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Gonçalves RCR, Peñalver P, Costa SPG, Morales JC, Raposo MMM. Polyaromatic Bis(indolyl)methane Derivatives with Antiproliferative and Antiparasitic Activity. Molecules 2023; 28:7728. [PMID: 38067459 PMCID: PMC10707942 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28237728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) are a class of compounds that have been recognized as an important core in the design of drugs with important pharmacological properties, such as promising anticancer and antiparasitic activities. Here, we explored the biological activity of the BIM core functionalized with different (hetero)aromatic moieties. We synthesized substituted BIM derivatives with triphenylamine, N,N-dimethyl-1-naphthylamine and 8-hydroxylquinolyl groups, studied their photophysical properties and evaluated their in vitro antiproliferative and antiparasitic activities. The triphenylamine BIM derivative 2a displayed an IC50 of 3.21, 3.30 and 3.93 μM against Trypanosoma brucei, Leishmania major and HT-29 cancer cell line, respectively. The selectivity index demonstrated that compound 2a was up to eight-fold more active against the parasites and HT-29 than against the healthy cell line MRC-5. Fluorescence microscopy studies with MRC-5 cells and T. brucei parasites incubated with derivative 2a indicate that the compound seems to accumulate in the cell's mitochondria and in the parasite's nucleus. In conclusion, the BIM scaffold functionalized with the triphenylamine moiety proved to be the most promising antiparasitic and anticancer agent of this series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel C. R. Gonçalves
- Centre of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (R.C.R.G.); (S.P.G.C.)
- Advanced (Magnetic) Theranostic Nanostructures Lab, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
| | - Pablo Peñalver
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC, PTS Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain; (P.P.); (J.C.M.)
| | - Susana P. G. Costa
- Centre of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (R.C.R.G.); (S.P.G.C.)
| | - Juan C. Morales
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC, PTS Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain; (P.P.); (J.C.M.)
| | - Maria Manuela M. Raposo
- Centre of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus of Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; (R.C.R.G.); (S.P.G.C.)
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Mitalo NS, Waiganjo NN, Mokua Mose J, Bosire DO, Oula JO, Orina Isaac A, Nyabuga Nyariki J. Coinfection with Schistosoma mansoni Enhances Disease Severity in Human African Trypanosomiasis. J Trop Med 2023; 2023:1063169. [PMID: 37954132 PMCID: PMC10637842 DOI: 10.1155/2023/1063169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and schistosomiasis are neglected parasitic diseases found in the African continent. This study was conducted to determine how primary infection with Schistosoma mansoni affects HAT disease progression with a secondary infection with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (T.b.r) in a mouse model. Methods Female BALB-c mice (6-8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups of 12 mice each. The different groups were infected with Schistosoma mansoni (100 cercariae) and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (5.0 × 104) separately or together. Twenty-one days after infection with T.b.r, mice were sacrificed and samples were collected for analysis. Results The primary infection with S. mansoni significantly enhanced successive infection by the T.b.r; consequently, promoting HAT disease severity and curtailing host survival time. T.b.r-induced impairment of the neurological integrity and breach of the blood-brain barrier were markedly pronounced on coinfection with S. mansoni. Coinfection with S. mansoni and T.b.r resulted in microcytic hypochromic anemia characterized by the suppression of RBCs, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red cell indices. Moreover, coinfection of the mice with the two parasites resulted in leukocytosis which was accompanied by the elevation of basophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils. More importantly, coinfection resulted in a significant elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, creatinine, urea, and uric acid, which are the markers of liver and kidney damage. Meanwhile, S. mansoni-driven dyslipidemia was significantly enhanced by the coinfection of mice with T.b.r. Moreover, coinfection with S. mansoni and T.b.r led to a strong immune response characterized by a significant increase in serum TNF-α and IFN-γ. T.b.r infection enhanced S. mansoni-induced depletion of cellular-reduced glutathione (GSH) in the brain and liver tissues, indicative of lethal oxidative damage. Similarly, coinfection resulted in a significant rise in nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Conclusion Primary infection with S. mansoni exacerbates disease severity of secondary infection with T.b.r in a mouse model that is associated with harmful inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and organ injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy S. Mitalo
- Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - Naomi N. Waiganjo
- Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - John Mokua Mose
- Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - David O. Bosire
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - James O. Oula
- Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - Alfred Orina Isaac
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - James Nyabuga Nyariki
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
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Danazumi AU, Ishmam IT, Idris S, Izert MA, Balogun EO, Górna MW. Targeted protein degradation might present a novel therapeutic approach in the fight against African trypanosomiasis. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023; 186:106451. [PMID: 37088149 PMCID: PMC11032742 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a hemoparasitic disease caused by infection with African trypanosomes and it is prevalent in many sub-Saharan African countries, affecting both humans and domestic animals. The disease is transmitted mostly by haematophagous insects of the genus Glossina while taking blood meal, in the process spreading the parasites from an infected animal to an uninfected animal. The disease is fatal if untreated, and the available drugs are generally ineffective and resulting in toxicities. Therefore, it is still pertinent to explore novel methods and targets for drug discovery. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) present a new strategy for development of therapeutic molecules that mimic cellular proteasomal-mediated protein degradation to target proteins involved in different disease types. PROTACs have been used to degrade proteins involved in various cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and immune disorders with remarkable success. Here, we highlight the problems associated with the current treatments for AT, discuss the concept of PROTACs and associated targeted protein degradation (TPD) approaches, and provide some insights on the future potential for the use of these emerging technologies (PROTACs and TPD) for the development of new generation of anti-Trypanosoma drugs and the first "TrypPROTACs".
