243 bound to the parasite enzyme highlights avenues for the development of P. falciparum specific inhibitors. We created a genetically modified parasite with a rapamycin-inducible functional deletion of uba1; addition of either MLN7243 or rapamycin to the recombinant parasite line resulted in the same phenotype, with parasite development blocked at the schizont stage. Nuclear division and formation of intracellular structures was interrupted. These results indicate that the intracellular target of MLN7243 is UBA1, and this activity is essential for the final differentiation of schizonts to merozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith L. Green
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yang Wu
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vesela Encheva
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edwin Lasonder
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Adchara Prommaban
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Simone Kunzelmann
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Evangelos Christodoulou
- Structural Biology Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Munira Grainger
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ngoc Truongvan
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Bothe
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Vikram Sharma
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Song
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Irene Pinzuti
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chairat Uthaipibull
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Khlong Luang, Thailand
| | | | | | - Gordon Langsley
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Comparative des Apicomplexes, Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Hermann Schindelin
- Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine, Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stieglitz
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Anthony A. Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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23
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Zhang Y, Yao W, Wang F, Su Y, Zhang D, Hu S, Zhang X. AGC protein kinase AGC1-4 mediates seed size in Arabidopsis. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2020; 39:825-837. [PMID: 32219503 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-020-02533-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
AGC1-4 kinase plays a crucial role in the regulation of seeds by mediating cell proliferation and embryo development in Arabidopsis. Seed size is a crucial factor to influence final seed yield in plants. However, the molecular mechanisms that set final seed size still need to be investigated. Here, we identified a novel AGC protein kinase AGC1-4, which encodes a serine-threonine kinase, belongs to the AGC VIIIa subfamily. The seeds of agc1-4 mutant were significantly larger than that in the wild type. Overexpression of the AGC1-4 gene reduced seed size. Regulation of AGC1-4 seed size is dependent on embryonic cell number. To further determine AGC1-4 functions in seed size, we analyzed AGC1-4 phosphoproteins using label-free quantitative phosphoproteomics coupled to the transcriptome of agc1-4 using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The RNA-seq analysis showed 1611 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which cover a wide range of functions, such as cell cycle and embryo development. The 262 unique phosphoproteins were detected by phosphoproteomics analysis. The differentially phosphorylated proteins were involved in cell cycle and post-embryo development. Overlay of the RNA-seq and phosphoproteomics results demonstrated AGC1-4 as an important factor that influences seed size by mediating cell proliferation and embryo development. The results in this study provide novel data on the serine-threonine kinase AGC1-4 mediating seed size in Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Zhang
- College of Agronomy, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Wangjinsong Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China
| | - Yinghua Su
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China
| | - Dajian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China
| | - Shengwu Hu
- College of Agronomy, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Yangling, 712100, China.
| | - Xiansheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China.
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24
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Matthews KA, Senagbe KM, Nötzel C, Gonzales CA, Tong X, Rijo-Ferreira F, Bhanu NV, Miguel-Blanco C, Lafuente-Monasterio MJ, Garcia BA, Kafsack BFC, Martinez ED. Disruption of the Plasmodium falciparum Life Cycle through Transcriptional Reprogramming by Inhibitors of Jumonji Demethylases. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:1058-1075. [PMID: 32272012 PMCID: PMC7748244 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Little
is known about the role of the three Jumonji C (JmjC) enzymes
in Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). Here,
we show that JIB-04 and other established inhibitors of mammalian
JmjC histone demethylases kill asexual blood stage parasites and are
even more potent at blocking gametocyte development and gamete formation.
In late stage parasites, JIB-04 increased levels of trimethylated
lysine residues on histones, suggesting the inhibition of P. falciparum Jumonji demethylase activity. These epigenetic
defects coincide with deregulation of invasion, cell motor, and sexual
development gene programs, including gene targets coregulated by the
PfAP2-I transcription factor and chromatin-binding factor, PfBDP1.
Mechanistically, we demonstrate that PfJmj3 converts 2-oxoglutarate
to succinate in an iron-dependent manner consistent with mammalian
Jumonji enzymes, and this catalytic activity is inhibited by JIB-04
and other Jumonji inhibitors. Our pharmacological studies of Jumonji
activity in the malaria parasite provide evidence that inhibition
of these enzymatic activities is detrimental to the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista A. Matthews
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Kossi M. Senagbe
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Christopher Nötzel
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, W-705, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, W-705, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Christopher A. Gonzales
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Xinran Tong
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, W-705, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Filipa Rijo-Ferreira
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
| | - Natarajan V. Bhanu
- Epigenetics Program, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Bldg. 421, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Celia Miguel-Blanco
- Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus, GlaxoSmithKline, P.T.M. Severo Ochoa, Tres Cantos, Madrid 28760, Spain
| | | | - Benjamin A. Garcia
- Epigenetics Program, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Bldg. 421, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Björn F. C. Kafsack
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, W-705, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, W-705, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Elisabeth D. Martinez
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
- Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390, United States
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25
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Favuzza P, de Lera Ruiz M, Thompson JK, Triglia T, Ngo A, Steel RWJ, Vavrek M, Christensen J, Healer J, Boyce C, Guo Z, Hu M, Khan T, Murgolo N, Zhao L, Penington JS, Reaksudsan K, Jarman K, Dietrich MH, Richardson L, Guo KY, Lopaticki S, Tham WH, Rottmann M, Papenfuss T, Robbins JA, Boddey JA, Sleebs BE, Sabroux HJ, McCauley JA, Olsen DB, Cowman AF. Dual Plasmepsin-Targeting Antimalarial Agents Disrupt Multiple Stages of the Malaria Parasite Life Cycle. Cell Host Microbe 2020; 27:642-658.e12. [PMID: 32109369 PMCID: PMC7146544 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Artemisin combination therapy (ACT) is the main treatment option for malaria, which is caused by the intracellular parasite Plasmodium. However, increased resistance to ACT highlights the importance of finding new drugs. Recently, the aspartic proteases Plasmepsin IX and X (PMIX and PMX) were identified as promising drug targets. In this study, we describe dual inhibitors of PMIX and PMX, including WM382, that block multiple stages of the Plasmodium life cycle. We demonstrate that PMX is a master modulator of merozoite invasion and direct maturation of proteins required for invasion, parasite development, and egress. Oral administration of WM382 cured mice of P. berghei and prevented blood infection from the liver. In addition, WM382 was efficacious against P. falciparum asexual infection in humanized mice and prevented transmission to mosquitoes. Selection of resistant P. falciparum in vitro was not achievable. Together, these show that dual PMIX and PMX inhibitors are promising candidates for malaria treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Favuzza
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Jennifer K Thompson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Tony Triglia
