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Tsagmo JMN, Rotureau B, Calvo Alvarez E. Animal models of neglected parasitic diseases: In vivo multimodal imaging of experimental trypanosomatid infections. Methods Cell Biol 2024; 188:205-236. [PMID: 38880525 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2024.04.003] [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] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
African trypanosomiases and leishmaniases are significant neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that affect millions globally, with severe health and socio-economic consequences, especially in endemic regions. Understanding the pathogenesis and dissemination of Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp. parasites within their hosts is pivotal for the development of effective interventions. Whole-body bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging systems (BLI and FLI, respectively), are powerful tools to visualize and quantify the progression and distribution of these parasites in real-time within live animal models. By combining this technology with the engineering of stable T. brucei and Leishmania spp. strains expressing luciferase and/or fluorescent proteins, crucial aspects of the infection process including the parasites' homing, the infection dynamics, the tissue tropism, or the efficacy of experimental treatments and vaccines can be deeply investigated. This methodology allows for enhanced sensitivity and resolution, elucidating previously unrecognized infection niches and dynamics. Importantly, whole-body in vivo imaging is non-invasive, enabling for longitudinal studies during the course of an infection in the same animal, thereby aligning with the "3Rs" principle of animal research. Here, we detail a protocol for the generation of dual-reporter T. brucei and L. major, and their use to infect mice and follow the spatiotemporal dynamics of infection by in vivo imaging systems. Additionally, 3D micro-computed tomography (μCT) coupled to BLI in T. brucei-infected animals is applied to gain insights into the anatomical parasite distribution. This Chapter underscores the potential of these bioimaging modalities as indispensable tools in parasitology, paving the way for novel therapeutic strategies and deeper insights into host-parasite interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Marc Ngoune Tsagmo
- Trypanosome Transmission Group, Trypanosome Cell Biology Unit, INSERM U1201, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Brice Rotureau
- Trypanosome Transmission Group, Trypanosome Cell Biology Unit, INSERM U1201, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France; Parasitology Unit, Institut Pasteur of Guinea, Conakry, Guinea
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Hurtado-Morillas C, Martínez-Rodrigo A, Orden JA, de Urbina-Fuentes L, Mas A, Domínguez-Bernal G. Enhancing Control of Leishmania infantum Infection: A Multi-Epitope Nanovaccine for Durable T-Cell Immunity. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:605. [PMID: 38396573 PMCID: PMC10886062 DOI: 10.3390/ani14040605] [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: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a growing health problem for which vaccination is a crucial tool for the control of disease. The successful development of an effective vaccine against this disease relies on eliciting a robust and enduring T-cell immune response involving the activation of CD4+ Th1 and CD8+ T-cells. This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and prophylactic efficacy of a novel nanovaccine comprising a multi-epitope peptide, known as HisDTC, encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles against Leishmania infantum infection in the murine model. The encapsulation strategy was designed to enhance antigen loading and sustain release, ensuring prolonged exposure to the immune system. Our results showed that mice immunized with PLGA-encapsulated HisDTC exhibited a significant reduction in the parasite load in the liver and spleen over both short and long-term duration. This reduction was associated with a cellular immune profile marked by elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-γ, and the generation of memory T cells. In conclusion, the current study establishes that PLGA-encapsulated HisDTC can promote effective and long-lasting T-cell responses against L. infantum in the murine model. These findings underscore the potential utility of multi-epitope vaccines, in conjunction with appropriate delivery systems, as an alternative strategy for CanL control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Hurtado-Morillas
- INMIVET, Animal Health Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (C.H.-M.)
| | - Abel Martínez-Rodrigo
- INMIVET, Animal Science Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CISA-INIA-CSIC), 28130 Madrid, Spain
| | - José A. Orden
- INMIVET, Animal Health Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (C.H.-M.)
| | - Laura de Urbina-Fuentes
- INMIVET, Animal Health Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (C.H.-M.)
| | - Alicia Mas
- INMIVET, Animal Health Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (C.H.-M.)
| | - Gustavo Domínguez-Bernal
- INMIVET, Animal Health Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (C.H.-M.)
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Yarlett N, Morada M, Schaefer DA, Ackman K, Carranza E, Baptista RDP, Riggs MW, Kissinger JC. Genomic and virulence analysis of in vitro cultured Cryptosporidium parvum. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011992. [PMID: 38416794 PMCID: PMC10927135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in the in vitro cultivation of Cryptosporidium parvum using hollow fiber bioreactor technology (HFB) have permitted continuous growth of parasites that complete all life cycle stages. The method provides access to all stages of the parasite and provides a method for non-animal production of oocysts for use in clinical trials. Here we examined the effect of long-term (>20 months) in vitro culture on virulence-factors, genome conservation, and in vivo pathogenicity of the host by in vitro cultured parasites. We find low-level sequence variation that is consistent with that observed in calf-passaged parasites. Further using a calf model infection, oocysts obtained from the HFB caused diarrhea of the same volume, duration and oocyst shedding intensity as in vivo passaged parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel Yarlett
- Department of Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Pace University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Haskins Laboratories, Pace University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Mary Morada
- Haskins Laboratories, Pace University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Deborah A. Schaefer
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Kevin Ackman
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Carranza
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Rodrigo de Paula Baptista
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Michael W. Riggs
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Jessica C. Kissinger
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
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Araújo M, Moreira D, Mesquita I, Ferreira C, Mendes-Frias A, Barros-Carvalho S, Dinis-Oliveira RJ, Duarte-Oliveira C, Cunha C, Carvalho A, Saha B, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Estaquier J, Silvestre R. Intramacrophage lipid accumulation compromises T cell responses and is associated with impaired drug therapy against visceral leishmaniasis. Immunology 2023; 170:510-526. [PMID: 37635289 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13686] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Under perturbing conditions such as infection with Leishmania, a protozoan parasite living within the phagosomes in mammalian macrophages, cellular and organellar structures, and metabolism are dynamically regulated for neutralizing the pressure of parasitism. However, how modulations of the host cell metabolic pathways support Leishmania infection remains unknown. Herein, we report that lipid accumulation heightens the susceptibility of mice to L. donovani infection and promotes resistance to first-line anti-leishmanial drugs. Despite being pro-inflammatory, the in vitro generated uninfected lipid-laden macrophages (LLMs) or adipose-tissue macrophages (ATMs) display lower levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Upon infection, LLMs secrete higher IL-10 and lower IL-12p70 cytokines, inhibiting CD4+ T cell activation and Th1 response suggesting a key modulatory role for intramacrophage lipid accumulation in anti-leishmanial host defence. We, therefore, examined this causal relationship between lipids and immunomodulation using an in vivo high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model. HFD increased the susceptibility to L. donovani infection accompanied by a defective CD4+ Th1 and CD8+ T cell response. The white adipose tissue of HFD mice displays increased susceptibility to L. donovani infection with the preferential infection of F4/80+ CD11b+ CD11c+ macrophages with higher levels of neutral lipids reserve. The HFD increased resistance to a first-line anti-leishmanial drug associated with a defective adaptive immune response. These data demonstrate that the accumulation of neutral lipids contributes to susceptibility to visceral leishmaniasis hindering host-protective immune response and reducing the efficacy of antiparasitic drug therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Araújo
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Diana Moreira
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Parasite Disease Group, IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto (FFUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Mesquita
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Carolina Ferreira
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Ana Mendes-Frias
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Sónia Barros-Carvalho
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira
- TOXRUN - Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), CESPU, CRL, Gandra, Portugal
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- MTG Research and Development Lab, Porto, Portugal
| | - Cláudio Duarte-Oliveira
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Cristina Cunha
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | - Agostinho Carvalho
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
| | | | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Parasite Disease Group, IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto (FFUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Jérôme Estaquier
- INSERM U1124, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Pathophysiology of Cell Death in Host-Pathogen Interactions, CHU de Québec - Université Laval Research Center, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Ricardo Silvestre
- Immunobiology of Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases (i3D), 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
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Nemati Haravani T, Parvizi P, Hejazi SH, Sedaghat MM, Eskandarian A, Nateghi Rostami M. Evaluation of expression variations in virulence-related genes of Leishmania major after several culture passages compared with Phlebotomus papatasi isolated promastigotes. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284240. [PMID: 37053214 PMCID: PMC10101501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a prevalent infectious disease with considerable morbidity annually. Here, we aimed to investigate the likely variations in gene expression of glycoprotein63 (gp63), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), histone, arginase, cysteine protease B (CPB), Leishmania homologue of receptors for activated C kinase (LACK), small hydrophilic endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein (SHERP) in metacyclic promastigotes of L. major isolated from Phlebotomus papatasi sand flies and promastigotes excessively cultured in culture medium. The parasites were collected from suspected CL cases in Pasteur Institute of Iran, cultured and inoculated into the female BALB/c mice (2×106 promastigotes). Sand flies were trapped in Qom province, fed with the blood of euthanized infected mice and subsequently dissected in order to isolate the midgut including stomodeal valve. The metacyclic promastigotes were isolated from Ph. papatasi (Pro-Ppap) using peanut agglutinin test (PNA), then continuously cultured in RPMI-1640 medium enriched with fetal bovine serum, penicillin (100 U/ml) and streptomycin (100 mg/ml) to reach stationary phase (Pro-Stat). The gene expression was evaluated in both parasitic stages (Pro-Ppap and Pro-Stat) using qRT-PCR. Out results showed a significant increased gene expression at Pro-Ppap stage for gp63 (P = 0.002), SHERP (P = 0.001) and histone (P = 0.026) genes, in comparison with Pro-Stat stage. Noticeably, significant changes were, also, demonstrated in 10th to 15th passages [gp63 (P = 0.041), arginase (P = 0.016), LACK (P = 0.025)] and in 5th to 20th passage (SHERP) (P = 0.029). In conclusion, the findings of the present study seem to be essential in designing Leishmania studies, in particular regarding host-parasite interaction, immunization and infectivity studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taher Nemati Haravani
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Parviz Parvizi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Hossein Hejazi
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mehdi Sedaghat
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbasali Eskandarian
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially fatal disease caused mainly by Leishmania infantum in South America and Leishmania donovani in Asia and Africa. Disease outcomes have been associated with patient genotype, nutrition, age, sex, comorbidities, and coinfections. In this study, we examine the effects of parasite genetic variation on VL disease severity in Brazil. We collected and sequenced the genomes of 109 L. infantum isolates from patients in northeastern Brazil and retrieved matching patient clinical data from medical records, including mortality, sex, HIV coinfection, and laboratory data (creatinine, hemoglobin, and leukocyte and platelet counts). We identified genetic differences between parasite isolates, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), small insertions/deletions (indels), and variations in genic, intergenic, and chromosome copy numbers (copy number variants [CNVs]). To describe associations between the parasite genotypes and clinical outcomes, we applied quantitative genetics methods of heritability and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), treating clinical outcomes as traits that may be influenced by parasite genotype. Multiple aspects of the genetic analysis indicate that parasite genotype affects clinical outcomes. We estimate that parasite genotype explains 83% chance of mortality (narrow-sense heritability [h2] = 0.83 ± 0.17) and has a significant relationship with patient sex (h2 = 0.60 ± 0.27). Impacts of parasite genotype on other clinical traits are lower (h2 ≤ 0.34). GWAS analysis identified multiple parasite genetic loci that were significantly associated with clinical outcomes; 17 CNVs were significantly associated with mortality, two with creatinine, and one with bacterial coinfection, jaundice, and HIV coinfection, and two SNPs/indels and six CNVs were associated with age, jaundice, HIV and bacterial coinfections, creatinine, and/or bleeding sites. Parasite genotype is an important factor in VL disease severity in Brazil. Our analysis indicates that specific genetic differences between parasites act as virulence factors, enhancing risks of severe disease and mortality. More detailed understanding of these virulence factors could be exploited for novel therapies. IMPORTANCE Multiple factors contribute to the risk of mortality from visceral leishmaniasis (VL), including, patient genotype, comorbidities, and nutrition. Many of these factors are influenced by socioeconomic biases. Our work suggests that the virulence of the infecting parasite is an important risk factor for mortality. We pinpoint some specific genomic markers that are associated with mortality, which can lead to a greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause severe VL disease, to the identification of genetic markers for virulent parasites, and to the development of drug and vaccine therapies.
