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Holland JG, Prior KF, O'Donnell AJ, Reece SE. Testing the evolutionary drivers of malaria parasite rhythms and their consequences for host-parasite interactions. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13752. [PMID: 39006006 PMCID: PMC11246599 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Undertaking certain activities at the time of day that maximises fitness is assumed to explain the evolution of circadian clocks. Organisms often use daily environmental cues such as light and food availability to set the timing of their clocks. These cues may be the environmental rhythms that ultimately determine fitness, act as proxies for the timing of less tractable ultimate drivers, or are used simply to maintain internal synchrony. While many pathogens/parasites undertake rhythmic activities, both the proximate and ultimate drivers of their rhythms are poorly understood. Explaining the roles of rhythms in infections offers avenues for novel interventions to interfere with parasite fitness and reduce the severity and spread of disease. Here, we perturb several rhythms in the hosts of malaria parasites to investigate why parasites align their rhythmic replication to the host's feeding-fasting rhythm. We manipulated host rhythms governed by light, food or both, and assessed the fitness implications for parasites, and the consequences for hosts, to test which host rhythms represent ultimate drivers of the parasite's rhythm. We found that alignment with the host's light-driven rhythms did not affect parasite fitness metrics. In contrast, aligning with the timing of feeding-fasting rhythms may be beneficial for the parasite, but only when the host possess a functional canonical circadian clock. Because parasites in clock-disrupted hosts align with the host's feeding-fasting rhythms and yet derive no apparent benefit, our results suggest cue(s) from host food act as a proxy rather than being a key selective driver of the parasite's rhythm. Alternatively, parasite rhythmicity may only be beneficial because it promotes synchrony between parasite cells and/or allows parasites to align to the biting rhythms of vectors. Our results also suggest that interventions can disrupt parasite rhythms by targeting the proxies or the selective factors driving them without impacting host health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob G. Holland
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | | | | | - Sarah E. Reece
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Institute of Immunology and Infection ResearchUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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Carvalho Cabral P, Weinerman J, Olivier M, Cermakian N. Time of day and circadian disruption influence host response and parasite growth in a mouse model of cerebral malaria. iScience 2024; 27:109684. [PMID: 38680656 PMCID: PMC11053314 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a disease caused by infection with parasite Plasmodium spp. We studied the circadian regulation of host responses to the parasite, in a mouse model of cerebral malaria. The course of the disease was markedly affected by time of infection, with decreased parasitemia and increased inflammation upon infection in the middle of the night. At this time, there were fewer reticulocytes, which are target cells of the parasites. We next investigated the effects of desynchronization of host clocks on the infection: after 10 weeks of recurrent jet lags, mice showed decreased parasite growth and lack of parasite load rhythmicity, paralleled by a loss of glucose rhythm. Accordingly, disrupting host metabolic rhythms impacted parasite load rhythmicity. In summary, our findings of a circadian modulation of malaria parasite growth and infection shed light on aspects of the disease relevant to human malaria and could contribute to new therapeutic or prophylactic measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Carvalho Cabral
- Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Joelle Weinerman
- Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Martin Olivier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Nicolas Cermakian
- Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
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Will I, Attardo GM, de Bekker C. Multiomic interpretation of fungus-infected ant metabolomes during manipulated summit disease. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14363. [PMID: 37658067 PMCID: PMC10474057 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40065-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Camponotus floridanus ants show altered behaviors followed by a fatal summiting phenotype when infected with manipulating Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani fungi. Host summiting as a strategy to increase transmission is also observed with parasite taxa beyond fungi, including aquatic and terrestrial helminths and baculoviruses. The drastic phenotypic changes can sometimes reflect significant molecular changes in gene expression and metabolite concentrations measured in manipulated hosts. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms still need to be fully characterized. To investigate the small molecules producing summiting behavior, we infected C. floridanus ants with O. camponoti-floridani and sampled their heads for LC-MS/MS when we observed the characteristic summiting phenotype. We link this metabolomic data with our previous genomic and transcriptomic data to propose mechanisms that underlie manipulated summiting behavior in "zombie ants." This "multiomic" evidence points toward the dysregulation of neurotransmitter levels and neuronal signaling. We propose that these processes are altered during infection and manipulation based on (1) differential expression of neurotransmitter synthesis and receptor genes, (2) altered abundance of metabolites and neurotransmitters (or their precursors) with known behavioral effects in ants and other insects, and (3) possible suppression of a connected immunity pathway. We additionally report signals for metabolic activity during manipulation related to primary metabolism, detoxification, and anti-stress protectants. Taken together, these findings suggest that host manipulation is likely a multi-faceted phenomenon, with key processes changing at multiple levels of molecular organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Will
- Biology Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA.
| | - G M Attardo
- Entomology and Nematology Department, University of California-Davis, Davis, USA
| | - C de Bekker
- Biology Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA.
