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Rodenburg SYA, de Ridder D, Govers F, Seidl MF. Oomycete Metabolism Is Highly Dynamic and Reflects Lifestyle Adaptations. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2024; 37:571-582. [PMID: 38648121 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-12-23-0200-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The selective pressure of pathogen-host symbiosis drives adaptations. How these interactions shape the metabolism of pathogens is largely unknown. Here, we use comparative genomics to systematically analyze the metabolic networks of oomycetes, a diverse group of eukaryotes that includes saprotrophs as well as animal and plant pathogens, with the latter causing devastating diseases with significant economic and/or ecological impacts. In our analyses of 44 oomycete species, we uncover considerable variation in metabolism that can be linked to lifestyle differences. Comparisons of metabolic gene content reveal that plant pathogenic oomycetes have a bipartite metabolism consisting of a conserved core and an accessory set. The accessory set can be associated with the degradation of defense compounds produced by plants when challenged by pathogens. Obligate biotrophic oomycetes have smaller metabolic networks, and taxonomically distantly related biotrophic lineages display convergent evolution by repeated gene losses in both the conserved as well as the accessory set of metabolisms. When investigating to what extent the metabolic networks in obligate biotrophs differ from those in hemibiotrophic plant pathogens, we observe that the losses of metabolic enzymes in obligate biotrophs are not random and that gene losses predominantly influence the terminal branches of the metabolic networks. Our analyses represent the first metabolism-focused comparison of oomycetes at this scale and will contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of oomycete metabolism in relation to lifestyle adaptation. Numerous oomycete species are devastating plant pathogens that cause major damage in crops and natural ecosystems. Their interactions with hosts are shaped by strong selection, but how selection affects adaptation of the primary metabolism to a pathogenic lifestyle is not yet well established. By pan-genome and metabolic network analyses of distantly related oomycete pathogens and their nonpathogenic relatives, we reveal considerable lifestyle- and lineage-specific adaptations. This study contributes to a better understanding of metabolic adaptations in pathogenic oomycetes in relation to lifestyle, host, and environment, and the findings will help in pinpointing potential targets for disease control. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Y A Rodenburg
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Dick de Ridder
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Francine Govers
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michael F Seidl
- Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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2
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Hacker C, Sendra K, Keisham P, Filipescu T, Lucocq J, Salimi F, Ferguson S, Bhella D, MacNeill SA, Embley M, Lucocq J. Biogenesis, inheritance, and 3D ultrastructure of the microsporidian mitosome. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202201635. [PMID: 37903625 PMCID: PMC10618108 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
During the reductive evolution of obligate intracellular parasites called microsporidia, a tiny remnant mitochondrion (mitosome) lost its typical cristae, organellar genome, and most canonical functions. Here, we combine electron tomography, stereology, immunofluorescence microscopy, and bioinformatics to characterise mechanisms of growth, division, and inheritance of this minimal mitochondrion in two microsporidia species (grown within a mammalian RK13 culture-cell host). Mitosomes of Encephalitozoon cuniculi (2-12/cell) and Trachipleistophora hominis (14-18/nucleus) displayed incremental/non-phasic growth and division and were closely associated with an organelle identified as equivalent to the fungal microtubule-organising centre (microsporidian spindle pole body; mSPB). The mitosome-mSPB association was resistant to treatment with microtubule-depolymerising drugs nocodazole and albendazole. Dynamin inhibitors (dynasore and Mdivi-1) arrested mitosome division but not growth, whereas bioinformatics revealed putative dynamins Drp-1 and Vps-1, of which, Vps-1 rescued mitochondrial constriction in dynamin-deficient yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe). Thus, microsporidian mitosomes undergo incremental growth and dynamin-mediated division and are maintained through ordered inheritance, likely mediated via binding to the microsporidian centrosome (mSPB).
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Hacker
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Kacper Sendra
- Biosciences Institute, The Medical School, Catherine Cookson Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Priyanka Keisham
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Teodora Filipescu
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - James Lucocq
- Department of Surgery, Dundee Medical School Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK
| | - Fatemeh Salimi
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Sophie Ferguson
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - David Bhella
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Stuart A MacNeill
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Martin Embley
- Biosciences Institute, Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley-Clark Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - John Lucocq
- https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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3
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Mandal A, Kushwaha R, Mandal AA, Bajpai S, Yadav AK, Banerjee S. Transition Metal Complexes as Antimalarial Agents: A Review. ChemMedChem 2023; 18:e202300326. [PMID: 37436090 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202300326] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
In antimalarial drug development research, overcoming drug resistance has been a major challenge for researchers. Nowadays, several drugs like chloroquine, mefloquine, sulfadoxine, and artemisinin are used to treat malaria. But increment in drug resistance has pushed researchers to find novel drugs to tackle drug resistance problems. The idea of using transition metal complexes with pharmacophores as ligands/ligand pendants to show enhanced antimalarial activity with a novel mechanism of action has gained significant attention recently. The advantages of metal complexes include tunable chemical/physical properties, redox activity, avoiding resistance factors, etc. Several recent reports have successfully demonstrated that the metal complexation of known organic antimalarial drugs can overcome drug resistance by showing enhanced activities than the parent drugs. This review has discussed the fruitful research works done in the past few years falling into this criterion. Based on transition metal series (3d, 4d, or 5d), the antimalarial metal complexes have been divided into three broad categories (3d, 4d, or 5d metal-based), and their activities have been compared with the similar control complexes as well as the parent drugs. Furthermore, we have also commented on the potential issues and their possible solution for translating these metal-based antimalarial complexes into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apurba Mandal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), 221005, Varanasi, India
| | - Rajesh Kushwaha
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), 221005, Varanasi, India
| | - Arif Ali Mandal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), 221005, Varanasi, India
| | - Sumit Bajpai
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), 221005, Varanasi, India
| | - Ashish Kumar Yadav
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), 221005, Varanasi, India
| | - Samya Banerjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), 221005, Varanasi, India
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4
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Angst P, Ebert D, Fields PD. Population genetic analysis of the microsporidium Ordospora colligata reveals the role of natural selection and phylogeography on its extremely compact and reduced genome. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad017. [PMID: 36655395 PMCID: PMC9997559 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The determinants of variation in a species' genome-wide nucleotide diversity include historical, environmental, and stochastic aspects. This diversity can inform us about the species' past and present evolutionary dynamics. In parasites, the mode of transmission and the interactions with the host might supersede the effects of these aspects in shaping parasite genomic diversity. We used genomic samples from 10 populations of the microsporidian parasite Ordospora colligata to investigate present genomic diversity and how it was shaped by evolutionary processes, specifically, the role of phylogeography, co-phylogeography (with the host), natural selection, and transmission mode. Although very closely related microsporidia cause diseases in humans, O. colligata is specific to the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna and has one of the smallest known eukaryotic genomes. We found an overlapping phylogeography between O. colligata and its host highlighting the long-term, intimate relationship between them. The observed geographic distribution reflects previous findings that O. colligata exhibits adaptations to colder habitats, which differentiates it from other microsporidian gut parasites of D. magna predominantly found in warmer areas. The co-phylogeography allowed us to calibrate the O. colligata phylogeny and thus estimate its mutation rate. We identified several genetic regions under potential selection. Our whole-genome study provides insights into the evolution of one of the most reduced eukaryotic genomes and shows how different processes shape genomic diversity of an obligate parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Angst
