1
|
Shoaib R, Parveen N, Kumar V, Behl A, Garg S, Chaudhary P, Rex DAB, Saini M, Maurya P, Jain R, Pandey KC, Abid M, Singh S. Prefoldins are novel regulators of the unfolded protein response in artemisinin resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107496. [PMID: 38925325 PMCID: PMC11295463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107496] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Emerging Artemisinin (ART) resistance in Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) poses challenges for the discovery of novel drugs to tackle ART-resistant parasites. Concentrated efforts toward the ART resistance mechanism indicated a strong molecular link of ART resistance with upregulated expression of unfolded protein response pathways involving Prefoldins (PFDs). However, a complete characterization of PFDs as molecular players taking part in ART resistance mechanism, and discovery of small molecule inhibitors to block this process have not been identified to date. Here, we functionally characterized all Pf Prefoldin subunits (PFD1-6) and established a causative role played by PFDs in ART resistance by demonstrating their expression in intra-erythrocytic parasites along with their interactions with Kelch13 protein through immunoprecipitation coupled MS/MS analysis. Systematic biophysical interaction analysis between all subunits of PFDs revealed their potential to form a complex. The role of PFDs in ART resistance was confirmed in orthologous yeast PFD6 mutants, where PfPFD6 expression in yeast mutants reverted phenotype to ART resistance. We identified an FDA-approved drug "Biperiden" that restricts the formation of Prefoldin complex and inhibits its interaction with its key parasite protein substrates, MSP-1 and α-tubulin-I. Moreover, Biperiden treatment inhibits the parasite growth in ART-sensitive Pf3D7 and resistant Pf3D7k13R539T strains. Ring survival assays that are clinically relevant to analyze ART resistance in Pf3D7k13R539T parasites demonstrate the potency of BPD to inhibit the growth of survivor parasites. Overall, our study provides the first evidence of the role of PfPFDs in ART resistance mechanisms and opens new avenues for the management of resistant parasites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rumaisha Shoaib
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India; Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Nidha Parveen
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Vikash Kumar
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ankita Behl
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Swati Garg
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Preeti Chaudhary
- Parasite Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Life Sciences, IGNOU, Delhi, India
| | | | - Monika Saini
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India; Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Preeti Maurya
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ravi Jain
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- Parasite Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Mohammad Abid
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi, India.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Morano AA, Ali I, Dvorin JD. Elucidating the spatio-temporal dynamics of the Plasmodium falciparum basal complex. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012265. [PMID: 38829893 PMCID: PMC11175456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Asexual replication of Plasmodium falciparum occurs via schizogony, wherein 16-36 daughter cells are produced within the parasite during one semi-synchronized cytokinetic event. Schizogony requires a divergent contractile ring structure known as the basal complex. Our lab has previously identified PfMyoJ (PF3D7_1229800) and PfSLACR (PF3D7_0214700) as basal complex proteins recruited midway through segmentation. Using ultrastructure expansion microscopy, we localized both proteins to a novel basal complex subcompartment. While both colocalize with the basal complex protein PfCINCH upon recruitment, they form a separate, more basal subcompartment termed the posterior cup during contraction. We also show that PfSLACR is recruited to the basal complex prior to PfMyoJ, and that both proteins are removed unevenly as segmentation concludes. Using live-cell microscopy, we show that actin dynamics are dispensable for basal complex formation, expansion, and contraction. We then show that EF-hand containing P. falciparum Centrin 2 partially localizes to this posterior cup of the basal complex and that it is essential for growth and replication, with variable defects in basal complex contraction and synchrony. Finally, we demonstrate that free intracellular calcium is necessary but not sufficient for basal complex contraction in P. falciparum. Thus, we demonstrate dynamic spatial compartmentalization of the Plasmodium falciparum basal complex, identify an additional basal complex protein, and begin to elucidate the unique mechanism of contraction utilized by P. falciparum, opening the door for further exploration of Apicomplexan cellular division.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A. Morano
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ilzat Ali
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey D. Dvorin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mahanta PJ, Lhouvum K. Plasmodium falciparum proteases as new drug targets with special focus on metalloproteases. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2024; 258:111617. [PMID: 38554736 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2024.111617] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Malaria poses a significant global health threat particularly due to the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum infection. With the emergence of parasite resistance to existing drugs including the recently discovered artemisinin, ongoing research seeks novel therapeutic avenues within the malaria parasite. Proteases are promising drug targets due to their essential roles in parasite biology, including hemoglobin digestion, merozoite invasion, and egress. While exploring the genomic landscape of Plasmodium falciparum, it has been revealed that there are 92 predicted proteases, with only approximately 14 of them having been characterized. These proteases are further distributed among 26 families grouped into five clans: aspartic proteases, cysteine proteases, metalloproteases, serine proteases, and threonine proteases. Focus on metalloprotease class shows further role in organelle processing for mitochondria and apicoplasts suggesting the potential of metalloproteases as viable drug targets. Holistic understanding of the parasite intricate life cycle and identification of potential drug targets are essential for developing effective therapeutic strategies against malaria and mitigating its devastating global impact.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimjolly Lhouvum
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Desai SA. Novel Ion Channel Genes in Malaria Parasites. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:296. [PMID: 38540355 PMCID: PMC10970509 DOI: 10.3390/genes15030296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Ion channels serve many cellular functions including ion homeostasis, volume regulation, signaling, nutrient acquisition, and developmental progression. Although the complex life cycles of malaria parasites necessitate ion and solute flux across membranes, the whole-genome sequencing of the human pathogen Plasmodium falciparum revealed remarkably few orthologs of known ion channel genes. Contrasting with this, biochemical studies have implicated the channel-mediated flux of ions and nutritive solutes across several membranes in infected erythrocytes. Here, I review advances in the cellular and molecular biology of ion channels in malaria parasites. These studies have implicated novel parasite genes in the formation of at least two ion channels, with additional ion channels likely present in various membranes and parasite stages. Computational approaches that rely on homology to known channel genes from higher organisms will not be very helpful in identifying the molecular determinants of these activities. Given their unusual properties, novel molecular and structural features, and essential roles in pathogen survival and development, parasite channels should be promising targets for therapy development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay A Desai
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Shortt E, Hackett CG, Stadler RV, Kent RS, Herneisen AL, Ward GE, Lourido S. CDPK2A and CDPK1 form a signaling module upstream of Toxoplasma motility. mBio 2023; 14:e0135823. [PMID: 37610220 PMCID: PMC10653799 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01358-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE This work uncovers interactions between various signaling pathways that govern Toxoplasma gondii egress. Specifically, we compare the function of three canonical calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) using chemical-genetic and conditional-depletion approaches. We describe the function of a previously uncharacterized CDPK, CDPK2A, in the Toxoplasma lytic cycle, demonstrating that it contributes to parasite fitness through regulation of microneme discharge, gliding motility, and egress from infected host cells. Comparison of analog-sensitive kinase alleles and conditionally depleted alleles uncovered epistasis between CDPK2A and CDPK1, implying a partial functional redundancy. Understanding the topology of signaling pathways underlying key events in the parasite life cycle can aid in efforts targeting kinases for anti-parasitic therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Shortt
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Rachel V. Stadler
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Robyn S. Kent
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Alice L. Herneisen
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Biology Department, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gary E. Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Sebastian Lourido
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Biology Department, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bhattacharjee S, Ghosh D, Saha R, Sarkar R, Kumar S, Khokhar M, Pandey RK. Mechanism of Immune Evasion in Mosquito-Borne Diseases. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12050635. [PMID: 37242305 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, mosquito-borne illnesses have emerged as a major health burden in many tropical regions. These diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika virus infection, Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus infection, are transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. These pathogens have been shown to interfere with the host's immune system through adaptive and innate immune mechanisms, as well as the human circulatory system. Crucial immune checkpoints such as antigen presentation, T cell activation, differentiation, and proinflammatory response play a vital role in the host cell's response to pathogenic infection. Furthermore, these immune evasions have the potential to stimulate the human immune system, resulting in other associated non-communicable diseases. This review aims to advance our understanding of mosquito-borne diseases and the immune evasion mechanisms by associated pathogens. Moreover, it highlights the adverse outcomes of mosquito-borne disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Debanjan Ghosh
- Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Rounak Saha
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Rima Sarkar
- DBT Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, India
| | - Saurav Kumar
- DBT Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram 695014, India
| | - Manoj Khokhar
- Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS, Jodhpur 342005, India
| | - Rajan Kumar Pandey
