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Micchelli CE, Percopo C, Traver M, Brzostowski J, Amin SN, Prigge ST, Sá JM, Wellems TE. Progressive heterogeneity of enlarged and irregularly shaped apicoplasts in P. falciparum persister blood stages after drug treatment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.03.574077. [PMID: 38410435 PMCID: PMC10896342 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.03.574077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Morphological modifications and shifts in organelle relationships are hallmarks of dormancy in eukaryotic cells. Communications between altered mitochondria and nuclei are associated with metabolic quiescence of cancer cells that can survive chemotherapy. In plants, changes in the pathways between nuclei, mitochondria, and chloroplasts are associated with cold stress and bud dormancy. Plasmodium falciparum parasites, the deadliest agent of malaria in humans, contain a chloroplast-like organelle (apicoplast) derived from an ancient photosynthetic symbiont. Antimalarial treatments can fail because a small fraction of the blood stage parasites enter dormancy and recrudesce after drug exposure. Altered mitochondrial-nuclear interactions in these persisters have been described for P. falciparum , but interactions of the apicoplast remained to be characterized. In the present study, we examined the apicoplasts of persisters obtained after exposure to dihydroartemisinin (a first-line antimalarial drug) followed by sorbitol treatment, or after exposure to sorbitol treatment alone. As previously observed, the mitochondrion of persisters was consistently enlarged and in close association with the nucleus. In contrast, the apicoplast varied from compact and oblate, like those of active ring stage parasites, to enlarged and irregularly shaped. Enlarged apicoplasts became more prevalent later in dormancy, but regular size apicoplasts subsequently predominated in actively replicating recrudescent parasites. All three organelles, nucleus, mitochondrion, and apicoplast, became closer during dormancy. Understanding their relationships in erythrocytic-stage persisters may lead to new strategies to prevent recrudescences and protect the future of malaria chemotherapy. Significance Statement Dormancy of blood-stage malaria parasites (as persister forms) frequently undermines treatment and may facilitate the evolution of drug resistance. Here, we examine changes that occur in dormancy with two P. falciparum organelles relative to the nucleus: the mitochondrion and the plastid-like apicoplast. As previously reported, the mitochondrion of persisters is consistently enlarged, irregularly shaped, and shifted into close apposition with the nucleus. However, apicoplasts exhibit a greater variety of shapes, volumes, and relative positioning during dormancy: some persisters maintain a regular appearing apicoplast, while others show dramatically altered apicoplasts, reminiscent of the chloroplast swelling and degradation that occurs with death from reactive oxygen species in various plant cells. Improved understanding of these processes will support new approaches in antimalarial chemotherapy.
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Orbán Á, Schumacher JJ, Mucza S, Strinic A, Molnár P, Babai R, Halbritter A, Vértessy BG, Karl S, Krohns S, Kézsmárki I. Magneto-optical assessment of Plasmodium parasite growth via hemozoin crystal size. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14318. [PMID: 38906910 PMCID: PMC11192761 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60988-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Hemozoin is a natural biomarker formed during the hemoglobin metabolism of Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria. The rotating-crystal magneto-optical detection (RMOD) has been developed for its rapid and sensitive detection both in cell cultures and patient samples. In the current article we demonstrate that, besides quantifying the overall concentration of hemozoin produced by the parasites, RMOD can also track the size distribution of the hemozoin crystals. We establish the relations between the magneto-optical signal, the mean parasite age and the median crystal size throughout one erythrocytic cycle of Plasmodium falciparum parasites, where the latter two are determined by optical and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The significant correlation between the magneto-optical signal and the stage distribution of the parasites indicates that the RMOD method can be utilized for species-specific malaria diagnosis and for the quick assessment of drug efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ágnes Orbán
- Department of Physics, BME Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, 1111, Hungary.
| | - Jan-Jonas Schumacher
- Experimental Physics 5, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Szilvia Mucza
- Department of Physics, BME Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, 1111, Hungary
| | - Ana Strinic
- Experimental Physics 5, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Petra Molnár
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Réka Babai
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Sciences, BME Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, 1111, Hungary
| | - András Halbritter
- Department of Physics, BME Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, 1111, Hungary
| | - Beáta G Vértessy
- Malaria Research Laboratory, Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Sciences, BME Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, 1111, Hungary
| | - Stephan Karl
- Vector-Borne Diseases Unit, PNG Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Madang Province, 511, Papua New Guinea
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Smithfield, QLS, Australia
| | - Stephan Krohns
- Experimental Physics 5, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86159, Augsburg, Germany
| | - István Kézsmárki
- Experimental Physics 5, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, 86159, Augsburg, Germany.
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El Rhabori S, El Aissouq A, Chtita S, Khalil F. QSAR, molecular docking and ADMET studies of quinoline, isoquinoline and quinazoline derivatives against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Struct Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11224-022-01988-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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