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Ferla M, Tasca T. The Role of Purinergic Signaling in Trichomonas vaginalis Infection. Curr Top Med Chem 2021; 21:181-192. [PMID: 32888270 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620999200904122212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Trichomoniasis, one of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infections worldwide, is caused by the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. The pathogen colonizes the human urogenital tract, and the infection is associated with complications such as adverse pregnancy outcomes, cervical cancer, and an increase in HIV transmission. The mechanisms of pathogenicity are multifactorial, and controlling immune responses is essential for infection maintenance. Extracellular purine nucleotides are released by cells in physiological and pathological conditions, and they are hydrolyzed by enzymes called ecto-nucleotidases. The cellular effects of nucleotides and nucleosides occur via binding to purinoceptors, or through the uptake by nucleoside transporters. Altogether, enzymes, receptors and transporters constitute the purinergic signaling, a cellular network that regulates several effects in practically all systems including mammals, helminths, protozoa, bacteria, and fungi. In this context, this review updates the data on purinergic signaling involved in T. vaginalis biology and interaction with host cells, focusing on the characterization of ecto-nucleotidases and on purine salvage pathways. The implications of the final products, the nucleosides adenosine and guanosine, for human neutrophil response and vaginal epithelial cell damage reveal the purinergic signaling as a potential new mechanism for alternative drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micheli Ferla
- Research Team on Trichomonas, Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduation Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Research Team on Trichomonas, Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduation Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Menezes CB, Frasson AP, Meirelles LC, Tasca T. Adenosine, but not guanosine, protects vaginal epithelial cells from Trichomonas vaginalis cytotoxicity. Microbes Infect 2016; 19:122-131. [PMID: 27871906 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis causes the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. The cytoadherence and cytotoxicity upon the vaginal epithelial cells are crucial for the infection. Extracellular nucleotides are released during cell damage and, along with their nucleosides, can activate purinoceptors. The opposing effects of nucleotides versus nucleosides are regulated by ectonucleotidases. Herein we evaluated the hemolysis and cytolysis induced by T. vaginalis, as well as the extracellular nucleotide hydrolysis along with the effects mediated by nucleotides and nucleosides on cytotoxicity. In addition, the gene expression of purinoceptors in host cells was determined. The hemolysis and cytolysis exerted by all T. vaginalis isolates presented positive Pearson correlation. All T. vaginalis isolates were able to hydrolyze nucleotides, showing higher NTPDase than ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity. The most cytotoxic isolate, TV-LACM6, hydrolyzes ATP, GTP with more efficiency than AMP and GMP. The vaginal epithelial cell line (HMVII) expressed the genes for all subtypes of P1, P2X and P2Y receptors. Finally, when nucleotides and nucleosides were tested, the cytotoxic effect elicited by TV-LACM6 was increased with nucleotides. In contrast, the cytotoxicity was reversed by adenosine in presence of EHNA, but not by guanosine, contributing to the understanding of the purinergic signaling role on T. vaginalis cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Braz Menezes
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Amanda Piccoli Frasson
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Domo Salute Consultoria Regulatória Ltda, Rua Cristóvão Colombo 2948/411, CEP 90560-002, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Lucia Collares Meirelles
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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Menezes CB, Tasca T. Trichomoniasis immunity and the involvement of the purinergic signaling. Biomed J 2016; 39:234-243. [PMID: 27793265 PMCID: PMC6138788 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2016.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Innate and adaptive immunity play a significant role in trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. In the urogenital tract, innate immunity is accomplished by a defense physical barrier constituted by epithelial cells, mucus, and acidic pH. During infection, immune cells, antimicrobial peptides, cytokines, chemokines, and adaptive immunity evolve in the reproductive tract, and a proinflammatory response is generated to eliminate the invading extracellular pathogen Trichomonas vaginalis. However, the parasite has developed complex evolutionary mechanisms to evade the host immune response through cysteine proteases, phenotypic variation, and molecular mimicry. The purinergic system constitutes a signaling cellular net where nucleotides and nucleosides, enzymes, purinoceptors and transporters are involved in almost all cells and tissues signaling pathways, especially in central and autonomic nervous systems, endocrine, respiratory, cardiac, reproductive, and immune systems, during physiological as well as pathological processes. The involvement of the purinergic system in T. vaginalis biology and infection has been demonstrated and this review highlights the participation of this signaling pathway in the parasite immune evasion strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Braz Menezes