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Chanmol W, Jariyapan N, Preativatanyou K, Mano C, Tippawangkosol P, Somboon P, Bates PA. Stimulation of metacyclogenesis in Leishmania (Mundinia) orientalis for mass production of metacyclic promastigotes. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:992741. [PMID: 36132986 PMCID: PMC9483143 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.992741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania (Mundinia) orientalis is a human pathogen causing leishmaniasis and studies on the properties of metacyclic promastigotes, the parasite’s infective stage, are required for a better understanding of its transmission and infection. However, information on cultivation for mass production of L. orientalis metacyclic promastigotes and factors that stimulate their metacyclogenesis is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a suitable methodology for generating promastigote cultures containing a high proportion and number of L. orientalis metacyclic promastigotes. Various media, i.e., Schneider’s insect medium, Medium 199 and Grace’s insect medium, supplemented with various quantities of dithiothreitol, Basal Medium Eagle vitamins, pooled human urine, and fetal bovine serum, were optimized for metacyclogenesis. The results revealed that the optimum culture medium and conditions of those tested were Schneider’s insect medium supplemented with 100 μM dithiothreitol, 1% (v/v) Basal Medium Eagle vitamins, 2% (v/v) pooled human urine, and 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum, pH 5.0 at 26°C. We also demonstrated that L. orientalis metacyclic promastigotes could be purified and enriched by negative selection using peanut lectin. Under these culture conditions, the highest yield of metacyclic promastigotes was obtained with a significantly higher percentage of parasite survival, resistance to complement-mediated lysis, and infection index in THP-1 macrophage cells compared to parasites cultured without media supplements at neutral pH. This is the first report providing a reliable method for mass production of L. orientalis metacyclic promastigotes for in vivo infections and other experimental studies of this emerging parasite in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wetpisit Chanmol
- School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhonsithammarat, Thailand
| | - Narissara Jariyapan
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector-Borne Disease, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- *Correspondence: Narissara Jariyapan, ; Pradya Somboon,
| | - Kanok Preativatanyou
- Center of Excellence in Vector Biology and Vector-Borne Disease, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chonlada Mano
- Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Pongsri Tippawangkosol
- School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhonsithammarat, Thailand
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Pradya Somboon
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- *Correspondence: Narissara Jariyapan, ; Pradya Somboon,
| | - Paul A. Bates
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
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Leishmania infantum Infection of Primary Human Myeloid Cells. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10061243. [PMID: 35744760 PMCID: PMC9230042 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061243] [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: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Circulating phagocytic cells often serve as cellular targets for a large number of pathogens such as Leishmania parasites. Studying primary human cells in an infectious context requires lengthy procedures for cell isolation that may affect the analysis performed. Using whole blood and a no-lyse and no-wash flow cytometric assay (NoNo assay), we monitored the Leishmania infantum infection of primary human cells. We demonstrated, using fluorescent parasites, that among monocyte cell populations, L. infantum preferentially infects classical (CD14+CD16−) and intermediate (CD14+CD16+) primary human monocytes in whole blood. Because classical monocytes are the preponderant population, they represent the larger L. infantum reservoir. Moreover, we also found that, concomitantly to monocyte infection, a subset of PMNs is infected early in whole blood. Of interest, in whole blood, PMNs are less infected compared to classical monocytes. Overall, by using this NoNo assay, we provided a novel avenue in our understanding of host–leishmania interactions.
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Mas A, Martínez-Rodrigo A, Carrión J, Orden JA, Alzate JF, Domínguez-Bernal G, Horcajo P. Transcriptomic Profile of Canine DH82 Macrophages Infected by Leishmania infantum Promastigotes with Different Virulence Behavior. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031466. [PMID: 35163386 PMCID: PMC8835757 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic disease in the Mediterranean Basin affecting mainly humans and dogs, the main reservoir. The leishmaniosis outbreak declared in the Community of Madrid (Spain) led to a significant increase in human disease incidence without enhancing canine leishmaniosis prevalence, suggesting a better adaptation of the outbreak's isolates by other host species. One of the isolates obtained in the focus, IPER/ES/2012/BOS1FL1 (BOS1FL1), has previously demonstrated a different phenotype than the reference strain MCAN/ES/1996/BCN150 (BCN150), characterized by a lower infectivity when interacting with canine macrophages. Nevertheless, not enough changes in the cell defensive response were found to support their different behavior. Thus, we decided to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the interaction of both parasites with DH82 canine macrophages by studying their transcriptomic profiles developed after infection using RNA sequencing. The results showed a common regulation induced by both parasites in the phosphoinositide-3-kinase-protein kinase B/Akt and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways. However, other pathways, such as phagocytosis and signal transduction, including tumor necrosis factor, mitogen-activated kinases and nuclear factor-κB, were only regulated after infection with BOS1FL1. These differences could contribute to the reduced infection ability of the outbreak isolates in canine cells. Our results open a new avenue to investigate the true role of adaptation of L. infantum isolates in their interaction with their different hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Mas
- INMIVET, Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.M.); (A.M.-R.); (J.C.); (J.A.O.)
| | - Abel Martínez-Rodrigo
- INMIVET, Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.M.); (A.M.-R.); (J.C.); (J.A.O.)
| | - Javier Carrión
- INMIVET, Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.M.); (A.M.-R.); (J.C.); (J.A.O.)
| | - José Antonio Orden
- INMIVET, Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.M.); (A.M.-R.); (J.C.); (J.A.O.)
| | - Juan F. Alzate
- Centro Nacional de Secuenciación Genómica-CNSG, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia;
| | - Gustavo Domínguez-Bernal
- INMIVET, Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (A.M.); (A.M.-R.); (J.C.); (J.A.O.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-913943814
| | - Pilar Horcajo
- Animal Health and Zoonoses (SALUVET) Group, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
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Long-Term In Vitro Passaging Had a Negligible Effect on Extracellular Vesicles Released by Leishmania amazonensis and Induced Protective Immune Response in BALB/c Mice. J Immunol Res 2022; 2021:7809637. [PMID: 34977257 PMCID: PMC8720021 DOI: 10.1155/2021/7809637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Depending on Leishmania species and the presence/absence of virulence factors, Leishmania extracellular vesicles (EVs) can differently stimulate host immune cells. This work is aimed at characterizing and evaluating the protective role of EVs released by Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes under different maintenance conditions. Initially, using a control strain, we standardized 26°C as the best release temperature to obtain EVs with a potential protective role in the experimental leishmaniasis model. Then, long-term (LT-P) promastigotes of L. amazonensis were obtained after long-term in vitro culture (100 in vitro passages). In vivo-derived (IVD-P) promastigotes of L. amazonensis were selected after 3 consecutive experimental infections in BALB/c mice. Those strains developed similar lesion sizes except for IVD-P at 8 weeks post infection. No differences in EV production were detected in both strains. However, the presence of LPG between LT-P and IVD-P EVs was different. Groups of mice immunized with EVs emulsified in the adjuvant and challenged with IVD-P parasites showed decreased lesion size and parasitic load compared with the nonimmunized groups. The immunization regimen with two doses showed high IFN-γ and IgG2a titers in challenged mice with either IVD-P or LT-P EVs. IL-4 and IL-10 were detected in immunized mice, suggesting a mixed Th1/Th2 profile. EVs released by either IVD-P or LT-P induced a partial protective effect in an immunization model. Thus, our results uncover a potential protective role of EVs from L. amazonensis for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Moreover, long-term maintenance under in vitro conditions did not seem to affect EV release and their immunization properties in mice.
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Benítez D, Medeiros A, Quiroga C, Comini MA. A Simple Bioluminescent Assay for the Screening of Cytotoxic Molecules Against the Intracellular Form of Leishmania infantum. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2524:127-147. [PMID: 35821468 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2453-1_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This chapter describes a viability assay for the intracellular (amastigote) and clinically relevant form of Leishmania infantum that is based on the detection of bioluminescence (BL) signal. The assay uses a reporter cell line of L. infantum that expresses constitutively a redshifted luciferase from Photinus pyralis and murine macrophages (cell line J774.A1) as host cells for infection. The host cell line was selected because it is a differentiated cell line, easy to manipulate in vitro, and advantageous for ethical reasons. This chapter introduces an assay designed for the screening of bioactive compounds/molecules employing a 96-well microplate and a 24 h treatment. The assay setup shows excellent balance between simplicity (cell culture manipulation/infection and timing) and quality parameters, as well as potential to detect drug-like molecules acting in a fast and cytotoxic manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Benítez
- Group Redox Biology of Trypanosomes, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Andrea Medeiros
- Group Redox Biology of Trypanosomes, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Cristina Quiroga
- Group Redox Biology of Trypanosomes, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Marcelo A Comini
- Group Redox Biology of Trypanosomes, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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12
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Pereira A, Parreira R, Cristóvão JM, Vitale F, Bastien P, Campino L, Maia C. Leishmania infantum strains from cats are similar in biological properties to canine and human strains. Vet Parasitol 2021; 298:109531. [PMID: 34293586 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2021.109531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis is a worldwide severe disease caused by Leishmania infantum, a protozoan that has phlebotomine sand flies as vectors and dogs as primary reservoir hosts. Over the last few decades, cats have been regarded as an indisputable piece within the ecological system in which L. infantum is maintained indefinitely. However, little is known about feline strains, including their phenotypic plasticity and infectivity. In this study, the phenotypic behaviour of seven L. infantum feline strains was compared to those of well-characterised counterparts isolated from two dogs and two humans in terms of growth profile, adaptive capacity under several stress conditions, susceptibility to antileishmanial drugs, and infectivity to host cells. Feline strains displayed a similar growth profile, survival capacity, and ability to infect feline, canine, and human monocyte-derived primary macrophages. Furthermore, multivariate cluster analysis suggested that most strains studied did not display distinctive phenotypic features. To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyse the phenotypic behaviour of feline L. infantum strains. This study brings new insights into the hypothetical role of cats as reservoir hosts of L. infantum since the parasites found in them are phenotypically identical to those of dogs and humans. However, further studies on the transmission dynamics should be encouraged to fully establish the status of cats in the maintenance of L. infantum foci.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Pereira
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHMT), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal; Medical Parasitology Unit, IHMT/NOVA, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Parreira
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHMT), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal; Medical Microbiology Unit, IHMT/NOVA, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - José Manuel Cristóvão
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHMT), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal; Medical Parasitology Unit, IHMT/NOVA, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Fabrizio Vitale
- OIE Leishmaniasis Reference Laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, 90129, Palermo, Italy
| | - Patrick Bastien
- University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Research Unit "MIVEGEC", Centre National de Reference pour les Leishmanioses, Academic Hospital (C.H.U.) of Montpellier, 34090, Montpellier, France
| | - Lenea Campino
- Medical Parasitology Unit, IHMT/NOVA, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carla Maia
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHMT), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA), 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal; Medical Parasitology Unit, IHMT/NOVA, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal.