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
| | - Peter D Fields
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology, University of Basel, Basel 4051, Switzerland
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5
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Sarid L, Sun J, Chittrakanwong J, Trebicz-Geffen M, Ye J, Dedon PC, Ankri S. Queuine Salvaging in the Human Parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Cells 2022; 11:2509. [PMID: 36010587 PMCID: PMC9406330 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Queuosine (Q) is a naturally occurring modified nucleoside that occurs in the first position of transfer RNA anticodons such as Asp, Asn, His, and Tyr. As eukaryotes lack pathways to synthesize queuine, the Q nucleobase, they must obtain it from their diet or gut microbiota. Previously, we described the effects of queuine on the physiology of the eukaryotic parasite Entamoeba histolytica and characterized the enzyme EhTGT responsible for queuine incorporation into tRNA. At present, it is unknown how E. histolytica salvages queuine from gut bacteria. We used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and N-acryloyl-3-aminophenylboronic acid (APB) PAGE analysis to demonstrate that E. histolytica trophozoites can salvage queuine from Q or E. coli K12 but not from the modified E. coli QueC strain, which cannot produce queuine. We then examined the role of EhDUF2419, a protein with homology to DNA glycosylase, as a queuine salvage enzyme in E. histolytica. We found that glutathione S-transferase (GST)-EhDUF2419 catalyzed the conversion of Q into queuine. Trophozoites silenced for EhDUF2419 expression are impaired in their ability to form Q-tRNA from Q or from E. coli. We also observed that Q or E. coli K12 partially protects control trophozoites from oxidative stress (OS), but not siEhDUF2419 trophozoites. Overall, our data reveal that EhDUF2419 is central for the direct salvaging of queuine from bacteria and for the resistance of the parasite to OS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lotem Sarid
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa 31096, Israel
| | - Jingjing Sun
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jurairat Chittrakanwong
- Applied Biological Sciences Program, Chulabhorn Graduate Institute, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Meirav Trebicz-Geffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa 31096, Israel
| | - Jun Ye
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa 31096, Israel
| | - Peter C. Dedon
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Serge Ankri
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa 31096, Israel
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Wichers JS, Mesén-Ramírez P, Fuchs G, Yu-Strzelczyk J, Stäcker J, von Thien H, Alder A, Henshall I, Liffner B, Nagel G, Löw C, Wilson D, Spielmann T, Gao S, Gilberger TW, Bachmann A, Strauss J. PMRT1, a Plasmodium-Specific Parasite Plasma Membrane Transporter, Is Essential for Asexual and Sexual Blood Stage Development. mBio 2022; 13:e0062322. [PMID: 35404116 PMCID: PMC9040750 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00623-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane transport proteins perform crucial roles in cell physiology. The obligate intracellular parasite Plasmodium falciparum, an agent of human malaria, relies on membrane transport proteins for the uptake of nutrients from the host, disposal of metabolic waste, exchange of metabolites between organelles, and generation and maintenance of transmembrane electrochemical gradients for its growth and replication within human erythrocytes. Despite their importance for Plasmodium cellular physiology, the functional roles of a number of membrane transport proteins remain unclear, which is particularly true for orphan membrane transporters that have no or limited sequence homology to transporter proteins in other evolutionary lineages. Therefore, in the current study, we applied endogenous tagging, targeted gene disruption, conditional knockdown, and knockout approaches to investigate the subcellular localization and essentiality of six membrane transporters during intraerythrocytic development of P. falciparum parasites. They are localized at different subcellular structures-the food vacuole, the apicoplast, and the parasite plasma membrane-and four out of the six membrane transporters are essential during asexual development. Additionally, the plasma membrane resident transporter 1 (PMRT1; PF3D7_1135300), a unique Plasmodium-specific plasma membrane transporter, was shown to be essential for gametocytogenesis and functionally conserved within the genus Plasmodium. Overall, we reveal the importance of four orphan transporters to blood stage P. falciparum development, which have diverse intracellular localizations and putative functions. IMPORTANCE Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes possess multiple compartments with designated membranes. Transporter proteins embedded in these membranes not only facilitate movement of nutrients, metabolites, and other molecules between these compartments, but also are common therapeutic targets and can confer antimalarial drug resistance. Orphan membrane transporters in P. falciparum without sequence homology to transporters in other evolutionary lineages and divergent from host transporters may constitute attractive targets for novel intervention approaches. Here, we localized six of these putative transporters at different subcellular compartments and probed their importance during asexual parasite growth by using reverse genetic approaches. In total, only two candidates turned out to be dispensable for the parasite, highlighting four candidates as putative targets for therapeutic interventions. This study reveals the importance of several orphan transporters to blood stage P. falciparum development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Stephan Wichers
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Gwendolin Fuchs
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jing Yu-Strzelczyk
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jan Stäcker
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arne Alder
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Isabelle Henshall
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Benjamin Liffner
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Georg Nagel
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Löw
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Danny Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tobias Spielmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Shiqiang Gao
- Institute of Physiology, Department of Neurophysiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tim-Wolf Gilberger
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Strauss
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
- Biology Department, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Hamburg, Germany
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7
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Witkop EM, Wikfors GH, Proestou DA, Lundgren KM, Sullivan M, Gomez-Chiarri M. Perkinsus marinus suppresses in vitro eastern oyster apoptosis via IAP-dependent and caspase-independent pathways involving TNFR, NF-kB, and oxidative pathway crosstalk. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 129:104339. [PMID: 34998862 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2022.104339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus causes Dermo disease in eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, and can suppress apoptosis of infected hemocytes using incompletely understood mechanisms. This study challenged hemocytes in vitro with P. marinus for 1 h in the presence or absence of caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK or Inhibitor of Apoptosis protein (IAP) inhibitor GDC-0152. Hemocytes exposure to P. marinus significantly reduced granulocyte apoptosis, and pre-incubation with Z-VAD-FMK did not affect P. marinus-induced apoptosis suppression. Hemocyte pre-incubation with GDC-0152 prior to P. marinus challenge further reduced apoptosis of granulocytes with engulfed parasite, but not mitochondrial permeabilization. This suggests P. marinus-induced apoptosis suppression may be caspase-independent, affect an IAP-involved pathway, and occur downstream of mitochondrial permeabilization. P. marinus challenge stimulated hemocyte differential expression of oxidation-reduction, TNFR, and NF-kB pathways. WGCNA analysis of P. marinus expression in response to hemocyte exposure revealed correlated protease, kinase, and hydrolase expression that could contribute to P. marinus-induced apoptosis suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M Witkop
- University of Rhode Island, Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Gary H Wikfors
- NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center Milford Laboratory, 212 Rogers Ave, Milford, CT, USA
| | - Dina A Proestou
- USDA ARS NEA NCWMAC Shellfish Genetics Program, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, RI, USA
| | | | - Mary Sullivan
- USDA ARS NEA NCWMAC Shellfish Genetics Program, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Marta Gomez-Chiarri
- University of Rhode Island, Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science, 120 Flagg Rd, Kingston, RI, USA.