- Parasitology Research Laboratory, Pharmacy Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Parasitology Research Laboratory, Pharmacy Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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Menezes CB, Durgante J, de Oliveira RR, Dos Santos VHJM, Rodrigues LF, Garcia SC, Dos Santos O, Tasca T. Trichomonas vaginalis NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase hydrolyze guanine nucleotides and increase extracellular guanosine levels under serum restriction. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2016; 207:10-8. [PMID: 27150347 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Revised: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is the aethiologic agent of trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease in the world. The purinergic signaling pathway is mediated by extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides that are involved in many biological effects as neurotransmission, immunomodulation and inflammation. Extracellular nucleotides can be hydrolyzed by a family of enzymes known as ectonucleotidases including the ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (E-NTPDases) family which hydrolyses nucleosides triphosphate and diphosphate as preferential substrates and ecto-5'-nucleotidase which catalyzes the conversion of monophosphates into nucleosides. In T. vaginalis the E-NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase activities upon adenine nucleotides have already been characterized in intact trophozoites but little is known concerning guanine nucleotides and nucleoside. These enzymes may exert a crucial role on nucleoside generation, providing the purine sources for the synthesis de novo of these essential nutrients, sustaining parasite growth and survival. In this study, we investigated the hydrolysis profile of guanine-related nucleotides and nucleoside in intact trophozoites from long-term-grown and fresh clinical isolates of T. vaginalis. Knowing that guanine nucleotides are also substrates for T. vaginalis ectoenzymes, we evaluated the profile of nucleotides consumption and guanosine uptake in trophozoites submitted to a serum limitation condition. Results show that guanine nucleotides (GTP, GDP, GMP) were substrates for T. vaginalis ectonucleotidases, with expected kinetic parameters for this enzyme family. Different T. vaginalis isolates (two from the ATCC and nine fresh clinical isolates) presented a heterogeneous hydrolysis profile. The serum culture condition increased E-NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase activities with high consumption of extracellular GTP generating enhanced GDP, GMP and guanosine levels as demonstrated by HPLC, with final accumulation of the nucleoside. The transcript levels of the five TvNTPDases gene sequences were analyzed by qRT-PCR and the highest gene expressions were found for TvNTPDase 2 and 4. The extracellular guanosine uptake was observed as (13C)GTP nucleotide into parasite DNA and it was lower than that observed for adenosine, labeled as (13C)ATP. These findings indicate the T. vaginalis preference for adenosine uptake and the accumulation of guanosine in the extracellular milieu, corroborating with HPLC data. Our data demonstrate, for the first time, the cascade of guanine nucleotides in T. vaginalis and open possibilities on the study of guanine-related purines other than the classical intracellular activity of G proteins for signal transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Braz Menezes
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Juliano Durgante
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rafael Rodrigues de Oliveira
- Instituto do Petróleo e dos Recursos Naturais, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Victor Hugo Jacks Mendes Dos Santos
- Instituto do Petróleo e dos Recursos Naturais, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Luiz Frederico Rodrigues
- Instituto do Petróleo e dos Recursos Naturais, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Solange Cristina Garcia
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Odelta Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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Primon-Barros M, Rigo GV, Frasson AP, Santos OD, Smiderle L, Almeida S, Macedo AJ, Tasca T. Modulatory effect of iron chelators on adenosine deaminase activity and gene expression in Trichomonas vaginalis. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2015; 110:877-83. [PMID: 26517498 PMCID: PMC4660616 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760150076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellate protozoan that parasitises the
urogenital human tract and causes trichomoniasis. During the infection, the
acquisition of nutrients, such as iron and purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, is
essential for the survival of the parasite. The enzymes for purinergic signalling,
including adenosine deaminase (ADA), which degrades adenosine to inosine, have been
characterised in T. vaginalis. In the evaluation of the ADA profile
in different T. vaginalis isolates treated with different iron
sources or with limited iron availability, a decrease in activity and an increase in
ADA gene expression after iron limitation by 2,2-bipyridyl and ferrozine chelators
were observed. This supported the hypothesis that iron can modulate the activity of
the enzymes involved in purinergic signalling. Under bovine serum limitation
conditions, no significant differences were observed. The results obtained in this