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13
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Toward Chemical Validation of Leishmania infantum Ribose 5-Phosphate Isomerase as a Drug Target. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:e0189220. [PMID: 33875438 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01892-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases caused by kinetoplastid parasites (Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp.) place a significant health and economic burden on developing nations worldwide. Current therapies are largely outdated, inadequate, and face mounting drug resistance from the causative parasites. Thus, there is an urgent need for drug discovery and development. Target-led drug discovery approaches have focused on the identification of parasite enzymes catalyzing essential biochemical processes, which significantly differ from equivalent proteins found in humans, thereby providing potentially exploitable therapeutic windows. One such target is ribose 5-phosphate isomerase B (RpiB), an enzyme involved in the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, which catalyzes the interconversion of d-ribose 5-phosphate and d-ribulose 5-phosphate. Although protozoan RpiB has been the focus of numerous targeted studies, compounds capable of selectively inhibiting this parasite enzyme have not been identified. Here, we present the results of a fragment library screening against Leishmania infantum RpiB (LiRpiB), performed using thermal shift analysis. Hit fragments were shown to be effective inhibitors of LiRpiB in activity assays, and several fragments were capable of selectively inhibiting parasite growth in vitro. These results support the identification of LiRpiB as a validated therapeutic target. The X-ray crystal structure of apo LiRpiB was also solved, permitting docking studies to assess how hit fragments might interact with LiRpiB to inhibit its activity. Overall, this work will guide structure-based development of LiRpiB inhibitors as antileishmanial agents.
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Feiz Haddad MH, Rezvan H, Nourian A, Habibpour H. Expression of MicroRNA of Macrophages Infected with Attenuated Leishmania major Parasite. J PEDIAT INF DIS-GER 2021. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1724021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective Leishmaniasis has been proposed as one of the neglected vector-borne diseases due to an obligate intracellular parasite of the genus Leishmania. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) with a length of 22-nucleotide are known as the noncoding small RNAs. MiRNAs contribute to many biological and cellular approaches. Therefore, the present study evaluated expressing mmu-miR-721, mmu-miR-294–3p, mmu-miR-155–3p, and mmu-miR-30a in murine macrophages infected with attenuated Leishmania major parasites on 3 days after infection.
Methods Attenuated promastigotes have been achieved after 20 passages of Leishmania major parasites. Cell line J774A.1 (murine macrophage) has been used for in vitro experiments. The stationary phase of attenuated L. major promastigotes has been chosen to infect the cells, and then their incubation has been performed with 5% CO2 at 37°C for 3 days. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has also been performed with SYBR Green master-mix Kit for measuring the level of mmu-miR-721, mmu-miR-294–3p, mmu-miR-30a, and mmu-miR-155-3p expression. Uninfected macrophages have been considered as a control group.
Results Real-time PCR demonstrated overexpression of mmu-miR-155-3p, mmu-miR-294–3p, and, mmu-miR-721 in the infected cells with Leishmania parasites after 3 days. Results showed no statistically significant difference in the mmu-miR-30a expression between infected macrophages and the uninfected control group.
Conclusion Our findings suggested the significant contribution of the alterations in the miRNA levels to the regulation of macrophage functions following the creation of intracellular parasites like Leishmania. These data could help to understand better the genes' expression in the host cells in the course of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hossein Feiz Haddad
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Hossein Rezvan
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - Alireza Nourian
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - Habib Habibpour
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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15
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Buendía-Abad M, Higes M, Martín-Hernández R, Barrios L, Meana A, Fernández Fernández A, Osuna A, De Pablos LM. Workflow of Lotmaria passim isolation: Experimental infection with a low-passage strain causes higher honeybee mortality rates than the PRA-403 reference strain. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2020; 14:68-74. [PMID: 33532238 PMCID: PMC7829110 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The impact of trypanosomatid parasites on honeybee health may represent a major threat to bee colonies worldwide. However, few axenic isolates have been generated to date and with no details on cell culture passages, a parameter that could influence parasite virulence. To address this question, a trypanosomatid isolation protocol was developed and a new strain was obtained, named L. passim C1. Using experimental infection of worker honeybees, we compared the virulence and mortality rates of the ATCC PRA-403 reference strain and C1 strain, the latter showing higher virulence from 10 days post-infection onward. This study highlights the impact of cell culture passages on the pathogenicity of L. passim in honeybees, providing new evidence of its negative effects on honeybee health.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Buendía-Abad
- IRIAF - Regional Institute for Agrifood and Forestry Research and Development, Laboratory of Bee Pathology, Center for Beekeeping and Agro-environmental Research (CIAPA), Community of Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, Spain
| | - Mariano Higes
- IRIAF - Regional Institute for Agrifood and Forestry Research and Development, Laboratory of Bee Pathology, Center for Beekeeping and Agro-environmental Research (CIAPA), Community of Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, Spain
| | - Raquel Martín-Hernández
- IRIAF - Regional Institute for Agrifood and Forestry Research and Development, Laboratory of Bee Pathology, Center for Beekeeping and Agro-environmental Research (CIAPA), Community of Castilla-La Mancha, Marchamalo, Spain.,Institute of Human Resources for Science and Technology (INCRECYT-FEDER), Science and Technology Park Foundation from Castilla - La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Laura Barrios
- Statistics Department, Computing Center SGAI-CSIC, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Aranzazu Meana
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández Fernández
- Department of Parasitology, Biochemical and Molecular Parasitology Group CTS-183, University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Osuna
- Department of Parasitology, Biochemical and Molecular Parasitology Group CTS-183, University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel De Pablos
- Department of Parasitology, Biochemical and Molecular Parasitology Group CTS-183, University of Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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16
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Costa AFP, de Brito RCF, Carvalho LM, Cardoso JMDO, Vieira PMDA, Reis AB, Aguiar-Soares RDDO, Roatt BM. Liver infusion tryptose (LIT): the best choice for growth, viability, and infectivity of Leishmania infantum parasites. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:4185-4195. [PMID: 33033848 PMCID: PMC7544523 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06893-z] [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: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania spp. parasites have a complex biological cycle presenting basically two different morphological stages, the amastigote and promastigote forms. In vitro cultivation allows a more complete study of the biological aspects of these parasites, indicating better conditions for infection, immunoassay tests, drug evaluations, and vaccines. Thus, we evaluated the three most used culture media for Leishmania spp., Grace’s insect cell culture medium (Grace’s), liver infusion tryptose (LIT), and Schneider’s insect medium (Schneider’s), without supplementation or supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS) and bovine serum albumin (Albumin) to evaluate the growth, viability, and infectivity of the L. infantum promastigotes. It was observed that promastigote forms have a better growth in LIT and Schneider’s with or without FCS when compared to that in Grace’s. The supplementation with albumin promoted greater viability of the parasites independent of the medium. For in vitro infection of J774.A1 macrophages using light microscopy and flow cytometry analyses, FCS-supplemented LIT and Grace’s promoted higher percentage of infected macrophages and parasite load compared with Schneider’s media. Taken together, our results demonstrated that the supplementation of LIT culture medium with FCS is the most suitable strategy to cultivate Leishmania infantum parasites enabling the maintenance of growth and infective parasites for research uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Flávia Pereira Costa
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Rory Cristiane Fortes de Brito
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Lívia Mendes Carvalho
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Jamille Mirelle de Oliveira Cardoso
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Paula Melo de Abreu Vieira
- Laboratório de Morfopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Insituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Barbosa Reis
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais, INCT-DT, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Dian de Oliveira Aguiar-Soares
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Bruno Mendes Roatt
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas/NUPEB, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil. .,Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Insituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. .,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Tropicais, INCT-DT, Salvador, Brazil.
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Mas A, Martínez-Rodrigo A, Orden JA, Molina R, Jiménez M, Jiménez MÁ, Carrión J, Domínguez-Bernal G. Properties of virulence emergence of Leishmania infantum isolates from Phlebotomus perniciosus collected during the human leishmaniosis outbreak in Madrid, Spain. Hepatic histopathology and immunological parameters as virulence markers in the mouse model. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:704-714. [PMID: 32668083 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent anthropic activity related to the construction of the Bosquesur Green Park in a large urban setting in Madrid (Spain) has resulted in the largest reported community outbreak of human leishmaniosis in Europe. Previous phylogenetic and molecular-typing studies of parasite isolates have implicated the Leishmania infantum ITS-Lombardi genotype in this outbreak. In an unusual scenario, visceral leishmaniosis (VL) is affecting a significant number of individuals, suggesting that an increase in parasite virulence has occurred. In this work, using an in vivo BALB/c model of VL, we aimed to investigate the properties of emergent virulence of the L. infantum POL2FL7 and BOS1FL1 isolates obtained from Phlebotomus perniciosus collected in the outbreak area and compare them with those of the well-characterized strain BCN150 MON-1 isolated from a dog. The P. perniciosus specimens were collected during an entomological survey conducted in the transmission season of 2012. We observed a range of virulence phenotypes from moderately to highly aggressive after 5 weeks of infection. IV challenge of mice with outbreak isolates from sand flies induced higher splenic and liver parasite burdens, higher serological titres of specific anti-Leishmania antibodies and impaired capacities to control infection, as revealed by the arginine metabolism and low ratios of Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles analysed, compared with the corresponding measures evaluated in mice infected with the BCN150 strain. The BOS1FL1 isolate showed the highest degree of virulence among the isolates, superior to that of POL2FL7, as evidenced by the analysed biomarkers and the histopathological severity of liver lesions. These results provide insight into how L. infantum isolates from sand flies collected in the outbreak area have been able to affect not only immunosuppressed patients but also middle-aged people with normal immunocompetence in the largest human VL outbreak in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Mas
- INMIVET, Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Abel Martínez-Rodrigo
- INMIVET, Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Antonio Orden
- INMIVET, Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Molina
- Laboratorio de Entomología Médica, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Maribel Jiménez
- Laboratorio de Entomología Médica, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - María Ángeles Jiménez
- Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Facultad de Veterinaria, Hospital Clínico Veterinario, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Carrión
- INMIVET, Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gustavo Domínguez-Bernal
- INMIVET, Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Van Bockstal L, Hendrickx S, Maes L, Caljon G. Sand Fly Studies Predict Transmission Potential of Drug-resistant Leishmania. Trends Parasitol 2020; 36:785-795. [PMID: 32713762 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania parasites have the capacity to rapidly adapt to changing environments in their digenetic life cycle which alternates between a vertebrate and an invertebrate host. Emergence of resistance following drug exposure can evoke phenotypic alterations that affect several aspects of parasite fitness in both hosts. Current studies of the impact of resistance are mostly limited to interactions with the mammalian host and characterization of in vitro parasite growth and differentiation. Development in the vector and transmission capacity have been largely ignored. This review reflects on the impact of drug resistance on its spreading potential with specific focus on the use of the sand fly infection model to evaluate parasite development in the vector and the ensuing transmission potential of drug-resistant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieselotte Van Bockstal
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
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Complete Genome Sequences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates Subjected to 200 Continuous Passages. Microbiol Resour Announc 2020; 9:9/26/e00356-20. [PMID: 32586855 PMCID: PMC7317095 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00356-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We report 6 draft genome sequences corresponding to Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and M. tuberculosis DR689, a Beijing isolate, plus their counterparts subjected to 200 continuous passages in Middlebrook 7H9 broth, either alone or with ox bile. We report 6 draft genome sequences corresponding to Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and M. tuberculosis DR689, a Beijing isolate, plus their counterparts subjected to 200 continuous passages in Middlebrook 7H9 broth, either alone or with ox bile.