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Nguyen TT, Kamyingkird K, Phimpraphai W, Inpankaew T. Viability of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in different conditions for parasite transportation. Vet World 2022; 15:198-204. [PMID: 35369589 PMCID: PMC8924386 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.198-204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite is the infective stage that causes acute infection, leading to severe toxoplasmosis. The tachyzoite stage has been extensively used for several inoculation purposes, including antigen production, immunological studies, nutrition mechanisms, and in vitro drug trials. The use of fresh tachyzoites is required for inoculation in either in vitro or in vivo studies. However, there is a lack of information on preserving live tachyzoites during transportation from laboratories to inoculation sites. Therefore, this study aimed to validate suitable preservative conditions for maintaining live parasites by determining the survival and viability of T. gondii tachyzoites on the basis of different media, temperatures, and incubation times. Materials and Methods The free live T. gondii tachyzoites were evaluated on their viability when maintained in different media without 5% Carbon dioxide (CO2). The purified tachyzoites of the RH and PLK strains were individually suspended in normal saline (NS), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), minimum essential medium (MEM), and MEM with 10% fetal bovine serum (MEM-FBS) and incubated for 6 h at ice-cold (IC; 3-9°C) and room temperature (RT; 25°C). Parasite survival was measured at the 0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th h post-incubation using the trypan blue exclusion test. Results The viability was in the range of 85.0%-91.0% for IC using NS and 81.0%-85.1% (IC) and 75.3%-77.5% (RT) using PBS. The viability was approximately 75.0%-83.0% (IC) and 70.0%-79.0% (RT) using MEM and MEM-FBS. There was a significant difference in the viability between the seven periods on the basis of one-way repeated Analysis of variance and Friedman analyses. Parasite survival slightly reduced (20.0%-30.0%) in NS and MEM-FBS at both temperatures during incubation. Notably, PBS could not support tachyzoite viability after 3 h post-incubation. Conclusion NS was a suitable preservative for maintaining purified T. gondii tachyzoites during transportation at IC and RT without 5% CO2 supplementation. This could be a valuable medium for parasite transportation, especially when there is a large distance between the laboratory and inoculation site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Thuy Nguyen
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam
| | - Ketsarin Kamyingkird
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Waraphon Phimpraphai
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Tawin Inpankaew
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
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9
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Kloehn J, Lunghi M, Varesio E, Dubois D, Soldati-Favre D. Untargeted Metabolomics Uncovers the Essential Lysine Transporter in Toxoplasma gondii. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11080476. [PMID: 34436417 PMCID: PMC8399914 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11080476] [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] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites are responsible for devastating diseases, including malaria, toxoplasmosis, and cryptosporidiosis. Current treatments are limited by emerging resistance to, as well as the high cost and toxicity of existing drugs. As obligate intracellular parasites, apicomplexans rely on the uptake of many essential metabolites from their host. Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is auxotrophic for several metabolites, including sugars (e.g., myo-inositol), amino acids (e.g., tyrosine), lipidic compounds and lipid precursors (cholesterol, choline), vitamins, cofactors (thiamine) and others. To date, only few apicomplexan metabolite transporters have been characterized and assigned a substrate. Here, we set out to investigate whether untargeted metabolomics can be used to identify the substrate of an uncharacterized transporter. Based on existing genome- and proteome-wide datasets, we have identified an essential plasma membrane transporter of the major facilitator superfamily in T. gondii-previously termed TgApiAT6-1. Using an inducible system based on RNA degradation, TgApiAT6-1 was depleted, and the mutant parasite's metabolome was compared to that of non-depleted parasites. The most significantly reduced metabolite in parasites depleted in TgApiAT6-1 was identified as the amino acid lysine, for which T. gondii is predicted to be auxotrophic. Using stable isotope-labeled amino acids, we confirmed that TgApiAT6-1 is required for efficient lysine uptake. Our findings highlight untargeted metabolomics as a powerful tool to identify the substrate of orphan transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Kloehn
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (M.L.); (D.D.)
- Correspondence: (J.K.); (D.S.-F.); Tel.: +41-22-379-57-16 (J.K.); +41-22-379-56-72 (D.S.-F.)
| | - Matteo Lunghi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (M.L.); (D.D.)
| | - Emmanuel Varesio
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mass Spectrometry Core Facility (MZ 2.0), University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland;
| | - David Dubois
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (M.L.); (D.D.)
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, CMU, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (M.L.); (D.D.)
- Correspondence: (J.K.); (D.S.-F.); Tel.: +41-22-379-57-16 (J.K.); +41-22-379-56-72 (D.S.-F.)
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10
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High Proportion of Genome-Wide Homology and Increased Pretreatment pvcrt Levels in Plasmodium vivax Late Recurrences: a Chloroquine Therapeutic Efficacy Study. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:e0009521. [PMID: 34031050 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00095-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chloroquine (CQ) is the first-line treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria in most countries where malaria is endemic. Monitoring P. vivax CQ resistance (CQR) is critical but remains challenged by the difficulty to distinguish real treatment failure from reinfection or liver relapse. The therapeutic efficacy of CQ against uncomplicated P. vivax malaria was evaluated in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam. Sixty-seven patients were enrolled and followed for 42 days using microscopy and quantitative PCR. Adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) was 100% (66/66) on day 28 but 75.4% (49/65) on day 42. Eighteen recurrences (27.7%) were detected, with a median time to recurrence of 42 days (interquartile range [IQR], 35 to 42) and blood CQ concentration of <100 ng/ml. Primary infections leading to recurrence occurred in younger individuals (median age for ACPR = 25 years [IQR, 20 to 28]; recurrences = 18 [16 to 21]; P = 0.002) had a longer parasite clearance time (PCT for ACPR = 47.5 h [IQR, 36.2 to 59.8 h]; recurrences = 54.2 [48.4 to 62.0]; P = 0.035) and higher pvcrt gene expression (median relative expression ratio for ACPR = 0.09 [IQR, 0.05 to 0.22]; recurrences = 0.20 [0.15 to 0.56]; P = 0.002), but showed no differences in ex vivo CQ sensitivity. Parasite genotyping by microsatellites, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) barcoding, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) identified a majority of homologous recurrences, with 80% (8/10) showing >98% identity by descent to paired day 0 samples. This study shows that CQ remained largely efficacious to treat P. vivax in Gia Lai; i.e., recurrences occurred late (>day 28) and in the presence of low blood CQ concentrations. However, the combination of both WGS and gene expression analysis (pvcrt) data with clinical data (PCT) allowed us to identify potential emergence of low-grade CQR, which should be closely monitored. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02610686.).
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11
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Tecle E, Chhan CB, Franklin L, Underwood RS, Hanna-Rose W, Troemel ER. The purine nucleoside phosphorylase pnp-1 regulates epithelial cell resistance to infection in C. elegans. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009350. [PMID: 33878133 PMCID: PMC8087013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Intestinal epithelial cells are subject to attack by a diverse array of microbes, including intracellular as well as extracellular pathogens. While defense in epithelial cells can be triggered by pattern recognition receptor-mediated detection of microbe-associated molecular patterns, there is much to be learned about how they sense infection via perturbations of host physiology, which often occur during infection. A recently described host defense response in the nematode C. elegans called the Intracellular Pathogen Response (IPR) can be triggered by infection with diverse natural intracellular pathogens, as well as by perturbations to protein homeostasis. From a forward genetic screen, we identified the C. elegans ortholog of purine nucleoside phosphorylase pnp-1 as a negative regulator of IPR gene expression, as well as a negative regulator of genes induced by extracellular pathogens. Accordingly, pnp-1 mutants have resistance to both intracellular and extracellular pathogens. Metabolomics analysis indicates that C. elegans pnp-1 likely has enzymatic activity similar to its human ortholog, serving to convert purine nucleosides into free bases. Classic genetic studies have shown how mutations in human purine nucleoside phosphorylase cause immunodeficiency due to T-cell dysfunction. Here we show that C. elegans pnp-1 acts in intestinal epithelial cells to regulate defense. Altogether, these results indicate that perturbations in purine metabolism are likely monitored as a cue to promote defense against epithelial infection in the nematode C. elegans. All life requires purine nucleotides. However, obligate intracellular pathogens are incapable of generating their own purine nucleotides and thus have evolved strategies to steal these nucleotides from host cells in order to support their growth and replication. Using the small roundworm C. elegans, we show that infection with natural obligate intracellular pathogens is impaired by loss of pnp-1, the C. elegans ortholog of the vertebrate purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), which is an enzyme involved in salvaging purines. Loss of pnp-1 leads to altered levels of purine nucleotide precursors and increased expression of Intracellular Pathogen Response genes, which are induced by viral and fungal intracellular pathogens of C. elegans. In addition, we find that loss of pnp-1 increases resistance to extracellular pathogen infection and increases expression of genes involved in extracellular pathogen defense. Interestingly, studies from 1975 found that mutations in human PNP impair T-cell immunity, whereas our findings here indicate C. elegans pnp-1 regulates intestinal epithelial immunity. Overall, our work indicates that host purine homeostasis regulates resistance to both intracellular and extracellular pathogen infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eillen Tecle
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Crystal B. Chhan
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Latisha Franklin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ryan S. Underwood
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Wendy Hanna-Rose
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Emily R. Troemel
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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12
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Ca 2+-regulated mitochondrial carriers of ATP-Mg 2+/Pi: Evolutionary insights in protozoans. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2021; 1868:119038. [PMID: 33839167 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In addition to its uptake across the Ca2+ uniporter, intracellular calcium signals can stimulate mitochondrial metabolism activating metabolite exchangers of the inner mitochondrial membrane belonging to the mitochondrial carrier family (SLC25). One of these Ca2+-regulated mitochondrial carriers (CaMCs) are the reversible ATP-Mg2+/Pi transporters, or SCaMCs, required for maintaining optimal adenine nucleotide (AdN) levels in the mitochondrial matrix representing an alternative transporter to the ADP/ATP translocases (AAC). This CaMC has a distinctive Calmodulin-like (CaM-like) domain fused to the carrier domain that makes its transport activity strictly dependent on cytosolic Ca2+ signals. Here we investigate about its origin analysing its distribution and features in unicellular eukaryotes. Unexpectedly, we find two types of ATP-Mg2+/Pi carriers, the canonical ones and shortened variants lacking the CaM-like domain. Phylogenetic analysis shows that both SCaMC variants have a common origin, unrelated to AACs, suggesting in turn that recurrent losses of the regulatory module have occurred in the different phyla. They are excluding variants that show a more limited distribution and less conservation than AACs. Interestingly, these truncated variants of SCaMC are found almost exclusively in parasitic protists, such as apicomplexans, kinetoplastides or animal-patogenic oomycetes, and in green algae, suggesting that its lost could be related to certain life-styles. In addition, we find an intricate structural diversity in these variants that may be associated with their pathogenicity. The consequences on SCaMC functions of these new SCaMC-b variants are discussed.
