1
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Albisetti AC, Douglas RL, Welch MD. FAZ assembly in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei requires kinesin KIN-E. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar103. [PMID: 37531263 PMCID: PMC10551704 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-01-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, uses its flagellum for movement, cell division, and signaling. The flagellum is anchored to the cell body membrane via the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ), a complex of proteins, filaments, and microtubules that spans two membranes with elements on both flagellum and cell body sides. How FAZ components are carried into place to form this complex is poorly understood. Here, we show that the trypanosome-specific kinesin KIN-E is required for building the FAZ in bloodstream-form parasites. KIN-E is localized along the flagellum with a concentration at its distal tip. Depletion of KIN-E by RNAi rapidly inhibits flagellum attachment and leads to cell death. A detailed analysis reveals that KIN-E depletion phenotypes include failure in cytokinesis completion, kinetoplast DNA missegregation, and transport vesicle accumulation. Together with previously published results in procyclic form parasites, these data suggest KIN-E plays a critical role in FAZ assembly in T. brucei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C. Albisetti
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Robert L. Douglas
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Matthew D. Welch
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
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2
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Smithson L, Ihuoma Akazue P, Findlater L, Gwira TM, Vaughan S, Sunter JD. Diversity in new flagellum tip attachment in bloodstream form African trypanosomes. Mol Microbiol 2022; 118:510-525. [PMID: 36056717 PMCID: PMC9826329 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The closely related parasites Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, and T. vivax cause neglected tropical diseases collectively known as African Trypanosomiasis. A characteristic feature of bloodstream form T. brucei is the flagellum that is laterally attached to the side of the cell body. During the cell cycle, the new flagellum is formed alongside the old flagellum, with the new flagellum tip embedded within a mobile transmembrane junction called the groove. The molecular composition of the groove is currently unknown, which limits the analysis of this junction and assessment of its conservation in related trypanosomatids. Here, we identified 13 proteins that localize to the flagellar groove through a small-scale tagging screen. Functional analysis of a subset of these proteins by RNAi and gene deletion revealed three proteins, FCP4/TbKin15, FCP7, and FAZ45, that are involved in new flagellum tip attachment to the groove. Despite possessing orthologues of all 13 groove proteins, T. congolense and T. vivax did not assemble a canonical groove around the new flagellum tip according to 3D electron microscopy. This diversity in new flagellum tip attachment points to the rapid evolution of membrane-cytoskeleton structures that can occur without large changes in gene complement and likely reflects the niche specialization of each species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Smithson
- Department of Biological and Medical SciencesOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Pearl Ihuoma Akazue
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, College of Basic and Applied SciencesUniversity of GhanaAccraGhana,Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied SciencesUniversity of GhanaAccraGhana,Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life SciencesUniversity of BeninBenin CityNigeria
| | - Lucy Findlater
- Sir William Dunn School of PathologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Theresa Manful Gwira
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, College of Basic and Applied SciencesUniversity of GhanaAccraGhana,Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied SciencesUniversity of GhanaAccraGhana
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Department of Biological and Medical SciencesOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
| | - Jack D. Sunter
- Department of Biological and Medical SciencesOxford Brookes UniversityOxfordUK
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3
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Genome-scale RNA interference profiling of Trypanosoma brucei cell cycle progression defects. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5326. [PMID: 36088375 PMCID: PMC9464253 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33109-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomatids, which include major pathogens of humans and livestock, are flagellated protozoa for which cell cycle controls and the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. Here, we describe a genome-wide RNA-interference library screen for cell cycle defects in Trypanosoma brucei. We induced massive parallel knockdown, sorted the perturbed population using high-throughput flow cytometry, deep-sequenced RNAi-targets from each stage and digitally reconstructed cell cycle profiles at a genomic scale; also enabling data visualisation using an online tool ( https://tryp-cycle.pages.dev/ ). Analysis of several hundred genes that impact cell cycle progression reveals >100 flagellar component knockdowns linked to genome endoreduplication, evidence for metabolic control of the G1-S transition, surface antigen regulatory mRNA-binding protein knockdowns linked to G2M accumulation, and a putative nucleoredoxin required for both mitochondrial genome segregation and for mitosis. The outputs provide comprehensive functional genomic evidence for the known and novel machineries, pathways and regulators that coordinate trypanosome cell cycle progression.