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Solna, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Joof F, Hartmann E, Jarvis A, Colley A, Cross JH, Avril M, Prentice AM, Cerami C. Genetic variations in human ATP2B4 gene alter Plasmodium falciparum in vitro growth in RBCs from Gambian adults. Malar J 2023; 22:5. [PMID: 36604655 PMCID: PMC9817369 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04359-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polymorphisms in ATP2B4 coding for PMCA4b, the primary regulator of erythrocyte calcium concentration, have been shown by GWAS and cross-sectional studies to protect against severe malaria but the mechanism remains unknown. METHODS Using a recall-by-genotype design, we investigated the impact of a common haplotype variant in ATP2B4 using in vitro assays that model erythrocyte stage malaria pathogenesis. Ninety-six donors representing homozygote (carriers of the minor allele, C/C), heterozygote (T/C) and wildtype (T/T) carriers of the tagging SNP rs1541252 were selected from a cohort of over 12,000 participants in the Keneba Biobank. RESULTS Red blood cells (RBCs) from homozygotes showed reduced PMCA4b protein expression (mean fluorescence intensities (MFI = 2428 ± 124, 3544 ± 159 and 4261 ± 283], for homozygotes, heterozygotes and wildtypes respectively, p < 0.0001) and slower rates of calcium expulsion (calcium t½ ± SD = 4.7 ± 0.5, 1.8 ± 0.3 and 1.9 ± 0.4 min, p < 0.0001). Growth of a Plasmodium falciparum laboratory strain (FCR3) and two Gambian field isolates was decreased in RBCs from homozygotes compared to heterozygotes and wildtypes (p < 0.01). Genotype group did not affect parasite adhesion in vitro or var-gene expression in malaria-infected RBCs. Parasite growth was inhibited by a known inhibitor of PMCA4b, aurintricarboxylic acid (IC50 = 122uM CI: 110-134) confirming its sensitivity to calcium channel blockade. CONCLUSION The data support the hypothesis that this ATP2B4 genotype, common in The Gambia and other malaria-endemic areas, protects against severe malaria through the suppression of parasitaemia during an infection. Reduction in parasite density plays a pivotal role in disease outcome by minimizing all aspects of malaria pathogenesis. Follow up studies are needed to further elucidate the mechanism of protection and to determine if this ATP2B4 genotype carries a fitness cost or increases susceptibility to other human disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fatou Joof
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | | | | | - Alhassan Colley
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - James H Cross
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | | | - Andrew M Prentice
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Carla Cerami
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Chandley P, Ranjan R, Kumar S, Rohatgi S. Host-parasite interactions during Plasmodium infection: Implications for immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1091961. [PMID: 36685595 PMCID: PMC9845897 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1091961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a global infectious disease that remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Multiple environmental and host and parasite factors govern the clinical outcomes of malaria. The host immune response against the Plasmodium parasite is heterogenous and stage-specific both in the human host and mosquito vector. The Plasmodium parasite virulence is predominantly associated with its ability to evade the host's immune response. Despite the availability of drug-based therapies, Plasmodium parasites can acquire drug resistance due to high antigenic variations and allelic polymorphisms. The lack of licensed vaccines against Plasmodium infection necessitates the development of effective, safe and successful therapeutics. To design an effective vaccine, it is important to study the immune evasion strategies and stage-specific Plasmodium proteins, which are targets of the host immune response. This review provides an overview of the host immune defense mechanisms and parasite immune evasion strategies during Plasmodium infection. Furthermore, we also summarize and discuss the current progress in various anti-malarial vaccine approaches, along with antibody-based therapy involving monoclonal antibodies, and research advancements in host-directed therapy, which can together open new avenues for developing novel immunotherapies against malaria infection and transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Chandley
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
| | - Ravikant Ranjan
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Soma Rohatgi
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, India,*Correspondence: Soma Rohatgi,
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Human malaria, caused by infection with Plasmodium parasites, remains one of the most important global public health problems, with the World Health Organization reporting more than 240 million cases and 600,000 deaths annually as of 2020 (World malaria report 2021). Our understanding of the biology of these parasites is critical for development of effective therapeutics and prophylactics, including both antimalarials and vaccines. Plasmodium is a protozoan organism that is intracellular for most of its life cycle. However, to complete its complex life cycle and to allow for both amplification and transmission, the parasite must egress out of the host cell in a highly regulated manner. This review discusses the major pathways and proteins involved in the egress events during the Plasmodium life cycle-merozoite and gametocyte egress out of red blood cells, sporozoite egress out of the oocyst, and merozoite egress out of the hepatocyte. The similarities, as well as the differences, between the various egress pathways of the parasite highlight both novel cell biology and potential therapeutic targets to arrest its life cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Dvorin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine; and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Jiao F, Dehez F, Ni T, Yu X, Dittman JS, Gilbert R, Chipot C, Scheuring S. Perforin-2 clockwise hand-over-hand pre-pore to pore transition mechanism. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5039. [PMID: 36028507 PMCID: PMC9418332 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32757-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Perforin-2 (PFN2, MPEG1) is a pore-forming protein that acts as a first line of defense in the mammalian immune system, rapidly killing engulfed microbes within the phagolysosome in macrophages. PFN2 self-assembles into hexadecameric pre-pore rings that transition upon acidification into pores damaging target cell membranes. Here, using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) imaging and line-scanning and molecular dynamics simulation, we elucidate PFN2 pre-pore to pore transition pathways and dynamics. Upon acidification, the pre-pore rings (pre-pore-I) display frequent, 1.8 s-1, ring-opening dynamics that eventually, 0.2 s-1, initiate transition into an intermediate, short-lived, ~75 ms, pre-pore-II state, inducing a clockwise pre-pore-I to pre-pore-II propagation. Concomitantly, the first pre-pore-II subunit, undergoes a major conformational change to the pore state that propagates also clockwise at a rate ~15 s-1. Thus, the pre-pore to pore transition is a clockwise hand-over-hand mechanism that is accomplished within ~1.3 s. Our findings suggest a clockwise mechanism of membrane insertion that with variations may be general for the MACPF/CDC superfamily.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fang Jiao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, USA.
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - François Dehez
- Laboratoire International Associé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche no 7019, Université de Lorraine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France
| | - Tao Ni
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Xiulian Yu
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
- Calleva Research Centre for Evolution and Human Sciences, Magdalen College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jeremy S Dittman
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert Gilbert
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
- Calleva Research Centre for Evolution and Human Sciences, Magdalen College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christophe Chipot
- Laboratoire International Associé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche no 7019, Université de Lorraine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Simon Scheuring
- Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, USA.
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Gupta Y, Sharma N, Singh S, Romero JG, Rajendran V, Mogire RM, Kashif M, Beach J, Jeske W, Poonam, Ogutu BR, Kanzok SM, Akala HM, Legac J, Rosenthal PJ, Rademacher DJ, Durvasula R, Singh AP, Rathi B, Kempaiah P. The Multistage Antimalarial Compound Calxinin Perturbates P. falciparum Ca 2+ Homeostasis by Targeting a Unique Ion Channel. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:1371. [PMID: 35890267 PMCID: PMC9319510 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria elimination urgently needs novel antimalarial therapies that transcend resistance, toxicity, and high costs. Our multicentric international collaborative team focuses on developing multistage antimalarials that exhibit novel mechanisms of action. Here, we describe the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a novel multistage antimalarial compound, 'Calxinin'. A compound that consists of hydroxyethylamine (HEA) and trifluoromethyl-benzyl-piperazine. Calxinin exhibits potent inhibitory activity in the nanomolar range against the asexual blood stages of drug-sensitive (3D7), multidrug-resistant (Dd2), artemisinin-resistant (IPC4912), and fresh Kenyan field isolated Plasmodium falciparum strains. Calxinin treatment resulted in diminished maturation of parasite sexual precursor cells (gametocytes) accompanied by distorted parasite morphology. Further, in vitro liver-stage testing with a mouse model showed reduced parasite load at an IC50 of 79 nM. A single dose (10 mg/kg) of Calxinin resulted in a 30% reduction in parasitemia in mice infected with a chloroquine-resistant strain of the rodent parasite P. berghei. The ex vivo ookinete inhibitory concentration within mosquito gut IC50 was 150 nM. Cellular in vitro toxicity assays in the primary and immortalized human cell lines did not show cytotoxicity. A computational protein target identification pipeline identified a putative P. falciparum membrane protein (Pf3D7_1313500) involved in parasite calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis as a potential Calxinin target. This highly conserved protein is related to the family of transient receptor potential cation channels (TRP-ML). Target validation experiments showed that exposure of parasitized RBCs (pRBCs) to Calxinin induces a rapid release of intracellular Ca2+ from pRBCs; leaving de-calcinated parasites trapped in RBCs. Overall, we demonstrated that Calxinin is a promising antimalarial lead compound with a novel mechanism of action and with potential therapeutic, prophylactic, and transmission-blocking properties against parasites resistant to current antimalarials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yash Gupta
- Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; (Y.G.); (R.D.)
| | - Neha Sharma
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110021, India; (N.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Snigdha Singh
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110021, India; (N.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Jesus G. Romero
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA; (J.G.R.); (J.B.); (W.J.); (D.J.R.)
- School of Biology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas 1040, Venezuela
| | - Vinoth Rajendran
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India;
| | - Reagan M. Mogire
- Centre Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi P.O. Box 54840-00200, Kenya; (R.M.M.); (B.R.O.); (H.M.A.)
| | - Mohammad Kashif
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 110067, India; (M.K.); (A.P.S.)
| | - Jordan Beach
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA; (J.G.R.); (J.B.); (W.J.); (D.J.R.)
| | - Walter Jeske
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA; (J.G.R.); (J.B.); (W.J.); (D.J.R.)
| | - Poonam
- Department of Chemistry, Miranda House, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110021, India;
- Delhi School of Public Health, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
| | - Bernhards R. Ogutu
- Centre Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi P.O. Box 54840-00200, Kenya; (R.M.M.); (B.R.O.); (H.M.A.)
| | - Stefan M. Kanzok
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA;
| | - Hoseah M. Akala
- Centre Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi P.O. Box 54840-00200, Kenya; (R.M.M.); (B.R.O.); (H.M.A.)
| | - Jennifer Legac
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (J.L.); (P.J.R.)
| | - Philip J. Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; (J.L.); (P.J.R.)
| | - David J. Rademacher
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA; (J.G.R.); (J.B.); (W.J.); (D.J.R.)
- Core Imaging Facility and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Ravi Durvasula
- Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; (Y.G.); (R.D.)
| | - Agam P. Singh
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 110067, India; (M.K.); (A.P.S.)
| | - Brijesh Rathi
- Laboratory for Translational Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110021, India; (N.S.); (S.S.)
- Delhi School of Public Health, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
| | - Prakasha Kempaiah
- Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA; (Y.G.); (R.D.)