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13
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Metabolite salvage and restriction during infection - a tug of war between Toxoplasma gondii and its host. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 68:104-114. [PMID: 33202353 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The apicomplexans, including the coccidian pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, are obligate intracellular parasites whose growth and development are intricately linked to the metabolism of their host. T. gondii depends on its host for the salvage of energy sources, building blocks, vitamins and cofactors to survive and replicate. Additionally, host metabolites directly impact on the parasite life cycle development by triggering or halting differentiation. Although T. gondii infects a wide range of host cells, it has evolved to modulate and maximally exploit its host's metabolism. In return the host has developed strategies to restrict parasite access to metabolites. Here we discuss recent findings which have shed light on the battle over metabolites between T. gondii and its host.
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14
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Tougan T, Edula JR, Morita M, Takashima E, Honma H, Tsuboi T, Horii T. The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in red blood cells selectively takes up serum proteins that affect host pathogenicity. Malar J 2020; 19:155. [PMID: 32295584 PMCID: PMC7161009 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03229-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan that develops in red blood cells (RBCs) and requires various host factors. For its development in RBCs, nutrients not only from the RBC cytosol but also from the extracellular milieu must be acquired. Although the utilization of host nutrients by P. falciparum has been extensively analysed, only a few studies have reported its utilization of host serum proteins. Hence, the aim of the current study was to comprehensively identify host serum proteins taken up by P. falciparum parasites and to elucidate their role in pathogenesis. Methods Plasmodium falciparum was cultured with human serum in vitro. Uptake of serum proteins by parasites was comprehensively determined via shotgun liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry and western blotting. The calcium ion concentration in serum was also evaluated, and coagulation activity of the parasite lysate was assessed. Results Three proteins, vitamin K-dependent protein S, prothrombin, and vitronectin, were selectively internalized under sufficient Ca2+ levels in the culture medium. The uptake of these proteins was initiated before DNA replication, and increased during the trophozoite and schizont stages, irrespective of the assembly/disassembly of actin filaments. Coagulation assay revealed that prothrombin was activated and thereby induced blood coagulation. Conclusions Serum proteins were taken up by parasites under culture conditions with sufficient Ca2+ levels. This uptake phenomenon was associated with their pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Tougan
- Research Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Jyotheeswara R Edula
- Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Cell and Developmental Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Masayuki Morita
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Centre, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan
| | - Eizo Takashima
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Centre, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan
| | - Hajime Honma
- Department of International Affairs and Tropical Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
| | - Takafumi Tsuboi
- Division of Malaria Research, Proteo-Science Centre, Ehime University, 3 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Horii
- Department of Malaria Vaccine Development, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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15
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Qureshi AA, Suades A, Matsuoka R, Brock J, McComas SE, Nji E, Orellana L, Claesson M, Delemotte L, Drew D. The molecular basis for sugar import in malaria parasites. Nature 2020; 578:321-325. [PMID: 31996846 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-1963-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating the mechanism of sugar import requires a molecular understanding of how transporters couple sugar binding and gating events. Whereas mammalian glucose transporters (GLUTs) are specialists1, the hexose transporter from the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum PfHT12,3 has acquired the ability to transport both glucose and fructose sugars as efficiently as the dedicated glucose (GLUT3) and fructose (GLUT5) transporters. Here, to establish the molecular basis of sugar promiscuity in malaria parasites, we determined the crystal structure of PfHT1 in complex with D-glucose at a resolution of 3.6 Å. We found that the sugar-binding site in PfHT1 is very similar to those of the distantly related GLUT3 and GLUT5 structures4,5. Nevertheless, engineered PfHT1 mutations made to match GLUT sugar-binding sites did not shift sugar preferences. The extracellular substrate-gating helix TM7b in PfHT1 was positioned in a fully occluded conformation, providing a unique glimpse into how sugar binding and gating are coupled. We determined that polar contacts between TM7b and TM1 (located about 15 Å from D-glucose) are just as critical for transport as the residues that directly coordinate D-glucose, which demonstrates a strong allosteric coupling between sugar binding and gating. We conclude that PfHT1 has achieved substrate promiscuity not by modifying its sugar-binding site, but instead by evolving substrate-gating dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Aziz Qureshi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Albert Suades
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rei Matsuoka
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joseph Brock
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sarah E McComas
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Emmanuel Nji
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Laura Orellana
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Magnus Claesson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lucie Delemotte
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Drew
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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16
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Zhang X, Liu B, Zou F, Shen D, Yin Z, Wang R, He F, Wang Y, Tyler BM, Fan W, Qian W, Dou D. Whole Genome Re-sequencing Reveals Natural Variation and Adaptive Evolution of Phytophthora sojae. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2792. [PMID: 31849921 PMCID: PMC6895562 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the monocultural basis of agricultural crops, mutated plant microbes with increased pathogenicity can easily spread in the field and lead to serious yield losses. As a major threat to a wide range of crop plants, oomycete pathogens continuously undergo adaptive evolution to overcome plant defense barriers. However, the genetic basis of their evolution at the molecular level remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the nature variation and the population genomics of the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae by high-throughput genome re-sequencing. Genomic variation analysis revealed uneven “two-speed” evolutionary pattern with genes in gene-sparse regions (GSRs) showing higher rates of structural polymorphisms and positive selection. GSRs are enriched in effector genes and transposase-related genes. Our results also suggested that the NADH oxidase and MIP transporter gene families undergo rapid and diversifying selection. Furthermore, we demonstrated that P. sojae isolates possess varying numbers of RxLR effectors with diverse sequences, totaling 471 members. Among them, 42 core RxLR effectors are assumed to be important for infection. Finally, we observed that Avr genes exhibit abundant sequence variation in P. sojae isolates. Several novel variants lead to the evading of host resistance, including a complete deletion in Avr3c and amino acid mutations in Avr1a. Taken together, our results provide an adaptive landscape of P. sojae at single-nucleotide resolution, as well as resources for further resistance breeding and disease prevention against this important plant pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiong Zhang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Plant Pathology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Agricultural Genomic Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fen Zou
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Danyu Shen
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhiyuan Yin
- Department of Plant Pathology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Rongbo Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng He
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanchao Wang
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Brett M Tyler
- Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Wei Fan
- Agricultural Genomic Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wanqiang Qian
- Agricultural Genomic Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Daolong Dou
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,Department of Plant Pathology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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17
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Major P, Sendra KM, Dean P, Williams TA, Watson AK, Thwaites DT, Embley TM, Hirt RP. A new family of cell surface located purine transporters in Microsporidia and related fungal endoparasites. eLife 2019; 8:e47037. [PMID: 31355745 PMCID: PMC6699826 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasma membrane-located transport proteins are key adaptations for obligate intracellular Microsporidia parasites, because they can use them to steal host metabolites the parasites need to grow and replicate. However, despite their importance, the functions and substrate specificities of most Microsporidia transporters are unknown. Here, we provide functional data for a family of transporters conserved in all microsporidian genomes and also in the genomes of related endoparasites. The universal retention among otherwise highly reduced genomes indicates an important role for these transporters for intracellular parasites. Using Trachipleistophora hominis, a Microsporidia isolated from an HIV/AIDS patient, as our experimental model, we show that the proteins are ATP and GTP transporters located on the surface of parasites during their intracellular growth and replication. Our work identifies a new route for the acquisition of essential energy and nucleotides for a major group of intracellular parasites that infect most animal species including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Major
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Kacper M Sendra
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Paul Dean
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Tom A Williams
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew K Watson
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - David T Thwaites
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - T Martin Embley
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
| | - Robert P Hirt
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, the Medical SchoolNewcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUnited Kingdom
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18
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Lee CC, Huang PJ, Yeh YM, Chen SY, Chiu CH, Cheng WH, Tang P. Pathogenic Protist Transmembranome database (PPTdb): a web-based platform for searching and analysis of protist transmembrane proteins. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 20:382. [PMID: 31337335 PMCID: PMC6651900 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-019-2857-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pathogenic protist membrane transporter proteins play important roles not only in exchanging molecules into and out of cells but also in acquiring nutrients and biosynthetic compounds from their hosts. Currently, there is no centralized protist membrane transporter database published, which makes system-wide comparisons and studies of host-pathogen membranomes difficult to achieve. RESULTS We analyzed over one million protein sequences from 139 protists with full or partial genome sequences. Putative transmembrane proteins were annotated by primary sequence alignments, conserved secondary structural elements, and functional domains. We have constructed the PPTdb (Pathogenic Protist Transmembranome database), a comprehensive membrane transporter protein portal for pathogenic protists and their human hosts. The PPTdb is a web-based database with a user-friendly searching and data querying interface, including hierarchical transporter classification (TC) numbers, protein sequences, functional annotations, conserved functional domains, batch sequence retrieving and downloads. The PPTdb also serves as an analytical platform to provide useful comparison/mining tools, including transmembrane ability evaluation, annotation of unknown proteins, informative visualization charts, and iterative functional mining of host-pathogen transporter proteins. CONCLUSIONS The PPTdb collected putative protist transporter proteins and offers a user-friendly data retrieving interface. Moreover, a pairwise functional comparison ability can provide useful information for identifying functional uniqueness of each protist. Finally, the host and non-host protein similarity search can fulfill the needs of comprehensive studies of protists and their hosts. The PPTdb is freely accessible at http://pptdb.cgu.edu.tw .
