1
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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 Plasmodium falciparum persister blood stages after drug treatment. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae424. [PMID: 39381646 PMCID: PMC11460358 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 09/14/2024] [Indexed: 10/10/2024]
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 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara E Micchelli
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Caroline Percopo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Maria Traver
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Joseph Brzostowski
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Shuchi N Amin
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sean T Prigge
- Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Juliana M Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Thomas E Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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2
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Ouji M, Reyser T, Yamaryo-Botté Y, Nguyen M, Rengel D, Dutreuil A, Marcellin M, Burlet-Schiltz O, Augereau JM, Riscoe MK, Paloque L, Botté C, Benoit-Vical F. In artemisinin-resistant falciparum malaria parasites, mitochondrial metabolic pathways are essential for survival but not those of apicoplast. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2024; 26:100565. [PMID: 39332236 PMCID: PMC11466614 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100565] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 09/13/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024]
Abstract
Emergence and spread of parasite resistance to artemisinins, the first-line antimalarial therapy, threaten the malaria eradication policy. To identify therapeutic targets to eliminate artemisinin-resistant parasites, the functioning of the apicoplast and the mitochondrion was studied, focusing on the fatty acid synthesis type II (FASII) pathway in the apicoplast and the electron transfer chain in the mitochondrion. A significant enrichment of the FASII pathway among the up-regulated genes in artemisinin-resistant parasites under dihydroartemisinin treatment was found, in agreement with published transcriptomic data. However, using GC-MS analyzes of fatty acids, we demonstrated for the first time that the FASII pathway is non-functional, ruling out the use of FASII inhibitors to target artemisinin-resistant parasites. Conversely, by assessing the modulation of the oxygen consumption rate, we evidenced that mitochondrial respiration remains functional and flexible in artemisinin-resistant parasites and even at the quiescent stage. Two novel compounds targeting electron transport chain (ELQ300, ELQ400) efficiently killed quiescent artemisinin-resistant parasites. Therefore, mitochondrial respiration represents a key target for the elimination of artemisinin-resistant persistent Plasmodium falciparum parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manel Ouji
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Thibaud Reyser
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Yoshiki Yamaryo-Botté
- ApicoLipid Team, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1209, Grenoble, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - David Rengel
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Axelle Dutreuil
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Marlène Marcellin
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France; Infrastructure nationale de Protéomique, ProFI, FR 2048, Toulouse, France
| | - Odile Burlet-Schiltz
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France; Infrastructure nationale de Protéomique, ProFI, FR 2048, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Michael K Riscoe
- VA Portland Health Care System Research and Development Service, 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Road, RD-33, Portland, OR, 97239, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Lucie Paloque
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Cyrille Botté
- ApicoLipid Team, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, INSERM U1209, Grenoble, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France.
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3
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Tripathi J, Stoklasa M, Nayak S, En Low K, Qian Hui Lee E, Duong Tien QH, Rénia L, Malleret B, Bozdech Z. The artemisinin-induced dormant stages of Plasmodium falciparum exhibit hallmarks of cellular quiescence/senescence and drug resilience. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7485. [PMID: 39209862 PMCID: PMC11362153 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51846-0] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Recrudescent infections with the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, presented traditionally the major setback of artemisinin-based monotherapies. Although the introduction of artemisinin combination therapies (ACT) largely solved the problem, the ability of artemisinin to induce dormant parasites still poses an obstacle for current as well as future malaria chemotherapeutics. Here, we use a laboratory model for induction of dormant P. falciparum parasites and characterize their transcriptome, drug sensitivity profile, and cellular ultrastructure. We show that P. falciparum dormancy requires a ~ 5-day maturation process during which the genome-wide gene expression pattern gradually transitions from the ring-like state to a unique form. The transcriptome of the mature dormant stage carries hallmarks of both cellular quiescence and senescence, with downregulation of most cellular functions associated with growth and development and upregulation of selected metabolic functions and DNA repair. Moreover, the P. falciparum dormant stage is considerably more resistant to antimalaria drugs compared to the fast-growing asexual stages. Finally, the irregular cellular ultrastructure further suggests unique properties of this developmental stage of the P. falciparum life cycle that should be taken into consideration by malaria control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaishree Tripathi
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 637551, Singapore.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
| | - Michal Stoklasa
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Sourav Nayak
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Kay En Low
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Erica Qian Hui Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Quang Huy Duong Tien
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Laurent Rénia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 637551, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 636921, Singapore
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR ID Labs), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Benoit Malleret
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 637551, Singapore.
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4
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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] [Key Words] [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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara E. Micchelli
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Caroline Percopo
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Maria Traver
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joseph Brzostowski
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Shuchi N. Amin
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sean T. Prigge
- Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore Maryland, USA
| | - Juliana M. Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas E. Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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5
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Tarannum A, Rodríguez-Almonacid CC, Salazar-Bravo J, Karamysheva ZN. Molecular Mechanisms of Persistence in Protozoan Parasites. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2248. [PMID: 37764092 PMCID: PMC10534552 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Protozoan parasites are known for their remarkable capacity to persist within the bodies of vertebrate hosts, which frequently results in prolonged infections and the recurrence of diseases. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie the event of persistence is of paramount significance to develop innovative therapeutic approaches, given that these pathways still need to be thoroughly elucidated. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the investigation of protozoan persistence in vertebrate hosts. The focus is primarily on the function of persisters, their formation within the host, and the specific molecular interactions between host and parasite while they persist. Additionally, we examine the metabolomic, transcriptional, and translational changes that protozoan parasites undergo during persistence within vertebrate hosts, focusing on major parasites such as Plasmodium spp., Trypanosoma spp., Leishmania spp., and Toxoplasma spp. Key findings of our study suggest that protozoan parasites deploy several molecular and physiological strategies to evade the host immune surveillance and sustain their persistence. Furthermore, some parasites undergo stage differentiation, enabling them to acclimate to varying host environments and immune challenges. More often, stressors such as drug exposure were demonstrated to impact the formation of protozoan persisters significantly. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating the persistence of protozoan parasites in vertebrate hosts can reinvigorate our current insights into host-parasite interactions and facilitate the development of more efficacious disease therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Zemfira N. Karamysheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (A.T.); (C.C.R.-A.); (J.S.-B.)
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6
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Shafi S, Gupta S, Jain R, Shoaib R, Munjal A, Maurya P, Kumar P, Kalam Najmi A, Singh S. Tackling the emerging Artemisinin-resistant malaria parasite by modulation of defensive oxido-reductive mechanism via nitrofurantoin repurposing. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 215:115756. [PMID: 37598974 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Oxidative stress-mediated cell death has remained the prime parasiticidal mechanism of front line antimalarial, artemisinin (ART). The emergence of resistant Plasmodium parasites characterized by oxidative stress management due to impaired activation of ART and enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification has decreased its clinical efficacy. This gap can be filled by development of alternative chemotherapeutic agents to combat resistance defense mechanism. Interestingly, repositioning of clinically approved drugs presents an emerging approach for expediting antimalarial drug development and circumventing resistance. Herein, we evaluated the antimalarial potential of nitrofurantoin (NTF), a clinically used antibacterial drug, against intra-erythrocytic stages of ART-sensitive (Pf3D7) and resistant (PfKelch13R539T) strains of P. falciparum, alone and in combination with ART. NTF exhibited growth inhibitory effect at submicro-molar concentration by arresting parasite growth at trophozoite stage. It also inhibited the survival of resistant parasites as revealed by ring survival assay. Concomitantly, in vitro combination assay revealed synergistic association of NTF with ART. NTF was found to enhance the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and induced mitochondrial membrane depolarization in parasite. Furthermore, we found that exposure of parasites to NTF disrupted redox balance by impeding Glutathione Reductase activity, which manifests in enhanced oxidative stress, inducing parasite death. In vivo administration of NTF, alone and in combination with ART, in P. berghei ANKA-infected mice blocked parasite multiplication and enhanced mean survival time. Overall, our results indicate NTF as a promising repurposable drug with therapeutic potential against ART-sensitive as well as resistant parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadat Shafi
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India; Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Sonal Gupta
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Ravi Jain
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Rumaisha Shoaib
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Akshay Munjal
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Preeti Maurya
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Purnendu Kumar
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Abul Kalam Najmi
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
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7
