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Schwarzer E, Skorokhod O. Post-Translational Modifications of Proteins of Malaria Parasites during the Life Cycle. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6145. [PMID: 38892332 PMCID: PMC11173270 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116145] [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: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential for regulating protein functions, influencing various fundamental processes in eukaryotes. These include, but are not limited to, cell signaling, protein trafficking, the epigenetic control of gene expression, and control of the cell cycle, as well as cell proliferation, differentiation, and interactions between cells. In this review, we discuss protein PTMs that play a key role in the malaria parasite biology and its pathogenesis. Phosphorylation, acetylation, methylation, lipidation and lipoxidation, glycosylation, ubiquitination and sumoylation, nitrosylation and glutathionylation, all of which occur in malarial parasites, are reviewed. We provide information regarding the biological significance of these modifications along all phases of the complex life cycle of Plasmodium spp. Importantly, not only the parasite, but also the host and vector protein PTMs are often crucial for parasite growth and development. In addition to metabolic regulations, protein PTMs can result in epitopes that are able to elicit both innate and adaptive immune responses of the host or vector. We discuss some existing and prospective results from antimalarial drug discovery trials that target various PTM-related processes in the parasite or host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelin Schwarzer
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Via Santena 5 bis, 10126 Turin, Italy;
| | - Oleksii Skorokhod
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, 10123 Turin, Italy
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Wang F, Holmes MJ, Hong HJ, Thaprawat P, Kannan G, Huynh MH, Schultz TL, Licon MH, Lourido S, Dong W, Brito Querido J, Sullivan WJ, O'Leary SE, Carruthers VB. Translation initiation factor eIF1.2 promotes Toxoplasma stage conversion by regulating levels of key differentiation factors. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4385. [PMID: 38782906 PMCID: PMC11116398 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48685-4] [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: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The parasite Toxoplasma gondii persists in its hosts by converting from replicating tachyzoites to latent bradyzoites housed in tissue cysts. The molecular mechanisms that mediate T. gondii differentiation remain poorly understood. Through a mutagenesis screen, we identified translation initiation factor eIF1.2 as a critical factor for T. gondii differentiation. A F97L mutation in eIF1.2 or the genetic ablation of eIF1.2 (∆eif1.2) markedly impeded bradyzoite cyst formation in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated, at single-molecule level, that the eIF1.2 F97L mutation impacts the scanning process of the ribosome preinitiation complex on a model mRNA. RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling experiments unveiled that ∆eif1.2 parasites are defective in upregulating bradyzoite induction factors BFD1 and BFD2 during stress-induced differentiation. Forced expression of BFD1 or BFD2 significantly restored differentiation in ∆eif1.2 parasites. Together, our findings suggest that eIF1.2 functions by regulating the translation of key differentiation factors necessary to establish chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengrong Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Michael J Holmes
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Hea Jin Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Pariyamon Thaprawat
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Geetha Kannan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - My-Hang Huynh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Tracey L Schultz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | | | - Sebastian Lourido
- Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Biology Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Wenzhao Dong
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Center for RNA Biomedicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jailson Brito Querido
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Center for RNA Biomedicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - William J Sullivan
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Seán E O'Leary
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
- Center for RNA Biology and Medicine, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Vern B Carruthers
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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Wang F, Holmes MJ, Hong HJ, Thaprawat P, Kannan G, Huynh MH, Schultz TL, Licon MH, Lourido S, Dong W, Querido JB, Sullivan WJ, O'Leary SE, Carruthers VB. Translation initiation factor eIF1.2 promotes Toxoplasma stage conversion by regulating levels of key differentiation factors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.03.565545. [PMID: 37961607 PMCID: PMC10635126 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.03.565545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The parasite Toxoplasma gondii persists in its hosts by converting from replicating tachyzoites to latent bradyzoites housed in tissue cysts. The molecular mechanisms that mediate T. gondii differentiation remain poorly understood. Through a mutagenesis screen, we identified translation initiation factor eIF1.2 as a critical factor for T. gondii differentiation. A F97L mutation in eIF1.2 or the genetic ablation of eIF1.2 (Δ eif1.2 ) markedly impeded bradyzoite cyst formation in vitro and in vivo . We demonstrated, at single-molecule level, that the eIF1.2 F97L mutation impacts the scanning process of the ribosome preinitiation complex on a model mRNA. RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling experiments unveiled that Δ eif1.2 parasites are defective in upregulating bradyzoite induction factors BFD1 and BFD2 during stress-induced differentiation. Forced expression of BFD1 or BFD2 significantly restored differentiation in Δ eif1.2 parasites. Together, our findings suggest that eIF1.2 functions by regulating the translation of key differentiation factors necessary to establish chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Scheiner M, Burda PC, Ingmundson A. Moving on: How malaria parasites exit the liver. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:328-340. [PMID: 37602900 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