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Ching Lee
- Department and Graduate Institute of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Po-Jung Huang
- Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Ming Yeh
- Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Sin-You Chen
- Department and Graduate Institute of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Hsun Chiu
- Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.,Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Hung Cheng
- Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Petrus Tang
- Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan. .,Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
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19
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Buyuktimkin B, Zafar H, Saier MH. Comparative genomics of the transportome of Ten Treponema species. Microb Pathog 2019; 132:87-99. [PMID: 31029716 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.04.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Treponema is a diverse bacterial genus, the species of which can be pathogenic, symbiotic, or free living. These treponemes can cause various diseases in humans and other animals, such as periodontal disease, bovine digital dermatitis and animal skin lesions. However, the most important and well-studied disease of treponemes that affects humans is 'syphilis'. This disease is caused by Treponema pallidum subspecie pallidum with 11-12 million new cases around the globe on an annual basis. In this study we analyze the transportome of ten Treponema species, with emphasis on the types of encoded transport proteins and their substrates. Of the ten species examined, two (T. primitia and T. azonutricium) reside as symbionts in the guts of termites; six (T. pallidum, T. paraluiscuniculi, T. pedis, T. denticola, T. putidum and T. brennaborense) are pathogens of either humans or animals, and T. caldarium and T. succinifaciens are avirulent species, the former being thermophilic. All ten species have a repertoire of transport proteins that assists them in residing in their respective ecological niches. For instance, oral pathogens use transport proteins that take up nutrients uniquely present in their ecosystem; they also encode multiple multidrug/macromolecule exporters that protect against antimicrobials and aid in biofilm formation. Proteins of termite gut symbionts convert cellulose into other sugars that can be metabolized by the host. As often observed for pathogens and symbionts, several of these treponemes have reduced genome sizes, and their small genomes correlate with their dependencies on the host. Overall, the transportomes of T. pallidum and other pathogens have a conglomerate of parasitic lifestyle-assisting proteins. For example, a T. pallidum repeat protein (TprK) mediates immune evasion; outer membrane proteins (OMPs) allow nutrient uptake and end product export, and several ABC transporters catalyze sugar uptake, considered pivotal to parasitic lifestyles. Taken together, the results of this study yield new information that may help open new avenues of treponeme research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bora Buyuktimkin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA
| | - Hassan Zafar
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA; Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Milton H Saier
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA.
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20
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Landfear SM. Protean permeases: Diverse roles for membrane transport proteins in kinetoplastid protozoa. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2018; 227:39-46. [PMID: 30590069 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2018.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Kinetoplastid parasites such as Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania species rely upon their insect and vertebrate hosts to provide a plethora of nutrients throughout their life cycles. Nutrients and ions critical for parasite survival are taken up across the parasite plasma membrane by transporters and channels, polytopic membrane proteins that provide substrate-specific pores across the hydrophobic barrier. However, transporters and channels serve a wide range of biological functions beyond uptake of nutrients. This article highlights the diversity of activities that these integral membrane proteins serve and underscores the emerging complexity of their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M Landfear
- Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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21
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Lauri N, Bazzi Z, Alvarez CL, Leal Denis MF, Schachter J, Herlax V, Ostuni MA, Schwarzbaum PJ. ATPe Dynamics in Protozoan Parasites. Adapt or Perish. Genes (Basel) 2018; 10:E16. [PMID: 30591699 PMCID: PMC6356682 DOI: 10.3390/genes10010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In most animals, transient increases of extracellular ATP (ATPe) are used for physiological signaling or as a danger signal in pathological conditions. ATPe dynamics are controlled by ATP release from viable cells and cell lysis, ATPe degradation and interconversion by ecto-nucleotidases, and interaction of ATPe and byproducts with cell surface purinergic receptors and purine salvage mechanisms. Infection by protozoan parasites may alter at least one of the mechanisms controlling ATPe concentration. Protozoan parasites display their own set of proteins directly altering ATPe dynamics, or control the activity of host proteins. Parasite dependent activation of ATPe conduits of the host may promote infection and systemic responses that are beneficial or detrimental to the parasite. For instance, activation of organic solute permeability at the host membrane can support the elevated metabolism of the parasite. On the other hand ecto-nucleotidases of protozoan parasites, by promoting ATPe degradation and purine/pyrimidine salvage, may be involved in parasite growth, infectivity, and virulence. In this review, we will describe the complex dynamics of ATPe regulation in the context of protozoan parasite⁻host interactions. Particular focus will be given to features of parasite membrane proteins strongly controlling ATPe dynamics. This includes evolutionary, genetic and cellular mechanisms, as well as structural-functional relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Lauri
- Institute of Biological Chemistry and Physicochemistry (IQUIFIB) "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini", Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Chemistry, Chair of Biological Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Zaher Bazzi
- Institute of Biological Chemistry and Physicochemistry (IQUIFIB) "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini", Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Cora L Alvarez
- Institute of Biological Chemistry and Physicochemistry (IQUIFIB) "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini", Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, University of Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes, Buenos Aires 2160, Argentina.
| | - María F Leal Denis
- Institute of Biological Chemistry and Physicochemistry (IQUIFIB) "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini", Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Chair of Analytical Chemistry and Physicochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Julieta Schachter
- Institute of Biological Chemistry and Physicochemistry (IQUIFIB) "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini", Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Vanesa Herlax
- Biochemistry Research Institute of La Plata (INIBIOLP) "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner", Faculty of Medical Sciences, National University of La Plata, National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Av. 60 y Av. 120 La Plata, Argentina.
- National University of La Plata, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Av. 60 y Av. 120 La Plata, Argentina.
| | - Mariano A Ostuni
- UMR-S1134, Integrated Biology of Red Blood Cells, INSERM, Paris Diderot University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, University of La Réunion, University of Antilles, F-75015 Paris, France.