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Pires CV, Oberstaller J, Wang C, Casandra D, Zhang M, Chawla J, Adapa SR, Otto TD, Ferdig MT, Rayner JC, Jiang RHY, Adams JH. Chemogenomic Profiling of a Plasmodium falciparum Transposon Mutant Library Reveals Shared Effects of Dihydroartemisinin and Bortezomib on Lipid Metabolism and Exported Proteins. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0501422. [PMID: 37067430 PMCID: PMC10269874 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.05014-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The antimalarial activity of the frontline drug artemisinin involves generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to oxidative damage of parasite proteins. To achieve homeostasis and maintain protein quality control in the overwhelmed parasite, the ubiquitin-proteasome system kicks in. Even though molecular markers for artemisinin resistance like pfkelch13 have been identified, the intricate network of mechanisms driving resistance remains to be elucidated. Here, we report a forward genetic screening strategy that enables a broader identification of genetic factors responsible for altering sensitivity to dihydroartemisinin (DHA) and a proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib (BTZ). Using a library of isogenic piggyBac mutants in P. falciparum, we defined phenotype-genotype associations influencing drug responses and highlighted shared mechanisms between the two processes, which mainly included proteasome-mediated degradation and the lipid metabolism genes. Additional transcriptomic analysis of a DHA/BTZ-sensitive piggyBac mutant showed it is possible to find differences between the two response mechanisms on the specific components for regulation of the exportome. Our results provide further insight into the molecular mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance. IMPORTANCE Malaria control is seriously threatened by the emergence and spread of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to the leading antimalarial, artemisinin. The potent killing activity of artemisinin results from oxidative damage unleashed by free heme activation released by hemoglobin digestion. Although the ubiquitin-proteasome system is considered critical for parasite survival of this toxicity, the diverse genetic changes linked to artemisinin resistance are complex and, so far, have not included the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In this study, we use a systematic forward genetic approach by screening a library of P. falciparum random piggyBac mutants to decipher the genetic factors driving malaria parasite responses to the oxidative stress caused by antimalarial drugs. This study compares phenotype-genotype associations influencing dihydroartemisinin responses with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib to delineate the role of ubiquitin-proteasome system. Our study highlights shared and unique pathways from the complex array of molecular processes critical for P. falciparum survival resulting from the oxidative damage of artemisinin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Valente Pires
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jenna Oberstaller
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Chengqi Wang
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Debora Casandra
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Min Zhang
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Jyotsna Chawla
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States
| | - Swamy Rakesh Adapa
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Thomas D. Otto
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, MVLS, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Michael T. Ferdig
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Julian C. Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Rays H. Y. Jiang
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- USF Genomics Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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8
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Shinyuy LM, Loe GE, Jansen O, Mamede L, Ledoux A, Noukimi SF, Abenwie SN, Ghogomu SM, Souopgui J, Robert A, Demeyer K, Frederich M. Secondary Metabolites Isolated from Artemisia afra and Artemisia annua and Their Anti-Malarial, Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulating Properties-Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics: A Review. Metabolites 2023; 13:metabo13050613. [PMID: 37233654 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13050613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
There are over 500 species of the genus Artemisia in the Asteraceae family distributed over the globe, with varying potentials to treat different ailments. Following the isolation of artemisinin (a potent anti-malarial compound with a sesquiterpene backbone) from Artemisia annua, the phytochemical composition of this species has been of interest over recent decades. Additionally, the number of phytochemical investigations of other species, including those of Artemisia afra in a search for new molecules with pharmacological potentials, has increased in recent years. This has led to the isolation of several compounds from both species, including a majority of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and polyphenols with varying pharmacological activities. This review aims to discuss the most important compounds present in both plant species with anti-malarial properties, anti-inflammatory potentials, and immunomodulating properties, with an emphasis on their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics properties. Additionally, the toxicity of both plants and their anti-malaria properties, including those of other species in the genus Artemisia, is discussed. As such, data were collected via a thorough literature search in web databases, such as ResearchGate, ScienceDirect, Google scholar, PubMed, Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical databases, up to 2022. A distinction was made between compounds involved in a direct anti-plasmodial activity and those expressing anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activities or anti-fever properties. For pharmacokinetics activities, a distinction was made between compounds influencing bioavailability (CYP effect or P-Glycoprotein effect) and those affecting the stability of pharmacodynamic active components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lahngong Methodius Shinyuy
- Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Medicine (CIRM), University of Liege, 4000 Liège, Belgium
- Laboratory of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Department of Analytical, Applied Chemometrics and Molecular Modeling (FABI), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit of Brussel, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
- Laboratory of Pharmacochemical and Natural Pharmaceutical Substances, Doctoral Training Unit in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala P.O. Box 2701, Cameroon
| | - Gisèle E Loe
- Laboratory of Pharmacochemical and Natural Pharmaceutical Substances, Doctoral Training Unit in Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala P.O. Box 2701, Cameroon
| | - Olivia Jansen
- Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Medicine (CIRM), University of Liege, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Lúcia Mamede
- Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Medicine (CIRM), University of Liege, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Allison Ledoux
- Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Medicine (CIRM), University of Liege, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Sandra Fankem Noukimi
- Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory (MCBL), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon
- Embryology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Suh Nchang Abenwie
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit (EPiD), Institute of Clinical and Experimental Research (IREC), UCLouvain, 1200 Brussel, Belgium
| | - Stephen Mbigha Ghogomu
- Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory (MCBL), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon
| | - Jacob Souopgui
- Embryology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Annie Robert
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit (EPiD), Institute of Clinical and Experimental Research (IREC), UCLouvain, 1200 Brussel, Belgium
| | - Kristiaan Demeyer
- Laboratory of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Department of Analytical, Applied Chemometrics and Molecular Modeling (FABI), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit of Brussel, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
| | - Michel Frederich
- Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, Center of Interdisciplinary Research on Medicine (CIRM), University of Liege, 4000 Liège, Belgium
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Ring stage dormancy of Plasmodium falciparum tolerant to artemisinin and its analogues - A genetically regulated "Sleeping Beauty". Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2023; 21:61-64. [PMID: 36708651 PMCID: PMC9883618 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The appearance in 2008 in western Cambodia of Plasmodium falciparum tolerant to artemisinin, defined by longer parasite clearance time following drug administration and in vitro by a slightly higher survival rate of the ring stage after a 3-h treatment with 700 nM artemisinin (or analogues, collectively termed ART), has raised concerns of the possible loss of this frontline antimalarial [used in the form of an artemisinin combination therapy (ACT)], with its low IC50 value against the ring stage and pleiotropic pro-drug/poison property. The key genetic marker of ART tolerance phenotype is a number of non-synonymous mutations in Pfkelch13 propeller domain. This results in defective assembly at the ring stage of a cytostome structure located at cytoplasmic side of the parasite membrane required for invagination of a double-membrane endosome carrying host cytosol haemoglobin to the digestive vacuole. The consequential deprivation of amino acids initiates ring stage parasites bearing the causal mutations in PfK13 (or other key cytostome components) entry into a dormant state ("Sleeping Beauty"), which, after a duration longer than that the short-lived ART, "Sleeping Beauty" ring parasite resumes its normal, but accelerated, development to maintain the 48-h intra-erythrocytic life-cycle. We posit that when ART-tolerant P. falciparum has acquired under ART stress the causative PfK13 mutation (not obligatory if mutations occur in other critical cytostome components), together with other necessary mutations to adjust to the new normalcy and to provide survival competitiveness, ART-tolerant parasite has now evolved into a genetically programmed "Sleeping Beauty". The onus of preventing the spread of ART-tolerant P. falciparum lies with the efficacy of ACT partner drug, hence the recommendation of a triple ACT (TACT). Nevertheless, attention should also be focussed on understanding the mechanisms of dormancy, such as induction, maintenance and recovery, to enable discovery and development of novel antimalarials targeting this unique parasite stage.
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10
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Trindade S, De Niz M, Costa-Sequeira M, Bizarra-Rebelo T, Bento F, Dejung M, Narciso MV, López-Escobar L, Ferreira J, Butter F, Bringaud F, Gjini E, Figueiredo LM. Slow growing behavior in African trypanosomes during adipose tissue colonization. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7548. [PMID: 36481558 PMCID: PMC9732351 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34622-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When Trypanosoma brucei parasites, the causative agent of sleeping sickness, colonize the adipose tissue, they rewire gene expression. Whether this adaptation affects population behavior and disease treatment remained unknown. By using a mathematical model, we estimate that the population of adipose tissue forms (ATFs) proliferates slower than blood parasites. Analysis of the ATFs proteome, measurement of protein synthesis and proliferation rates confirm that the ATFs divide on average every 12 h, instead of 6 h in the blood. Importantly, the population of ATFs is heterogeneous with parasites doubling times ranging between 5 h and 35 h. Slow-proliferating parasites remain capable of reverting to the fast proliferation profile in blood conditions. Intravital imaging shows that ATFs are refractory to drug treatment. We propose that in adipose tissue, a subpopulation of T. brucei parasites acquire a slow growing behavior, which contributes to disease chronicity and treatment failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Trindade
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mariana De Niz
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mariana Costa-Sequeira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tiago Bizarra-Rebelo
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Fábio Bento
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Mainz, Germany
| | - Mario Dejung
- Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marta Valido Narciso
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Lara López-Escobar
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Ferreira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Falk Butter
- Institute of Molecular Biology, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frédéric Bringaud
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité (MFP), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR-5234, Bordeaux, France
- Centre de Résonance Magnétique des Systèmes Biologiques (RMSB), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR-5536, Bordeaux, France
| | - Erida Gjini
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal.
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Luisa M Figueiredo
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal.
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11
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Ring-stage growth arrest: Metabolic basis of artemisinin tolerance in Plasmodium falciparum. iScience 2022; 26:105725. [PMID: 36579133 PMCID: PMC9791339 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of artemisinin-tolerant malaria parasites threatens malaria control programmes worldwide. Mutations in the propeller domain of the Kelch13 protein confer Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance (ART-R). ART-R is linked to the reduced susceptibility of temporary growth-arrested ring-stage parasites, but the metabolic mechanisms remain elusive. We generated two PfKelch13 mutant lines via CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing which displayed a reduced susceptibility accompanied by an extended ring stage. The metabolome of ART-induced ring-stage growth arrest parasites carrying PfKelch13 mutations showed significant alterations in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, glycolysis, and amino acids metabolism, pointing to altered energy and porphyrin metabolism with metabolic plasticity. The critical role of these pathways was further confirmed by altering metabolic flow or through chemical inhibition. Our findings uncover that the growth arrestment associated with ART-R is potentially attributed to the adaptative metabolic plasticity, indicating that the defined metabolic remodeling turns out to be the trigger for ART-R.