An essential step in the life cycle of malaria parasites is their egress from hepatocytes, which enables the transition from the asymptomatic liver stage to the pathogenic blood stage of infection. To exit the liver, Plasmodium parasites first disrupt the parasitophorous vacuole membrane that surrounds them during their intracellular replication. Subsequently, parasite-filled structures called merosomes emerge from the infected cell. Shrouded by host plasma membrane, like in a Trojan horse, parasites enter the vasculature undetected by the host immune system and travel to the lung where merosomes rupture, parasites are released, and the blood infection stage begins. This complex, multi-step process must be carefully orchestrated by the parasite and requires extensive manipulation of the infected host cell. This review aims to outline the known signaling pathways that trigger exit, highlight Plasmodium proteins that contribute to the release of liver-stage merozoites, and summarize the accompanying changes to the hepatic host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattea Scheiner
- Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul-Christian Burda
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Fierro MA, Muheljic A, Sha J, Wohlschlegel J, Beck JR. PEXEL is a proteolytic maturation site for both exported and non-exported Plasmodium proteins. mSphere 2024; 9:e0039323. [PMID: 38334391 PMCID: PMC10900883 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00393-23] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Obligate intracellular malaria parasites dramatically remodel their erythrocyte host through effector protein export to create a niche for survival. Most exported proteins contain a pentameric Plasmodium export element (PEXEL)/host-targeting motif that is cleaved in the parasite ER by the aspartic protease Plasmepsin V (PMV). This processing event exposes a mature N terminus required for translocation into the host cell and is not known to occur in non-exported proteins. Here, we report that the non-exported parasitophorous vacuole protein UIS2 contains a bona fide PEXEL motif that is processed in the P. falciparum blood stage. While the N termini of exported proteins containing the PEXEL and immediately downstream ~10 residues are sufficient to mediate translocation into the RBC, the equivalent UIS2 N terminus does not promote the export of a reporter. Curiously, the UIS2 PEXEL contains an unusual aspartic acid at the fourth position, which constitutes the extreme N-terminal residue following PEXEL cleavage (P1', RIL↓DE). Using a series of chimeric reporter fusions, we show that Asp at P1' is permissive for PMV processing but abrogates export. Moreover, mutation of this single UIS2 residue to alanine enables export, reinforcing that the mature N terminus mediates export, not PEXEL processing per se. Prompted by this observation, we further show that PEXEL sequences in the N termini of other non-exported rhoptry proteins are also processed, suggesting that PMV may be a more general secretory maturase than previously appreciated, similar to orthologs in related apicomplexans. Our findings provide new insight into the unique N-terminal constraints that mark proteins for export.IMPORTANCEHost erythrocyte remodeling by malaria parasite-exported effector proteins is critical to parasite survival and disease pathogenesis. In the deadliest malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, most exported proteins undergo proteolytic maturation via recognition of the pentameric Plasmodium export element (PEXEL)/host-targeting motif by the aspartic protease Plasmepsin V, which exposes a mature N terminus that is conducive for export into the erythrocyte host cell. While PEXEL processing is considered a unique mark of exported proteins, we demonstrate that PEXEL motifs are present and processed in non-exported proteins. Importantly, we show that specific residues at the variable fourth position of the PEXEL motif inhibit export despite being permissive for processing, reinforcing that features of the mature N terminus, and not PEXEL cleavage, identify cargo for export. This opens the door to further inquiry into the nature and evolution of the PEXEL motif.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel A. Fierro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, lowa, USA
| | - Ajla Muheljic
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Jihui Sha
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - James Wohlschlegel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Josh R. Beck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, lowa, USA
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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Fierro MA, Muheljic A, Sha J, Wohlschlegel JA, Beck JR. PEXEL is a proteolytic maturation site for both exported and non-exported Plasmodium proteins. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548774. [PMID: 37503245 PMCID: PMC10369990 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Obligate intracellular malaria parasites dramatically remodel their erythrocyte host through effector protein export to create a niche for survival. Most exported proteins contain a pentameric P lasmodium ex port el ement (PEXEL)/Host Targeting Motif that is cleaved in the parasite ER by the aspartic protease Plasmepsin V (PMV). This processing event exposes a mature N-terminus required for translocation into the host cell and is not known to occur in non-exported proteins. Here we report that the non-exported parasitophorous vacuole protein UIS2 contains a bona fide PEXEL motif that is processed in the P. falciparum blood-stage. While the N-termini of exported proteins containing the PEXEL and immediately downstream ∼10 residues is sufficient to mediate translocation into the RBC, the equivalent UIS2 N-terminus does not promote export of a reporter. Curiously, the UIS2 PEXEL contains an unusual aspartic acid at the fourth position which constitutes the extreme N-terminal residue following PEXEL cleavage (P1', RILτDE). Using a series of chimeric reporter fusions, we show that Asp at P1' is permissive for PMV processing but abrogates export. Moreover, mutation of this single UIS2 residue to alanine enables export, reinforcing that the mature N-terminus mediates export, not PEXEL processing per se . Prompted by this observation, we further show that PEXEL sequences in the N-termini of other non-exported rhoptry proteins are also processed, suggesting that PMV may be a more general secretory maturase than previously appreciated, similar to orthologs in related apicomplexans. Our findings provide new insight into the unique N-terminal constraints that mark proteins for export. Importance Host erythrocyte remodeling by malaria parasite exported effector proteins is critical to parasite survival and disease pathogenesis. In the deadliest malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum , most exported proteins undergo proteolytic maturation via recognition of the pentameric P lasmodium ex port el ement (PEXEL)/Host Targeting motif by the aspartic protease Plasmepsin V (PMV) which exposes a mature N-terminus that is conducive for export into the erythrocyte host cell. While PEXEL processing is considered a unique mark of exported proteins, we demonstrate PEXEL motifs are present and processed in non-exported proteins. Importantly, we show that specific residues at the variable fourth position of the PEXEL motif inhibit export despite being permissive for processing by PMV, reinforcing that features of the mature N-terminus, and not PEXEL cleavage, identify cargo for export cargo. This opens the door to further inquiry into the nature and evolution of the PEXEL motif.