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4
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Godar S, Oristian J, Hinsch V, Wentworth K, Lopez E, Amlashi P, Enverso G, Markley S, Alper JD. Light chain 2 is a Tctex-type related axonemal dynein light chain that regulates directional ciliary motility in Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1009984. [PMID: 36155669 PMCID: PMC9536576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Flagellar motility is essential for the cell morphology, viability, and virulence of pathogenic kinetoplastids. Trypanosoma brucei flagella beat with a bending wave that propagates from the flagellum's tip to its base, rather than base-to-tip as in other eukaryotes. Thousands of dynein motor proteins coordinate their activity to drive ciliary bending wave propagation. Dynein-associated light and intermediate chains regulate the biophysical mechanisms of axonemal dynein. Tctex-type outer arm dynein light chain 2 (LC2) regulates flagellar bending wave propagation direction, amplitude, and frequency in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. However, the role of Tctex-type light chains in regulating T. brucei motility is unknown. Here, we used a combination of bioinformatics, in-situ molecular tagging, and immunofluorescence microscopy to identify a Tctex-type light chain in the procyclic form of T. brucei (TbLC2). We knocked down TbLC2 expression using RNAi in both wild-type and FLAM3, a flagellar attachment zone protein, knockdown cells and quantified TbLC2's effects on trypanosome cell biology and biophysics. We found that TbLC2 knockdown reduced the directional persistence of trypanosome cell swimming, induced an asymmetric ciliary bending waveform, modulated the bias between the base-to-tip and tip-to-base beating modes, and increased the beating frequency. Together, our findings are consistent with a model of TbLC2 as a down-regulator of axonemal dynein activity that stabilizes the forward tip-to-base beating ciliary waveform characteristic of trypanosome cells. Our work sheds light on axonemal dynein regulation mechanisms that contribute to pathogenic kinetoplastids' unique tip-to-base ciliary beating nature and how those mechanisms underlie dynein-driven ciliary motility more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subash Godar
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - James Oristian
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Valerie Hinsch
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Katherine Wentworth
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ethan Lopez
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Parastoo Amlashi
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Gerald Enverso
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Samantha Markley
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Joshua Daniel Alper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
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5
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Benz C, Müller N, Kaltenbrunner S, Váchová H, Vancová M, Lukeš J, Varga V, Hashimi H. Kinetoplastid-specific X2-family kinesins interact with a kinesin-like pleckstrin homology domain protein that localizes to the trypanosomal microtubule quartet. Mol Microbiol 2022; 118:155-174. [PMID: 35766104 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Kinesins are motor proteins found in all eukaryotic lineages that move along microtubules to mediate cellular processes such as mitosis and intracellular transport. In trypanosomatids, the kinesin superfamily has undergone a prominent expansion, resulting in one of the most diverse kinesin repertoires that includes the two kinetoplastid-restricted families X1 and X2. Here, we characterize in Trypanosoma brucei TbKifX2A, an orphaned X2 kinesin. TbKifX2A tightly interacts with TbPH1, a kinesin-like protein with a likely inactive motor domain, a rarely reported occurrence. Both TbKifX2A and TbPH1 localize to the microtubule quartet (MtQ), a characteristic but poorly understood cytoskeletal structure that wraps around the flagellar pocket as it extends to the cell body anterior. The proximal proteome of TbPH1 revealed two other interacting proteins, the flagellar pocket protein FP45 and intriguingly another X2 kinesin, TbKifX2C. Simultaneous ablation of TbKifX2A/TbPH1 results in the depletion of FP45 and TbKifX2C and also an expansion of the flagellar pocket, among other morphological defects. TbKifX2A is the first motor protein to be localized to the MtQ. The observation that TbKifX2C also associates with the MtQ suggests that the X2 kinesin family may have co-evolved with the MtQ, both kinetoplastid-specific traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna Benz
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Nora Müller
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Sabine Kaltenbrunner
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Johannes Kepler University, Medical Faculty, Linz, Austria
| | - Hana Váchová
- Laboratory of Cell Motility, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Marie Vancová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Vladimír Varga
- Laboratory of Cell Motility, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Hassan Hashimi
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
