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Sádlová J, Yeo M, Mateus DS, Phelan J, Hai LA, Bhattacharyya T, Kurtev S, Sebesta O, Myskova J, Seblova V, Andersson B, Florez de Sessions P, Volf P, Miles MA. Comparative genomics of Leishmania donovani progeny from genetic crosses in two sand fly species and impact on the diversity of diagnostic and vaccine candidates. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011920. [PMID: 38295092 PMCID: PMC10830044 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011920] [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: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Sand fly transmitted Leishmania species are responsible for severe, wide ranging, visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases. Genetic exchange can occur among natural Leishmania populations and hybrids can now be produced experimentally, with limitations. Feeding Phlebotomus orientalis or Phlebotomus argentipes on two strains of Leishmania donovani yielded hybrid progeny, selected using double drug resistance and fluorescence markers. Fluorescence activated cell sorting of cultured clones derived from these hybrids indicated diploid progeny. Multilocus sequence typing of the clones showed hybridisation and nuclear heterozygosity, although with inheritance of single haplotypes in a kinetoplastid target. Comparative genomics showed diversity of clonal progeny between single chromosomes, and extraordinary heterozygosity across all 36 chromosomes. Diversity between progeny was seen for the HASPB antigen, which has been noted previously as having implications for design of a therapeutic vaccine. Genomic diversity seen among Leishmania strains and hybrid progeny is of great importance in understanding the epidemiology and control of leishmaniasis. As an outcome of this study we strongly recommend that wider biological archives of different Leishmania species from endemic regions should be established and made available for comparative genomics. However, in parallel, performance of genetic crosses and genomic comparisons should give fundamental insight into the specificity, diversity and limitations of candidate diagnostics, vaccines and drugs, for targeted control of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovana Sádlová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matthew Yeo
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
| | - David S. Mateus
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
| | - Jody Phelan
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
| | - Le Anh Hai
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
| | - Tapan Bhattacharyya
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
| | - Stefan Kurtev
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
| | - Ondrej Sebesta
- Laboratory of Confocal and Fluorescence Microscopy, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jitka Myskova
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Seblova
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Björn Andersson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Paola Florez de Sessions
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Biomedical Sciences Institutes, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
| | - Petr Volf
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michael A. Miles
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London United Kingdom
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Catta-Preta CMC, Ferreira TR, Ghosh K, Paun A, Sacks D. HOP1 and HAP2 are conserved components of the meiosis-related machinery required for successful mating in Leishmania. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7159. [PMID: 37935664 PMCID: PMC10630298 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42789-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole genome analysis of Leishmania hybrids generated experimentally in sand flies supports a meiotic mechanism of genetic exchange, with Mendelian segregation of the nuclear genome. Here, we perform functional analyses through the generation of double drug-resistant hybrids in vitro and in vivo (during sand fly infections) to assess the importance of conserved meiosis-related genes in recombination and plasmogamy. We report that HOP1 and a HAP2-paralog (HAP2-2) are essential components of the Leishmania meiosis machinery and cell-to-cell fusion mechanism, respectively, since deletion of either gene in one or both parents significantly reduces or completely abrogates mating competence. These findings significantly advance our understanding of sexual reproduction in Leishmania, with likely relevance to other trypanosomatids, by formally demonstrating the involvement of a meiotic protein homolog and a distinct fusogen that mediates non-canonical, bilateral fusion in the hybridizing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Moura Costa Catta-Preta
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tiago Rodrigues Ferreira
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kashinath Ghosh
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrea Paun
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David Sacks
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Ndlovu K, Kannigadu C, Aucamp J, van Rensburg HDJ, N'Da DD. Exploration of ethylene glycol linked nitrofurantoin derivatives against Leishmania: Synthesis and in vitro activity. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2023; 356:e2200529. [PMID: 36759973 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that is caused by the Leishmania parasite. It is estimated that there are more than 350 million people at risk of infection annually. Current treatments that are in clinical use are expensive, have toxic side effects, and are facing parasitic resistance. Therefore, new drugs are urgently required. In the quest for new, safe, and cost-effective drugs, a series of novel ethylene glycol derivatives of nitrofurantoin was synthesised and the in vitro antileishmanial efficacy of the compounds tested against Leishmania donovani and Leishmania major strains. Arylated ethylene glycol derivatives were found to be the most potent, with submicromolar activity up to 294-fold greater than the parent compound nitrofurantoin. Analogues 2j and 2k had the best antipromastigote activities with submicromolar IC50 values against L. major IR-173 and antimonial-resistant L. donovani 9515 strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keitumetsi Ndlovu
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Christina Kannigadu
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Janine Aucamp
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | | | - David D N'Da
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Abstract
Genetic exchange between different Leishmania strains in the sand fly vector has been experimentally demonstrated and is supported by population genetic studies. In nature, opportunities for Leishmania interstrain mating are restricted to flies biting multiply infected hosts or through multiple bites of different hosts. In contrast, self-mating could occur in any infected sand fly. By crossing two recombinant lines derived from the same Leishmania major strain, each expressing a different drug-resistance marker, self-hybridization in L. major was confirmed in a natural sand fly vector, Phlebotomus duboscqi, and in frequencies comparable to interstrain crosses. We provide the first high resolution, whole-genome sequencing analysis of large numbers of selfing progeny, their parents, and parental subclones. Genetic exchange consistent with classical meiosis is supported by the biallelic inheritance of the rare homozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that arose by mutation during the generation of the parental clones. In contrast, heterozygous SNPs largely failed to be transmitted in Mendelian ratios for reasons not understood. SNPs that were heterozygous in both parents, however, recombined to produce homozygous alleles in some hybrids. For trisomic chromosomes present in both parents, transmittal to the progeny was only altered by self-hybridization, involving a gain or loss of somy in frequencies predicted by a meiotic process. Whole-genome polyploidization was also observed in the selfing progeny. Thus, self-hybridization in Leishmania, with its potential to occur in any infected sand fly, may be an important source of karyotype variation, loss of heterozygosity, and functional diversity. IMPORTANCE Leishmania are parasitic protozoa that cause a wide spectrum of diseases collectively known as the leishmaniases. Sexual reproduction in Leishmania has been proposed as an important source of genetic diversity and has been formally demonstrated to occur inside the sand fly vector midgut. Nevertheless, in the wild, opportunities for genetic exchange between different Leishmania species or strains are restricted by the capacity of different Leishmania strains to colonize the same sand fly. In this work, we report the first high resolution, whole-genome sequence analysis of intraclonal genetic exchange as a type of self-mating in Leishmania. Our data reveal that self-hybridization can occur with comparable frequency as interstrain mating under experimental lab conditions, leading to important genomic alterations that can potentially take place within every naturally infected sand fly.
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Ferreira TR, Sacks DL. Experimental Hybridization in Leishmania: Tools for the Study of Genetic Exchange. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050580. [PMID: 35631101 PMCID: PMC9144296 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite major advances over the last decade in our understanding of Leishmania reproductive strategies, the sexual cycle in Leishmania has defied direct observation and remains poorly investigated due to experimental constraints. Here, we summarize the findings and conclusions drawn from genetic analysis of experimental hybrids generated in sand flies and highlight the recent advances in generating hybrids in vitro. The ability to hybridize between culture forms of different species and strains of Leishmania should invite more intensive investigation of the mechanisms underlying genetic exchange and provide a rich source of recombinant parasites for future genetic analyses.
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