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Fréville A, Gnangnon B, Tremp AZ, De Witte C, Cailliau K, Martoriati A, Aliouat EM, Fernandes P, Chhuon C, Silvie O, Marion S, Guerrera IC, Dessens JT, Pierrot C, Khalife J. Plasmodium berghei leucine-rich repeat protein 1 downregulates protein phosphatase 1 activity and is required for efficient oocyst development. Open Biol 2022; 12:220015. [PMID: 35920043 PMCID: PMC9346556 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is a key enzyme for Plasmodium development. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying its regulation remain to be deciphered. Here, we report the functional characterization of the Plasmodium berghei leucine-rich repeat protein 1 (PbLRR1), an orthologue of SDS22, one of the most ancient and conserved PP1 interactors. Our study shows that PbLRR1 is expressed during intra-erythrocytic development of the parasite, and up to the zygote stage in mosquitoes. PbLRR1 can be found in complex with PbPP1 in both asexual and sexual stages and inhibits its phosphatase activity. Genetic analysis demonstrates that PbLRR1 depletion adversely affects the development of oocysts. PbLRR1 interactome analysis associated with phospho-proteomics studies identifies several novel putative PbLRR1/PbPP1 partners. Some of these partners have previously been characterized as essential for the parasite sexual development. Interestingly, and for the first time, Inhibitor 3 (I3), a well-known and direct interactant of Plasmodium PP1, was found to be drastically hypophosphorylated in PbLRR1-depleted parasites. These data, along with the detection of I3 with PP1 in the LRR1 interactome, strongly suggest that the phosphorylation status of PbI3 is under the control of the PP1-LRR1 complex and could contribute (in)directly to oocyst development. This study provides new insights into previously unrecognized PbPP1 fine regulation of Plasmodium oocyst development through its interaction with PbLRR1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Fréville
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Bénédicte Gnangnon
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Annie Z. Tremp
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT London, UK
| | - Caroline De Witte
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Katia Cailliau
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576-UGSF-Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Alain Martoriati
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576-UGSF-Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - El Moukthar Aliouat
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Priyanka Fernandes
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Cerina Chhuon
- Proteomics platform 3P5-Necker, Université Paris Descartes - Structure Fédérative de Recherche Necker, INSERM US24/CNRS UMS3633, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Silvie
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Sabrina Marion
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Ida Chiara Guerrera
- Proteomics platform 3P5-Necker, Université Paris Descartes - Structure Fédérative de Recherche Necker, INSERM US24/CNRS UMS3633, Paris, France
| | - Johannes T. Dessens
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT London, UK
| | - Christine Pierrot
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Jamal Khalife
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019—UMR 9017—CIIL—Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France
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Fréville A, Gnangnon B, Khelifa AS, Gissot M, Khalife J, Pierrot C. Deciphering the Role of Protein Phosphatases in Apicomplexa: The Future of Innovative Therapeutics? Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030585. [PMID: 35336160 PMCID: PMC8949495 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites belonging to the Apicomplexa phylum still represent a major public health and world-wide socioeconomic burden that is greatly amplified by the spread of resistances against known therapeutic drugs. Therefore, it is essential to provide the scientific and medical communities with innovative strategies specifically targeting these organisms. In this review, we present an overview of the diversity of the phosphatome as well as the variety of functions that phosphatases display throughout the Apicomplexan parasites’ life cycles. We also discuss how this diversity could be used for the design of innovative and specific new drugs/therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Fréville
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; (B.G.); (A.S.K.); (M.G.); (J.K.)
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
- Correspondence: (A.F.); (C.P.)
| | - Bénédicte Gnangnon
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; (B.G.); (A.S.K.); (M.G.); (J.K.)
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Communicable Diseases Dynamics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Asma S. Khelifa
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; (B.G.); (A.S.K.); (M.G.); (J.K.)
| | - Mathieu Gissot
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; (B.G.); (A.S.K.); (M.G.); (J.K.)
| | - Jamal Khalife
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; (B.G.); (A.S.K.); (M.G.); (J.K.)
| | - Christine Pierrot
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Centre d’Infection et d’Immunité de Lille, 59000 Lille, France; (B.G.); (A.S.K.); (M.G.); (J.K.)
- Correspondence: (A.F.); (C.P.)
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Navarrete-Mena A, Pacheco-Yépez J, Hernández-Ramírez VI, Escalona-Montaño AR, Gómez-Sandoval JN, Néquiz-Avendaño M, Chávez-Munguía B, Tesoro-Cruz E, Talamás-Rohana P, Aguirre-García MM. Protein Phosphatase PP2C Identification in Entamoeba spp. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:5746629. [PMID: 34697588 PMCID: PMC8541852 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5746629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebiasis, and Entamoeba dispar is its noninvasive morphological twin. Entamoeba invadens is a reptilian parasite. In the present study, Western blot, phosphatase activity, immunofluorescence, and bioinformatic analyses were used to identify PP2C phosphatases of E. histolytica, E. dispar, and E. invadens. PP2C was identified in trophozoites of all Entamoeba species and cysts of E. invadens. Immunoblotting using a Leishmania mexicana anti-PP2C antibody recognized a 45.2 kDa PP2C in all species. In E. histolytica and E. invadens, a high molecular weight element PP2C at 75 kDa was recognized, mainly in cysts of E. invadens. Immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of PP2C in membrane and vesicular structures in the cytosol of all species analyzed. The ~75 kDa PP2C of Entamoeba spp. shows the conserved domain characteristic of phosphatase enzymes (according to in silico analysis). Possible PP2C participation in the encystation process was discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abril Navarrete-Mena
- Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de Mexico 11340, Mexico
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico
| | - Judith Pacheco-Yépez
- Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de Mexico 11340, Mexico
| | - Verónica Ivonne Hernández-Ramírez
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avazados, CINVESTAV-IPN, Ciudad de México, CP 07360, Mexico
| | - Alma Reyna Escalona-Montaño
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico
| | | | - Mario Néquiz-Avendaño
- Unidad de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Ciudad de Mexico 06726, Mexico
| | - Bibiana Chávez-Munguía
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avazados, CINVESTAV-IPN, Ciudad de México, CP 07360, Mexico
| | - Emiliano Tesoro-Cruz
- Unidad de Investigación Biomédica en Inmunología e Infectología, Hospital de Infectología, Centro Médico Nacional “La Raza”, IMSS, Ciudad de Mexico 02990, Mexico
| | - Patricia Talamás-Rohana
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avazados, CINVESTAV-IPN, Ciudad de México, CP 07360, Mexico
| | - María Magdalena Aguirre-García
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico