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Usman Danazumi
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | | | - Salisu Idris
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Matylda Anna Izert
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; African Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
| | - Maria Wiktoria Górna
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
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4
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Vázquez ME, Mesías AC, Acuña L, Spangler J, Zabala B, Parodi C, Thakur M, Oh E, Walper SA, Brandán CP. Exploring the performance of Escherichia coli outer membrane vesicles as a tool for vaccine development against Chagas disease. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2023; 118:e220263. [PMID: 37222309 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760220263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vaccine development is a laborious craftwork in which at least two main components must be defined: a highly immunogenic antigen and a suitable delivery method. Hence, the interplay of these elements could elicit the required immune response to cope with the targeted pathogen with a long-lasting protective capacity. OBJECTIVES Here we evaluate the properties of Escherichia coli spherical proteoliposomes - known as outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) - as particles with natural adjuvant capacities and as antigen-carrier structures to assemble an innovative prophylactic vaccine for Chagas disease. METHODS To achieve this, genetic manipulation was carried out on E. coli using an engineered plasmid containing the Tc24 Trypanosoma cruzi antigen. The goal was to induce the release of OMVs displaying the parasite protein on their surface. FINDINGS As a proof of principle, we observed that native OMVs - as well as those carrying the T. cruzi antigen - were able to trigger a slight, but functional humoral response at low immunization doses. Of note, compared to the non-immunized group, native OMVs-vaccinated animals survived the lethal challenge and showed minor parasitemia values, suggesting a possible involvement of innate trained immunity mechanism. MAIN CONCLUSION These results open the range for further research on the design of new carrier strategies focused on innate immunity activation as an additional immunization target and venture to seek for alternative forms in which OMVs could be used for optimizing vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Elisa Vázquez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Instituto de Patología Experimental Dr Miguel Ángel Basombrío, Salta, Argentina
| | - Andrea Cecilia Mesías
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Instituto de Patología Experimental Dr Miguel Ángel Basombrío, Salta, Argentina
| | - Leonardo Acuña
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Instituto de Patología Experimental Dr Miguel Ángel Basombrío, Salta, Argentina
| | - Joseph Spangler
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science & Engineering, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Brenda Zabala
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Instituto de Patología Experimental Dr Miguel Ángel Basombrío, Salta, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Parodi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Instituto de Patología Experimental Dr Miguel Ángel Basombrío, Salta, Argentina
| | - Meghna Thakur
- George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Eunkeu Oh
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Optical Science Division, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Scott Allan Walper
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science & Engineering, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Cecilia Pérez Brandán
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Instituto de Patología Experimental Dr Miguel Ángel Basombrío, Salta, Argentina
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5
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Jawalagatti V, Kirthika P, Singh P, Vinodhkumar OR, Buddhi Chandrasekaran S, Chittlangia RK, Tewari AK. Expression kinetics of cytokines and the humoral antibody response concerning short-term protection induced by radiation-attenuated Trypanosoma evansi in bovine calves. Vaccine 2023; 41:1668-1678. [PMID: 36746738 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.01.046] [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: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
'Surra', an economically important disease of livestock, is caused by the parasitic blood protozoon Trypanosoma evansi. Both innate and adaptive immunity contribute to the protection against this infection. T-helper cells play a crucial role in the antibody-mediated clearance of T. evansi. We present here the data on the kinetics of expression of important Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokines, vis-a-vis the dynamics of humoral response in bovine calves following immunization with γ-radiation-attenuated live T. evansi and later challenged with homologous virulent T. evansi. Significant upregulation of the pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 cytokines was correlated with the IgG2-mediated protection in the immunized bovine calves post-challenge. The calves were immunized with 5 × 106 500 Gy γ-radiation-attenuated live T. evansi (horse isolate) thrice at 15 days intervals through the subcutaneous route and subsequently, challenged with 1 × 103 virulent T. evansi on day 50. Significantly high serum IgG (1:1600) and IgM (1:800) titres were recorded on week 2 PC, whereas the peak serum IgG2 titre (1:800) was recorded on week 6 PC. Significant upregulation of IFN-γ, TNF, IL-1β, and IL-2 was recorded between days 1 to 3 PC, while the same for IL-17 was recorded on day 14 PC. The immunized calves were free from parasitemia post-challenge and were clinically healthy till the end of the experiment. Significant upregulation of IL-10 and IL-4 transcripts and a corresponding increase of serum IgG1 titre in the placebo group helped patency of the parasite in an anti-inflammatory environment and clinical exacerbation of the disease. The expression of the important Th1 cytokines was crucial for antibody-mediated short-term protection against a lethal challenge of T. evansi in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayakumar Jawalagatti
- Division of Parasitology, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India
| | - Perumalraja Kirthika
- Division of Animal Biochemistry, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India
| | - Praveen Singh
- Division of Animal Biochemistry, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India; Biophysics Section, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India
| | - O R Vinodhkumar
- Divison of Epidemiology, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India
| | | | | | - Anup Kumar Tewari
- Division of Parasitology, ICAR- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243 122, India.
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Ungogo MA, Aldfer MM, Natto MJ, Zhuang H, Chisholm R, Walsh K, McGee M, Ilbeigi K, Asseri JI, Burchmore RJS, Caljon G, Van Calenbergh S, De Koning HP. Cloning and Characterization of Trypanosoma congolense and T. vivax Nucleoside Transporters Reveal the Potential of P1-Type Carriers for the Discovery of Broad-Spectrum Nucleoside-Based Therapeutics against Animal African Trypanosomiasis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043144. [PMID: 36834557 PMCID: PMC9960827 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT), caused predominantly by Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T. vivax and T. congolense, is a fatal livestock disease throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Treatment options are very limited and threatened by resistance. Tubercidin (7-deazaadenosine) analogs have shown activity against individual parasites but viable chemotherapy must be active against all three species. Divergence in sensitivity to nucleoside antimetabolites could be caused by differences in nucleoside transporters. Having previously characterized the T. brucei nucleoside carriers, we here report the functional expression and characterization of the main adenosine transporters of T. vivax (TvxNT3) and T. congolense (TcoAT1/NT10), in a Leishmania mexicana cell line ('SUPKO') lacking adenosine uptake. Both carriers were similar to the T. brucei P1-type transporters and bind adenosine mostly through interactions with N3, N7 and 3'-OH. Expression of TvxNT3 and TcoAT1 sensitized SUPKO cells to various 7-substituted tubercidins and other nucleoside analogs although tubercidin itself is a poor substrate for P1-type transporters. Individual nucleoside EC50s were similar for T. b. brucei, T. congolense, T. evansi and T. equiperdum but correlated less well with T. vivax. However, multiple nucleosides including 7-halogentubercidines displayed pEC50>7 for all species and, based on transporter and anti-parasite SAR analyses, we conclude that nucleoside chemotherapy for AAT is viable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzuq A. Ungogo
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 810107, Kaduna State, Nigeria
- Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Mustafa M. Aldfer
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Manal J. Natto
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Hainan Zhuang
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Robyn Chisholm
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Katy Walsh
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - MarieClaire McGee
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Kayhan Ilbeigi
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jamal Ibrahim Asseri
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Richard J. S. Burchmore
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), University of Antwerp, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Serge Van Calenbergh
- Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry (Campus Heymans), Ghent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Harry P. De Koning
- School of Infection and Immunity, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
- Correspondence:
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7
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Danazumi AU, Iliyasu Gital S, Idris S, BS Dibba L, Balogun EO, Górna MW. Immunoinformatic design of a putative multi-epitope vaccine candidate against Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:5574-5585. [PMID: 36284708 PMCID: PMC9576565 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.10.002] [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: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical disease that is caused by flagellated parasites of the genus Trypanosoma. HAT imposes a significant socio-economic burden on many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its control is hampered by several drawbacks ranging from the ineffectiveness of drugs, complex dosing regimens, drug resistance, and lack of a vaccine. Despite more than a century of research and investigations, the development of a vaccine to tackle HAT is still challenging due to the complex biology of the pathogens. Advancements in computational modeling coupled with the availability of an unprecedented amount of omics data from different organisms have allowed the design of new generation vaccines that offer better antigenicity and safety profile. One of such new generation approaches is a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) designed from a collection of antigenic peptides. A MEV can stimulate both cellular and humoral immune responses as well as avoiding possible allergenic reactions. Herein, we take advantage of this approach to design a MEV from conserved hypothetical plasma membrane proteins of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the trypanosome subspecies that is responsible for the west and central African forms of HAT. The designed MEV is 402 amino acids long (41.5 kDa). It is predicted to be antigenic, non-toxic, to assume a stable 3D conformation, and to interact with a key immune receptor. In addition, immune simulation foresaw adequate immune stimulation by the putative antigen and a lasting memory. Therefore, the designed chimeric vaccine represents a potential candidate that could be used to target HAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Usman Danazumi
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland,Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland,Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, the Netherlands,Corresponding authors at: Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland (A.U. Danazumi, M. W. Górna).
| | | | - Salisu Idris
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria,Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kazaure School of Health Technology, Jigawa, Nigeria
| | - Lamin BS Dibba
- Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria,Department of Physical and Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, University of the Gambia, Brikama Campus. P.O Box 3530, Serrekunda, the Gambia
| | - Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun
- Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria,Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria,Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA,Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Maria Wiktoria Górna
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland,Corresponding authors at: Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland (A.U. Danazumi, M. W. Górna).