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wunderlich J. Updated List of Transport Proteins in Plasmodium falciparum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:926541. [PMID: 35811673 PMCID: PMC9263188 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.926541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a leading cause of death and disease in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Due to the alarming spread of resistance to almost all available antimalarial drugs, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. As the intracellular human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depends entirely on the host to meet its nutrient requirements and the majority of its transmembrane transporters are essential and lack human orthologs, these have often been suggested as potential targets of novel antimalarial drugs. However, membrane proteins are less amenable to proteomic tools compared to soluble parasite proteins, and have thus not been characterised as well. While it had been proposed that P. falciparum had a lower number of transporters (2.5% of its predicted proteome) in comparison to most reference genomes, manual curation of information from various sources led to the identification of 197 known and putative transporter genes, representing almost 4% of all parasite genes, a proportion that is comparable to well-studied metazoan species. This transporter list presented here was compiled by collating data from several databases along with extensive literature searches, and includes parasite-encoded membrane-resident/associated channels, carriers, and pumps that are located within the parasite or exported to the host cell. It provides updated information on the substrates, subcellular localisation, class, predicted essentiality, and the presence or absence of human orthologs of P. falciparum transporters to quickly identify essential proteins without human orthologs for further functional characterisation and potential exploitation as novel drug targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Wunderlich
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Juliane Wunderlich,
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Williams SI, Yu X, Ni T, Gilbert RJ, Stansfeld PJ. Structural, functional and computational studies of membrane recognition by Plasmodium Perforin-Like Proteins 1 and 2. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167642. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
14
|
Molina-Franky J, Patarroyo ME, Kalkum M, Patarroyo MA. The Cellular and Molecular Interaction Between Erythrocytes and Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:816574. [PMID: 35433504 PMCID: PMC9008539 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.816574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum is the most lethal human malaria parasite, partly due to its genetic variability and ability to use multiple invasion routes via its binding to host cell surface receptors. The parasite extensively modifies infected red blood cell architecture to promote its survival which leads to increased cell membrane rigidity, adhesiveness and permeability. Merozoites are initially released from infected hepatocytes and efficiently enter red blood cells in a well-orchestrated process that involves specific interactions between parasite ligands and erythrocyte receptors; symptoms of the disease occur during the life-cycle’s blood stage due to capillary blockage and massive erythrocyte lysis. Several studies have focused on elucidating molecular merozoite/erythrocyte interactions and host cell modifications; however, further in-depth analysis is required for understanding the parasite’s biology and thus provide the fundamental tools for developing prophylactic or therapeutic alternatives to mitigate or eliminate Plasmodium falciparum-related malaria. This review focuses on the cellular and molecular events during Plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion of red blood cells and the alterations that occur in an erythrocyte once it has become infected.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Molina-Franky
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia
- Department of Immunology and Theranostics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
- PhD Programme in Biotechnology, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia
- Health Sciences Division, Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá, Colombia
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Markus Kalkum
- Department of Immunology and Theranostics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Markus Kalkum, ; Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo,
| | - Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia
- Health Sciences Division, Universidad Santo Tomás, Bogotá, Colombia
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
- *Correspondence: Markus Kalkum, ; Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo,
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Ivanova ME, Lukoyanova N, Malhotra S, Topf M, Trapani JA, Voskoboinik I, Saibil HR. The pore conformation of lymphocyte perforin. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabk3147. [PMID: 35148176 PMCID: PMC8836823 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk3147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Perforin is a pore-forming protein that facilitates rapid killing of pathogen-infected or cancerous cells by the immune system. Perforin is released from cytotoxic lymphocytes, together with proapoptotic granzymes, to bind to a target cell membrane where it oligomerizes and forms pores. The pores allow granzyme entry, which rapidly triggers the apoptotic death of the target cell. Here, we present a 4-Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the perforin pore, revealing previously unidentified inter- and intramolecular interactions stabilizing the assembly. During pore formation, the helix-turn-helix motif moves away from the bend in the central β sheet to form an intermolecular contact. Cryo-electron tomography shows that prepores form on the membrane surface with minimal conformational changes. Our findings suggest the sequence of conformational changes underlying oligomerization and membrane insertion, and explain how several pathogenic mutations affect function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina E. Ivanova
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, London WC1E 7HX, UK
- Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Natalya Lukoyanova
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Sony Malhotra
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, London WC1E 7HX, UK
- Scientific Computing Department, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Fermi Ave, Harwell, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Maya Topf
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, London WC1E 7HX, UK
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Leibniz-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie and Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joseph A. Trapani
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Ilia Voskoboinik
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Helen R. Saibil
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Sinha S, Chakrabarti A, Singh G, Kumar KK, Gaur NA, Arora A, Singh KN, Singh S, Paul D. Isolation and identification of carotenoid-producing yeast and evaluation of antimalarial activity of the extracted carotenoid(s) against P. falciparum. Biol Futur 2021; 72:325-337. [PMID: 34554551 DOI: 10.1007/s42977-021-00081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodial resistance to a variety of plant-based antimalarial drugs has led toward the discovery of more effective antimalarial compounds having chemical or biological origin. Since natural compounds are considered as safer drugs, in this study, yeast strains were identified and compared for the production of carotenoids that are well-known antioxidants and this metabolite was tested for its antiparasitic activity. Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain was selected as the target parasite for evaluation of antimalarial activity of yeast carotenoids using in vitro studies. Data were analyzed by FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorter) and counted via gold standard Giemsa-stained smears. The extracted yeast carotenoids showed a profound inhibitory effect at a concentration of 10-3 µg/µl and 10-4 µg/µl when compared to β- carotene as control. SYBR Green1 fluorescent dye was used to confirm the decrease in parasitaemia at given range of concentration. Egress assay results suggested that treated parasite remained stalled at schizont stage with constricted morphology and were darkly stained. Non-toxicity of carotenoids on erythrocytes and on human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2 cells) was shown at a given concentration. This report provides strong evidence for antimalarial effects of extracted yeast carotenoids, which can be produced via a sustainable and cost-effective strategy and may be scaled up for industrial application.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sweta Sinha
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), Noida, 201313, India
| | - Amrita Chakrabarti
- Shiv Nadar University, NH-91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, 201314, India
| | - Gunjan Singh
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), Noida, 201313, India
| | - Kukkala Kiran Kumar
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Naseem A Gaur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Anju Arora
- ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | | | - Shailja Singh
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Debarati Paul
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh (AUUP), Noida, 201313, India.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Loubens M, Vincensini L, Fernandes P, Briquet S, Marinach C, Silvie O. Plasmodium sporozoites on the move: Switching from cell traversal to productive invasion of hepatocytes. Mol Microbiol 2021; 115:870-881. [PMID: 33191548 PMCID: PMC8247013 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Parasites of the genus Plasmodium, the etiological agent of malaria, are transmitted through the bite of anopheline mosquitoes, which deposit sporozoites into the host skin. Sporozoites migrate through the dermis, enter the bloodstream, and rapidly traffic to the liver. They cross the liver sinusoidal barrier and traverse several hepatocytes before switching to productive invasion of a final one for replication inside a parasitophorous vacuole. Cell traversal and productive invasion are functionally independent processes that require proteins secreted from specialized secretory organelles known as micronemes. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of how sporozoites traverse through cells and productively invade hepatocytes, and discuss the role of environmental sensing in switching from a migratory to an invasive state. We propose that timely controlled secretion of distinct microneme subsets could play a key role in successful migration and infection of hepatocytes. A better understanding of these essential biological features of the Plasmodium sporozoite may contribute to the development of new strategies to fight against the very first and asymptomatic stage of malaria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manon Loubens
- Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, CIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Laetitia Vincensini
- Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, CIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Priyanka Fernandes
- Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, CIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Sylvie Briquet
- Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, CIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Carine Marinach
- Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, CIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Olivier Silvie
- Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesSorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, CIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Gupta Y, Goicoechea S, Pearce CM, Mathur R, Romero JG, Kwofie SK, Weyenberg MC, Daravath B, Sharma N, Poonam, Akala HM, Kanzok SM, Durvasula R, Rathi B, Kempaiah P. The emerging paradigm of calcium homeostasis as a new therapeutic target for protozoan parasites. Med Res Rev 2021; 42:56-82. [PMID: 33851452 DOI: 10.1002/med.21804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Calcium channels (CCs), a group of ubiquitously expressed membrane proteins, are involved in many pathophysiological processes of protozoan parasites. Our understanding of CCs in cell signaling, organelle function, cellular homeostasis, and cell cycle control has led to improved insights into their structure and functions. In this article, we discuss CCs characteristics of five major protozoan parasites Plasmodium, Leishmania, Toxoplasma, Trypanosoma, and Cryptosporidium. We provide a comprehensive review of current antiparasitic drugs and the potential of using CCs as new therapeutic targets. Interestingly, previous studies have demonstrated that human CC modulators can kill or sensitize parasites to antiparasitic drugs. Still, none of the parasite CCs, pumps, or transporters has been validated as drug targets. Information for this review draws from extensive data mining of genome sequences, chemical library screenings, and drug design studies. Parasitic resistance to currently approved therapeutics is a serious and emerging threat to both disease control and management efforts. In this article, we suggest that the disruption of calcium homeostasis may be an effective approach to develop new anti-parasite drug candidates and reduce parasite resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yash Gupta
- Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, 32224, USA
| | - Steven Goicoechea
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Catherine M Pearce
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Raman Mathur
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jesus G Romero
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Samuel K Kwofie
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Matthew C Weyenberg
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Bharathi Daravath
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Neha Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College University Enclave, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Poonam
- Department of Chemistry, Miranda House University Enclave, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | - Stefan M Kanzok
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Ravi Durvasula
- Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, 32224, USA
| | - Brijesh Rathi
- Department of Chemistry, Hansraj College University Enclave, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Paoletta MS, Laughery JM, Arias LSL, Ortiz JMJ, Montenegro VN, Petrigh R, Ueti MW, Suarez CE, Farber MD, Wilkowsky SE. The key to egress? Babesia bovis perforin-like protein 1 (PLP1) with hemolytic capacity is required for blood stage replication and is involved in the exit of the parasite from the host cell. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:643-658. [PMID: 33753093 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Bovine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan parasites of the Babesia genus that represents a major constraint to livestock production worldwide. Currently available vaccines are based on live parasites which have archetypal limitations. Our goal is to identify candidate antigens so that new and effective vaccines against Babesia may be developed. The perforin-like protein (PLP) family has been identified as a key player in cell traversal and egress in related apicomplexans and it was also identified in Babesia, but its function in this parasite remains unknown. The aim of this work was to define the PLP family in Babesia and functionally characterize PLP1, a representative member of the family in Babesia bovis. Bioinformatic analyses demonstrate a variable number of plp genes (four to eight) in the genomes of six different Babesia spp. and conservation of the family members at the secondary and tertiary structure levels. We demonstrate here that Babesia PLPs contain the critical domains present in other apicomplexan PLPs to display the lytic capacity. We then focused on the functional characterization of PLP1 of B. bovis, both in vitro and in vivo. PLP1 is expressed and exposed to the host immune system during infection and has high hemolytic capacity under a wide range of conditions in vitro. A B. bovis plp1 knockout line displayed a decreased growth rate in vitro compared with the wild type strain and a peculiar phenotype consisting of multiple parasites within a single red blood cell, although at low frequency. This phenotype suggests that the lack of PLP1 has a negative impact on the mechanism of egression of the parasite and, therefore, on its capacity to proliferate. It is possible that PLP1 is associated with other proteins in the processes of invasion and egress, which were found to have redundant mechanisms in related apicomplexans. Future work will be focused on unravelling the network of proteins involved in these essential parasite functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Soledad Paoletta