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Ali F, Wali H, Jan S, Zia A, Aslam M, Ahmad I, Afridi SG, Shams S, Khan A. Analysing the essential proteins set of Plasmodium falciparum PF3D7 for novel drug targets identification against malaria. Malar J 2021; 20:335. [PMID: 34344361 PMCID: PMC8336052 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03865-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium falciparum is an obligate intracellular parasite of humans that causes malaria. Falciparum malaria is a major public health threat to human life responsible for high mortality. Currently, the risk of multi-drug resistance of P. falciparum is rapidly increasing. There is a need to address new anti-malarial therapeutics strategies to combat the drug-resistance threat. METHODS The P. falciparum essential proteins were retrieved from the recently published studies. These proteins were initially scanned against human host and its gut microbiome proteome sets by comparative proteomics analyses. The human host non-homologs essential proteins of P. falciparum were additionally analysed for druggability potential via in silico methods to possibly identify novel therapeutic targets. Finally, the PfAp4AH target was prioritized for pharmacophore modelling based virtual screening and molecular docking analyses to identify potent inhibitors from drug-like compounds databases. RESULTS The analyses identified six P. falciparum essential and human host non-homolog proteins that follow the key druggability features. These druggable targets have not been catalogued so far in the Drugbank repository. These prioritized proteins seem novel and promising drug targets against P. falciparum due to their key protein-protein interactions features in pathogen-specific biological pathways and to hold appropriate drug-like molecule binding pockets. The pharmacophore features based virtual screening of Pharmit resource predicted a lead compound i.e. MolPort-045-917-542 as a promising inhibitor of PfAp4AH among prioritized targets. CONCLUSION The prioritized protein targets may worthy to test in malarial drug discovery programme to overcome the anti-malarial resistance issues. The in-vitro and in-vivo studies might be promising for additional validation of these prioritized lists of drug targets against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fawad Ali
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan.,Department of Biochemistry, Hazara University, Mansehra, 21120, Pakistan
| | - Hira Wali
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Saadia Jan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Asad Zia
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Muneeba Aslam
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Imtiaz Ahmad
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Sahib Gul Afridi
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Sulaiman Shams
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Asifullah Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan.
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11
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Müller K, Gibbins MP, Roberts M, Reyes‐Sandoval A, Hill AVS, Draper SJ, Matuschewski K, Silvie O, Hafalla JCR. Low immunogenicity of malaria pre-erythrocytic stages can be overcome by vaccination. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 13:e13390. [PMID: 33709544 PMCID: PMC8033512 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202013390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunogenicity is considered one important criterion for progression of candidate vaccines to further clinical evaluation. We tested this assumption in an infection and vaccination model for malaria pre-erythrocytic stages. We engineered Plasmodium berghei parasites that harbour a well-characterised epitope for stimulation of CD8+ T cells, either as an antigen in the sporozoite surface-expressed circumsporozoite protein or the parasitophorous vacuole membrane associated protein upregulated in sporozoites 4 (UIS4) expressed in exo-erythrocytic forms (EEFs). We show that the antigen origin results in profound differences in immunogenicity with a sporozoite antigen eliciting robust, superior antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses, whilst an EEF antigen evokes poor responses. Despite their contrasting immunogenic properties, both sporozoite and EEF antigens gain access to antigen presentation pathways in hepatocytes, as recognition and targeting by vaccine-induced effector CD8+ T cells results in high levels of protection when targeting either antigen. Our study is the first demonstration that poorly immunogenic EEF antigens do not preclude their susceptibility to antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell killing, which has wide-ranging implications on antigen prioritisation for next-generation pre-erythrocytic malaria vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Müller
- Parasitology UnitMax Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlinGermany
- Department of Molecular ParasitologyInstitute of BiologyHumboldt UniversityBerlinGermany
| | - Matthew P Gibbins
- Department of Infection BiologyFaculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
- Present address:
Wellcome Centre for Integrative ParasitologyInstitute of Infection, Immunity and InflammationUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Mark Roberts
- Department of Infection BiologyFaculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Arturo Reyes‐Sandoval
- Jenner InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Present address:
Instituto Politécnico NacionalIPN. Av. Luis Enrique Erro s/n, Unidad Adolfo López MateosMexico CityMexico
| | | | | | - Kai Matuschewski
- Parasitology UnitMax Planck Institute for Infection BiologyBerlinGermany
- Department of Molecular ParasitologyInstitute of BiologyHumboldt UniversityBerlinGermany
| | - Olivier Silvie
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d’Immunologie et des Maladies InfectieusesCIMI‐ParisParisFrance
| | - Julius Clemence R Hafalla
- Department of Infection BiologyFaculty of Infectious and Tropical DiseasesLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
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12
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Abstract
Obligate intracellular malaria parasites reside within a vacuolar compartment generated during invasion which is the principal interface between pathogen and host. To subvert their host cell and support their metabolism, these parasites coordinate a range of transport activities at this membrane interface that are critically important to parasite survival and virulence, including nutrient import, waste efflux, effector protein export, and uptake of host cell cytosol. Here, we review our current understanding of the transport mechanisms acting at the malaria parasite vacuole during the blood and liver-stages of development with a particular focus on recent advances in our understanding of effector protein translocation into the host cell by the Plasmodium Translocon of EXported proteins (PTEX) and small molecule transport by the PTEX membrane-spanning pore EXP2. Comparison to Toxoplasma gondii and other related apicomplexans is provided to highlight how similar and divergent mechanisms are employed to fulfill analogous transport activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh R. Beck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
| | - Chi-Min Ho
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
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13
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Bogale HN, Pascini TV, Kanatani S, Sá JM, Wellems TE, Sinnis P, Vega-Rodríguez J, Serre D. Transcriptional heterogeneity and tightly regulated changes in gene expression during Plasmodium berghei sporozoite development. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2023438118. [PMID: 33653959 PMCID: PMC7958459 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2023438118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the critical role of Plasmodium sporozoites in malaria transmission, we still know little about the mechanisms underlying their development in mosquitoes. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the gene expression profiles of 16,038 Plasmodium berghei sporozoites isolated throughout their development from midgut oocysts to salivary glands, and from forced salivation experiments. Our results reveal a succession of tightly regulated changes in gene expression occurring during the maturation of sporozoites and highlight candidate genes that could play important roles in oocyst egress, sporozoite motility, and the mechanisms underlying the invasion of mosquito salivary glands and mammalian hepatocytes. In addition, the single-cell data reveal extensive transcriptional heterogeneity among parasites isolated from the same anatomical site, suggesting that Plasmodium development in mosquitoes is asynchronous and regulated by intrinsic as well as environmental factors. Finally, our analyses show a decrease in transcriptional activity preceding the translational repression observed in mature sporozoites and associated with their quiescent state in salivary glands, followed by a rapid reactivation of the transcriptional machinery immediately upon salivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haikel N Bogale