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20
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Development and Evaluation of Modified Cryopreservation for Long-Term Storage of Blastocystis Subtypes 1-3 and 6. Acta Parasitol 2020; 65:535-540. [PMID: 31919797 DOI: 10.2478/s11686-019-00157-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Blastocystis is a protozoan parasite living in the intestine of humans and a wide range of animals. Although Blastocystis grows in several cultivation media, axenification and serial cultivations for long time are the main challenges of the researchers. Therefore, the long-term storage of subtypes/strains of Blastocystis using cryopreservation provides a suitable source of this parasite for the physiological, biochemical, and biological studies. METHODS In the current study, seven xenic isolates including two separated isolates from ST1-3 and one isolate from ST6 were cryopreserved using a standard method with minor modifications. After 3 months, all isolates were recovered and cultivated in DMEM medium. RESULTS The findings of the method showed all seven isolates were successfully recovered in DMEM medium. In addition, all isolates remained viable after several sub-cultures. CONCLUSIONS It seems that cryopreservation is a simple method that can provide a suitable condition for the long-term storage of Blastocystis.
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21
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Crepaldi F, de Toledo JS, do Carmo AO, Ferreira Marques Machado L, de Brito DDV, Serufo AV, Almeida APM, de Oliveira LG, Ricotta TQN, Moreira DDS, Murta SMF, Diniz AB, Menezes GB, López-Gonzálvez Á, Barbas C, Fernandes AP. Mapping Alterations Induced by Long-Term Axenic Cultivation of Leishmania amazonensis Promastigotes With a Multiplatform Metabolomic Fingerprint Approach. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:403. [PMID: 31867285 PMCID: PMC6904349 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniases are widespread neglected diseases with an incidence of 1.6 million new cases and 40 thousand deaths per year. Leishmania parasites may show distinct, species-specific patterns of virulence that lead to different clinical manifestations. It is well known that successive in vitro passages (SIVP) lead to the attenuation of virulence, but neither the metabolism nor the pathways involved in these processes are well understood. Herein, promastigotes of a virulent L. amazonensis strain recently isolated from mice was compared to SIVP derived and attenuated promastigotes, submitted to 10, 40, and 60 axenic passages and named R10, R40, and R60, respectively. In vitro assays and in vivo tests were performed to characterize and confirmed the attenuation profiles. A metabolomic fingerprint comparison of R0, R10, and R60 was performed by means of capillary electrophoresis, liquid and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. To validate the metabolomic data, qPCR for selected loci, flow cytometry to measure aPS exposure, sensitivity to antimony tartrate and ROS production assays were conducted. The 65 identified metabolites were clustered in biochemical categories and mapped in eight metabolic pathways: ABC transporters; fatty acid biosynthesis; glycine, serine and threonine metabolism; β-alanine metabolism; glutathione metabolism; oxidative phosphorylation; glycerophospholipid metabolism and lysine degradation. The obtained metabolomic data correlated with previous proteomic findings of the SVIP parasites and the gene expression of 13 selected targets. Late SIVP cultures were more sensitive to SbIII produced more ROS and exposed less phosphatidylserine in their surface. The correspondent pathways were connected to build a biochemical map of the most significant alterations involved with the process of attenuation of L. amazonensis. Overall, the reported data pointed out to a very dynamic and continuous metabolic reprogramming process, accompanied by changes in energetic, lipid and redox metabolisms, membrane remodeling and reshaping of parasite-host cells interactions, causing impacts in chemotaxis, host inflammatory responses and infectivity at the early stages of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederico Crepaldi
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis, Unidad Metabolómica, Interacciones y Bioanálisis (UMIB), Universidad CEU San Pablo, Boadilla del Monte, Spain
| | - Juliano Simões de Toledo
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis, Unidad Metabolómica, Interacciones y Bioanálisis (UMIB), Universidad CEU San Pablo, Boadilla del Monte, Spain
| | - Anderson Oliveira do Carmo
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Markers, General Biology Department, Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Daniela Diniz Viana de Brito
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Angela Vieira Serufo
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Martins Almeida
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Leandro Gonzaga de Oliveira
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Tiago Queiroga Nery Ricotta
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | | | - Ariane Barros Diniz
- Morphology Department, Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Batista Menezes
- Morphology Department, Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ángeles López-Gonzálvez
- Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis, Unidad Metabolómica, Interacciones y Bioanálisis (UMIB), Universidad CEU San Pablo, Boadilla del Monte, Spain
| | - Coral Barbas
- Centro de Metabolómica y Bioanálisis, Unidad Metabolómica, Interacciones y Bioanálisis (UMIB), Universidad CEU San Pablo, Boadilla del Monte, Spain
| | - Ana Paula Fernandes
- Clinical and Toxicological Analysis Department, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Mendes Costa D, Cecílio P, Santarém N, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Tavares J. Murine infection with bioluminescent Leishmania infantum axenic amastigotes applied to drug discovery. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18989. [PMID: 31831809 PMCID: PMC6908656 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55474-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is an important vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasites. Current anti-Leishmania chemotherapy is unsatisfactory, justifying the continued search for alternative treatment options. Herein, we demonstrate that luciferase-expressing Leishmania infantum axenic amastigotes, unlike promastigotes, are highly infectious to BALB/c mice and thus generate a robust bioluminescent signal in target organs, such as the liver and the spleen, as early as two weeks after infection. Treatment with the reference drugs amphotericin B and miltefosine was effective at reducing parasite burdens. This model allows the assessment of treatment efficacy using whole-mouse bioluminescence imaging without the need to wait several weeks for spleen infections to be detectable by this non-invasive method. In conclusion, we propose the use of this model in an initial approach to evaluate the treatment efficacy of promising chemical entities without having to sacrifice large numbers of animals or to wait several days for a readout.
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Hendrickx S, Van Bockstal L, Caljon G, Maes L. In-depth comparison of cell-based methodological approaches to determine drug susceptibility of visceral Leishmania isolates. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007885. [PMID: 31790397 PMCID: PMC6907865 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Monitoring the drug susceptibility of Leishmania isolates still largely relies on standard in vitro cell-based susceptibility assays using (patient-isolated) promastigotes for infection. Although this assay is widely used, no fully standardized/harmonized protocol is yet available hence resulting in the application of a wide variety of host cells (primary cells and cell lines), different drug exposure times, detection methods and endpoint criteria. Advocacy for standardization to decrease inter-laboratory variation and improve interpretation of results has already repeatedly been made, unfortunately still with unsatisfactory progress. As a logical next step, it would be useful to reach at least some agreement on the type of host cell and basic experimental design for routine amastigote susceptibility determination. The present laboratory study using different L. infantum strains as a model for visceral leishmaniasis species compared primary cells (mouse peritoneal exudate (PEC), mouse bone marrow derived macrophages and human peripheral blood monocyte derived macrophages) and commercially available cell lines (THP-1, J774, RAW) for either their susceptibility to infection, their role in supporting intracellular amastigote multiplication and overall feasibility/accessibility of experimental assay protocol. The major findings were that primary cells are better than cell lines in supporting infection and intracellular parasite multiplication, with PECs to be preferred for technical reasons. Cell lines require drug exposure of >96h with THP-1 to be preferred but subject to a variable response to PMA stimulation. The fast dividing J774 and RAW cells out-compete parasite-infected cells precluding proper assay read-out. Some findings could possibly also be applicable to cutaneous Leishmania strains, but this still needs cross-checking. Besides inherent limitations in a clinical setting, susceptibility testing of clinical isolates may remain problematic because of the reliance on patient-derived promastigotes which may exhibit variable degrees of metacyclogenesis and infectivity. Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasites belonging to the genus of Leishmania and transmitted by the bite of infected female sand flies. Concerns about the effective control of the disease are rising in view of the increasing number of treatment failures that may be related to drug resistance. Monitoring of drug susceptibility in the field should become an essential asset, however, there is still insufficient harmonization in the laboratory assays. This study focused on the standard intracellular amastigote susceptibility assay and compared protocol variables, such as type of macrophage host cell (primary versus cell lines), multiplicity of infection and duration of drug exposure. Primary cells perform best with little difference between cells derived from Swiss mice or BALB/c mice. From a practical point of view, mouse peritoneal exudate cells can be recommended. If mice would not be available, THP-1 cells are the best alternative. For field strains, metacyclic promastigotes should be used at a multiplicity of infection of 10–15 parasites per cell with drug exposure starting at 24h post-infection and continued for 120h. Unfortunately, susceptibility testing of clinical isolates will remain problematic because of the reliance on promastigotes which may exhibit variable degrees of metacyclogenesis and infectivity. Opting for cell-based assays may be complicated by the fact that dedicated laboratory infrastructure may sometimes be lacking in disease-endemic countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lieselotte Van Bockstal
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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B-1 lymphocytes are able to produce IL-10, but is not pathogenic during Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis infection. Immunobiology 2019; 225:151857. [PMID: 31744626 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2019.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Over the years research has found an association between B lymphocytes and pathogenesis during Leishmania sp. infections. Recently we demonstrated that B-2 lymphocytes are the main producers of IL-10 during L. amazonensis infection, and that the disease severity in BALB/c mice was attributed to these IL-10-producing B-2 lymphocytes. Here, we aim to understand the role of peritoneal B-1 lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of L. amazonensis infection. We found that infection resulted in a decrease in the number of B-1a lymphocytes and increase in B-1b lymphocytes in the peritoneal cavity of WT BALB/c mice but not in B lymphocyte deficient mice (BALB/Xid) mice. In vitro interaction between B-1 lymphocytes and L. amazonensis showed that the amastigote form of the parasite was able to induce higher levels of IL-10 in B-1 lymphocytes derived from infected BALB/c mice than the promastigote. Moreover, B-1 lymphocytes derived from infected mice produced more IL-10 than B-1 lymphocytes derived from naïve mice under amastigote interaction. However, the repopulation of BALB/Xid mice with B-1 lymphocytes from WT BALB/c mice did not affect the lesion development. Together, these results suggest that although B-1 lymphocytes are able to produce IL-10 during in vitro interaction with L. amazonensis, they are not directly related to pathogenesis in vivo.