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jacob Michael Laughery
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Ludmila Sol López Arias
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José Manuel Jaramillo Ortiz
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Valeria Noely Montenegro
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Romina Petrigh
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Massaro W Ueti
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Washington State University, 3003 ADBF, P.O. Box 646630, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Carlos Esteban Suarez
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Washington State University, 3003 ADBF, P.O. Box 646630, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Marisa Diana Farber
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Silvina Elizabeth Wilkowsky
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO) INTA - CONICET, De Los Reseros y Dr. Nicolás Repetto s/n, P.O. Box 25 (B1712WAA), Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Abstract
All intracellular pathogens must escape (egress) from the confines of their host cell to disseminate and proliferate. The malaria parasite only replicates in an intracellular vacuole or in a cyst, and must undergo egress at four distinct phases during its complex life cycle, each time disrupting, in a highly regulated manner, the membranes or cyst wall that entrap the parasites. This Cell Science at a Glance article and accompanying poster summarises our current knowledge of the morphological features of egress across the Plasmodium life cycle, the molecular mechanisms that govern the process, and how researchers are working to exploit this knowledge to develop much-needed new approaches to malaria control. ![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michele S Y Tan
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK .,Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Shivappagowdar A, Garg S, Srivastava A, Hada RS, Kalia I, Singh AP, Garg LC, Pati S, Singh S. Pathogenic Pore Forming Proteins of Plasmodium Triggers the Necrosis of Endothelial Cells Attributed to Malaria Severity. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13010062. [PMID: 33467515 PMCID: PMC7839052 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13010062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum poses a major global health problem with high morbidity and mortality. P. falciparum harbors a family of pore-forming proteins (PFPs), known as perforin like proteins (PLPs), which are structurally equivalent to prokaryotic PFPs. These PLPs are secreted from the parasites and, they contribute to disease pathogenesis by interacting with host cells. The severe malaria pathogenesis is associated with the dysfunction of various barrier cells, including endothelial cells (EC). Several factors, including PLPs secreted by parasites, contribute to the host cell dysfunction. Herein, we have tested the hypothesis that PLPs mediate dysfunction of barrier cells and might have a role in disease pathogenesis. We analyzed various dysfunctions in barrier cells following rPLP2 exposure and demonstrate that it causes an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels. Additionally, rPLP2 exposed barrier cells displayed features of cell death, including Annexin/PI positivity, depolarized the mitochondrial membrane potential, and ROS generation. We have further performed the time-lapse video microscopy of barrier cells and found that the treatment of rPLP2 triggers their membrane blebbing. The cytoplasmic localization of HMGB1, a marker of necrosis, further confirmed the necrotic type of cell death. This study highlights the role of parasite factor PLP in endothelial dysfunction and provides a rationale for the design of adjunct therapies against severe malaria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Shivappagowdar
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Chithera, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India; (A.S.); (A.S.); (R.S.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Swati Garg
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India;
| | - Akriti Srivastava
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Chithera, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India; (A.S.); (A.S.); (R.S.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Rahul S. Hada
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Chithera, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India; (A.S.); (A.S.); (R.S.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Inderjeet Kalia
- Infectious Disease Lab, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 110067, India; (I.K.); (A.P.S.)
| | - Agam P. Singh
- Infectious Disease Lab, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 110067, India; (I.K.); (A.P.S.)
| | - Lalit C. Garg
- Gene Regulation Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 110067, India;
| | - Soumya Pati
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Chithera, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India; (A.S.); (A.S.); (R.S.H.); (S.P.)
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India;
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Sassmannshausen J, Pradel G, Bennink S. Perforin-Like Proteins of Apicomplexan Parasites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:578883. [PMID: 33042876 PMCID: PMC7522308 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.578883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Perforins are secreted proteins of eukaryotes, which possess a membrane attack complex/perforin (MACPF) domain enabling them to form pores in the membranes of target cells. In higher eukaryotes, they are assigned to immune defense mechanisms required to kill invading microbes or infected cells. Perforin-like proteins (PLPs) are also found in apicomplexan parasites. Here they play diverse roles during lifecycle progression of the intracellularly replicating protozoans. The apicomplexan PLPs are best studied in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, the causative agents of malaria and toxoplasmosis, respectively. The PLPs are expressed in the different lifecycle stages of the pathogens and can target and lyse a variety of cell membranes of the invertebrate and mammalian hosts. The PLPs thereby either function in host cell destruction during exit or in overcoming epithelial barriers during tissue passage. In this review, we summarize the various PLPs known for apicomplexan parasites and highlight their roles in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma lifecycle progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Sassmannshausen
- Division of Cellular and Applied Infection Biology, Institute of Zoology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Pradel
- Division of Cellular and Applied Infection Biology, Institute of Zoology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sandra Bennink
- Division of Cellular and Applied Infection Biology, Institute of Zoology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Tougan T, Edula JR, Morita M, Takashima E, Honma H, Tsuboi T, Horii T. The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in red blood cells selectively takes up serum proteins that affect host pathogenicity. Malar J 2020; 19:155. [PMID: 32295584 PMCID: PMC7161009 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03229-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan that develops in red blood cells (RBCs) and requires various host factors. For its development in RBCs, nutrients not only from the RBC cytosol but also from the extracellular milieu must be acquired. Although the utilization of host nutrients by P. falciparum has been extensively analysed, only a few studies have reported its utilization of host serum proteins. Hence, the aim of the current study was to comprehensively identify host serum proteins taken up by P. falciparum parasites and to elucidate their role in pathogenesis. Methods Plasmodium falciparum was cultured with human serum in vitro. Uptake of serum proteins by parasites was comprehensively determined via shotgun liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry and western blotting. The calcium ion concentration in serum was also evaluated, and coagulation activity of the parasite lysate was assessed. Results Three proteins, vitamin K-dependent protein S, prothrombin, and vitronectin, were selectively internalized under sufficient Ca2+ levels in the culture medium. The uptake of these proteins was initiated before DNA replication, and increased during the trophozoite and schizont stages, irrespective of the assembly/disassembly of actin filaments. Coagulation assay revealed that prothrombin was activated and thereby induced blood coagulation. Conclusions Serum proteins were taken up by parasites under culture conditions with sufficient Ca2+ levels. This uptake phenomenon was associated with their pathogenicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Tougan
- Research Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Jyotheeswara R Edula
- Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Cell and Developmental Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Masayuki Morita
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Centre, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan
| | - Eizo Takashima
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Centre, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan
| | - Hajime Honma
- Department of International Affairs and Tropical Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
| | - Takafumi Tsuboi
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Centre, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Horii
- Department of Malaria Vaccine Development, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Garg S, Shivappagowdar A, Hada RS, Ayana R, Bathula C, Sen S, Kalia I, Pati S, Singh AP, Singh S. Plasmodium Perforin-Like Protein Pores on the Host Cell Membrane Contribute in Its Multistage Growth and Erythrocyte Senescence. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:121. [PMID: 32266171 PMCID: PMC7105882 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The pore forming Plasmodium Perforin Like Proteins (PPLP), expressed in all stages of the parasite life cycle are critical for completion of the parasite life cycle. The high sequence similarity in the central Membrane Attack Complex/ Perforin (MACPF) domain among PLPs and their distinct functional overlaps define them as lucrative target for developing multi-stage antimalarial therapeutics. Herein, we evaluated the mechanism of Pan-active MACPF Domain (PMD), a centrally located and highly conserved region of PPLPs, and deciphered the inhibitory potential of specifically designed PMD inhibitors. The E. coli expressed rPMD interacts with erythrocyte membrane and form pores of ~10.5 nm height and ~24.3 nm diameter leading to hemoglobin release and dextran uptake. The treatment with PMD induced erythrocytes senescence which can be hypothesized to account for the physiological effect of disseminated PLPs in loss of circulating erythrocytes inducing malaria anemia. The anti-PMD inhibitors effectively blocked intraerythrocytic growth by suppressing invasion and egress processes and protected erythrocytes against rPMD induced senescence. Moreover, these inhibitors also blocked the hepatic stage and transmission stage parasite development suggesting multi-stage, transmission-blocking potential of these inhibitors. Concievably, our study has introduced a novel set of anti-PMD inhibitors with pan-inhibitory activity against all the PPLPs members which can be developed into potent cross-stage antimalarial therapeutics along with erythrocyte senescence protective potential to occlude PPLPs mediated anemia in severe malaria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Swati Garg
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Abhishek Shivappagowdar
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Rahul S Hada
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Rajagopal Ayana
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Chandramohan Bathula
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Subhabrata Sen
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Inderjeet Kalia
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Soumya Pati
- Department of Life Science, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Agam P Singh
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
An Endoplasmic Reticulum CREC Family Protein Regulates the Egress Proteolytic Cascade in Malaria Parasites. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.03078-19. [PMID: 32098818 PMCID: PMC7042697 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03078-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is thought to play an essential role during egress of malaria parasites because the ER is assumed to be required for biogenesis and secretion of egress-related organelles. However, no proteins localized to the parasite ER have been shown to play a role in egress of malaria parasites. In this study, we generated conditional mutants of the Plasmodium falciparum endoplasmic reticulum-resident calcium-binding protein (PfERC), a member of the CREC family. Knockdown of the PfERC gene showed that this gene is essential for asexual growth of P. falciparum Analysis of the intraerythrocytic life cycle revealed that PfERC is essential for parasite egress but is not required for protein trafficking or calcium storage. We found that PfERC knockdown prevents the rupture of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. This is because PfERC knockdown inhibited the proteolytic maturation of the subtilisin-like serine protease SUB1. Using double mutant parasites, we showed that PfERC is required for the proteolytic maturation of the essential aspartic protease plasmepsin X, which is required for SUB1 cleavage. Further, we showed that processing of substrates downstream of the proteolytic cascade is inhibited by PfERC knockdown. Thus, these data establish that the ER-resident CREC family protein PfERC is a key early regulator of the egress proteolytic cascade of malaria parasites.IMPORTANCE The divergent eukaryotic parasites that cause malaria grow and divide within a vacuole inside a host cell, which they have to break open once they finish cell division. The egress of daughter parasites requires the activation of a proteolytic cascade, and a subtilisin-like protease initiates a proteolytic cascade to break down the membranes blocking egress. It is assumed that the parasite endoplasmic reticulum plays a role in this process, but the proteins in this organelle required for egress remain unknown. We have identified an early ER-resident regulator essential for the maturation of the recently discovered aspartic protease in the egress proteolytic cascade, plasmepsin X, which is required for maturation of the subtilisin-like protease. Conditional loss of PfERC results in the formation of immature and inactive egress proteases that are unable to breakdown the vacuolar membrane barring release of daughter parasites.