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6
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Grace CA, Forrester S, Silva VC, Carvalho KSS, Kilford H, Chew YP, James S, Costa DL, Mottram JC, Costa CCHN, Jeffares DC. Candidates for Balancing Selection in Leishmania donovani Complex Parasites. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 13:6448231. [PMID: 34865011 PMCID: PMC8717319 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Leishmania donovani species complex is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, which cause 20–40,000 fatalities a year. Here, we conduct a screen for balancing selection in this species complex. We used 384 publicly available L. donovani and L. infantum genomes, and sequence 93 isolates of L. infantum from Brazil to describe the global diversity of this species complex. We identify five genetically distinct populations that are sufficiently represented by genomic data to search for signatures of selection. We find that signals of balancing selection are generally not shared between populations, consistent with transient adaptive events, rather than long-term balancing selection. We then apply multiple diversity metrics to identify candidate genes with robust signatures of balancing selection, identifying a curated set of 24 genes with robust signatures. These include zeta toxin, nodulin-like, and flagellum attachment proteins. This study highlights the extent of genetic divergence between L. donovani complex parasites and provides genes for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cooper Alastair Grace
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Forrester
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Vladimir Costa Silva
- Instituto de Doenças do Sertão, Instituto de Doenças Tropicais Natan Portella, Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina-PI, Brazil
| | - Kátia Silene Sousa Carvalho
- Instituto de Doenças do Sertão, Instituto de Doenças Tropicais Natan Portella, Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina-PI, Brazil
| | - Hannah Kilford
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Yen Peng Chew
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom.,Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sally James
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Dorcas L Costa
- Instituto de Doenças do Sertão, Instituto de Doenças Tropicais Natan Portella, Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina-PI, Brazil
| | - Jeremy C Mottram
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos C H N Costa
- Instituto de Doenças do Sertão, Instituto de Doenças Tropicais Natan Portella, Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina-PI, Brazil
| | - Daniel C Jeffares
- Department of Biology, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
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7
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Gorilak P, Pružincová M, Vachova H, Olšinová M, Schmidt Cernohorska M, Varga V. Expansion microscopy facilitates quantitative super-resolution studies of cytoskeletal structures in kinetoplastid parasites. Open Biol 2021; 11:210131. [PMID: 34465213 PMCID: PMC8437234 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Expansion microscopy (ExM) has become a powerful super-resolution method in cell biology. It is a simple, yet robust approach, which does not require any instrumentation or reagents beyond those present in a standard microscopy facility. In this study, we used kinetoplastid parasites Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania major, which possess a complex, yet well-defined microtubule-based cytoskeleton, to demonstrate that this method recapitulates faithfully morphology of structures as previously revealed by a combination of sophisticated electron microscopy (EM) approaches. Importantly, we also show that due to the rapidness of image acquisition and three-dimensional reconstruction of cellular volumes ExM is capable of complementing EM approaches by providing more quantitative data. This is demonstrated on examples of less well-appreciated microtubule structures, such as the neck microtubule of T. brucei or the pocket, cytosolic and multivesicular tubule-associated microtubules of L. major. We further demonstrate that ExM enables identifying cell types rare in a population, such as cells in mitosis and cytokinesis. Three-dimensional reconstruction of an entire volume of these cells provided details on the morphology of the mitotic spindle and the cleavage furrow. Finally, we show that established antibody markers of major cytoskeletal structures function well in ExM, which together with the ability to visualize proteins tagged with small epitope tags will facilitate studies of the kinetoplastid cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Gorilak
- Laboratory of Cell Motility, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic,Charles University, Faculty of Science, Albertov 6, Prague, 128 00, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Pružincová
- Laboratory of Cell Motility, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Vachova
- Laboratory of Cell Motility, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Marie Olšinová
- IMCF at BIOCEV, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Průmyslová 595, 252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Marketa Schmidt Cernohorska