study allow for the assessment of important aspects of ADA and contribute to a better
understanding of the purinergic system in T. vaginalis and the role
of iron in establishing infection and parasite survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muriel Primon-Barros
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Graziela Vargas Rigo
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Amanda Piccoli Frasson
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Odelta dos Santos
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Lisiane Smiderle
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Silvana Almeida
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Alexandre José Macedo
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Bioquímica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
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dos Santos O, de Vargas Rigo G, Frasson AP, Macedo AJ, Tasca T. Optimal Reference Genes for Gene Expression Normalization in Trichomonas vaginalis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138331. [PMID: 26393928 PMCID: PMC4579074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is the etiologic agent of trichomonosis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. This infection is associated with several health consequences, including cervical and prostate cancers and HIV acquisition. Gene expression analysis has been facilitated because of available genome sequences and large-scale transcriptomes in T. vaginalis, particularly using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), one of the most used methods for molecular studies. Reference genes for normalization are crucial to ensure the accuracy of this method. However, to the best of our knowledge, a systematic validation of reference genes has not been performed for T. vaginalis. In this study, the transcripts of nine candidate reference genes were quantified using qRT-PCR under different cultivation conditions, and the stability of these genes was compared using the geNorm and NormFinder algorithms. The most stable reference genes were α-tubulin, actin and DNATopII, and, conversely, the widely used T. vaginalis reference genes GAPDH and β-tubulin were less stable. The PFOR gene was used to validate the reliability of the use of these candidate reference genes. As expected, the PFOR gene was upregulated when the trophozoites were cultivated with ferrous ammonium sulfate when the DNATopII, α-tubulin and actin genes were used as normalizing gene. By contrast, the PFOR gene was downregulated when the GAPDH gene was used as an internal control, leading to misinterpretation of the data. These results provide an important starting point for reference gene selection and gene expression analysis with qRT-PCR studies of T. vaginalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odelta dos Santos
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Amanda Piccoli Frasson
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Alexandre José Macedo
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Frasson AP, De Carli GA, Bonan CD, Tasca T. Involvement of purinergic signaling on nitric oxide production by neutrophils stimulated with Trichomonas vaginalis. Purinergic Signal 2012; 8:1-9. [PMID: 21833696 PMCID: PMC3286535 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-011-9254-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2011] [Accepted: 07/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasite from the human urogenital tract that causes trichomonosis, the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted disease. The neutrophil infiltration has been considered to be primarily responsible for cytological changes observed at infection site, and the chemoattractants can play an important role in this leukocytic recruitment. Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the most widespread mediator compounds, and it is implicated in modulation of immunological mechanisms. Extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides are signaling molecules involved in several processes, including immune responses and control of leukocyte trafficking. Ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase members, ecto-5'-nucleotidase, and adenosine deaminase (ectoADA) have been characterized in T. vaginalis. Herein, we investigated the effects of purinergic system on NO production by neutrophils stimulated with T. vaginalis. The trophozoites were able to induce a high NO synthesis by neutrophils through iNOS pathway. The extracellular nucleotides ATP, ADP, and ATPγS (a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog) showed no significant change in NO secretion. In contrast, adenosine and its degradation product, inosine, promoted a low production of the compound. The immunosuppressive effect of adenosine upon NO release by neutrophils occurred due to adenosine A(2A) receptor activation. The ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity displayed by T. vaginalis was shown to be important in adenosine generation, indicating the efficiency of purinergic cascade. Our data suggest the influence of purinergic signaling, specifically adenosinergic system, on NO production by neutrophils in T. vaginalis infection, contributing to the immunological aspects of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Piccoli Frasson
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
| | - Geraldo Attilio De Carli
- Instituto de Geriatria e Gerontologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6690, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
| | - Carla Denise Bonan
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS Brazil
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