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Rodrigues V, André S, Maksouri H, Mouttaki T, Chiheb S, Riyad M, Akarid K, Estaquier J. Transcriptional Analysis of Human Skin Lesions Identifies Tryptophan-2,3-Deoxygenase as a Restriction Factor for Cutaneous Leishmania. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:338. [PMID: 31637219 PMCID: PMC6788307 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Disease manifestation after infection with cutaneous Leishmania species is the result of a complex interplay of diverse factors, including the immune status of the host, the infecting parasite species, or the parasite load at the lesion site. Understanding how these factors impact on the pathology of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) may provide new targets to manage the infection and improve clinical outcome. We quantified the relative expression of 170 genes involved in a diverse range of biological processes, in the skin biopsies from patients afflicted with CL caused by infection with either L. major or L. tropica. As compared to healthy skin, CL lesions bear elevated levels of transcripts involved in the immune response, and conversely, present a significant downregulation in the expression of genes involved in epidermal integrity and arginine or fatty acid metabolism. The expression of transcripts encoding for cytotoxic mediators and chemokines in lesions was inversely correlated with the expression of genes involved in epidermal integrity, suggesting that cytotoxicity is a major mediator of CL pathology. When comparing the transcriptional profiles of lesions caused by either L. major or L. tropica, we found them to be very similar, the later presenting an aggravated inflammatory/cytotoxic profile. Finally, we identified genes positively correlated with the parasite load in lesions. Among others, these included Th2 or regulatory cytokines, such as IL4 or IL10. Remarkably, a single gene among our dataset, encoding for tryptophan-2,3-deoxygenase (TDO), presented a negative correlation with the parasite load, suggesting that its expression may restrict parasite numbers in lesions. In agreement, treatment of macrophages infected with L. major in vitro with a TDO inhibitor led to an increase in parasite transcripts. Our work provides new insights into the factors that impact CL pathology and identifies TDO as a restriction factor for cutaneous Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sónia André
- CNRS-ERL3649, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Hasnaa Maksouri
- Research Team on Immunopathology of Infectious and Systemic Diseases, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Tarik Mouttaki
- Research Team on Immunopathology of Infectious and Systemic Diseases, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Soumiya Chiheb
- Research Team on Immunopathology of Infectious and Systemic Diseases, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.,Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Ibn Rochd of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Myriam Riyad
- Research Team on Immunopathology of Infectious and Systemic Diseases, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco.,Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Hassan II Casablanca (UH2C), Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Khadija Akarid
- Molecular Genetics and Immunophysiopathology Research Team, Health and Environment Laboratory, Aïn Chock Faculty of Sciences, University of Hassan II Casablanca (UH2C), Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Jérôme Estaquier
- CNRS-ERL3649, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.,Faculty of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Québec Research Center, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
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Álvarez-Velilla R, Gutiérrez-Corbo MDC, Punzón C, Pérez-Pertejo MY, Balaña-Fouce R, Fresno M, Reguera RM. A chronic bioluminescent model of experimental visceral leishmaniasis for accelerating drug discovery. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007133. [PMID: 30763330 PMCID: PMC6392311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected parasitic disease with no vaccine available and its pharmacological treatment is reduced to a limited number of unsafe drugs. The scarce readiness of new antileishmanial drugs is even more alarming when relapses appear or the occurrence of hard-to-treat resistant strains is detected. In addition, there is a gap between the initial and late stages of drug development, which greatly delays the selection of leads for subsequent studies. Methodology/Principal findings In order to address these issues, we have generated a red-shifted luminescent Leishmania infantum strain that enables long-term monitoring of parasite burden in individual animals with an in vivo limit of detection of 106 intracellular amastigotes 48 h postinfection. For this purpose, we have injected intravenously different infective doses (104—5x108) of metacyclic parasites in susceptible mouse models and the disease was monitored from initial times to 21 weeks postinfection. The emission of light from the target organs demonstrated the sequential parasite colonization of liver, spleen and bone marrow. When miltefosine was used as proof-of-concept, spleen weight parasite burden and bioluminescence values decreased significantly. Conclusions In vivo bioimaging using a red-shifted modified Leishmania infantum strain allows the appraisal of acute and chronic stage of infection, being a powerful tool for accelerating drug development against visceral leishmaniasis during both stages and helping to bridge the gap between early discovery process and subsequent drug development. Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected disease that poses a significant threat to impoverished human populations of low-income countries. Due to the unavailability of vaccines, pharmacological treatment is the only approach to control the disease that otherwise can be lethal. To date, drug management in endemic regions is based on combinations of a handful of mostly unsafe drugs, where the emergence of resistant strains is an additional problem. To accelerate the discovery of new drug entities, several gaps from the early discovery of a compound to its public use, should be filled. One of these gaps is the need of a rapid go/no-go testing system for compounds based on robust preclinical models. Here, we propose a new long-term model of murine visceral leishmaniasis using in vivo bioluminescent imaging. For this purpose, a red-shifted bioluminescent Leishmania infantum strain was engineered. This strain has allowed the appraisal of the disease in individual animals and the monitoring of parasite colonization in liver, spleen and bone marrow. As proof of concept of this platform, mice were infected with the transgenic L. infantum strain treated with a standard schedule of miltefosine, the only oral drug available against Leishmania parasites. Bioluminescence and parasite load in the target organs were compared showing a good correlation. Our findings provide a robust and reproducible tool for drug discovery in a chronic model of murine visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Álvarez-Velilla
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Carmen Punzón
- Diomune S.L Parque Científico de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Manuel Fresno
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Diomune S.L Parque Científico de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa María Reguera
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de León, León, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Lamotte S, Aulner N, Späth GF, Prina E. Discovery of novel hit compounds with broad activity against visceral and cutaneous Leishmania species by comparative phenotypic screening. Sci Rep 2019; 9:438. [PMID: 30679614 PMCID: PMC6345745 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36944-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The limited success of recent phenotypic anti-leishmanial drug screening campaigns calls for new screening strategies for the discovery of clinically relevant hits. Here we present such a novel strategy based on physiologically relevant, ex vivo biology. We established high content phenotypic assays that combine primary murine macrophages and lesion-derived, virulent L. donovani and L. amazonensis amastigotes, which we applied to validate previously identified, anti-leishmanial hit compounds referred to as ‘GSK Leish-Box’. Together with secondary screens using cultured promastigotes, our pipeline distinguished stage- and/or species-specific compounds, including 20 hits with broad activity at 10 µM against intracellular amastigotes of both viscerotropic and dermotropic Leishmania. Even though the GSK Leish-Box hits were identified by phenotypic screening using THP-1 macrophage-like cells hosting culture-derived L. donovani LdBob parasites, our ex vivo assays only validated anti-leishmanial activity at 10 µM on intra-macrophagic L. donovani for 23 out of the 188 GSK Leish-Box hits. In conclusion, our comparative approach allowed the identification of hits with broad anti-leishmanial activity that represent interesting novel candidates to be tested in animal models. Physiologically more relevant screening approaches such as described here may reduce the very high attrition rate observed during pre-clinical and clinical phases of the drug development process.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lamotte
- Institut Pasteur, Molecular Parasitology and Signaling, INSERM U1201, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - N Aulner
- Institut Pasteur, UTechS Photonic BioImaging, Center for Technological Research and Resources, 75015, Paris, France
| | - G F Späth
- Institut Pasteur, Molecular Parasitology and Signaling, INSERM U1201, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Paris, France.
| | - E Prina
- Institut Pasteur, Molecular Parasitology and Signaling, INSERM U1201, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Paris, France.
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NOORPISHEH GHADIMI S, HOMAYOON L, SHAHRIARIRAD R, FATEHPOUR S, RASTEGARIAN M, SARKARI B. Attenuated Leishmania major Induce a High Level of Protection against Leishmania infantum in BALB/c Mice. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2019; 14:310-317. [PMID: 31543920 PMCID: PMC6737356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current study aimed to investigate the possible cross-protective effects of attenuated L. major against L. infantum in BALB/c mice. METHODS This experimental study was performed in 2017 in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. The attenuated strain of L. major was prepared by continuous weekly subculturing of the parasite. Forty-eight female BALB/c mice were divided into eight groups. Group 1 injected (ID) with wild type of L. major; group 2 injected (IV) with L. infantum; group 3 injected (ID) with attenuated L. major; group 4 injected (ID) with attenuated L. major, and after three weeks challenged (IV) with L. infantum; group 5 injected (IP) with attenuated L. major; group 6 injected (IP) with attenuated L. major, and challenged (IV) with L. infantum (IV); group 7 injected (IV) with attenuated L. major; and finally group 8 injected (IV) with attenuated L. major and after three weeks challenged (IV) with L. infantum. Forty-five days post-infection, the parasite load in the spleen and liver of the mice was determined as Leishman-Donovan units (LDU). RESULTS The differences in mean of LDU of spleen between different groups were statistically significant (P<0.048). In addition, the differences in percent of infection in liver between pairwise comparisons of groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). The highest intensity of infection was observed in group 2 while low intensity of infection was seen in groups 3, 4 and 5. CONCLUSION Live attenuated L. major can induce substantial protection against L. infantum, particularly when the parasites were injected intravenously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamsi NOORPISHEH GHADIMI
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Leila HOMAYOON
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Reza SHAHRIARIRAD
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shakila FATEHPOUR
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Bahador SARKARI
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran,Correspondence
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Santarém N, Tavares J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A. In Vitro Infections of Macrophage-Like Cell Lines with Leishmania infantum for Drug Screening. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1971:265-277. [PMID: 30980309 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9210-2_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The study of in vitro infections is essential to evaluate distinct aspects of Leishmania biology and also invaluable for more meaningful in vitro screening of promising chemical entities. Macrophage-like cells lines from different origins are amenable to Leishmania infection. Cell lines due to their stability and standardization potential are highly valued for their capacity to support reproducible infections and consistent data. In fact, these cells have been a mainstay of leishmaniasis research for more than 40 years. In this context, the human monocytic THP-1 cell line is commonly used as it can be differentiated with phorbol-12myristate-13-acetate (PMA) into macrophages that are susceptible to Leishmania infection. In this section, we will describe generalities concerning the use of cell lines for in vitro Leishmania infection using THP-1 derived macrophages and Leishmania infantum axenic amastigotes expressing luciferase associated to preclinical drug screening as example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Santarém
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Parasite Disease Group, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Tavares
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Parasite Disease Group, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Parasite Disease Group, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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30
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The impact of IL-10 dynamic modulation on host immune response against visceral leishmaniasis. Cytokine 2018; 112:16-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2018.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Elucidating in vitro and in vivo phenotypic behaviour of L. infantum/L. major natural hybrids. Parasitology 2018; 146:580-587. [DOI: 10.1017/s0031182018001993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe clinical manifestation and course of Leishmania infections depend on factors such as species, virulence and host-immunity. Although trypanosomatids are considered to have clonal propagation, genetic hybridization has produced successful natural hybrid lineages. Hybrids displaying strong selective advantages may have an impact on pathogenesis and the eco-epidemiology of leishmaniasis. Thus, characterization of phenotypic properties of Leishmania hybrids could bring significant insight into the biology, infectivity, pathogenicity and transmission dynamics of these atypical strains. The present study focuses on phenotypic features and survival capacity of Leishmania infantum/Leishmania major hybrid isolates as compared with representative putative parental species, L. infantum and L. major. In vitro assays (growth kinetics, susceptibility to different conditions) and in vivo infection (parasite detection and histopathological alterations) showed that hybrids present higher growth capacity and decreased susceptibility to reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, evaluation of infected spleen tissue suggests that hybrids induce a stronger immune reaction than their putative parents, leading to the development of white pulp hyperplasia in B-lymphocyte compartments. Overall, these hybrids have shown high plasticity in terms of their general behaviour within the different phenotypic parameters, suggesting that they might have acquired genetic features conferring different mechanisms to evade host cells.