- National Institute of Blood Transfusion (INTS), Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, F-75015 Paris, France.
| | - Pablo J Schwarzbaum
- Institute of Biological Chemistry and Physicochemistry (IQUIFIB) "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini", Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Chemistry, Chair of Biological Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Junín 956 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa that infects all warm-blooded animals, including humans. T. gondii can replicate in every nucleated host cell by orchestrating metabolic interactions to derive crucial nutrients. In this review, we summarize the current status of known metabolic interactions of T. gondii with its host cell and discuss open questions and promising experimental approaches that will allow further dissection of the host-parasite interface and discovery of ways to efficiently target both tachyzoite and bradyzoite forms of T. gondii, which are associated with acute and chronic infection, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Blume
- NG2 - Metabolism of Microbial Pathogens, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Seeber
- FG16 - Mycotic and Parasitic Agents and Mycobacteria, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
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23
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Bioinformatics Analysis and Functional Prediction of Transmembrane Proteins in Entamoeba histolytica. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9100499. [PMID: 30332795 PMCID: PMC6209943 DOI: 10.3390/genes9100499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica is an invasive, pathogenic parasite causing amoebiasis. Given that proteins involved in transmembrane (TM) transport are crucial for the adherence, invasion, and nutrition of the parasite, we conducted a genome-wide bioinformatics analysis of encoding proteins to functionally classify and characterize all the TM proteins in E. histolytica. In the present study, 692 TM proteins have been identified, of which 546 are TM transporters. For the first time, we report a set of 141 uncharacterized proteins predicted as TM transporters. The percentage of TM proteins was found to be lower in comparison to the free-living eukaryotes, due to the extracellular nature and functional diversification of the TM proteins. The number of multi-pass proteins is larger than the single-pass proteins; though both have their own significance in parasitism, multi-pass proteins are more extensively required as these are involved in acquiring nutrition and for ion transport, while single-pass proteins are only required at the time of inciting infection. Overall, this intestinal parasite implements multiple mechanisms for establishing infection, obtaining nutrition, and adapting itself to the new host environment. A classification of the repertoire of TM transporters in the present study augments several hints on potential methods of targeting the parasite for therapeutic benefits.
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24
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Wei M, Lu L, Sui W, Liu Y, Shi X, Lv L. Inhibition of GLUTs by WZB117 mediates apoptosis in blood-stage Plasmodium parasites by breaking redox balance. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 503:1154-1159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.06.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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25
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Sinha R, C MM, Raghwan, Das S, Das S, Shadab M, Chowdhury R, Tripathy S, Ali N. Genome Plasticity in Cultured Leishmania donovani: Comparison of Early and Late Passages. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1279. [PMID: 30018594 PMCID: PMC6037818 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania donovani possesses a complex heteroxenic life cycle where infective metacyclic promastigotes are pre-adapted to infect their host and cope up with intracellular stress. Exploiting the similarities between cultured and sandfly derived promastigotes, we used early and late passage cultured promastigotes to show specific changes at genome level which compromise pathogen fitness reflected in gene expression and infection studies. The pathogen loses virulence mostly via transcriptional and translational regulations and long-time cultivation makes them struggle to convert to virulent metacyclics. At the genomic level very subtle plasticity was observed between the early and the late passages mostly in defense-related, nutrient acquisition and signal transduction genes. Chromosome Copy number variation is seen in the early and late passages involving several genes that may be playing a role in pathogenicity. Our study highlights the importance of ABC transporters and calpain like cysteine proteases in parasite virulence in cultured promastigotes. Interestingly, these proteins are emerging as important patho-adaptive factors in clinical isolates of Leishmania. We found that the currently available genome of Leishmania in the NCBI database are from late passages. Our early passage genome can act as a reference for future studies on virulent isolates of Leishmania. The annotated leads from this study can be used for virulence surveillance and therapeutic studies in the Indian subcontinent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roma Sinha
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Mathu Malar C
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India
| | - Raghwan
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Subhadeep Das
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India
| | - Sonali Das
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Mohammad Shadab
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Rukhsana Chowdhury
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Sucheta Tripathy
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India
| | - Nahid Ali
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
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26
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Rodenburg SYA, Seidl MF, de Ridder D, Govers F. Genome-wide characterization of Phytophthora infestans metabolism: a systems biology approach. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2018; 19:1403-1413. [PMID: 28990716 PMCID: PMC6638193 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) provide a functional view of the complex network of biochemical reactions in the living cell. Initially mainly applied to reconstruct the metabolism of model organisms, the availability of increasingly sophisticated reconstruction methods and more extensive biochemical databases now make it possible to reconstruct GEMs for less well-characterized organisms, and have the potential to unravel the metabolism in pathogen-host systems. Here, we present a GEM for the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans as a first step towards an integrative model with its host. We predict the biochemical reactions in different cellular compartments and investigate the gene-protein-reaction associations in this model to obtain an impression of the biochemical capabilities of P. infestans. Furthermore, we generate life stage-specific models to place the transcriptomic changes of the genes encoding metabolic enzymes into a functional context. In sporangia and zoospores, there is an overall down-regulation, most strikingly reflected in the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway. To investigate the robustness of the GEM, we simulate gene deletions to predict which enzymes are essential for in vitro growth. This model is an essential first step towards an understanding of P. infestans and its interactions with plants as a system, which will help to formulate new hypotheses on infection mechanisms and disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Y. A. Rodenburg
- Laboratory of PhytopathologyWageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PBthe Netherlands
- Bioinformatics GroupWageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PBthe Netherlands
| | - Michael F. Seidl
- Laboratory of PhytopathologyWageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PBthe Netherlands
| | - Dick de Ridder
- Bioinformatics GroupWageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PBthe Netherlands
| | - Francine Govers
- Laboratory of PhytopathologyWageningen University, Wageningen 6708 PBthe Netherlands
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27
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Schiafino-Ortega S, Baglioni E, Pérez-Moreno G, Marco PR, Marco C, González-Pacanowska D, Ruiz-Pérez LM, Carrasco-Jiménez MP, López-Cara LC. 1,2-Diphenoxiethane salts as potent antiplasmodial agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2018; 28:2485-2489. [PMID: 29880399 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In this article we present a series of non-cytotoxic potent human choline kinase (CK) inhibitors that exhibit nanomolar antiplasmodial activity in vitro. The most active antiplasmodial compounds, 10a-b, bearing a pyridinium cationic head were inactive against CK, while compounds 10g and 10j with a quinolinium moiety exhibit moderate inhibition of both the parasite and the enzyme. The results point towards an additional mechanism of action unrelated to CK inhibition that remains to be established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Schiafino-Ortega
- Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Eleonora Baglioni
- Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Guiomar Pérez-Moreno
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Pablo Rios Marco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Carmen Marco
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Dolores González-Pacanowska
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel Ruiz-Pérez
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - María Paz Carrasco-Jiménez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular I, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Luisa Carlota López-Cara
- Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Campus de Cartuja, 18071 Granada, Spain.