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Anna Ngo
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Ryan W J Steel
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Marissa Vavrek
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Janni Christensen
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Julie Healer
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Zhuyan Guo
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Mengwei Hu
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Tanweer Khan
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Nicholas Murgolo
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - Lianyun Zhao
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | | | - Kitsanapong Reaksudsan
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Kate Jarman
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Melanie H Dietrich
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Lachlan Richardson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Kai-Yuan Guo
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Sash Lopaticki
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Wai-Hong Tham
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Tony Papenfuss
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - Justin A Boddey
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Brad E Sleebs
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Hélène Jousset Sabroux
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - John A McCauley
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | - David B Olsen
- Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - Alan F Cowman
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
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26
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Koussis K, Withers-Martinez C, Baker DA, Blackman MJ. Simultaneous multiple allelic replacement in the malaria parasite enables dissection of PKG function. Life Sci Alliance 2020; 3:e201900626. [PMID: 32179592 PMCID: PMC7081069 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Over recent years, a plethora of new genetic tools has transformed conditional engineering of the malaria parasite genome, allowing functional dissection of essential genes in the asexual and sexual blood stages that cause pathology or are required for disease transmission, respectively. Important challenges remain, including the desirability to complement conditional mutants with a correctly regulated second gene copy to confirm that observed phenotypes are due solely to loss of gene function and to analyse structure-function relationships. To meet this challenge, here we combine the dimerisable Cre (DiCre) system with the use of multiple lox sites to simultaneously generate multiple recombination events of the same gene. We focused on the Plasmodium falciparum cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), creating in parallel conditional disruption of the gene plus up to two allelic replacements. We use the approach to demonstrate that PKG has no scaffolding or adaptor role in intraerythrocytic development, acting solely at merozoite egress. We also show that a phosphorylation-deficient PKG is functionally incompetent. Our method provides valuable new tools for analysis of gene function in the malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David A Baker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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27
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Hirst NL, Nebel JC, Lawton SP, Walker AJ. Deep phosphoproteome analysis of Schistosoma mansoni leads development of a kinomic array that highlights sex-biased differences in adult worm protein phosphorylation. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008115. [PMID: 32203512 PMCID: PMC7089424 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although helminth parasites cause enormous suffering worldwide we know little of how protein phosphorylation, one of the most important post-translational modifications used for molecular signalling, regulates their homeostasis and function. This is particularly the case for schistosomes. Herein, we report a deep phosphoproteome exploration of adult Schistosoma mansoni, providing one of the richest phosphoprotein resources for any parasite so far, and employ the data to build the first parasite-specific kinomic array. Complementary phosphopeptide enrichment strategies were used to detect 15,844 unique phosphopeptides mapping to 3,176 proteins. The phosphoproteins were predicted to be involved in a wide range of biological processes and phosphoprotein interactome analysis revealed 55 highly interconnected clusters including those enriched with ribosome, proteasome, phagosome, spliceosome, glycolysis, and signalling proteins. 93 distinct phosphorylation motifs were identified, with 67 providing a ‘footprint’ of protein kinase activity; CaMKII, PKA and CK1/2 were highly represented supporting their central importance to schistosome function. Within the kinome, 808 phosphorylation sites were matched to 136 protein kinases, and 68 sites within 37 activation loops were discovered. Analysis of putative protein kinase-phosphoprotein interactions revealed canonical networks but also novel interactions between signalling partners. Kinomic array analysis of male and female adult worm extracts revealed high phosphorylation of transformation:transcription domain associated protein by both sexes, and CDK and AMPK peptides by females. Moreover, eight peptides including protein phosphatase 2C gamma, Akt, Rho2 GTPase, SmTK4, and the insulin receptor were more highly phosphorylated by female extracts, highlighting their possible importance to female worm function. We envision that these findings, tools and methodology will help drive new research into the functional biology of schistosomes and other helminth parasites, and support efforts to develop new therapeutics for their control. Schistosomes are formidable parasites that cause the debilitating and life-threatening disease human schistosomiasis. We need to better understand the cellular biology of these parasites to develop novel strategies for their control. Within cells, a process called protein phosphorylation controls many aspects of molecular communication or ‘signalling’ and is central to cellular function and homeostasis. Here, using complementary strategies, we have performed the first in-depth characterisation and functional annotation of protein phosphorylation events in schistosomes, providing one of the richest phosphoprotein resources for any parasite to date. Using this knowledge, we have developed a novel tool to simultaneously evaluate signalling processes in these worms and highlight sex-biased differences in adult worm protein phosphorylation. Several proteins were found to be more greatly phosphorylated by female worm extracts, suggesting their possible importance to female worm function. This work will help drive new research into the fundamental biology of schistosomes, as well as related parasites, and will support efforts to develop new drug or vaccine-based therapeutics for their control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha L. Hirst
- School of Life Sciences Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Christophe Nebel
- School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
| | - Scott P. Lawton
- School of Life Sciences Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony J. Walker
- School of Life Sciences Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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28
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Siddiqui MA, Singh S, Malhotra P, Chitnis CE. Protein S-Palmitoylation Is Responsive to External Signals and Plays a Regulatory Role in Microneme Secretion in Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:379-392. [PMID: 32003970 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Protein S-palmitoylation is an important post-translational modification (PTM) in blood stages of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. S-palmitoylation refers to reversible covalent modification of cysteine residues of proteins by saturated fatty acids. In vivo, palmitoylation is regulated by concerted activities of DHHC palmitoyl acyl transferases (DHHC PATs) and acyl protein thioesterases (APTs), which are enzymes responsible for protein palmitoylation and depalmitoylation, respectively. Here, we investigate the role of protein palmitoylation in red blood cell (RBC) invasion by P. falciparum merozoites. We demonstrate for the first time that free merozoites require PAT activity for microneme secretion in response to exposure to the physiologically relevant low [K+] environment, characteristic of blood plasma. We have adapted copper catalyzed alkyne azide chemistry (CuAAC) to image palmitoylation in merozoites and found that exposure to low [K+] activates PAT activity in merozoites. Moreover, using acyl biotin exchange chemistry (ABE) and confocal imaging, we demonstrate that a calcium dependent protein kinase, PfCDPK1, an essential regulator of key invasion processes such as motility and microneme secretion, undergoes dynamic palmitoylation and localizes to the merozoite membrane. Treatment of merozoites with the PAT inhibitor, 2-bromopalmitate (2-BP), effectively inhibits microneme secretion and RBC invasion by the parasite, thus opening the possibility of targeting P. falciparum PATs for antimalarial drug discovery to inhibit blood stage growth of malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoor A. Siddiqui
