Two StAR-related lipid transfer proteins play specific roles in endocytosis, exocytosis, and motility in the parasitic protist Entamoeba histolytica

Non-Vesicular Lipid Transport Machinery in Leishmania donovani: Functional Implications in Host-Parasite Interaction

Eukaryotic cells have distinct membrane-enclosed organelles, each with a unique biochemical signature and specialized function. The unique identity of each organelle is greatly governed by the asymmetric distribution and regulated intracellular movement of two important biomolecules, lipids, and proteins. Non-vesicular lipid transport mediated by lipid-transfer proteins (LTPs) plays essential roles in intra-cellular lipid trafficking and cellular lipid homeostasis, while vesicular transport regulates protein trafficking. A comparative analysis of non-vesicular lipid transport machinery in protists could enhance our understanding of parasitism and basis of eukaryotic evolution. Leishmania donovani, the trypanosomatid parasite, greatly depends on receptor-ligand mediated signalling pathways for cellular differentiation, nutrient uptake, secretion of virulence factors, and pathogenesis. Lipids, despite being important signalling molecules, have intracellular transport mechanisms that are largely unexplored in L. donovani. We have identified a repertoire of sixteen (16) potential lipid transfer protein (LTP) homologs based on a domain-based search on TriTrypDB coupled with bioinformatics analyses, which signifies the presence of well-organized lipid transport machinery in this parasite. We emphasized here their evolutionary uniqueness and conservation and discussed their potential implications for parasite biology with regards to future therapeutic targets against visceral leishmaniasis.

StaR-related lipid transfer-like domain-containing protein CLDP43 affects cardiolipin synthesis and mitochondrial function in Trypanosoma brucei

Cardiolipin is known to interact with bacterial and mitochondrial proteins and protein complexes. Unlike in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the synthesis of cardiolipin is essential for growth of Trypanosoma brucei parasites in culture. Inhibition of cardiolipin production has been shown to result in major changes in the T. brucei proteome and energy metabolism, with CLDP43, a mitochondrial protein containing a StaR-related lipid transfer (START)-like domain, being depleted in a cardiolipin-dependent way. We now show that in T. brucei procyclic forms lacking CLDP43, cardiolipin metabolism and mitochondrial function are affected. Using quantitative and qualitative lipid analyses, we found that while steady-state levels of cardiolipin were elevated in CLDP43 knock-out parasites compared to parental cells, de novo formation of cardiolipin was down-regulated. In addition, depletion of CLDP43 resulted in partial loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and decreased ATP production via substrate level phosphorylation. Recombinant CLDP43 was found to bind cardiolipin and phosphatidic acid in lipid overlay experiments, suggesting that it may be involved in transport or synthesis of cardiolipin or its precursors in T. brucei.

Entamoeba histolytica EHD1 Is Involved in Mitosome-Endosome Contact

Interorganellar cross talk is often mediated by membrane contact sites (MCSs), which are zones where participating membranes come within 30 nm of one another. MCSs have been found in organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, endosomes, and mitochondria. Despite its seeming ubiquity, reports of MCS involving mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs) present in a few anaerobic parasitic protozoa remain lacking. Entamoeba histolytica, the etiological agent of amoebiasis, possesses an MRO called the mitosome. We previously discovered several Entamoeba-specific transmembrane mitosomal proteins (ETMPs) from in silico and cell-biological analyses. One of them, ETMP1 (EHI_175060), was predicted to have one transmembrane domain and two coiled-coil regions and was demonstrated to be mitosome membrane integrated based on carbonate fractionation and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) data. Immunoprecipitation analysis detected a candidate interacting partner, EH domain-containing protein (EHD1; EHI_105270). We expressed hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged EHD1 in E. histolytica, and subsequent immunofluorescence and IEM data indicated an unprecedented MCS between the mitosome and the endosome. Live imaging of a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-EHD1-expressing strain demonstrated that EHD1 is involved in early endosome formation and is observed in MCS between endosomes of various sizes. In vitro assays using recombinant His-EHD1 demonstrated ATPase activity. MCSs are involved in lipid transfer, ion homeostasis, and organelle dynamics. The serendipitous discovery of the ETMP1-interacting partner EHD1 led to the observation of the mitosome-endosome contact site in E. histolytica. It opened a new view of how the relic mitochondria of Entamoeba may likewise be involved in organelle cross talk, a conserved feature of mitochondria and other organelles in general.

The Multiple Roles of Trogocytosis in Immunity, the Nervous System, and Development

Trogocytosis is a general biological process that involves one cell physically taking small parts of the membrane and other components from another cell. In trogocytosis, one cell seems to take little “bites” from another cell resulting in multiple outcomes from these cell-cell interactions. Trogocytosis was first described in protozoan parasites, which by taking pieces of host cells, kill them and cause tissue damage. Now, it is known that this process is also performed by cells of the immune system with important consequences such as cell communication and activation, elimination of microbial pathogens, and even control of cancer cells. More recently, trogocytosis has also been reported to occur in cells of the central nervous system and in various cells during development. Some of the molecules involved in phagocytosis also participate in trogocytosis. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate trogocytosis are still a mystery. Elucidating these mechanisms is becoming a research area of much interest. For example, why neutrophils can engage trogocytosis to kill Trichomonas vaginalis parasites, but neutrophils use phagocytosis to eliminate already death parasites? Thus, trogocytosis is a significant process in normal physiology that multiple cells from different organisms use in various scenarios of health and disease. In this review, we present the basic principles known on the process of trogocytosis and discuss the importance in this process to host-pathogen interactions and to normal functions in the immune and nervous systems.