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Tales V Pascini
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Sachie Kanatani
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Juliana M Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Thomas E Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892;
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Joel Vega-Rodríguez
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201;
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
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14
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Briquet S, Marinach C, Silvie O, Vaquero C. Preparing for Transmission: Gene Regulation in Plasmodium Sporozoites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 10:618430. [PMID: 33585284 PMCID: PMC7878544 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.618430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium sporozoites are transmitted to mammals by anopheline mosquitoes and first infect the liver, where they transform into replicative exoerythrocytic forms, which subsequently release thousands of merozoites that invade erythrocytes and initiate the malaria disease. In some species, sporozoites can transform into dormant hypnozoites in the liver, which cause malaria relapses upon reactivation. Transmission from the insect vector to a mammalian host is a critical step of the parasite life cycle, and requires tightly regulated gene expression. Sporozoites are formed inside oocysts in the mosquito midgut and become fully infectious after colonization of the insect salivary glands, where they remain quiescent until transmission. Parasite maturation into infectious sporozoites is associated with reprogramming of the sporozoite transcriptome and proteome, which depends on multiple layers of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. An emerging scheme is that gene expression in Plasmodium sporozoites is controlled by alternating waves of transcription activity and translational repression, which shape the parasite RNA and protein repertoires for successful transition from the mosquito vector to the mammalian host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvie Briquet
- Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Carine Marinach
- Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Silvie
- Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Vaquero
- Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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15
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Khalife J, Fréville A, Gnangnon B, Pierrot C. The Multifaceted Role of Protein Phosphatase 1 in Plasmodium. Trends Parasitol 2020; 37:154-164. [PMID: 33036936 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Protein phosphatase type 1 (PP1) forms a wide range of Ser/Thr-specific phosphatase holoenzymes which contain one catalytic subunit (PP1c), present in all eukaryotic cells, associated with variable subunits known as regulatory proteins. It has recently been shown that regulators take a leading role in the organization and the control of PP1 functions. Many studies have addressed the role of these regulators in diverse organisms, including humans, and investigated their link to diseases. In this review we summarize recent advances on the role of PP1c in Plasmodium, its interactome and regulators. As a proof of concept, peptides interfering with the regulator binding capacity of PP1c were shown to inhibit the growth of P. falciparum, suggesting their potential as drug precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamal Khalife
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Biology of Apicomplexan Parasites, UMR 9017 CNRS, U1019 INSERM, Université de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France.
| | - Aline Fréville
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Biology of Apicomplexan Parasites, UMR 9017 CNRS, U1019 INSERM, Université de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Bénédicte Gnangnon
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Biology of Apicomplexan Parasites, UMR 9017 CNRS, U1019 INSERM, Université de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Christine Pierrot
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Biology of Apicomplexan Parasites, UMR 9017 CNRS, U1019 INSERM, Université de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
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16
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Paul AS, Miliu A, Paulo JA, Goldberg JM, Bonilla AM, Berry L, Seveno M, Braun-Breton C, Kosber AL, Elsworth B, Arriola JSN, Lebrun M, Gygi SP, Lamarque MH, Duraisingh MT. Co-option of Plasmodium falciparum PP1 for egress from host erythrocytes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3532. [PMID: 32669539 PMCID: PMC7363832 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17306-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Asexual proliferation of the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria follows a developmental program that alternates non-canonical intraerythrocytic replication with dissemination to new host cells. We carried out a functional analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum homolog of Protein Phosphatase 1 (PfPP1), a universally conserved cell cycle factor in eukaryotes, to investigate regulation of parasite proliferation. PfPP1 is indeed required for efficient replication, but is absolutely essential for egress of parasites from host red blood cells. By phosphoproteomic and chemical-genetic analysis, we isolate two functional targets of PfPP1 for egress: a HECT E3 protein-ubiquitin ligase; and GCα, a fusion protein composed of a guanylyl cyclase and a phospholipid transporter domain. We hypothesize that PfPP1 regulates lipid sensing by GCα and find that phosphatidylcholine stimulates PfPP1-dependent egress. PfPP1 acts as a key regulator that integrates multiple cell-intrinsic pathways with external signals to direct parasite egress from host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya S Paul
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Alexandra Miliu
- Laboratory of Pathogen Host Interaction (LPHI), UMR5235, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Joao A Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan M Goldberg
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Arianna M Bonilla
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Laurence Berry
- Laboratory of Pathogen Host Interaction (LPHI), UMR5235, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Marie Seveno
- Laboratory of Pathogen Host Interaction (LPHI), UMR5235, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Catherine Braun-Breton
- Laboratory of Pathogen Host Interaction (LPHI), UMR5235, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Aziz L Kosber
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Brendan Elsworth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Jose S N Arriola
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Maryse Lebrun
- Laboratory of Pathogen Host Interaction (LPHI), UMR5235, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France
| | - Steven P Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, MA, USA
| | - Mauld H Lamarque
- Laboratory of Pathogen Host Interaction (LPHI), UMR5235, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Montpellier, 34095, Montpellier, France.
| | - Manoj T Duraisingh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, 02115, MA, USA.