Collapse
|
26
|
Frénal K, Krishnan A, Soldati-Favre D. The Actomyosin Systems in Apicomplexa. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1239:331-354. [PMID: 32451865 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-38062-5_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The phylum of Apicomplexa groups obligate intracellular parasites that exhibit unique classes of unconventional myosin motors. These parasites also encode a limited repertoire of actins, actin-like proteins, actin-binding proteins and nucleators of filamentous actin (F-actin) that display atypical properties. In the last decade, significant progress has been made to visualize F-actin and to unravel the functional contribution of actomyosin systems in the biology of Toxoplasma and Plasmodium, the most genetically-tractable members of the phylum. In addition to assigning specific roles to each myosin, recent biochemical and structural studies have begun to uncover mechanistic insights into myosin function at the atomic level. In several instances, the myosin light chains associated with the myosin heavy chains have been identified, helping to understand the composition of the motor complexes and their mode of regulation. Moreover, the considerable advance in proteomic methodologies and especially in assignment of posttranslational modifications is offering a new dimension to our understanding of the regulation of actin dynamics and myosin function. Remarkably, the actomyosin system contributes to three major processes in Toxoplasma gondii: (i) organelle trafficking, positioning and inheritance, (ii) basal pole constriction and intravacuolar cell-cell communication and (iii) motility, invasion, and egress from infected cells. In this chapter, we summarize how the actomyosin system harnesses these key events to ensure successful completion of the parasite life cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karine Frénal
- Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité, UMR 5234, University of Bordeaux and CNRS, Bordeaux Cedex, France. .,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Aarti Krishnan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Caldelari R, Dogga S, Schmid MW, Franke-Fayard B, Janse CJ, Soldati-Favre D, Heussler V. Transcriptome analysis of Plasmodium berghei during exo-erythrocytic development. Malar J 2019; 18:330. [PMID: 31551073 PMCID: PMC6760107 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-2968-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The complex life cycle of malaria parasites requires well-orchestrated stage specific gene expression. In the vertebrate host the parasites grow and multiply by schizogony in two different environments: within erythrocytes and within hepatocytes. Whereas erythrocytic parasites are well-studied in this respect, relatively little is known about the exo-erythrocytic stages. METHODS In an attempt to fill this gap, genome wide RNA-seq analyses of various exo-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium berghei including sporozoites, samples from a time-course of liver stage development and detached cells were performed. These latter contain infectious merozoites and represent the final step in exo-erythrocytic development. RESULTS The analysis represents the complete transcriptome of the entire life cycle of P. berghei parasites with temporal detailed analysis of the liver stage allowing comparison of gene expression across the progression of the life cycle. These RNA-seq data from different developmental stages were used to cluster genes with similar expression profiles, in order to infer their functions. A comparison with published data from other parasite stages confirmed stage-specific gene expression and revealed numerous genes that are expressed differentially in blood and exo-erythrocytic stages. One of the most exo-erythrocytic stage-specific genes was PBANKA_1003900, which has previously been annotated as a "gametocyte specific protein". The promoter of this gene drove high GFP expression in exo-erythrocytic stages, confirming its expression profile seen by RNA-seq. CONCLUSIONS The comparative analysis of the genome wide mRNA expression profiles of erythrocytic and different exo-erythrocytic stages could be used to improve the understanding of gene regulation in Plasmodium parasites and can be used to model exo-erythrocytic stage metabolic networks toward the identification of differences in metabolic processes during schizogony in erythrocytes and hepatocytes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Reto Caldelari
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Sunil Dogga
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Blandine Franke-Fayard
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Chris J Janse
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva CMU, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Volker Heussler
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Host Cytoskeleton Remodeling throughout the Blood Stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2019; 83:83/4/e00013-19. [PMID: 31484690 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00013-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The asexual intraerythrocytic development of Plasmodium falciparum, causing the most severe form of human malaria, is marked by extensive host cell remodeling. Throughout the processes of invasion, intracellular development, and egress, the erythrocyte membrane skeleton is remodeled by the parasite as required for each specific developmental stage. The remodeling is facilitated by a plethora of exported parasite proteins, and the erythrocyte membrane skeleton is the interface of most of the observed interactions between the parasite and host cell proteins. Host cell remodeling has been extensively described and there is a vast body of information on protein export or the description of parasite-induced structures such as Maurer's clefts or knobs on the host cell surface. Here we specifically review the molecular level of each host cell-remodeling step at each stage of the intraerythrocytic development of P. falciparum We describe key events, such as invasion, knob formation, and egress, and identify the interactions between exported parasite proteins and the host cell cytoskeleton. We discuss each remodeling step with respect to time and specific requirement of the developing parasite to explain host cell remodeling in a stage-specific manner. Thus, we highlight the interaction with the host membrane skeleton as a key event in parasite survival.
Collapse
|
29
|
González LM, Estrada K, Grande R, Jiménez-Jacinto V, Vega-Alvarado L, Sevilla E, de la Barrera J, Cuesta I, Zaballos Á, Bautista JM, Lobo CA, Sánchez-Flores A, Montero E. Comparative and functional genomics of the protozoan parasite Babesia divergens highlighting the invasion and egress processes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007680. [PMID: 31425518 PMCID: PMC6715253 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Babesiosis is considered an emerging disease because its incidence has significantly increased in the last 30 years, providing evidence of the expanding range of this rare but potentially life-threatening zoonotic disease. Babesia divergens is a causative agent of babesiosis in humans and cattle in Europe. The recently sequenced genome of B. divergens revealed over 3,741 protein coding-genes and the 10.7-Mb high-quality draft become the first reference tool to study the genome structure of B. divergens. Now, by exploiting this sequence data and using new computational tools and assembly strategies, we have significantly improved the quality of the B. divergens genome. The new assembly shows better continuity and has a higher correspondence to B. bovis chromosomes. Moreover, we present a differential expression analysis using RNA sequencing of the two different stages of the asexual lifecycle of B. divergens: the free merozoite capable of invading erythrocytes and the intraerythrocytic parasite stage that remains within the erythrocyte until egress. Comparison of mRNA levels of both stages identified 1,441 differentially expressed genes. From these, around half were upregulated and the other half downregulated in the intraerythrocytic stage. Orthogonal validation by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR confirmed the differential expression. A moderately increased expression level of genes, putatively involved in the invasion and egress processes, were revealed in the intraerythrocytic stage compared with the free merozoite. On the basis of these results and in the absence of molecular models of invasion and egress for B. divergens, we have proposed the identified genes as putative molecular players in the invasion and egress processes. Our results contribute to an understanding of key parasitic strategies and pathogenesis and could be a valuable genomic resource to exploit for the design of diagnostic methods, drugs and vaccines to improve the control of babesiosis. Babesiosis has long been recognized as an economically important disease of cattle, but only in the last 40 years has Babesia been recognized as an important pathogen in humans. Babesiosis in humans is caused by one of several species (B. microti, B. divergens, B. duncani and B. venatorum). The complete Babesia lifecycle requires two hosts, the ixodid ticks and a vertebrate host. It is the parasite's ability to first recognize and then invade host erythrocytes that is central to the pathogenesis of babesiosis. Once inside the cell, the parasite begins a cycle of maturation and growth, resulting in merozoites that egress from the red blood cells (RBCs) and seek new, uninfected RBCs to invade, perpetuating the infection. To better understand this asexual lifecycle, the authors focused on the parasite genome and transcriptome of the asexual erythrocytic forms of B. divergens. Through this functional and comparative genomic approach, the authors have identified genes putatively involved in invasion, gliding motility, moving junction formation and egress, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms of these processes necessary for B. divergens to survive and propagate during its life cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Miguel González
- Laboratorio de Referencia e Investigación en Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, ISCIII Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Karel Estrada
- Unidad Universitaria de Secuenciación Masiva y Bioinformática, Instituto de Biotecnología, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Ricardo Grande
- Unidad Universitaria de Secuenciación Masiva y Bioinformática, Instituto de Biotecnología, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Verónica Jiménez-Jacinto
- Unidad Universitaria de Secuenciación Masiva y Bioinformática, Instituto de Biotecnología, Cuernavaca, México
| | | | - Elena Sevilla
- Laboratorio de Referencia e Investigación en Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, ISCIII Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge de la Barrera
- Unidad de Bioinformática, Área de Unidades Centrales Científico-Técnicas, ISCIII, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Cuesta
- Unidad de Bioinformática, Área de Unidades Centrales Científico-Técnicas, ISCIII, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ángel Zaballos
- Unidad de Genómica, Área de Unidades Centrales Científico-Técnicas, ISCIII, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Manuel Bautista
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cheryl A. Lobo
- Blood Borne Parasites, LFKRI, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alejandro Sánchez-Flores
- Unidad Universitaria de Secuenciación Masiva y Bioinformática, Instituto de Biotecnología, Cuernavaca, México
- * E-mail: (ASF); (EM)
| | - Estrella Montero
- Laboratorio de Referencia e Investigación en Parasitología, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, ISCIII Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail: (ASF); (EM)
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Phosphatidic acid homeostasis regulated by a type-2 phosphatidic acid phosphatase represents a novel druggable target in malaria intervention. Cell Death Discov 2019; 5:107. [PMID: 31263575 PMCID: PMC6591222 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-019-0187-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Type-2 phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP2) a member of PAP2 superfamily mediates the conversion of phosphatidic acid (PA) to diacylglycerol (DAG) and thus plays a pivotal role in numerous cellular signaling processes in diverse organisms. An elevated level of intracellular PA is detrimental for the cell and induces cell death. In this study we identified and characterized a PAP2 homologue in Plasmodium falciparum, PfPAP2 and further elucidated its significance in regulation of PA homeostasis in parasite life cycle. PfPAP2 is expressed in the blood stage and harbors the canonical acid phosphatase domain (APD) with signature motifs. PfPAP2 catalyzes the dephosphorylation of PA to produce DAG and inorganic phosphate (Pi). Propranolol, a generic inhibitor of PAP2, inhibited the phosphatase activity of PfPAP2 by binding to the active site of APD domain as evident by in silico docking and confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. Inhibition of native PfPAP2 by propranolol led to rise in intracellular PA mediating disruption of intracellular PA homeostasis in parasites. The propranolol mediated inhibition of PfPAP2 directed early secretion of a micronemal Perforin like Protein, PfPLP1 leading to untimely permeabilization and host cell egress. The merozoites following premature egress were non-invasive and were attenuated to invade erythrocytes and cannot continue next cycle growth. This study demonstrates that disruption of PA homeostasis can cause growth retardation in malaria parasites, and thus its master regulator, PfPAP2, can serve as a very good molecular target for antimalarial chemotherapeutic interventions.
