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Matsui D, Yamada T, Hayashi J, Toyotake Y, Takeda Y, Wakayama M. Biochemical characterization of l-asparagine synthetase from Streptococcus thermophilus and its application in the enzymatic synthesis of β-aspartyl compounds. J Biosci Bioeng 2024:S1389-1723(24)00164-6. [PMID: 38981802 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2024.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
β-Aspartyl compounds, such as β-aspartyl hydroxamate (serine racemase inhibitor), β-aspartyl-l-lysine (moisture retention), and β-aspartyl-l-tryptophan (immunomodulator) are physiologically active compounds. There is limited literature on the development of effective methods of production of β-aspartyl compounds. In this study, we describe the biochemical characterization of asparagine synthetase (AS) from Streptococcus thermophilus NBRC 13957 (StAS) and the enzymatic synthesis of β-aspartyl compounds using StAS. Recombinant StAS was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and it displayed activity towards hydroxylamine, methylamine, ethylamine, and ammonia, as acceptors of the β-aspartyl moiety. StAS exhibited higher activity toward hydroxylamine and ethylamine as acceptor substrates compared with the enzymes from Lactobacillus delbrueckii NBRC 13953, Lactobacillus reuteri NBRC 15892, and E. coli. The coupling of the synthesis of β-aspartyl compounds by StAS with an ATP-regeneration system using polyphosphate kinase from Deinococcus proteoliticus NBRC 101906 displayed an approximately 2.5-fold increase in the production of β-aspartylhydroxamate from 1.06 mM to 2.53 mM after a 76-h reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Matsui
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Taizo Yamada
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Junji Hayashi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8513, Japan
| | - Yosuke Toyotake
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Yoichi Takeda
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan
| | - Mamoru Wakayama
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan.
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2
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Bharadava K, Upadhyay TK, Kaushal RS, Ahmad I, Alraey Y, Siddiqui S, Saeed M. Genomic Insight of Leishmania Parasite: In-Depth Review of Drug Resistance Mechanisms and Genetic Mutations. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:12500-12514. [PMID: 38524425 PMCID: PMC10955595 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c09400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis, which is caused by a parasitic protozoan of the genus Leishmania, is still a major threat to global health, impacting millions of individuals worldwide in endemic areas. Chemotherapy has been the principal method for managing leishmaniasis; nevertheless, the evolution of drug resistance offers a significant obstacle to therapeutic success. Drug-resistant behavior in these parasites is a complex phenomenon including both innate and acquired mechanisms. Resistance is frequently related to changes in drug transportation, drug target alterations, and enhanced efflux of the drug from the pathogen. This review has revealed specific genetic mutations in Leishmania parasites that are associated with resistance to commonly used antileishmanial drugs such as pentavalent antimonials, miltefosine, amphotericin B, and paromomycin, resulting in changes in gene expression along with the functioning of various proteins involved in drug uptake, metabolism, and efflux. Understanding the genetic changes linked to drug resistance in Leishmania parasites is essential for creating approaches for tackling and avoiding the spread of drug-resistant variants. Based on which specific treatments focus on mutations and pathways could potentially improve treatment efficacy and help long-term leishmaniasis control. More study is needed to uncover the complete range of genetic changes generating medication resistance and to develop new therapies based on available information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krupanshi Bharadava
- Biophysics
& Structural Biology, Research & Development Cell, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat 391760, India
| | - Tarun Kumar Upadhyay
- Department
of Life Sciences, Parul Institute of Applied Sciences & Research
and Development Cell, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat 391760, India
| | - Radhey Shyam Kaushal
- Biophysics
& Structural Biology, Research & Development Cell, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat 391760, India
- Department
of Life Sciences, Parul Institute of Applied Sciences & Research
and Development Cell, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat 391760, India
| | - Irfan Ahmad
- Department
of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasser Alraey
- Department
of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Samra Siddiqui
- Department
of Health Service Management, College of Public Health and Health
Informatics, University of Hail, Hail 55476, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Saeed
- Department
of Biology, College of Science, University
of Hail, Hail 55476, Saudi Arabia
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3
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John T, Saffoon N, Walsby-Tickle J, Hester SS, Dingler FA, Millington CL, McCullagh JSO, Patel KJ, Hopkinson RJ, Schofield CJ. Aldehyde-mediated inhibition of asparagine biosynthesis has implications for diabetes and alcoholism. Chem Sci 2024; 15:2509-2517. [PMID: 38362406 PMCID: PMC10866355 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc06551k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Patients with alcoholism and type 2 diabetes manifest altered metabolism, including elevated aldehyde levels and unusually low asparagine levels. We show that asparagine synthetase B (ASNS), the only human asparagine-forming enzyme, is inhibited by disease-relevant reactive aldehydes, including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Cellular studies show non-cytotoxic amounts of reactive aldehydes induce a decrease in asparagine levels. Biochemical analyses reveal inhibition results from reaction of the aldehydes with the catalytically important N-terminal cysteine of ASNS. The combined cellular and biochemical results suggest a possible mechanism underlying the low asparagine levels in alcoholism and diabetes. The results will stimulate research on the biological consequences of the reactions of aldehydes with nucleophilic residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias John
