Protein palmitoylation and pathogenesis in apicomplexan parasites

A novel yeast-based high-throughput method for the identification of protein palmitoylation inhibitors

Protein S-acylation or palmitoylation is a widespread post-translational modification that consists of the addition of a lipid molecule to cysteine residues of proteins through a thioester bond. Palmitoylation and palmitoyltransferases (PATs) have been linked to several types of cancers, diseases of the central nervous system and many infectious diseases where pathogens use the host cell machinery to palmitoylate their effectors. Despite the central importance of palmitoylation in cell physiology and disease, progress in the field has been hampered by the lack of potent-specific inhibitors of palmitoylation in general, and of individual PATs in particular. Herein, we present a yeast-based method for the high-throughput identification of small molecules that inhibit protein palmitoylation. The system is based on a reporter gene that responds to the acylation status of a palmitoylation substrate fused to a transcription factor. The method can be applied to heterologous PATs such as human DHHC20, mouse DHHC21 and also a PAT from the parasite Giardia lamblia. As a proof-of-principle, we screened for molecules that inhibit the palmitoylation of Yck2, a substrate of the yeast PAT Akr1. We tested 3200 compounds and were able to identify a candidate molecule, supporting the validity of our method.

The Antimalarial Natural Product Salinipostin A Identifies Essential α/β Serine Hydrolases Involved in Lipid Metabolism in P. falciparum Parasites

Salinipostin A (Sal A) is a potent antiplasmodial marine natural product with an undefined mechanism of action. Using a Sal A-derived activity-based probe, we identify its targets in the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. All of the identified proteins contain α/β serine hydrolase domains and several are essential for parasite growth. One of the essential targets displays a high degree of homology to human monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and is able to process lipid esters including a MAGL acylglyceride substrate. This Sal A target is inhibited by the anti-obesity drug Orlistat, which disrupts lipid metabolism. Resistance selections yielded parasites that showed only minor reductions in sensitivity and that acquired mutations in a PRELI domain-containing protein linked to drug resistance in Toxoplasma gondii. This inability to evolve efficient resistance mechanisms combined with the non-essentiality of human homologs makes the serine hydrolases identified here promising antimalarial targets.

The Methods Employed in Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Posttranslational Modifications (PTMs) and Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs)

Mass Spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the way we study biomolecules, especially proteins, their interactions and posttranslational modifications (PTM). As such MS has established itself as the leading tool for the analysis of PTMs mainly because this approach is highly sensitive, amenable to high throughput and is capable of assigning PTMs to specific sites in the amino acid sequence of proteins and peptides. Along with the advances in MS methodology there have been improvements in biochemical, genetic and cell biological approaches to mapping the interactome which are discussed with consideration for both the practical and technical considerations of these techniques. The interactome of a species is generally understood to represent the sum of all potential protein-protein interactions. There are still a number of barriers to the elucidation of the human interactome or any other species as physical contact between protein pairs that occur by selective molecular docking in a particular spatiotemporal biological context are not easily captured and measured.PTMs massively increase the complexity of organismal proteomes and play a role in almost all aspects of cell biology, allowing for fine-tuning of protein structure, function and localization. There are an estimated 300 PTMS with a predicted 5% of the eukaryotic genome coding for enzymes involved in protein modification, however we have not yet been able to reliably map PTM proteomes due to limitations in sample preparation, analytical techniques, data analysis, and the substoichiometric and transient nature of some PTMs. Improvements in proteomic and mass spectrometry methods, as well as sample preparation, have been exploited in a large number of proteome-wide surveys of PTMs in many different organisms. Here we focus on previously published global PTM proteome studies in the Apicomplexan parasites T. gondii and P. falciparum which offer numerous insights into the abundance and function of each of the studied PTM in the Apicomplexa. Integration of these datasets provide a more complete picture of the relative importance of PTM and crosstalk between them and how together PTM globally change the cellular biology of the Apicomplexan protozoa. A multitude of techniques used to investigate PTMs, mostly techniques in MS-based proteomics, are discussed for their ability to uncover relevant biological function.