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Sinha R, C MM, Raghwan, Das S, Das S, Shadab M, Chowdhury R, Tripathy S, Ali N. Genome Plasticity in Cultured Leishmania donovani: Comparison of Early and Late Passages. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1279. [PMID: 30018594 PMCID: PMC6037818 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania donovani possesses a complex heteroxenic life cycle where infective metacyclic promastigotes are pre-adapted to infect their host and cope up with intracellular stress. Exploiting the similarities between cultured and sandfly derived promastigotes, we used early and late passage cultured promastigotes to show specific changes at genome level which compromise pathogen fitness reflected in gene expression and infection studies. The pathogen loses virulence mostly via transcriptional and translational regulations and long-time cultivation makes them struggle to convert to virulent metacyclics. At the genomic level very subtle plasticity was observed between the early and the late passages mostly in defense-related, nutrient acquisition and signal transduction genes. Chromosome Copy number variation is seen in the early and late passages involving several genes that may be playing a role in pathogenicity. Our study highlights the importance of ABC transporters and calpain like cysteine proteases in parasite virulence in cultured promastigotes. Interestingly, these proteins are emerging as important patho-adaptive factors in clinical isolates of Leishmania. We found that the currently available genome of Leishmania in the NCBI database are from late passages. Our early passage genome can act as a reference for future studies on virulent isolates of Leishmania. The annotated leads from this study can be used for virulence surveillance and therapeutic studies in the Indian subcontinent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roma Sinha
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Mathu Malar C
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India
| | - Raghwan
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Subhadeep Das
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India
| | - Sonali Das
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Mohammad Shadab
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Rukhsana Chowdhury
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Sucheta Tripathy
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India
| | - Nahid Ali
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
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Sarkar A, Khan YA, Laranjeira-Silva MF, Andrews NW, Mittra B. Quantification of Intracellular Growth Inside Macrophages is a Fast and Reliable Method for Assessing the Virulence of Leishmania Parasites. J Vis Exp 2018. [PMID: 29608175 DOI: 10.3791/57486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The lifecycle of Leishmania, the causative agent of leishmaniasis, alternates between promastigote and amastigote stages inside the insect and vertebrate hosts, respectively. While pathogenic symptoms of leishmaniasis can vary widely, from benign cutaneous lesions to highly fatal visceral disease forms depending on the infective species, all Leishmania species reside inside host macrophages during the vertebrate stage of their lifecycle. Leishmania infectivity is therefore directly related to its ability to invade, survive and replicate within parasitophorous vacuoles (PVs) inside macrophages. Thus, assessing the parasite's ability to replicate intracellularly serves as a dependable method for determining virulence. Studying leishmaniasis development using animal models is time-consuming, tedious and often difficult, particularly with the pathogenically important visceral forms. We describe here a methodology to follow the intracellular development of Leishmania in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). Intracellular parasite numbers are determined at 24 h intervals for 72 - 96 h following infection. This method allows for a reliable determination of the effects of various genetic factors on Leishmania virulence. As an example, we show how a single allele deletion of the Leishmania Mitochondrial Iron Transporter gene (LMIT1) impairs the ability of the Leishmania amazonensis mutant strain LMIT1/ΔLmit1 to grow inside BMMs, reflecting a drastic reduction in virulence compared to wild-type. This assay also allows precise control of experimental conditions, which can be individually manipulated to analyze the influence of various factors (nutrients, reactive oxygen species, etc.) on the host-pathogen interaction. Therefore, the appropriate execution and quantification of BMM infection studies provide a non-invasive, rapid, economical, safe and reliable alternative to conventional animal model studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Sarkar
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland
| | - Yousuf A Khan
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland
| | | | - Norma W Andrews
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland
| | - Bidyottam Mittra
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland;
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Ronin C, Costa DM, Tavares J, Faria J, Ciesielski F, Ciapetti P, Smith TK, MacDougall J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A, Pemberton IK. The crystal structure of the Leishmania infantum Silent Information Regulator 2 related protein 1: Implications to protein function and drug design. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193602. [PMID: 29543820 PMCID: PMC5854310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The de novo crystal structure of the Leishmania infantum Silent Information Regulator 2 related protein 1 (LiSir2rp1) has been solved at 1.99Å in complex with an acetyl-lysine peptide substrate. The structure is broadly commensurate with Hst2/SIRT2 proteins of yeast and human origin, reproducing many of the structural features common to these sirtuin deacetylases, including the characteristic small zinc-binding domain, and the larger Rossmann-fold domain involved in NAD+-binding interactions. The two domains are linked via a cofactor binding loop ordered in open conformation. The peptide substrate binds to the LiSir2rp1 protein via a cleft formed between the small and large domains, with the acetyl-lysine side chain inserting further into the resultant hydrophobic tunnel. Crystals were obtained only with recombinant LiSir2rp1 possessing an extensive internal deletion of a proteolytically-sensitive region unique to the sirtuins of kinetoplastid origin. Deletion of 51 internal amino acids (P253-E303) from LiSir2rp1 did not appear to alter peptide substrate interactions in deacetylation assays, but was indispensable to obtain crystals. Removal of this potentially flexible region, that otherwise extends from the classical structural elements of the Rossmann-fold, specifically the β8-β9 connector, appears to result in lower accumulation of the protein when expressed from episomal vectors in L. infantum SIR2rp1 single knockout promastigotes. The biological function of the large serine-rich insertion in kinetoplastid/trypanosomatid sirtuins, highlighted as a disordered region with strong potential for post-translational modification, remains unknown but may confer additional cellular functions that are distinct from their human counterparts. These unique molecular features, along with the resolution of the first kinetoplastid sirtuin deacetylase structure, present novel opportunities for drug design against a protein target previously established as essential to parasite survival and proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Ronin
- NovAliX - Bioparc, Bd Sébastien Brant, Illkirch, France
| | - David Mendes Costa
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portuga
| | - Joana Tavares
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portuga
| | - Joana Faria
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portuga
| | | | | | - Terry K. Smith
- BSRC, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
| | | | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- IBMC-, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portuga
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Oliveira MP, Martins VT, Santos TTO, Lage DP, Ramos FF, Salles BCS, Costa LE, Dias DS, Ribeiro PAF, Schneider MS, Machado-de-Ávila RA, Teixeira AL, Coelho EAF, Chávez-Fumagalli MA. Small Myristoylated Protein-3, Identified as a Potential Virulence Factor in Leishmania amazonensis, Proves to be a Protective Antigen against Visceral Leishmaniasis. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E129. [PMID: 29301342 PMCID: PMC5796078 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In a proteomics approach conducted with Leishmania amazonensis, parasite proteins showed either an increase or a decrease in their expression content during extensive in vitro cultivation, and were related to the survival and the infectivity of the parasites, respectively. In the current study, a computational screening was performed to predict virulence factors among these molecules. Three proteins were selected, one of which presented no homology to human proteins. This candidate, namely small myristoylated protein-3 (SMP-3), was cloned, and its recombinant version (rSMP-3) was used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy subjects living in an endemic area of leishmaniasis and from visceral leishmaniasis patients. Results showed high interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production and low levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the cell supernatants. An in vivo experiment was then conducted on BALB/c mice, which were immunized with rSMP-3/saponin and later challenged with Leishmania infantum promastigotes. The rSMP-3/saponin combination induced high production of protein-specific IFN-γ, IL-12, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by the spleen cells of the immunized mice. This pattern was associated with protection, which was characterized by a significant reduction in the parasite load in distinct organs of the animals. Altogether, these results have revealed that this new virulence factor is immunogenic in both mice and humans, and have proven its protective efficacy against visceral leishmaniasis in a murine model.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Antigens, Protozoan/chemistry
- Antigens, Protozoan/metabolism
- Computational Biology
- Cytokines/metabolism
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/metabolism
- Humans
- Immunity, Cellular
- Immunity, Humoral
- Leishmania/pathogenicity
- Leishmania infantum
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/immunology
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/parasitology
- Leishmaniasis, Visceral/prevention & control
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism
- Linear Models
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Molecular Sequence Annotation
- Protozoan Proteins/chemistry
- Protozoan Proteins/metabolism
- Reproducibility of Results
- Structural Homology, Protein
- Virulence Factors/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo P Oliveira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Vívian T Martins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Thaís T O Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Daniela P Lage
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Fernanda F Ramos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Beatriz C S Salles
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Lourena E Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Daniel S Dias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Patrícia A F Ribeiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Mônica S Schneider
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Ricardo A Machado-de-Ávila
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma 88806-000, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
| | - Antônio L Teixeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Road, Houston, TX 77041, USA.
| | - Eduardo A F Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, do Colégio Técnico (COLTEC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Miguel A Chávez-Fumagalli
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Maksouri H, Dang PMC, Rodrigues V, Estaquier J, Riyad M, Akarid K. Moroccan strains of Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica differentially impact on nitric oxide production by macrophages. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:506. [PMID: 29061164 PMCID: PMC5654093 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2401-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In Morocco, CL is a public health problem mainly caused by Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica, which are responsible for zoonotic and anthroponotic CL, respectively. Macrophages are the primary cells infected by Leishmania parasites and their capacity to produce nitric oxide (NO) is of critical importance for parasite elimination. To our knowledge, the role of NO on autochthonous infections has never been investigated before. In this study, we evaluated in vitro the capacity of autochthonous primary dermotropic strains of L. major and L. tropica to modulate NO production by J774-macrophages and determine the sensitivity of both species to exogenous NO. METHODS The infectivity of the J774 cell line was analyzed by optical microscopy. NO production by macrophages was measured by the Griess method. The sensitivity to NO by the two strains was assessed by the MTT assay using NO donors. RESULTS Our results show that the percentage of infected macrophages and the average number of parasites per macrophage were similar for L. major and L. tropica strains. While L. tropica significantly inhibited NO production induced by LPS and IFN-γ stimulation in J774 macrophages, L. major did not affect it. However, soluble Leishmania antigens (SLAs) from both autochthonous primary strains significantly inhibited the production of NO by J774-macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, our results demonstrated that promastigotes and amastigotes from both strains are sensitive to SNAP NO donor in a dose-dependent manner, although L. tropica demonstrated an increased sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a differential ability of L. major and L. tropica strains to modulate the capacity of macrophages to produce NO. The increased ability of L. tropica to inhibit NO production by macrophages might come as a necessity due to its higher sensitivity to NO donor. Our results provide one explanation for the tendency of L. tropica to cause chronic lesions and may contribute to the different physiopathology of CL in Morocco.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasnaa Maksouri
- Center for Doctoral Studies on Health Sciences (Immunopathology), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca (UH2C), Casablanca, Morocco.,Research team on Immunopathology of Infectious And Systemic Diseases, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, UH2C, Casablanca, Morocco
| | | | | | - Jérôme Estaquier
- CNRS FR3636, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France. .,Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Québec Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Myriam Riyad
- Research team on Immunopathology of Infectious And Systemic Diseases, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, UH2C, Casablanca, Morocco.,Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, UH2C, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Khadija Akarid
- Molecular Genetics and Immunophysiopathology research team, Health and Environment Laboratory, Aïn Chock Faculty of Sciences, UH2C, Casablanca, Morocco.
