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Anwar O, Islam M, Thakur V, Kaur I, Mohmmed A. Defining ER-mitochondria contact dynamics in Plasmodium falciparum by targeting component of phospholipid synthesis pathway, Phosphatidylserine synthase (PfPSS). Mitochondrion 2022; 65:124-138. [PMID: 35623558 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The malaria parasite completes the asexual cycle inside the host erythrocyte, which requires extensive membrane biogenesis for its development and multiplication. Metabolic pathways for the synthesis of membrane phospholipids (PL), including phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS), are crucial for parasite survival. Here, we have studied the P. falciparum enzyme responsible for PS synthesis, Phosphatidylserine synthase (PfPSS), GFP targeting approach confirmed it to be localized in the parasite ER as well as in ER-protrusions. Detailed high resolution microscopy, using these transgenic parasites expressing PfPSS-GFP, redefined the dynamics of ER during the intraerythrocytic life cycle and its association with the mitochondria. We report for the first time presence of ER-mitochondria contact (ERMC) in Plasmodium; ERMC is formed by PfPSS containing ER-protrusions, which associate with the mitochondria surface throughout the parasite growth cycle. Further, ERMC is found to be stable and refractory to ER and mitochondrial stresses, suggesting that it is formed through strong tethering complexes. PfPSS was found to interact with other major key enzyme involved in PL synthesis, choline/Etn-phosphotransferase (CEPT), which suggest that ER is the major site for PL biosynthesis. Overall, this study defines the morphological organisation of ERMC which mediates PL synthesis/transport in the Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omair Anwar
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Muzahidul Islam
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Vandana Thakur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Inderjeet Kaur
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Asif Mohmmed
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi 110 067, India.
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2
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Bernard MM, Mohanty A, Rajendran V. Title: A Comprehensive Review on Classifying Fast-acting and Slow-acting Antimalarial Agents Based on Time of Action and Target Organelle of Plasmodium sp. Pathog Dis 2022; 80:6589403. [PMID: 35588061 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftac015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical resistance towards malarial parasites has rendered many antimalarials ineffective, likely due to a lack of understanding of time of action and stage specificity of all life stages. Therefore, to tackle this problem a more incisive comprehensive analysis of the fast and slow-acting profile of antimalarial agents relating to parasite time-kill kinetics and the target organelle on the progression of blood-stage parasites was carried out. It is evident from numerous findings that drugs targeting food vacuole, nuclear components, and endoplasmic reticulum mainly exhibit a fast-killing phenotype within 24h affecting first-cycle activity. Whereas drugs targeting mitochondria, apicoplast, microtubules, parasite invasion and egress exhibit a largely slow-killing phenotype within 96-120h, affecting second-cycle activity with few exemptions as moderately fast-killing. It is essential to understand the susceptibility of drugs on rings, trophozoites, schizonts, merozoites, and the appearance of organelle at each stage of 48h intraerythrocytic parasite cycle. Therefore, these parameters may facilitate the paradigm for understanding the timing of antimalarials action in deciphering its precise mechanism linked with time. Thus, classifying drugs based on the time of killing may promote designing new combination regimens against varied strains of P. falciparum and evaluating potential clinical resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Marie Bernard
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Abhinab Mohanty
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
| | - Vinoth Rajendran
- Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
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3
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Izrael R, Marton L, Nagy GN, Pálinkás HL, Kucsma N, Vértessy BG. Identification of a nuclear localization signal in the Plasmodium falciparum CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase enzyme. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19739. [PMID: 33184408 PMCID: PMC7665022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76829-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The phospholipid biosynthesis of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum is a key process for its survival and its inhibition is a validated antimalarial therapeutic approach. The second and rate-limiting step of the de novo phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis is catalysed by CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (PfCCT), which has a key regulatory function within the pathway. Here, we investigate the functional impact of the key structural differences and their respective role in the structurally unique pseudo-heterodimer PfCCT protein in a heterologous cellular context using the thermosensitive CCT-mutant CHO-MT58 cell line. We found that a Plasmodium-specific lysine-rich insertion within the catalytic domain of PfCCT acts as a nuclear localization signal and its deletion decreases the nuclear propensity of the protein in the model cell line. We further showed that the putative membrane-binding domain also affected the nuclear localization of the protein. Moreover, activation of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis by phospholipase C treatment induces the partial nuclear-to-cytoplasmic translocation of PfCCT. We additionally investigated the cellular function of several PfCCT truncated constructs in a CHO-MT58 based rescue assay. In absence of the endogenous CCT activity we observed that truncated constructs lacking the lysine-rich insertion, or the membrane-binding domain provided similar cell survival ratio as the full length PfCCT protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Izrael
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary.
- Doctoral School of Multidisciplinary Medical Sciences, University of Szeged, 6720, Szeged, Hungary.
- Department of Applied Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Lívia Marton
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergely N Nagy
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Applied Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111, Budapest, Hungary
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Hajnalka L Pálinkás
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Multidisciplinary Medical Sciences, University of Szeged, 6720, Szeged, Hungary
- Department of Applied Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nóra Kucsma
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Beáta G Vértessy
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, 1117, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Applied Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111, Budapest, Hungary.