Collapse
|
31
|
Apolis L, Olivas J, Srinivasan P, Kushwaha AK, Desai SA. Multiple genetic loci define Ca ++ utilization by bloodstream malaria parasites. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:47. [PMID: 30651090 PMCID: PMC6335690 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5418-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bloodstream malaria parasites require Ca++ for their development, but the sites and mechanisms of Ca++ utilization are not well understood. We hypothesized that there may be differences in Ca++ uptake or utilization by genetically distinct lines of P. falciparum. These differences, if identified, may provide insights into molecular mechanisms. Results Dose response studies with the Ca++ chelator EGTA (ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid) revealed stable differences in Ca++ requirement for six geographically divergent parasite lines used in previous genetic crosses, with the largest difference seen between the parents of the HB3 x Dd2 cross. Genetic mapping of Ca++ requirement yielded complex inheritance in 34 progeny clones with a single significant locus on chromosome 7 and possible contributions from other loci. Although encoded by a gene in the significant locus and a proposed Ca++ target, PfCRT (P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter), the primary determinant of clinical resistance to the antimalarial drug chloroquine, does not appear to contribute to this quantitative trait. Stage-specific application of extracellular EGTA also excluded determinants associated with merozoite egress and erythrocyte reinvasion. Conclusions We have identified differences in Ca++ utilization amongst P. falciparum lines. These differences are under genetic regulation, segregating as a complex trait in genetic cross progeny. Ca++ uptake and utilization throughout the bloodstream asexual cycle of malaria parasites represents an unexplored target for therapeutic intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liana Apolis
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.,Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Joanna Olivas
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Prakash Srinivasan
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.,Department Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ambuj K Kushwaha
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Sanjay A Desai
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Yadav P, Ayana R, Garg S, Jain R, Sah R, Joshi N, Pati S, Singh S. Plasmodium palmitoylation machinery engineered in E. coli for high-throughput screening of palmitoyl acyl-transferase inhibitors. FEBS Open Bio 2019; 9:248-264. [PMID: 30761251 PMCID: PMC6356172 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid‐based palmitoylation is a post‐translation modification (PTM) which acts as a biological rheostat in life cycle progression of a deadly human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. P. falciparum palmitoylation is catalyzed by 12 putative palmitoyl acyl‐transferase enzymes containing the conserved DHHC‐CRD (DHHC motif within a cysteine‐rich domain) which can serve as a druggable target. However, the paucity of high‐throughput assays has impeded the design of drugs targeting palmitoylation. We have developed a novel strategy which involves engineering of Escherichia coli, a PTM‐null system, to enforce ectopic expression of palmitoyl acyl‐transferase in order to study Plasmodium‐specific palmitoylation and screening of inhibitors. In this study, we have developed three synthetic E. coli strains expressing Plasmodium‐specific DHHC proteins (PfDHHC7/8/9). These cells were used for validating acyl‐transferase activity via acyl‐biotin exchange (ABE) and clickable chemistry methods. E. coli proteome was found to be palmitoylated in PfDHHC‐expressing clones, suggesting that plasmodium DHHC can catalyze palmitoylation of E. coli proteins. Upon treatment with generic inhibitor 2‐bromopalmitate (2‐BMP), a predominant reduction in palmitic acid incorporation is detected. Overall, these findings suggest that synthetic E. coli strains expressing PfDHHCs can enforce global palmitoylation in the E. coli proteome. Interestingly, this finding was corroborated by our in silico palmitoylome profiling, which revealed that out of the total E. coli proteome, 108 proteins were predicted to be palmitoylated as represented by the presence of three cysteine consensus motifs (cluster type I, II, III). In summary, our study reports a proof of concept for screening of chemotherapeutics targeting the palmitoylation machinery using a high‐throughput screening platform.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Yadav
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India
| | - R Ayana
- Department of Life Sciences School of Natural Sciences Shiv Nadar University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Swati Garg
- Department of Life Sciences School of Natural Sciences Shiv Nadar University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Ravi Jain
- Department of Life Sciences School of Natural Sciences Shiv Nadar University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Raj Sah
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India
| | - Nishant Joshi
- Department of Life Sciences School of Natural Sciences Shiv Nadar University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Soumya Pati
- Department of Life Sciences School of Natural Sciences Shiv Nadar University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Dundas K, Shears MJ, Sinnis P, Wright GJ. Important Extracellular Interactions between Plasmodium Sporozoites and Host Cells Required for Infection. Trends Parasitol 2018; 35:129-139. [PMID: 30583849 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2018.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is an infectious disease, caused by Plasmodium parasites, that remains a major global health problem. Infection begins when salivary gland sporozoites are transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Once within the host, sporozoites navigate through the dermis, into the bloodstream, and eventually invade hepatocytes. While we have an increasingly sophisticated cellular description of this journey, our molecular understanding of the extracellular interactions between the sporozoite and mammalian host that regulate migration and invasion remain comparatively poor. Here, we review the current state of our understanding, highlight the technical limitations that have frustrated progress, and outline how new approaches will help to address this knowledge gap with the ultimate aim of improving malaria treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Dundas
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory and Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Melanie J Shears
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Gavin J Wright
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory and Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Zhang X, Zhang H, Fu Y, Liu J, Liu Q. Effects of Estradiol and Progesterone-Induced Intracellular Calcium Fluxes on Toxoplasma gondii Gliding, Microneme Secretion, and Egress. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1266. [PMID: 29946311 PMCID: PMC6005879 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that estrogen is present and plays a critical role in vertebrate reproduction and metabolism, but the influence of steroids on Toxoplasma gondii has received less attention. Our data showed that estradiol and progesterone induced parasitic cytosolic Ca2+ fluxes. This process required estrogen to enter the cytoplasm of T. gondii, and cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG) and phosphoinositide-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) emerged as important factors controlling parasitic intracellular (IC) Ca2+ signals. Cytosolic Ca2+, which is regulated by estradiol, was mostly mobilized from acidic organelles. Moreover, cytosolic Ca2+ slightly increased MIC2 protein secretion and promoted the gliding motility and egress of parasites, thus enhancing the pathogenicity of T. gondii, as shown in our previous research. We subsequently determined that the main source of Ca2+ regulated by progesterone was a neutral store. In contrast to the findings of estradiol, progesterone reduced MIC2 protein secretion and inhibited the gliding motility of parasites, which may decrease their pathogenicity. Additionally, unlike in mammals, estradiol and progesterone had no effect on nitric oxide (NO) or reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in T. gondii.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Zhang
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Fu
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liu
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Qun Liu
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Kushwaha AK, Apolis L, Ito D, Desai SA. Increased Ca ++ uptake by erythrocytes infected with malaria parasites: Evidence for exported proteins and novel inhibitors. Cell Microbiol 2018; 20:e12853. [PMID: 29726084 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Malaria parasites export many proteins into their host erythrocytes and increase membrane permeability to diverse solutes. Although most solutes use a broad-selectivity channel known as the plasmodial surface anion channel, increased Ca++ uptake is mediated by a distinct, poorly characterised mechanism that appears to be essential for the intracellular parasite. Here, we examined infected cell Ca++ uptake with a kinetic fluorescence assay and the virulent human pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum. Cell surface labelling with N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide esters revealed differing effects on transport into infected and uninfected cells, indicating that Ca++ uptake at the infected cell surface is mediated by new or altered proteins at the host membrane. Conditional knockdown of PTEX, a translocon for export of parasite proteins into the host cell, significantly reduced infected cell Ca++ permeability, suggesting involvement of parasite-encoded proteins trafficked to the host membrane. A high-throughput chemical screen identified the first Ca++ transport inhibitors active against Plasmodium-infected cells. These novel chemical scaffolds inhibit both uptake and parasite growth; improved in vitro potency at reduced free [Ca++ ] is consistent with parasite killing specifically via action on one or more Ca++ transporters. These inhibitors should provide mechanistic insights into malaria parasite Ca++ transport and may be starting points for new antimalarial drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ambuj K Kushwaha
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Liana Apolis
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Daisuke Ito
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Sanjay A Desai
- The Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Toxoplasma gondii LCAT Primarily Contributes to Tachyzoite Egress. mSphere 2018; 3:mSphere00073-18. [PMID: 29507893 PMCID: PMC5830472 DOI: 10.1128/mspheredirect.00073-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful human pathogens, infecting an estimated 2.5 billion people across the globe. Pathogenesis seen during acute or reactivated toxoplasmosis has been closely tied to the parasite’s intracellular lytic life cycle, which culminates in an event called egress that results in the release of freshly replicated parasites from the infected host cell. Despite the highly destructive, cytolytic nature of this event and its downstream consequences, very little is known about how the parasite accomplishes this step. Previous work has suggested a role for a secreted phospholipase, LCAT, in Toxoplasma egress and roles in cell traversal and egress in the Plasmodium species orthologue. We confirm here that LCAT-deficient tachyzoites are unable to efficiently egress from infected monolayers, and we provide evidence that LCAT catalytic activity is required for its role in egress. Egress is a crucial phase of the Toxoplasma gondii intracellular lytic cycle. This is a process that drives inflammation and is strongly associated with the pathogenesis observed during toxoplasmosis. Despite the link between this process and virulence, little is known about egress on a mechanistic or descriptive level. Previously published work has suggested that a phospholipase, lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), secreted from the parasite’s dense granules contributes to parasite growth, virulence, and egress. Here we present evidence from several independent mutant parasite lines confirming a role for LCAT in efficient egress, although no defects in growth or virulence were apparent. We also show via genetic complementation that the catalytic activity of LCAT is required for its role in parasite egress. This work solidifies the contribution of LCAT to egress of T. gondii tachyzoites. IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondii is one of the most successful human pathogens, infecting an estimated 2.5 billion people across the globe. Pathogenesis seen during acute or reactivated toxoplasmosis has been closely tied to the parasite’s intracellular lytic life cycle, which culminates in an event called egress that results in the release of freshly replicated parasites from the infected host cell. Despite the highly destructive, cytolytic nature of this event and its downstream consequences, very little is known about how the parasite accomplishes this step. Previous work has suggested a role for a secreted phospholipase, LCAT, in Toxoplasma egress and roles in cell traversal and egress in the Plasmodium species orthologue. We confirm here that LCAT-deficient tachyzoites are unable to efficiently egress from infected monolayers, and we provide evidence that LCAT catalytic activity is required for its role in egress.
