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Shankar UN, Shiraz M, Kumar P, Akif M. A comprehensive in silico analysis of putative outer membrane and secretory hydrolases from the pathogenic Leptospira: Possible implications in pathogenesis. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2024. [PMID: 38733098 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Outer surface/membrane and virulent secretory proteins are primarily crucial for pathogenesis. Secreted and outer membrane hydrolases of many pathogens play an important role in attenuating the host immune system. Leptospira expresses many such proteins, and few have been characterized to display various roles, including host immune evasion. However, identification, classification, characterization, and elucidation of the possible role of Leptospira's outer membrane and secretory hydrolases have yet to be explored. In the present study, we used bioinformatics tools to predict exported proteins from the pathogenic Leptospira proteome. Moreover, we focused on secretory and outer membrane putative hydrolases from the exported proteins to generate a deeper understanding. Our analysis yielded four putative outer/secretory hydrolases, LIC_10995, LIC_11183, LIC_11463, and LIC_12988, containing α/β hydrolase fold and displayed similarity with lipase motif. Moreover, their conservation analysis of the predicted hydrolases across the spectrum of different Leptospira species showed high clustering with the pathogenic species. Outer membrane and secretory proteins with lipolytic activity may have a role in pathogenesis. This is the first bioinformatics analysis of secretory and outer membrane α/β hydrolases from leptospiral species. However, experimental studies are indeed required to unravel this possibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umate Nachiket Shankar
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Mohd Shiraz
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Pankaj Kumar
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
| | - Mohd Akif
- Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India
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Sarma A, Gunasekaran D, Phukan H, Baby A, Hariharan S, De AK, Bhattacharya D, Natesan S, Tennyson J, Madanan MG. Leptospiral imelysin (LIC_10713) is secretory, immunogenic and binds to laminin, fibronectin, and collagen IV. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2023:10.1007/s00253-023-12573-6. [PMID: 37227474 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12573-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira. Early and accurate diagnosis is the prime step in managing the disease. Secretory proteins of Leptospira remain distinguished for diagnosis due to their availability as soluble proteins in the serum and their interaction with the host immune response due to their extracellular presence. This study presents the cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of imelysin or LruB (LIC_10713), a putative leptospiral protein. We report that the localization of imelysin showed its presence in the inner membrane and in the culture supernatant. The imelysin was upregulated under in vitro physiological conditions of infection. The LIC_10713 interacted significantly with laminin, fibronectin, collagen type I, and collagen type IV in a dose-dependent manner. Phylogenetic analysis showed that LIC_10713 is predominately found in the pathogenic species of Leptospira, and the GxHxxE motif of imelysin-like proteins is represented as the amino acid sequence GWHAIE. Also, immunoglobulins in leptospirosis-infected patients recognize recombinant-LIC_10713 with 100% specificity and 90.9% sensitivity. The secretion nature, abundance, upregulation, binding to ECM components, and immunogenicity determine LIC_10713 as an important molecule that can be used as an anti-leptospirosis measure. KEY POINTS: • The imelysin-like protein (LIC_10713) of Leptospira is a secretory protein • The protein LIC_10713 can bind ECM molecules • The LIC_10713 is mainly found in pathogenic leptospires • The anti-LIC_10713 antibody from human serum can detect the r-LIC_10713.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Sarma
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Dhandapani Gunasekaran
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Homen Phukan
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Akhil Baby
- Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 625021, India
| | - Suneetha Hariharan
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR - Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, 744103, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Arun Kumar De
- Division of Animal Science, ICAR- Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, 744105, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Debasis Bhattacharya
- Division of Animal Science, ICAR- Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, 744105, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Sankar Natesan
- Department of Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 625021, India
| | - Jebasingh Tennyson
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 625021, India
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A New Recombinant Multiepitope Chimeric Protein of Leptospira interrogans Is a Promising Marker for the Serodiagnosis of Leptospirosis. Trop Med Infect Dis 2022; 7:tropicalmed7110362. [DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed7110362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The zoonotic disease leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira and was recently included in the list of Neglected Diseases by the World Health Organization. Leptospirosis burden is estimated to have over a million human cases and cause 60 thousand deaths annually, in addition to its economic impact and veterinary concern. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT), recommended by the World Health Organization, exhibits reduced sensitivity at the beginning of the disease, in addition to being technically difficult. New recombinant antigens are being pursued for rapid and specific serodiagnostic tests, especially in the initial phase of the disease, and chimeric multiepitope proteins are a strategy with a great potential to be implemented in serology. Based on previous subproteomic results, we designed a synthetic construct comprising 10 conserved leptospiral surface antigens, and the recombinant protein was purified and evaluated regarding its diagnostic potential. The protein termed rChi2 was recognized by antibodies in serum from patients both at the onset (MAT−) and in the convalescent (MAT+) phase in 75 and 82% of responders, respectively. In addition, rChi2 immunization in hamsters elicited a strong humoral response, and anti-rChi2 antibodies recognized several immobilized intact Leptospira species, validating its potential as an early, broad, and cross-reactive diagnostic test.