- Laboratory of Adaptive Immunity, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimir Varga
- Laboratory of Cell Motility, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, Prague, 14220, Czech Republic
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Lee KJ, Li Z. The CRK2-CYC13 complex functions as an S-phase cyclin-dependent kinase to promote DNA replication in Trypanosoma brucei. BMC Biol 2021; 19:29. [PMID: 33568178 PMCID: PMC7876812 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Faithful DNA replication is essential to maintain genomic stability in all living organisms, and the regulatory pathway for DNA replication initiation is conserved from yeast to humans. The evolutionarily ancient human parasite Trypanosoma brucei, however, lacks many of the conserved DNA replication factors and may employ unusual mechanisms for DNA replication. Neither the S-phase cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) nor the regulatory pathway governing DNA replication has been previously identified in T. brucei. RESULTS Here we report that CRK2 (Cdc2-related kinase 2) complexes with CYC13 (Cyclin13) and functions as an S-phase CDK to promote DNA replication in T. brucei. We further show that CRK2 phosphorylates Mcm3, a subunit of the Mcm2-7 sub-complex of the Cdc45-Mcm2-7-GINS complex, and demonstrate that Mcm3 phosphorylation by CRK2 facilitates interaction with Sld5, a subunit of the GINS sub-complex of the Cdc45-Mcm2-7-GINS complex. CONCLUSIONS These results identify the CRK2-CYC13 complex as an S-phase regulator in T. brucei and reveal its role in regulating DNA replication through promoting the assembly of the Cdc45-Mcm2-7-GINS complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyu Joon Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Ziyin Li
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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APEX2 Proximity Proteomics Resolves Flagellum Subdomains and Identifies Flagellum Tip-Specific Proteins in Trypanosoma brucei. mSphere 2021; 6:6/1/e01090-20. [PMID: 33568455 PMCID: PMC8141408 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.01090-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleeping sickness is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The disease disrupts the sleep-wake cycle, leading to coma and death if left untreated. T. brucei motility, transmission, and virulence depend on its flagellum (cilium), which consists of several different specialized subdomains. Trypanosoma brucei is the protozoan parasite responsible for sleeping sickness, a lethal vector-borne disease. T. brucei has a single flagellum (cilium) that plays critical roles in transmission and pathogenesis. An emerging concept is that the flagellum is organized into subdomains, each having specialized composition and function. The overall flagellum proteome has been well studied, but a critical knowledge gap is the protein composition of individual subdomains. We have tested whether APEX-based proximity proteomics could be used to examine the protein composition of T. brucei flagellum subdomains. As APEX-based labeling has not previously been described in T. brucei, we first fused APEX2 to the DRC1 subunit of the nexin-dynein regulatory complex, a well-characterized axonemal complex. We found that DRC1-APEX2 directs flagellum-specific biotinylation, and purification of biotinylated proteins yields a DRC1 “proximity proteome” having good overlap with published proteomes obtained from purified axonemes. Having validated the use of APEX2 in T. brucei, we next attempted to distinguish flagellar subdomains by fusing APEX2 to a flagellar membrane protein that is restricted to the flagellum tip, AC1, and another one that is excluded from the tip, FS179. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated subdomain-specific biotinylation, and principal-component analysis showed distinct profiles between AC1-APEX2 and FS179-APEX2. Comparing these two profiles allowed us to identify an AC1 proximity proteome that is enriched for tip proteins, including proteins involved in signaling. Our results demonstrate that APEX2-based proximity proteomics is effective in T. brucei and can be used to resolve the proteome composition of flagellum subdomains that cannot themselves be readily purified. IMPORTANCE Sleeping sickness is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The disease disrupts the sleep-wake cycle, leading to coma and death if left untreated. T. brucei motility, transmission, and virulence depend on its flagellum (cilium), which consists of several different specialized subdomains. Given the essential and multifunctional role of the T. brucei flagellum, there is need for approaches that enable proteomic analysis of individual subdomains. Our work establishes that APEX2 proximity labeling can, indeed, be implemented in the biochemical environment of T. brucei and has allowed identification of proximity proteomes for different flagellar subdomains that cannot be purified. This capacity opens the possibility to study the composition and function of other compartments. We expect this approach may be extended to other eukaryotic pathogens and will enhance the utility of T. brucei as a model organism to study ciliopathies, heritable human diseases in which cilium function is impaired.
