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Yuan H, Jiang T, Zhang WD, Yang Z, Luo S, Wang X, Zhu X, Qi S, Mahmmod YS, Zhang XX, Yuan ZG. Multiomics and bioinformatics identify differentially expressed effectors in the brain of Toxoplasma gondii infected masked palm civet. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1267629. [PMID: 37818043 PMCID: PMC10561248 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1267629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) serves as a reservoir in transmitting pathogens, such as Toxoplasma gondii, to humans. However, the pathogenesis of T. gondii infection in masked palm civets has not been explored. We studied the molecular changes in the brain tissue of masked palm civets chronically infected with T. gondii ME49. Methods The differentially expressed proteins in the brain tissue were investigated using iTRAQ and bioinformatics. Results A total of 268 differential proteins were identified, of which 111 were upregulated and 157 were downregulated. KEGG analysis identified pathways including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, proteoglycans in cancer, carbon metabolism, T-cell receptor signaling pathway. Combing transcriptomic and proteomics data, we identified 24 genes that were differentially expressed on both mRNA and protein levels. The top four upregulated proteins were REEP3, REEP4, TEP1, and EEPD1, which was confirmed by western blot and immunohistochemistry. KEGG analysis of these 24 genes identified signaling cascades that were associated with small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathways among others. To understand the mechanism of the observed alteration, we conducted immune infiltration analysis using TIMER databases which identified immune cells that are associated with the upregulation of these proteins. Protein network analysis identified 44 proteins that were in close relation to all four proteins. These proteins were significantly enriched in immunoregulation and cancer pathways including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Notch signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, cell cycle, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Bioinformatics utilizing two cancer databases (TCGA and GEPIA) revealed that the four genes were upregulated in many cancer types including glioblastoma (GBM). In addition, higher expression of REEP3 and EEPD1 was associated with better prognosis, while higher expression of REEP4 and TEP1 was associated with poor prognosis in GBM patients. Discussion We identified the differentially expressed genes in the brain of T. gondii infected masked palm civets. These genes were associated with various cellular signaling pathways including those that are immune- and cancer-related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yuan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Tiantian Jiang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Wei-Dong Zhang
- South China Agricultural University Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zipeng Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Shengjun Luo
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaohu Wang
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuting Qi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yasser S. Mahmmod
- Infectious Diseases, Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
- Veterinary Sciences Division, Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Xiu-Xiang Zhang
- College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zi-Guo Yuan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Cheng L, Rahman SU, Gong HY, Mi RS, Huang Y, Zhang Y, Qin JL, Yin CC, Qian M, Chen ZG. Transcriptome analysis of a newly established mouse model of Toxoplasma gondii pneumonia. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:59. [PMID: 36755348 PMCID: PMC9906971 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05639-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasma gondii infection of the lungs can lead to severe pneumonia. However, few studies have reported Toxoplasma pneumonia. Most reports were clinical cases due to the lack of a good disease model. Therefore, the molecular mechanisms, development, and pathological damage of Toxoplasma pneumonia remain unclear. METHODS A mouse model of Toxoplasma pneumonia was established by nasal infection with T. gondii. The model was evaluated using survival statistics, lung morphological observation, and lung pathology examination by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Evans blue staining at 5 days post-infection (dpi). Total RNA was extracted from the lung tissues of C57BL/6 mice infected with T. gondii RH and TGME49 strains at 5 dpi. Total RNA was subjected to transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation. Transcript enrichment analysis was performed using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases to assess the biological relevance of differentially expressed transcripts (DETs). RESULTS C57BL/6 mice infected with T. gondii via nasal delivery exhibited weight loss, ruffled fur, and respiratory crackles at 5 dpi. The clinical manifestations and lethality of RH strains were more evident than those of TGME49. H&E staining of lung tissue sections from mice infected with T. gondii at 5 dpi showed severe lymphocytic infiltration, pulmonary edema, and typical symptoms of pneumonia. We identified 3167 DETs and 1880 DETs in mice infected with the T. gondii RH and TGME49 strains, respectively, compared with the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control group at 5 dpi. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of DETs showed that they were associated with the immune system and microbial infections. The innate immune, inflammatory signaling, cytokine-mediated signaling, and chemokine signaling pathways displayed high gene enrichment. CONCLUSION In this study, we developed a new mouse model for Toxoplasma pneumonia. Transcriptome analysis helped to better understand the molecular mechanisms of the disease. These results provided DETs during acute T. gondii lung infection, which expanded our knowledge of host immune defenses and the pathogenesis of Toxoplasma pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Cheng
- grid.22069.3f0000 0004 0369 6365Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China ,grid.410727.70000 0001 0526 1937Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Sajid Ur Rahman
- grid.410727.70000 0001 0526 1937Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China ,grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Department of Food Science and Engineering, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240 China
| | - Hai-Yan Gong
- grid.410727.70000 0001 0526 1937Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Rong-Sheng Mi
- grid.410727.70000 0001 0526 1937Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Yan Huang
- grid.410727.70000 0001 0526 1937Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Yan Zhang
- grid.410727.70000 0001 0526 1937Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241 China
| | - Ju-Liang Qin
- grid.22069.3f0000 0004 0369 6365Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng-Cong Yin
- grid.22069.3f0000 0004 0369 6365Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Qian
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhao-Guo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Animal Products on Biohazards (Shanghai) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241, China.
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