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4
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Identification of Antimalarial Compounds That Require CLAG3 for Their Uptake by Plasmodium falciparum-Infected Erythrocytes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:AAC.00052-19. [PMID: 30782998 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00052-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
During the intraerythrocytic asexual cycle malaria parasites acquire nutrients and other solutes through a broad selectivity channel localized at the membrane of the infected erythrocyte termed the plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC). The protein product of the Plasmodium falciparum clonally variant clag3.1 and clag3.2 genes determines PSAC activity. Switches in the expression of clag3 genes, which are regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, are associated with changes in PSAC-dependent permeability that can result in resistance to compounds toxic for the parasite, such as blasticidin S. Here, we investigated whether other antimalarial drugs require CLAG3 to reach their intracellular target and consequently are prone to parasite resistance by epigenetic mechanisms. We found that the bis-thiazolium salts T3 (also known as albitiazolium) and T16 require the product of clag3 genes to enter infected erythrocytes. P. falciparum populations can develop resistance to these compounds via the selection of parasites with dramatically reduced expression of both genes. However, other compounds previously demonstrated or predicted to enter infected erythrocytes through transport pathways absent from noninfected erythrocytes, such as fosmidomycin, doxycycline, azithromycin, lumefantrine, or pentamidine, do not require expression of clag3 genes for their antimalarial activity. This suggests that they use alternative CLAG3-independent routes to access parasites. Our results demonstrate that P. falciparum can develop resistance to diverse antimalarial compounds by epigenetic changes in the expression of clag3 genes. This is of concern for drug development efforts because drug resistance by epigenetic mechanisms can arise quickly, even during the course of a single infection.
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Guca E, Nagy GN, Hajdú F, Marton L, Izrael R, Hoh F, Yang Y, Vial H, Vértessy BG, Guichou JF, Cerdan R. Structural determinants of the catalytic mechanism of Plasmodium CCT, a key enzyme of malaria lipid biosynthesis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11215. [PMID: 30046154 PMCID: PMC6060094 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29500-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, in the human erythrocyte, relies on phospholipid metabolism to fulfil the massive need for membrane biogenesis. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the most abundant phospholipid in Plasmodium membranes. PC biosynthesis is mainly ensured by the de novo Kennedy pathway that is considered as an antimalarial drug target. The CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT) catalyses the rate-limiting step of the Kennedy pathway. Here we report a series of structural snapshots of the PfCCT catalytic domain in its free, substrate- and product-complexed states that demonstrate the conformational changes during the catalytic mechanism. Structural data show the ligand-dependent conformational variations of a flexible lysine. Combined kinetic and ligand-binding analyses confirm the catalytic roles of this lysine and of two threonine residues of the helix αE. Finally, we assessed the variations in active site residues between Plasmodium and mammalian CCT which could be exploited for future antimalarial drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewelina Guca
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Carrer de Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gergely N Nagy
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,Division of Structural Biology, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX37BN, United Kingdom
| | - Fanni Hajdú
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lívia Marton
- Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,Doctoral School of Multidisciplinary Medical Science, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Richard Izrael
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - François Hoh
- CNRS UMR5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,INSERM U1054, Montpellier, France
| | - Yinshan Yang
- CNRS UMR5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,INSERM U1054, Montpellier, France
| | - Henri Vial
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Beata G Vértessy
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Jean-François Guichou
- CNRS UMR5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,INSERM U1054, Montpellier, France
| | - Rachel Cerdan
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
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6
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Wein S, Ghezal S, Buré C, Maynadier M, Périgaud C, Vial HJ, Lefebvre-Tournier I, Wengelnik K, Cerdan R. Contribution of the precursors and interplay of the pathways in the phospholipid metabolism of the malaria parasite. J Lipid Res 2018; 59:1461-1471. [PMID: 29853527 PMCID: PMC6071779 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m085589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, develops and multiplies in the human erythrocyte. It needs to synthesize considerable amounts of phospholipids (PLs), principally phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylserine (PS). Several metabolic pathways coexist for their de novo biosynthesis, involving a dozen enzymes. Given the importance of these PLs for the survival of the parasite, we sought to determine their sources and to understand the connections and dependencies between the multiple pathways. We used three deuterated precursors (choline-d9, ethanolamine-d4, and serine-d3) to follow and quantify simultaneously their incorporations in the intermediate metabolites and the final PLs by LC/MS/MS. We show that PC is mainly derived from choline, itself provided by lysophosphatidylcholine contained in the serum. In the absence of choline, the parasite is able to use both other precursors, ethanolamine and serine. PE is almost equally synthesized from ethanolamine and serine, with both precursors being able to compensate for each other. Serine incorporated in PS is mainly derived from the degradation of host cell hemoglobin by the parasite. P. falciparum thus shows an unexpected adaptability of its PL synthesis pathways in response to different disturbances. These data provide new information by mapping the importance of the PL metabolic pathways of the malaria parasite and could be used to design future therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Wein
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Salma Ghezal
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Corinne Buré
- Chimie et Biologie des Membranes et des Nanoobjets, UMR 5248, Centre de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université Bordeaux 2, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Marjorie Maynadier
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Christian Périgaud
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Henri J Vial
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Isabelle Lefebvre-Tournier
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Kai Wengelnik
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Rachel Cerdan
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, UMR 5235, CNRS-Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
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