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10
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Ennes-Vidal V, Pitaluga AN, Britto CFDPDC, Branquinha MH, Santos ALSD, Menna-Barreto RFS, d'Avila-Levy CM. Expression and cellular localisation of Trypanosoma cruzi calpains. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2020; 115:e200142. [PMID: 33053076 PMCID: PMC7552305 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760200142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Calpains are present in almost all organisms and comprise a family of calcium-dependent cysteine peptidases implicated in crucial cellular functions. Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, presents an expansion on this gene family with unexplored biological properties. OBJECTIVES Here, we searched for calpains in the T. cruzi genome, evaluated the mRNA levels, calpain activity and the protein expression and determined the cellular localisation in all three parasite life cycle forms. METHODS/FINDINGS Sixty-three calpain sequences were identified in T. cruzi CL Brener genome, with fourteen domain arrangements. The comparison of calpain mRNA abundance by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) revealed seven up-regulated sequences in amastigotes and/or bloodstream trypomastigotes and five in epimastigotes. Western Blotting analysis revealed seven different molecules in the three parasite forms, and one amastigote-specific, while no proteolytic activity could be detected. Flow cytometry assays revealed a higher amount of intracellular calpains in amastigotes and/or trypomastigotes in comparison to epimastigotes. Finally, ultrastructural analysis revealed the presence of calpains in the cytoplasm, vesicular and plasma membranes of the three parasite forms, and in the paraflagellar rod in trypomastigotes. CONCLUSION Calpains are differentially expressed and localised in the T. cruzi life cycle forms. This study adds data on the calpain occurrence and expression pattern in T. cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vítor Ennes-Vidal
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - André Nóbrega Pitaluga
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas e Vetores, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Marta Helena Branquinha
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - André Luis Souza Dos Santos
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.,Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Química, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Claudia Masini d'Avila-Levy
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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11
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A rapid approach for in locus overexpression of Trypanosoma brucei proteins. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2020; 239:111300. [PMID: 32682799 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2020.111300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Altering amounts of a protein in a cell has become a crucial tool for understanding its function. In many organisms, including the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, protein overexpression has been achieved by inserting a protein-coding sequence into an overexpression vector. Here, we have adapted the PCR only based system for tagging trypanosome proteins at their endogenous loci such that it in addition enables a tetracycline-inducible T7 RNA polymerase-mediated protein overexpression. Hence, this approach bypasses the need for molecular cloning, making it rapid and cost effective. We validated the approach for ten flagellum-associated proteins with molecular weights ranging from 40 to over 500 kDa. For a majority of the recombinant proteins a significant (3-50 fold) increase in the cellular amount was achieved upon induction of overexpression. Two of the largest proteins studied, the dynein heavy chains, were significantly overexpressed, while two were not. Our data suggest that this may reflect the extent of the T7 RNA polymerase processivity on the trypanosome genomic DNA. We further show that the overexpression is informative as to cellular functions of the studied proteins, and that these cultures can serve as an excellent source for purification of the overexpressed proteins. We believe that this rapid in locus overexpression system will become a valuable tool to interrogate cellular functions and biochemical activities of trypanosome proteins.
