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Cudjoe O, Afful R, Hagan TA. Toxoplasma-host endoplasmic reticulum interaction: How T. gondii activates unfolded protein response and modulates immune response. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2024; 6:100223. [PMID: 38352129 PMCID: PMC10861954 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a neurotropic single-celled zoonotic parasite that can infect human beings and animals. Infection with T. gondii is usually asymptomatic in immune-competent individual, however, it can cause symptomatic and life-threatening conditions in immunocompromised individuals and in developing foetuses. Although the mechanisms that allow T. gondii to persist in host cells are poorly understood, studies in animal models have greatly improved our understanding of Toxoplasma-host cell interaction and how this interaction modulates parasite proliferation and development, host immune response and virulence of the parasite. T. gondii is capable of recruiting the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER), suggesting it may influence the host ER function. Herein, we provide an overview of T. gondii infection and the role of host ER during stressed conditions. Furthermore, we highlight studies that explore T. gondii's interaction with the host ER. We delve into how this interaction activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) and ER stress-mediated apoptosis. Additionally, we examine how T. gondii exploits these pathways to its advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obed Cudjoe
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Klintaps College of Health and Allied Sciences, DTD TDC Plot 30A, Klagon, Tema, Ghana
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Roger Afful
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Klintaps College of Health and Allied Sciences, DTD TDC Plot 30A, Klagon, Tema, Ghana
| | - Tonny Abraham Hagan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
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Zhang Y, Li S, Chu H, Li J, Lu S, Zheng B. A novel mRNA vaccine, TGGT1_278620 mRNA-LNP, prolongs the survival time in BALB/c mice with acute toxoplasmosis. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0286623. [PMID: 38038457 PMCID: PMC10783036 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02866-23] [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: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasite, can infect about one-third of the world's population. One vaccine, Toxovax, has been developed and licensed commercially; however, it is only used in the sheep industry to reduce the losses caused by congenital toxoplasmosis. Various other vaccine approaches have been explored, including excretory secretion antigen vaccines, subunit vaccines, epitope vaccines, and DNA vaccines. However, current research has not yet developed a safe and effective vaccine for T. gondii. Here, we generated an mRNA vaccine candidate against T. gondii. We investigated the efficacy of vaccination with a novel identified candidate, TGGT1_278620, in a mouse infection model. We screened T. gondii-derived protective antigens at the genome-wide level, combined them with mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine technology against T. gondii, and investigated immune-related factors and mechanisms. Our findings might contribute to developing vaccines for immunizing humans and animals against T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhuo Zhang
- Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Novel Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shiyu Li
- Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Novel Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongkun Chu
- Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Novel Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Li
- Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Novel Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shaohong Lu
- Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Novel Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Tech Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bin Zheng
- Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Forensics, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Engineering Research Center of Novel Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Tech Vaccine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
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3
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Brito RMDM, de Lima Bessa G, Bastilho AL, Dantas-Torres F, de Andrade-Neto VF, Bueno LL, Fujiwara RT, Magalhães LMD. Genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii in South America: occurrence, immunity, and fate of infection. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:461. [PMID: 38115102 PMCID: PMC10729521 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06080-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite with a worldwide distribution. Toxoplasma gondii infections are of great concern for public health, and their impact is usually most severe in pregnant women and their foetuses, and in immunocompromised individuals. Displaying considerable genetic diversity, T. gondii strains differ widely according to geographical location, with archetypal strains predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere and non-archetypal (atypical) strains, with highly diverse genotypes, found mainly in South America. In this review, we present an overview of the identification and distribution of non-archetypal strains of T. gondii. Special attention is paid to the strains that have been isolated in Brazil, their interaction with the host immunological response, and their impact on disease outcomes. The genetic differences among the strains are pivotal to the distinct immunological responses that they elicit. These differences arise from polymorphisms of key proteins released by the parasite, which represent important virulence factors. Infection with divergent non-archetypal strains can lead to unusual manifestations of the disease, even in immunocompetent individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramayana Morais de Medeiros Brito
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Alexandre Lazoski Bastilho
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biosciences Centre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Lilian Lacerda Bueno
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
| | - Luisa M D Magalhães
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Control of Parasites, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
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Lian L, Sun Q, Huang X, Li W, Cui Y, Pan Y, Yang X, Wang P. Inhibition of Cell Apoptosis by Apicomplexan Protozoa-Host Interaction in the Early Stage of Infection. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3817. [PMID: 38136854 PMCID: PMC10740567 DOI: 10.3390/ani13243817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan protozoa, which are a group of specialized intracellular parasitic protozoa, infect humans and other animals and cause a variety of diseases. The lack of research on the interaction mechanism between Apicomplexan protozoa and their hosts is a key factor restricting the development of new drugs and vaccines. In the early stages of infection, cell apoptosis is inhibited by Apicomplexan protozoa through their interaction with the host cells; thereby, the survival and reproduction of Apicomplexan protozoa in host cells is promoted. In this review, the key virulence proteins and pathways are introduced regarding the inhibition of cell apoptosis by the interaction between the protozoa and their host during the early stage of Apicomplexan protozoa infection. It provides a theoretical basis for the development of drugs or vaccines for protozoal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyin Lian
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
| | - Qian Sun
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
| | - Xinyi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
| | - Wanjing Li
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
| | - Yanjun Cui
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
| | - Yuebo Pan
- Gansu Polytechnic College of Animal Husbandry and Engineering, Wuwei 733006, China
| | - Xianyu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
| | - Pu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Provincial Engineering Research Center for Animal Health Diagnostics & Advanced Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China; (L.L.); (Q.S.); (X.H.); (W.L.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.)
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5
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Godbold GD, Hewitt FC, Kappell AD, Scholz MB, Agar SL, Treangen TJ, Ternus KL, Sandbrink JB, Koblentz GD. Improved understanding of biorisk for research involving microbial modification using annotated sequences of concern. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1124100. [PMID: 37180048 PMCID: PMC10167326 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1124100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulation of research on microbes that cause disease in humans has historically been focused on taxonomic lists of 'bad bugs'. However, given our increased knowledge of these pathogens through inexpensive genome sequencing, 5 decades of research in microbial pathogenesis, and the burgeoning capacity of synthetic biologists, the limitations of this approach are apparent. With heightened scientific and public attention focused on biosafety and biosecurity, and an ongoing review by US authorities of dual-use research oversight, this article proposes the incorporation of sequences of concern (SoCs) into the biorisk management regime governing genetic engineering of pathogens. SoCs enable pathogenesis in all microbes infecting hosts that are 'of concern' to human civilization. Here we review the functions of SoCs (FunSoCs) and discuss how they might bring clarity to potentially problematic research outcomes involving infectious agents. We believe that annotation of SoCs with FunSoCs has the potential to improve the likelihood that dual use research of concern is recognized by both scientists and regulators before it occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Stacy L. Agar
- Signature Science, LLC, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Todd J. Treangen
- Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
| | | | - Jonas B. Sandbrink
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gregory D. Koblentz
- Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, United States
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6
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Li H, Liang X, Sun W, Zhuang B, Cao Y, Zhang J, Shen J, Wang Y, Yu L. Immunological evaluation of a recombinant vaccine delivered with an analogous hyaluronic acid chitosan nanoparticle-hydrogel against Toxoplasma gondii in mice. Microb Pathog 2023; 179:106092. [PMID: 37003502 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is not only a threat to the public health but it also poses adverse impacts on the livestock industry. This study aimed to develop a recombinant vaccine composed of T. gondii microneme protein 6 (TgMIC6) and T. gondii rhoptry protein 18 (TgROP18).The vaccine was delivered with a novel vector, named analogous hyaluronic acid chitosan nanoparticle-hydrogel (AHACNP-HG) and its immune protection was evaluated. METHODS The recombinant MIC6 and ROP18 proteins were obtained by affinity chromatography and loaded onto AHACNP-HG by magnetic stirring. The characterizations of AHACNP-HG were investigated, including its structure, rheological property, nanoparticle size and zeta potential, its ability to release protein in vitro and toxicology in vivo. The immunological and anti-infection effects of AHACNP-HG/rMIC6/rROP18 were examined in the mice model. RESULTS AHACNP-HG presented a characteristic of composite system and possessed biosecurity with excellent protein control-release property. AHACNP-HG/rMIC6/rROP18 vaccine enhanced a mixed Th1/Th2 cellular immune response accompanied by an increased level of the cytokines, IFN-γ and IL-10. It also provoked a stronger humoral immune response. Additionally, after challenge with T. gondii tachyzoite, AHACNP-HG/rMIC6/rROP18 inoculation prolonged the survival time of mice. CONCLUSION Our data indicated that mixed rMIC6 and rROP18 induced strong immune response and played a certain protective role in controlling T. gondii infection, and the novel adjuvant AHACNP-HG improved modestly some immunogenicity properties in mouse model, which indicated that it can be used as a novel delivery system in vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Li
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taihe People's Hospital, Fuyang, 236600, China.
| | - Xiao Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Wenze Sun
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Baocan Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Cao
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Junling Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Jilong Shen
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Yongzhong Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Human Microenvironment and Precision Medicine of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Anhui University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonoses of High Institutions in Anhui, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
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7
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Fereig RM, Omar MA, Alsayeqh AF. Exploiting the Macrophage Production of IL-12 in Improvement of Vaccine Development against Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infections. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10122082. [PMID: 36560492 PMCID: PMC9783364 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10122082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis and neosporosis are major protozoan diseases of global distribution. Toxoplasma gondii is the cause of toxoplasmosis, which affects almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans, while Neospora caninum induces neosporosis in many animal species, especially cattle. The current defective situation with control measures is hindering all efforts to overcome the health hazards and economic losses of toxoplasmosis and neosporosis. Adequate understanding of host-parasite interactions and host strategies to combat such infections can be exploited in establishing potent control measures, including vaccine development. Macrophages are the first defense line of innate immunity, which is responsible for the successful elimination of T.gondii or N. caninum. This action is exerted via the immunoregulatory interleukin-12 (IL-12), which orchestrates the production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) from various immune cells. Cellular immune response and IFN-γ production is the hallmark for successful vaccine candidates against both T. gondii and N. caninum. However, the discovery of potential vaccine candidates is a highly laborious, time-consuming and expensive procedure. In this review, we will try to exploit previous knowledge and our research experience to establish an efficient immunological approach for exploring potential vaccine candidates against T. gondii and N. caninum. Our previous studies on vaccine development against both T. gondii and N. caninum revealed a strong association between the successful and potential vaccine antigens and their ability to promote the macrophage secretion of IL-12 using a murine model. This phenomenon was emphasized using different recombinant antigens, parasites, and experimental approaches. Upon these data and research trials, IL-12 production from murine macrophages can be used as an initial predictor for judgment of vaccine efficacy before further evaluation in time-consuming and laborious in vivo experiments. However, more studies and research are required to conceptualize this immunological approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragab M. Fereig
- Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
- Correspondence: (R.M.F.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Mosaab A. Omar
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F. Alsayeqh
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah 51452, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (R.M.F.); (A.F.A.)