Toxoplasma gondii immune mapped protein 1 is anchored to the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane and adopts a novel protein fold

The immune mapped protein 1 (IMP1) was first identified as a protective antigen in Eimeria maxima and described as vaccine candidate and invasion factor in Toxoplasma gondii. We show here that TgIMP1 localizes to the inner leaflet of plasma membrane (PM) via dual acylation. Mutations either in the N-terminal myristoylation or palmitoylation sites (G2 and C5) cause relocalization of TgIMP1 to the cytosol. The first 11 amino acids are sufficient for PM targeting and the presence of lysine (K7) is critical. Disruption of TgIMP1 gene by double homologous recombination revealed no invasion defect or any measurable alteration in the lytic cycle of tachyzoites. Following immunization with TgIMP1 DNA vaccine, mice challenged with either wild type or IMP1-ko parasites showed no significant difference in protection. The sequence analysis identified a structured C-terminal domain that is present in a broader family of IMP1-like proteins conserved across the members of Apicomplexa. We present the solution structure of this domain determined from NMR data and describe a new protein fold not seen before.

Maternally supplied S-acyl-transferase is required for crystalloid organelle formation and transmission of the malaria parasite

Transmission of the malaria parasite from the mammalian host to the mosquito vector requires the formation of adequately adapted parasite forms and stage-specific organelles. Here we show that formation of the crystalloid-a unique and short-lived organelle of the Plasmodium ookinete and oocyst stage required for sporogony-is dependent on the precisely timed expression of the S-acyl-transferase DHHC10. DHHC10, translationally repressed in female Plasmodium berghei gametocytes, is activated translationally during ookinete formation, where the protein is essential for the formation of the crystalloid, the correct targeting of crystalloid-resident protein LAP2, and malaria parasite transmission.

The Plasmodium palmitoyl-S-acyl-transferase DHHC2 is essential for ookinete morphogenesis and malaria transmission

The post-translational addition of C-16 long chain fatty acids to protein cysteine residues is catalysed by palmitoyl-S-acyl-transferases (PAT) and affects the affinity of a modified protein for membranes and therefore its subcellular localisation. In apicomplexan parasites this reversible protein modification regulates numerous biological processes and specifically affects cell motility, and invasion of host cells by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites and Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. Using inhibitor studies we show here that palmitoylation is key to transformation of zygotes into ookinetes during initial mosquito infection with P. berghei. We identify DHHC2 as a unique PAT mediating ookinete formation and morphogenesis. Essential for life cycle progression in asexual blood stage parasites and thus refractory to gene deletion analyses, we used promoter swap (ps) methodology to maintain dhhc2 expression in asexual blood stages but down regulate expression in sexual stage parasites and during post-fertilization development of the zygote. The ps mutant showed normal gamete formation, fertilisation and DNA replication to tetraploid cells, but was characterised by a complete block in post-fertilisation development and ookinete formation. Our report highlights the crucial nature of the DHHC2 palmitoyl-S-acyltransferase for transmission of the malaria parasite to the mosquito vector through its essential role for ookinete morphogenesis.

Lipid synthesis in protozoan parasites: a comparison between kinetoplastids and apicomplexans

Lipid metabolism is of crucial importance for pathogens. Lipids serve as cellular building blocks, signalling molecules, energy stores, posttranslational modifiers, and pathogenesis factors. Parasites rely on a complex system of uptake and synthesis mechanisms to satisfy their lipid needs. The parameters of this system change dramatically as the parasite transits through the various stages of its life cycle. Here we discuss the tremendous recent advances that have been made in the understanding of the synthesis and uptake pathways for fatty acids and phospholipids in apicomplexan and kinetoplastid parasites, including Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, Trypanosoma and Leishmania. Lipid synthesis differs in significant ways between parasites from both phyla and the human host. Parasites have acquired novel pathways through endosymbiosis, as in the case of the apicoplast, have dramatically reshaped substrate and product profiles, and have evolved specialized lipids to interact with or manipulate the host. These differences potentially provide opportunities for drug development. We outline the lipid pathways for key species in detail as they progress through the developmental cycle and highlight those that are of particular importance to the biology of the pathogens and/or are the most promising targets for parasite-specific treatment.