Collapse
|
37
|
Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase 5 Is Required for Release of Egress-Specific Organelles in Plasmodium falciparum. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.00130-18. [PMID: 29487234 PMCID: PMC5829822 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00130-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum requires efficient egress out of an infected red blood cell for pathogenesis. This egress event is highly coordinated and is mediated by several signaling proteins, including the plant-like Pfalciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 5 (PfCDPK5). Knockdown of PfCDPK5 results in an egress block where parasites are trapped inside their host cells. The mechanism of this PfCDPK5-dependent block, however, remains unknown. Here, we show that PfCDPK5 colocalizes with a specialized set of parasite organelles known as micronemes and is required for their discharge, implicating failure of this step as the cause of the egress defect in PfCDPK5-deficient parasites. Furthermore, we show that PfCDPK5 cooperates with the Pfalciparum cGMP-dependent kinase (PfPKG) to fully activate the protease cascade critical for parasite egress. The PfCDPK5-dependent arrest can be overcome by hyperactivation of PfPKG or by physical disruption of the arrested parasite, and we show that both treatments facilitate the release of the micronemes required for egress. Our results define the molecular mechanism of PfCDPK5 function and elucidate the complex signaling pathway of parasite egress.IMPORTANCE The signs and symptoms of clinical malaria result from the replication of parasites in human blood. Efficient egress of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum out of an infected red blood cell is critical for pathogenesis. The Pfalciparum calcium-dependent protein kinase 5 (PfCDPK5) is essential for parasite egress. Following PfCDPK5 knockdown, parasites remain trapped inside their host cell and do not egress, but the mechanism for this block remains unknown. We show that PfCDPK5 colocalizes with parasite organelles known as micronemes. We demonstrate that PfCDPK5 is critical for the discharge of these micronemes and that failure of this step is the molecular mechanism of the parasite egress arrest. We also show that hyperactivation of the cGMP-dependent kinase PKG can overcome this arrest. Our data suggest that small molecules that inhibit the egress signaling pathway could be effective antimalarial therapeutics.
Collapse
|
38
|
Lou J, Carr AJ, Watson AJ, Mattern-Schain SI, Best MD. Calcium-Responsive Liposomes via a Synthetic Lipid Switch. Chemistry 2018; 24:3599-3607. [PMID: 29323763 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201705810] [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: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Liposomal drug delivery would benefit from enhanced control over content release. Here, we report a novel avenue for triggering release driven by chemical composition using liposomes sensitized to calcium-a target chosen due to its key roles in biology and disease. To demonstrate this principle, we synthesized calcium-responsive lipid switch 1, designed to undergo conformational changes upon calcium binding. The conformational change perturbs membrane integrity, thereby promoting cargo release. This was shown through fluorescence-based release assays via dose-dependent response depending on the percentage of 1 in liposomes, with minimal background leakage in controls. DLS experiments indicated dramatic changes in particle size upon treatment of liposomes containing 1 with calcium. In a comparison of ten naturally occurring metal cations, calcium provided the greatest release. Finally, STEM images showed significant changes in liposome morphology upon treatment of liposomes containing 1 with calcium. These results showcase lipid switches driven by molecular recognition principles as an exciting avenue for controlling membrane properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinchao Lou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1420 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Adam J Carr
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1420 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Alexa J Watson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1420 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Samuel I Mattern-Schain
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1420 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Michael D Best
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, 1420 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Sherling ES, van Ooij C. Host cell remodeling by pathogens: the exomembrane system in Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2017; 40:701-21. [PMID: 27587718 PMCID: PMC5007283 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuw016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is caused by infection of erythrocytes by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. To survive inside erythrocytes, these parasites induce sweeping changes within the host cell, one of the most dramatic of which is the formation of multiple membranous compartments, collectively referred to as the exomembrane system. As an uninfected mammalian erythrocyte is devoid of internal membranes, the parasite must be the force and the source behind the formation of these compartments. Even though the first evidence of the presence these of internal compartments was obtained over a century ago, their functions remain mostly unclear, and in some cases completely unknown, and the mechanisms underlying their formation are still mysterious. In this review, we provide an overview of the different parts of the exomembrane system, describing the parasitophorous vacuole, the tubovesicular network, Maurer's clefts, the caveola-vesicle complex, J dots and other mobile compartments, and the small vesicles that have been observed in Plasmodium-infected cells. Finally, we combine the data into a simplified view of the exomembrane system and its relation to the alterations of the host erythrocyte. Plasmodium parasites remodel the host erythrocyte in various ways, including the formation of several membranous compartments, together referred to as the exomembrane system, within the erythrocyte cytosol that together are key to the sweeping changes in the host cell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma S Sherling
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Christiaan van Ooij
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Yang ASP, O'Neill MT, Jennison C, Lopaticki S, Allison CC, Armistead JS, Erickson SM, Rogers KL, Ellisdon AM, Whisstock JC, Tweedell RE, Dinglasan RR, Douglas DN, Kneteman NM, Boddey JA. Cell Traversal Activity Is Important for Plasmodium falciparum Liver Infection in Humanized Mice. Cell Rep 2017; 18:3105-3116. [PMID: 28355563 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria sporozoites are deposited into the skin by mosquitoes and infect hepatocytes. The molecular basis of how Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites migrate through host cells is poorly understood, and direct evidence of its importance in vivo is lacking. Here, we generated traversal-deficient sporozoites by genetic disruption of sporozoite microneme protein essential for cell traversal (PfSPECT) or perforin-like protein 1 (PfPLP1). Loss of either gene did not affect P. falciparum growth in erythrocytes, in contrast with a previous report that PfPLP1 is essential for merozoite egress. However, although traversal-deficient sporozoites could invade hepatocytes in vitro, they could not establish normal liver infection in humanized mice. This is in contrast with NF54 sporozoites, which infected the humanized mice and developed into exoerythrocytic forms. This study demonstrates that SPECT and perforin-like protein 1 (PLP1) are critical for transcellular migration by P. falciparum sporozoites and demonstrates the importance of cell traversal for liver infection by this human pathogen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annie S P Yang
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Matthew T O'Neill
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Charlie Jennison
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Sash Lopaticki
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Cody C Allison
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Jennifer S Armistead
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Sara M Erickson
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Kelly L Rogers
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew M Ellisdon
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - James C Whisstock
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Rebecca E Tweedell
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Rhoel R Dinglasan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Donna N Douglas
- Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Norman M Kneteman
- Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Justin A Boddey
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Molecular mechanisms that mediate invasion and egress of malaria parasites from red blood cells. Curr Opin Hematol 2017; 24:208-214. [PMID: 28306665 DOI: 10.1097/moh.0000000000000334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Malaria parasites invade and multiply in diverse host cells during their complex life cycle. Some blood stage parasites transform into male and female gametocytes that are transmitted by female anopheline mosquitoes. The gametocytes are activated in the mosquito midgut to form male and female gametes, which egress from RBCs to mate and form a zygote. Here, we will review our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that mediate invasion and egress by malaria parasites at different life cycle stages. RECENT FINDINGS A number of key effector molecules such as parasite protein ligands for receptor-engagement during invasion as well as proteases and perforin-like proteins that mediate egress have been identified. Interestingly, these parasite-encoded effectors are located in internal, vesicular organelles and are secreted in a highly regulated manner during invasion and egress. Here, we will review our current understanding of the functional roles of these effectors as well as the signaling pathways that regulate their timely secretion with accurate spatiotemporal coordinates. SUMMARY Understanding the molecular basis of key processes such as host cell invasion and egress by malaria parasites could provide novel targets for development of inhibitors to block parasite growth and transmission.
Collapse
|
42
|
Singh S, Chitnis CE. Molecular Signaling Involved in Entry and Exit of Malaria Parasites from Host Erythrocytes. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2017; 7:cshperspect.a026815. [PMID: 28507195 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a026815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
During the blood stage, Plasmodium spp. merozoites invade host red blood cells (RBCs), multiply, exit, and reinvade uninfected RBCs in a continuing cycle that is responsible for all the clinical symptoms associated with malaria. Entry into (invasion) and exit from (egress) RBCs are highly regulated processes that are mediated by an array of parasite proteins with specific functional roles. Many of these parasite proteins are stored in specialized apical secretory vesicles, and their timely release is critical for successful invasion and egress. For example, the discharge of parasite protein ligands to the apical surface of merozoites is required for interaction with host receptors to mediate invasion, and the timely discharge of proteases and pore-forming proteins helps in permeabilization and dismantling of limiting membranes during egress. This review focuses on our understanding of the signaling mechanisms that regulate apical organelle secretion during host cell invasion and egress by malaria parasites. The review also explores how understanding key signaling mechanisms in the parasite can open opportunities to develop novel strategies to target Plasmodium parasites and eliminate malaria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shailja Singh
- Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.,Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India
| | - Chetan E Chitnis
- Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.,Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi 110067, India
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Glushakova S, Busse BL, Garten M, Beck JR, Fairhurst RM, Goldberg DE, Zimmerberg J. Exploitation of a newly-identified entry pathway into the malaria parasite-infected erythrocyte to inhibit parasite egress. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12250. [PMID: 28947749 PMCID: PMC5612957 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12258-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While many parasites develop within host cells to avoid antibody responses and to utilize host cytoplasmic resources, elaborate egress processes have evolved to minimize the time between escaping and invading the next cell. In human erythrocytes, malaria parasites perforate their enclosing erythrocyte membrane shortly before egress. Here, we show that these pores clearly function as an entry pathway into infected erythrocytes for compounds that inhibit parasite egress. The natural glycosaminoglycan heparin surprisingly inhibited malaria parasite egress, trapping merozoites within infected erythrocytes. Labeled heparin neither bound to nor translocated through the intact erythrocyte membrane during parasite development, but fluxed into erythrocytes at the last minute of the parasite lifecycle. This short encounter was sufficient to significantly inhibit parasite egress and dispersion. Heparin blocks egress by interacting with both the surface of intra-erythrocytic merozoites and the inner aspect of erythrocyte membranes, preventing the rupture of infected erythrocytes but not parasitophorous vacuoles, and independently interfering with merozoite disaggregation. Since this action of heparin recapitulates that of neutralizing antibodies, membrane perforation presents a brief opportunity for a new strategy to inhibit parasite egress and replication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Glushakova
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Brad L Busse
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Matthias Garten
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Josh R Beck
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Rick M Fairhurst
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Daniel E Goldberg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Joshua Zimmerberg
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Phospholipases during membrane dynamics in malaria parasites. Int J Med Microbiol 2017; 308:129-141. [PMID: 28988696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, display a well-regulated lipid metabolism required to ensure their survival in the human host as well as in the mosquito vector. The fine-tuning of lipid metabolic pathways is particularly important for the parasites during the rapid erythrocytic infection cycles, and thus enzymes involved in lipid metabolic processes represent prime targets for malaria chemotherapeutics. While plasmodial enzymes involved in lipid synthesis and acquisition have been studied in the past, to date not much is known about the roles of phospholipases for proliferation and transmission of the malaria parasite. These phospholipid-hydrolyzing esterases are crucial for membrane dynamics during host cell infection and egress by the parasite as well as for replication and cell signaling, and thus they are considered important virulence factors. In this review, we provide a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of plasmodial phospholipases identified to date. We further summarize previous findings on the lipid metabolism of Plasmodium, highlight the roles of phospholipases during parasite life-cycle progression, and discuss the plasmodial phospholipases as potential targets for malaria therapy.
