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Oboh MA, Asmorom N, Falade C, Ojurongbe O, Thomas BN. High genetic and haplotype diversity in vaccine candidate Pfceltos but not Pfrh5 among malaria-infected children in Ibadan, Nigeria. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16519. [PMID: 38099304 PMCID: PMC10720411 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a global public health challenge. The disease has a great impact in sub-Saharan Africa among children under five years of age and pregnant women. Malaria control programs targeting the parasite and mosquitoes vectors with combinational therapy and insecticide-treated bednets are becoming obsolete due to the phenomenon of resistance, which is a challenge for reducing morbidity and mortality. Malaria vaccines would be effective alternative to the problem of parasite and insecticide resistance, but focal reports of polymorphisms in malaria candidate antigens have made it difficult to design an effective malaria vaccine. Therefore, studies geared towards elucidating the polymorphic pattern and how genes targeted for vaccine design evolve are imperative. We have carried out molecular and genetic analysis of two genes encoding vaccine candidates-the Plasmodium falciparum cell traversal ookinetes and sporozoites (Pfceltos) and P. falciparum reticulocyte binding protein 5 (Pfrh5) in parasite isolates from malaria-infected children in Ibadan, Nigeria to evaluate their genetic diversity, relatedness and pattern of molecular evolution. Pfceltos and Pfrh5 genes were amplified from P. falciparum positive samples. Amplified fragments were purified and sequenced using the chain termination method. Post-sequence edit of fragments and application of various population genetic analyses was done. We observed a higher number of segregating sites and haplotypes in the Pfceltos than in Pfrh5 gene, the former also presenting higher haplotype (0.942) and nucleotide diversity (θ = 0.01219 and π = 0.01148). In contrast, a lower haplotype (0.426) and nucleotide diversity (θ = 0.00125; π = 0.00095) was observed in the Pfrh5 gene. Neutrality tests do not show deviation from neutral expectations for Pfceltos, with the circulation of multiple low frequency haplotypes (Tajima's D = -0.21637; Fu and Li's D = -0.08164; Fu and Li's F = -0.14051). Strong linkage disequilibrium was observed between variable sites, in each of the genes studied. We postulate that the high diversity and circulation of multiple haplotypes has the potential of making a Pfceltos-subunit vaccine ineffective, while the low genetic diversity of Pfrh5 gene substantiates its evolutionary conservation and potential as a malaria vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Aigbiremo Oboh
- Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Naemy Asmorom
- Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Catherine Falade
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
| | - Olusola Ojurongbe
- Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Osun, Nigeria
- Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria
| | - Bolaji N. Thomas
- Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States of America
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Morenikeji OB, Metelski JL, Hawkes ME, Capria AL, Seamans BN, Falade CO, Ojurongbe O, Thomas BN. CD209 and Not CD28 or STAT6 Polymorphism Mediates Clinical Malaria and Parasitemia among Children from Nigeria. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8020158. [PMID: 31979279 PMCID: PMC7074881 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8020158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a significant disease, causing epic health problems and challenges all over the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. CD209 and CD28 genes act as co-stimulators and regulators of the immune system, while the STAT6 gene has been reported to mediate cytokine-induced responses. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of these genes might lead to differential disease susceptibility among populations at risk for malaria, due to alterations in the immune response. We aim to identify key drivers of the immune response to malaria infection among the three SNPs: CD209 (rs4804803), CD28 (rs35593994) and STAT6 (rs3024974). After approval and informed consent, we genotyped blood samples from a total of 531 children recruited from Nigeria using the Taqman SNP genotyping assay and performed comparative analysis of clinical covariates among malaria-infected children. Our results reveal the CD209 (rs4804803) polymorphism as a susceptibility factor for malaria infection, significantly increasing the risk of disease among children, but not CD28 (rs35593994) or STAT6 (rs3024974) polymorphisms. Specifically, individuals with the homozygous mutant allele (rs4804803G/G) for the CD209 gene have a significantly greater susceptibility to malaria, and presented with higher mean parasitemia. This observation may be due to a defective antigen presentation and priming, leading to an ineffective downstream adaptive immune response needed to combat infection, as well as the resultant higher parasitemia and disease manifestation. We conclude that the CD209 gene is a critical driver of the immune response during malaria infection, and can serve as a predictor of disease susceptibility or a biomarker for disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olanrewaju B. Morenikeji