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12
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Keroack CD, Duraisingh MT. Molecular mechanisms of cellular quiescence in apicomplexan parasites. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 70:102223. [PMID: 36274498 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Quiescence is a reversible nonproliferative cellular state that allows organisms to persist through unfavorable conditions. Quiescence can be stimulated by a wide range of external or intrinsic factors. Cells undergo a coordinated molecular program to enter and exit from the quiescent state, which is governed by signaling, transcriptional and translational changes, epigenetic mechanisms, metabolic switches, and changes in cellular architecture. These mechanisms have been extensively studied in model organisms, and a growing number of studies have identified conserved mechanisms in apicomplexan parasites. Quiescence in the context of a parasitic infection has significant clinical impact: quiescent forms may underlie treatment failures, relapsing infections, and stress tolerance. Here, we review the latest understanding of quiescence in apicomplexa, synthesizing these studies to highlight conserved mechanisms, and identifying technologies to assist in further characterization of quiescence. Understanding conserved mechanisms of quiescence in apicomplexans will provide avenues for transmission prevention and radical cure of infections.
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Rawat M, Kanyal A, Choubey D, Deshmukh B, Malhotra R, Mamatharani DV, Rao AG, Karmodiya K. Identification of Co-Existing Mutations and Gene Expression Trends Associated With K13-Mediated Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. Front Genet 2022; 13:824483. [PMID: 35464842 PMCID: PMC9019836 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.824483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum infects millions and kills thousands of people annually the world over. With the emergence of artemisinin and/or multidrug resistant strains of the pathogen, it has become even more challenging to control and eliminate the disease. Multiomics studies of the parasite have started to provide a glimpse into the confounding genetics and mechanisms of artemisinin resistance and identified mutations in Kelch13 (K13) as a molecular marker of resistance. Over the years, thousands of genomes and transcriptomes of artemisinin-resistant/sensitive isolates have been documented, supplementing the search for new genes/pathways to target artemisinin-resistant isolates. This meta-analysis seeks to recap the genetic landscape and the transcriptional deregulation that demarcate artemisinin resistance in the field. To explore the genetic territory of artemisinin resistance, we use genomic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) datasets from 2,517 isolates from 15 countries from the MalariaGEN Network (The Pf3K project, pilot data release 4, 2015) to dissect the prevalence, geographical distribution, and co-existing patterns of genetic markers associated with/enabling artemisinin resistance. We have identified several mutations which co-exist with the established markers of artemisinin resistance. Interestingly, K13-resistant parasites harbor α-ß hydrolase and putative HECT domain-containing protein genes with the maximum number of SNPs. We have also explored the multiple, publicly available transcriptomic datasets to identify genes from key biological pathways whose consistent deregulation may be contributing to the biology of resistant parasites. Surprisingly, glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathways were consistently downregulated in artemisinin-resistant parasites. Thus, this meta-analysis highlights the genetic and transcriptomic features of resistant parasites to propel further exploratory studies in the community to tackle artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukul Rawat
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Abhishek Kanyal
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Deepak Choubey
- Life Science Research Unit, Persistent Systems Limited, Pune, India
| | - Bhagyashree Deshmukh
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Rashim Malhotra
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - D V Mamatharani
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Anjani Gopal Rao
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Krishanpal Karmodiya
- Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
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14
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Egwu CO, Pério P, Augereau JM, Tsamesidis I, Benoit-Vical F, Reybier K. Resistance to artemisinin in falciparum malaria parasites: A redox-mediated phenomenon. Free Radic Biol Med 2022; 179:317-327. [PMID: 34416340 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2021.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Malaria remains a major public health disease due to its high yearly mortality and morbidity. Resistance to the gold standard drug, artemisinin, is worrisome and needs better understanding in order to be overcome. In this work, we sought to study whether redox processes are involved in artemisinin resistance. As artemisinin is known to act among others via production of reactive species, we first compared the production of reactive oxygen species and concomitant protein oxidation in artemisinin-sensitive and artemisinin-resistant parasites when treated with artemisinin. The results undoubtedly demonstrated, using different original methods, that the level of ROS, including superoxide production, and oxidized protein were lower in the resistant strain. Interestingly, the major in-between strain difference was reported at the earlier ring stages, which are the forms able to enter in a quiescence state according to the ART resistance phenomenon. Moreover, we demonstrated a better homeostasis regulation in relation with higher expression of antioxidants in the artemisinin-resistant parasites than their sensitive counterparts after artemisinin exposure, notably, superoxide dismutase and the glutathione (GSH) system. These findings enrich the body of knowledges about the multifaceted mechanism of artemisinin resistance and will help in the design and development of newer antimalarials strategies active against resistant parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinedu O Egwu
- PharmaDev, UMR 152, Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, 31400, France; Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria; LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, Inserm ERL 1289, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Pierre Pério
- PharmaDev, UMR 152, Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, 31400, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, Inserm ERL 1289, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Ioannis Tsamesidis
- PharmaDev, UMR 152, Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, 31400, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; MAAP, Inserm ERL 1289, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France.
| | - Karine Reybier
- PharmaDev, UMR 152, Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, 31400, France.
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15
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Egwu CO, Obasi NA, Aloke C, Nwafor J, Tsamesidis I, Chukwu J, Elom S. Impact of Drug Pressure versus Limited Access to Drug in Malaria Control: The Dilemma. MEDICINES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:2. [PMID: 35049935 PMCID: PMC8779401 DOI: 10.3390/medicines9010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Malaria burden has severe impact on the world. Several arsenals, including the use of antimalarials, are in place to curb the malaria burden. However, the application of these antimalarials has two extremes, limited access to drug and drug pressure, which may have similar impact on malaria control, leading to treatment failure through divergent mechanisms. Limited access to drugs ensures that patients do not get the right doses of the antimalarials in order to have an effective plasma concentration to kill the malaria parasites, which leads to treatment failure and overall reduction in malaria control via increased transmission rate. On the other hand, drug pressure can lead to the selection of drug resistance phenotypes in a subpopulation of the malaria parasites as they mutate in order to adapt. This also leads to a reduction in malaria control. Addressing these extremes in antimalarial application can be essential in maintaining the relevance of the conventional antimalarials in winning the war against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinedu Ogbonnia Egwu
- PharmaDev, UMR 152, Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, 31400 Toulouse, France
- Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki 482131, Nigeria; (N.A.O.); (C.A.); (S.E.)
| | - Nwogo Ajuka Obasi
- Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki 482131, Nigeria; (N.A.O.); (C.A.); (S.E.)
| | - Chinyere Aloke
- Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki 482131, Nigeria; (N.A.O.); (C.A.); (S.E.)
- Protein Structure-Function and Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Joseph Nwafor
- Anatomy, College of Medicine, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki 482131, Nigeria;
| | - Ioannis Tsamesidis
- Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;
| | - Jennifer Chukwu
- John Hopkins Program on International Education in Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Abuja 900281, Nigeria;
| | - Sunday Elom
- Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki 482131, Nigeria; (N.A.O.); (C.A.); (S.E.)
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16
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Ursing J, Johns R, Aydin-Schmidt B, Calçada C, Kofoed PE, Ghanchi NK, Veiga MI, Rombo L. OUP accepted manuscript. J Antimicrob Chemother 2022; 77:1005-1011. [PMID: 35137072 PMCID: PMC8969533 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plasmodium falciparum strains that are resistant to standard-dose chloroquine can be treated by higher chloroquine concentrations maintained for a longer time in vivo. Objectives To determine the relative importance of chloroquine concentrations versus exposure time for elimination of chloroquine-susceptible and -resistant P. falciparum in vitro. Methods Chloroquine-susceptible (3D7) and -resistant (FCR3) strains were exposed in vitro to 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 times their respective 90% inhibitory chloroquine concentrations for 3, 5, 7 or 14 days and then followed until recrudescence, or not, by 42 days after the end of exposure. Results Exposure to chloroquine appeared to eliminate susceptible and resistant parasites, leaving small pyknotic apparently dead parasites. Chloroquine-susceptible and -resistant parasites recrudesced after 3 and 5 days of chloroquine exposure. Recrudescence occurred in one out of four 7 day exposure series but not after 14 days exposure. The median time to recrudescence was 13 to 28 days with a range of 8 to 41 days after the end of exposure. Time to recrudescence after the end of exposure increased with duration of exposure for susceptible and resistant strains (P < 0.001). Time to recrudescence did not correlate with concentrations greater than 1× IC90. Conclusions Chloroquine-susceptible and -resistant P. falciparum probably become dormant. Elimination of dormant parasites is primarily dependent upon the duration of chloroquine exposure. Exposure to effective drug concentrations for 7 days eliminates most parasites in vitro. The results support in vivo data indicating that elimination of chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum correlates with Day 7 chloroquine concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Ursing
- Projecto de Saúde de Bandim, Indepth Network, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Corresponding author. E-mail:
| | - Rasmus Johns
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Berit Aydin-Schmidt
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carla Calçada