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8
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Romero-Ramirez A, Casas-Sánchez A, Autheman D, Duffy CW, Brandt C, Clare S, Harcourt K, André MR, de Almeida Castilho Neto KJG, Teixeira MMG, Machado RZ, Coombes J, Flynn RJ, Wright GJ, Jackson AP. Vivaxin genes encode highly immunogenic, non-variant antigens on the Trypanosoma vivax cell-surface. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010791. [PMID: 36129968 PMCID: PMC9529106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma vivax is a unicellular hemoparasite, and a principal cause of animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT), a vector-borne and potentially fatal livestock disease across sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, we identified diverse T. vivax-specific genes that were predicted to encode cell surface proteins. Here, we examine the immune responses of naturally and experimentally infected hosts to these unique parasite antigens, to identify immunogens that could become vaccine candidates. Immunoprofiling of host serum shows that one particular family (Fam34) elicits a consistent IgG antibody response. This gene family, which we now call Vivaxin, encodes at least 124 transmembrane glycoproteins that display quite distinct expression profiles and patterns of genetic variation. We focused on one gene (viv-β8) that encodes one particularly immunogenic vivaxin protein and which is highly expressed during infections but displays minimal polymorphism across the parasite population. Vaccination of mice with VIVβ8 adjuvanted with Quil-A elicits a strong, balanced immune response and delays parasite proliferation in some animals but, ultimately, it does not prevent disease. Although VIVβ8 is localized across the cell body and flagellar membrane, live immunostaining indicates that VIVβ8 is largely inaccessible to antibody in vivo. However, our phylogenetic analysis shows that vivaxin includes other antigens shown recently to induce immunity against T. vivax. Thus, the introduction of vivaxin represents an important advance in our understanding of the T. vivax cell surface. Besides being a source of proven and promising vaccine antigens, the gene family is clearly an important component of the parasite glycocalyx, with potential to influence host-parasite interactions. Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is an important livestock disease throughout sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. AAT is caused by Trypanosoma vivax, among other species, a unicellular parasite that is spread by biting tsetse flies and multiplies in the bloodstream and other tissues, leading to often fatal neurological conditions if untreated. Although concerted drug treatment and vector eradication programmes have succeeded in controlling Human African trypanosomiasis, AAT continues to adversely affect animal health and impede efficient food production and economic development in many less-developed countries. In this study, we attempted to identify parasite surface proteins that stimulated the strongest immune responses in naturally infected animals, as the basis for a vaccine. We describe the discovery of a new, species-specific protein family in T. vivax, which we call vivaxin. We show that one vivaxin protein (VIVβ8) is surface expressed and retards parasite proliferation when used to immunize mice, but does not prevent infection. Nevertheless, we also reveal that vivaxin includes another protein previously shown to induce protective immunity (IFX/VIVβ1). Besides its great potential for novel approaches to AAT control, the vivaxin family is revealed as a significant component of the T. vivax cell surface and may have important, species-specific roles in host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Romero-Ramirez
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Aitor Casas-Sánchez
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Delphine Autheman
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, Hull York Medical School, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Craig W. Duffy
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Cordelia Brandt
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Clare
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Harcourt
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction and One Health, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kayo José Garcia de Almeida Castilho Neto
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction and One Health, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marta M. G. Teixeira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rosangela Zacharias Machado
- Department of Pathology, Reproduction and One Health, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Janine Coombes
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Robin J. Flynn
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland
| | - Gavin J. Wright
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, Hull York Medical School, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew P. Jackson
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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9
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Silva Pereira S, Mathenge K, Masiga D, Jackson A. Transcriptomic profiling of Trypanosoma congolense mouthpart parasites from naturally infected flies. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:152. [PMID: 35501882 PMCID: PMC9063227 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05258-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Animal African trypanosomiasis, or nagana, is a veterinary disease caused by African trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies. In Africa, Trypanosoma congolense is one of the most pathogenic and prevalent causes of nagana in livestock, resulting in high animal morbidity and mortality and extensive production losses. In the tsetse fly, parasites colonise the midgut and eventually reach the mouthparts, from where they can be transmitted as the fly feeds on vertebrate hosts such as cattle. Despite the extreme importance of mouthpart-form parasites for disease transmission, very few global expression profile studies have been conducted in these parasite forms. Methods Here, we collected tsetse flies from the Shimba Hills National Reserve, a wildlife area in southeast Kenya, diagnosed T. congolense infections, and sequenced the transcriptomes of the T. congolense parasites colonising the mouthparts of the flies. Results We found little correlation between mouthpart parasites from natural and experimental fly infections. Furthermore, we performed differential gene expression analysis between mouthpart and bloodstream parasite forms and identified several surface-expressed genes and 152 novel hypothetical proteins differentially expressed in mouthpart parasites. Finally, we profiled variant antigen expression and observed that a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) transcript belonging to T. congolense phylotype 8 (i.e. TcIL3000.A.H_000381200), previously observed to be enriched in metacyclic transcriptomes, was present in all wild-caught mouthpart samples as well as bloodstream-form parasites, suggestive of constitutive expression. Conclusion Our study provides transcriptomes of trypanosome parasites from naturally infected tsetse flies and suggests that a phylotype 8 VSG gene is constitutively expressed in metacyclic- and bloodstream-form parasites at the population level. Graphical Abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05258-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Silva Pereira
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L3 5RF, UK. .,Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Molecular - João Lobo Antunes, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Kawira Mathenge
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Daniel Masiga
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Andrew Jackson
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L3 5RF, UK.