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr. Roux, Paris 75016, France
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Pawan Malhotra
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Chetan E. Chitnis
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
- Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr. Roux, Paris 75016, France
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29
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Ishizaki T, Chaiyawong N, Hakimi H, Asada M, Tachibana M, Ishino T, Yahata K, Kaneko O. A novel Plasmodium yoelii pseudokinase, PypPK1, is involved in erythrocyte invasion and exflagellation center formation. Parasitol Int 2020; 76:102056. [PMID: 31953169 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2020.102056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Malaria parasites proliferate by repeated invasion of and multiplication within erythrocytes in the vertebrate host. Sexually committed intraerythrocytic parasites undergo sexual stage differentiation to become gametocytes. After ingestion by the mosquito, male and female gametocytes egress from erythrocytes and fertilize within the mosquito midgut. A complex signaling pathway likely responds to environmental events to trigger gametogenesis and regulate fertilization; however, such knowledge remains limited for malaria parasites. Several pseudokinases are highly transcribed at the gametocyte stage and are possible multi-functional regulators controlling critical steps of the life cycle. Here we characterized one pseudokinase, termed PypPK1, in Plasmodium yoelii that is highly expressed in schizonts and male gametocytes. Immunofluorescence assays for parasites expressing Myc-tagged PypPK1 confirmed that PypPK1 protein is expressed in schizonts and sexual stage parasites. Transgenic ΔpPK1 parasites, in which the PypPK1 gene locus was deleted by the CRISPR/Cas9 method, showed significant growth defect and reduced virulence in mice. In the blood stage, ΔpPK1 parasites were able to egress from erythrocytes similar to wild type parasites; however, erythrocyte invasion efficacy was significantly reduced. During sexual stage development, no clear changes were seen in male and female gametocytemias as well as gametocyte egress from erythrocytes; but, the number of exflagellation centers and oocysts were significantly reduced in ΔpPK1 parasites. Taken together, PypPK1 has an important role for both erythrocyte invasion and exflagellation center formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Ishizaki
- Program for Nurturing Global Leaders in Tropical and Emerging Communicable Diseases, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Nattawat Chaiyawong
- Program for Nurturing Global Leaders in Tropical and Emerging Communicable Diseases, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Hassan Hakimi
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Masahito Asada
- Program for Nurturing Global Leaders in Tropical and Emerging Communicable Diseases, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Mayumi Tachibana
- Division of Molecular Parasitology, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan.
| | - Tomoko Ishino
- Division of Molecular Parasitology, Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, Toon, Ehime 791-0295, Japan.
| | - Kazuhide Yahata
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
| | - Osamu Kaneko
- Program for Nurturing Global Leaders in Tropical and Emerging Communicable Diseases, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
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30
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Blomqvist K, Helmel M, Wang C, Absalon S, Labunska T, Rudlaff RM, Adapa S, Jiang R, Steen H, Dvorin JD. Influence of Plasmodium falciparum Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) on the Late Schizont Stage Phosphoproteome. mSphere 2020; 5:e00921-19. [PMID: 31915223 PMCID: PMC6952208 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00921-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein kinases are important mediators of signal transduction in cellular pathways, and calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) compose a unique class of calcium-dependent kinases present in plants and apicomplexans, including Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria. During the asexual stage of infection, the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum grows inside red blood cells, and P. falciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) is required for egress from the host cell. In this paper, we characterize the late-schizont-stage P. falciparum phosphoproteome by performing large-scale phosphoproteomic profiling on tightly synchronized parasites just prior to egress, identifying 2,704 phosphorylation sites on 919 proteins. Using a conditional knockdown of PfCDPK5, we identify 58 phosphorylation sites on 50 proteins with significant reduction in levels of PfCDPK5-deficient parasites. Furthermore, gene ontology analysis of the identified proteins reveals enrichment in transmembrane- and membrane-associated proteins and in proteins associated with transport activity. Among the identified proteins is PfNPT1, a member of the apicomplexan-specific novel putative transporter (NPT) family of proteins. We show that PfNPT1 is a potential substrate of PfCDPK5 and that PfNPT1 localizes to the parasite plasma membrane. Importantly, P. falciparum egress relies on many proteins unique to Apicomplexa that are therefore attractive targets for antimalarial therapeutics.IMPORTANCE The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The P. falciparum parasite proliferates inside red blood cells during the blood stage of infection, and egress from the red blood cell is critical for parasite survival. P. falciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) is essential for egress; parasites deficient in PfCDPK5 remain trapped inside their host cells. We have used a label-free quantitative mass spectrometry approach to identify the phosphoproteome of schizont-stage parasites just prior to egress and identify 50 proteins that display a significant reduction in phosphorylation in PfCDPK5-deficient parasites. We show that a member of the Apicomplexan-specific transport protein family, PfNPT1 is a potential substrate of PfCDPK5 and is localized to the parasite plasma membrane. P. falciparum egress requires several proteins not present in human cells, thus making this pathway an ideal target for new therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Blomqvist
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michaela Helmel
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Chengqi Wang
- Center for Global Health & Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Sabrina Absalon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tetanya Labunska
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel M Rudlaff
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Swamy Adapa
- Center for Global Health & Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Rays Jiang
- Center for Global Health & Infectious Diseases Research, Department of Global Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Hanno Steen
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Dvorin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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31
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Mapping and functional analysis of heterochromatin protein 1 phosphorylation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16720. [PMID: 31723180 PMCID: PMC6853920 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53325-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies in model eukaryotes have demonstrated that phosphorylation of heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) is important for dynamically regulating its various functions. However, in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum both the function of HP1 phosphorylation and the identity of the protein kinases targeting HP1 are still elusive. In order to functionally analyze phosphorylation of P. falciparum HP1 (PfHP1), we first mapped PfHP1 phosphorylation sites by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of native PfHP1, which identified motifs from which potential kinases could be predicted; in particular, several phosphorylated residues were embedded in motifs rich in acidic residues, reminiscent of targets for P. falciparum casein kinase 2 (PfCK2). Secondly, we tested recombinant PfCK2 and a number of additional protein kinases for their ability to phosphorylate PfHP1 in in vitro kinase assays. These experiments validated our prediction that PfHP1 acts as a substrate for PfCK2. Furthermore, LC-MS/MS analysis showed that PfCK2 phosphorylates three clustered serine residues in an acidic motif within the central hinge region of PfHP1. To study the role of PfHP1 phosphorylation in live parasites we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to generate a number of conditional PfHP1 phosphomutants based on the DiCre/LoxP system. Our studies revealed that neither PfCK2-dependent phosphorylation of PfHP1, nor phosphorylation of the hinge domain in general, affect PfHP1's ability to localize to heterochromatin, and that PfHP1 phosphorylation in this region is dispensable for the proliferation of P. falciparum blood stage parasites.