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Poul-Erik Kofoed
- Projecto de Saúde de Bandim, Indepth Network, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Lillebaelt Hospital, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark
| | - Najia Karim Ghanchi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Maria Isabel Veiga
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Lars Rombo
- Centre for Clinical Research, Region Sörmland, Eskilstuna, Sweden
- Unit of infectious Diseases, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Erhunse N, Sahal D. Protecting future antimalarials from the trap of resistance: Lessons from artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) failures. J Pharm Anal 2021; 11:541-554. [PMID: 34765267 PMCID: PMC8572664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Having faced increased clinical treatment failures with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ), Cambodia swapped the first line artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) from DHA-PPQ to artesunate-mefloquine given that parasites resistant to piperaquine are susceptible to mefloquine. However, triple mutants have now emerged, suggesting that drug rotations may not be adequate to keep resistance at bay. There is, therefore, an urgent need for alternative treatment strategies to tackle resistance and prevent its spread. A proper understanding of all contributors to artemisinin resistance may help us identify novel strategies to keep artemisinins effective until new drugs become available for their replacement. This review highlights the role of the key players in artemisinin resistance, the current strategies to deal with it and suggests ways of protecting future antimalarial drugs from bowing to resistance as their predecessors did.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nekpen Erhunse
- Malaria Drug Discovery Research Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo-State, Nigeria
| | - Dinkar Sahal
- Malaria Drug Discovery Research Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
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18
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Siddiqui FA, Liang X, Cui L. Plasmodium falciparum resistance to ACTs: Emergence, mechanisms, and outlook. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2021; 16:102-118. [PMID: 34090067 PMCID: PMC8188179 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Emergence and spread of resistance in Plasmodium falciparum to the frontline treatment artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in the epicenter of multidrug resistance of Southeast Asia threaten global malaria control and elimination. Artemisinin (ART) resistance (or tolerance) is defined clinically as delayed parasite clearance after treatment with an ART drug. The resistance phenotype is restricted to the early ring stage and can be measured in vitro using a ring-stage survival assay. ART resistance is associated with mutations in the propeller domain of the Kelch family protein K13. As a pro-drug, ART is activated primarily by heme, which is mainly derived from hemoglobin digestion in the food vacuole. Activated ARTs can react promiscuously with a wide range of cellular targets, disrupting cellular protein homeostasis. Consistent with this mode of action for ARTs, the molecular mechanisms of K13-mediated ART resistance involve reduced hemoglobin uptake/digestion and increased cellular stress response. Mutations in other genes such as AP-2μ (adaptor protein-2 μ subunit), UBP-1 (ubiquitin-binding protein-1), and Falcipain 2a that interfere with hemoglobin uptake and digestion also increase resistance to ARTs. ART resistance has facilitated the development of resistance to the partner drugs, resulting in rapidly declining ACT efficacies. The molecular markers for resistance to the partner drugs are mostly associated with point mutations in the two food vacuole membrane transporters PfCRT and PfMDR1, and amplification of pfmdr1 and the two aspartic protease genes plasmepsin 2 and 3. It has been observed that mutations in these genes can have opposing effects on sensitivities to different partner drugs, which serve as the principle for designing triple ACTs and drug rotation. Although clinical ACT resistance is restricted to Southeast Asia, surveillance for drug resistance using in vivo clinical efficacy, in vitro assays, and molecular approaches is required to prevent or slow down the spread of resistant parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faiza Amber Siddiqui
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Xiaoying Liang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
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19
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Wicht KJ, Mok S, Fidock DA. Molecular Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. Annu Rev Microbiol 2021; 74:431-454. [PMID: 32905757 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-020518-115546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Understanding and controlling the spread of antimalarial resistance, particularly to artemisinin and its partner drugs, is a top priority. Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to chloroquine, amodiaquine, or piperaquine harbor mutations in the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT), a transporter resident on the digestive vacuole membrane that in its variant forms can transport these weak-base 4-aminoquinoline drugs out of this acidic organelle, thus preventing these drugs from binding heme and inhibiting its detoxification. The structure of PfCRT, solved by cryogenic electron microscopy, shows mutations surrounding an electronegative central drug-binding cavity where they presumably interact with drugs and natural substrates to control transport. P. falciparum susceptibility to heme-binding antimalarials is also modulated by overexpression or mutations in the digestive vacuole membrane-bound ABC transporter PfMDR1 (P. falciparum multidrug resistance 1 transporter). Artemisinin resistance is primarily mediated by mutations in P. falciparum Kelch13 protein (K13), a protein involved in multiple intracellular processes including endocytosis of hemoglobin, which is required for parasite growth and artemisinin activation. Combating drug-resistant malaria urgently requires the development of new antimalarial drugs with novel modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn J Wicht
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA; , ,
| | - Sachel Mok
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA; , ,
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA; , , .,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA
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20
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Restructured Mitochondrial-Nuclear Interaction in Plasmodium falciparum Dormancy and Persister Survival after Artemisinin Exposure. mBio 2021; 12:e0075321. [PMID: 34044591 PMCID: PMC8262848 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00753-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Artemisinin and its semisynthetic derivatives (ART) are fast acting, potent antimalarials; however, their use in malaria treatment is frequently confounded by recrudescences from bloodstream Plasmodium parasites that enter into and later reactivate from a dormant persister state. Here, we provide evidence that the mitochondria of dihydroartemisinin (DHA)-exposed persisters are dramatically altered and enlarged relative to the mitochondria of young, actively replicating ring forms. Restructured mitochondrial-nuclear associations and an altered metabolic state are consistent with stress from reactive oxygen species. New contacts between the mitochondria and nuclei may support communication pathways of mitochondrial retrograde signaling, resulting in transcriptional changes in the nucleus as a survival response. Further characterization of the organelle communication and metabolic dependencies of persisters may suggest strategies to combat recrudescences of malaria after treatment.
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21
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Abstract
There is an urgent need for alternative antimalarials with the emergence of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites. Blocking sugar uptake in Plasmodium falciparum by selectively inhibiting the hexose transporter P. falciparum hexose transporter 1 (PfHT1) kills the blood-stage parasites without affecting the host cells, making PfHT1 a promising therapeutic target. Here, we report the development of a series of small-molecule inhibitors that simultaneously target the orthosteric and the allosteric binding sites of PfHT1. These inhibitors all exhibit selective potency on the P. falciparum strains over human cell lines. Our findings establish the basis for the rational design of next-generation antimalarial drugs. Artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites have emerged and have been spreading, posing a significant public health challenge. Antimalarial drugs with novel mechanisms of action are therefore urgently needed. In this report, we exploit a “selective starvation” strategy by inhibiting Plasmodium falciparum hexose transporter 1 (PfHT1), the sole hexose transporter in P. falciparum, over human glucose transporter 1 (hGLUT1), providing an alternative approach to fight against multidrug-resistant malaria parasites. The crystal structure of hGLUT3, which shares 80% sequence similarity with hGLUT1, was resolved in complex with C3361, a moderate PfHT1-specific inhibitor, at 2.3-Å resolution. Structural comparison between the present hGLUT3-C3361 and our previously reported PfHT1-C3361 confirmed the unique inhibitor binding-induced pocket in PfHT1. We then designed small molecules to simultaneously block the orthosteric and allosteric pockets of PfHT1. Through extensive structure–activity relationship studies, the TH-PF series was identified to selectively inhibit PfHT1 over hGLUT1 and potent against multiple strains of the blood-stage P. falciparum. Our findings shed light on the next-generation chemotherapeutics with a paradigm-shifting structure-based design strategy to simultaneously target the orthosteric and allosteric sites of a transporter.
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22
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Ouji M, Nguyen M, Mustière R, Jimenez T, Augereau JM, Benoit-Vical F, Deraeve C. Novel molecule combinations and corresponding hybrids targeting artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 39:127884. [PMID: 33636304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.127884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is still considered as the major parasitic disease and the development of artemisinin resistance does not improve this alarming situation. Based on the recent identification of relevant malaria targets in the artemisinin resistance context, novel drug combinations were evaluated against artemisinin-sensitive and artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Corresponding hybrid molecules were also synthesized and evaluated for comparison with combinations and individual pharmacophores (e.g. atovaquone, mefloquine or triclosan). Combinations and hybrids showed remarkable antimalarial activity (IC50 = 0.6 to 1.1 nM for the best compounds), strong selectivity, and didn't present any cross-resistance with artemisinin. Moreover, the combination triclosan + atovaquone showed high activity against artemisinin-resistant parasites at the quiescent stage but the corresponding hybrid lost this pharmacological property. This result is essential since only few molecules active against quiescent artemisinin-resistant parasites are reported. Our promising results highlight the potential of these combinations and paves the way for pharmacomodulation work on the best hybrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manel Ouji
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France
| | - Romain Mustière
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Tony Jimenez
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France.
