Uptake and metabolism of L-serine by Pneumocystis carinii carinii

Encephalitozoon cuniculi (Microspora): characterization of a phospholipid metabolic pathway potentially linked to therapeutics

Phospholipid metabolism of the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi, an obligate intracellular parasite, has been investigated. Labeled precursor incorporation experiments have shown that phosphatidylserine decarboxylase and phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase are more active in cells infected by E. cuniculi than in uninfected cells. In contrast, no difference was observed in the activity of Kennedy pathway's enzymes, the mammalian pathway. This suggests the occurrence in microsporidia of a bacteria- and fungi-typical pathway for phospholipid synthesis, which is supported by the identification of two genes implicated in this pathway, the cds gene encoding the key enzyme CDP-diacylglycerol synthase (E.C. 2.7.7.41) and the pss gene for CDP-alcohol phosphatidyltransferase. The pss gene could encode phosphatidylserine synthase (E.C. 2.7.8.8.), which catalyses the de novo synthesis of phosphatidylserine in bacteria and fungi. The complete CDP-diacylglycerol synthase messenger has been isolated and shows very short 5' and 3' untranslated regions. This is strong evidence for the functionality of a metabolic pathway which could be a potential target against microsporidia which infect humans.

Uptake of the neutral amino acids glutamine, leucine, and serine by Pneumocystis carinii

Experiments to elucidate the mechanism by which Pneumocystis carinii transports glutamine, leucine, and serine were performed in this study. Uptake of all three radiolabeled amino acids exhibited first-order, saturation kinetics as extracellular substrate concentrations were increased, thus ruling out simple diffusion and indicating carrier-mediated transport. Kinetic analyses of amino acid uptake and the results of competitive inhibition experiments suggested that leucine, serine, and glutamine were taken up via a common transporter system. The uptake of serine was examined in greater detail to characterize the nature of the carrier. Serine uptake was not affected by N, N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone, ouabain, gramicidin, valinomycin, sodium azide, salicylhydroxamine acid (SHAM), iodoacetate, iodoacetate plus SHAM, KCN, and azide. Thus serine uptake did not require sodium or energy from ATP, an electrochemical proton gradient or a membrane potential across the cell surface (i.e., proton-motive force). Serine uptake was dependent on glucose in the extracellular compartment. In the presence of glucose, serine uptake was inhibited by chloramphenicol but not cycloheximide. The results from these experiments are most consistent with facilitated diffusion as the mechanism. After 30 min of incubation, most of the radioactivity was in the cellular soluble fraction. In most cases, incorporation into the extractable total lipids and the remaining particulate cellular components were detectable after this incubation period.

Transport of aspartic acid, arginine, and tyrosine by the opportunistic protist Pneumocystis carinii

In order to improve culture media and to discover potential drug targets, uptake of an acidic, a basic, and an aromatic amino acid were investigated. Current culture systems, axenic or co-cultivation with mammalian cells, do not provide either the quantity or quality of cells needed for biochemical studies of this organism. Insight into nutrient acquisition can be expected to lead to improved culture media and improved culture growth. Aspartic acid uptake was directly related to substrate concentration, Q(10) was 1.10 at pH 7.4. Hence the organism acquired this acidic amino acid by simple diffusion. Uptake of the basic amino acid arginine and the aromatic amino acid tyrosine exhibited saturation kinetics consistent with carrier-mediated mechanisms. Kinetic parameters indicated two carriers (K(m)=22.8+/-2.5 microM and K(m)=3.6+/-0.3 mM) for arginine and a single carrier for tyrosine (K(m)=284+/-23 microM). The effects of other L-amino acids showed that the tyrosine carrier was distinct from the arginine carriers. Tyrosine and arginine transport were independent of sodium and potassium ions, and did not appear to require energy from ATP or a proton motive force. Thus facilitated diffusion was identified as the mechanism of uptake. After 30 min of incubation, these amino acids were incorporated into total lipids and the sedimentable material following lipid extraction; more than 90% was in the cellular soluble fraction.