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10
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11
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Longoni SS, Tiberti N, Bisoffi Z, Piubelli C. Monoclonal Antibodies for Protozoan Infections: A Future Reality or a Utopic Idea? Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:745665. [PMID: 34712683 PMCID: PMC8545981 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.745665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several clinical trials have been approved for the investigation of the possible use of mAbs, supporting the potential of this technology as a therapeutic approach for infectious diseases. The first monoclonal antibody (mAb), Muromonab CD3, was introduced for the prevention of kidney transplant rejection more than 30 years ago; since then more than 100 mAbs have been approved for therapeutic purposes. Nonetheless, only four mAbs are currently employed for infectious diseases: Palivizumab, for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections, Raxibacumab and Obiltoxaximab, for the prophylaxis and treatment against anthrax toxin and Bezlotoxumab, for the prevention of Clostridium difficile recurrence. Protozoan infections are often neglected diseases for which effective and safe chemotherapies are generally missing. In this context, drug resistance and drug toxicity are two crucial problems. The recent advances in bioinformatics, parasite genomics, and biochemistry methodologies are contributing to better understand parasite biology, which is essential to guide the development of new therapies. In this review, we present the efforts that are being made in the evaluation of mAbs for the prevention or treatment of leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, malaria, and toxoplasmosis. Particular emphasis will be placed on the potential strengths and weaknesses of biological treatments in the control of these protozoan diseases that are still affecting hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Stefania Longoni
- Department of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Natalia Tiberti
- Department of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Zeno Bisoffi
- Department of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy.,Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Piubelli
- Department of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
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12
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Olayinka-Adefemi F, Onyilagha C, Jayachandran N, Hou S, Jia P, Uzonna J, Marshall AJ. Critical Roles of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase δ in the Humoral Immune Response to Trypanosoma congolense Infection. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 207:1401-1410. [PMID: 34380646 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
PI3Kδ is critical in generating humoral and regulatory immune responses. In this study, we determined the impact of PI3Kδ in immunity to Trypanosoma congolense, an African trypanosome that can manipulate and evade Ab responses critical for protection. Upon infection with T. congolense, PI3KδD910A mice lacking PI3Kδ activity paradoxically show a transient enhancement in early control of parasitemia, associated with impaired production of regulatory IL-10 by B cells in the peritoneum. C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) mice treated with the PI3Kδ inhibitor (PI3Kδi) Idelalisib showed a similar transient decrease in parasitemia associated with reduced IL-10. Strikingly, however, we find that PI3KδD910A mice were ultimately unable to control this infection, resulting in uncontrolled parasitemia and death within 2 wk. Assessment of humoral responses revealed delayed B cell activation, impaired germinal center responses, and compromised Ab responses to differing degrees in PI3KδD910A and PI3Kδi-treated mice. To test the role of Abs, we administered serum from WT mice to PI3KδD910A mice and found that lethality was prevented by postinfection serum. Interestingly, serum from naive WT mice provided partial protection to PI3KδD910A mutants, indicating an additional role for natural Abs. Together our findings suggest that although PI3Kδ drives immune regulatory responses that antagonize early control of parasite growth in the peritoneum, it is also required for generation of Abs that are critical for protection from systemic trypanosome infection. The essential role of PI3Kδ for host survival of African trypanosome infection contrasts with findings for other pathogens such as Leishmania, underlining the critical importance of PI3Kδ-dependent humoral immunity in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Folayemi Olayinka-Adefemi
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Chukwunonso Onyilagha
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and
| | - Nipun Jayachandran
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Sen Hou
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ping Jia
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Jude Uzonna
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Aaron J Marshall
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;
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13
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Autheman D, Crosnier C, Clare S, Goulding DA, Brandt C, Harcourt K, Tolley C, Galaway F, Khushu M, Ong H, Romero-Ramirez A, Duffy CW, Jackson AP, Wright GJ. An invariant Trypanosoma vivax vaccine antigen induces protective immunity. Nature 2021; 595:96-100. [PMID: 34040257 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03597-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosomes are protozoan parasites that cause infectious diseases, including African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in humans and nagana in economically important livestock1,2. An effective vaccine against trypanosomes would be an important control tool, but the parasite has evolved sophisticated immunoprotective mechanisms-including antigenic variation3-that present an apparently insurmountable barrier to vaccination. Here we show, using a systematic genome-led vaccinology approach and a mouse model of Trypanosoma vivax infection4, that protective invariant subunit vaccine antigens can be identified. Vaccination with a single recombinant protein comprising the extracellular region of a conserved cell-surface protein that is localized to the flagellum membrane (which we term 'invariant flagellum antigen from T. vivax') induced long-lasting protection. Immunity was passively transferred with immune serum, and recombinant monoclonal antibodies to this protein could induce sterile protection and revealed several mechanisms of antibody-mediated immunity, including a major role for complement. Our discovery identifies a vaccine candidate for an important parasitic disease that has constrained socioeconomic development in countries in sub-Saharan Africa5, and provides evidence that highly protective vaccines against trypanosome infections can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Autheman
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Cécile Crosnier
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Simon Clare
- Pathogen Support Team, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - David A Goulding
- Electron and Advanced Light Microscopy, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Cordelia Brandt
- Pathogen Support Team, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | | | | | - Francis Galaway
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Malhar Khushu
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Han Ong
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | | | - Craig W Duffy
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Andrew P Jackson
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Gavin J Wright
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
- Hull York Medical School, University of York, York, UK.
- York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, UK.
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14
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Kasozi KI, Zirintunda G, Ssempijja F, Buyinza B, Alzahrani KJ, Matama K, Nakimbugwe HN, Alkazmi L, Onanyang D, Bogere P, Ochieng JJ, Islam S, Matovu W, Nalumenya DP, Batiha GES, Osuwat LO, Abdelhamid M, Shen T, Omadang L, Welburn SC. Epidemiology of Trypanosomiasis in Wildlife-Implications for Humans at the Wildlife Interface in Africa. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:621699. [PMID: 34222391 PMCID: PMC8248802 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.621699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While both human and animal trypanosomiasis continue to present as major human and animal public health constraints globally, detailed analyses of trypanosome wildlife reservoir hosts remain sparse. African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT) affects both livestock and wildlife carrying a significant risk of spillover and cross-transmission of species and strains between populations. Increased human activity together with pressure on land resources is increasing wildlife–livestock–human infections. Increasing proximity between human settlements and grazing lands to wildlife reserves and game parks only serves to exacerbate zoonotic risk. Communities living and maintaining livestock on the fringes of wildlife-rich ecosystems require to have in place methods of vector control for prevention of AAT transmission and for the treatment of their livestock. Major Trypanosoma spp. include Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, and Trypanosoma cruzi, pathogenic for humans, and Trypanosoma vivax, Trypanosoma congolense, Trypanosoma evansi, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosoma dionisii, Trypanosoma thomasbancrofti, Trypanosma elephantis, Trypanosoma vegrandis, Trypanosoma copemani, Trypanosoma irwini, Trypanosoma copemani, Trypanosoma gilletti, Trypanosoma theileri, Trypanosoma godfreyi, Trypansoma simiae, and Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) pestanai. Wildlife hosts for the trypansomatidae include subfamilies of Bovinae, Suidae, Pantherinae, Equidae, Alcephinae, Cercopithecinae, Crocodilinae, Pteropodidae, Peramelidae, Sigmodontidae, and Meliphagidae. Wildlife species are generally considered tolerant to trypanosome infection following centuries of coexistence of vectors and wildlife hosts. Tolerance is influenced by age, sex, species, and physiological condition and parasite challenge. Cyclic transmission through Glossina species occurs for T. congolense, T. simiae, T. vivax, T. brucei, and T. b. rhodesiense, T. b. gambiense, and within Reduviid bugs for T. cruzi. T. evansi is mechanically transmitted, and T. vixax is also commonly transmitted by biting flies including tsetse. Wildlife animal species serve as long-term reservoirs of infection, but the delicate acquired balance between trypanotolerance and trypanosome challenge can be disrupted by an increase in challenge and/or the introduction of new more virulent species into the ecosystem. There is a need to protect wildlife, animal, and human populations from the infectious consequences of encroachment to preserve and protect these populations. In this review, we explore the ecology and epidemiology of Trypanosoma spp. in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keneth Iceland Kasozi
- Infection Medicine, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.,School of Medicine, Kabale University, Kabale, Uganda