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Jessica L. Metelski
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Megan E. Hawkes
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Anna L. Capria
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Brooke N. Seamans
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Catherine O. Falade
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, P.M.B 3017, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Olusola Ojurongbe
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, P.M.B. 4000, Osogbo, Nigeria
| | - Bolaji N. Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(585)-475-6382; Fax: +1-(585)-475-5809
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SNP Diversity in CD14 Gene Promoter Suggests Adaptation Footprints in Trypanosome Tolerant N'Dama ( Bos taurus) but not in Susceptible White Fulani ( Bos indicus) Cattle. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11010112. [PMID: 31963925 PMCID: PMC7017169 DOI: 10.3390/genes11010112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune response to infections has been shown to be mediated by genetic diversity in pattern recognition receptors, leading to disease tolerance or susceptibility. We elucidated naturally occurring variations within the bovine CD14 gene promoter in trypanosome-tolerant (N'Dama) and susceptible (White Fulani) cattle, with genomic and computational approaches. Blood samples were collected from White Fulani and N'Dama cattle, genomic DNA extracted and the entire promoter region of the CD14 gene amplified by PCR. We sequenced this region and performed in silico computation to identify SNP variants, transcription factor binding sites, as well as micro RNAs in the region. CD14 promoter sequences were compared with the reference bovine genome from the Ensembl database to identify various SNPs. Furthermore, we validated three selected N'Dama specific SNPs using custom Taqman SNP genotyping assay for genetic diversity. In all, we identified a total of 54 and 41 SNPs at the CD14 promoter for N'Dama and White Fulani respectively, including 13 unique SNPs present in N'Dama only. The significantly higher SNP density at the CD14 gene promoter region in N'Dama may be responsible for disease tolerance, possibly an evolutionary adaptation. Our genotype analysis of the three loci selected for validation show that mutant alleles (A/A, C/C, and A/A) were adaptation profiles within disease tolerant N'Dama. A similar observation was made for our haplotype analysis revealing that haplotypes H1 (ACA) and H2 (ACG) were significant combinations within the population. The SNP effect prediction revealed 101 and 89 new transcription factor binding sites in N'Dama and White Fulani, respectively. We conclude that disease tolerant N'Dama possessing higher SNP density at the CD14 gene promoter and the preponderance of mutant alleles potentially confirms the significance of this promoter in immune response, which is lacking in susceptible White Fulani. We, therefore, recommend further in vitro and in vivo study of this observation in infected animals, as the next step for understanding genetic diversity relating to varying disease phenotypes in both breeds.
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Morenikeji OB, Hawkes ME, Hudson AO, Thomas BN. Computational Network Analysis Identifies Evolutionarily Conserved miRNA Gene Interactions Potentially Regulating Immune Response in Bovine Trypanosomosis. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2010. [PMID: 31555241 PMCID: PMC6722470 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine trypanosomosis is a devastating disease that causes huge economic loss to the global cattle industry on a yearly basis. Selection of accurate biomarkers are important in early disease diagnosis and treatment. Of late, micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are becoming the most useful biomarkers for both infectious and non-infectious diseases in humans, but this is not the case in animals. miRNAs are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression through binding to the 3'-, 5'-untranslated regions (UTR) or coding sequence (CDS) region of one or more target genes. The molecular identification of miRNAs that regulates the expression of immune genes responding to bovine trypanosomosis is poorly defined, as is the possibility that these miRNAs could serve as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment currently unknown. To this end, we utilized in silico tools to elucidate conserved miRNAs regulating immune response genes during infection, in addition to cataloging significant genes. Based on the p value of 1.77E-32, we selected 25 significantly expressed immune genes. Using prediction analysis, we identified a total of 4,251 bovine miRNAs targeting these selected genes across the 3'UTR, 5'UTR and CDS regions. Thereafter, we identified candidate miRNAs based on the number of gene targets and their abundance at the three regions. In all, we found the top 13 miRNAs that are significantly conserved targeting 7 innate immune response genes, including bta-mir-2460, bta-mir-193a, bta-mir-2316, and bta-mir-2456. Our gene ontology analysis suggests that these miRNAs are involved in gene silencing, cellular protein modification process, RNA-induced silencing complex, regulation of humoral immune response mediated by circulating immunoglobulin and negative regulation of chronic inflammatory response, among others. In conclusion, this study identifies specific miRNAs that may be involved in the regulation of gene expression during bovine trypanosomosis. These miRNAs have the potential to be used as biomarkers in the animal and veterinary research community to facilitate the development of tools for early disease diagnosis/detection, drug targeting, and the rational design of drugs to facilitate disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olanrewaju B. Morenikeji