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Phukan H, Sarma A, Rex DA, Rai AB, Prasad TS, Madanan MG. Unique Posttranslational Modification Sites of Acetylation, Citrullination, Glutarylation, and Phosphorylation Are Found to Be Specific to the Proteins Partitioned in the Triton X-114 Fractions of Leptospira. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:18569-18576. [PMID: 35694507 PMCID: PMC9178745 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) are decisive factors in the structure, function, and localization of proteins in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. However, prokaryotic organisms lack subcellular organelles, and protein localization based on subcellular locations like cytoplasm, inner membrane, periplasm, and outer membrane can be accounted for functional characterization. We have identified 131 acetylated, 1182 citrullinated, 72 glutarylated, 5 palmitoylated, and 139 phosphorylated proteins from Triton X-114 fractionated proteins of Leptospira, the pathogen of re-emerging zoonotic disease leptospirosis. In total, 74.7% of proteins were found exclusively in different Triton X-114 fractions. Additionally, 21.9% of proteins in multiple fractions had one or more PTM specific to different Triton X-114 fractions. Altogether, 96.6% of proteins showed exclusiveness to different Triton X-114 fractions either due to the presence of the entire protein or with a specific PTM type or position. Further, the PTM distribution within Triton X-114 fractions showed higher acetylation in aqueous, glutarylation in detergent, phosphorylation in pellet, and citrullination in wash fractions representing cytoplasmic, outer membrane, inner membrane, and extracellular locations, respectively. Identification of PTMs in proteins with respect to the subcellular localization will help to characterize candidate proteins before developing novel drugs and vaccines rationally to combat leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Homen Phukan
- ICMR-Regional
Medical Research Centre, Port Blair 744103, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, India
| | - Abhijit Sarma
- ICMR-Regional
Medical Research Centre, Port Blair 744103, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, India
| | - Devasahayam Arokia
Balaya Rex
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru 575018, Karnataka, India
| | - Akhila Balakrishna Rai
- Center
for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru 575018, Karnataka, India
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Rex DAB, Chanderasekaran J, Rai AB, Phukan H, Sarma A, Prasad TSK, Madanan MG. Leptospira and Leptospirosis: New Systems Science Insights on Proteome, Posttranslational Modifications, and Pathogen-Host Interaction. OMICS : A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2022; 26:280-289. [PMID: 35446144 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2022.0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Leptospirosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases for planetary health. It is caused by Leptospira spp., which poses a formidable challenge in both rural and urban geographies. Discovery of molecular targets is crucial for developing interventions, including vaccines, against leptospirosis. We report here novel systems science insights on Leptospira proteome, posttranslational modifications (PTMs), and pathogen-host interactions, with an eye to bacterial pathophysiology from a functional standpoint. A systematic reanalysis of unassigned spectra from our previous total proteome identification was used for a multi-PTM search. Notably, we identified 3693 unique high-confidence PTM sites corresponding to 1266 proteins (PTM-profiling probability cutoff value ≥75%). The majority of the phosphorylated peptides were found to be GroEL molecular chaperones. Notably, the molecular docking of PTM-GroEL with STAT3, an important signaling protein in cytokine production, resulted in the prediction of druggable "hotspots." These energetically significant smaller subsets of amino acids (hotspot residues) offer promise for practical applications in planetary health, rational drug design, and peptide engineering. Furthermore, the prediction strategies described here could serve as a starting point for narrowing down the more extensive interface in protein-protein interactions that currently exist. Going forward, systems science approaches and the new insights reported here offer veritable prospects for innovation in preventing and treating leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devasahayam Arokia Balaya Rex
- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India
| | - Jaikanth Chanderasekaran
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Technology Management, SVKM'S NMIMS University, Hyderabad, India
| | - Akhila Balakrishna Rai
- Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, India
| | - Homen Phukan
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, India
| | - Abhijit Sarma
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, India
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