| | - Gerald Zirintunda
- Department of Animal Production and Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Busitema University Arapai Campus, Soroti, Uganda
| | - Fred Ssempijja
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda
| | - Bridget Buyinza
- College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Khalid J Alzahrani
- Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kevin Matama
- School of Pharmacy, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda
| | - Helen N Nakimbugwe
- Department of Animal Production and Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Busitema University Arapai Campus, Soroti, Uganda.,Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Luay Alkazmi
- Biology Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - David Onanyang
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Gulu University, Gulu, Uganda
| | - Paul Bogere
- Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Muni University, Arua, Uganda
| | - Juma John Ochieng
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda
| | - Saher Islam
- Department of Biotechnology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Wycliff Matovu
- College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - David Paul Nalumenya
- College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | | | - Mahmoud Abdelhamid
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt
| | - Tianren Shen
- Infection Medicine, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.,Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Leonard Omadang
- Department of Animal Production and Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Busitema University Arapai Campus, Soroti, Uganda
| | - Susan Christina Welburn
- Infection Medicine, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.,Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
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15
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Narita K, Suganuma K, Murata T, Kondo R, Satoh H, Watanabe K, Sasaki K, Inoue N, Yoshimura Y. Synthesis and evaluation of trypanocidal activity of derivatives of naturally occurring 2,5-diphenyloxazoles. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 42:116253. [PMID: 34130218 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116253] [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] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
African trypanosomiasis is a zoonotic protozoan disease affecting the nervous system. Various natural products reportedly exhibit trypanocidal activity. Naturally occurring 2,5-diphenyloxazoles present in Oxytropis lanata, and their derivatives, were synthesized. The trypanocidal activities of the synthesized compounds were evaluated against Trypanosoma brucei brucei, T. b. gambiense, T. b. rhodesiense, T. congolense, and T. evansi. Natural product 1 exhibited trypanocidal activity against all the species/subspecies of trypanosomes, exhibiting half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 1.1-13.5 μM. Modification of the oxazole core improved the trypanocidal activity. The 1,3,4-oxadiazole (7) and 2,4-diphenyloxazole (9) analogs exhibited potency superior to that of 1. However, these compounds exhibited cytotoxicity in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells. The O-methylated analog of 1 (12) was non-cytotoxic and exhibited selective trypanocidal activity against T. congolense (IC50 = 0.78 µM). Structure-activity relationship studies of the 2,5-diphenyloxazole analogs revealed aspects of the molecular structure critical for maintaining selective trypanocidal activity against T. congolense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Narita
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan.
| | - Keisuke Suganuma
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Murata
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan
| | - Ryutaro Kondo
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan
| | - Hiroka Satoh
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Watanabe
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan
| | - Kenroh Sasaki
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan
| | - Noboru Inoue
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Yuichi Yoshimura
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan
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16
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Alkhaldi AAM, Koning HPD, Bukhari SNA. Synthetic ligustrazine based cyclohexanone and oxime analogs as Anti-Trypanosoma and Anti-Leishmanial agentes. BRAZ J PHARM SCI 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/s2175-97902020000418997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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17
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Design of an Epitope-Based Vaccine Ensemble for Animal Trypanosomiasis by Computational Methods. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8010130. [PMID: 32188062 PMCID: PMC7157688 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
African animal trypanosomiasis is caused by vector-transmitted parasites of the genus Trypanosoma. T. congolense and T. brucei brucei are predominant in Africa; T. evansi and T. vivax in America and Asia. They have in common an extracellular lifestyle and livestock tropism, which provokes huge economic losses in regions where vectors are endemic. There are licensed drugs to treat the infections, but adherence to treatment is poor and appearance of resistances common. Therefore, the availability of a prophylactic vaccine would represent a major breakthrough towards the management and control of the disease. Selection of the most appropriate antigens for its development is a bottleneck step, especially considering the limited resources allocated. Herein we propose a vaccine strategy based on multiple epitopes from multiple antigens to counteract the parasites´ biological complexity. Epitopes were identified by computer-assisted genome-wide screenings, considering sequence conservation criteria, antigens annotation and sub-cellular localization, high binding affinity to antigen presenting molecules, and lack of cross-reactivity to proteins in cattle and other breeding species. We ultimately provide 31 B-cell, 8 CD4 T-cell, and 15 CD8 T-cell epitope sequences from 30 distinct antigens for the prospective design of a genetic ensemble vaccine against the four trypanosome species responsible for African animal trypanosomiasis.
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Magez S, Pinto Torres JE, Obishakin E, Radwanska M. Infections With Extracellular Trypanosomes Require Control by Efficient Innate Immune Mechanisms and Can Result in the Destruction of the Mammalian Humoral Immune System. Front Immunol 2020; 11:382. [PMID: 32218784 PMCID: PMC7078162 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Salivarian trypanosomes are extracellular parasites that affect humans, livestock, and game animals around the world. Through co-evolution with the mammalian immune system, trypanosomes have developed defense mechanisms that allow them to thrive in blood, lymphoid vessels, and tissue environments such as the brain, the fat tissue, and testes. Trypanosomes have developed ways to circumvent antibody-mediated killing and block the activation of the lytic arm of the complement pathway. Hence, this makes the innate immune control of the infection a crucial part of the host-parasite interaction, determining infection susceptibility, and parasitemia control. Indeed, trypanosomes use a combination of several independent mechanisms to avoid clearance by the humoral immune system. First, perpetuated antigenic variation of the surface coat allows to escape antibody-mediated elimination. Secondly, when antibodies bind to the coat, they are efficiently transported toward the endocytosis pathway, where they are removed from the coat proteins. Finally, trypanosomes engage in the active destruction of the mammalian humoral immune response. This provides them with a rescue solution in case antigenic variation does not confer total immunological invisibility. Both antigenic variation and B cell destruction pose significant hurdles for the development of anti-trypanosome vaccine strategies. However, developing total immune escape capacity and unlimited growth capabilities within a mammalian host is not beneficial for any parasite, as it will result in the accelerated death of the host itself. Hence, trypanosomes have acquired a system of quorum sensing that results in density-dependent population growth arrest in order to prevent overpopulating the host. The same system could possibly sense the infection-associated host tissue damage resulting from inflammatory innate immune responses, in which case the quorum sensing serves to prevent excessive immunopathology and as such also promotes host survival. In order to put these concepts together, this review summarizes current knowledge on the interaction between trypanosomes and the mammalian innate immune system, the mechanisms involved in population growth regulation, antigenic variation and the immuno-destructive effect of trypanosomes on the humoral immune system. Vaccine trials and a discussion on the role of innate immune modulation in these trials are discussed at the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Magez
- Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, South Korea.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Emmanuel Obishakin
- Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, South Korea.,Biotechnology Division, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
| | - Magdalena Radwanska
- Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, South Korea.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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19
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Evaluation of the Immunoprotective Potential of Recombinant Paraflagellar Rod Proteins of Trypanosoma evansi in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8010084. [PMID: 32059486 PMCID: PMC7157580 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomosis, caused by Trypanosoma evansi, is an economically significant disease of livestock. Systematic antigenic variation by the parasite has undermined prospects for the development of a protective vaccine that targets the immunodominant surface antigens, encouraging exploration of alternatives. The paraflagellar rod (PFR), constituent proteins of the flagellum, are prominent non-variable vaccine candidates for T. evansi owing to their strategic location. Two major PFR constituent proteins, PFR1 (1770bp) and PFR2 (1800bp), were expressed using Escherichia coli. Swiss albino mice were immunized with the purified recombinant TePFR1 (89KDa) and TePFR2 (88KDa) proteins, as well as with the mix of the combined proteins at equimolar concentrations, and subsequently challenged with virulent T. evansi. The PFR-specific humoral response was assessed by ELISA. Cytometric bead-based assay was used to measure the cytokine response and flow cytometry for quantification of the cytokines. The recombinant TePFR proteins induced specific humoral responses in mice, including IgG1 followed by IgG2a and IgG2b. A balanced cytokine response induced by rTePFR 1 and 2 protein vaccination associated with extended survival and improved control of parasitemia following lethal challenge. The observation confirms the immunoprophylactic potential of the covert antigens of T. evansi.