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford 12 Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3TA UK
| | - Nadia Saffoon
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford 12 Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3TA UK
| | - John Walsby-Tickle
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford 12 Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3TA UK
| | - Svenja S Hester
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Felix A Dingler
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital/Headley Way Oxford OX3 9DS UK
| | - Christopher L Millington
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital/Headley Way Oxford OX3 9DS UK
| | - James S O McCullagh
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford 12 Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3TA UK
| | - Ketan J Patel
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital/Headley Way Oxford OX3 9DS UK
| | - Richard J Hopkinson
- Leicester Institute for Structural and Chemical Biology and School of Chemistry, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building Lancaster Road Leicester LE1 7RH UK
| | - Christopher J Schofield
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford 12 Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3TA UK
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Hooker JC, Smith M, Zapata G, Charette M, Luckert D, Mohr RM, Daba KA, Warkentin TD, Hadinezhad M, Barlow B, Hou A, Lefebvre F, Golshani A, Cober ER, Samanfar B. Differential gene expression provides leads to environmentally regulated soybean seed protein content. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1260393. [PMID: 37790790 PMCID: PMC10544915 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1260393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Soybean is an important global source of plant-based protein. A persistent trend has been observed over the past two decades that soybeans grown in western Canada have lower seed protein content than soybeans grown in eastern Canada. In this study, 10 soybean genotypes ranging in average seed protein content were grown in an eastern location (control) and three western locations (experimental) in Canada. Seed protein and oil contents were measured for all lines in each location. RNA-sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were used to identify differentially expressed genes that may account for relatively low protein content in western-grown soybeans. Differentially expressed genes were enriched for ontologies and pathways that included amino acid biosynthesis, circadian rhythm, starch metabolism, and lipid biosynthesis. Gene ontology, pathway mapping, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping collectively provide a close inspection of mechanisms influencing nitrogen assimilation and amino acid biosynthesis between soybeans grown in the East and West. It was found that western-grown soybeans had persistent upregulation of asparaginase (an asparagine hydrolase) and persistent downregulation of asparagine synthetase across 30 individual differential expression datasets. This specific difference in asparagine metabolism between growing environments is almost certainly related to the observed differences in seed protein content because of the positive correlation between seed protein content at maturity and free asparagine in the developing seed. These results provided pointed information on seed protein-related genes influenced by environment. This information is valuable for breeding programs and genetic engineering of geographically optimized soybeans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia C. Hooker
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Myron Smith
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gerardo Zapata
- Canadian Centre for Computational Genomics, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Martin Charette
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Doris Luckert
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ramona M. Mohr
- Brandon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon, MB, Canada
| | - Ketema A. Daba
- Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | - Mehri Hadinezhad
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Brent Barlow
- Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Anfu Hou
- Morden Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Morden, MB, Canada
| | | | - Ashkan Golshani
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Elroy R. Cober
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Bahram Samanfar
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Rivara-Espasandín M, Palumbo MC, Sosa EJ, Radío S, Turjanski AG, Sotelo-Silveira J, Fernandez Do Porto D, Smircich P. Omics data integration facilitates target selection for new antiparasitic drugs against TriTryp infections. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1136321. [PMID: 37089958 PMCID: PMC10115950 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1136321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction:Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, and Leishmania spp., commonly referred to as TriTryps, are a group of protozoan parasites that cause important human diseases affecting millions of people belonging to the most vulnerable populations worldwide. Current treatments have limited efficiencies and can cause serious side effects, so there is an urgent need to develop new control strategies. Presently, the identification and prioritization of appropriate targets can be aided by integrative genomic and computational approaches.Methods: In this work, we conducted a genome-wide multidimensional data integration strategy to prioritize drug targets. We included genomic, transcriptomic, metabolic, and protein structural data sources, to delineate candidate proteins with relevant features for target selection in drug development.Results and Discussion: Our final ranked list includes proteins shared by TriTryps and covers a range of biological functions including essential proteins for parasite survival or growth, oxidative stress-related enzymes, virulence factors, and proteins that are exclusive to these parasites. Our strategy found previously described candidates, which validates our approach as well as new proteins that can be attractive targets to consider during the initial steps of drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Rivara-Espasandín
- Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Miranda Clara Palumbo
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel J. Sosa
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago Radío
- Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Adrián G. Turjanski
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN) CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José Sotelo-Silveira
- Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Dario Fernandez Do Porto
- Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- *Correspondence: Dario Fernandez Do Porto, ; Pablo Smircich,
| | - Pablo Smircich
- Departamento de Genómica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- *Correspondence: Dario Fernandez Do Porto, ; Pablo Smircich,
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Kushwaha V, Capalash N. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (AARS) as an attractive drug target in neglected tropical trypanosomatid diseases-Leishmaniasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2022; 251:111510. [PMID: 35988745 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2022.111510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
TriTryp diseases (Leishmaniasis, Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), and Chagas disease) are devastating parasitic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that affect billions of people in developing countries, cause high mortality in humans, and impose a large socio-economic burden. The current treatment options against tritryp diseases are suboptimal and challenging due to the emergence of resistance against available tritryp drugs. Hence, designing and developing effective anti-tritryp drugs with novel targets are required. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) involved in specific aminoacylation of transfer RNAs (tRNAs), interrupt protein synthesis through inhibitors, and retard the parasite growth. AaRSs have long been studied as therapeutic targets in bacteria, and three aaRS inhibitors, mupirocin (against IleRS), tavaborole AN2690 (against LeuRS), and halofuginone (against ProRS), are already in clinical practice. The structural differences between tritryp and human aaRSs and the presence of unique sequences (N-terminal domain/C-terminal domain/catalytic domain) make them potential target for developing selective inhibitors. Drugs based on a single aaRS target developed by high-throughput screening (HTS) are less effective due to the emergence of resistance. However, designing multi-targeted drugs may be a better strategy for resistance development. In this perspective, we discuss the characteristics of tritryp aaRSs, sequence conservation in their orthologs and their peculiarities, recent advancements towards the single-target and multi-target aaRS inhibitors developed through rational design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kushwaha
- Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Sector-25, South Campus, Chandigarh 160025, India.
| | - Neena Capalash
- Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Sector-25, South Campus, Chandigarh 160025, India.
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Gilbert R, Tanenbaum N, Bhattacharya S. Asparagine biosynthesis as a mechanism of increased host lethality induced by Serratia marcescens in simulated microgravity environments. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09379. [PMID: 35592661 PMCID: PMC9111996 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
While studies have shown an increase in pathogenicity in several microbes during spaceflight and after exposure to simulated microgravity, the mechanisms underlying these changes in phenotype are not understood across different pathogens, particularly in opportunistic pathogens. This study evaluates the mechanism for increased virulence of the opportunistic gram-negative bacterium, Serratia marcescens, in simulated microgravity. Low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG) is used in ground-based studies to simulate the effects of microgravity as experienced in spaceflight. Our previous findings showed that there was a significant increase in mortality rates of the Drosophila melanogaster host when infected with either spaceflight or LSMMG treated S. marcescens. Here, we report that LSMMG increases asparagine uptake and synthesis in S. marcescens and that the increased host lethality induced by LSMMG bacteria grown in rich media can be recapitulated in minimal media by adding only aspartate and glutamine, the substrates of asparagine biosynthesis. Interestingly, increased bacterial growth rate alone is not sufficient to contribute to maximal host lethality, since the addition of aspartate to minimal media caused an LSMMG-specific increase in bacterial growth rate that is comparable to that induced by the combination of aspartate and glutamine, but this increase in growth does not cause an equivalent rate of host mortality. However, the addition of both aspartate and glutamine cause both an increase in host mortality and an overexpression of asparagine pathway genes in a LSMMG-dependent manner. We also report that L-asparaginase-mediated breakdown of asparagine is an effective countermeasure for the increased host mortality caused by LSMMG-treated bacteria. This investigation underscores the importance of the asparagine utilization pathway by helping uncover molecular mechanisms that underlie increased mortality rates of a model host infected with microgravity-treated S. marcescens and provides a potential mitigation strategy.