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Megan E. Hawkes
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Bolaji N. Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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Morenikeji OB, Thomas BN. In silico analyses of CD14 molecule reveal significant evolutionary diversity, potentially associated with speciation and variable immune response in mammals. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7325. [PMID: 31338263 PMCID: PMC6628885 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The cluster differentiation gene (CD14) is a family of monocyte differentiating genes that works in conjunction with lipopolysaccharide binding protein, forming a complex with TLR4 or LY96 to mediate innate immune response to pathogens. In this paper, we used different computational methods to elucidate the evolution of CD14 gene coding region in 14 mammalian species. Our analyses identified leucine-rich repeats as the only significant domain across the CD14 protein of the 14 species, presenting with frequencies ranging from one to four. Importantly, we found signal peptides located at mutational hotspots demonstrating that this gene is conserved across these species. Out of the 10 selected variants analyzed in this study, only six were predicted to possess significant deleterious effect. Our predicted protein interactome showed a significant varying protein–protein interaction with CD14 protein across the species. This may be important for drug target and therapeutic manipulation for the treatment of many diseases. We conclude that these results contribute to our understanding of the CD14 molecular evolution, which underlays varying species response to complex disease traits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bolaji N Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
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Chakraborty B, Mondal P, Gajendra P, Mitra M, Das C, Sengupta S. Deciphering genetic regulation of CD14 by SP1 through characterization of peripheral blood mononuclear transcriptome of P. faiciparum and P. vivax infected malaria patients. EBioMedicine 2018; 37:442-452. [PMID: 30337251 PMCID: PMC6286629 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.09.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are two major parasites responsible for malaria which remains a threat to almost 50% of world's population despite decade-long eradication program. One possible reason behind this conundrum is that the bases of clinical variability in malaria caused by either species are complex and poorly understood. METHODS Whole-genome transcriptome was analyzed to identify the active and predominant pathways in the PBMC of P. falciparum and P. vivax infected malaria patients. Deregulated genes were identified and annotated using R Bioconductor and DAVID/KEGG respectively. Genetic and functional regulation of CD14, a prioritized candidate, were established by quantitative RT-PCR, genotyping using RFLP and resequencing, mapping of transcription factor binding using CONSITE and TFBIND, dual luciferase assay, western blot analysis, RNAi- mediated gene knockdown and chromatin-immunoprecipation. FINDINGS The study highlighted that deregulation of host immune and inflammatory genes particularly CD14 as a key event in P. falciparum malaria. An abundance of allele-C of rs5744454, located in CD14 promoter, in severe malaria motivated us to establish an allele-specific regulation of CD14 by SP1. An enhancement of SP1 and CD14 expression was observed in artemisinin treated human monocyte cell line. INTERPRETATION Our data not only reinstates that CD14 of TLR pathway plays a predominant role in P. falciparum malaria, it establishes a functional basis for genetic association of rs5744454 with P. falciparum severe malaria by demonstrating a cis-regulatory role of this promoter polymorphism. Moreover, the study points towards a novel pharmacogenetic aspect of artemisinin-based anti-malarial therapy. FUND: DST-SERB, Govt. of India, SR/SO/HS-0056/2013.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijurica Chakraborty
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal, India
| | - Payel Mondal
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, West Bengal, India
| | - Pragya Gajendra
- School of Studies in Anthropology, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur 492010, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Mitashree Mitra
- School of Studies in Anthropology, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur 492010, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Chandrima Das
- Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064, West Bengal, India
| | - Sanghamitra Sengupta
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal, India.