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Establishment of a Standardized Vaccine Protocol for the Analysis of Protective Immune Responses During Experimental Trypanosome Infections in Mice. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2116:721-738. [PMID: 32221951 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0294-2_42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
To date, trypanosomosis control in humans and animals is achieved by a combination of parasitological screening and treatment. While this approach has successfully brought down the number of reported T. b. gambiense Human African Trypanosomosis (HAT) cases, the method does not offer a sustainable solution for animal trypanosomosis (AT). The main reasons for this are (i) the worldwide distribution of AT, (ii) the wide range of insect vectors involved in transmission of AT, and (iii) the existence of a wildlife parasite reservoir that can serve as a source for livestock reinfection. Hence, in order to control livestock trypanosomosis the only viable long-term solution is an effective antitrypanosome vaccination strategy. Over the last decades, multiple vaccine approaches have been proposed. Despite repeated reports of promising experimental approaches, none of those made it to a field applicable vaccine format. This failure can in part be attributed to flaws in the experimental design that favor a positive laboratory result. This chapter provides a vaccine protocol that should allow for a proper outcome prediction in experimental anti-AT vaccine approaches.
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Evolutionary divergent PEX3 is essential for glycosome biogenesis and survival of trypanosomatid parasites. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2019; 1866:118520. [PMID: 31369765 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2019.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosomatid parasites cause devastating African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, and Leishmaniasis that affect about 18 million people worldwide. Recently, we showed that the biogenesis of glycosomes could be the "Achilles' heel" of trypanosomatids suitable for the development of new therapies against trypanosomiases. This was shown for inhibitors of the import machinery of matrix proteins, while the distinct machinery for the topogenesis of glycosomal membrane proteins evaded investigation due to the lack of a druggable interface. Here we report on the identification of the highly divergent trypanosomal PEX3, a central component of the transport machinery of peroxisomal membrane proteins and the master regulator of peroxisome biogenesis. The trypanosomatid PEX3 shows very low degree of conservation and its identification was made possible by a combinatory approach identifying of PEX19-interacting proteins and secondary structure homology screening. The trypanosomal PEX3 localizes to glycosomes and directly interacts with the membrane protein import receptor PEX19. RNAi-studies revealed that the PEX3 is essential and that its depletion results in mislocalization of glycosomal proteins to the cytosol and a severe growth defect. Comparison of the parasites and human PEX3-PEX19 interface disclosed differences that might be accessible for drug development. The absolute requirement for biogenesis of glycosomes and its structural distinction from its human counterpart make PEX3 a prime drug target for the development of novel therapies against trypanosomiases. The identification paves the way for future drug development targeting PEX3, and for the analysis of additional partners involved in this crucial step of glycosome biogenesis.
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Marshall K, Gibson JP, Mwai O, Mwacharo JM, Haile A, Getachew T, Mrode R, Kemp SJ. Livestock Genomics for Developing Countries – African Examples in Practice. Front Genet 2019. [DOI: 10.10.3389/fgene.2019.00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Marshall K, Gibson JP, Mwai O, Mwacharo JM, Haile A, Getachew T, Mrode R, Kemp SJ. Livestock Genomics for Developing Countries - African Examples in Practice. Front Genet 2019; 10:297. [PMID: 31105735 PMCID: PMC6491883 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
African livestock breeds are numerous and diverse, and typically well adapted to the harsh environment conditions under which they perform. They have been used over centuries to provide livelihoods as well as food and nutritional security. However, African livestock systems are dynamic, with many small- and medium-scale systems transforming, to varying degrees, to become more profitable. In these systems the women and men livestock keepers are often seeking new livestock breeds or genotypes - typically those that increase household income through having enhanced productivity in comparison to traditional breeds while maintaining adaptedness. In recent years genomic approaches have started to be utilized in the identification and development of such breeds, and in this article we describe a number of examples to this end from sub-Saharan Africa. These comprise case studies on: (a) dairy cattle in Kenya and Senegal, as well as sheep in Ethiopia, where genomic approaches aided the identification of the most appropriate breed-type for the local productions systems; (b) a cross-breeding program for dairy cattle in East Africa incorporating genomic selection as well as other applications of genomics; (c) ongoing work toward creating a new cattle breed for East Africa that is both productive and resistant to trypanosomiasis; and (d) the use of African cattle as resource populations to identify genomic variants of economic or ecological significance, including a specific case where the discovery data was from a community based breeding program for small ruminants in Ethiopia. Lessons learnt from the various case studies are highlighted, and the concluding section of the paper gives recommendations for African livestock systems to increasingly capitalize on genomic technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Marshall
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - John P. Gibson
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Okeyo Mwai
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Joram M. Mwacharo
- Small Ruminant Breeding and Genomics Group, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Aynalem Haile
- Small Ruminant Breeding and Genomics Group, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tesfaye Getachew
- Small Ruminant Breeding and Genomics Group, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Raphael Mrode
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Scotland’s Rural College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Kemp
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, Kenya
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Okeyo WA, Saarman NP, Bateta R, Dion K, Mengual M, Mireji PO, Ouma C, Okoth S, Murilla G, Aksoy S, Caccone A. Genetic Differentiation of Glossina pallidipes Tsetse Flies in Southern Kenya. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018; 99:945-953. [PMID: 30105964 PMCID: PMC6159567 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes, the major vector of the parasite that causes animal African trypanosomiasis in Kenya, has been subject to intense control measures with only limited success. The G. pallidipes population dynamics and dispersal patterns that underlie limited success in vector control campaigns remain unresolved, and knowledge on genetic connectivity can provide insights, and thereby improve control and monitoring efforts. We therefore investigated the population structure and estimated migration and demographic parameters in G. pallidipes using genotypic data from 11 microsatellite loci scored in 250 tsetse flies collected from eight localities in Kenya. Clustering analysis identified two genetically distinct eastern and western clusters (mean between-cluster F ST = 0.202) separated by the Great Rift Valley. We also found evidence of admixture and migration between the eastern and western clusters, isolation by distance, and a widespread signal of inbreeding. We detected differences in population dynamics and dispersal patterns between the western and eastern clusters. These included lower genetic diversity (allelic richness; 7.48 versus 10.99), higher relatedness (percent related individuals; 21.4% versus 9.1%), and greater genetic differentiation (mean within-cluster F ST; 0.183 versus 0.018) in the western than the eastern cluster. Findings are consistent with the presence of smaller, less well-connected populations in Western relative to eastern Kenya. These data suggest that recent anthropogenic influences such as land use changes and vector control programs have influenced population dynamics in G. pallidipes in Kenya, and that vector control efforts should include some region-specific strategies to effectively control this disease vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winnie A. Okeyo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technology, School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, Kenya
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Norah P. Saarman
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Rosemary Bateta
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Kirstin Dion
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Michael Mengual
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Paul O. Mireji
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, Kenya