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8
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Guo G, Cui J, Song L, Tang L, Fan S, Shen B, Fang R, Hu M, Zhao J, Zhou Y. Activation of NF-κB signaling by the dense granule protein GRA15 of a newly isolated type 1 Toxoplasma gondii strain. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:347. [PMID: 36175964 PMCID: PMC9523984 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05429-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It has been reported that the NF-κB pathway, an important component of host defense system against pathogens infections, can be differentially modulated by different Toxoplasma gondii strains, depending on the polymorphism of the GRA15 protein. The recently isolated Toxoplasma strain T.gHB1 is a type 1 (ToxoDB#10) strain but shows different virulence determination mechanisms compared to the classic type 1 strains like RH (ToxoDB#10). Therefore, it is worth investigating whether the T.gHB1 strain (ToxoDB#10) affects the host NF-κB signaling pathway. Methods The effects of T.gHB1 (ToxoDB#10) on host NF-κB pathway were investigated in HEK293T cells. The GRA15 gene product was analyzed by bioinformatics, and its effect on NF-κB activation was examined by Western blotting and nuclear translocation of p65. Different truncations of T.gHB1 GRA15 were constructed to map the critical domains for NF-κB activation. Results We demonstrated that the NF-κB pathway signaling pathway could be activated by the newly identified type 1 T.gHB1 strain (ToxoDB#10) of Toxoplasma, while the classic type 1 strain RH (ToxoDB#10) did not. T.gHB1 GRA15 possesses only one transmembrane region with an extended C terminal region, which is distinct from that of classic type 1 (ToxoDB#10) and type 2 (ToxoDB#1) strains. T.gHB1 GRA15 could clearly induce IκBα phosphorylation and p65 nuclear translocation. Dual luciferase assays in HEK293T cells revealed a requirement for 194–518 aa of T.gHB1 GRA15 to effectively activate NF-κB. Conclusions The overall results indicated that the newly isolated type 1 isolate T.gHB1 (ToxoDB#10) had a unique GRA15, which could activate the host NF-κB signaling through inducing IκBα phosphorylation and p65 nuclear translocation. These results provide new insights for our understanding of the interaction between Toxoplasma parasites and its hosts. Graphical Abstract ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanghao Guo
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianmin Cui
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Lindong Song
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Lvqing Tang
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Sijie Fan
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Bang Shen
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Hu
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Junlong Zhao
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanqin Zhou
- Key Laboratory Preventive Veterinary of Hubei Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China. .,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China.
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9
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Bai RX, Chen XZ, Ren JF, Hu L, Li H, Wang H, He C. Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein (TgROP18) enhances the expression of pro-inflammatory factor in LPS/IFN-γ-induced murine BV2 microglia cells via NF-κB signal pathway. Acta Trop 2022; 235:106650. [PMID: 35963313 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii, an opportunistic pathogenic protozoan, exhibits a strong predilection to infect the brain, causing severe neurological diseases, such as toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE), in immunocompromised patients. Microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, is reported to play important roles in regulating the neuroinflammation mediated by T. gondii infection. Here we demonstrated that the tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain could significantly upregulate the expression levels of microglial M1 phenotype markers including IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, iNOS and IL18 in activated murine BV2 microglia cells, which were regulated by T. gondii rhoptry protein 18 (TgROP18). Moreover, we found that TgROP18 could enhance the expression of M1 phenotype markers in activated murine BV2 microglia cells via activating NF-κB signal pathway. Additionally, TgROP18 was suggested to interact with the host p65 in activated murine BV2 microglia cells and induce the phosphorylation of p65 at S536. In summary, the present study demonstrated that TgROP18 could promote the activated microglia to polarize to M1 phenotype and enhanced the expression of pro-inflammatory factors via activating NF-κB signal pathway, which could contribute to elucidating the mechanism underlying the neuroinflammation mediated by activated microglia in the brain with T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Xue Bai
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China
| | - Xin-Zhu Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China
| | - Jin-Feng Ren
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China
| | - Lang Hu
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China.
| | - Cheng He
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province 221004, China.
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10
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Ross EC, Hoeve ALT, Saeij JPJ, Barragan A. Toxoplasma effector-induced ICAM-1 expression by infected dendritic cells potentiates transmigration across polarised endothelium. Front Immunol 2022; 13:950914. [PMID: 35990682 PMCID: PMC9381734 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.950914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii makes use of infected leukocytes for systemic dissemination. Yet, how infection impacts the processes of leukocyte diapedesis has remained unresolved. Here, we addressed the effects of T. gondii infection on the trans-endothelial migration (TEM) of dendritic cells (DCs) across polarised brain endothelial monolayers. We report that upregulated expression of leukocyte ICAM-1 is a feature of the enhanced TEM of parasitised DCs. The secreted parasite effector GRA15 induced an elevated expression of ICAM-1 in infected DCs that was associated with enhanced cell adhesion and TEM. Consequently, gene silencing of Icam-1 in primary DCs or deletion of parasite GRA15 reduced TEM. Further, the parasite effector TgWIP, which impacts the regulation of host actin dynamics, facilitated TEM across polarised endothelium. The data highlight that the concerted action of the secreted effectors GRA15 and TgWIP modulate the leukocyte-endothelial interactions of TEM in a parasite genotype-related fashion to promote dissemination. In addition to the canonical roles of endothelial ICAM-1, this study identifies a previously unappreciated role for leukocyte ICAM-1 in infection-related TEM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Ross
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arne L. ten Hoeve
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jeroen P. J. Saeij
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Antonio Barragan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden,*Correspondence: Antonio Barragan,
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11
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Host cell proteins modulated upon Toxoplasma infection identified using proteomic approaches: a molecular rationale. Parasitol Res 2022; 121:1853-1865. [PMID: 35552534 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07541-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogenic protozoan parasite belonging to the apicomplexan phylum that infects the nucleated cells of warm-blooded hosts leading to an infectious disease known as toxoplasmosis. Apicomplexan parasites such as T. gondii can display different mechanisms to control or manipulate host cells signaling at different levels altering the host subcellular genome and proteome. Indeed, Toxoplasma is able to modulate host cell responses (especially immune responses) during infection to its advantage through both structural and functional changes in the proteome of different infected cells. Consequently, parasites can transform the invaded cells into a suitable environment for its own replication and the induction of infection. Proteomics as an applicable tool can identify such critical proteins involved in pathogen (Toxoplasma)-host cell interactions and consequently clarify the cellular mechanisms that facilitate the entry of pathogens into host cells, and their replication and transmission, as well as the central mechanisms of host defense against pathogens. Accordingly, the current paper reviews several proteins (identified using proteomic approaches) differentially expressed in the proteome of Toxoplasma-infected host cells (macrophages and human foreskin fibroblasts) and tissues (brain and liver) and highlights their plausible functions in the cellular biology of the infected cells. The identification of such modulated proteins and their related cell impact (cell responses/signaling) can provide further information regarding parasite pathogenesis and biology that might lead to a better understanding of therapeutic strategies and novel drug targets.
