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Lipiński O, Sonani RR, Dubin G. Crystal structure of glycerol kinase from Trypanosoma cruzi, a potential molecular target in Chagas disease. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2024; 80:629-638. [PMID: 39052317 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798324006594] [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: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It bears a significant global health burden with limited treatment options, thus calling for the development of new and effective drugs. Certain trypanosomal metabolic enzymes have been suggested to be druggable and valid for subsequent inhibition. In this study, the crystal structure of glycerol kinase from T. cruzi, a key enzyme in glycerol metabolism in this parasite, is presented. Structural analysis allowed a detailed description of the glycerol binding pocket, while comparative assessment pinpointed a potential regulatory site which may serve as a target for selective inhibition. These findings advance the understanding of glycerol metabolism in eukaryotes and provide a solid basis for the future treatment of Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Lipiński
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ravi R Sonani
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Dubin
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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Heller LM, Bastos TDSA, Zapa DMB, de Morais IML, Salvador VF, Leal LLLL, Couto LFM, Neves LC, de Freitas Paula WV, Ferreira LL, de Barros ATM, Cançado PHD, Machado RZ, Soares VE, Cadioli FA, da Silva Krawczak F, Zanetti Lopes WD. Evaluation of mechanical transmission of Trypanosoma vivax by Stomoxys calcitrans in a region without a cyclic vector. Parasitol Res 2024; 123:96. [PMID: 38224369 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08102-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
This work investigated the mechanical transmission of Trypanosoma vivax by Stomoxys calcitrans to cattle in a region without a cyclic vector. The study involved two experiments, one with calves experimentally infected with T. vivax, in the acute phase of trypanosomosis (Experiment 1) and the other in the chronic phase (Experiment 2). In both experiments, two transmission methods were used with flies that had not fed for 24 h or had never fed: (i) Method 1: flies released freely in cattle pens (≈3,300 flies/pen for 10 days); and (ii) Method 2: flies placed in a feeding chamber (12 flies/animal). To develop Method 1 in the two experiments (acute and chronic phases), T. vivax-positive animals were kept with T. vivax-negative animals. Periodically, the Brener method, Woo method, blood smears, cPCR, ELISA, IFAT, and Imunoteste® were performed to detect T. vivax in the animals. We also recorded the animals' head tossing and hoof stomping and the number of flies near the pens' inner walls. Subsequently, biological testing was performed using lambs. For Method 2 in both experiments, flies inside the feeding chamber first fed on T. vivax-positive animals and later on negative animals. In both experiments and methods, we examined the flies for the presence of T. vivax through blood smears and cPCR of the proboscis and abdomen. In Experiment 2 (chronic phase), a test was conducted to determine how long trypomastigotes forms could survive on the blood of animals with different levels of parasitemia. None of the animals (calves and lambs) became infected with T. vivax or showed antibodies against it. During the evaluation period, the animals in the presence of the flies exhibited more hoof stomping and head tossing compared to those without flies (control). Additionally, there was an increase in the number of flies in the pens during the experiment. Only in Experiment 1 (acute phase) were T. vivax trypomastigotes and DNA found in the abdomen of the flies but not in the proboscis. In Experiment 2 (chronic phase), higher concentrations of trypomastigotes per milliliter of blood were associated with a shorter the lifespan of this stage of the parasite. In conclusion, under the variable conditions of the experiments (hosts, number of flies, and level of parasitemia), S. calcitrans was unable to mechanically transmit T. vivax to cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Maffini Heller
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Thiago de Souza Azeredo Bastos
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
- Faculdade Anhanguera, Anápolis, Goiás, Brasil
| | - Dina María Beltrán Zapa
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Igor Maciel Lopes de Morais
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Ferreira Salvador
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Luccas Lourenzzo Lima Lins Leal
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Luiz Fellipe Monteiro Couto
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Lucianne Cardoso Neves
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Warley Vieira de Freitas Paula
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Lorena Lopes Ferreira