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly T. Rios
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Scott E. Lindner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Huck Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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18
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Gupta R, Mishra A, Choudhary HH, Narwal SK, Nayak B, Srivastava PN, Mishra S. Secreted protein with altered thrombospondin repeat (SPATR) is essential for asexual blood stages but not required for hepatocyte invasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. Mol Microbiol 2019; 113:478-491. [PMID: 31755154 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Upon entering its mammalian host, the malaria parasite productively invades two distinct cell types, that is, hepatocytes and erythrocytes during which several adhesins/invasins are thought to be involved. Many surface-located proteins containing thrombospondin Type I repeat (TSR) which help establish host-parasite molecular crosstalk have been shown to be essential for mammalian infection. Previous reports indicated that antibodies produced against Plasmodium falciparum secreted protein with altered thrombospondin repeat (SPATR) block hepatocyte invasion by sporozoites but no genetic evidence of its contribution to invasion has been reported. After failing to generate Spatr knockout in Plasmodium berghei blood stages, a conditional mutagenesis system was employed. Here, we show that SPATR plays an essential role during parasite's blood stages. Mutant salivary gland sporozoites exhibit normal motility, hepatocyte invasion, liver stage development and rupture of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane resulting in merosome formation. But these mutant hepatic merozoites failed to establish a blood stage infection in vivo. We provide direct evidence that SPATR is not required for hepatocyte invasion but plays an essential role during the blood stages of P. berghei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshni Gupta
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Akancha Mishra
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
| | - Hadi Hasan Choudhary
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Sunil Kumar Narwal
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Bandita Nayak
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
| | - Pratik Narain Srivastava
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India
| | - Satish Mishra
- Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
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19
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Transcriptomics and proteomics reveal two waves of translational repression during the maturation of malaria parasite sporozoites. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4964. [PMID: 31673027 PMCID: PMC6823429 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12936-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium sporozoites are transmitted from infected mosquitoes to mammals, and must navigate the host skin and vasculature to infect the liver. This journey requires distinct proteomes. Here, we report the dynamic transcriptomes and proteomes of both oocyst sporozoites and salivary gland sporozoites in both rodent-infectious Plasmodium yoelii parasites and human-infectious Plasmodium falciparum parasites. The data robustly define mRNAs and proteins that are upregulated in oocyst sporozoites (UOS) or upregulated in infectious sporozoites (UIS) within the salivary glands, including many that are essential for sporozoite functions in the vector and host. Moreover, we find that malaria parasites use two overlapping, extensive, and independent programs of translational repression across sporozoite maturation to temporally regulate protein expression. Together with gene-specific validation experiments, these data indicate that two waves of translational repression are implemented and relieved at different times during sporozoite maturation, migration and infection, thus promoting their successful development and vector-to-host transition. Here, the authors report transcriptomes and proteomes of oocyst sporozoite and salivary gland sporozoite stages in rodent-infectious Plasmodium yoelii parasites and human infectious Plasmodium falciparum parasites and define two waves of translational repression during sporozoite maturation.
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20
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Bennink S, Pradel G. The molecular machinery of translational control in malaria parasites. Mol Microbiol 2019; 112:1658-1673. [PMID: 31531994 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Translational control regulates the levels of protein synthesized from its transcript and is key for the rapid adjustment of gene expression in response to environmental stimuli. The regulation of translation is of special importance for malaria parasites, which pass through a complex life cycle that includes various replication phases in the different organs of the human and mosquito hosts and a sexual reproduction phase in the mosquito midgut. In particular, the quiescent transmission stages rely on translational control to rapidly adapt to the new environment, once they switch over from the human to the mosquito and vice versa. Three control mechanisms are currently proposed in Plasmodium, (1) global regulation that acts on the translation initiation complex; (2) mRNA-specific regulation, involving cis control elements, mRNA-binding proteins and translational repressors; and (3) induced mRNA decay by the Ccr4-Not and the RNA exosome complex. The main molecules controlling translation are highly conserved in malaria parasites and an increasing number of studies shed light on the interwoven pathways leading to the up or downregulation of protein synthesis in the diverse plasmodial stages. We here highlight recent findings on translational control during life cycle progression of Plasmodium and discuss the molecules involved in regulating protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bennink
- Division of Cellular and Applied Infection Biology, Institute of Zoology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Pradel
- Division of Cellular and Applied Infection Biology, Institute of Zoology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany
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21
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BioID Reveals Novel Proteins of the Plasmodium Parasitophorous Vacuole Membrane. mSphere 2018; 3:mSphere00522-17. [PMID: 29404413 PMCID: PMC5784244 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00522-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular pathogens are often surrounded by a host-cell derived membrane. This membrane is modified by the pathogens to their own needs and is crucial for their intracellular lifestyle. In Plasmodium parasites, this membrane is referred to as the PVM and only a limited number of its proteins are known so far. Here, we applied in rodent P. berghei parasites a method called BioID, which is based on biotinylation of proximal and interacting proteins by the promiscuous biotin ligase BirA*, and demonstrated its usefulness in identification of novel PVM proteins. During their development within the vertebrate host, Plasmodium parasites infect hepatocytes and red blood cells. Within these cells, parasites are surrounded by a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). The PVM plays an essential role for the interaction of parasites with their host cells; however, only a limited number of proteins of this membrane have been identified so far. This is partially because systematic proteomic analysis of the protein content of the PVM has been difficult in the past, due to difficulties encountered in attempts to separate the PVM from other membranes such as the parasite plasma membrane. In this study, we adapted the BioID technique to in vitro-cultivated Plasmodium berghei blood stage parasites and utilized the promiscuous biotin ligase BirA* fused to PVM-resident exported protein 1 to biotinylate proteins of the PVM. These we further processed by affinity purification, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and label-free quantitation, leading to a list of 61 known and candidate PVM proteins. Seven proteins were analyzed further during blood and liver stage development. This resulted in the identification of three novel PVM proteins, which were the serine/threonine protein phosphatase UIS2 (PlasmoDB accession no. PBANKA_1328000) and two conserved Plasmodium proteins with unknown functions (PBANKA_0519300 and PBANKA_0509000). In conclusion, our report expands the number of known PVM proteins and experimentally validates BioID as a powerful method to screen for novel constituents of specific cellular compartments in P. berghei. IMPORTANCE Intracellular pathogens are often surrounded by a host-cell derived membrane. This membrane is modified by the pathogens to their own needs and is crucial for their intracellular lifestyle. In Plasmodium parasites, this membrane is referred to as the PVM and only a limited number of its proteins are known so far. Here, we applied in rodent P. berghei parasites a method called BioID, which is based on biotinylation of proximal and interacting proteins by the promiscuous biotin ligase BirA*, and demonstrated its usefulness in identification of novel PVM proteins.
