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Romero-Santos S, Parra-Tanoux D, Cifuentes-González C, Muñoz-Ortiz J, Mejía-Salgado G, de-la-Torre A. Systemic and Bilateral Severe Ocular Toxoplasmosis Resembling Autoimmune Phenomena: A Case Report. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 2024:1-7. [PMID: 38592492 DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2024.2336605] [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: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To present an atypical case of severe bilateral ocular toxoplasmosis with systemic involvement that initially mimicked an autoimmune etiology, posing challenges to its diagnosis and treatment. CASE REPORT A 39-year-old immunocompetent male was admitted to the hospital due to a presumed pulmonary thromboembolism concomitant with an abrupt onset of vision loss. Initial differential diagnoses included antiphospholipid syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus, prompting the administration of corticosteroid pulses and rituximab. Despite observing a partial systemic response, there was no improvement in visual acuity. Subsequent aqueous humor polymerase chain reaction confirmed Toxoplasma gondii infection, leading to the introduction of oral antibiotic therapy. The patient's condition showed a partially favorable response; however, the treatment could not reverse the permanent retinal damage. CONCLUSION AND IMPORTANCE This case underscores the importance of ruling out an infectious etiology in all cases of uveitis. Additionally, it alerts clinicians to the possibility that elevated positive autoantibodies may result from a severe inflammatory reaction caused by pathogens rather than an autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease, particularly in instances of poor treatment response or atypical clinical presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Romero-Santos
- Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG-UR), Neuroscience Research Group (NEUROS), Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Carlos Cifuentes-González
- Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG-UR), Neuroscience Research Group (NEUROS), Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Neuroscience (NEUROS) Research Group, Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud,Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Germán Mejía-Salgado
- Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG-UR), Neuroscience Research Group (NEUROS), Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Neuroscience (NEUROS) Research Group, Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud,Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Alejandra de-la-Torre
- Ophthalmology Interest Group (OIG-UR), Neuroscience Research Group (NEUROS), Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Neuroscience (NEUROS) Research Group, Neurovitae Research Center, Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud,Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
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Butterworth S, Kordova K, Chandrasekaran S, Thomas KK, Torelli F, Lockyer EJ, Edwards A, Goldstone R, Koshy AA, Treeck M. High-throughput identification of Toxoplasma gondii effector proteins that target host cell transcription. Cell Host Microbe 2023; 31:1748-1762.e8. [PMID: 37827122 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Intracellular pathogens and other endosymbionts reprogram host cell transcription to suppress immune responses and recalibrate biosynthetic pathways. This reprogramming is critical in determining the outcome of infection or colonization. We combine pooled CRISPR knockout screening with dual host-microbe single-cell RNA sequencing, a method we term dual perturb-seq, to identify the molecular mediators of these transcriptional interactions. Applying dual perturb-seq to the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, we are able to identify previously uncharacterized effector proteins and directly infer their function from the transcriptomic data. We show that TgGRA59 contributes to the export of other effector proteins from the parasite into the host cell and identify an effector, TgSOS1, that is necessary for sustained host STAT6 signaling and thereby contributes to parasite immune evasion and persistence. Together, this work demonstrates a tool that can be broadly adapted to interrogate host-microbe transcriptional interactions and reveal mechanisms of infection and immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Butterworth
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Kristina Kordova
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | | | | | - Francesca Torelli
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Eloise J Lockyer
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Amelia Edwards
- Advanced Sequencing Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Robert Goldstone
- Advanced Sequencing Facility, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Anita A Koshy
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Moritz Treeck
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Cell Biology of Host-Pathogen Interaction Laboratory, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal.