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12
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Nagai K, Goto Y. Parasitomimetics: Can We Utilize Parasite-Derived Immunomodulatory Molecules for Interventions to Immunological Disorders? Front Immunol 2022; 13:824695. [PMID: 35386686 PMCID: PMC8977410 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.824695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Because our immune system has ability to expel microorganisms invading our body, parasites need evolution to maintain their symbiosis with the hosts. One such strategy of the parasites is to manipulate host immunity by producing immunomodulatory molecules and the ability of parasites to regulate host immunity has long been a target of research. Parasites can not only manipulate host immune response specific to them, but also influence the host's entire immune system. Such ability of the parasites may sometimes bring benefit to the hosts as many studies have indicated the "hygiene hypothesis" that a decreased opportunity of parasitic infections is associated with an increased incidence of allergy and autoimmune diseases. In other words, elucidating the mechanisms of parasites to regulate host immunity could be applied not only to resolution of parasitic infections but also to treatment of non-parasitic immunological disorders. In this review, we show how much progress has been made in the research on immunomodulation of host immunity by parasites. Here, we define the word 'parasitomimetics' as emulation of parasites' immunomodulatory systems to solve immunological problems in humans and discuss potential applications of parasite-derived molecules to other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yasuyuki Goto
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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13
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Bąska P, Norbury LJ. The Role of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB) in the Immune Response against Parasites. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11030310. [PMID: 35335634 PMCID: PMC8950322 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The immune system consists of various cells, organs, and processes that interact in a sophisticated manner to defend against pathogens. Upon initial exposure to an invader, nonspecific mechanisms are raised through the activation of macrophages, monocytes, basophils, mast cells, eosinophils, innate lymphoid cells, or natural killer cells. During the course of an infection, more specific responses develop (adaptive immune responses) whose hallmarks include the expansion of B and T cells that specifically recognize foreign antigens. Cell to cell communication takes place through physical interactions as well as through the release of mediators (cytokines, chemokines) that modify cell activity and control and regulate the immune response. One regulator of cell states is the transcription factor Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB) which mediates responses to various stimuli and is involved in a variety of processes (cell cycle, development, apoptosis, carcinogenesis, innate and adaptive immune responses). It consists of two protein classes with NF-κB1 (p105/50) and NF-κB2 (p100/52) belonging to class I, and RelA (p65), RelB and c-Rel belonging to class II. The active transcription factor consists of a dimer, usually comprised of both class I and class II proteins conjugated to Inhibitor of κB (IκB). Through various stimuli, IκB is phosphorylated and detached, allowing dimer migration to the nucleus and binding of DNA. NF-κB is crucial in regulating the immune response and maintaining a balance between suppression, effective response, and immunopathologies. Parasites are a diverse group of organisms comprised of three major groups: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Each group induces distinct effector immune mechanisms and is susceptible to different types of immune responses (Th1, Th2, Th17). This review describes the role of NF-κB and its activity during parasite infections and its contribution to inducing protective responses or immunopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Bąska
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Luke J. Norbury
- Department of Biosciences and Food Technology, School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia;
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14
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Chen M, Yao L, Zhou L, Yang P, Zou W, Xu L, Li S, Peng H. Toxoplasma gondii
ROP18
I
inhibits host innate immunity through cGAS‐STING signaling. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22171. [DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101347r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Min Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Lijie Yao
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Lijuan Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Pei Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Weihao Zou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Liqing Xu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Shengmin Li
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
| | - Hongjuan Peng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health Southern Medical University Guangzhou P. R. China
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15
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Wang ZJ, Yu SM, Gao JM, Zhang P, Hide G, Yamamoto M, Lai DH, Lun ZR. High resistance to Toxoplasma gondii infection in inducible nitric oxide synthase knockout rats. iScience 2021; 24:103280. [PMID: 34765911 PMCID: PMC8571494 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important immune molecule that acts against extracellular and intracellular pathogens in most hosts. However, after the knockout of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS−/−) in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, these iNOS−/− rats were found to be completely resistant to Toxoplasma gondii infection. Once the iNOS−/− rat peritoneal macrophages (PMs) were infected with T. gondii, they produced high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) triggered by GRA43 secreted by T. gondii, which damaged the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and PM mitochondrial membranes within a few hours post-infection. Further evidence indicated that the high levels of ROS caused mitochondrial superoxide dismutase 2 depletion and induced PM pyroptosis and cell death. This discovery of complete resistance to T. gondii infection, in the iNOS−/−-SD rat, demonstrates a strong link between NO and ROS in immunity to T. gondii infection and showcases a potentially novel and effective backup innate immunity system. iNOS−/−-SD rats show strong resistance to Toxoplasma gondii infection iNOS−/−-SD rat PMs resist T. gondii infection through ROS upregulation The T. gondii infection results in PM pyroptosis in iNOS−/−-SD rats GRAs play a key role in the activation of resistance in iNOS−/−-SD rat PMs
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Jie Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, The People's Republic of China
| | - Shao-Meng Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, The People's Republic of China
| | - Jiang-Mei Gao
- Department of Parasitology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, The People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, The People's Republic of China
| | - Geoff Hide
- Biomedical Research Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
| | - Masahiro Yamamoto
- Department of Immunoparasitology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - De-Hua Lai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, The People's Republic of China
| | - Zhao-Rong Lun
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Economic Animals, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, The People's Republic of China.,Department of Parasitology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, The People's Republic of China.,Biomedical Research Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK
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16
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Frickel EM, Hunter CA. Lessons from Toxoplasma: Host responses that mediate parasite control and the microbial effectors that subvert them. J Exp Med 2021; 218:212714. [PMID: 34670268 PMCID: PMC8532566 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20201314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii has long provided a tractable experimental system to investigate how the immune system deals with intracellular infections. This review highlights the advances in defining how this organism was first detected and the studies with T. gondii that contribute to our understanding of how the cytokine IFN-γ promotes control of vacuolar pathogens. In addition, the genetic tractability of this eukaryote organism has provided the foundation for studies into the diverse strategies that pathogens use to evade antimicrobial responses and now provides the opportunity to study the basis for latency. Thus, T. gondii remains a clinically relevant organism whose evolving interactions with the host immune system continue to teach lessons broadly relevant to host–pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva-Maria Frickel
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | - Christopher A Hunter
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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17
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Global phosphoproteome analysis reveals significant differences between sporulated oocysts of virulent and avirulent strains of Toxoplasma gondii. Microb Pathog 2021; 161:105240. [PMID: 34655729 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the differences in the phosphoproteomic landscape of sporulated oocysts between virulent and avirulent strains of Toxoplasma gondii were examined using a global phosphoproteomics approach. Phosphopeptides from sporulated oocysts of the virulent PYS strain (Chinese ToxoDB#9) and the avirulent PRU strain (type II) were enriched by titanium dioxide (TiO2) affinity chromatography and quantified using IBT approach. A total of 10,645 unique phosphopeptides, 8181 nonredundant phosphorylation sites and 2792 phosphoproteins were identified. We also detected 4129 differentially expressed phosphopeptides (DEPs) between sporulated oocysts of PYS strain and PRU strain (|log1.5 fold change| > 1 and p < 0.05), including 2485 upregulated and 1644 downregulated phosphopeptides. Motif analysis identified 24 motifs from the upregulated phosphorylated peptides including 22 serine motifs and two threonine motifs (TPE and TP), and 15 motifs from the downregulated phosphorylated peptides including 12 serine motifs and three threonine motifs (TP, RxxT and KxxT) in PYS strain when comparing PYS strain to PRU strain. Several kinases were consistent with motifs of overrepresented phosphopeptides, such as PKA, PKG, CKII, IKK, MAPK, EGFR, INSR, Jak, Syk, Src, Ab1. GO enrichment, KEGG pathway analysis and STRING analysis revealed DEPs significantly enriched in many biological processes and pathways. Kinase related network analysis showed that AGC kinase was the most connected kinase peptide. Our findings reveal significant difference in phosphopeptide profiles of sporulated oocysts between virulent and avirulent T. gondii strains, providing new resources for further elucidation of the mechanisms underpinning the virulence of T. gondii.
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18
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Chadha A, Chadee K. The NF-κB Pathway: Modulation by Entamoeba histolytica and Other Protozoan Parasites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:748404. [PMID: 34595137 PMCID: PMC8476871 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.748404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Protozoan parasites have led to worldwide devastation because of their ability to cause infectious diseases. They have evolved as successful pathogens in part because of their remarkable and sophisticated ways to evade innate host defenses. This holds true for both intracellular and extracellular parasites that deploy multiple strategies to circumvent innate host defenses for their survival. The different strategies protozoan parasites use include hijacking the host cellular signaling pathways and transcription factors. In particular, the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway seems to be an attractive target for different pathogens owing to their central role in regulating prompt innate immune responses in host defense. NF-κB is a ubiquitous transcription factor that plays an indispensable role not only in regulating immediate immune responses against invading pathogens but is also a critical regulator of cell proliferation and survival. The major immunomodulatory components include parasite surface and secreted proteins/enzymes and stimulation of host cells intracellular pathways and inflammatory caspases that directly or indirectly interfere with the NF-κB pathway to thwart immune responses that are directed for containment and/or elimination of the pathogen. To showcase how protozoan parasites exploits the NF-κB signaling pathway, this review highlights recent advances from Entamoeba histolytica and other protozoan parasites in contact with host cells that induce outside-in and inside-out signaling to modulate NF-κB in disease pathogenesis and survival in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attinder Chadha
- Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Kris Chadee
- Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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19
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Yang J, He Z, Chen C, Li S, Qian J, Zhao J, Fang R. Toxoplasma gondii Infection Inhibits Histone Crotonylation to Regulate Immune Response of Porcine Alveolar Macrophages. Front Immunol 2021; 12:696061. [PMID: 34322124 PMCID: PMC8312545 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.696061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular parasite that can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, causing serious public health problems. Lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a newly discovered posttranslational modification (PTM), which is first identified on histones and has been proved relevant to procreation regulation, transcription activation, and cell signaling pathway. However, the biological functions of histone crotonylation have not yet been reported in macrophages infected with T. gondii. As a result, a total of 1,286 Kcr sites distributed in 414 proteins were identified and quantified, demonstrating the existence of crotonylation in porcine alveolar macrophages. According to our results, identified histones were overall downregulated. HDAC2, a histone decrotonylase, was found to be significantly increased, which might be the executor of histone Kcr after parasite infection. In addition, T. gondii infection inhibited the crotonylation of H2B on K12, contributing on the suppression of epigenetic regulation and NF-κB activation. Nevertheless, the reduction of histone crotonylation induced by parasite infection could promote macrophage proliferation via activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The present findings point to a comprehensive understanding of the biological functions of histone crotonylation in porcine alveolar macrophages, thereby providing a certain research basis for the mechanism research on the immune response of host cells against T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhengming He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chengjie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Senyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiahui Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Junlong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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20
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Yao L, Xu L, Zhou L, Wu S, Zou W, Chen M, Chen J, Peng H. Toxoplasma gondii Type-I ROP18 Targeting Human E3 Ligase TRIM21 for Immune Escape. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:685913. [PMID: 34124071 PMCID: PMC8187923 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.685913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular pathogen that exerts its virulence through inhibiting host’s innate immune responses, which is mainly related to the type II interferon (IFN-γ) response. IFN-γ inducible tripartite motif 21 (TRIM21), an E3 ligase, plays an important role in anti-infection responses against the intracellular pathogens including bacteria, virus, and parasite. We found that T. gondii virulence factor ROP18 of the type I RH strain (TgROP18I) interacted with human TRIM21, and promoted the latter’s phosphorylation, which subsequently accelerated TRIM21 degradation through lysosomal pathway. Furthermore, TRIM21 protein level was found to be upregulated during RH and CEP strains of T. gondii infection. TRIM21 knocking down reduced the ubiquitin labeling on the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) [which led to parasitophorous vacuole (PV) acidification and death of CEP tachyzoites], and relieved the inhibition of CEP proliferation induced by IFN-γ in human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells which was consistent with the result of TRIM21 overexpression. On the other hand, TRIM21 overexpression enhanced the inhibition of CEP proliferation, and inhibited the binding of IκB-α with p65 to activate the IFN-γ-inducible NF-κB pathway, which might be resulted by TRIM21-IκB-α interaction. In brief, our research identified that in human cells, IFN-γ-inducible TRIM21 functioned in the innate immune responses against type III T. gondii infection; however, TgROP18I promoted TRIM21 phosphorylation, leading to TRIM21 degradation for immune escape in type I strain infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijie Yao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liqing Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuizhen Wu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weihao Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiating Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hongjuan Peng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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21
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Gómez-Chávez F, Correa D, Navarrete-Meneses P, Cancino-Diaz JC, Cancino-Diaz ME, Rodríguez-Martínez S. NF-κB and Its Regulators During Pregnancy. Front Immunol 2021; 12:679106. [PMID: 34025678 PMCID: PMC8131829 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.679106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcriptional factor NF-κB is a nuclear factor involved in both physiological and pathological processes. This factor can control the transcription of more than 400 genes, including cytokines, chemokines, and their modulators, immune and non-immune receptors, proteins involved in antigen presentation and cell adhesion, acute phase and stress response proteins, regulators of apoptosis, growth factors, other transcription factors and their regulators, as well as different enzymes; all these molecules control several biological processes. NF-κB is a tightly regulated molecule that has also been related to apoptosis, cell proliferation, inflammation, and the control of innate and adaptive immune responses during onset of labor, in which it has a crucial role; thus, early activation of this factor may have an adverse effect, by inducing premature termination of pregnancy, with bad outcomes for the mother and the fetus, including product loss. Reviews compiling the different activities of NF-κB have been reported. However, an update regarding NF-κB regulation during pregnancy is lacking. In this work, we aimed to describe the state of the art around NF-κB activity, its regulatory role in pregnancy, and the effect of its dysregulation due to invasion by pathogens like Trichomonas vaginalis and Toxoplasma gondii as examples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gómez-Chávez
- Secretaría de Salud, Cátedras CONACyT-Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico
- Secretaría de Salud, Laboratorio de Inmunología Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico
- Departamento de Formación Básica Disciplinaria, Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Dolores Correa
- Dirección de Investigación, Universidad Anáhuac, Huixquilucan, Mexico
| | - Pilar Navarrete-Meneses
- Laboratorio de Genética y Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Secretaría de Salud Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan Carlos Cancino-Diaz
- Laboratorio de Inmunomicrobiología, Departamento de Microbiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mario Eugenio Cancino-Diaz
- Laboratorio de Inmunidad Innata, Departamento de Inmunología, ENCB-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sandra Rodríguez-Martínez
- Laboratorio de Inmunidad Innata, Departamento de Inmunología, ENCB-Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
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22
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Ihara F, Nishikawa Y. Toxoplasma gondii manipulates host cell signaling pathways via its secreted effector molecules. Parasitol Int 2021; 83:102368. [PMID: 33905814 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii secretes a vast variety of effector molecules from organelles known as rhoptries (ROPs) and dense granules (GRAs). ROP proteins are released into the cytosol of the host cell where they are directed to the cell nucleus or to the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) membrane. ROPs secrete proteins that enable host cell penetration and vacuole formation by the parasites, as well as hijacking host-immune responses. After invading host cells, T. gondii multiplies within a PV that is maintained by the parasite proteins secreted from GRAs. Most GRA proteins remain within the PV, but some are known to access the host cytosol across the PV membrane, and a few are able to traffic into the host-cell nucleus. These effectors bind to host cell proteins and affect host cell signaling pathways to favor the parasite. Studies on host-pathogen interactions have identified many infection-altered host signal transductions. Notably, the relationship between individual parasite effector molecules and the specific targeting of host-signaling pathways is being elucidated through the advent of forward and reverse genetic strategies. Understanding the complex nature of the host-pathogen interactions underlying how the host-signaling pathway is manipulated by parasite effectors may lead to new molecular biological knowledge and novel therapeutic methods for toxoplasmosis. In this review, we discuss how T. gondii modulates cell signaling pathways in the host to favor its survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Ihara
- Molecular Parasitology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.