- Biology Department, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Basco LK. Cultivation of Asexual Intraerythrocytic Stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Pathogens 2023; 12:900. [PMID: 37513747 PMCID: PMC10384318 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12070900] [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: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Successfully developed in 1976, the continuous in vitro culture of Plasmodium falciparum has many applications in the field of malaria research. It has become an important experimental model that directly uses a human pathogen responsible for a high prevalence of morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world and is a major source of biological material for immunological, biochemical, molecular, and pharmacological studies. Until present, the basic techniques described by Trager and Jensen and Haynes et al. remain unchanged in many malaria research laboratories. Nonetheless, different factors, including culture media, buffers, serum substitutes and supplements, sources of erythrocytes, and conditions of incubation (especially oxygen concentration), have been modified by different investigators to adapt the original technique in their laboratories or enhance the in vitro growth of the parasites. The possible effects and benefits of these modifications for the continuous cultivation of asexual intraerythrocytic stages of P. falciparum, as well as future challenges in developing a serum-free cultivation system and axenic cultures, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo K Basco
- Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Service de Santé des Armées (SSA), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) Vecteurs-Infections Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (VITROME), 13005 Marseille, France
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire-Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France
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Motta FC, McGoff K, Moseley RC, Cho CY, Kelliher CM, Smith LM, Ortiz MS, Leman AR, Campione SA, Devos N, Chaorattanakawee S, Uthaimongkol N, Kuntawunginn W, Thongpiam C, Thamnurak C, Arsanok M, Wojnarski M, Vanchayangkul P, Boonyalai N, Smith PL, Spring MD, Jongsakul K, Chuang I, Harer J, Haase SB. The parasite intraerythrocytic cycle and human circadian cycle are coupled during malaria infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216522120. [PMID: 37279274 PMCID: PMC10268210 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216522120] [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: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
During infections with the malaria parasites Plasmodium vivax, patients exhibit rhythmic fevers every 48 h. These fever cycles correspond with the time the parasites take to traverse the intraerythrocytic cycle (IEC). In other Plasmodium species that infect either humans or mice, the IEC is likely guided by a parasite-intrinsic clock [Rijo-Ferreiraet al., Science 368, 746-753 (2020); Smith et al., Science 368, 754-759 (2020)], suggesting that intrinsic clock mechanisms may be a fundamental feature of malaria parasites. Moreover, because Plasmodium cycle times are multiples of 24 h, the IECs may be coordinated with the host circadian clock(s). Such coordination could explain the synchronization of the parasite population in the host and enable alignment of IEC and circadian cycle phases. We utilized an ex vivo culture of whole blood from patients infected with P. vivax to examine the dynamics of the host circadian transcriptome and the parasite IEC transcriptome. Transcriptome dynamics revealed that the phases of the host circadian cycle and the parasite IEC are correlated across multiple patients, showing that the cycles are phase coupled. In mouse model systems, host-parasite cycle coupling appears to provide a selective advantage for the parasite. Thus, understanding how host and parasite cycles are coupled in humans could enable antimalarial therapies that disrupt this coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis C. Motta
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL33431
| | - Kevin McGoff
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC28223
| | | | - Chun-Yi Cho
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Christina M. Kelliher
- Department of Molecular & Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH03755
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Suwanna Chaorattanakawee
- Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | | | | | - Chadin Thongpiam
- US-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | | | - Montri Arsanok
- US-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | | | | | - Nonlawat Boonyalai
- US-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | - Philip L. Smith
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Bethesda, MD20817
| | - Michele D. Spring
- US-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | - Krisada Jongsakul
- US-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | - Ilin Chuang
- US Naval Medical Research Center-Asia in Singapore, Assigned to Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok10400, Thailand
| | - John Harer
- Geometric Data Analytics, Durham, NC27701
| | - Steven B. Haase
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC27708
- Department of Medicine Duke University, Durham, NC27710
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Labeed FH, Beale AD, Schneider P, Kitcatt SJ, Kruchek EJ, Reece SE. Circadian rhythmicity in murine blood: Electrical effects of malaria infection and anemia. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:994487. [PMID: 36440448 PMCID: PMC9686327 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.994487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are biological adaptations to the day-night cycle, whereby cells adapt to changes in the external environment or internal physiology according to the time of day. Whilst many cellular clock mechanisms involve gene expression feedback mechanisms, clocks operate even where gene expression is absent. For example, red blood cells (RBCs) do not have capacity for gene expression, and instead possess an electrophysiological oscillator where cytosolic potassium plays a key role in timekeeping. We examined murine blood under normal conditions as well as in two perturbed states, malaria infection and induced anemia, to assess changes in baseline cellular electrophysiology and its implications for the electrophysiological oscillator. Blood samples were analyzed at 4-h intervals over 2 days by dielectrophoresis, and microscopic determination of parasitemia. We found that cytoplasmic conductivity (indicating the concentration of free ions in the cytoplasm and related to the membrane potential) exhibited circadian rhythmic behavior in all three cases (control, malaria and anemia). Compared to control samples, cytoplasm conductivity was decreased in the anemia group, whilst malaria-infected samples were in antiphase to control. Furthermore, we identified rhythmic behavior in membrane capacitance of malaria infected cells that was not replicated in the other samples. Finally, we reveal the historically famous rhythmicity of malaria parasite replication is in phase with cytoplasm conductivity. Our findings suggest the electrophysiological oscillator can impact on malaria parasite replication and/or is vulnerable to perturbation by rhythmic parasite activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima H. Labeed
- Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Fatima H. Labeed,
| | - Andrew D. Beale
- Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Petra Schneider
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Kitcatt
- Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Emily J. Kruchek
- Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E. Reece
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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