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An T, Zhou Q, Hu H, Cormaty H, Li Z. FAZ27 cooperates with FLAM3 and ClpGM6 to maintain cell morphology in Trypanosoma brucei. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs245258. [PMID: 32393602 PMCID: PMC7295586 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.245258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human parasite Trypanosoma brucei transitions from the trypomastigote form to the epimastigote form in the insect vector by repositioning its mitochondrial genome and flagellum-associated cytoskeleton. The molecular mechanisms underlying such changes in cell morphology remain elusive, but recent works demonstrated the involvement of three flagellar proteins, FLAM3, ClpGM6 and KIN-E, in this process by controlling the elongation of the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). In this report, we identified a FAZ flagellum domain-localizing protein named FAZ27 and characterized its role in cell morphogenesis. Depletion of FAZ27 in the trypomastigote form caused major morphological changes and repositioning of the mitochondrial genome and flagellum-associated cytoskeleton, generating epimastigote-like cells. Furthermore, proximity biotinylation and co-immunoprecipitation identified FLAM3 and ClpGM6 as FAZ27-interacting proteins, and analyses of their functional interplay revealed an interdependency for assembly into the FAZ flagellum domain. Finally, we showed that assembly of FAZ27 occurred proximally, identical to the assembly pattern of other FAZ sub-domain proteins. Taken together, these results demonstrate a crucial role for the FAZ flagellum domain in controlling cell morphogenesis and suggest a coordinated assembly of all the FAZ sub-domains at the proximal end of the FAZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tai An
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Qing Zhou
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Huiqing Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Harshini Cormaty
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ziyin Li
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Ennes-Vidal V, Vitório BDS, Menna-Barreto RFS, Pitaluga AN, Gonçalves-da-Silva SA, Branquinha MH, Santos ALS, d'Avila-Levy CM. Calpains of Leishmania braziliensis: genome analysis, differential expression, and functional analysis. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2019; 114:e190147. [PMID: 31553371 PMCID: PMC6759280 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760190147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Calpains are proteins belonging to the multi-gene family of
calcium-dependent cysteine peptidases that undergo tight on/off regulation,
and uncontrolled proteolysis of calpains is associated with severe human
pathologies. Calpain orthologues are expanded and diversified in the
trypanosomatids genome. OBJECTIVES Here, we characterised calpains in Leishmania braziliensis,
the main causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil. METHODS/FINDINGS In total, 34 predicted calpain-like genes were identified. After domain
structure evaluation, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain
reaction (RT-qPCR) during in vitro metacyclogenesis
revealed (i) five genes with enhanced expression in the procyclic stage,
(ii) one augmented gene in the metacyclic stage, and (iii) one
procyclic-exclusive transcript. Western blot analysis revealed that an
antibody against a consensus-conserved peptide reacted with multiple
calpain-like proteins, which is consistent with the multi-gene family
characteristic. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry analyses revealed the
presence of calpain-like molecules mainly in the cytoplasm, to a lesser
extent in the plasma membrane, and negligible levels in the nucleus, which
are all consistent with calpain localisation. Eventually, the calpain
inhibitor MDL28170 was used for functional studies revealing (i) a
leishmaniostatic effect, (ii) a reduction in the association index in mouse
macrophages, (iii) ultra-structural alterations conceivable with autophagy,
and (iv) an enhanced expression of the virulence factor GP63. CONCLUSION This report adds novel insights into the domain structure, expression, and
localisation of L. braziliensis calpain-like molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vítor Ennes-Vidal
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Bianca da Silva Vitório
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - André Nóbrega Pitaluga
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Parasitas e Vetores, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Marta Helena Branquinha
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - André Luis Souza Santos
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Claudia Masini d'Avila-Levy
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Estudos Integrados em Protozoologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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