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22
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Zhang M, Gallego-Delgado J, Fernandez-Arias C, Waters NC, Rodriguez A, Tsuji M, Wek RC, Nussenzweig V, Sullivan WJ. Inhibiting the Plasmodium eIF2α Kinase PK4 Prevents Artemisinin-Induced Latency. Cell Host Microbe 2017; 22:766-776.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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23
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Yakubu RR, Weiss LM, Silmon de Monerri NC. Post-translational modifications as key regulators of apicomplexan biology: insights from proteome-wide studies. Mol Microbiol 2017; 107:1-23. [PMID: 29052917 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Parasites of the Apicomplexa phylum, such as Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, undergo complex life cycles involving multiple stages with distinct biology and morphologies. Post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, acetylation and glycosylation, regulate numerous cellular processes, playing a role in every aspect of cell biology. PTMs can occur on proteins at any time in their lifespan and through alterations of target protein activity, localization, protein-protein interactions, among other functions, dramatically increase proteome diversity and complexity. In addition, PTMs can be induced or removed on changes in cellular environment and state. Thus, PTMs are likely to be key regulators of developmental transitions, biology and pathogenesis of apicomplexan parasites. In this review we examine the roles of PTMs in both parasite-specific and conserved eukaryotic processes, and the potential crosstalk between PTMs, that together regulate the intricate lives of these protozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rama R Yakubu
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA.,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA
| | - Louis M Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA.,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA
| | - Natalie C Silmon de Monerri
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA.,Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY, 10128, USA
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24
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Translational Control in the Latency of Apicomplexan Parasites. Trends Parasitol 2017; 33:947-960. [PMID: 28942109 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium spp. use latent stages to persist in the host, facilitate transmission, and thwart treatment of infected patients. Therefore, it is important to understand the processes driving parasite differentiation to and from quiescent stages. Here, we discuss how a family of protein kinases that phosphorylate the eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF2) function in translational control and drive differentiation. This translational control culminates in reprogramming of the transcriptome to facilitate parasite transition towards latency. We also discuss how eIF2 phosphorylation contributes to the maintenance of latency and provides a crucial role in the timing of reactivation of latent parasites towards proliferative stages.
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25
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Muñoz EE, Hart KJ, Walker MP, Kennedy MF, Shipley MM, Lindner SE. ALBA4 modulates its stage-specific interactions and specific mRNA fates during Plasmodium yoelii growth and transmission. Mol Microbiol 2017; 106:266-284. [PMID: 28787542 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Transmission of the malaria parasite occurs in an unpredictable moment, when a mosquito takes a blood meal. Plasmodium has therefore evolved strategies to prepare for transmission, including translationally repressing and protecting mRNAs needed to establish the infection. However, mechanisms underlying these critical controls are not well understood, including whether Plasmodium changes its translationally repressive complexes and mRNA targets in different stages. Efforts to understand this have been stymied by severe technical limitations due to substantial mosquito contamination of samples. Here using P. yoelii, for the first time we provide a proteomic comparison of a protein complex across asexual blood, sexual and sporozoite stages, along with a transcriptomic comparison of the mRNAs that are affected in these stages. We find that the Apicomplexan-specific ALBA4 RNA-binding protein acts to regulate development of the parasite's transmission stages, and that ALBA4 associates with both stage-specific and stage-independent partners to produce opposing mRNA fates. These efforts expand our understanding and ability to interrogate both sexual and sporozoite transmission stages and the molecular preparations they evolved to perpetuate their infectious cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyse E Muñoz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Kevin J Hart
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Michael P Walker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Mark F Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Mackenzie M Shipley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Scott E Lindner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Malaria Research, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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26
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Charan M, Choudhary HH, Singh N, Sadik M, Siddiqi MI, Mishra S, Habib S. [Fe-S] cluster assembly in the apicoplast and its indispensability in mosquito stages of the malaria parasite. FEBS J 2017; 284:2629-2648. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.14159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Manish Charan
- Division of Molecular and Structural Biology; CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow India
| | | | - Nidhi Singh
- Division of Molecular and Structural Biology; CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow India
| | - Mohammad Sadik
- Division of Molecular and Structural Biology; CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow India
| | - Mohammad Imran Siddiqi
- Division of Molecular and Structural Biology; CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow India
| | - Satish Mishra
- Division of Parasitology; CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow India
| | - Saman Habib
- Division of Molecular and Structural Biology; CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow India
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27
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Khosh-Naucke M, Becker J, Mesén-Ramírez P, Kiani P, Birnbaum J, Fröhlke U, Jonscher E, Schlüter H, Spielmann T. Identification of novel parasitophorous vacuole proteins in P. falciparum parasites using BioID. Int J Med Microbiol 2017; 308:13-24. [PMID: 28784333 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria blood stage parasites develop within red blood cells where they are contained in a vacuolar compartment known as the parasitophorous vacuole (PV). This compartment holds a key role in the interaction of the parasite with its host cell. However, the proteome of this compartment has so far not been comprehensively analysed. Here we used BioID in asexual blood stages of the most virulent human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum to identify new proteins of the PV. The resulting proteome contained many of the already known PV proteins and validation by GFP-knock-in of 10 previously in P. falciparum uncharacterised hits revealed 5 new PV proteins and two with a partial PV localisation. This included proteins peripherally attached to the inner face of the PV membrane as well as proteins anchored in the parasite plasma membrane that protrude into the PV. Using selectable targeted gene disruption we generated mutants for 2 of the 10 candidates. In contrast we could not select parasites with disruptions for another 3 candidates, strongly suggesting that they are important for parasite growth. Interestingly, one of these included the orthologue of UIS2, a protein previously proposed to regulate protein translation in the parasite cytoplasm but here shown to be an essential PV protein. This work extends the number of known PV proteins and provides a starting point for further functional analyses of this compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Khosh-Naucke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johanna Becker
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paolo Mesén-Ramírez
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Parnian Kiani
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometric Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jakob Birnbaum
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Fröhlke
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ernst Jonscher
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hartmut Schlüter
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometric Proteomics, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Parasitology Section, Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany.