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Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms behind host cell invasion by Plasmodium falciparum remains a major hurdle to developing antimalarial therapeutics that target the asexual cycle and the symptomatic stage of malaria. Host cell entry is enabled by a multitude of precisely timed and tightly regulated receptor-ligand interactions. Cyclic nucleotide signaling has been implicated in regulating parasite invasion, and an important downstream effector of the cAMP-signaling pathway is protein kinase A (PKA), a cAMP-dependent protein kinase. There is increasing evidence that P. falciparum PKA (PfPKA) is responsible for phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of P. falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (PfAMA1) at Ser610, a cAMP-dependent event that is crucial for successful parasite invasion. In the present study, CRISPR-Cas9 and conditional gene deletion (dimerizable cre) technologies were implemented to generate a P. falciparum parasite line in which expression of the catalytic subunit of PfPKA (PfPKAc) is under conditional control, demonstrating highly efficient dimerizable Cre recombinase (DiCre)-mediated gene excision and complete knockdown of protein expression. Parasites lacking PfPKAc show severely reduced growth after one intraerythrocytic growth cycle and are deficient in host cell invasion, as highlighted by live-imaging experiments. Furthermore, PfPKAc-deficient parasites are unable to phosphorylate PfAMA1 at Ser610. This work not only identifies an essential role for PfPKAc in the P. falciparum asexual life cycle but also confirms that PfPKAc is the kinase responsible for phosphorylating PfAMA1 Ser610.IMPORTANCE Malaria continues to present a major global health burden, particularly in low-resource countries. Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria, causes disease through rapid and repeated rounds of invasion and replication within red blood cells. Invasion into red blood cells is essential for P. falciparum survival, and the molecular events mediating this process have gained much attention as potential therapeutic targets. With no effective vaccine available, and with the emergence of resistance to antimalarials, there is an urgent need for the development of new therapeutics. Our research has used genetic techniques to provide evidence of an essential protein kinase involved in P. falciparum invasion. Our work adds to the current understanding of parasite signaling processes required for invasion, highlighting PKA as a potential drug target to inhibit invasion for the treatment of malaria.
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Sexton AE, Doerig C, Creek DJ, Carvalho TG. Post-Genomic Approaches to Understanding Malaria Parasite Biology: Linking Genes to Biological Functions. ACS Infect Dis 2019; 5:1269-1278. [PMID: 31243988 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium species are evolutionarily distant from model eukaryotes, and as a consequence they exhibit many non-canonical cellular processes. In the post-genomic era, functional "omics" disciplines (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) have accelerated our understanding of unique aspects of the biology of malaria parasites. Functional "omics" tools, in combination with genetic manipulations, have offered new opportunities to investigate the function of previously uncharacterized genes. Knowledge of basic parasite biology is fundamental to understanding drug modes of action, mechanisms of drug resistance, and relevance of vaccine candidates. This Perspective highlights recent "omics"-based discoveries in basic biology and gene function of the most virulent human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E. Sexton
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Christian Doerig
- Centre for Chronic, Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Sciences Cluster, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, 264 Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Darren J. Creek
- Drug Delivery Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Teresa G. Carvalho
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
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34
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Burns AL, Dans MG, Balbin JM, de Koning-Ward TF, Gilson PR, Beeson JG, Boyle MJ, Wilson DW. Targeting malaria parasite invasion of red blood cells as an antimalarial strategy. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2019; 43:223-238. [PMID: 30753425 PMCID: PMC6524681 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium spp. parasites that cause malaria disease remain a significant global-health burden. With the spread of parasites resistant to artemisinin combination therapies in Southeast Asia, there is a growing need to develop new antimalarials with novel targets. Invasion of the red blood cell by Plasmodium merozoites is essential for parasite survival and proliferation, thus representing an attractive target for therapeutic development. Red blood cell invasion requires a co-ordinated series of protein/protein interactions, protease cleavage events, intracellular signals, organelle release and engagement of an actin-myosin motor, which provide many potential targets for drug development. As these steps occur in the bloodstream, they are directly susceptible and exposed to drugs. A number of invasion inhibitors against a diverse range of parasite proteins involved in these different processes of invasion have been identified, with several showing potential to be optimised for improved drug-like properties. In this review, we discuss red blood cell invasion as a drug target and highlight a number of approaches for developing antimalarials with invasion inhibitory activity to use in future combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Burns
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia 5005
| | - Madeline G Dans
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3004.,Deakin University, School of Medicine, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia 3216
| | - Juan M Balbin
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia 5005
| | | | - Paul R Gilson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3004
| | - James G Beeson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3004.,Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University 3004.,Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Australia 3052
| | - Michelle J Boyle
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3004.,QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia 4006
| | - Danny W Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia 5005.,Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3004
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35
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Essential role of GEXP15, a specific Protein Phosphatase type 1 partner, in Plasmodium berghei in asexual erythrocytic proliferation and transmission. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007973. [PMID: 31348803 PMCID: PMC6685639 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The essential and distinct functions of Protein Phosphatase type 1 (PP1) catalytic subunit in eukaryotes are exclusively achieved through its interaction with a myriad of regulatory partners. In this work, we report the molecular and functional characterization of Gametocyte EXported Protein 15 (GEXP15), a Plasmodium specific protein, as a regulator of PP1. In vitro interaction studies demonstrated that GEXP15 physically interacts with PP1 through the RVxF binding motif in P. berghei. Functional assays showed that GEXP15 was able to increase PP1 activity and the mutation of the RVxF motif completely abolished this regulation. Immunoprecipitation assays of tagged GEXP15 or PP1 in P. berghei followed by immunoblot or mass spectrometry analyses confirmed their interaction and showed that they are present both in schizont and gametocyte stages in shared protein complexes involved in the spliceosome and proteasome pathways and known to play essential role in parasite development. Phenotypic analysis of viable GEXP15 deficient P. berghei blood parasites showed that they were unable to develop lethal infection in BALB/c mice or to establish experimental cerebral malaria in C57BL/6 mice. Further, although deficient parasites produced gametocytes they did not produce any oocysts/sporozoites indicating a high fitness cost in the mosquito. Global proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses of GEXP15 deficient schizonts revealed a profound defect with a significant decrease in the abundance and an impact on phosphorylation status of proteins involved in regulation of gene expression or invasion. Moreover, depletion of GEXP15 seemed to impact mainly the abundance of some specific proteins of female gametocytes. Our study provides the first insight into the contribution of a PP1 regulator to Plasmodium virulence and suggests that GEXP15 affects both the asexual and sexual life cycle. In the absence of an effective vaccine and the emerging resistance to artemisinin combination therapy, malaria is still a significant threat to human health. Increasing our understanding of the specific mechanisms of the biology of Plasmodium is essential to propose new strategies to control this infection. Here, we demonstrated that GEXP15, a specific protein in Plasmodium, was able to interact with the Protein Phosphatase 1 and regulate its activity. We showed that both proteins are implicated in common protein complexes involved in the mRNA splicing and proteasome pathways. We reported that the deletion of GEXP15 leads to a loss of parasite virulence during asexual stages and a total abolishment of the capacity of deficient parasites to develop in the mosquito. We also found that this deletion affects both protein phosphorylation status and significantly decreases the expression of essential proteins in schizont and gametocyte stages. This study characterizes for the first time a novel molecular pathway through the control of PP1 by an essential and specific Plasmodium regulator, which may contribute to the discovery of new therapeutic targets to control malaria.