| | - Yoshifumi Nishikawa
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.
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23
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Li JX, He JJ, Elsheikha HM, Ma J, Xu XP, Zhu XQ. ROP18-Mediated Transcriptional Reprogramming of HEK293T Cell Reveals New Roles of ROP18 in the Interplay Between Toxoplasma gondii and the Host Cell. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:586946. [PMID: 33330132 PMCID: PMC7734210 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.586946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii secretes a number of virulence-related effector proteins, such as the rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18). To further broaden our understanding of the molecular functions of ROP18, we examined the transcriptional response of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) to ROP18 of type I T. gondii RH strain. Using RNA-sequencing, we compared the transcriptome of ROP18-expressing HEK293T cells to control HEK293T cells. Our analysis revealed that ROP18 altered the expression of 750 genes (467 upregulated genes and 283 downregulated genes) in HEK293T cells. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in extracellular matrix– and immune–related GO terms and pathways. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs were involved in several disease-related pathways, such as nervous system diseases and eye disease. ROP18 significantly increased the alternative splicing pattern “retained intron” and altered the expression of 144 transcription factors (TFs). These results provide new insight into how ROP18 may influence biological processes in the host cells via altering the expression of genes, TFs, and pathways. More in vitro and in vivo studies are required to substantiate these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jun-Jun He
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hany M Elsheikha
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Jun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Pei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.,Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
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24
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Mévélec MN, Lakhrif Z, Dimier-Poisson I. Key Limitations and New Insights Into the Toxoplasma gondii Parasite Stage Switching for Future Vaccine Development in Human, Livestock, and Cats. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:607198. [PMID: 33324583 PMCID: PMC7724089 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.607198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease affecting human, livestock and cat. Prophylactic strategies would be ideal to prevent infection. In a One Health vaccination approach, the objectives would be the prevention of congenital disease in both women and livestock, prevention/reduction of T. gondii tissue cysts in food-producing animals; and oocyst shedding in cats. Over the last few years, an explosion of strategies for vaccine development, especially due to the development of genetic-engineering technologies has emerged. The field of vaccinology has been exploring safer vaccines by the generation of recombinant immunogenic proteins, naked DNA vaccines, and viral/bacterial recombinants vectors. These strategies based on single- or few antigens, are less efficacious than recombinant live-attenuated, mostly tachyzoite T. gondii vaccine candidates. Reflections on the development of an anti-Toxoplasma vaccine must focus not only on the appropriate route of administration, capable of inducing efficient immune response, but also on the choice of the antigen (s) of interest and the associated delivery systems. To answer these questions, the choice of the animal model is essential. If mice helped in understanding the protection mechanisms, the data obtained cannot be directly transposed to humans, livestock and cats. Moreover, effectiveness vaccines should elicit strong and protective humoral and cellular immune responses at both local and systemic levels against the different stages of the parasite. Finally, challenge protocols should use the oral route, major natural route of infection, either by feeding tissue cysts or oocysts from different T. gondii strains. Effective Toxoplasma vaccines depend on our understanding of the (1) protective host immune response during T. gondii invasion and infection in the different hosts, (2) manipulation and modulation of host immune response to ensure survival of the parasites able to evade and subvert host immunity, (3) molecular mechanisms that define specific stage development. This review presents an overview of the key limitations for the development of an effective vaccine and highlights the contributions made by recent studies on the mechanisms behind stage switching to offer interesting perspectives for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zineb Lakhrif
- Team BioMAP, Université de Tours, INRAE, ISP, Tours, France
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25
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Kong L, Jiang D, He C, Xia J, Wei H, Zhou L, Peng H. TgROP18 targets IL20RB for host-defense-related-STAT3 activation during Toxoplasma gondii infection. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:400. [PMID: 32767999 PMCID: PMC7412674 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic protozoan infecting almost one-third of the world’s population. Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein 18 (TgROP18) is a key virulence factor determining the parasite’s acute virulence and is secreted into host cells during infection. We previously identified the interaction of TgROP18 and host cell immune-related receptor protein IL20RB, and observed the activation of STAT3 in human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells infected by the rop16 knockout RH strain, though TgROP16 is regarded as being responsible for host STAT3 activation during T. gondii invasion. Therefore, we hypothesize TgROP18 can activate host STAT3 through binding to IL20RB. Methods CRISPR-CAS9 technology was used to generate the ROP16 and ROP18 double knockout RH strain, RH-∆rop16∆rop18. SDS-PAGE and western blot were used to detect STAT3 activation in different HaCaT cells with high endogenous IL20RB expression treated with T. gondii tachyzoites infection, recombinant ROP18, or IL-20. FRET and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was used to detect the protein-protein interaction. Results We observed that TgROP18 was involved in a synergic activation of the host JAK/STAT3 pathway together with TgROP16 in human HaCaT cells infected with T. gondii or treated with recombinant TgROP18 protein, stimulating host proinflammatory immune responses such as expression of TNF-α. The effect of recombinant ROP18 on STAT3 phosphorylation was presented in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, TgROP18 was identified to target IL20RB on its extracellular domain. When we treated different cell lines with the recombinant ROP18, STAT3 phosphorylation could only be observed in the cells with endogenous IL20RB expression, such as HaCaT cells. Conclusions These findings indicate that TgROP18-IL20RB interaction upon T. gondii invasion was involved in STAT3 activation, which is associated with host cell defense.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Kong
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Dan Jiang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Cheng He
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jing Xia
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Haixia Wei
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Lijuan Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hongjuan Peng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
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26
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Strain-specific disruption of interferon-stimulated N-myc and STAT interactor (NMI) function by Toxoplasma gondii type I ROP18 in human cells. Parasitology 2020; 147:1433-1442. [PMID: 32729455 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182020001249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein TgROP18 is a polymorphic virulence effector that targets immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) in rodents. Given that IRGs are uniquely diversified in rodents and not in other T. gondii intermediate hosts, the role of TgROP18 in manipulating non-rodent cells is unclear. Here we show that in human cells TgROP18I interacts with the interferon-gamma-inducible protein N-myc and STAT interactor (NMI) and that this is a property that is unique to the type I TgROP18 allele. Specifically, when expressed ectopically in mammalian cells only TgROP18I co-immunoprecipitates with NMI in IFN-γ-treated cells, while TgROP18II does not. In parasites expressing TgROP18I or TgROP18II, NMI only co-immunoprecipitates with TgROP18I and this is associated with allele-specific immunolocalization of NMI on the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM). We also found that TgROP18I reduces NMI association with IFN-γ-activated sequences (GAS) in the IRF1 gene promoter. Finally, we determined that polymorphisms in the C-terminal kinase domain of TgROP18I are required for allele-specific effects on NMI. Together, these data further define new host pathway targeted by TgROP18I and provide the first function driven by allelic differences in the highly polymorphic ROP18 locus.