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28
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Yang C, Arrizabalaga G. The serine/threonine phosphatases of apicomplexan parasites. Mol Microbiol 2017; 106:1-21. [PMID: 28556455 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The balance between phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation, which is delicately regulated by protein kinases and phosphatases, is critical for nearly all biological processes. The Apicomplexa are a large phylum which contains various parasitic protists, including human pathogens, such as Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium and Babesia species. The diverse life cycles of these parasites are highly complex and, not surprisingly, many of their key steps are exquisitely regulated by phosphorylation. Interestingly, many of the kinases and phosphatases, as well as the substrates involved in these events are unique to the parasites and therefore phosphorylation constitutes a viable target for antiparasitic intervention. Most progress on this realm has come from studies in Toxoplasma and Plasmodium of their respective kinomes and phosphoproteomes. Nonetheless, given their likely importance, phosphatases have recently become the focus of research within the apicomplexan parasites. In this review, we concentrate on serine/threonine phosphatases in apicomplexan parasites, with the focus on comprehensively identifying and naming protein phosphatases in available apicomplexan genomes, and summarizing the progress of their functional analyses in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlin Yang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Gustavo Arrizabalaga
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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29
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Kreutzfeld O, Müller K, Matuschewski K. Engineering of Genetically Arrested Parasites (GAPs) For a Precision Malaria Vaccine. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:198. [PMID: 28620583 PMCID: PMC5450620 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00198] [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: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Continuous stage conversion and swift changes in the antigenic repertoire in response to acquired immunity are hallmarks of complex eukaryotic pathogens, including Plasmodium species, the causative agents of malaria. Efficient elimination of Plasmodium liver stages prior to blood infection is one of the most promising malaria vaccine strategies. Here, we describe different genetically arrested parasites (GAPs) that have been engineered in Plasmodium berghei, P. yoelii and P. falciparum and compare their vaccine potential. A better understanding of the immunological mechanisms of prime and boost by arrested sporozoites and experimental strategies to enhance vaccine efficacy by further engineering existing GAPs into a more immunogenic form hold promise for continuous improvements of GAP-based vaccines. A critical hurdle for vaccines that elicit long-lasting protection against malaria, such as GAPs, is safety and efficacy in vulnerable populations. Vaccine research should focus on solutions toward turning malaria into a vaccine-preventable disease, which would offer an exciting new path of malaria control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriana Kreutzfeld
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany
| | - Katja Müller
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany
| | - Kai Matuschewski
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Germany
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30
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Vembar SS, Droll D, Scherf A. Translational regulation in blood stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium spp.: systems-wide studies pave the way. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 7:772-792. [PMID: 27230797 PMCID: PMC5111744 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Revised: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium spp. varies the expression profile of its genes depending on the host it resides in and its developmental stage. Virtually all messenger RNA (mRNA) is expressed in a monocistronic manner, with transcriptional activation regulated at the epigenetic level and by specialized transcription factors. Furthermore, recent systems-wide studies have identified distinct mechanisms of post-transcriptional and translational control at various points of the parasite lifecycle. Taken together, it is evident that 'just-in-time' transcription and translation strategies coexist and coordinate protein expression during Plasmodium development, some of which we review here. In particular, we discuss global and specific mechanisms that control protein translation in blood stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, once a cytoplasmic mRNA has been generated, and its crosstalk with mRNA decay and storage. We also focus on the widespread translational delay observed during the 48-hour blood stage lifecycle of P. falciparum-for over 30% of transcribed genes, including virulence factors required to invade erythrocytes-and its regulation by cis-elements in the mRNA, RNA-processing enzymes and RNA-binding proteins; the first-characterized amongst these are the DNA- and RNA-binding Alba proteins. More generally, we conclude that translational regulation is an emerging research field in malaria parasites and propose that its elucidation will not only shed light on the complex developmental program of this parasite, but may also reveal mechanisms contributing to drug resistance and define new targets for malaria intervention strategies. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:772-792. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1365 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruthi Sridhar Vembar
- Unité Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Dorothea Droll
- Unité Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Artur Scherf
- Unité Biologie des Interactions Hôte-Parasite, Département de Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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31
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Carvalho TG, Morahan B, John von Freyend S, Boeuf P, Grau G, Garcia-Bustos J, Doerig C. The ins and outs of phosphosignalling in Plasmodium: Parasite regulation and host cell manipulation. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2016; 208:2-15. [PMID: 27211241 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2016.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Signal transduction and kinomics have been rapidly expanding areas of investigation within the malaria research field. Here, we provide an overview of phosphosignalling pathways that operate in all stages of the Plasmodium life cycle. We review signalling pathways in the parasite itself, in the cells it invades, and in other cells of the vertebrate host with which it interacts. We also discuss the potential of these pathways as novel targets for antimalarial intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Gil Carvalho
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Belinda Morahan
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Simona John von Freyend
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Philippe Boeuf
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Georges Grau
- Vascular Immunology Unit, Department of Pathology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2050, Australia
| | - Jose Garcia-Bustos
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Christian Doerig
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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32
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Khalife J, Pierrot C. Phosphatases are emerging as novel druggable targets in Plasmodium. Future Microbiol 2016; 11:603-6. [PMID: 27159136 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jamal Khalife
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019
| | - Christine Pierrot
- UMR 8204 - CIIL - Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
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