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36
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Gilson PR, Kumarasingha R, Thompson J, Zhang X, Penington JS, Kalhor R, Bullen HE, Lehane AM, Dans MG, de Koning-Ward TF, Holien JK, Soares da Costa TP, Hulett MD, Buskes MJ, Crabb BS, Kirk K, Papenfuss AT, Cowman AF, Abbott BM. A 4-cyano-3-methylisoquinoline inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum growth targets the sodium efflux pump PfATP4. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10292. [PMID: 31311978 PMCID: PMC6635429 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46500-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We developed a novel series of antimalarial compounds based on a 4-cyano-3-methylisoquinoline. Our lead compound MB14 achieved modest inhibition of the growth in vitro of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. To identify its biological target we selected for parasites resistant to MB14. Genome sequencing revealed that all resistant parasites bore a single point S374R mutation in the sodium (Na+) efflux transporter PfATP4. There are many compounds known to inhibit PfATP4 and some are under preclinical development. MB14 was shown to inhibit Na+ dependent ATPase activity in parasite membranes, consistent with the compound targeting PfATP4 directly. PfATP4 inhibitors cause swelling and lysis of infected erythrocytes, attributed to the accumulation of Na+ inside the intracellular parasites and the resultant parasite swelling. We show here that inhibitor-induced lysis of infected erythrocytes is dependent upon the parasite protein RhopH2, a component of the new permeability pathways that are induced by the parasite in the erythrocyte membrane. These pathways mediate the influx of Na+ into the infected erythrocyte and their suppression via RhopH2 knockdown limits the accumulation of Na+ within the parasite hence protecting the infected erythrocyte from lysis. This study reveals a role for the parasite-induced new permeability pathways in the mechanism of action of PfATP4 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Gilson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia. .,Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | | | - Jennifer Thompson
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Xinxin Zhang
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | | | - Robabeh Kalhor
- La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | | | - Adele M Lehane
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Madeline G Dans
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.,School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, 3216, Australia
| | | | - Jessica K Holien
- St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Victoria, 3065, Australia
| | | | - Mark D Hulett
- La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | | | - Brendan S Crabb
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.,Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Kiaran Kirk
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Anthony T Papenfuss
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.,University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Alan F Cowman
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.,University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
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37
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Sanchez CP, Moliner Cubel S, Nyboer B, Jankowska-Döllken M, Schaeffer-Reiss C, Ayoub D, Planelles G, Lanzer M. Phosphomimetic substitution at Ser-33 of the chloroquine resistance transporter PfCRT reconstitutes drug responses in Plasmodium falciparum. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:12766-12778. [PMID: 31285265 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The chloroquine resistance transporter PfCRT of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum confers resistance to the former first-line antimalarial drug chloroquine, and it modulates the responsiveness to a wide range of quinoline and quinoline-like compounds. PfCRT is post-translationally modified by phosphorylation, palmitoylation, and, possibly, ubiquitination. However, the impact of these post-translational modifications on P. falciparum biology and, in particular, the drug resistance-conferring activity of PfCRT has remained elusive. Here, we confirm phosphorylation at Ser-33 and Ser-411 of PfCRT of the chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum strain Dd2 and show that kinase inhibitors can sensitize drug responsiveness. Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to generate genetically engineered PfCRT variants in the parasite, we further show that substituting Ser-33 with alanine reduced chloroquine and quinine resistance by ∼50% compared with the parental P. falciparum strain Dd2, whereas the phosphomimetic amino acid aspartic acid could fully and glutamic acid could partially reconstitute the level of chloroquine/quinine resistance. Transport studies conducted in the parasite and in PfCRT-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes linked phosphomimetic substitution at Ser-33 to increased transport velocity. Our data are consistent with phosphorylation of Ser-33 relieving an autoinhibitory intramolecular interaction within PfCRT, leading to a stimulated drug transport activity. Our findings shed additional light on the function of PfCRT and suggest that chloroquine could be reevaluated as an antimalarial drug by targeting the kinase in P. falciparum that phosphorylates Ser-33 of PfCRT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia P Sanchez
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sonia Moliner Cubel
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Britta Nyboer
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Monika Jankowska-Döllken
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christine Schaeffer-Reiss
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC) UMR 7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Daniel Ayoub
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC) UMR 7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Gabrielle Planelles
- INSERM, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Unité 1138, CNRS, ERL8228, Université Pierre et Marie Curie and Université Paris-Descartes, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Michael Lanzer
- Center of Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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38
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Patel A, Perrin AJ, Flynn HR, Bisson C, Withers-Martinez C, Treeck M, Flueck C, Nicastro G, Martin SR, Ramos A, Gilberger TW, Snijders AP, Blackman MJ, Baker DA. Cyclic AMP signalling controls key components of malaria parasite host cell invasion machinery. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000264. [PMID: 31075098 PMCID: PMC6530879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is an important signalling molecule across evolution, but its role in malaria parasites is poorly understood. We have investigated the role of cAMP in asexual blood stage development of Plasmodium falciparum through conditional disruption of adenylyl cyclase beta (ACβ) and its downstream effector, cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). We show that both production of cAMP and activity of PKA are critical for erythrocyte invasion, whilst key developmental steps that precede invasion still take place in the absence of cAMP-dependent signalling. We also show that another parasite protein with putative cyclic nucleotide binding sites, Plasmodium falciparum EPAC (PfEpac), does not play an essential role in blood stages. We identify and quantify numerous sites, phosphorylation of which is dependent on cAMP signalling, and we provide mechanistic insight as to how cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of the essential invasion adhesin apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) regulates erythrocyte invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avnish Patel
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Abigail J. Perrin
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen R. Flynn
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudine Bisson
- Crystallography, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Moritz Treeck
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Flueck
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Nicastro
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen R. Martin
- Macromolecular Structure Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andres Ramos
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tim W. Gilberger
- Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ambrosius P. Snijders
- Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Blackman
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - David A. Baker
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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39
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Studying the rigidity of red blood cells induced by Plasmodium falciparum infection. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6336. [PMID: 31004094 PMCID: PMC6474899 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42721-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We study the effect of different chemical moieties on the rigidity of red blood cells (RBCs) induced by Plasmodium falciparum infection, and the bystander effect previously found. The infected cells are obtained from a culture of parasite-infected RBCs grown in the laboratory. The rigidity of RBCs is measured by looking at the Brownian fluctuations of individual cells in an optical-tweezers trap. The results point towards increased intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels as being responsible for the increase in rigidity.