| | - Céline Deraeve
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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23
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Reyser T, Paloque L, Ouji M, Nguyen M, Ménard S, Witkowski B, Augereau JM, Benoit-Vical F. Identification of compounds active against quiescent artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites via the quiescent-stage survival assay (QSA). J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 75:2826-2834. [PMID: 32653910 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quiescence is an unconventional mechanism of Plasmodium survival, mediating artemisinin resistance. This phenomenon increases the risk of clinical failures following artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) by slowing parasite clearance and allowing the selection of parasites resistant to partner drugs. OBJECTIVES To thwart this multiresistance, the quiescent state of artemisinin-resistant parasites must be taken into consideration from the very early stages of the drug discovery process. METHODS We designed a novel phenotypic assay we have named the quiescent-stage survival assay (QSA) to assess the antiplasmodial activity of drugs on quiescent parasites. This assay was first validated on quiescent forms from different artemisinin-resistant parasite lines (laboratory strain and field isolates), using two reference drugs with different mechanisms of action: chloroquine and atovaquone. Furthermore, the efficacies of different partner drugs of artemisinins used in ACTs were investigated against both laboratory strains and field isolates from Cambodia. RESULTS Our results highlight that because of the mechanism of quiescence and the respective pharmacological targets of drugs, drug efficacies on artemisinin-resistant parasites may be different between quiescent parasites and their proliferating forms. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm the high relevance of adding the chemosensitivity evaluation of quiescent parasites by the specific in vitro QSA to the antiplasmodial drug development process in the current worrisome context of artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaud Reyser
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Lucie Paloque
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Manel Ouji
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Sandie Ménard
- UMR152 UPS-IRD, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Benoit Witkowski
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France.,INSERM, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Scientifique, France
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24
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Peatey C, Chen N, Gresty K, Anderson K, Pickering P, Watts R, Gatton ML, McCarthy J, Cheng Q. Dormant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites in Human Infections Following Artesunate Therapy. J Infect Dis 2020; 223:1631-1638. [PMID: 32901248 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Artemisinin monotherapy of Plasmodium falciparum infection is frequently ineffective due to recrudescence. Artemisinin-induced dormancy, shown in vitro and in animal models, provides a plausible explanation. To date, direct evidence of artemisinin-induced dormancy in humans is lacking. METHODS Blood samples were collected from Plasmodium falciparum 3D7- or K13-infected participants before and 48-72 hours after single-dose artesunate (AS) treatment. Parasite morphology, molecular signature of dormancy, capability and dynamics of seeding in vitro cultures, and genetic mutations in the K13 gene were investigated. RESULTS Dormant parasites were observed in post-AS blood samples of 3D7- and K13-infected participants. The molecular signature of dormancy, an up-regulation of acetyl CoA carboxylase, was detected in 3D7 and K13 samples post-AS, but not in pre-AS samples. Posttreatment samples successfully seeded in vitro cultures, with a significant delay in time to reach 2% parasitemia compared to pretreatment samples. CONCLUSIONS This study provides strong evidence for the presence of artemisinin-induced dormant parasites in P. falciparum infections. These parasites are a likely reservoir for recrudescent infection following artemisinin monotherapy and artemisinin combination therapy (ACT). Combination regimens that target dormant parasites or remain at therapeutic levels for a sufficient time to kill recovering parasites will likely improve efficacy of ACTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Peatey
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nanhua Chen
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karryn Gresty
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,ADFMIDI laboratory, QIMR-Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Karen Anderson
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,ADFMIDI laboratory, QIMR-Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul Pickering
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rebecca Watts
- Clinical Tropical Medicine, QIMR-Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michelle L Gatton
- School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - James McCarthy
- Clinical Tropical Medicine, QIMR-Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Qin Cheng
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,ADFMIDI laboratory, QIMR-Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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25
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Wellems TE, Sá JM, Su XZ, Connelly SV, Ellis AC. 'Artemisinin Resistance': Something New or Old? Something of a Misnomer? Trends Parasitol 2020; 36:735-744. [PMID: 32586776 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Artemisinin and its derivatives (ART) are crucial first-line antimalarial drugs that rapidly clear parasitemia, but recrudescences of the infection frequently follow ART monotherapy. For this reason, ART must be used in combination with one or more partner drugs that ensure complete cure. The ability of malaria parasites to survive ART monotherapy may relate to an innate growth bistability phenomenon whereby a fraction of the drug-exposed population enters into metabolic quiescence (dormancy) as persister forms. Characterization of the events that underlie entry and waking from persistence may lead to lasting breakthroughs in malaria chemotherapy that can prevent recrudescences and protect the future of ART-based combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Juliana M Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Xin-Zhuan Su
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sean V Connelly
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Angela C Ellis
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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26
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Hybrid Gold(I) NHC-Artemether Complexes to Target Falciparum Malaria Parasites. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25122817. [PMID: 32570872 PMCID: PMC7356589 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25122817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites, responsible for malaria disease, resistant to antiplasmodial drugs including the artemisinins, represents a major threat to public health. Therefore, the development of new antimalarial drugs or combinations is urgently required. In this context, several hybrid molecules combining a dihydroartemisinin derivative and gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have been synthesized based on the different modes of action of the two compounds. The antiplasmodial activity of these molecules was assessed in vitro as well as their cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. All the hybrid molecules tested showed efficacy against P. falciparum, in a nanomolar range for the most active, associated with a low cytotoxicity. However, cross-resistance between artemisinin and these hybrid molecules was evidenced. These results underline a fear about the risk of cross-resistance between artemisinins and new antimalarial drugs based on an endoperoxide part. This study thus raises concerns about the use of such molecules in future therapeutic malaria policies.
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27
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Brown AC, Moore CC, Guler JL. Cholesterol-dependent enrichment of understudied erythrocytic stages of human Plasmodium parasites. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4591. [PMID: 32165667 PMCID: PMC7067793 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61392-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
For intracellular pathogens, the host cell provides needed protection and nutrients. A major challenge of intracellular parasite research is collection of high parasite numbers separated from host contamination. This situation is exemplified by the malaria parasite, which spends a substantial part of its life cycle inside erythrocytes as rings, trophozoites, and schizonts, before egress and reinvasion. Erythrocytic Plasmodium parasite forms refractory to enrichment remain understudied due to high host contamination relative to low parasite numbers. Here, we present a method for separating all stages of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes through lysis and removal of uninfected erythrocytes. The Streptolysin O-Percoll (SLOPE) method is effective on previously inaccessible forms, including circulating rings from malaria-infected patients and artemisinin-induced quiescent parasites. SLOPE can be used on multiple parasite species, under multiple media formulations, and lacks measurable impacts on parasite viability. We demonstrate erythrocyte membrane cholesterol levels modulate the preferential lysis of uninfected host cells by SLO, and therefore modulate the effectiveness of SLOPE. Targeted metabolomics of SLOPE-enriched ring stage samples confirms parasite-derived metabolites are increased and contaminating host material is reduced compared to non-enriched samples. Due to consumption of cholesterol by other intracellular bacteria and protozoa, SLOPE holds potential for improving research on organisms beyond Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey C Brown
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Christopher C Moore
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jennifer L Guler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. .,Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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28
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Division and Adaptation to Host Environment of Apicomplexan Parasites Depend on Apicoplast Lipid Metabolic Plasticity and Host Organelle Remodeling. Cell Rep 2020; 30:3778-3792.e9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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29
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Ouji M, Delmas SB, Álvarez ÁF, Augereau J, Valentin A, Hemmert C, Gornitzka H, Benoit‐Vical F. Design, Synthesis and Efficacy of Hybrid Triclosan‐gold Based Molecules on Artemisinin‐resistant
Plasmodium falciparum
and
Leishmania infantum
Parasites. ChemistrySelect 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201904345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Manel Ouji
- LCC–CNRS Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse France
| | | | | | | | - Alexis Valentin
- UMR 152 PharmaDev Université de Toulouse, IRD, UPS, Toulouse France
| | | | | | - Françoise Benoit‐Vical
- LCC–CNRS Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse France
- INSERM Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale France
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30
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Barrett MP, Kyle DE, Sibley LD, Radke JB, Tarleton RL. Protozoan persister-like cells and drug treatment failure. Nat Rev Microbiol 2019; 17:607-620. [PMID: 31444481 PMCID: PMC7024564 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-019-0238-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial treatment failure threatens our ability to control infections. In addition to antimicrobial resistance, treatment failures are increasingly understood to derive from cells that survive drug treatment without selection of genetically heritable mutations. Parasitic protozoa, such as Plasmodium species that cause malaria, Toxoplasma gondii and kinetoplastid protozoa, including Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., cause millions of deaths globally. These organisms can evolve drug resistance and they also exhibit phenotypic diversity, including the formation of quiescent or dormant forms that contribute to the establishment of long-term infections that are refractory to drug treatment, which we refer to as 'persister-like cells'. In this Review, we discuss protozoan persister-like cells that have been linked to persistent infections and discuss their impact on therapeutic outcomes following drug treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Barrett
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - L David Sibley
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joshua B Radke
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rick L Tarleton
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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31
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Ozonide Antimalarial Activity in the Context of Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:529-543. [PMID: 31176584 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ozonides are one of the most advanced drug classes in the antimalarial development pipeline and were designed to improve on limitations associated with current front-line artemisinin-based therapies. Like the artemisinins, the pharmacophoric peroxide bond of ozonides is essential for activity, and it appears that these antimalarials share a similar mode of action, raising the possibility of cross-resistance. Resistance to artemisinins is associated with Plasmodium falciparum mutations that allow resistant parasites to escape short-term artemisinin-mediated damage (elimination half-life ~1 h). Importantly, some ozonides (e.g., OZ439) have a sustained in vivo drug exposure profile, providing a major pharmacokinetic advantage over the artemisinin derivatives. Here, we describe recent progress made towards understanding ozonide antimalarial activity and discuss ozonide utility within the context of artemisinin resistance.
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Kabra R, Chauhan N, Kumar A, Ingale P, Singh S. Efflux pumps and antimicrobial resistance: Paradoxical components in systems genomics. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 141:15-24. [PMID: 30031023 PMCID: PMC7173168 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Efflux pumps play a major role in the increasing antimicrobial resistance rendering a large number of drugs of no use. Large numbers of pathogens are becoming multidrug resistant due to inadequate dosage and use of the existing antimicrobials. This leads to the need for identifying new efflux pump inhibitors. Design of novel targeted therapies using inherent complexity involved in the biological network modeling has gained increasing importance in recent times. The predictive approaches should be used to determine antimicrobial activities with high pathogen specificity and microbicidal potency. Antimicrobial peptides, which are part of our innate immune system, have the ability to respond to infections and have gained much attention in making resistant strain sensitive to existing drugs. In this review paper, we outline evidences linking host-directed therapy with the efflux pump activity to infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritika Kabra
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India
| | - Nutan Chauhan
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India
| | - Anurag Kumar
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India
| | - Prajakta Ingale
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India
| | - Shailza Singh
- National Centre for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Ganeshkhind, SP Pune University Campus, Pune 411007, India.