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27
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Ihara F, Fereig RM, Himori Y, Kameyama K, Umeda K, Tanaka S, Ikeda R, Yamamoto M, Nishikawa Y. Toxoplasma gondii Dense Granule Proteins 7, 14, and 15 Are Involved in Modification and Control of the Immune Response Mediated via NF-κB Pathway. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1709. [PMID: 32849602 PMCID: PMC7412995 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infects almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans, leading to both cellular and humoral immune responses in the host. The virulence of T. gondii is strain specific and is defined by secreted effector proteins that disturb host immunity. Here, we focus on nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB) signaling, which regulates the induction of T-helper type 1 immunity. A luciferase assay for screening effector proteins, including ROPs and GRAs that have biological activity against an NFκB-dependent reporter plasmid, found that overexpression of GRA7, 14, and 15 of a type II strain resulted in a strong activity. Thus, our study was aimed at understanding the involvement of NFκB in the pathogenesis of toxoplasmosis through a comparative analysis of these three molecules. We found that GRA7 and GRA14 were partially involved in the activation of NFκB, whereas GRA15 was essential for NFκB activation. The deletion of GRA7, GRA14, and GRA15 in the type II Prugniaud (Pru) strain resulted in a defect in the nuclear translocation of RelA. Cells infected with the PruΔgra15 parasite showed reduced phosphorylation of inhibitor-κBα. GRA7, GRA14, and GRA15 deficiency decreased the levels of interleukin-6 in RAW246.7 cells, and RNA-seq analysis revealed that GRA7, GRA14, and GRA15 deficiency predominantly resulted in downregulation of gene expression mediated by NFκB. The virulence of all mutant strains increased, but PruΔgra14 only showed a slight increase in virulence. However, the intra-footpad injection of the highly-virulent type I RHΔgra14 parasites in mice resulted in increased virulence. This study shows that GRA7, 14, and 15-induced host immunity via NFκB limits parasite expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Ihara
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Ragab M Fereig
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.,Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena City, Egypt
| | - Yuu Himori
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Kyohko Kameyama
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Kosuke Umeda
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Sachi Tanaka
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.,Division of Animal Science, Department of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Rina Ikeda
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamamoto
- Department of Immunoparasitology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, WPI Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshifumi Nishikawa
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
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28
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El Saftawy EA, Amin NM, Sabry RM, El-Anwar N, Shash RY, Elsebaie EH, Wassef RM. Can Toxoplasma gondii Pave the Road for Dementia? J Parasitol Res 2020; 2020:8859857. [PMID: 32802484 PMCID: PMC7414348 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8859857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Dementia is an ominous neurological disease. Scientists proposed a link between its occurrence and the presence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). The long-term sequels of anti-Toxoplasma premunition, chiefly dominated by TNF-α, on the neurons and their receptors as the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), which is tangled in cognition and synaptic plasticity, are still not clear. IGF-1R mediates its action via IGF-1, and its depletion is incorporated in the pathogenesis of dementia. The activated TNF-α signaling pathway induces NF-κβ that may induce or inhibit neurogenesis. This study speculates the potential impact of anti-Toxoplasma immune response on the expression of IGF-1R in chronic cerebral toxoplasmosis. The distributive pattern of T. gondii cysts was studied in association with TNF-α serum levels, the in situ expression of NF-κβ, and IGF-1R in mice using the low virulent ME-49 T. gondii strain. There was an elevation of the TNF-α serum level (p value ≤ 0.004) and significant upsurge in NF-κβ whereas IGF-1R was of low abundance (p value < 0.05) compared to the controls. TNF-α had a strong positive correlation with the intracerebral expression of NF-κβ (r value ≈ 0.943, p value ≈ 0.005) and a strong negative correlation to IGF-1R (r value -0.584 and -0.725 for area% and O.D., respectively). This activated TNF-α/NF-κβ keeps T. gondii under control at the expense of IGF-1R expression, depriving neurons of the effect of IGF-1, the receptor's ligand. We therefore deduce that T. gondii immunopathological reaction may be a road paver for developing dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enas A. El Saftawy
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- Armed Forces College of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Noha M. Amin
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Rania M. Sabry
- Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Noha El-Anwar
- Armed Forces College of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
- Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt
| | - Rania Y. Shash
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Eman H. Elsebaie
- Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Rita M. Wassef
- Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
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29
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Hernández-de-Los-Ríos A, Murillo-Leon M, Mantilla-Muriel LE, Arenas AF, Vargas-Montes M, Cardona N, de-la-Torre A, Sepúlveda-Arias JC, Gómez-Marín JE. Influence of Two Major Toxoplasma Gondii Virulence Factors (ROP16 and ROP18) on the Immune Response of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Toxoplasmosis Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:413. [PMID: 31867288 PMCID: PMC6904310 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii ROP16 and ROP18 proteins have been identified as important virulence factors for this parasite. Here, we describe the effect of ROP16 and ROP18 proteins on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from individuals with different clinical status of infection. We evaluated IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-1β levels in supernatants from PBMCs cultures infected with tachyzoites of the T. gondii wild-type RH strain or with knock-out mutants of the rop16 and rop18 encoding genes (RHΔrop16 and RHΔrop18). Cytokine secretion was compared between PBMCs obtained from seronegative individuals (n = 10), with those with chronic asymptomatic (n = 8), or ocular infection (n = 12). We also evaluated if polymorphisms in the genes encoding for IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-1β, Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), and purinoreceptor P2RX7 influenced the production of the encoded proteins after ex vivo stimulation. In individuals with chronic asymptomatic infection, only a moderate effect on IL-10 levels was observed when PBMCs were infected with RHΔrop16, whereas a significant difference in the levels of inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-1β was observed in seronegative individuals, but this was also dependent on the host's cytokine gene polymorphisms. Infection with ROP16-deficient parasites had a significant effect on IFN-γ production in previously non-infected individuals, suggesting that ROP16 which is considered as a virulence factor plays a role during the primary infection in humans, but not in the secondary immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Hernández-de-Los-Ríos
- Grupo de Estudio en Parasitología Molecular (GEPAMOL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Mateo Murillo-Leon
- Grupo de Estudio en Parasitología Molecular (GEPAMOL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Luz Eliana Mantilla-Muriel
- Grupo Infección e Inmunidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Colombia
| | - Ailan Farid Arenas
- Grupo de Estudio en Parasitología Molecular (GEPAMOL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Mónica Vargas-Montes
- Grupo de Estudio en Parasitología Molecular (GEPAMOL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Néstor Cardona
- Grupo de Estudio en Parasitología Molecular (GEPAMOL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia.,Grupo Infección e Inmunidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Colombia.,Universidad Antonio Nariño, Armenia, Colombia
| | - Alejandra de-la-Torre
- Grupo NeURos, Unidad de Inmunología, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Juan Carlos Sepúlveda-Arias
- Grupo Infección e Inmunidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Colombia
| | - Jorge Enrique Gómez-Marín
- Grupo de Estudio en Parasitología Molecular (GEPAMOL), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia
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30
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Rommereim LM, Fox BA, Butler KL, Cantillana V, Taylor GA, Bzik DJ. Rhoptry and Dense Granule Secreted Effectors Regulate CD8 + T Cell Recognition of Toxoplasma gondii Infected Host Cells. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2104. [PMID: 31555296 PMCID: PMC6742963 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii secretes rhoptry (ROP) and dense granule (GRA) effector proteins to evade host immune clearance mediated by interferon gamma (IFN-γ), immunity-related GTPase (IRG) effectors, and CD8+ T cells. Here, we investigated the role of parasite-secreted effectors in regulating host access to parasitophorous vacuole (PV) localized parasite antigens and their presentation to CD8+ T cells by the major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) pathway. Antigen presentation of PV localized parasite antigens by MHC-I was significantly increased in macrophages and/or dendritic cells infected with mutant parasites that lacked expression of secreted GRA (GRA2, GRA3, GRA4, GRA5, GRA7, GRA12) or ROP (ROP5, ROP18) effectors. The ability of various secreted GRA or ROP effectors to suppress antigen presentation by MHC-I was dependent on cell type, expression of IFN-γ, or host IRG effectors. The suppression of antigen presentation by ROP5, ROP18, and GRA7 correlated with a role for these molecules in preventing PV disruption by IFN-γ-activated host IRG effectors. However, GRA2 mediated suppression of antigen presentation was not correlated with PV disruption. In addition, the GRA2 antigen presentation phenotypes were strictly co-dependent on the expression of the GRA6 protein. These results show that MHC-I antigen presentation of PV localized parasite antigens was controlled by mechanisms that were dependent or independent of IRG effector mediated PV disruption. Our findings suggest that the GRA6 protein underpins an important mechanism that enhances CD8+ T cell recognition of parasite-infected cells with damaged or ruptured PV membranes. However, in intact PVs, parasite secreted effector proteins that associate with the PV membrane or the intravacuolar network membranes play important roles to actively suppress antigen presentation by MHC-I to reduce CD8+ T cell recognition and clearance of Toxoplasma gondii infected host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah M Rommereim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Barbara A Fox
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Kiah L Butler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Viviana Cantillana
- Division of Geriatrics, Departments of Medicine, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Immunology, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Gregory A Taylor
- Division of Geriatrics, Departments of Medicine, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Immunology, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States.,Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - David J Bzik
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
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Young J, Dominicus C, Wagener J, Butterworth S, Ye X, Kelly G, Ordan M, Saunders B, Instrell R, Howell M, Stewart A, Treeck M. A CRISPR platform for targeted in vivo screens identifies Toxoplasma gondii virulence factors in mice. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3963. [PMID: 31481656 PMCID: PMC6722137 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11855-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide CRISPR screening is a powerful tool to identify genes required under selective conditions. However, the inherent scale of genome-wide libraries can limit their application in experimental settings where cell numbers are restricted, such as in vivo infections or single cell analysis. The use of small scale CRISPR libraries targeting gene subsets circumvents this problem. Here we develop a method for rapid generation of custom guide RNA (gRNA) libraries using arrayed single-stranded oligonucleotides for reproducible pooled cloning of CRISPR/Cas9 libraries. We use this system to generate mutant pools of different sizes in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondi and describe optimised analysis methods for small scale libraries. An in vivo genetic screen in the murine host identifies novel and known virulence factors and we confirm results using cloned knock-out parasites. Our study also reveals a potential trans-rescue of individual knock-out parasites in pools of mutants compared to homogenous knock-out lines of the key virulence factor MYR1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Young
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Caia Dominicus
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Jeanette Wagener
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Simon Butterworth
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Xingda Ye
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Gavin Kelly
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Merav Ordan
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Becky Saunders
- High Throughput Screening Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Rachael Instrell
- High Throughput Screening Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Michael Howell
- High Throughput Screening Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Aengus Stewart
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Moritz Treeck
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK.