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Wang H, Zhu Y, Li M, Pan J, Li D, Guo WP, Xie G, Du L. Transcriptome profiling of A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells in response to Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae excretory/secretory products. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1208538. [PMID: 37601754 PMCID: PMC10433203 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1208538] [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: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) muscle-larva excretory/secretory products (ML-ESPs) is a complex array of proteins with antitumor activity. We previously demonstrated that ML-ESPs inhibit the proliferation of A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line. However, the mechanism of ML-ESPs against A549 cells, especially on the transcriptional level, remains unknow. In this study, we systematically investigated a global profile bioinformatics analysis of transcriptional response of A549 cells treated with ML-ESPs. And then, we further explored the transcriptional regulation of genes related to glucose metabolism in A549 cells by ML-ESPs. The results showed that ML-ESPs altered the expression of 2,860 genes (1,634 upregulated and 1,226 downregulated). GO and KEGG analysis demonstrated that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly associated with pathway in cancer and metabolic process. The downregulated genes interaction network of metabolic process is mainly associated with glucose metabolism. Furthermore, the expression of phosphofructokinase muscle (PFKM), phosphofructokinase liver (PFKL), enolase 2 (ENO2), lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB), 6-phosphogluconolactonase (6PGL), ribulose-phosphate-3-epimerase (PRE), transketolase (TKT), transaldolase 1 (TALDO1), which genes mainly regulate glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), were suppressed by ML-ESPs. Interestingly, tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA)-related genes, such as pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 (PDP1), PDP2, aconitate hydratase 1 (ACO1) and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) were upregulated by ML-ESPs. In summary, the transcriptome profiling of A549 cells were significantly altered by ML-ESPs. And we also provide new insight into how ML-ESPs induced a transcriptional reprogramming of glucose metabolism-related genes in A549 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoxuan Wang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, Hebei, China
| | - Yingying Zhu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, Hebei, China
| | - Meichen Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China
| | - Jingdan Pan
- Department of Laboratory, North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, Hebei, China
| | - Wen-Ping Guo
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, Hebei, China
| | - Guangcheng Xie
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, Hebei, China
| | - Luanying Du
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chengde Medical University, Chengde, Hebei, China
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Meng YJ, Mu BJ, Liu XX, Yu LM, Zheng WB, Xie SC, Gao WW, Zhu XQ, Liu Q. Transcriptional changes in LMH cells induced by Eimeria tenella rhoptry kinase family protein 17. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:956040. [PMID: 36016802 PMCID: PMC9395702 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.956040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Though a number of Eimeria tenella rhoptry kinase family proteins have been identified, little is known about their molecular functions. In the present study, the gene fragment encoding the matured peptide of E. tenella rhoptry kinase family protein 17 (EtROP17) was used to construct a recombinant vector, followed by transfection into leghorn male hepatoma (LMH) cells. Then, the transcriptional changes in the transfected cells were determined by RNA-seq. The expression of EtROP17 in LMH cells was validated by both Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence analysis. Our analysis showed that EtROP17 altered the expression of 309 genes (114 downregulated genes and 195 upregulated genes) in LMH cells. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results of the selected differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were consistent with the RNA-seq data. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that DEGs were significantly enriched in nine pathways, such as toll-like receptor signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction, intestinal immune network for IgA production and focal adhesion. These findings reveal several potential roles of EtROP17, which contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the host-parasite interplay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Jing Meng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Bing-Jin Mu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Xiao-Xin Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Lin-Mei Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Wen-Bin Zheng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Shi-Chen Xie
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Wen-Wei Gao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Xing-Quan Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
- Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health of Higher Education of Yunnan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
| | - Qing Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
- *Correspondence: Qing Liu
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Sasai M, Yamamoto M. Anti-toxoplasma host defense systems and the parasitic counterdefense mechanisms. Parasitol Int 2022; 89:102593. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2022.102593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Illuminating Host-Parasite Interaction at the Cellular and Subcellular Levels with Infrared Microspectroscopy. Cells 2022; 11:cells11050811. [PMID: 35269433 PMCID: PMC8909495 DOI: 10.3390/cells11050811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic protozoan that can cause brain infection and other serious health consequences in immuno-compromised individuals. This parasite has a remarkable ability to cross biological barriers and exploit the host cell microenvironment to support its own survival and growth. Recent advances in label-free spectroscopic imaging techniques have made it possible to study biological systems at a high spatial resolution. In this study, we used conventional Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy and synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy to analyze the chemical changes that are associated with infection of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) by T. gondii (RH) tachyzoites. Both FTIR microspectroscopic methods showed utility in revealing the chemical alterations in the infected hBMECs. Using a ZnS hemisphere device, to increase the numerical aperture, and the synchrotron source to increase the brightness, we obtained spatially resolved spectra from within a single cell. The spectra extracted from the nucleus and cytosol containing the tachyzoites were clearly distinguished. RNA sequencing analysis of T. gondii-infected and uninfected hBMECs revealed significant changes in the expression of host cell genes and pathways in response to T. gondii infection. These FTIR spectroscopic and transcriptomic findings provide significant insight into the molecular changes that occur in hBMECs during T. gondii infection.
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