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Tabrizi F, Seyyed Tabaei SJ, Ali Ahmadi N, Arefi Oskouie A. A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Based Metabolomic Study to Identify Metabolite Differences between Iranian Isolates of Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES 2021; 46:43-51. [PMID: 33487791 PMCID: PMC7812499 DOI: 10.30476/ijms.2019.82120.0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania species (L. spp) is one of the most important parasitic diseases in humans. To gain information on the metabolite variations and biochemical pathways between L. spp, we used the comparative metabolome of metacyclic promastigotes in the Iranian isolates of L. major and L. tropica by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). Methods L. tropica and L. major were collected from three areas of Iran, namely Gonbad, Mashhad, and Bam, between 2017 and 2018, and were cultured. The metacyclic promastigote of each species was separated, and cell metabolites were extracted. 1H-NMR spectroscopy was applied, and the data were processed using ProMatab in MATLAB (version 7.8.0.347). Multivariate statistical analyses, including the principal component analysis and the orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis, were performed to identify the discriminative metabolites between the two L. spp. Metabolites with variable influences in projection values of more than one and a P value of less than 0.05 were marked as significant differences. Results A set of metabolites were detected, and 24 significantly differentially expressed metabolites were found between the metacyclic forms of L. major and L. tropica isolates. The top differential metabolites were methionine, aspartate, betaine, and acetylcarnitine, which were increased more in L. tropica than L. major (P<0.005), whereas asparagine, 3-hydroxybutyrate, L-proline, and kynurenine were increased significantly in L. major (P<0.01). The significantly altered metabolites were involved in eight metabolic pathways. Conclusion Metabolomics, as an invaluable technique, yielded significant metabolites, and their biochemical pathways related to the metacyclic promastigotes of L. major and L. tropica. The findings offer greater insights into parasite biology and how pathogens adapt to their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Tabrizi
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyyed Javad Seyyed Tabaei
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nayeb Ali Ahmadi
- Proteomics Research Center, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Afsaneh Arefi Oskouie
- Proteomics Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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In-solution behavior and protective potential of asparagine synthetase A from Trypanosoma cruzi. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2019; 230:1-7. [PMID: 30885794 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
l-Asparagine synthetase (AS) acts in asparagine formation and can be classified into two families: AS-A or AS-B. AS-A is mainly found in prokaryotes and can synthetize asparagine from ammonia. Distinct from other eukaryotes, Trypanosoma cruzi produces an AS-A. AS-A from Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc-AS-A) differs from prokaryotic AS-A due to its ability to catalyze asparagine synthesis using both glutamine and ammonia as nitrogen sources. Regarding these peculiarities, this work uses several biophysical techniques to provide data concerning the Tc-AS-A in-solution behavior. Tc-AS-A was produced as a recombinant and purified by three chromatography steps. Circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering, and analytical size exclusion chromatography showed that Tc-AS-A has the same fold and quaternary arrangement of prokaryotic AS-A. Despite the tendency of protein to aggregate, stable dimers were obtained when solubilization occurred at pH ≤ 7.0. We also demonstrate the protective efficacy against T. cruzi infection in mice immunized with Tc-AS-A. Our results indicate that immunization with Tc-AS-A might confer partial protection to infective forms of T. cruzi in this particular model.
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10
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Singh J, Khan MI, Singh Yadav SP, Srivastava A, Sinha KK, Ashish, Das P, Kundu B. L-Asparaginase of Leishmania donovani: Metabolic target and its role in Amphotericin B resistance. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2017; 7:337-349. [PMID: 28988014 PMCID: PMC5633258 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Emergence of Amphotericin B (AmB) resistant Leishmania donovani has posed major therapeutic challenge against the parasite. Consequently, combination therapy aimed at multiple molecular targets, based on proteome wise network analysis has been recommended. In this regard we had earlier identified and proposed L-asparaginase of Leishmania donovani (LdAI) as a crucial metabolic target. Here we report that both LdAI overexpressing axenic amastigote and promastigote forms of L. donovani survives better when challenged with AmB as compared to wild type strain. Conversely, qRT-PCR analysis showed an upregulation of LdAI in both forms upon AmB treatment. Our data demonstrates the importance of LdAI in imparting immediate protective response to the parasite upon AmB treatment. In the absence of structural and functional information, we modeled LdAI and validated its solution structure through small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis. We identified its specific inhibitors through ligand and structure-based approach and characterized their effects on enzymatic properties (Km, Vmax, Kcat) of LdAI. We show that in presence of two of the inhibitors L1 and L2, the survival of L. donovani is compromised whereas overexpression of LdAI in these cells restores viability. Taken together, our results conclusively prove that LdAI is a crucial metabolic enzyme conferring early counter measure against AmB treatment by Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasdeep Singh
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Mohd Imran Khan
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, EPIP Complex, Hajipur, Vaishali 844102, India
| | - Shiv Pratap Singh Yadav
- The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ankit Srivastava
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Kislay K Sinha
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, EPIP Complex, Hajipur, Vaishali 844102, India
| | - Ashish