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Wang ZX, Zhou CX, Calderón-Mantilla G, Petsalaki E, He JJ, Song HY, Elsheikha HM, Zhu XQ. iTRAQ-Based Global Phosphoproteomics Reveals Novel Molecular Differences Between Toxoplasma gondii Strains of Different Genotypes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:307. [PMID: 31508380 PMCID: PMC6716450 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
To gain insights into differences in the virulence among T. gondii strains at the post-translational level, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the phosphoproteome profile of T. gondii strains belonging to three different genotypes. Phosphopeptides from three strains, type I (RH strain), type II (PRU strain) and ToxoDB#9 (PYS strain), were enriched by titanium dioxide (TiO2) affinity chromatography and quantified using iTRAQ technology. A total of 1,441 phosphopeptides, 1,250 phosphorylation sites and 759 phosphoproteins were detected. In addition, 392, 298, and 436 differentially expressed phosphoproteins (DEPs) were identified in RH strain when comparing RH/PRU strains, in PRU strain when comparing PRU/PYS strains, and in PYS strain when comparing PYS/RH strains, respectively. Functional characterization of the DEPs using GO, KEGG, and STRING analyses revealed marked differences between the three strains. In silico kinase substrate motif analysis of the DEPs revealed three (RxxS, SxxE, and SxxxE), three (RxxS, SxxE, and SP), and five (SxxE, SP, SxE, LxRxxS, and RxxS) motifs in RH strain when comparing RH/PRU strains, in PRU strain when comparing PRU/PYS, and in PYS strain when comparing PYS/RH strains, respectively. This suggests that multiple overrepresented protein kinases including PKA, PKG, CKII, IKK, and MAPK could be involved in such a difference between T. gondii strains. Kinase associated network analysis showed that ROP5, ROP16, and cell-cycle-associated protein kinase CDK were the most connected kinase peptides. Our data reveal significant changes in the abundance of phosphoproteins between T. gondii genotypes, which explain some of the mechanisms that contribute to the virulence heterogeneity of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze-Xiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Chun-Xue Zhou
- Department of Parasitology, Shandong University School of Basic Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Guillermo Calderón-Mantilla
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Evangelia Petsalaki
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Jun-Jun He
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hai-Yang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China.,College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Hany M Elsheikha
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
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Zhou LJ, Chen M, Puthiyakunnon S, He C, Xia J, He CY, Deng SQ, Peng HJ. Toxoplasma gondii ROP18 inhibits human glioblastoma cell apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway by targeting host cell P2X1. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:284. [PMID: 31164145 PMCID: PMC6547611 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3529-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Apoptosis plays a critical role in the embryonic development, homeostasis of immune system and host defense against intracellular microbial pathogens. Infection by the obligate intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii can both inhibit and induce host cell apoptosis; however, the parasitic factors involved remain unclear. The T. gondii virulence factor ROP18 (TgROP18) has been reported to regulate host cell apoptosis; nevertheless, results for this regulation have been rarely reported or have provided contradictory findings. Human purinergic receptor 1 (P2X1) is an ATP-gated ion channel that responds to ATP stimulation and functions in cell apoptosis mediation. The precise roles of TgROP18 in T. gondii pathogenesis, and the relationship between TgROP18 and host P2X1 in host cell apoptosis are yet to be revealed. Methods Apoptosis rates were determined by flow cytometry (FCM) and TUNEL assay. The interaction between TgROP18 and the host P2X1 was measured by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay. Calcium influx and mitochondrial membrane depolarization were determined by FCM after JC-1 staining. The translocation of cytochrome C (Cyt C), Bax and Bcl2 proteins, expression of the apoptotic proteins PARP and caspase activation were detected by western blotting. Results The apoptosis rates of glial or immune cells (human SF268, mouse RAW264.7 and human THP-1 cells) infected by any T. gondii strain (RH-type I, ME49-type II and VEG-type III) were significantly inhibited compared with their uninfected controls. TgROP18 inhibited ATP-induced apoptosis of SF268 with P2X1 expression, but had no effect on RAW264.7 or THP-1 cells without detectable P2X1 expression. It was further identified that TgROP18 interacted with P2X1, and overexpression of ROP18 in COS7 cells significantly inhibited cell apoptosis mediated by P2X1. Moreover, TgROP18 also inhibited P2X1-mediated Ca2+ influx, translocation of cytochrome C from the mitochondria to the cytosol, and ATP-triggered caspase activation. Conclusions Toxoplasma gondii infection inhibits ATP-induced host cell apoptosis, regardless of strain virulence and host cell lines. TgROP18 targets the purinergic receptor P2X1 of the SF268 human neural cells and inhibits ATP-induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway, suggesting a sensor role for the host proapoptotic protein P2X1 in this process. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-019-3529-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Juan Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Santhosh Puthiyakunnon
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng He
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Xia
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Cynthia Y He
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sheng-Qun Deng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Juan Peng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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Zhu W, Li J, Pappoe F, Shen J, Yu L. Strategies Developed by Toxoplasma gondii to Survive in the Host. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:899. [PMID: 31080445 PMCID: PMC6497798 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most successful intracellular parasites, Toxoplasma gondii has developed several strategies to avoid destruction by the host. These include approaches such as rapid and efficient cell invasion to avoid phagocytic engulfment, negative regulation of the canonical CD40-CD40L-mediated autophagy pathway, impairment of the noncanonical IFN-γ-dependent autophagy pathway, and modulation of host cell survival and death to obtain lifelong parasite survival. Different virulent strains have even evolved different ways to cope with and evade destruction by the host. This review aims to illustrate every aspect of the game between the host and Toxoplasma during the process of infection. A better understanding of all aspects of the battle between Toxoplasma and its hosts will be useful for the development of better strategies and drugs to control the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanbo Zhu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Graduate School of Affiliated Anhui Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Jingyang Li
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,The Clinical Laboratory of the Third People's Hospital of Heifei, Hefei, China
| | - Faustina Pappoe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Jilong Shen
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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35
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Toxoplasma gondii Modulates the Host Cell Responses: An Overview of Apoptosis Pathways. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 2019:6152489. [PMID: 31080827 PMCID: PMC6475534 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6152489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Infection with Toxoplasma gondii has a major implication in public health. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that can infect all nucleated cells belonging to a wide range of host species. One of the particularities of this parasite is its invasion and persistence in host cells of immunocompetent people. This infection is usually asymptomatic. In immunocompromised patients, the infection is severe and symptomatic. The mechanisms by which T. gondii persists are poorly studied in humans. In mouse models, many aspects of the interaction between the parasite and the host cells are being studied. Apoptosis is one of these mechanisms that could be modulated by Toxoplasma to persist in host cells. Indeed, Toxoplasma has often been implicated in the regulation of apoptosis and viability mechanisms in both human and murine infection models. Several of these studies centered on the regulation of apoptosis pathways have revealed interference of this parasite with host cell immunity, cell signalling, and invasion mechanisms. This review provides an overview of recent studies concerning the effect of Toxoplasma on different apoptotic pathways in infected host cells.
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Li JX, He JJ, Elsheikha HM, Chen D, Zhai BT, Zhu XQ, Yan HK. Toxoplasma gondii ROP17 inhibits the innate immune response of HEK293T cells to promote its survival. Parasitol Res 2019; 118:783-792. [PMID: 30675671 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06215-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii secretes a group of rhoptry-secreted kinases (ROPs), which play significant roles in promoting intracellular infection. T. gondii rhoptry organelle protein 17 (ROP17) is one of these important effector proteins. However, its role in modulating host cell response during infection remains poorly understood. Here, we reveal that ROP17 (genotype I) induces significant changes in the expression genes and transcription factors of host cells. HEK293T cells were transfected with PCMV-N-HA-ROP17 plasmid or empty control PCMV-N-HA plasmid. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 3138 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PCMV-N-HA-ROP17-transfected HEK293T cells, including 1456 upregulated, 1682 downregulated DEGs. Also, 715 of the DEGs were transcription factors (TFs), including 423 downregulated TFs and 292 upregulated TFs. Most differentially expressed TFs, whether belong to signal transduction, cancer-related pathways or immune-related pathways, were downregulated in ROP17-expressing cells. ROP17 also decreased alternative splicing events in host cells, presumably via alteration of the expression of genes involved in the alternative splicing pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest a novel strategy whereby T. gondii ROP17 manipulates various cellular processes, including immune response through reprogramming host gene expression to promote its own colonization and survival in the infected host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Xi Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.,State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Jun He
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hany M Elsheikha
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Dan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin-Tao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China.,Inner Mongolia Agriculture University, Hohhot, 010018, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China. .,Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hai-Kuo Yan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
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Protein targets of thiazolidinone derivatives in Toxoplasma gondii and insights into their binding to ROP18. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:856. [PMID: 30497375 PMCID: PMC6267824 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5223-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Thiazolidinone derivatives show inhibitory activity (IC50) against the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, as well as high selectivity with high therapeutic index. To disclose the target proteins of the thiazolidinone core in this parasite, we explored in silico the active sites of different T. gondii proteins and estimated the binding-free energy of reported thiazolidinone molecules with inhibitory effect on invasion and replication of the parasite inside host cells. This enabled us to describe some of the most suitable structural characteristics to design a compound derived from the thiazolidinone core. Results The best binding affinity was observed in the active site of kinase proteins, we selected the active site of the T. gondii ROP18 kinase, because it is an important factor for the virulence and survival of the parasite. We present the possible effect of a derivative of thiazolidinone core in the active site of T. gondii ROP18 and described some characteristics of substituent groups that could improve the affinity and specificity of compounds derived from the thiazolidinone core against T. gondii. Conclusions The results of our study suggest that compounds derived from the thiazolidinone core have a preference for protein kinases of T. gondii, being promising compounds for the development of new drugs with potential anti-toxoplasmosis activity. Our findings highlight the importance of use computational studies for the understanding of the action mechanism of compounds with biological activity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5223-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Encephalitis is mediated by ROP18 of Toxoplasma gondii, a severe pathogen in AIDS patients. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E5344-E5352. [PMID: 29784816 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1801118115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurotropic parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed parasitic protozoan among mammalian hosts, including humans. During the course of infection, the CNS is the most commonly damaged organ among invaded tissues. The polymorphic rhoptry protein 18 (ROP18) is a key serine (Ser)/threonine (Thr) kinase that phosphorylates host proteins to modulate acute virulence. However, the basis of neurotropism and the specific substrates through which ROP18 exerts neuropathogenesis remain unknown. Using mass spectrometry, we performed proteomic analysis of proteins that selectively bind to active ROP18 and identified RTN1-C, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that is preferentially expressed in the CNS. We demonstrated that ROP18 is associated with the N-terminal portion of RTN1-C and specifically phosphorylates RTN1-C at Ser7/134 and Thr4/8/118. ROP18 phosphorylation of RTN1-C triggers ER stress-mediated apoptosis in neural cells. Remarkably, ROP18 phosphorylation of RTN1-C enhances glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) acetylation by attenuating the activity of histone deacetylase (HDAC), and this event is associated with an increase of neural apoptosis. These results clearly demonstrate that both RTN1-C and HDACs are involved in T. gondii ROP18-mediated pathogenesis of encephalitis during Toxoplasma infection.