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Center for Geographic Medicine Research Coast, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Collins Ouma
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technology, School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Sylvance Okoth
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Grace Murilla
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, Kenya
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Serap Aksoy
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Adalgisa Caccone
- Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
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Holzmuller P, Geiger A, Nzoumbou-Boko R, Pissarra J, Hamrouni S, Rodrigues V, Dauchy FA, Lemesre JL, Vincendeau P, Bras-Gonçalves R. Trypanosomatid Infections: How Do Parasites and Their Excreted-Secreted Factors Modulate the Inducible Metabolism of l-Arginine in Macrophages? Front Immunol 2018; 9:778. [PMID: 29731753 PMCID: PMC5921530 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mononuclear phagocytes (monocytes, dendritic cells, and macrophages) are among the first host cells to face intra- and extracellular protozoan parasites such as trypanosomatids, and significant expansion of macrophages has been observed in infected hosts. They play essential roles in the outcome of infections caused by trypanosomatids, as they can not only exert a powerful antimicrobial activity but also promote parasite proliferation. These varied functions, linked to their phenotypic and metabolic plasticity, are exerted via distinct activation states, in which l-arginine metabolism plays a pivotal role. Depending on the environmental factors and immune response elements, l-arginine metabolites contribute to parasite elimination, mainly through nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, or to parasite proliferation, through l-ornithine and polyamine production. To survive and adapt to their hosts, parasites such as trypanosomatids developed mechanisms of interaction to modulate macrophage activation in their favor, by manipulating several cellular metabolic pathways. Recent reports emphasize that some excreted-secreted (ES) molecules from parasites and sugar-binding host receptors play a major role in this dialog, particularly in the modulation of the macrophage's inducible l-arginine metabolism. Preventing l-arginine dysregulation by drugs or by immunization against trypanosomatid ES molecules or by blocking partner host molecules may control early infection and is a promising way to tackle neglected diseases including Chagas disease, leishmaniases, and African trypanosomiases. The present review summarizes recent knowledge on trypanosomatids and their ES factors with regard to their influence on macrophage activation pathways, mainly the NO synthase/arginase balance. The review ends with prospects for the use of biological knowledge to develop new strategies of interference in the infectious processes used by trypanosomatids, in particular for the development of vaccines or immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Holzmuller
- CIRAD, Montpellier, France.,UMR 117 ASTRE "Animal, Santé, Territoire, Risques et Ecosystèmes", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier, France
| | - Anne Geiger
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France
| | - Romaric Nzoumbou-Boko
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Bordeaux, France.,CHU Bordeaux, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Bordeaux, France
| | - Joana Pissarra
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France
| | - Sarra Hamrouni
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France
| | - Valérie Rodrigues
- CIRAD, Montpellier, France.,UMR 117 ASTRE "Animal, Santé, Territoire, Risques et Ecosystèmes", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric-Antoine Dauchy
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Bordeaux, France.,CHU Bordeaux, Département des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jean-Loup Lemesre
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France
| | - Philippe Vincendeau
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, UMR 177 INTERTRYP, Bordeaux, France.,CHU Bordeaux, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Bordeaux, France
| | - Rachel Bras-Gonçalves
- UMR 177 INTERTRYP "Interactions Hôte-Vecteur-Parasite-Environnement dans les maladies tropicales négligées dues aux Trypanosomatidae", Univ. Montpellier (I-MUSE), CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Bordeaux 2, Univ. Lyon 1, Montpellier, France
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Banerjee M, Parai D, Dhar P, Roy M, Barik R, Chattopadhyay S, Mukherjee SK. Andrographolide induces oxidative stress-dependent cell death in unicellular protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Acta Trop 2017; 176:58-67. [PMID: 28739368 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
African sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease in humans and livestock caused by Trypanosoma brucei throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Absence of appropriate vaccines and prevalence of drug resistance proclaim that a new way of therapeutic interventions is essential against African trypanosomiasis. In the present study, we have looked into the effect of andrographolide (andro), a diterpenoid lactone from Andrographis paiculata on Trypanosoma brucei PRA 380. Although andro has been recognized as a promosing anti-cancer drug, its usefulness against Trypanosoma spp remained unexplored. Andro showed promising anti-trypanosomal activity with an IC50 value of 8.3μM assessed through SYBR Green cell viability assay and also showed no cytotoxicity towards normal murine macrophages. Cell cycle analysis revealed that andro could induce sub-G0/G1 phase arrest. Flow cytometric analysis also revealed that incubation with andro caused exposure of phosphatidyl serine to the outer leaflet of plasma membrane in T. brucei PCF. This event was preceded by andro-induced depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δym) and elevation of cytosolic calcium. Andro also caused elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as lipid peroxidation level, and depletion in reduced thiol levels. Taken together, these data indicate that andro has promising antitrypanosomal activity mediated by promoting oxidative stress and depolarizing the mitochondrial membrane potential and thereby triggering an apoptosis-like programmed cell death. Therefore, this study merits further investigation to the therapeutic possibility of using andro for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malabika Banerjee
- Department of Microbiology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, WB, India; TCG Life Science Ltd., Bengal Intelligent Park, Tower-B, Block-EP & GP, Sector-5, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700091, India
| | - Debaprasad Parai
- Department of Microbiology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, WB, India
| | - Pranab Dhar
- TCG Life Science Ltd., Bengal Intelligent Park, Tower-B, Block-EP & GP, Sector-5, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700091, India
| | - Manab Roy
- TCG Life Science Ltd., Bengal Intelligent Park, Tower-B, Block-EP & GP, Sector-5, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700091, India
| | - Rajib Barik
- TCG Life Science Ltd., Bengal Intelligent Park, Tower-B, Block-EP & GP, Sector-5, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700091, India
| | - Subrata Chattopadhyay
- TCG Life Science Ltd., Bengal Intelligent Park, Tower-B, Block-EP & GP, Sector-5, Salt Lake, Kolkata, 700091, India
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27
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Leishmania donovani serine protease encapsulated in liposome elicits protective immunity in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. Microbes Infect 2017; 20:37-47. [PMID: 28970116 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2017.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This study is aimed to evaluate the protective effect of L. donovani intracellular serine protease (SP-Ld) in combination with Freund's adjuvant and liposomal formulations against experimental visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The animals were immunized with SP-Ld in combination with adjuvant and evaluated for its immunogenicity and protective efficacy against Leishmania donovani. The infection was initially assessed by microscopic examination. Immunogenicity of SP-Ld was measured by detecting protease specific-IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a levels by ELISA. Cytokines levels were measured by ELISA and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). The vaccine efficacy of SP-Ld was also evaluated by measuring antibody response and survival potency in hamster model. SP-Ld vaccinated Balb/c mice resulted significant reduction of parasite burden with increased levels of IgG2a and decreased levels of IgG1. SP-Ld vaccination also induced Th1 type immune response with the rise of IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α with decreased levels of IL-10 and TGF-β. Importantly, liposomal incorporated SP-Ld exerted better protection rather than in combination with Freund's adjuvant. Additionally, liposome encapsulated SP-Ld vaccinated hamsters continued to survive beyond 8 months against virulent L. donovani post challenge. Overall, these findings demonstrated SP-Ld as an effective immunogen which opens a new perspective for the generation of potential vaccine candidate against leishmaniasis.