C27 to C32 sterols found in Pneumocystis, an opportunistic pathogen of immunocompromised mammals

Pneumocystis carinii is the paradigm of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised mammals. Prior to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic and the use of immunosuppressive therapy in organ transplant and cancer patients, P. carinii was regarded as a curiosity, rarely observed clinically. Interest in this organism exploded when it was identified as the agent of P. carinii pneumonia (PcP), the direct cause of death among many AIDS patients. Aggressive prophylaxis has decreased the number of acute PcP cases, but it remains among the most prevalent opportunistic infections found within this patient population. The taxonomic assignment of P. carinii has long been argued; molecular genetics data now demonstrate that it is a fungus. Several antimycotic drugs are targeted against ergosterol or its biosynthesis, but these are not as effective against PcP as they are against other fungal infections. This can now be explained in part by the identification of the sterols of P. carinii. The organism lacks ergosterol but contains distinct C28 and C29 delta7 24-alkylsterols. Also, 24-methylenelanost-8-en-3beta-ol (C31) and pneumocysterol, (24Z)-ethylidenelanost-8-en-3beta-ol (C32) were recently identified in organisms infecting humans. Together, the delta7 24-alkylsterols and pneumocysterol are regarded as signature lipids of the pathogen that can be useful for the diagnosis of PcP, since no other lung pathogen is known to contain them. Cholesterol (C27), the dominant sterol component in P. carinii, is probably totally scavenged from the host. De novo synthesis of sterols has been demonstrated by the presence of lovastatin-sensitive 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity, the incorporation of radiolabeled mevalonate and squalene into P. carinii sterols, and the reduction in cellular ATP in cells treated with inhibitors of enzymes in sterol biosynthesis.

The lipids of Pneumocystis carinii

Information about a number of Pneumocystis carinii lipids obtained by the analyses of organisms isolated and purified from infected lungs of corticosteroid-immunosuppressed rats has been reported in recent years. Of the common opportunistic protists associated with AIDS (Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, and the microsporidia), more is currently known about the lipids of P. carinii than the others. Lipids that are synthesized by the organism but not by humans are attractive targets for drug development. Thus, the elucidation of delta 7C-24-alykylated sterol and cis-9,10-epoxystearic acid biosyntheses in P. carinii is currently being examined in detail, since these have been identified as P. carinii-specific lipids. The development of low-toxicity drugs that prevent sterol C-24 alkylation and the specific inhibition of the lipoxygenase that forms cis-9,10-epoxystearic acid might prove fruitful. Although humans can synthesize coenzyme Q10, the anti-P. carinii activity and low toxicity of ubiquinone analogs such as atovaquone suggest that the electron transport chain in the pathogen may differ importantly from that in the host. Although resistance to atovaquone has been observed, development of other naphthoquinone drugs would provide a broader armamentarium of drugs to treat patients with P. carinii pneumonia. Studies of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and of infected lungs have demonstrated that the infection causes a number of chemical abnormalities. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained after the removal of lung cellular material and the organisms has been shown to contain larger amounts of surfactant proteins and smaller amounts of phospholipids than do comparable samples from P. carinii-free lungs. Increased phospholipase activity, inhibition of surfactant secretion by type II cells, and uptake and catabolism of lipids by the pathogen may explain this phenomenon related to P. carinii pneumonia. Although not yet thoroughly examined, initial studies on the uptake and metabolism of lipids by P. carinii suggest that the organism relies heavily on exogenous lipid nutrients.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: the status of Pneumocystis biochemistry

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia remains a prevalent opportunistic disease among immunocompromised individuals. Although aggressive prophylaxis has decreased the number of acute P. carinii pneumonia cases, many patients cannot tolerate the available drugs, and experience recurrence of the infection, which can be fatal. It is now generally agreed that the organism should be placed with the fungi, but the identification of extant fungal species representing its closest kins, remains debated. Most recent data indicate that P. carinii represents a diverse group of organisms. Since the lack of methods for the continuous subcultivation of this organism hampered P. carinii research, molecular cloning and nucleotide sequencing approaches led the way for understanding the biochemical nature of this pathogen. However, within the last 5 years, the development of improved protocols for isolating and purifying viable organisms from infected mammalian host lungs has enabled direct biochemical and metabolism studies on the organism. The protein moiety of the major high mol. wt surface antigen, represented by numerous isoforms, is encoded by different genes. These proteins are post-transcriptionally modified by carbohydrates and lipids. The organism has the shikimic acid pathway that leads to the formation of compounds which mammals cannot synthesise (e.g., folic acid), hence drugs that inhibit these pathways are effective against the pathogen. Ornithine decarboxylase has now been detected; rapid and complete depletion of polyamines occurs in response to difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). Instead of ergosterol (the major sterol of higher fungi), P. carinii synthesises distinct delta7, C-24-alkylated sterols. An unusual C32 sterol, pneumocysterol, has been identified in human-derived P. carinii. Another signature lipid discovered is cis-9,10-epoxy stearic acid. CoQ10, identified as the major ubiquinone homologue, is synthesised de novo by P. carinii. Atovaquone and other hydroxynaphthoquinone drugs with anti-P. carinii activity probably inhibit pathogen respiration as CoQ analogues. Unlike its effects on Plasmodium, atovaquone does not inhibit the P. carinii dihydroorotate dehydrogenase and pyrimidine metabolism.