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Melo GD, Goyard S, Lecoeur H, Rouault E, Pescher P, Fiette L, Boissonnas A, Minoprio P, Lang T. New insights into experimental visceral leishmaniasis: Real-time in vivo imaging of Leishmania donovani virulence. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005924. [PMID: 28945751 PMCID: PMC5629011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis is an insidious neglected disease with worldwide distribution. It is caused by parasites from the Leishmania donovani complex, which are able to be transmitted by different species of phlebotomine sand flies and to infect numerous mammal hosts. Despite the high number of people infected or at risk, and the remarkable quantity of studies focusing on this disease, a proper experimental model to efficiently decipher the infectious process of visceral leishmaniasis taking into account the nuances of parasite’s virulence and the duration of the infection is still lacking. Therefore, using golden Syrian hamsters and BALB/c mice, state-of-the-art genetic manipulation applied on a fully virulent L. donovani strain and in vivo imaging approaches, we describe herein three benefits for experimental visceral leishmaniasis: (i) the development of a double transfected bioluminescent (firefly luciferase) and fluorescent (E2-crimson) virulent strain of L. donovani (Ld1S_luci_E2-crimson), favoring a wide range of both in vivo and in vitro investigations, (ii) the establishment of a non-invasive mouse model to evaluate the infectious process during visceral leishmaniasis and the parasite’s virulence in real time, allowing longitudinal studies with the same animals, and (iii) the elaboration of a suitable method to reinstate (and verify anew) the virulence in a population of attenuated parasites, by recovering persistent parasites from chronic infected mice. Consequently, these results open up new perspectives on the study of visceral leishmaniasis, especially in the fields of therapeutics and vaccinology, since the model described herein renders now possible long-lasting follow up studies, with easy and accurate day-by-day verifications of the infection status along with a reduced number of laboratory animals. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov 2013-0047.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme D. Melo
- Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Processus Infectieux à Trypanosomatidés, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Goyard
- Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Processus Infectieux à Trypanosomatidés, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Hervé Lecoeur
- Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Processus Infectieux à Trypanosomatidés, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Eline Rouault
- Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Processus Infectieux à Trypanosomatidés, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Pascale Pescher
- Institut Pasteur, Unité de Parasitologie Moléculaire et Signalisation, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Laurence Fiette
- Institut Pasteur, Unité d’Histopathologie Humaine et Modèles Animaux, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Boissonnas
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, UMR 1135, CNRS, ERL 8255, Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), 91 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris, France
| | - Paola Minoprio
- Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Processus Infectieux à Trypanosomatidés, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
| | - Thierry Lang
- Institut Pasteur, Laboratoire des Processus Infectieux à Trypanosomatidés, Département Infection et Epidémiologie, 25–28 rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France
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38
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Jara M, Berg M, Caljon G, de Muylder G, Cuypers B, Castillo D, Maes I, Orozco MDC, Vanaerschot M, Dujardin JC, Arevalo J. Macromolecular biosynthetic parameters and metabolic profile in different life stages of Leishmania braziliensis: Amastigotes as a functionally less active stage. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180532. [PMID: 28742826 PMCID: PMC5526552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
It was recently hypothesized that Leishmania amastigotes could constitute a semi-quiescent stage characterized by low replication and reduced metabolic activity. This concept developed with Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana and Leishmania (Leishmania) major models might explain numerous clinical and sub-clinical features of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis infections, like reactivation of the disease, non-response to chemotherapy or asymptomatic infections. We compared here in vitro the proliferative capability of L. (V.) braziliensis amastigotes and promastigotes, assessed the expression of key molecular parameters and performed metabolomic analysis. We found that contrary to the highly proliferative promastigotes, amastigotes (axenic and intracellular) do not show evidence of extensive proliferation. In parallel, amastigotes showed a significant decrease of (i) the kDNA mini-circle abundance, (ii) the intracellular ATP level, (iii) the ribosomal components: rRNA subunits 18S and 28S α and ribosomal proteins RPS15 and RPL19, (iv) total RNA and protein levels. An untargeted metabolomic study identified clear differences between the different life stages: in comparison to logarithmic promastigotes, axenic amastigotes showed (a) a strong decrease of 14 essential and non-essential amino acids and eight metabolites involved in polyamine synthesis, (b) extensive changes in the phospholipids composition and (c) increased levels of several endogenous and exogenous sterols. Altogether, our results show that L. (V.) braziliensis amastigotes can show a phenotype with negligible rate of proliferation, a lower capacity of biosynthesis, a reduced bio-energetic level and a strongly altered metabolism. Our results pave the way for further exploration of quiescence among amastigotes of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Jara
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alexander von Humboldt”, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maya Berg
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Geraldine de Muylder
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bart Cuypers
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
- University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Denis Castillo
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Ilse Maes
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - María del Carmen Orozco
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alexander von Humboldt”, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Manu Vanaerschot
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Molecular Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium
- University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jorge Arevalo
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical “Alexander von Humboldt”, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
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39
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Deep DK, Singh R, Bhandari V, Verma A, Sharma V, Wajid S, Sundar S, Ramesh V, Dujardin JC, Salotra P. Increased miltefosine tolerance in clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani is associated with reduced drug accumulation, increased infectivity and resistance to oxidative stress. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005641. [PMID: 28575060 PMCID: PMC5470736 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Miltefosine (MIL) is an oral antileishmanial drug used for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent. Recent reports indicate a significant decline in its efficacy with a high rate of relapse in VL as well as post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). We investigated the parasitic factors apparently involved in miltefosine unresponsiveness in clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani. METHODOLOGY L. donovani isolated from patients of VL and PKDL at pretreatment stage (LdPreTx, n = 9), patients that relapsed after MIL treatment (LdRelapse, n = 7) and parasites made experimentally resistant to MIL (LdM30) were included in this study. MIL uptake was estimated using liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometry. Reactive oxygen species and intracellular thiol content were measured fluorometrically. Q-PCR was used to assess the differential expression of genes associated with MIL resistance. RESULTS LdRelapse parasites exhibited higher IC50 both at promastigote level (7.92 ± 1.30 μM) and at intracellular amastigote level (11.35 ± 6.48 μM) when compared with LdPreTx parasites (3.27 ± 1.52 μM) and (3.85 ± 3.11 μM), respectively. The percent infectivity (72 hrs post infection) of LdRelapse parasites was significantly higher (80.71 ± 5.67%, P<0.001) in comparison to LdPreTx (60.44 ± 2.80%). MIL accumulation was significantly lower in LdRelapse parasites (1.7 fold, P<0.001) and in LdM30 parasites (2.4 fold, P<0.001) when compared with LdPreTx parasites. MIL induced ROS levels were significantly lower (p<0.05) in macrophages infected with LdRelapse while intracellular thiol content were significantly higher in LdRelapse compared to LdPreTx, indicating a better tolerance for oxidative stress in LdRelapse isolates. Genes associated with oxidative stress, metabolic processes and transporters showed modulated expression in LdRelapse and LdM30 parasites in comparison with LdPreTx parasites. CONCLUSION The present study highlights the parasitic factors and pathways responsible for miltefosine unresponsiveness in VL and PKDL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar Deep
- National Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Ruchi Singh
- National Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Vasundhra Bhandari
- National Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Aditya Verma
- National Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Vanila Sharma
- National Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Saima Wajid
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Shyam Sundar
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
| | - V. Ramesh
- Dermatology Department, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC), New Delhi, India
| | - Jean Claude Dujardin
- Unit of Molecular Parasitology, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Poonam Salotra
- National Institute of Pathology (ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, India
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Imaging visceral leishmaniasis in real time with golden hamster model: Monitoring the parasite burden and hamster transcripts to further characterize the immunological responses of the host. Parasitol Int 2017; 66:933-939. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Doehl JSP, Sádlová J, Aslan H, Pružinová K, Metangmo S, Votýpka J, Kamhawi S, Volf P, Smith DF. Leishmania HASP and SHERP Genes Are Required for In Vivo Differentiation, Parasite Transmission and Virulence Attenuation in the Host. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006130. [PMID: 28095465 PMCID: PMC5271408 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Differentiation of extracellular Leishmania promastigotes within their sand fly vector, termed metacyclogenesis, is considered to be essential for parasites to regain mammalian host infectivity. Metacyclogenesis is accompanied by changes in the local parasite environment, including secretion of complex glycoconjugates within the promastigote secretory gel and colonization and degradation of the sand fly stomodeal valve. Deletion of the stage-regulated HASP and SHERP genes on chromosome 23 of Leishmania major is known to stall metacyclogenesis in the sand fly but not in in vitro culture. Here, parasite mutants deficient in specific genes within the HASP/SHERP chromosomal region have been used to investigate their role in metacyclogenesis, parasite transmission and establishment of infection. Metacyclogenesis was stalled in HASP/SHERP mutants in vivo and, although still capable of osmotaxis, these mutants failed to secrete promastigote secretory gel, correlating with a lack of parasite accumulation in the thoracic midgut and failure to colonise the stomodeal valve. These defects prevented parasite transmission to a new mammalian host. Sand fly midgut homogenates modulated parasite behaviour in vitro, suggesting a role for molecular interactions between parasite and vector in Leishmania development within the sand fly. For the first time, stage-regulated expression of the small HASPA proteins in Leishmania (Leishmania) has been demonstrated: HASPA2 is expressed only in extracellular promastigotes and HASPA1 only in intracellular amastigotes. Despite its lack of expression in amastigotes, replacement of HASPA2 into the null locus background delays onset of pathology in BALB/c mice. This HASPA2-dependent effect is reversed by HASPA1 gene addition, suggesting that the HASPAs may have a role in host immunomodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes S. P. Doehl
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Jovana Sádlová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hamide Aslan
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kateřina Pružinová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sonia Metangmo
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jan Votýpka
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Shaden Kamhawi
- Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Petr Volf
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Deborah F. Smith
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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Abstract
For decades antimonials were the drugs of choice for the treatment of visceral
leishmaniasis (VL), but the recent emergence of resistance has made them redundant as
first-line therapy in the endemic VL region in the Indian subcontinent. The application of
other drugs has been limited due to adverse effects, perceived high cost, need for
parenteral administration and increasing rate of treatment failures. Liposomal
amphotericin B (AmB) and miltefosine (MIL) have been positioned as the effective
first-line treatments; however, the number of monotherapy MIL-failures has increased after
a decade of use. Since no validated molecular resistance markers are yet available,
monitoring and surveillance of changes in drug sensitivity and resistance still depends on
standard phenotypic in vitro promastigote or amastigote susceptibility
assays. Clinical isolates displaying defined MIL- or AmB-resistance are still fairly
scarce and fundamental and applied research on resistance mechanisms and dynamics remains
largely dependent on laboratory-generated drug resistant strains. This review addresses
the various challenges associated with drug susceptibility and -resistance monitoring in
VL, with particular emphasis on the choice of strains, susceptibility model selection and
standardization of procedures with specific read-out parameters and well-defined threshold
criteria. The latter are essential to support surveillance systems and safeguard the
limited number of currently available antileishmanial drugs.