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28
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Major P, Embley TM, Williams TA. Phylogenetic Diversity of NTT Nucleotide Transport Proteins in Free-Living and Parasitic Bacteria and Eukaryotes. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:480-487. [PMID: 28164241 PMCID: PMC5381601 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasma membrane-located nucleotide transport proteins (NTTs) underpin the lifestyle of important obligate intracellular bacterial and eukaryotic pathogens by importing energy and nucleotides from infected host cells that the pathogens can no longer make for themselves. As such their presence is often seen as a hallmark of an intracellular lifestyle associated with reductive genome evolution and loss of primary biosynthetic pathways. Here, we investigate the phylogenetic distribution of NTT sequences across the domains of cellular life. Our analysis reveals an unexpectedly broad distribution of NTT genes in both host-associated and free-living prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We also identify cases of within-bacteria and bacteria-to-eukaryote horizontal NTT transfer, including into the base of the oomycetes, a major clade of parasitic eukaryotes. In addition to identifying sequences that retain the canonical NTT structure, we detected NTT gene fusions with HEAT-repeat and cyclic nucleotide binding domains in Cyanobacteria, pathogenic Chlamydiae and Oomycetes. Our results suggest that NTTs are versatile functional modules with a much wider distribution and a broader range of potential roles than has previously been appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Major
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - T Martin Embley
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
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29
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Mohd-Assaad N, McDonald BA, Croll D. Genome-Wide Detection of Genes Under Positive Selection in Worldwide Populations of the Barley Scald Pathogen. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:1315-1332. [PMID: 29722810 PMCID: PMC5972619 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Coevolution between hosts and pathogens generates strong selection pressures to maintain resistance and infectivity, respectively. Genomes of plant pathogens often encode major effect loci for the ability to successfully infect specific host genotypes. Hence, spatial heterogeneity in host genotypes coupled with abiotic factors could lead to locally adapted pathogen populations. However, the genetic basis of local adaptation is poorly understood. Rhynchosporium commune, the pathogen causing barley scald disease, interacts at least partially in a gene-for-gene manner with its host. We analyzed global field populations of 125 R. commune isolates to identify candidate genes for local adaptation. Whole genome sequencing data showed that the pathogen is subdivided into three genetic clusters associated with distinct geographic and climatic regions. Using haplotype-based selection scans applied independently to each genetic cluster, we found strong evidence for selective sweeps throughout the genome. Comparisons of loci under selection among clusters revealed little overlap, suggesting that ecological differences associated with each cluster led to variable selection regimes. The strongest signals of selection were found predominantly in the two clusters composed of isolates from Central Europe and Ethiopia. The strongest selective sweep regions encoded protein functions related to biotic and abiotic stress responses. Selective sweep regions were enriched in genes encoding functions in cellular localization, protein transport activity, and DNA damage responses. In contrast to the prevailing view that a small number of gene-for-gene interactions govern plant pathogen evolution, our analyses suggest that the evolutionary trajectory is largely determined by spatially heterogeneous biotic and abiotic selection pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norfarhan Mohd-Assaad
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Bruce A McDonald
- Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Croll
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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30
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Molecular Camouflage of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoites by Binding of Host Vitronectin to P47 Fragment of SERA5. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5052. [PMID: 29567995 PMCID: PMC5864917 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23194-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum proliferates in the blood stream where the host immune system is most active. To escape from host immunity, P. falciparum has developed a number of evasion mechanisms. Serine repeat antigen 5 (SERA5) is a blood stage antigen highly expressed at late trophozoite and schizont stages. The P47 N-terminal domain of SERA5, the basis of SE36 antigen of the blood stage vaccine candidate under clinical trials, covers the merozoite surface. Exploring the role of the P47 domain, screening of serum proteins showed that vitronectin (VTN) directly binds to 20 residues in the C-terminal region of SE36. VTN co-localized with P47 domain in the schizont and merozoite stages. Phagocytosis assay using THP-1 cells demonstrated that VTN bound to SE36 prevented engulfment of SE36-beads. In addition, several serum proteins localized on the merozoite surface, suggesting that host proteins camouflage merozoites against host immunity via binding to VTN.
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31
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Abstract
Microsporidia are strict obligate intracellular parasites that infect a wide range of eukaryotes including humans and economically important fish and insects. Surviving and flourishing inside another eukaryotic cell is a very specialised lifestyle that requires evolutionary innovation. Genome sequence analyses show that microsporidia have lost most of the genes needed for making primary metabolites, such as amino acids and nucleotides, and also that they have only a limited capacity for making adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Since microsporidia cannot grow and replicate without the enormous amounts of energy and nucleotide building blocks needed for protein, DNA, and RNA biosynthesis, they must have evolved ways of stealing these substrates from the infected host cell. Providing they can do this, genome analyses suggest that microsporidia have the enzyme repertoire needed to use and regenerate the imported nucleotides efficiently. Recent functional studies suggest that a critical innovation for adapting to intracellular life was the acquisition by lateral gene transfer of nucleotide transport (NTT) proteins that are now present in multiple copies in all microsporidian genomes. These proteins are expressed on the parasite surface and allow microsporidia to steal ATP and other purine nucleotides for energy and biosynthesis from their host. However, it remains unclear how other essential metabolites, such as pyrimidine nucleotides, are acquired. Transcriptomic and experimental studies suggest that microsporidia might manipulate host cell metabolism and cell biological processes to promote nucleotide synthesis and to maximise the potential for ATP and nucleotide import. In this review, we summarise recent genomic and functional data relating to how microsporidia exploit their hosts for energy and building blocks needed for growth and nucleic acid metabolism and we identify some remaining outstanding questions.
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32
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Boswell-Casteel RC, Hays FA. Equilibrative nucleoside transporters-A review. NUCLEOSIDES NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 36:7-30. [PMID: 27759477 DOI: 10.1080/15257770.2016.1210805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are polytopic integral membrane proteins that mediate the transport of nucleosides, nucleobases, and therapeutic analogs. The best-characterized ENTs are the human transporters hENT1 and hENT2. However, non-mammalian eukaryotic ENTs have also been studied (e.g., yeast, parasitic protozoa). ENTs are major pharmaceutical targets responsible for modulating the efficacy of more than 30 approved drugs. However, the molecular mechanisms and chemical determinants of ENT-mediated substrate recognition, binding, inhibition, and transport are poorly understood. This review highlights findings on the characterization of ENTs by surveying studies on genetics, permeant and inhibitor interactions, mutagenesis, and structural models of ENT function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebba C Boswell-Casteel
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
| | - Franklin A Hays
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA.,b Stephenson Cancer Center , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA.,c Harold Hamm Diabetes Center , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
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33
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Kariithi HM, Boeren S, Murungi EK, Vlak JM, Abd-Alla AMM. A proteomics approach reveals molecular manipulators of distinct cellular processes in the salivary glands of Glossina m. morsitans in response to Trypanosoma b. brucei infections. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:424. [PMID: 27485005 PMCID: PMC4969678 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1714-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Glossina m. morsitans is the primary vector of the Trypanosoma brucei group, one of the causative agents of African trypanosomoses. The parasites undergo metacyclogenesis, i.e. transformation into the mammalian-infective metacyclic trypomastigote (MT) parasites, in the salivary glands (SGs) of the tsetse vector. Since the MT-parasites are largely uncultivable in vitro, information on the molecular processes that facilitate metacyclogenesis is scanty. Methods To bridge this knowledge gap, we employed tandem mass spectrometry to investigate protein expression modulations in parasitized (T. b. brucei-infected) and unparasitized SGs of G. m. morsitans. We annotated the identified proteins into gene ontologies and mapped the up- and downregulated proteins within protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. Results We identified 361 host proteins, of which 76.6 % (n = 276) and 22.3 % (n = 81) were up- and downregulated, respectively, in parasitized SGs compared to unparasitized SGs. Whilst 32 proteins were significantly upregulated (> 10-fold), only salivary secreted adenosine was significantly downregulated. Amongst the significantly upregulated proteins, there were proteins associated with blood feeding, immunity, cellular proliferation, homeostasis, cytoskeletal traffic and regulation of protein turnover. The significantly upregulated proteins formed major hubs in the PPI network including key regulators of the Ras/MAPK and Ca2+/cAMP signaling pathways, ubiquitin-proteasome system and mitochondrial respiratory chain. Moreover, we identified 158 trypanosome-specific proteins, notable of which were proteins in the families of the GPI-anchored surface glycoproteins, kinetoplastid calpains, peroxiredoxins, retrotransposon host spot multigene and molecular chaperones. Whilst immune-related trypanosome proteins were over-represented, membrane transporters and proteins involved in translation repression (e.g. ribosomal proteins) were under-represented, potentially reminiscent of the growth-arrested MT-parasites. Conclusions Our data implicate the significantly upregulated proteins as manipulators of diverse cellular processes in response to T. b. brucei infection, potentially to prepare the MT-parasites for invasion and evasion of the mammalian host immune defences. We discuss potential strategies to exploit our findings in enhancement of trypanosome refractoriness or reduce the vector competence of the tsetse vector. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1714-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry M Kariithi
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, P.O Box 57811, 00200, Kaptagat Rd, Loresho, Nairobi, Kenya. .,Insect Pest Control Laboratories, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagrammer Straße 5, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sjef Boeren
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, Dreijenlaan 3, 6703, HA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin K Murungi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536, 20115, Njoro, Kenya
| | - Just M Vlak
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708, PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Adly M M Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratories, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagrammer Straße 5, Vienna, Austria.