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Funwei RI, Thomas BN, Falade CO, Ojurongbe O. Extensive diversity in the allelic frequency of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface proteins and glutamate-rich protein in rural and urban settings of southwestern Nigeria. Malar J 2018; 17:1. [PMID: 29291736 PMCID: PMC5749027 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-017-2149-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nigeria carries a high burden of malaria which makes continuous surveillance for current information on genetic diversity imperative. In this study, the merozoite surface proteins (msp-1, msp-2) and glutamate-rich protein (glurp) of Plasmodium falciparum collected from two communities representing rural and urban settings in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria were analysed. Methods A total of 511 febrile children, aged 3–59 months, whose parents/guardians provided informed consent, were recruited into the study. Capillary blood was obtained for malaria rapid diagnostic test, thick blood smears for parasite count and blood spots on filter paper for molecular analysis. Results Three-hundred and nine samples were successfully genotyped for msp-1, msp-2 and glurp genes. The allelic distribution of the three genes was not significantly different in the rural and urban communities. R033 and 3D7 were the most prevalent alleles in both rural and urban communities for msp-1 and msp-2, respectively. Eleven of glurp RII region genotypes, coded I–XII, with sizes ranging from 500 to 1100 base pairs were detected in the rural setting. Genotype XI (1000–1050 bp) had the highest prevalence of 41.5 and 38.5% in rural and urban settings, respectively. Overall, 82.1 and 70.0% of samples had multiclonal infection with msp-1 gene resulting in a mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 2.8 and 2.6 for rural and urban samples, respectively. Msp-1 and msp-2 genes displayed higher levels of diversity and higher MOI rates than the glurp gene. Conclusion Significant genetic diversity was observed between rural and urban parasite populations in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. The results of this study show that malaria transmission intensity in these regions is still high. No significant difference was observed between rural and urban settings, except for a completely different msp-1 allele, compared to previous reports, thereby confirming the changing face of malaria transmission in these communities. This study provides important baseline information required for monitoring the impact of malaria elimination efforts in this region and data points useful in revising current protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland I Funwei
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Pharmacy Technician Studies, Bayelsa State College of Health Technology, Yenagoa, Nigeria
| | - Bolaji N Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.,Tropical Disease Research Laboratory, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria
| | - Catherine O Falade
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Olusola Ojurongbe
- Tropical Disease Research Laboratory, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria. .,Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria.
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Genetic variants of tumor necrosis factor-α -308G/A (rs1800629) but not Toll-interacting proteins or vitamin D receptor genes enhances susceptibility and severity of malaria infection. Immunogenetics 2017; 70:135-140. [PMID: 28963676 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-017-1032-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Susceptibility to malaria infection has been associated with host genetic polymorphisms that differs between groups. We hypothesize that Toll-interacting proteins (TOLLIP), vitamin D receptor (VDR) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) genes are significant contributors to susceptibility and disease severity in Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infection. Our aim is to explore the genomic diversity and haplotype frequency of these genes, as well as extrapolate possible association with markers of severity, between malaria-infected and healthy controls. Genomic DNA samples extracted from the blood of 107 malaria-infected patients and 190 uninfected controls were analyzed, with no difference in genotypic or allelic frequencies of TOLLIP and VDR polymorphisms. However, a significant difference in the genotypic (p = 2.20E-16) and allelic frequencies (p = 2.20E-16) of the TNF-α (snp rs1800629) polymorphism was found. The preponderance of the mutant variant among the malaria-infected show a possible impaired capacity to mount an effective immune response, potentially confirmed by our association results. This result calls for analysis of clearly delineated uncomplicated versus severe disease groups, including serum assays, providing a basis to conclude that susceptibility to malaria infection and potential contribution to disease severity is significantly associated with polymorphisms of the tumor necrosis factor-α but not TOLLIP or VDR genes.
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