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Mahanta A, Ganguli P, Barah P, Sarkar RR, Sarmah N, Phukan S, Bora M, Baruah S. Integrative Approaches to Understand the Mastery in Manipulation of Host Cytokine Networks by Protozoan Parasites with Emphasis on Plasmodium and Leishmania Species. Front Immunol 2018. [PMID: 29527208 PMCID: PMC5829655 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Diseases by protozoan pathogens pose a significant public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries, where these are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Protozoan pathogens tend to establish chronic infections underscoring their competence at subversion of host immune processes, an important component of disease pathogenesis and of their virulence. Modulation of cytokine and chemokine levels, their crosstalks and downstream signaling pathways, and thereby influencing recruitment and activation of immune cells is crucial to immune evasion and subversion. Many protozoans are now known to secrete effector molecules that actively modulate host immune transcriptome and bring about alterations in host epigenome to alter cytokine levels and signaling. The complexity of multi-dimensional events during interaction of hosts and protozoan parasites ranges from microscopic molecular levels to macroscopic ecological and epidemiological levels that includes disrupting metabolic pathways, cell cycle (Toxoplasma and Theileria sp.), respiratory burst, and antigen presentation (Leishmania spp.) to manipulation of signaling hubs. This requires an integrative systems biology approach to combine the knowledge from all these levels to identify the complex mechanisms of protozoan evolution via immune escape during host-parasite coevolution. Considering the diversity of protozoan parasites, in this review, we have focused on Leishmania and Plasmodium infections. Along with the biological understanding, we further elucidate the current efforts in generating, integrating, and modeling of multi-dimensional data to explain the modulation of cytokine networks by these two protozoan parasites to achieve their persistence in host via immune escape during host-parasite coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusree Mahanta
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India.,Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bengaluru, India
| | - Piyali Ganguli
- Chemical Engineering and Process Development, CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL Campus, Pune, India
| | - Pankaj Barah
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India
| | - Ram Rup Sarkar
- Chemical Engineering and Process Development, CSIR- National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NCL Campus, Pune, India
| | - Neelanjana Sarmah
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India
| | - Saurav Phukan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India
| | - Mayuri Bora
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India
| | - Shashi Baruah
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India
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40
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Xia J, Kong L, Zhou LJ, Wu SZ, Yao LJ, He C, He CY, Peng HJ. Genome-Wide Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation-Based Proteomic Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii ROP18's Human Interactome Shows Its Key Role in Regulation of Cell Immunity and Apoptosis. Front Immunol 2018; 9:61. [PMID: 29459857 PMCID: PMC5807661 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein ROP18 (TgROP18) is a key virulence factor secreted into the host cell during invasion, where it modulates the host cell response by interacting with its host targets. However, only a few TgROP18 targets have been identified. In this study, we applied a high-throughput protein-protein interaction (PPI) screening in human cells using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) to identify the targets of Type I strain ROP18 (ROP18I) and Type II strain ROP18 (ROP18II). From a pool of more than 18,000 human proteins, 492 and 141 proteins were identified as the targets of ROP18I and ROP18II, respectively. Gene ontology, search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins PPI network, and Ingenuity pathway analyses revealed that the majority of these proteins were associated with immune response and apoptosis. This indicates a key role of TgROP18 in manipulating host's immunity and cell apoptosis, which might contribute to the immune escape and successful parasitism of the parasite. Among the proteins identified, the immunity-related proteins N-myc and STAT interactor, IL20RB, IL21, ubiquitin C, and vimentin and the apoptosis-related protein P2RX1 were further verified as ROP18I targets by sensitized emission-fluorescence resonance energy transfer (SE-FRET) and co-immunoprecipitation. Our study substantially contributes to the current limited knowledge on human targets of TgROP18 and provides a novel tool to investigate the function of parasite effectors in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Xia
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Kong
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li-Juan Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shui-Zhen Wu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li-Jie Yao
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cheng He
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cynthia Y He
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hong-Juan Peng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Plasmodium falciparum PfEMP1 Modulates Monocyte/Macrophage Transcription Factor Activation and Cytokine and Chemokine Responses. Infect Immun 2017; 86:IAI.00447-17. [PMID: 29038124 PMCID: PMC5736827 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00447-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria is slow to develop, and it is often asserted that malaria suppresses host immunity, although this is poorly understood and the molecular basis for such activity remains unknown. P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is a virulence factor that plays a key role in parasite-host interactions. We investigated the immunosuppressive effect of PfEMP1 on monocytes/macrophages, which are central to the antiparasitic innate response. RAW macrophages and human primary monocytes were stimulated with wild-type 3D7 or CS2 parasites or transgenic PfEMP1-null parasites. To study the immunomodulatory effect of PfEMP1, transcription factor activation and cytokine and chemokine responses were measured. The level of activation of NF-κB was significantly lower in macrophages stimulated with parasites that express PfEMP1 at the red blood cell surface membrane than in macrophages stimulated with PfEMP1-null parasites. Modulation of additional transcription factors, including CREB, also occurred, resulting in reduced immune gene expression and decreased tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) release. Similarly, human monocytes released less IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), MIP-1β, and TNF specifically in response to VAR2CSA PfEMP1-containing parasites than in response to PfEMP1-null parasites, suggesting that this immune regulation by PfEMP1 is important in naturally occurring infections. These results indicate that PfEMP1 is an immunomodulatory molecule that affects the activation of a range of transcription factors, dampening cytokine and chemokine responses. Therefore, these findings describe a potential molecular basis for immune suppression by P. falciparum.
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Yakubu RR, Weiss LM, Silmon de Monerri NC. Post-translational modifications as key regulators of apicomplexan biology: insights from proteome-wide studies. Mol Microbiol 2017; 107:1-23. [PMID: 29052917 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Parasites of the Apicomplexa phylum, such as Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, undergo complex life cycles involving multiple stages with distinct biology and morphologies. Post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, acetylation and glycosylation, regulate numerous cellular processes, playing a role in every aspect of cell biology. PTMs can occur on proteins at any time in their lifespan and through alterations of target protein activity, localization, protein-protein interactions, among other functions, dramatically increase proteome diversity and complexity. In addition, PTMs can be induced or removed on changes in cellular environment and state. Thus, PTMs are likely to be key regulators of developmental transitions, biology and pathogenesis of apicomplexan parasites. In this review we examine the roles of PTMs in both parasite-specific and conserved eukaryotic processes, and the potential crosstalk between PTMs, that together regulate the intricate lives of these protozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rama R Yakubu
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA.,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA
| | - Louis M Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA.,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA
| | - Natalie C Silmon de Monerri
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA.,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA
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43
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Zhang X, Su R, Cheng Z, Zhu W, Li Y, Wang Y, Du J, Cai Y, Luo Q, Shen J, Yu L. A mechanistic study of Toxoplasma gondii ROP18 inhibiting differentiation of C17.2 neural stem cells. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:585. [PMID: 29169404 PMCID: PMC5701453 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2529-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Congenital infection of Toxoplasma gondii is an important factor causing birth defects. The neural stem cells (NSCs) are found to be one of the target cells for the parasite during development of the brain. As a key virulence factor of the parasite that hijacks host cellular functions, ROP18 has been demonstrated to mediate the inhibition of host innate and adaptive immune responses through specific binding different host immunity related molecules. However, its pathogenic actions in NSCs remain elusive. Results In the present study, ROP18 recombinant adenovirus (Ad-ROP18) was constructed and used to infect C17.2 NSCs. After 3d- or 5d–culture in differentiation medium, the differentiation of C17.2 NSCs and the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were detected. The results showed that the protein level of βIII-tubulin, a marker of neurons, in the Ad-ROP18-transfected C17.2 NSCs was significantly decreased, indicating that the differentiation of C17.2 NSCs was inhibited by the ROP18. The β-catenin level in the Ad-ROP18-transfected C17.2 NSCs was found to be lower than that in the Ad group. Also, neurogenin1 (Ngn1) and neurogenin2 (Ngn2) were downregulated significantly (P < 0.05) in the Ad-ROP18-transfected C17.2 NSCs compared to the Ad group. Accordingly, the TOP flash/FOP flash dual-luciferase report system showed that the transfection of Ad-ROP18 decreased the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activity in the C17.2 NSCs. Conclusions The inhibition effect of the ROP18 from T. gondii (TgROP18) on the neuronal differentiation of C17.2 NSCs was at least partly mediated through inhibiting the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, eventually resulting in the downregulation of Ngn1 and Ngn2. The findings help to better understand potential mechanisms of brain pathology induced by TgROP18.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Su
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengyang Cheng
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanbo Zhu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Yelin Li
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongzhong Wang
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Modern Biomanufacturing, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230039, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Du
- Department of Biochemistry, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Yihong Cai
- Department of Health Inspection and Quarantine, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Qingli Luo
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Jilong Shen
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology; Anhui Key Laboratory of Zoonoses, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, People's Republic of China.
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Tang Y, Zheng M, An R, Chen L, Gong L, Cai H, Liu K, Yu L, Shen J, Du J. Proteasomal degradation of T. gondii ROP18 requires Derlin2. Acta Trop 2017; 174:106-113. [PMID: 28669563 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Revised: 05/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
T. gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite, belonging to the Phylum Apicomplexa, infecting all warm-blooded animals including humans. During host cell invasion, specialized cytoskeletal and secretory organelles play a pivotal role. ROP18, as a member of the ROP2 family, has been identified as a key virulence factor mediating pathogenesis in T. gondii. Here, we identify an ER-resident protein, Derlin2, a factor implicated in the removal of misfolded proteins from the ER for cytosolic degradation, as a component of the machinery required for ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD). We identified Derlin2 interacting with ROP18 by yeast two-hybrid screening system. The interaction between ROP18 and Derlin2 was further confirmed through in vitro GST pull-down and in vivo immunoprecipitation assays. By immunofluorescence assay, we found that ROP18 co-localized with Derlin2 in the endoplasmic reticulum. Using overexpression and knockdown approaches, we demonstrated that Derlin2 was required for T. gondii ROP18 degradation. Consistently, cycloheximide chase experiments showed that the degradation of ROP18 relied on the Derlin2, but not Derlin1. These results indicate that interaction between Derlin2 and ROP18 is functionally relevant and leads ultimately to degradation of ROP18. The finding provides the basis for future studies on Derlin2-dependent ERAD of T. gondii ROP18 and subsequent antigen generation.