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Ouji M, Augereau JM, Paloque L, Benoit-Vical F. Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies: A sword of Damocles in the path toward malaria elimination. Parasite 2018; 25:24. [PMID: 29676250 PMCID: PMC5909375 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2018021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), which combine an artemisinin derivative with a partner drug, in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria has largely been responsible for the significant reduction in malaria-related mortality in tropical and subtropical regions. ACTs have also played a significant role in the 18% decline in the incidence of malaria cases from 2010 to 2016. However, this progress is seriously threatened by the reduced clinical efficacy of artemisinins, which is characterised by delayed parasitic clearance and a high rate of recrudescence, as reported in 2008 in Western Cambodia. Resistance to artemisinins has already spread to several countries in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, resistance to partner drugs has been shown in some instances to be facilitated by pre-existing decreased susceptibility to the artemisinin component of the ACT. A major concern is not only the spread of these multidrug-resistant parasites to the rest of Asia but also their possible appearance in Sub-Saharan Africa, the continent most affected by malaria, as has been the case in the past with parasite resistance to other antimalarial treatments. It is therefore essential to understand the acquisition of resistance to artemisinins by Plasmodium falciparum to adapt malaria treatment policies and to propose new therapeutic solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manel Ouji
- LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS),
BP 44099, 205 Route de Narbonne,
31077
Toulouse cedex 4 France
- Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC;
F-31077
Toulouse France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS),
BP 44099, 205 Route de Narbonne,
31077
Toulouse cedex 4 France
- Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC;
F-31077
Toulouse France
| | - Lucie Paloque
- LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS),
BP 44099, 205 Route de Narbonne,
31077
Toulouse cedex 4 France
- Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC;
F-31077
Toulouse France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS),
BP 44099, 205 Route de Narbonne,
31077
Toulouse cedex 4 France
- Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC;
F-31077
Toulouse France
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Influential Parameters for the Analysis of Intracellular Parasite Metabolomics. mSphere 2018; 3:3/2/e00097-18. [PMID: 29669882 PMCID: PMC5907652 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00097-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular characterization of pathogens such as the malaria parasite can lead to improved biological understanding and novel treatment strategies. However, the distinctive biology of the Plasmodium parasite, including its repetitive genome and the requirement for growth within a host cell, hinders progress toward these goals. Untargeted metabolomics is a promising approach to learn about pathogen biology. By measuring many small molecules in the parasite at once, we gain a better understanding of important pathways that contribute to the parasite’s response to perturbations such as drug treatment. Although increasingly popular, approaches for intracellular parasite metabolomics and subsequent analysis are not well explored. The findings presented in this report emphasize the critical need for improvements in these areas to limit misinterpretation due to host metabolites and to standardize biological interpretation. Such improvements will aid both basic biological investigations and clinical efforts to understand important pathogens. Metabolomics is increasingly popular for the study of pathogens. For the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, both targeted and untargeted metabolomics have improved our understanding of pathogenesis, host-parasite interactions, and antimalarial drug treatment and resistance. However, purification and analysis procedures for performing metabolomics on intracellular pathogens have not been explored. Here, we purified in vitro-grown ring-stage intraerythrocytic P. falciparum parasites for untargeted metabolomics studies; the small size of this developmental stage amplifies the challenges associated with metabolomics studies as the ratio between host and parasite biomass is maximized. Following metabolite identification and data preprocessing, we explored multiple confounding factors that influence data interpretation, including host contamination and normalization approaches (including double-stranded DNA, total protein, and parasite numbers). We conclude that normalization parameters have large effects on differential abundance analysis and recommend the thoughtful selection of these parameters. However, normalization does not remove the contribution from the parasite’s extracellular environment (culture media and host erythrocyte). In fact, we found that extraparasite material is as influential on the metabolome as treatment with a potent antimalarial drug with known metabolic effects (artemisinin). Because of this influence, we could not detect significant changes associated with drug treatment. Instead, we identified metabolites predictive of host and medium contamination that could be used to assess sample purification. Our analysis provides the first quantitative exploration of the effects of these factors on metabolomics data analysis; these findings provide a basis for development of improved experimental and analytical methods for future metabolomics studies of intracellular organisms. IMPORTANCE Molecular characterization of pathogens such as the malaria parasite can lead to improved biological understanding and novel treatment strategies. However, the distinctive biology of the Plasmodium parasite, including its repetitive genome and the requirement for growth within a host cell, hinders progress toward these goals. Untargeted metabolomics is a promising approach to learn about pathogen biology. By measuring many small molecules in the parasite at once, we gain a better understanding of important pathways that contribute to the parasite’s response to perturbations such as drug treatment. Although increasingly popular, approaches for intracellular parasite metabolomics and subsequent analysis are not well explored. The findings presented in this report emphasize the critical need for improvements in these areas to limit misinterpretation due to host metabolites and to standardize biological interpretation. Such improvements will aid both basic biological investigations and clinical efforts to understand important pathogens.
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Phytohormones, Isoprenoids, and Role of the Apicoplast in Recovery from Dihydroartemisinin-Induced Dormancy of Plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.01771-17. [PMID: 29311075 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01771-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many organisms undergo dormancy as a stress response to survive under unfavorable conditions that might impede development. This is observed in seeds and buds of plants and has been proposed as a mechanism of drug evasion and resistance formation in Plasmodium falciparum We explored the effects of the phytohormones abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA) on dihydroartemisinin (DHA)-induced dormant erythrocytic stages of P. falciparum parasites. Dormant ring stages exposed to ABA and GA recovered from dormancy up to 48 h earlier than parasites exposed to DHA alone. Conversely, fluridone, an herbicide inhibitor of ABA synthesis, blocked emergence from dormancy. Additionally, the role of the apicoplast was assessed in dormant parasite recovery. Apicoplast-deficient P. falciparum remained viable for up to 8 days without the organelle and recrudesced only when supplemented with isopentyl pyrophosphate (IPP). IPP was not required for survival in the dormant state. Fosmidomycin inhibition of isoprenoid biosynthesis did not prevent dormancy release from occurring in parasites with an intact apicoplast, but IPP or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate was needed for complete recrudescence. In addition, the apicoplast and specifically the isoprenoids it produces are essential for recovery of dormant parasites. In summary, ABA and GA have significant effects on dormant parasites, and the phenotypes produced by these phytohormones and the herbicide fluridone also provide a means to explore the mechanism(s) underlying dormancy and the regulatory network that promotes cell cycle arrest in P. falciparum.
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Zhang M, Gallego-Delgado J, Fernandez-Arias C, Waters NC, Rodriguez A, Tsuji M, Wek RC, Nussenzweig V, Sullivan WJ. Inhibiting the Plasmodium eIF2α Kinase PK4 Prevents Artemisinin-Induced Latency. Cell Host Microbe 2017; 22:766-776.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Characterising the effect of antimalarial drugs on the maturation and clearance of murine blood-stage Plasmodium parasites in vivo. Int J Parasitol 2017; 47:913-922. [PMID: 28864033 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The artemisinins are the first-line therapy for severe and uncomplicated malaria, since they cause rapid declines in parasitemia after treatment. Despite this, in vivo mechanisms underlying this rapid decline remain poorly characterised. The overall decline in parasitemia is the net effect of drug inhibition of parasites and host clearance, which competes against any ongoing parasite proliferation. Separating these mechanisms in vivo was not possible through measurements of total parasitemia alone. Therefore, we employed an adoptive transfer approach in which C57BL/6J mice were transfused with Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain-infected, fluorescent red blood cells, and subsequently drug-treated. This approach allowed us to distinguish between the initial drug-treated generation of parasites (Gen0), and their progeny (Gen1). Artesunate efficiently impaired maturation of Gen0 parasites, such that a sufficiently high dose completely arrested maturation after 6h of in vivo exposure. In addition, artesunate-affected parasites were cleared from circulation with a half-life of 6.7h. In vivo cell depletion studies using clodronate liposomes revealed an important role for host phagocytes in the removal of artesunate-affected parasites, particularly ring and trophozoite stages. Finally, we found that a second antimalarial drug, mefloquine, was less effective than artesunate at suppressing parasite maturation and driving host-mediated parasite clearance. Thus, we propose that in vivo artesunate treatment causes rapid decline in parasitemia by arresting parasite maturation and encouraging phagocyte-mediated clearance of parasitised RBCs.
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Carey MA, Papin JA, Guler JL. Novel Plasmodium falciparum metabolic network reconstruction identifies shifts associated with clinical antimalarial resistance. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:543. [PMID: 28724354 PMCID: PMC5518114 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3905-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Malaria remains a major public health burden and resistance has emerged to every antimalarial on the market, including the frontline drug, artemisinin. Our limited understanding of Plasmodium biology hinders the elucidation of resistance mechanisms. In this regard, systems biology approaches can facilitate the integration of existing experimental knowledge and further understanding of these mechanisms. Results Here, we developed a novel genome-scale metabolic network reconstruction, iPfal17, of the asexual blood-stage P. falciparum parasite to expand our understanding of metabolic changes that support resistance. We identified 11 metabolic tasks to evaluate iPfal17 performance. Flux balance analysis and simulation of gene knockouts and enzyme inhibition predict candidate drug targets unique to resistant parasites. Moreover, integration of clinical parasite transcriptomes into the iPfal17 reconstruction reveals patterns associated with antimalarial resistance. These results predict that artemisinin sensitive and resistant parasites differentially utilize scavenging and biosynthetic pathways for multiple essential metabolites, including folate and polyamines. Our findings are consistent with experimental literature, while generating novel hypotheses about artemisinin resistance and parasite biology. We detect evidence that resistant parasites maintain greater metabolic flexibility, perhaps representing an incomplete transition to the metabolic state most appropriate for nutrient-rich blood. Conclusion Using this systems biology approach, we identify metabolic shifts that arise with or in support of the resistant phenotype. This perspective allows us to more productively analyze and interpret clinical expression data for the identification of candidate drug targets for the treatment of resistant parasites. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3905-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen A Carey
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Jason A Papin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Guler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA. .,Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Charlottesville, USA.