Collapse
|
45
|
|
46
|
Guerra AJ, Carruthers VB. Structural Features of Apicomplexan Pore-Forming Proteins and Their Roles in Parasite Cell Traversal and Egress. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:toxins9090265. [PMID: 28850082 PMCID: PMC5618198 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9090265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites cause diseases, including malaria and toxoplasmosis, in a range of hosts, including humans. These intracellular parasites utilize pore-forming proteins that disrupt host cell membranes to either traverse host cells while migrating through tissues or egress from the parasite-containing vacuole after replication. This review highlights recent insight gained from the newly available three-dimensional structures of several known or putative apicomplexan pore-forming proteins that contribute to cell traversal or egress. These new structural advances suggest that parasite pore-forming proteins use distinct mechanisms to disrupt host cell membranes at multiple steps in parasite life cycles. How proteolytic processing, secretion, environment, and the accessibility of lipid receptors regulate the membranolytic activities of such proteins is also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo J Guerra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5620, USA.
| | - Vern B Carruthers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5620, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Collins CR, Hackett F, Atid J, Tan MSY, Blackman MJ. The Plasmodium falciparum pseudoprotease SERA5 regulates the kinetics and efficiency of malaria parasite egress from host erythrocytes. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006453. [PMID: 28683142 PMCID: PMC5500368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Egress of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum from its host red blood cell is a rapid, highly regulated event that is essential for maintenance and completion of the parasite life cycle. Egress is protease-dependent and is temporally associated with extensive proteolytic modification of parasite proteins, including a family of papain-like proteins called SERA that are expressed in the parasite parasitophorous vacuole. Previous work has shown that the most abundant SERA, SERA5, plays an important but non-enzymatic role in asexual blood stages. SERA5 is extensively proteolytically processed by a parasite serine protease called SUB1 as well as an unidentified cysteine protease just prior to egress. However, neither the function of SERA5 nor the role of its processing is known. Here we show that conditional disruption of the SERA5 gene, or of both the SERA5 and related SERA4 genes simultaneously, results in a dramatic egress and replication defect characterised by premature host cell rupture and the failure of daughter merozoites to efficiently disseminate, instead being transiently retained within residual bounding membranes. SERA5 is not required for poration (permeabilization) or vesiculation of the host cell membrane at egress, but the premature rupture phenotype requires the activity of a parasite or host cell cysteine protease. Complementation of SERA5 null parasites by ectopic expression of wild-type SERA5 reversed the egress defect, whereas expression of a SERA5 mutant refractory to processing failed to rescue the phenotype. Our findings implicate SERA5 as an important regulator of the kinetics and efficiency of egress and suggest that proteolytic modification is required for SERA5 function. In addition, our study reveals that efficient egress requires tight control of the timing of membrane rupture. Malaria, a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, is caused by a single-celled parasite that grows in red blood cells of infected individuals. Following each round of parasite multiplication, the infected red cells are actively ruptured in a process called egress, releasing a new generation of parasites. Egress is essential for progression to clinical disease, but little is known about how it is controlled. In this work we set out to address the function in egress of a Plasmodium falciparum protein called SERA5, an abundant component of the vacuole in which the parasite grows. We show that parasites lacking SERA5 (or lacking both SERA5 and a closely-related protein called SERA4) undergo accelerated but defective egress in which the bounding vacuole and red cell membranes do not rupture properly. This impedes the escape and subsequent replication of the newly-developed parasites. We also show that modification of SERA5 by parasites proteases just prior to egress is important for SERA5 function. Our results show that SERA5 is a ‘negative regulator’ of egress, controlling the speed of the pathway that leads to disruption of the membranes surrounding the intracellular parasite. Our findings increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying malarial egress and show that efficient egress requires tight control of the timing of membrane rupture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine R. Collins
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Hackett
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Atid
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michele Ser Ying Tan
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Hale VL, Watermeyer JM, Hackett F, Vizcay-Barrena G, van Ooij C, Thomas JA, Spink MC, Harkiolaki M, Duke E, Fleck RA, Blackman MJ, Saibil HR. Parasitophorous vacuole poration precedes its rupture and rapid host erythrocyte cytoskeleton collapse in Plasmodium falciparum egress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:3439-3444. [PMID: 28292906 PMCID: PMC5380091 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1619441114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the asexual blood stages of malarial infection, merozoites invade erythrocytes and replicate within a parasitophorous vacuole to form daughter cells that eventually exit (egress) by sequential rupture of the vacuole and erythrocyte membranes. The current model is that PKG, a malarial cGMP-dependent protein kinase, triggers egress, activating malarial proteases and other effectors. Using selective inhibitors of either PKG or cysteine proteases to separately inhibit the sequential steps in membrane perforation, combined with video microscopy, electron tomography, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and soft X-ray tomography of mature intracellular Plasmodium falciparum parasites, we resolve intermediate steps in egress. We show that the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) is permeabilized 10-30 min before its PKG-triggered breakdown into multilayered vesicles. Just before PVM breakdown, the host red cell undergoes an abrupt, dramatic shape change due to the sudden breakdown of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton, before permeabilization and eventual rupture of the erythrocyte membrane to release the parasites. In contrast to the previous view of PKG-triggered initiation of egress and a gradual dismantling of the host erythrocyte cytoskeleton over the course of schizont development, our findings identify an initial step in egress and show that host cell cytoskeleton breakdown is restricted to a narrow time window within the final stages of egress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria L Hale
- Crystallography, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Jean M Watermeyer
- Crystallography, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Hackett
- Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Gema Vizcay-Barrena
- Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, Kings College London, London, SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | | | - James A Thomas
- Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Roland A Fleck
- Centre for Ultrastructural Imaging, Kings College London, London, SE1 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Francis Crick Institute, London, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Helen R Saibil
- Crystallography, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom;
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Soni R, Sharma D, Rai P, Sharma B, Bhatt TK. Signaling Strategies of Malaria Parasite for Its Survival, Proliferation, and Infection during Erythrocytic Stage. Front Immunol 2017; 8:349. [PMID: 28400771 PMCID: PMC5368685 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Irrespective of various efforts, malaria persist the most debilitating effect in terms of morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the existing drugs are also vulnerable to the emergence of drug resistance. To explore the potential targets for designing the most effective antimalarial therapies, it is required to focus on the facts of biochemical mechanism underlying the process of parasite survival and disease pathogenesis. This review is intended to bring out the existing knowledge about the functions and components of the major signaling pathways such as kinase signaling, calcium signaling, and cyclic nucleotide-based signaling, serving the various aspects of the parasitic asexual stage and highlighted the Toll-like receptors, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-mediated signaling, and molecular events in cytoadhesion, which elicit the host immune response. This discussion will facilitate a look over essential components for parasite survival and disease progression to be implemented in discovery of novel antimalarial drugs and vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rani Soni
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life sciences, Central University of Rajasthan , Ajmer , India
| | - Drista Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life sciences, Central University of Rajasthan , Ajmer , India
| | - Praveen Rai
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life sciences, Central University of Rajasthan , Ajmer , India
| | - Bhaskar Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life sciences, Central University of Rajasthan , Ajmer , India
| | - Tarun K Bhatt
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life sciences, Central University of Rajasthan , Ajmer , India
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Patarroyo ME, Alba MP, Rojas-Luna R, Bermudez A, Aza-Conde J. Functionally relevant proteins in Plasmodium falciparum host cell invasion. Immunotherapy 2017; 9:131-155. [DOI: 10.2217/imt-2016-0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A totally effective, antimalarial vaccine must involve sporozoite and merozoite proteins (or their fragments) to ensure complete parasite blocking during critical invasion stages. This Special Report examines proteins involved in critical biological functions for parasite survival and highlights the conserved amino acid sequences of the most important proteins involved in sporozoite invasion of hepatocytes and merozoite invasion of red blood cells. Conserved high activity binding peptides are located in such proteins’ functionally strategic sites, whose functions are related to receptor binding, nutrient and protein transport, enzyme activity and molecule–molecule interactions. They are thus excellent targets for vaccine development as they block proteins binding function involved in invasion and also their biological function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel E Patarroyo
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50 No. 26–20 Bogotá, Colombia
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá DC, Colombia
| | - Martha P Alba
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50 No. 26–20 Bogotá, Colombia
- Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales (UDCA), Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Rocío Rojas-Luna
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50 No. 26–20 Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Adriana Bermudez
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50 No. 26–20 Bogotá, Colombia
- Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá DC, Colombia
| | - Jorge Aza-Conde
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50 No. 26–20 Bogotá, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|