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45
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Brasil TR, Freire-de-Lima CG, Morrot A, Vetö Arnholdt AC. Host- Toxoplasma gondii Coadaptation Leads to Fine Tuning of the Immune Response. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1080. [PMID: 28955329 PMCID: PMC5601305 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii has successfully developed strategies to evade host's immune response and reach immune privileged sites, which remains in a controlled environment inside quiescent tissue cysts. In this review, we will approach several known mechanisms used by the parasite to modulate mainly the murine immune system at its favor. In what follows, we review recent findings revealing interference of host's cell autonomous immunity and cell signaling, gene expression, apoptosis, and production of microbicide molecules such as nitric oxide and oxygen reactive species during parasite infection. Modulation of host's metalloproteinases of extracellular matrix is also discussed. These immune evasion strategies are determinant to parasite dissemination throughout the host taking advantage of cells from the immune system to reach brain and retina, crossing crucial hosts' barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaís Rigueti Brasil
- Laboratório de Biologia do Reconhecer, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Alexandre Morrot
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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46
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Ngô HM, Zhou Y, Lorenzi H, Wang K, Kim TK, Zhou Y, El Bissati K, Mui E, Fraczek L, Rajagopala SV, Roberts CW, Henriquez FL, Montpetit A, Blackwell JM, Jamieson SE, Wheeler K, Begeman IJ, Naranjo-Galvis C, Alliey-Rodriguez N, Davis RG, Soroceanu L, Cobbs C, Steindler DA, Boyer K, Noble AG, Swisher CN, Heydemann PT, Rabiah P, Withers S, Soteropoulos P, Hood L, McLeod R. Toxoplasma Modulates Signature Pathways of Human Epilepsy, Neurodegeneration & Cancer. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11496. [PMID: 28904337 PMCID: PMC5597608 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10675-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
One third of humans are infected lifelong with the brain-dwelling, protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Approximately fifteen million of these have congenital toxoplasmosis. Although neurobehavioral disease is associated with seropositivity, causality is unproven. To better understand what this parasite does to human brains, we performed a comprehensive systems analysis of the infected brain: We identified susceptibility genes for congenital toxoplasmosis in our cohort of infected humans and found these genes are expressed in human brain. Transcriptomic and quantitative proteomic analyses of infected human, primary, neuronal stem and monocytic cells revealed effects on neurodevelopment and plasticity in neural, immune, and endocrine networks. These findings were supported by identification of protein and miRNA biomarkers in sera of ill children reflecting brain damage and T. gondii infection. These data were deconvoluted using three systems biology approaches: "Orbital-deconvolution" elucidated upstream, regulatory pathways interconnecting human susceptibility genes, biomarkers, proteomes, and transcriptomes. "Cluster-deconvolution" revealed visual protein-protein interaction clusters involved in processes affecting brain functions and circuitry, including lipid metabolism, leukocyte migration and olfaction. Finally, "disease-deconvolution" identified associations between the parasite-brain interactions and epilepsy, movement disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. This "reconstruction-deconvolution" logic provides templates of progenitor cells' potentiating effects, and components affecting human brain parasitism and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huân M Ngô
- The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.,Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.,BrainMicro LLC, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Ying Zhou
- The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | | | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Taek-Kyun Kim
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Yong Zhou
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | | | - Ernest Mui
- The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | | | | | | | - Fiona L Henriquez
- The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.,FLH, IBEHR School of Science and Sport, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE, UK
| | - Alexandre Montpetit
- Genome Quebec, Montréal, QC H3B 1S6, Canada; McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada
| | - Jenefer M Blackwell
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, United Kingdom.,Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Sarra E Jamieson
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Charles Cobbs
- California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, 94114, USA
| | - Dennis A Steindler
- JM USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, 02111, USA
| | - Kenneth Boyer
- Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - A Gwendolyn Noble
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Charles N Swisher
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | | | - Peter Rabiah
- Northshore University Health System, Evanston, IL, 60201, USA
| | | | | | - Leroy Hood
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Rima McLeod
- The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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He C, Kong L, Zhou L, Xia J, Wei H, Liu M, Peng H. Host Cell Vimentin Restrains Toxoplasma gondii Invasion and Phosphorylation of Vimentin is Partially Regulated by Interaction with TgROP18. Int J Biol Sci 2017; 13:1126-1137. [PMID: 29104504 PMCID: PMC5666328 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.21247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, manipulates the cytoskeleton of its host cells to facilitate infection. A significant rearrangement of host cell vimentin around Toxoplasma parasitophorous vacuoles is observed during the course of infection. ROP18 (TgROP18) is a serine-threonine kinase secreted by T. gondii rhoptry and a major virulence factor; however, the mechanisms by which this kinase modulates host factors remain poorly understood. Different and dynamic patterns of vimentin solubility, phosphorylation, and expression levels were observed in host cells infected with T. gondii strain RH and RH Δrop18 strains, suggesting that TgROP18 contributes to the regulation of these dynamic patterns. Additionally, host cell vimentin was demonstrated to interact with and be phosphorylated by TgROP18. A significant increase in T. gondii infection rate was observed in vimentin knockout human brain microvessel endothelial cells (HBMEC), while vimentin knockout or knock down in host cells had no impact on parasite proliferation and egress. These results indicate that host cell vimentin can inhibit T. gondii invasion. Interestingly, western blotting of different mouse tissues indicated that the lowest vimentin expression level was present in the brain, which may explain the mechanism underlying the nervous system tropism of T. gondii, and the phenomenon of huge cyst burdens developing in the mouse brain during chronic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng He
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Ling Kong
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Lijuan Zhou
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Jing Xia
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Haixia Wei
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Min Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
| | - Hongjuan Peng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510515, China
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48
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Neurophysiological Changes Induced by Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection. Pathogens 2017; 6:pathogens6020019. [PMID: 28513566 PMCID: PMC5488653 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens6020019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most pervasive neurotropic pathogens in the world, the host-parasite interactions during CNS infection and the consequences of neurological infection are just beginning to be unraveled. The chronic stages of infection have been considered dormant, although several studies have found correlations of infection with an array of host behavioral changes. These may facilitate parasite transmission and impact neurological diseases. During infection, in addition to the presence of the parasites within neurons, host-mediated neuroimmune and hormonal responses to infection are also present. T. gondii induces numerous changes to host neurons during infection and globally alters host neurological signaling pathways, as discussed in this review. Understanding the neurophysiological changes in the host brain is imperative to understanding the parasitic mechanisms and to delineate the effects of this single-celled parasite on health and its contribution to neurological disease.
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49
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Fereig RM, Kuroda Y, Terkawi MA, Mahmoud ME, Nishikawa Y. Immunization with Toxoplasma gondii peroxiredoxin 1 induces protective immunity against toxoplasmosis in mice. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176324. [PMID: 28448521 PMCID: PMC5407612 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
To develop a vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii, a vaccine antigen with immune-stimulating activity is required. In the present study, we investigated the immunogenicity and prophylactic potential of T. gondii peroxiredoxin 1 (TgPrx1). The TgPrx1 was detected in the ascitic fluid of mice 6 days postinfection, while specific antibody levels were low in the sera of chronically infected mice. Treatment of murine peritoneal macrophages with recombinant TgPrx1 triggered IL-12p40 and IL-6 production, but not IL-10 production. In response to TgPrx1, activation of NF-kB and IL-6 production were confirmed in mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). These results suggest the immune-stimulating potentials of TgPrx1. Immunization of mice with recombinant TgPrx1 stimulated specific antibody production (IgG1 and IgG2c). Moreover, spleen cell proliferation and interferon-gamma production significantly increased in the TgPrx1- sensitized cells from mice immunized with the same antigen. Immunization with TgPrx1 also increased mouse survival and decreased cerebral parasite burden against lethal T. gondii infection. Thus, our results suggest that TgPrx1 efficiently induces humoral and cellular immune responses and is useful as a new vaccine antigen against toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragab M. Fereig
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena City, Qena, Egypt
| | - Yasuhiro Kuroda
- Department of Applied Biochemistry, Tokai University, Kita-kaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Mohamad Alaa Terkawi
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Motamed Elsayed Mahmoud
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Animal Behavior, Management, Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag City, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Yoshifumi Nishikawa
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
- * E-mail:
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50
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Yang Z, Hou Y, Hao T, Rho HS, Wan J, Luan Y, Gao X, Yao J, Pan A, Xie Z, Qian J, Liao W, Zhu H, Zhou X. A Human Proteome Array Approach to Identifying Key Host Proteins Targeted by Toxoplasma Kinase ROP18. Mol Cell Proteomics 2017; 16:469-484. [PMID: 28087594 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m116.063602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2016] [Revised: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma kinase ROP18 is a key molecule responsible for the virulence of Toxoplasma gondii; however, the mechanisms by which ROP18 exerts parasite virulence via interaction with host proteins remain limited to a small number of identified substrates. To identify a broader array of ROP18 substrates, we successfully purified bioactive mature ROP18 and used it to probe a human proteome array. Sixty eight new putative host targets were identified. Functional annotation analysis suggested that these proteins have a variety of functions, including metabolic process, kinase activity and phosphorylation, cell growth, apoptosis and cell death, and immunity, indicating a pleiotropic role of ROP18 kinase. Among these proteins, four candidates, p53, p38, UBE2N, and Smad1, were further validated. We demonstrated that ROP18 targets p53, p38, UBE2N, and Smad1 for degradation. Importantly, we demonstrated that ROP18 phosphorylates Smad1 Ser-187 to trigger its proteasome-dependent degradation. Further functional characterization of the substrates of ROP18 may enhance understanding of the pathogenesis of Toxoplasma infection and provide new therapeutic targets. Similar strategies could be used to identify novel host targets for other microbial kinases functioning at the pathogen-host interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoshou Yang
- From the ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yongheng Hou
- From the ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Taofang Hao
- From the ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hee-Sool Rho
- the §Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Jun Wan
- the ¶Department of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287
| | - Yizhao Luan
- the ‖State Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China.,the **School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Xin Gao
- ‡‡The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China; and
| | - Jianping Yao
- §§The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Aihua Pan
- From the ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhi Xie
- the ‖State Key Lab of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Jiang Qian
- the ¶Department of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287
| | - Wanqin Liao
- From the ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China;
| | - Heng Zhu
- the §Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205;
| | - Xingwang Zhou
- From the ‡Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China;
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