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40
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Flueck C, Drought LG, Jones A, Patel A, Perrin AJ, Walker EM, Nofal SD, Snijders AP, Blackman MJ, Baker DA. Phosphodiesterase beta is the master regulator of cAMP signalling during malaria parasite invasion. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000154. [PMID: 30794532 PMCID: PMC6402698 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclic nucleotide signalling is a major regulator of malaria parasite differentiation. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes are known to control cyclic GMP (cGMP) levels in the parasite, but the mechanisms by which cyclic AMP (cAMP) is regulated remain enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that Plasmodium falciparum phosphodiesterase β (PDEβ) hydrolyses both cAMP and cGMP and is essential for blood stage viability. Conditional gene disruption causes a profound reduction in invasion of erythrocytes and rapid death of those merozoites that invade. We show that this dual phenotype results from elevated cAMP levels and hyperactivation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Phosphoproteomic analysis of PDEβ-null parasites reveals a >2-fold increase in phosphorylation at over 200 phosphosites, more than half of which conform to a PKA substrate consensus sequence. We conclude that PDEβ plays a critical role in governing correct temporal activation of PKA required for erythrocyte invasion, whilst suppressing untimely PKA activation during early intra-erythrocytic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Flueck
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura G. Drought
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Jones
- Protein Analysis and Proteomics Laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Avnish Patel
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Abigail J. Perrin
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eloise M. Walker
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie D. Nofal
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ambrosius P. Snijders
- Protein Analysis and Proteomics Laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Blackman
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - David A. Baker
- Faculty of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Haeussler K, Berneburg I, Jortzik E, Hahn J, Rahbari M, Schulz N, Preuss J, Zapol'skii VA, Bode L, Pinkerton AB, Kaufmann DE, Rahlfs S, Becker K. Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase 6-phosphogluconolactonase: characterization of the Plasmodium vivax enzyme and inhibitor studies. Malar J 2019; 18:22. [PMID: 30683097 PMCID: PMC6346587 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-2651-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since malaria parasites highly depend on ribose 5-phosphate for DNA and RNA synthesis and on NADPH as a source of reducing equivalents, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is considered an excellent anti-malarial drug target. In Plasmodium, a bifunctional enzyme named glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase 6-phosphogluconolactonase (GluPho) catalyzes the first two steps of the PPP. PfGluPho has been shown to be essential for the growth of blood stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites. METHODS Plasmodium vivax glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (PvG6PD) was cloned, recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized via enzyme kinetics and inhibitor studies. The effects of post-translational cysteine modifications were assessed via western blotting and enzyme activity assays. Genetically encoded probes were employed to study the effects of G6PD inhibitors on the cytosolic redox potential of Plasmodium. RESULTS Here the recombinant production and characterization of PvG6PD, the C-terminal and NADPH-producing part of PvGluPho, is described. A comparison with PfG6PD (the NADPH-producing part of PfGluPho) indicates that the P. vivax enzyme has higher KM values for the substrate and cofactor. Like the P. falciparum enzyme, PvG6PD is hardly affected by S-glutathionylation and moderately by S-nitrosation. Since there are several naturally occurring variants of PfGluPho, the impact of these mutations on the kinetic properties of the enzyme was analysed. Notably, in contrast to many human G6PD variants, the mutations resulted in only minor changes in enzyme activity. Moreover, nanomolar IC50 values of several compounds were determined on P. vivax G6PD (including ellagic acid, flavellagic acid, and coruleoellagic acid), inhibitors that had been previously characterized on PfGluPho. ML304, a recently developed PfGluPho inhibitor, was verified to also be active on PvG6PD. Using genetically encoded probes, ML304 was confirmed to disturb the cytosolic glutathione-dependent redox potential of P. falciparum blood stage parasites. Finally, a new series of novel small molecules with the potential to inhibit the falciparum and vivax enzymes were synthesized, resulting in two compounds with nanomolar activity. CONCLUSION The characterization of PvG6PD makes this enzyme accessible to further drug discovery activities. In contrast to naturally occurring G6PD variants in the human host that can alter the kinetic properties of the enzyme and thus the redox homeostasis of the cells, the naturally occurring PfGluPho variants studied here are unlikely to have a major impact on the parasites' redox homeostasis. Several classes of inhibitors have been successfully tested and are presently being followed up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Haeussler
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Isabell Berneburg
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Esther Jortzik
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Julia Hahn
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Mahsa Rahbari
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Norma Schulz
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Janina Preuss
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany.,Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Viktor A Zapol'skii
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
| | - Lars Bode
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Anthony B Pinkerton
- Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Dieter E Kaufmann
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
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42
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Yakubu RR, Nieves E, Weiss LM. The Methods Employed in Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Posttranslational Modifications (PTMs) and Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs). ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1140:169-198. [PMID: 31347048 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-15950-4_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Mass Spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the way we study biomolecules, especially proteins, their interactions and posttranslational modifications (PTM). As such MS has established itself as the leading tool for the analysis of PTMs mainly because this approach is highly sensitive, amenable to high throughput and is capable of assigning PTMs to specific sites in the amino acid sequence of proteins and peptides. Along with the advances in MS methodology there have been improvements in biochemical, genetic and cell biological approaches to mapping the interactome which are discussed with consideration for both the practical and technical considerations of these techniques. The interactome of a species is generally understood to represent the sum of all potential protein-protein interactions. There are still a number of barriers to the elucidation of the human interactome or any other species as physical contact between protein pairs that occur by selective molecular docking in a particular spatiotemporal biological context are not easily captured and measured.PTMs massively increase the complexity of organismal proteomes and play a role in almost all aspects of cell biology, allowing for fine-tuning of protein structure, function and localization. There are an estimated 300 PTMS with a predicted 5% of the eukaryotic genome coding for enzymes involved in protein modification, however we have not yet been able to reliably map PTM proteomes due to limitations in sample preparation, analytical techniques, data analysis, and the substoichiometric and transient nature of some PTMs. Improvements in proteomic and mass spectrometry methods, as well as sample preparation, have been exploited in a large number of proteome-wide surveys of PTMs in many different organisms. Here we focus on previously published global PTM proteome studies in the Apicomplexan parasites T. gondii and P. falciparum which offer numerous insights into the abundance and function of each of the studied PTM in the Apicomplexa. Integration of these datasets provide a more complete picture of the relative importance of PTM and crosstalk between them and how together PTM globally change the cellular biology of the Apicomplexan protozoa. A multitude of techniques used to investigate PTMs, mostly techniques in MS-based proteomics, are discussed for their ability to uncover relevant biological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rama R Yakubu
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Edward Nieves
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Louis M Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