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | | | - Rosangela Zacarias Machado
- Departamento de Patologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Fabiano Antonio Cadioli
- Departamento de Clínica, Cirurgia E Reprodução Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Felipe da Silva Krawczak
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Welber Daniel Zanetti Lopes
- Centro de Parasitologia Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
- Departamento de Biociências E Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical E Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
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Couto LFM, Heller LM, Zapa DMB, de Moura MI, Costa GL, de Assis Cavalcante AS, Ribeiro NB, Bastos TSA, Ferreira LL, Soares VE, Lino de Souza GR, Cadioli FA, Lopes WDZ. Presence of Trypanosoma vivax DNA in cattle semen and reproductive tissues and related changes in sperm parameters. Vet Parasitol 2022; 309:109761. [PMID: 35843131 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2022.109761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The present work investigated the presence of Trypanosoma vivax in semen and reproductive tissues of experimentally infected cattle and evaluated changes in seminal parameters. Two groups of cattle were established: T01 - experimentally infected with T. vivax (n = 8) and T02 - not experimentally infected with T. vivax (n = 8). After infection, blood (every seven days until 182 days post-infection - DPI), semen (7, 14, 35, 56, 70, 120 and 182 DPI) and reproductive tissue (after euthanasia, 182 DPI) were collected to search for T. vivax using different techniques, including PCR, Woo and Brener. Seminal parameters, including turbulence, motility, concentration, and vigor, were also analyzed. Packed cell volume (PCV) of the animals was determined weekly and weight gain was calculated. The PCR revealed T. vivax DNA in 7/56 semen samples of post-infection T01 cattle. Trypanosoma vivax DNA was detected in the semen of 5/8 animals at 7, 14, 56, 70 and 120 DPI, in the testis of four, and in the epididymis and fat located around the testis of two others. Trypomastigote forms of T. vivax were not found in any semen sample. Sperm of T01 cattle had lower turbulence (p ≤ 0.05) at 7, 14, 35, 56, 120 and 182 DPI, lower vigor (p ≤ 0.05) at 120 DPI and more sperm abnormalities (p ≤ 0.05) than T02. Digital dermatitis was observed among T01 cattle. Animals of T01 had lower PCV values than did those of T02 for most of the evaluations performed and T02 animals gained more weight during the experiment. The results highlight the presence of T. vivax DNA in semen of infected cattle and the importance of this disease for male breeding cattle. Further research is needed to determine whether T. vivax can be sexually transmitted in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luciana Maffini Heller
- Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Ivete de Moura
- Professor Assistente. Pontifícia Universidade Católica Universidade Católica de Goiás Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Lage Costa
- Professor Assistente. Pontifícia Universidade Católica Universidade Católica de Goiás Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | | | - Nathalia Braz Ribeiro
- Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | | | - Lorena Lopes Ferreira
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | | | - Fabiano Antônio Cadioli
- Departamento de Clínica, Cirurgia e Reprodução Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Welber Daniel Zanetti Lopes
- Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil; Departamento de Biociências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
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Zíková A. Mitochondrial adaptations throughout the Trypanosoma brucei life cycle. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12911. [PMID: 35325490 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei has a digenetic life cycle that alternates between a mammalian host and an insect vector. During programmed development, this extracellular parasite encounters strikingly different environments that determine its energy metabolism. Functioning as a bioenergetic, biosynthetic, and signaling center, the single mitochondrion of T. brucei is drastically remodeled to support the dynamic cellular demands of the parasite. This manuscript will provide an up-to-date overview of how the distinct T. brucei developmental stages differ in their mitochondrial metabolic and bioenergetic pathways, with a focus on the electron transport chain, proline oxidation, TCA cycle, acetate production, and ATP generation. Although mitochondrial metabolic rewiring has always been simply viewed as a consequence of the differentiation process, the possibility that certain mitochondrial activities reinforce parasite differentiation will be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Zíková
- Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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