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Fletcher S, Lucantoni L, Sykes ML, Jones AJ, Holleran JP, Saliba KJ, Avery VM. Biological characterization of chemically diverse compounds targeting the Plasmodium falciparum coenzyme A synthesis pathway. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:589. [PMID: 27855724 PMCID: PMC5114727 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1860-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In the fight against malaria, the discovery of chemical compounds with a novel mode of action and/or chemistry distinct from currently used drugs is vital to counteract the parasite’s known ability to develop drug resistance. Another desirable aspect is efficacy against gametocytes, the sexual developmental stage of the parasite which enables the transmission through Anopheles vectors. Using a chemical rescue approach, we previously identified compounds targeting Plasmodium falciparum coenzyme A (CoA) synthesis or utilization, a promising target that has not yet been exploited in anti-malarial drug development. Results We report on the outcomes of a series of biological tests that help to define the species- and stage-specificity, as well as the potential targets of these chemically diverse compounds. Compound activity against P. falciparum gametocytes was determined to assess stage-specificity and transmission-reducing potential. Against early stage gametocytes IC50 values ranging between 60 nM and 7.5 μM were obtained. With the exception of two compounds with sub-micromolar potencies across all intra-erythrocytic stages, activity against late stage gametocytes was lower. None of the compounds were specific pantothenate kinase inhibitors. Chemical rescue profiling with CoA pathway intermediates demonstrated that most compounds acted on either of the two final P. falciparum CoA synthesis enzymes, phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase (PPAT) or dephospho CoA kinase (DPCK). The most active compound targeted either phosphopantothenoylcysteine synthetase (PPCS) or phosphopantothenoylcysteine decarboxylase (PPCDC). Species-specificity was evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma brucei brucei. No specific activity against T. cruzi amastigotes was observed; however three compounds inhibited the viability of trypomastigotes with sub-micromolar potencies and were confirmed to act on T. b. brucei CoA synthesis. Conclusions Utilizing the compounds we previously identified as effective against asexual P. falciparum, we demonstrate for the first time that gametocytes, like the asexual stages, depend on CoA, with two compounds exhibiting sub-micromolar potencies across asexual forms and all gametocytes stages tested. Furthermore, three compounds inhibited the viability of T. cruzi and T. b. brucei trypomastigotes with sub-micromolar potencies and were confirmed to act on T. b. brucei CoA synthesis, indicating that the CoA synthesis pathway might represent a valuable new drug target in these parasite species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1860-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Fletcher
- Discovery Biology, Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Leonardo Lucantoni
- Discovery Biology, Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Melissa L Sykes
- Discovery Biology, Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Amy J Jones
- Discovery Biology, Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - John P Holleran
- Discovery Biology, Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin J Saliba
- Medical School and Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Vicky M Avery
- Discovery Biology, Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia.
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Edwards RL, Odom John AR. Muddled mechanisms: recent progress towards antimalarial target identification. F1000Res 2016; 5:2514. [PMID: 27803804 PMCID: PMC5070598 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.9477.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, malaria rates have plummeted as a result of aggressive infection control measures and the adoption of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). However, a potential crisis looms ahead. Treatment failures to standard antimalarial regimens have been reported in Southeast Asia, and devastating consequences are expected if resistance spreads to the African continent. To prevent a potential public health emergency, the antimalarial arsenal must contain therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action (MOA). An impressive number of high-throughput screening (HTS) campaigns have since been launched, identifying thousands of compounds with activity against one of the causative agents of malaria,
Plasmodium falciparum. Now begins the difficult task of target identification, for which studies are often tedious, labor intensive, and difficult to interpret. In this review, we highlight approaches that have been instrumental in tackling the challenges of target assignment and elucidation of the MOA for hit compounds. Studies that apply these innovative techniques to antimalarial target identification are described, as well as the impact of the data in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Edwards
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Audrey R Odom John
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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The Spiroindolone KAE609 Does Not Induce Dormant Ring Stages in Plasmodium falciparum Parasites. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2016; 60:5167-74. [PMID: 27297484 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02838-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro drug treatment with artemisinin derivatives, such as dihydroartemisinin (DHA), results in a temporary growth arrest (i.e., dormancy) at an early ring stage in Plasmodium falciparum This response has been proposed to play a role in the recrudescence of P. falciparum infections following monotherapy with artesunate and may contribute to the development of artemisinin resistance in P. falciparum malaria. We demonstrate here that artemether does induce dormant rings, a finding which further supports the class effect of artemisinin derivatives in inducing the temporary growth arrest of P. falciparum parasites. In contrast and similarly to lumefantrine, the novel and fast-acting spiroindolone compound KAE609 does not induce growth arrest at the early ring stage of P. falciparum and prevents the recrudescence of DHA-arrested rings at a low concentration (50 nM). Our findings, together with previous clinical data showing that KAE609 is active against artemisinin-resistant K13 mutant parasites, suggest that KAE609 could be an effective partner drug with a broad range of antimalarials, including artemisinin derivatives, in the treatment of multidrug-resistant P. falciparum malaria.
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Gray KA, Gresty KJ, Chen N, Zhang V, Gutteridge CE, Peatey CL, Chavchich M, Waters NC, Cheng Q. Correlation between Cyclin Dependent Kinases and Artemisinin-Induced Dormancy in Plasmodium falciparum In Vitro. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157906. [PMID: 27326764 PMCID: PMC4915707 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Artemisinin-induced dormancy provides a plausible explanation for recrudescence following artemisinin monotherapy. This phenomenon shares similarities with cell cycle arrest where cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs) and cyclins play an important role. Methods Transcription profiles of Plasmodium falciparum CDKs and cyclins before and after dihydroartemisinin (DHA) treatment in three parasite lines, and the effect of CDK inhibitors on parasite recovery from DHA-induced dormancy were investigated. Results After DHA treatment, parasites enter a dormancy phase followed by a recovery phase. During the dormancy phase parasites up-regulate pfcrk1, pfcrk4, pfcyc2 and pfcyc4, and down-regulate pfmrk, pfpk5, pfpk6, pfcrk3, pfcyc1 and pfcyc3. When entering the recovery phase parasites immediately up-regulate all CDK and cyclin genes. Three CDK inhibitors, olomoucine, WR636638 and roscovitine, produced distinct effects on different phases of DHA-induced dormancy, blocking parasites recovery. Conclusions The up-regulation of PfCRK1 and PfCRK4, and down regulation of other CDKs and cyclins correlate with parasite survival in the dormant state. Changes in CDK expression are likely to negatively regulate parasite progression from G1 to S phase. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of artemisinin-induced dormancy and cell cycle regulation of P. falciparum, opening new opportunities for preventing recrudescence following artemisinin treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen-Ann Gray
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- Clinical Tropical Medicine, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Karryn J. Gresty
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- Clinical Tropical Medicine, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nanhua Chen
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Veronica Zhang
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Biochemistry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Christopher L. Peatey
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- Clinical Tropical Medicine, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Marina Chavchich
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Norman C. Waters
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (QC); (NW)
| | - Qin Cheng
- Drug Resistance and Diagnostics, Australian Army Malaria Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- Clinical Tropical Medicine, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
- * E-mail: (QC); (NW)
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Ménard S, Ben Haddou T, Ramadani AP, Ariey F, Iriart X, Beghain J, Bouchier C, Witkowski B, Berry A, Mercereau-Puijalon O, Benoit-Vical F. Induction of Multidrug Tolerance in Plasmodium falciparum by Extended Artemisinin Pressure. Emerg Infect Dis 2016; 21:1733-41. [PMID: 26401601 PMCID: PMC4593447 DOI: 10.3201/eid2110.150682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tolerance is not detected by current assays and represents a major threat to antimalarial drug policy. Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin derivatives in Southeast Asia threatens global malaria control strategies. Whether delayed parasite clearance, which exposes larger parasite numbers to artemisinins for longer times, selects higher-grade resistance remains unexplored. We investigated whether long-lasting artemisinin pressure selects a novel multidrug-tolerance profile. Although 50% inhibitory concentrations for 10 antimalarial drugs tested were unchanged, drug-tolerant parasites showed higher recrudescence rates for endoperoxides, quinolones, and an antifolate, including partner drugs of recommended combination therapies, but remained susceptible to atovaquone. Moreover, the age range of intraerythrocytic stages able to resist artemisinin was extended to older ring forms and trophozoites. Multidrug tolerance results from drug-induced quiescence, which enables parasites to survive exposure to unrelated antimalarial drugs that inhibit a variety of metabolic pathways. This novel resistance pattern should be urgently monitored in the field because this pattern is not detected by current assays and represents a major threat to antimalarial drug policy.