- The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Pradeep Das
- Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna 800007, India
| | - Bishwajit Kundu
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
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11
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Kumar V, Yadav S, Soumya N, Kumar R, Babu NK, Singh S. Biochemical and inhibition studies of glutamine synthetase from Leishmania donovani. Microb Pathog 2017; 107:164-174. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2017.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Faria J, Loureiro I, Santarém N, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Tavares J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A. Leishmania infantum Asparagine Synthetase A Is Dispensable for Parasites Survival and Infectivity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004365. [PMID: 26771178 PMCID: PMC4714757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing interest in asparagine (Asn) metabolism has currently been observed in cancer and infection fields. Asparagine synthetase (AS) is responsible for the conversion of aspartate into Asn in an ATP-dependent manner, using ammonia or glutamine as a nitrogen source. There are two structurally distinct AS: the strictly ammonia dependent, type A, and the type B, which preferably uses glutamine. Absent in humans and present in trypanosomatids, AS-A was worthy of exploring as a potential drug target candidate. Appealingly, it was reported that AS-A was essential in Leishmania donovani, making it a promising drug target. In the work herein we demonstrate that Leishmania infantum AS-A, similarly to Trypanosoma spp. and L. donovani, is able to use both ammonia and glutamine as nitrogen donors. Moreover, we have successfully generated LiASA null mutants by targeted gene replacement in L. infantum, and these parasites do not display any significant growth or infectivity defect. Indeed, a severe impairment of in vitro growth was only observed when null mutants were cultured in asparagine limiting conditions. Altogether our results demonstrate that despite being important under asparagine limitation, LiAS-A is not essential for parasite survival, growth or infectivity in normal in vitro and in vivo conditions. Therefore we exclude AS-A as a suitable drug target against L. infantum parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Faria
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Loureiro
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Santarém
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Protein Crystallography Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Tavares
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Watson AK, Williams TA, Williams BAP, Moore KA, Hirt RP, Embley TM. Transcriptomic profiling of host-parasite interactions in the microsporidian Trachipleistophora hominis. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:983. [PMID: 26589282 PMCID: PMC4654818 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1989-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Trachipleistophora hominis was isolated from an HIV/AIDS patient and is a member of a highly successful group of obligate intracellular parasites. Methods Here we have investigated the evolution of the parasite and the interplay between host and parasite gene expression using transcriptomics of T. hominis-infected rabbit kidney cells. Results T. hominis has about 30 % more genes than small-genome microsporidians. Highly expressed genes include those involved in growth, replication, defence against oxidative stress, and a large fraction of uncharacterised genes. Chaperones are also highly expressed and may buffer the deleterious effects of the large number of non-synonymous mutations observed in essential T. hominis genes. Host expression suggests a general cellular shutdown upon infection, but ATP, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar production appear enhanced, potentially providing the parasite with substrates it cannot make itself. Expression divergence of duplicated genes, including transporters used to acquire host metabolites, demonstrates ongoing functional diversification during microsporidian evolution. We identified overlapping transcription at more than 100 loci in the sparse T. hominis genome, demonstrating that this feature is not caused by genome compaction. The detection of additional transposons of insect origin strongly suggests that the natural host for T. hominis is an insect. Conclusions Our results reveal that the evolution of contemporary microsporidian genomes is highly dynamic and innovative. Moreover, highly expressed T. hominis genes of unknown function include a cohort that are shared among all microsporidians, indicating that some strongly conserved features of the biology of these enormously successful parasites remain uncharacterised. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1989-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew K Watson
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Tom A Williams
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Bryony A P Williams
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Devon, UK.
| | - Karen A Moore
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Devon, UK.
| | - Robert P Hirt
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - T Martin Embley
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
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Singh J, Srivastava A, Jha P, Sinha KK, Kundu B. l-Asparaginase as a new molecular target against leishmaniasis: insights into the mechanism of action and structure-based inhibitor design. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2015; 11:1887-96. [DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00251f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
l-Asparaginases belong to a family of amidohydrolases that catalyze the conversion of l-asparagine into l-aspartic acid and ammonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasdeep Singh
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- New Delhi-110016
- India
| | - Ankit Srivastava
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- New Delhi-110016
- India
| | - Pravin Jha
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research
- Vaishali-844102
- India
| | - Kislay K. Sinha
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research
- Vaishali-844102
- India
| | - Bishwajit Kundu
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- New Delhi-110016
- India
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