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34
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Menezes CB, Durgante J, de Oliveira RR, Dos Santos VHJM, Rodrigues LF, Garcia SC, Dos Santos O, Tasca T. Trichomonas vaginalis NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase hydrolyze guanine nucleotides and increase extracellular guanosine levels under serum restriction. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2016; 207:10-8. [PMID: 27150347 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Revised: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is the aethiologic agent of trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease in the world. The purinergic signaling pathway is mediated by extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides that are involved in many biological effects as neurotransmission, immunomodulation and inflammation. Extracellular nucleotides can be hydrolyzed by a family of enzymes known as ectonucleotidases including the ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (E-NTPDases) family which hydrolyses nucleosides triphosphate and diphosphate as preferential substrates and ecto-5'-nucleotidase which catalyzes the conversion of monophosphates into nucleosides. In T. vaginalis the E-NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase activities upon adenine nucleotides have already been characterized in intact trophozoites but little is known concerning guanine nucleotides and nucleoside. These enzymes may exert a crucial role on nucleoside generation, providing the purine sources for the synthesis de novo of these essential nutrients, sustaining parasite growth and survival. In this study, we investigated the hydrolysis profile of guanine-related nucleotides and nucleoside in intact trophozoites from long-term-grown and fresh clinical isolates of T. vaginalis. Knowing that guanine nucleotides are also substrates for T. vaginalis ectoenzymes, we evaluated the profile of nucleotides consumption and guanosine uptake in trophozoites submitted to a serum limitation condition. Results show that guanine nucleotides (GTP, GDP, GMP) were substrates for T. vaginalis ectonucleotidases, with expected kinetic parameters for this enzyme family. Different T. vaginalis isolates (two from the ATCC and nine fresh clinical isolates) presented a heterogeneous hydrolysis profile. The serum culture condition increased E-NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase activities with high consumption of extracellular GTP generating enhanced GDP, GMP and guanosine levels as demonstrated by HPLC, with final accumulation of the nucleoside. The transcript levels of the five TvNTPDases gene sequences were analyzed by qRT-PCR and the highest gene expressions were found for TvNTPDase 2 and 4. The extracellular guanosine uptake was observed as (13C)GTP nucleotide into parasite DNA and it was lower than that observed for adenosine, labeled as (13C)ATP. These findings indicate the T. vaginalis preference for adenosine uptake and the accumulation of guanosine in the extracellular milieu, corroborating with HPLC data. Our data demonstrate, for the first time, the cascade of guanine nucleotides in T. vaginalis and open possibilities on the study of guanine-related purines other than the classical intracellular activity of G proteins for signal transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Braz Menezes
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Juliano Durgante
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rafael Rodrigues de Oliveira
- Instituto do Petróleo e dos Recursos Naturais, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Victor Hugo Jacks Mendes Dos Santos
- Instituto do Petróleo e dos Recursos Naturais, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Luiz Frederico Rodrigues
- Instituto do Petróleo e dos Recursos Naturais, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Solange Cristina Garcia
- Laboratório de Toxicologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Odelta Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tiana Tasca
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Parasitologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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Naemat A, Elsheikha HM, Boitor RA, Notingher I. Tracing amino acid exchange during host-pathogen interaction by combined stable-isotope time-resolved Raman spectral imaging. Sci Rep 2016; 6:20811. [PMID: 26857158 PMCID: PMC4746650 DOI: 10.1038/srep20811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the temporal and spatial interchange of the aromatic amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) between human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19) and tachyzoites of the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) is combined with Raman micro-spectroscopy to selectively monitor the incorporation of deuterium-labelled Phe into proteins in individual live tachyzoites. Our results show a very rapid uptake of l-Phe(D8) by the intracellular growing parasite. T. gondii tachyzoites are capable of extracting l-Phe(D8) from host cells as soon as it invades the cell. l-Phe(D8) from the host cell completely replaces the l-Phe within T. gondii tachyzoites 7-9 hours after infection. A quantitative model based on Raman spectra allowed an estimation of the exchange rate of Phe as 0.5-1.6 × 10(4) molecules/s. On the other hand, extracellular tachyzoites were not able to consume l-Phe(D8) after 24 hours of infection. These findings further our understanding of the amino acid trafficking between host cells and this strictly intracellular parasite. In particular, this study highlights new aspects of the metabolism of amino acid Phe operative during the interaction between T. gondii and its host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abida Naemat
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Hany M Elsheikha
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Radu A Boitor
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Ioan Notingher
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
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Asparagine requirement in Plasmodium berghei as a target to prevent malaria transmission and liver infections. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8775. [PMID: 26531182 PMCID: PMC4659947 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The proteins of Plasmodium, the malaria parasite, are strikingly rich in asparagine. Plasmodium depends primarily on host haemoglobin degradation for amino acids and has a rudimentary pathway for amino acid biosynthesis, but retains a gene encoding asparagine synthetase (AS). Here we show that deletion of AS in Plasmodium berghei (Pb) delays the asexual- and liver-stage development with substantial reduction in the formation of ookinetes, oocysts and sporozoites in mosquitoes. In the absence of asparagine synthesis, extracellular asparagine supports suboptimal survival of PbAS knockout (KO) parasites. Depletion of blood asparagine levels by treating PbASKO-infected mice with asparaginase completely prevents the development of liver stages, exflagellation of male gametocytes and the subsequent formation of sexual stages. In vivo supplementation of asparagine in mice restores the exflagellation of PbASKO parasites. Thus, the parasite life cycle has an absolute requirement for asparagine, which we propose could be targeted to prevent malaria transmission and liver infections. Malaria parasites obtain amino acids primarily from the host, but possess a gene encoding a putative asparagine synthetase. Here, the authors show that this enzyme is functional and that asparagine is crucial for the development of the parasite's sexual stages in mosquitoes and liver stages in mice.
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Shimotohno A, Sotta N, Sato T, De Ruvo M, Marée AFM, Grieneisen VA, Fujiwara T. Mathematical modeling and experimental validation of the spatial distribution of boron in the root of Arabidopsis thaliana identify high boron accumulation in the tip and predict a distinct root tip uptake function. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 56:620-30. [PMID: 25670713 PMCID: PMC4387314 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcv016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Boron, an essential micronutrient, is transported in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana mainly by two different types of transporters, BORs and NIPs (nodulin26-like intrinsic proteins). Both are plasma membrane localized, but have distinct transport properties and patterns of cell type-specific accumulation with different polar localizations, which are likely to affect boron distribution. Here, we used mathematical modeling and an experimental determination to address boron distributions in the root. A computational model of the root is created at the cellular level, describing the boron transporters as observed experimentally. Boron is allowed to diffuse into roots, in cells and cell walls, and to be transported over plasma membranes, reflecting the properties of the different transporters. The model predicts that a region around the quiescent center has a higher concentration of soluble boron than other portions. To evaluate this prediction experimentally, we determined the boron distribution in roots using laser ablation-inductivity coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The analysis indicated that the boron concentration is highest near the tip and is lower in the more proximal region of the meristem zone, similar to the pattern of soluble boron distribution predicted by the model. Our model also predicts that upward boron flux does not continuously increase from the root tip toward the mature region, indicating that boron taken up in the root tip is not efficiently transported to shoots. This suggests that root tip-absorbed boron is probably used for local root growth, and that instead it is the more mature root regions which have a greater role in transporting boron toward the shoots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akie Shimotohno
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657 Japan These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Naoyuki Sotta
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657 Japan These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Takafumi Sato
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657 Japan
| | - Micol De Ruvo
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics of Model Systems, Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare, Sapienza Università di Roma, Via dei Sardi 70, 00185 Rome, Italy Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Athanasius F M Marée
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Verônica A Grieneisen
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK These authors contributed equally to this work.
| | - Toru Fujiwara
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657 Japan These authors contributed equally to this work.
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