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Dunn J, Ferluga S, Sharma V, Futschik M, Hilton DA, Adams CL, Lasonder E, Hanemann CO. Proteomic analysis discovers the differential expression of novel proteins and phosphoproteins in meningioma including NEK9, HK2 and SET and deregulation of RNA metabolism. EBioMedicine 2018; 40:77-91. [PMID: 30594554 PMCID: PMC6412084 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.12.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Meningioma is the most frequent primary intracranial tumour. Surgical resection remains the main therapeutic option as pharmacological intervention is hampered by poor knowledge of their proteomic signature. There is an urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers of meningioma. Methods We performed proteomic profiling of grade I, II and III frozen meningioma specimens and three normal healthy human meninges using LC-MS/MS to analyse global proteins, enriched phosphoproteins and phosphopeptides. Differential expression and functional annotation of proteins was completed using Perseus, IPA® and DAVID. We validated differential expression of proteins and phosphoproteins by Western blot on a meningioma validation set and by immunohistochemistry. Findings We quantified 3888 proteins and 3074 phosphoproteins across all meningioma grades and normal meninges. Bioinformatics analysis revealed commonly upregulated proteins and phosphoproteins to be enriched in Gene Ontology terms associated with RNA metabolism. Validation studies confirmed significant overexpression of proteins such as EGFR and CKAP4 across all grades, as well as the aberrant activation of the downstream PI3K/AKT pathway, which seems differential between grades. Further, we validated upregulation of the total and activated phosphorylated form of the NIMA-related kinase, NEK9, involved in mitotic progression. Novel proteins identified and validated in meningioma included the nuclear proto-oncogene SET, the splicing factor SF2/ASF and the higher-grade specific protein, HK2, involved in cellular metabolism. Interpretation Overall, we generated a proteomic thesaurus of meningiomas for the identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Fund This study was supported by Brain Tumour Research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jemma Dunn
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, John Bull Building, Plymouth Science Park, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Sara Ferluga
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, John Bull Building, Plymouth Science Park, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Vikram Sharma
- School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Plymouth, Derriford Research Facility, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Matthias Futschik
- School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Plymouth, Derriford Research Facility, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - David A Hilton
- Cellular and Anatomical Pathology, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Derriford Road, Plymouth PL6 8DH, UK
| | - Claire L Adams
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, John Bull Building, Plymouth Science Park, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - Edwin Lasonder
- School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Plymouth, Derriford Research Facility, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK
| | - C Oliver Hanemann
- Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, John Bull Building, Plymouth Science Park, Research Way, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BU, UK.
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44
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Guggisberg AM, Frasse PM, Jezewski AJ, Kafai NM, Gandhi AY, Erlinger SJ, Odom John AR. Suppression of Drug Resistance Reveals a Genetic Mechanism of Metabolic Plasticity in Malaria Parasites. mBio 2018; 9:e01193-18. [PMID: 30425143 PMCID: PMC6234871 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01193-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, synthesis of isoprenoids from glycolytic intermediates is essential for survival. The antimalarial fosmidomycin (FSM) inhibits isoprenoid synthesis. In P. falciparum, we identified a loss-of-function mutation in HAD2 (P. falciparum 3D7_1226300 [PF3D7_1226300]) as necessary for FSM resistance. Enzymatic characterization revealed that HAD2, a member of the haloacid dehalogenase-like hydrolase (HAD) superfamily, is a phosphatase. Harnessing a growth defect in resistant parasites, we selected for suppression of HAD2-mediated FSM resistance and uncovered hypomorphic suppressor mutations in the locus encoding the glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase 9 (PFK9). Metabolic profiling demonstrated that FSM resistance is achieved via increased steady-state levels of methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and glycolytic intermediates and confirmed reduced PFK9 function in the suppressed strains. We identified HAD2 as a novel regulator of malaria parasite metabolism and drug sensitivity and uncovered PFK9 as a novel site of genetic metabolic plasticity in the parasite. Our report informs the biological functions of an evolutionarily conserved family of metabolic regulators and reveals a previously undescribed strategy by which malaria parasites adapt to cellular metabolic dysregulation.IMPORTANCE Unique and essential aspects of parasite metabolism are excellent targets for development of new antimalarials. An improved understanding of parasite metabolism and drug resistance mechanisms is urgently needed. The antibiotic fosmidomycin targets the synthesis of essential isoprenoid compounds from glucose and is a candidate for antimalarial development. Our report identifies a novel mechanism of drug resistance and further describes a family of metabolic regulators in the parasite. Using a novel forward genetic approach, we also uncovered mutations that suppress drug resistance in the glycolytic enzyme PFK9. Thus, we identify an unexpected genetic mechanism of adaptation to metabolic insult that influences parasite fitness and tolerance of antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Guggisberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Philip M Frasse
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Andrew J Jezewski
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Natasha M Kafai
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Aakash Y Gandhi
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Samuel J Erlinger
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Audrey R Odom John
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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45
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Swearingen KE, Lindner SE. Plasmodium Parasites Viewed through Proteomics. Trends Parasitol 2018; 34:945-960. [PMID: 30146456 PMCID: PMC6204299 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Early sequencing efforts that produced the genomes of several species of malaria parasites (Plasmodium genus) propelled transcriptomic and proteomic efforts. In this review, we focus upon some of the exciting proteomic advances from studies of Plasmodium parasites over approximately the past decade. With improvements to both instrumentation and data-processing capabilities, long-standing questions about the forms and functions of these important pathogens are rapidly being answered. In particular, global and subcellular proteomics, quantitative proteomics, and the detection of post-translational modifications have all revealed important features of the parasite's regulatory mechanisms. Finally, we provide our perspectives on future applications of proteomics to Plasmodium research, as well as suggestions for further improvement through standardization of data deposition, analysis, and accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristian E Swearingen
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Center for Infectious Disease Research, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Scott E Lindner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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46
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Baker DA, Drought LG, Flueck C, Nofal SD, Patel A, Penzo M, Walker EM. Cyclic nucleotide signalling in malaria parasites. Open Biol 2018; 7:rsob.170213. [PMID: 29263246 PMCID: PMC5746546 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.170213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cyclic nucleotides 3′, 5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and 3′, 5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are intracellular messengers found in most animal cell types. They usually mediate an extracellular stimulus to drive a change in cell function through activation of their respective cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases, PKA and PKG. The enzymatic components of the malaria parasite cyclic nucleotide signalling pathways have been identified, and the genetic and biochemical studies of these enzymes carried out to date are reviewed herein. What has become very clear is that cyclic nucleotides play vital roles in controlling every stage of the complex malaria parasite life cycle. Our understanding of the involvement of cyclic nucleotide signalling in orchestrating the complex biology of malaria parasites is still in its infancy, but the recent advances in our genetic tools and the increasing interest in signalling will deliver more rapid progress in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Baker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Laura G Drought
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Christian Flueck
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Stephanie D Nofal
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Avnish Patel
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Maria Penzo
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.,Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKline, Severo Ochoa 2, Tres Cantos, 28760, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eloise M Walker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
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Cabrera DG, Horatscheck A, Wilson CR, Basarab G, Eyermann CJ, Chibale K. Plasmodial Kinase Inhibitors: License to Cure? J Med Chem 2018; 61:8061-8077. [PMID: 29771541 PMCID: PMC6166223 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Advances
in the genetics, function, and stage-specificity of Plasmodium kinases has driven robust efforts to identify
targets for the design of antimalarial therapies. Reverse genomics
following phenotypic screening against Plasmodia or
related parasites has uncovered vulnerable kinase targets including
PI4K, PKG, and GSK-3, an approach bolstered by access to human disease-directed
kinase libraries. Alternatively, screening compound libraries against Plasmodium kinases has successfully led to inhibitors with
antiplasmodial activity. As with other therapeutic areas, optimizing
compound ADMET and PK properties in parallel with target inhibitory
potency and whole cell activity becomes paramount toward advancing
compounds as clinical candidates. These and other considerations will
be discussed in the context of progress achieved toward deriving important,
novel mode-of-action kinase-inhibiting antimalarial medicines.