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44
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Paloque L, Ramadani AP, Mercereau-Puijalon O, Augereau JM, Benoit-Vical F. Plasmodium falciparum: multifaceted resistance to artemisinins. Malar J 2016; 15:149. [PMID: 26955948 PMCID: PMC4784301 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-016-1206-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinins, the most potent and fastest acting anti-malarials, threatens malaria elimination strategies. Artemisinin resistance is due to mutation of the PfK13 propeller domain and involves an unconventional mechanism based on a quiescence state leading to parasite recrudescence as soon as drug pressure is removed. The enhanced P. falciparum quiescence capacity of artemisinin-resistant parasites results from an increased ability to manage oxidative damage and an altered cell cycle gene regulation within a complex network involving the unfolded protein response, the PI3K/PI3P/AKT pathway, the PfPK4/eIF2α cascade and yet unidentified transcription factor(s), with minimal energetic requirements and fatty acid metabolism maintained in the mitochondrion and apicoplast. The detailed study of these mechanisms offers a way forward for identifying future intervention targets to fend off established artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Paloque
- CNRS, LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination) UPR8241, 205 route de Narbonne, BP 44099, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France. .,Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
| | - Arba P Ramadani
- CNRS, LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination) UPR8241, 205 route de Narbonne, BP 44099, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France. .,Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France. .,Department of Pharmacology and Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
| | | | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- CNRS, LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination) UPR8241, 205 route de Narbonne, BP 44099, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France. .,Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- CNRS, LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination) UPR8241, 205 route de Narbonne, BP 44099, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France. .,Université de Toulouse, UPS, INPT, 31077, Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
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Siwo GH, Smith RS, Tan A, Button-Simons KA, Checkley LA, Ferdig MT. An integrative analysis of small molecule transcriptional responses in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:1030. [PMID: 26637195 PMCID: PMC4670519 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2165-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Transcriptional responses to small molecules can provide insights into drug mode of action (MOA). The capacity of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to respond specifically to transcriptional perturbations has been unclear based on past approaches. Here, we present the most extensive profiling to date of the parasite’s transcriptional responsiveness to thirty-one chemically and functionally diverse small molecules. Methods We exposed two laboratory strains of the human malaria parasite P. falciparum to brief treatments of thirty-one chemically and functionally diverse small molecules associated with biological effects across multiple pathways based on various levels of evidence. We investigated the impact of chemical composition and MOA on gene expression similarities that arise between perturbations by various compounds. To determine the target biological pathways for each small molecule, we developed a novel framework for encoding small molecule effects on a spectra of biological processes or GO functions that are enriched in the differentially expressed genes of a given small molecule perturbation. Results We find that small molecules associated with similar transcriptional responses contain similar chemical features, and/ or have a shared MOA. The approach also revealed complex relationships between drugs and biological pathways that are missed by most exisiting approaches. For example, the approach was able to partition small molecule responses into drug-specific effects versus non-specific effects. Conclusions Our work provides a new framework for linking transcriptional responses to drug MOA in P. falciparum and can be generalized for the same purpose in other organisms. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2165-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey H Siwo
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.,Current Address: IBM TJ Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA.,Current Address: IBM Research-Africa, South Africa Lab, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2196, South Africa
| | - Roger S Smith
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.,Current Address: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Asako Tan
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.,Epicenter, Madison, WI, 53719, USA
| | - Katrina A Button-Simons
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Lisa A Checkley
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Michael T Ferdig
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
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Chemogenomic profiling of Plasmodium falciparum as a tool to aid antimalarial drug discovery. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15930. [PMID: 26541648 PMCID: PMC4635350 DOI: 10.1038/srep15930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance highlights the urgency to discover new targets and chemical scaffolds. Unfortunately, lack of experimentally validated functional information about most P. falciparum genes remains a strategic hurdle. Chemogenomic profiling is an established tool for classification of drugs with similar mechanisms of action by comparing drug fitness profiles in a collection of mutants. Inferences of drug mechanisms of action and targets can be obtained by associations between shifts in drug fitness and specific genetic changes in the mutants. In this screen, P. falciparum, piggyBac single insertion mutants were profiled for altered responses to antimalarial drugs and metabolic inhibitors to create chemogenomic profiles. Drugs targeting the same pathway shared similar response profiles and multiple pairwise correlations of the chemogenomic profiles revealed novel insights into drugs’ mechanisms of action. A mutant of the artemisinin resistance candidate gene - “K13-propeller” gene (PF3D7_1343700) exhibited increased susceptibility to artemisinin drugs and identified a cluster of 7 mutants based on similar enhanced responses to the drugs tested. Our approach of chemogenomic profiling reveals artemisinin functional activity, linked by the unexpected drug-gene relationships of these mutants, to signal transduction and cell cycle regulation pathways.
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Shaw PJ, Chaotheing S, Kaewprommal P, Piriyapongsa J, Wongsombat C, Suwannakitti N, Koonyosying P, Uthaipibull C, Yuthavong Y, Kamchonwongpaisan S. Plasmodium parasites mount an arrest response to dihydroartemisinin, as revealed by whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) and microarray study. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:830. [PMID: 26490244 PMCID: PMC4618149 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2040-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Control of malaria is threatened by emerging parasite resistance to artemisinin and derivative drug (ART) therapies. The molecular detail of how Plasmodium malaria parasites respond to ART and how this could contribute to resistance are not well understood. To address this question, we performed a transcriptomic study of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) response in P. falciparum K1 strain and in P. berghei ANKA strain using microarray and RNA-seq technology. Results Microarray data from DHA-treated P. falciparum trophozoite stage parasites revealed a response pattern that is overall less trophozoite-like and more like the other stages of asexual development. A meta-analysis of these data with previously published data from other ART treatments revealed a set of common differentially expressed genes. Notably, ribosomal protein genes are down-regulated in response to ART. A similar pattern of trophozoite transcriptomic change was observed from RNA-seq data. RNA-seq data from DHA-treated P. falciparum rings reveal a more muted response, although there is considerable overlap of differentially expressed genes with DHA-treated trophozoites. No genes are differentially expressed in DHA-treated P. falciparum schizonts. The transcriptional response of P. berghei to DHA treatment in vivo in infected mice is similar to the P. falciparum in vitro culture ring and trophozoite responses, in which ribosomal protein genes are notably down-regulated. Conclusions Ring and trophozoite stage Plasmodium respond to ART by arresting metabolic processes such as protein synthesis and glycolysis. This response can be protective in rings, as shown by the phenomenon of dormancy. In contrast, this response is not as protective in trophozoites owing to their commitment to a highly active and vulnerable metabolic state. The lower metabolic demands of schizonts could explain why they are less sensitive and unresponsive to ART. The ART response pattern is revealed clearly from RNA-seq data, suggesting that this technology is of great utility for studying drug response in Plasmodium. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2040-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Shaw
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Sastra Chaotheing
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand
| | - Pavita Kaewprommal
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Genome Technology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Jittima Piriyapongsa
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Genome Technology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Chayaphat Wongsombat
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Nattida Suwannakitti
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Pongpisid Koonyosying
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Chairat Uthaipibull
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Yongyuth Yuthavong
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
| | - Sumalee Kamchonwongpaisan
- Protein-Ligand Engineering and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Medical Molecular Biology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 113 Thailand Science Park, Thanon Phahonyothin, Tambon Khlong Neung, Amphoe, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand.
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Jacot D, Waller RF, Soldati-Favre D, MacPherson DA, MacRae JI. Apicomplexan Energy Metabolism: Carbon Source Promiscuity and the Quiescence Hyperbole. Trends Parasitol 2015; 32:56-70. [PMID: 26472327 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The nature of energy metabolism in apicomplexan parasites has been closely investigated in the recent years. Studies in Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in particular have revealed that these parasites are able to employ enzymes in non-traditional ways, while utilizing multiple anaplerotic routes into a canonical tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to satisfy their energy requirements. Importantly, some life stages of these parasites previously considered to be metabolically quiescent are, in fact, active and able to adapt their carbon source utilization to survive. We compare energy metabolism across the life cycle of malaria parasites and consider how this varies in other apicomplexans and related organisms, while discussing how this can be exploited for therapeutic intervention in these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Jacot
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ross F Waller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - James I MacRae
- The Francis Crick Institute, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.
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From within host dynamics to the epidemiology of infectious disease: Scientific overview and challenges. Math Biosci 2015; 270:143-55. [PMID: 26474512 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Since their earliest days, humans have been struggling with infectious diseases. Caused by viruses, bacteria, protozoa, or even higher organisms like worms, these diseases depend critically on numerous intricate interactions between parasites and hosts, and while we have learned much about these interactions, many details are still obscure. It is evident that the combined host-parasite dynamics constitutes a complex system that involves components and processes at multiple scales of time, space, and biological organization. At one end of this hierarchy we know of individual molecules that play crucial roles for the survival of a parasite or for the response and survival of its host. At the other end, one realizes that the spread of infectious diseases by far exceeds specific locales and, due to today's easy travel of hosts carrying a multitude of organisms, can quickly reach global proportions. The community of mathematical modelers has been addressing specific aspects of infectious diseases for a long time. Most of these efforts have focused on one or two select scales of a multi-level disease and used quite different computational approaches. This restriction to a molecular, physiological, or epidemiological level was prudent, as it has produced solid pillars of a foundation from which it might eventually be possible to launch comprehensive, multi-scale modeling efforts that make full use of the recent advances in biology and, in particular, the various high-throughput methodologies accompanying the emerging -omics revolution. This special issue contains contributions from biologists and modelers, most of whom presented and discussed their work at the workshop From within Host Dynamics to the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, which was held at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University in April 2014. These contributions highlight some of the forays into a deeper understanding of the dynamics between parasites and their hosts, and the consequences of this dynamics for the spread and treatment of infectious diseases.
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50
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Hott A, Tucker MS, Casandra D, Sparks K, Kyle DE. Fitness of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. J Antimicrob Chemother 2015. [PMID: 26203183 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkv199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Drug resistance confers a fitness advantage to parasites exposed to frequent drug pressure, yet these mutations also may incur a fitness cost. We assessed fitness advantages and costs of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum in vitro to understand how drug resistance will spread and evolve in a competitive environment. METHODS Genotyping of SNPs, drug susceptibility assays and copy number determination were used to assess the impact of artemisinin resistance on parasite fitness. An artemisinin-resistant clone (C9) selected in vitro from an isogenic parental clone (D6) was used to conduct competitive growth studies to assess fitness of artemisinin resistance. The resistant and susceptible clones were mixed or grown alone in the presence and absence of drug pressure (dihydroartemisinin or pyrimethamine) to quantify the rate at which artemisinin resistance was gained or lost. RESULTS We experimentally demonstrate for the first time that artemisinin resistance provides a fitness advantage that is selected for with infrequent exposure to drug, but is lost in the absence of exposure to artemisinin drugs. The best correlations with artemisinin resistance were decreased in vitro drug susceptibility to artemisinin derivatives, increased copy number of Pf3D7_1030100 and an SNP in Pf3D7_0307600. An SNP conferring an E208K mutation in the kelch gene (Pf3D7_1343700) was not associated with resistance. Furthermore, we observed second-cycle ring-stage dormancy induced by pyrimethamine, suggesting that dormancy is a fitness trait that provides an advantage for survival from antimalarial drug stress. CONCLUSIONS Artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum have a fitness advantage to survive and predominate in the population even in the face of infrequent exposure to artemisinin drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Hott
- Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Matthew S Tucker
- Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Debora Casandra
- Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Kansas Sparks
- Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Global Health Infectious Disease Research Program, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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