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Faria J, Loureiro I, Santarém N, Cecílio P, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Tavares J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A. Disclosing the essentiality of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B in Trypanosomatids. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26937. [PMID: 27230471 PMCID: PMC4882579 DOI: 10.1038/srep26937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (RPI) belongs to the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, catalysing the inter-conversion of D-ribose-5-phosphate and D-ribulose-5-phosphate. Trypanosomatids encode a type B RPI, whereas humans have a structurally unrelated type A, making RPIB worthy of exploration as a potential drug target. Null mutant generation in Leishmania infantum was only possible when an episomal copy of RPIB gene was provided, and the latter was retained both in vitro and in vivo in the absence of drug pressure. This suggests the gene is essential for parasite survival. Importantly, the inability to remove the second allele of RPIB gene in sKO mutants complemented with an episomal copy of RPIB carrying a mutation that abolishes isomerase activity suggests the essentiality is due to its metabolic function. In vitro, sKO promastigotes exhibited no defect in growth, metacyclogenesis or macrophage infection, however, an impairment in intracellular amastigotes' replication was observed. Additionally, mice infected with sKO mutants rescued by RPIB complementation had a reduced parasite burden in the liver. Likewise, Trypanosoma brucei is resistant to complete RPIB gene removal and mice infected with sKO mutants showed prolonged survival upon infection. Taken together our results genetically validate RPIB as a potential drug target in trypanosomatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Faria
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Loureiro
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Santarém
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Cecílio
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Protein Crystallography Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Tavares
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
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Faria J, Loureiro I, Santarém N, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Tavares J, Cordeiro-da-Silva A. Leishmania infantum Asparagine Synthetase A Is Dispensable for Parasites Survival and Infectivity. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004365. [PMID: 26771178 PMCID: PMC4714757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing interest in asparagine (Asn) metabolism has currently been observed in cancer and infection fields. Asparagine synthetase (AS) is responsible for the conversion of aspartate into Asn in an ATP-dependent manner, using ammonia or glutamine as a nitrogen source. There are two structurally distinct AS: the strictly ammonia dependent, type A, and the type B, which preferably uses glutamine. Absent in humans and present in trypanosomatids, AS-A was worthy of exploring as a potential drug target candidate. Appealingly, it was reported that AS-A was essential in Leishmania donovani, making it a promising drug target. In the work herein we demonstrate that Leishmania infantum AS-A, similarly to Trypanosoma spp. and L. donovani, is able to use both ammonia and glutamine as nitrogen donors. Moreover, we have successfully generated LiASA null mutants by targeted gene replacement in L. infantum, and these parasites do not display any significant growth or infectivity defect. Indeed, a severe impairment of in vitro growth was only observed when null mutants were cultured in asparagine limiting conditions. Altogether our results demonstrate that despite being important under asparagine limitation, LiAS-A is not essential for parasite survival, growth or infectivity in normal in vitro and in vivo conditions. Therefore we exclude AS-A as a suitable drug target against L. infantum parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Faria
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Loureiro
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno Santarém
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Protein Crystallography Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Tavares
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Anabela Cordeiro-da-Silva
- Parasite Disease Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Isaza JP, Galván AL, Polanco V, Huang B, Matveyev AV, Serrano MG, Manque P, Buck GA, Alzate JF. Revisiting the reference genomes of human pathogenic Cryptosporidium species: reannotation of C. parvum Iowa and a new C. hominis reference. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16324. [PMID: 26549794 PMCID: PMC4637869 DOI: 10.1038/srep16324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis are the most relevant species of this genus for human health. Both cause a self-limiting diarrhea in immunocompetent individuals, but cause potentially life-threatening disease in the immunocompromised. Despite the importance of these pathogens, only one reference genome of each has been analyzed and published. These two reference genomes were sequenced using automated capillary sequencing; as of yet, no next generation sequencing technology has been applied to improve their assemblies and annotations. For C. hominis, the main challenge that prevents a larger number of genomes to be sequenced is its resistance to axenic culture. In the present study, we employed next generation technology to analyse the genomic DNA and RNA to generate a new reference genome sequence of a C. hominis strain isolated directly from human stool and a new genome annotation of the C. parvum Iowa reference genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan P Isaza
- Grupo de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia Carrera 53 No. 61-30, Medellin, Antioquia 05001, Colombia.,Centro Nacional de Secuenciación Genómica-CNSG, Universidad de Antioquia Carrera 53 No. 61-30, Medellin, Antioquia 05001, Colombia
| | - Ana Luz Galván
- Grupo de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia Carrera 53 No. 61-30, Medellin, Antioquia 05001, Colombia
| | - Victor Polanco
- Universidad Mayor de Chile-Centro de Genómica y Bioinformatica Camino La piramide 5750 Huechuraba, Santiago de Chile, 8580000, Chile
| | - Bernice Huang
- Virginia Commonwealth University - Center for the Study of Biological Complexity 1101 E. Marshall St., Virginia 23298-0678, US
| | - Andrey V Matveyev
- Virginia Commonwealth University - Center for the Study of Biological Complexity 1101 E. Marshall St., Virginia 23298-0678, US
| | - Myrna G Serrano
- Virginia Commonwealth University - Center for the Study of Biological Complexity 1101 E. Marshall St., Virginia 23298-0678, US
| | - Patricio Manque
- Universidad Mayor de Chile-Centro de Genómica y Bioinformatica Camino La piramide 5750 Huechuraba, Santiago de Chile, 8580000, Chile
| | - Gregory A Buck
- Virginia Commonwealth University - Center for the Study of Biological Complexity 1101 E. Marshall St., Virginia 23298-0678, US
| | - Juan F Alzate
- Grupo de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia Carrera 53 No. 61-30, Medellin, Antioquia 05001, Colombia.,Centro Nacional de Secuenciación Genómica-CNSG, Universidad de Antioquia Carrera 53 No. 61-30, Medellin, Antioquia 05001, Colombia
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Hendrickx S, Leemans A, Mondelaers A, Rijal S, Khanal B, Dujardin JC, Delputte P, Cos P, Maes L. Comparative Fitness of a Parent Leishmania donovani Clinical Isolate and Its Experimentally Derived Paromomycin-Resistant Strain. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140139. [PMID: 26469696 PMCID: PMC4607421 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Paromomycin has recently been introduced for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis and emergence of drug resistance can only be appropriately judged upon its long term routine use in the field. Understanding alterations in parasite behavior linked to paromomycin-resistance may be essential to assess the propensity for emergence and spread of resistant strains. A standardized and integrated laboratory approach was adopted to define and assess parasite fitness of both promastigotes and amastigotes using an experimentally induced paromomycin-resistant Leishmania donovani strain and its paromomycin-susceptible parent wild-type clinical isolate. Primary focus was placed on parasite growth and virulence, two major components of parasite fitness. The combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches enabled detailed comparison of wild-type and resistant strains for which no differences could be demonstrated with regard to promastigote growth, metacyclogenesis, in vitro infectivity, multiplication in primary peritoneal mouse macrophages and infectivity for Balb/c mice upon infection with 2 x 107 metacyclic promastigotes. Monitoring of in vitro intracellular amastigote multiplication revealed a consistent decrease in parasite burden over time for both wild-type and resistant parasites, an observation that was subsequently also confirmed in a larger set of L. donovani clinical isolates. Though the impact of these findings should be further explored, the study results suggest that the epidemiological implications of acquired paromomycin-resistance may remain minimal other than the loss of one of the last remaining drugs effective against visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annelies Leemans
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annelies Mondelaers
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Suman Rijal
- BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | | | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Molecular Parasitology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Delputte
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Paul Cos
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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Cortes S, Albuquerque A, Cabral LIL, Lopes L, Campino L, Cristiano MLS. In Vitro Susceptibility of Leishmania infantum to Artemisinin Derivatives and Selected Trioxolanes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2015; 59:5032-5. [PMID: 26014947 PMCID: PMC4505222 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00298-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is among the world's most neglected diseases. Currently available drugs for treatment present drawbacks, urging the need for more effective, safer, and cheaper drugs. A small library of artemisinin-derived trioxanes and synthetic trioxolanes was tested against promastigote and intramacrophage amastigote forms of Leishmania infantum. The trioxolanes LC50 and LC95 presented the best activity and safety profiles, showing potential for further studies in the context of leishmanial therapy. Our results indicate that the compounds tested exhibit peroxide-dependent activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Cortes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal Centro de Malária e Outras Doenças Tropicais, IHMT, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreia Albuquerque
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Lília I L Cabral
- Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve (UAlg), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal Departamento de Química e Farmácia, UAlg, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Liliana Lopes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal Departamento Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, UAlg, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Lenea Campino
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Unidade de Ensino e Investigação de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal Departamento de Química e Farmácia, UAlg, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal Departamento Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, UAlg, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - Maria L S Cristiano
- Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve (UAlg), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal Departamento de Química e Farmácia, UAlg, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
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48
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Turner KG, Vacchina P, Robles-Murguia M, Wadsworth M, McDowell MA, Morales MA. Fitness and Phenotypic Characterization of Miltefosine-Resistant Leishmania major. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0003948. [PMID: 26230675 PMCID: PMC4521777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatid parasites of the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease with several clinical manifestations. Leishmania major is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), which is largely characterized by ulcerative lesions appearing on the skin. Current treatments of leishmaniasis include pentavalent antimonials and amphotericin B, however, the toxic side effects of these drugs and difficulty with distribution makes these options less than ideal. Miltefosine (MIL) is the first oral treatment available for leishmaniasis. Originally developed for cancer chemotherapy, the mechanism of action of MIL in Leishmania spp. is largely unknown. While treatment with MIL has proven effective, higher tolerance to the drug has been observed, and resistance is easily developed in an in vitro environment. Utilizing stepwise selection we generated MIL-resistant cultures of L. major and characterized the fitness of MIL-resistant L. major. Resistant parasites proliferate at a comparable rate to the wild-type (WT) and exhibit similar apoptotic responses. As expected, MIL-resistant parasites demonstrate decreased susceptibility to MIL, which reduces after the drug is withdrawn from culture. Our data demonstrate metacyclogenesis is elevated in MIL-resistant L. major, albeit these parasites display attenuated in vitro and in vivo virulence and standard survival rates in the natural sandfly vector, indicating that development of experimental resistance to miltefosine does not lead to an increased competitive fitness in L. major.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimbra G. Turner
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Paola Vacchina
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Maricela Robles-Murguia
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Mariha Wadsworth
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Mary Ann McDowell
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Miguel A. Morales
- Eck Institute for Global Health, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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49
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Leishmania infantum modulates host macrophage mitochondrial metabolism by hijacking the SIRT1-AMPK axis. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1004684. [PMID: 25738568 PMCID: PMC4349736 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic manipulation of host cells by intracellular pathogens is currently recognized to play an important role in the pathology of infection. Nevertheless, little information is available regarding mitochondrial energy metabolism in Leishmania infected macrophages. Here, we demonstrate that during L. infantum infection, macrophages switch from an early glycolytic metabolism to an oxidative phosphorylation, and this metabolic deviation requires SIRT1 and LKB1/AMPK. SIRT1 or LBK1 deficient macrophages infected with L. infantum failed to activate AMPK and up-regulate its targets such as Slc2a4 and Ppargc1a, which are essential for parasite growth. As a result, impairment of metabolic switch caused by SIRT1 or AMPK deficiency reduces parasite load in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of SIRT1 and AMPK energetic sensors for parasite intracellular survival and proliferation, highlighting the modulation of these proteins as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of leishmaniasis.
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Veríssimo CDM, Maschio VJ, Correa APF, Brandelli A, Rott MB. Infection in a rat model reactivates attenuated virulence after long-term axenic culture of Acanthamoeba spp. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2015; 108:832-5. [PMID: 24271042 PMCID: PMC3970641 DOI: 10.1590/0074-0276130099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prolonged culturing of many microorganisms leads to the loss of virulence and a reduction of their infective capacity. However, little is known about the changes in the pathogenic strains of Acanthamoeba after long culture periods. Our study evaluated the effect of prolonged culturing on the invasiveness of different isolates of Acanthamoeba in an in vivo rat model. ATCC strains of Acanthamoeba, isolates from the environment and clinical cases were evaluated. The in vivo model was effective in establishing the infection and differentiating the pathogenicity of the isolates and re-isolates. The amoebae cultured in the laboratory for long periods were less virulent than those that were recently isolated, confirming the importance of passing Acanthamoeba strains in animal models.
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