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48
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Kaur J, Hora R. '2TM proteins': an antigenically diverse superfamily with variable functions and export pathways. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4757. [PMID: 29770278 PMCID: PMC5951124 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a disease that affects millions of people annually. An intracellular habitat and lack of protein synthesizing machinery in erythrocytes pose numerous difficulties for survival of the human pathogen Plasmodium falciparum. The parasite refurbishes the infected red blood cell (iRBC) by synthesis and export of several proteins in an attempt to suffice its metabolic needs and evade the host immune response. Immune evasion is largely mediated by surface display of highly polymorphic protein families known as variable surface antigens. These include the two trans-membrane (2TM) superfamily constituted by multicopy repetitive interspersed family (RIFINs), subtelomeric variable open reading frame (STEVORs) and Plasmodium falciparum Maurer's cleft two trans-membrane proteins present only in P. falciparum and some simian infecting Plasmodium species. Their hypervariable region flanked by 2TM domains exposed on the iRBC surface is believed to generate antigenic diversity. Though historically named "2TM superfamily," several A-type RIFINs and some STEVORs assume one trans-membrane topology. RIFINs and STEVORs share varied functions in different parasite life cycle stages like rosetting, alteration of iRBC rigidity and immune evasion. Additionally, a member of the STEVOR family has been implicated in merozoite invasion. Differential expression of these families in laboratory strains and clinical isolates propose them to be important for host cell survival and defense. The role of RIFINs in modulation of host immune response and presence of protective antibodies against these surface exposed molecules in patient sera highlights them as attractive targets of antimalarial therapies and vaccines. 2TM proteins are Plasmodium export elements positive, and several of these are exported to the infected erythrocyte surface after exiting through the classical secretory pathway within parasites. Cleaved and modified proteins are trafficked after packaging in vesicles to reach Maurer's clefts, while information regarding delivery to the iRBC surface is sparse. Expression and export timing of the RIFIN and Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein1 families correspond to each other. Here, we have compiled and comprehended detailed information regarding orthologues, domain architecture, surface topology, functions and trafficking of members of the "2TM superfamily." Considering the large repertoire of proteins included in the 2TM superfamily and recent advances defining their function in malaria biology, a surge in research carried out on this important protein superfamily is likely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasweer Kaur
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Rachna Hora
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India
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Iyer GR, Singh S, Kaur I, Agarwal S, Siddiqui MA, Bansal A, Kumar G, Saini E, Paul G, Mohmmed A, Chitnis CE, Malhotra P. Calcium-dependent phosphorylation of Plasmodium falciparum serine repeat antigen 5 triggers merozoite egress. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:9736-9746. [PMID: 29716996 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra117.001540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum proliferates in red blood cells following repeated cycles of invasion, multiplication, and egress. P. falciparum serine repeat antigen 5 (PfSERA5), a putative serine protease, plays an important role in merozoite egress. However, regulation of its activity leading to merozoite egress is poorly understood. In this study, we show that PfSERA5 undergoes phosphorylation prior to merozoite egress. Immunoprecipitation of parasite lysates using anti-PfSERA5 serum followed by MS analysis identified calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (PfCDPK1) as an interacting kinase. Association of PfSERA5 with PfCDPK1 was corroborated by co-sedimentation, co-immunoprecipitation, and co-immunolocalization analyses. Interestingly, PfCDPK1 phosphorylated PfSERA5 in vitro in the presence of Ca2+ and enhanced its proteolytic activity. A PfCDPK1 inhibitor, purfalcamine, blocked the phosphorylation and activation of PfSERA5 both in vitroas well as in schizonts, which, in turn, blocked merozoite egress. Together, these results suggest that phosphorylation of PfSERA5 by PfCDPK1 following a rise in cytosolic Ca2+ levels activates its proteolytic activity to trigger merozoite egress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayatri R Iyer
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Shailja Singh
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and.,the Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 rue du Doctor Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Inderjeet Kaur
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Shalini Agarwal
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Mansoor A Siddiqui
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Abhisheka Bansal
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Gautam Kumar
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Ekta Saini
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Gourab Paul
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Asif Mohmmed
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
| | - Chetan E Chitnis
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and .,the Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 rue du Doctor Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Pawan Malhotra
- From the Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India and
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50
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Abstract
Plasmodium species cause malaria by proliferating in human erythrocytes. Invasion of immunologically privileged erythrocytes provides a relatively protective niche as well as access to a rich source of nutrients. Plasmodium spp. target erythrocytes of different ages, but share a common mechanism of invasion. Specific engagement of erythrocyte receptors defines target cell tropism, activating downstream events and resulting in the physical penetration of the erythrocyte, powered by the parasite's actinomyosin-based motor. Here we review the latest in our understanding of the molecular composition of this highly complex and fascinating biological process.
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