Characterizations of neutral lipid fatty acids and cis-9,10-epoxy octadecanoic acid in Pneumocystis carinii carinii

Pneumocystis carinii causes pneumonitis in immunodeficient individuals and is a prevalent opportunistic infection of patients with AIDS. This pathogen resides extracellularly in the hypophase lining the alveolar epithelium, which is highly enriched in lung surfactant lipids. Procedures yielding highly pure organism preparations that enable reliable biochemical analyses of organisms isolated from the lungs of infected laboratory animals have been developed. The results of the present study revealed that the fatty acid profiles of total lipids, the neutral lipid traction, and individual neutral lipid classes of lungs from normal and immunosuppressed rats as well as P. carinii were grossly similar, although some quantitative differences were detected. One qualitative exception found was the detection in P. carinii of the rare fatty acid cis-9,10-epoxy stearic acid, which was not detected in the lipids of rat lungs. The detection of this fatty acid in P. carinii may also have important taxonomic implications. Unlike phospholipids, many of the fatty acids of nonmembrane neutral lipids may be utilized by P. carinii for other cellular functions, such as stored reserves for energy production and precursors for organism-specific membrane lipids. The present study represents the first report of detailed fatty acid analyses of individual neutral lipid classes of this important opportunistic pathogen.

Composition of Pneumocystis carinii neutral lipids and identification of coenzyme Q10 as the major ubiquinone homolog

The lipids of purified preparations of Pneumocystis carinii carinii freshly isolated from infected rats were analyzed and compared with those of whole lungs from normal and methylprednisolone-immunosuppressed uninfected rats. In this study, the neutral lipid fraction was examined in detail; the relative concentrations of individual classes making up this fraction were quantified. Of particular interest was the nature of the organism's ubiquinone (coenzyme Q, CoQ) fraction because atovaquone, a hydroxynaphtho-quinone (566C80) analog of ubiquinone, is efficacious in the treatment of P. carinii pneumonia. The ubiquinone concentration in both P. carinii and lung tissues was relatively low compared to that present in rat heart and liver tissues. Two homologs were identified in the organism: CoQ10 was the predominant homolog with lesser amounts of CoQ9 present. In contrast, the lungs of normal and immunosuppressed uninfected rats had CoQ9 and lesser amounts of CoQ8, but no detectable CoQ10. Furthermore, radiolabeled mevalonic acid was incorporated in vitro into the ubiquinone fraction of P. carinii indicating that the organism has the de novo branch of the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway leading to polyprenyl formation. Hence, it was concluded that CoQ10 (if not both CoQ10 and CoQ9) in P. carinii was not scavenged from the host but was synthesized by the organism. Although lung tissues contained substantial free fatty acids, the organism was enriched in these lipids. The high concentration of free fatty acids and relatively low level of triglycerides in P. carinii suggest that fatty acids may represent major carbon sources for ATP production by the organism.

Fatty acid composition of the major phospholipids of Pneumocystic carinii: comparison with those in the lungs of normal and methylprednisolone-immunosuppressed rats

Large numbers of viable organisms can be isolated from the corticosteroid-immunosuppressed rat model of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. With the development of purification protocols that provide organism preparations of high purity, meaningful lipid biochemical analyses of this important opportunistic pathogen can now be conducted. The phospholipid class composition of the pathogen was reported earlier, together with observations of changes that occur in the rat lungs in response to methylprednisolone immunosuppression treatment. In this report, analyses of the effects of corticosteroids on the fatty acid compositions of the major lung phospholipids, individually isolated and purified by thin-layer chromatography, were elucidated and quantified by gas-liquid chromatography. In response to methylprednisolone, there was a relative increase in palmitate and there were decreases in several unsaturated fatty acids of the rat whole-lung total polar lipids leading to a doubling of the saturation index. Reciprocal changes in the relative concentrations of palmitate and stearate in phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, lysophosphatidylcholine, and cardiolipin were observed, suggesting that there is tight control of acylation of these phospholipids in the lung. Detailed phospholipid fatty acid analyses were also performed with mixed life cycle stages of P. carinii organisms. The most abundant phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylinositol, had much higher concentrations of oleic acid and lower concentrations of palmitate in P. carinii than in lung tissue. Sphingomyelin in lung tissue and P. carinii differed from the glycerophospholipids by the presence of high levels of saturated C(22) and C(24) fatty acids. This study represents the most comprehensive fatty acid analysis of rat lung phospholipids and the changes that occur in response to corticosteroid treatment. It is the first report about the fatty acids of individual phospholipids of the opportunistic protist P. carinii carinii.