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28
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Nzoumbou-Boko R, De Muylder G, Semballa S, Lecordier L, Dauchy FA, Gobert AP, Holzmuller P, Lemesre JL, Bras-Gonçalves R, Barnabé C, Courtois P, Daulouède S, Beschin A, Pays E, Vincendeau P. Trypanosoma musculiInfection in Mice Critically Relies on Mannose Receptor–Mediated Arginase Induction by aTbKHC1 Kinesin H Chain Homolog. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 199:1762-1771. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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29
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Stijlemans B, Radwanska M, De Trez C, Magez S. African Trypanosomes Undermine Humoral Responses and Vaccine Development: Link with Inflammatory Responses? Front Immunol 2017; 8:582. [PMID: 28596768 PMCID: PMC5442186 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
African trypanosomosis is a debilitating disease of great medical and socioeconomical importance. It is caused by strictly extracellular protozoan parasites capable of infecting all vertebrate classes including human, livestock, and game animals. To survive within their mammalian host, trypanosomes have evolved efficient immune escape mechanisms and manipulate the entire host immune response, including the humoral response. This report provides an overview of how trypanosomes initially trigger and subsequently undermine the development of an effective host antibody response. Indeed, results available to date obtained in both natural and experimental infection models show that trypanosomes impair homeostatic B-cell lymphopoiesis, B-cell maturation and survival and B-cell memory development. Data on B-cell dysfunctioning in correlation with parasite virulence and trypanosome-mediated inflammation will be discussed, as well as the impact of trypanosomosis on heterologous vaccine efficacy and diagnosis. Therefore, new strategies aiming at enhancing vaccination efficacy could benefit from a combination of (i) early parasite diagnosis, (ii) anti-trypanosome (drugs) treatment, and (iii) anti-inflammatory treatment that collectively might allow B-cell recovery and improve vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit Stijlemans
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Myeloid Cell Immunology Lab, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Magdalena Radwanska
- Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Yeonsu-Gu, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Carl De Trez
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Structural Biology Research Centre (SBRC), VIB, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stefan Magez
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Laboratory for Biomedical Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Yeonsu-Gu, Incheon, South Korea
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30
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Pearce SC, McWhinnie RL, Nano FE. Synthetic temperature-inducible lethal gene circuits in Escherichia coli. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2017; 163:462-471. [PMID: 28430101 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Temperature sensitivity is often used as a way to attenuate micro-organisms to convert them into live vaccines. In this work, we explore the use of temperature-sensitive (TS) genetic circuits that express lethal genes as a widely applicable approach to TS attenuation. We tested different combinations of TS repressors and cognate promoters controlling the expression of genes encoding restriction endonucleases inserted at four different non-essential sites in the Escherichia coli chromosome. We found that the presence of the restriction endonuclease genes did not affect the viability of the host strains at the permissive temperature, but that expression of the genes at elevated temperatures killed the strains to varying extents. The chromosomal insertion site of the lethal cassettes affected their functionality, and insertion at one site, ycgH, rendered them ineffective at inducing death at high temperature. Induction of a TS circuit in a growing culture led to a reduced cell mass and a reduction of the number of cells that could exclude a dye that indicated viability. Incubation of cells carrying a TS lethal gene circuit initially grown at low temperature and then suspended in phosphate buffered saline at high temperature led to about 100-fold loss of cell viability per day, compared to a minimal loss of viability for the parental strain. Strains carrying either one or two TS lethal circuits could generate mutants that survived at high temperature. These mutants included complete deletions of the lethal gene circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C Pearce
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - Ralph L McWhinnie
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - Francis E Nano
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada
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Ebiloma GU, Igoli JO, Katsoulis E, Donachie AM, Eze A, Gray AI, de Koning HP. Bioassay-guided isolation of active principles from Nigerian medicinal plants identifies new trypanocides with low toxicity and no cross-resistance to diamidines and arsenicals. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2017; 202:256-264. [PMID: 28336470 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Leaves from the plant species studied herein are traditionally used in northern Nigeria against various protozoan infections. However, none of these herbal preparations have been standardized, nor have their toxicity to mammalian cells been investigated. In search of improved and non-toxic active antiprotozoal principles that are not cross-resistant with current anti-parasitics, we here report the results of the in vitro screening of extracts from seven selected medicinal plant species (Centrosema pubescens, Moringa oleifera, Tridax procumbens, Polyalthia longifolia, Newbouldia laevis, Eucalyptus maculate, Jathropha tanjorensis), used traditionally to treat kinetoplastid infections in Nigeria, and the isolation of their bioactive principles. AIM OF THE STUDY To investigate the efficacies of medicinal plant extracts, and of compounds isolated therefrom, against kinetoplastid parasites, assess cross-resistance to existing chemotherapy, and assay their toxicity against mammalian cells in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plants were extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. Active principles were isolated by bioassay-led fractionation, testing for trypanocidal activity, and identified using NMR and mass spectrometry. EC50 values for their activity against wild-type and multi-drug resistant Trypanosoma brucei were obtained using the viability indicator dye resazurin. RESULTS Seven medicinal plants were evaluated for activity against selected kinetoplastid parasites. The result shows that crude extracts and isolated active compounds from Polyalthia longifolia and Eucalyptus maculata, in particular, display promising activity against drug-sensitive and multi-drug resistant Trypanosoma brucei. The EC50 value of a clerodane (16α-hydroxy-cleroda-3,13(14)-Z-dien-15,16-olide) isolated from Polyalthia longifolia was as low as 0.38µg/mL, while a triterpenoid (3β,13β-dihydroxy-urs-11-en-28-oic acid) isolated from Eucalyptus maculata displayed an EC50 of 1.58µg/mL. None of the isolated compounds displayed toxicity towards Human Embryonic Kidney cells at concentrations up to 400µg/mL. In addition, the isolated compounds were active against Leishmania mexicana, as well as against T. congolense. CONCLUSION We have isolated a clerodane compound from Polyalthia longifolia that shows low toxicity, no cross-resistance with current treatments, and promising activity against both human-infective and veterinary Trypanosoma species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Godwin Unekwuojo Ebiloma
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Kogi State University, Nigeria
| | - John Ogbaji Igoli
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Evangelos Katsoulis
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Anne-Marie Donachie
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Anthonius Eze
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Health sciences, University of Nigeria, Nigeria
| | - Alexander Ian Gray
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Harry P de Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.
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Field MC, Horn D, Fairlamb AH, Ferguson MAJ, Gray DW, Read KD, De Rycker M, Torrie LS, Wyatt PG, Wyllie S, Gilbert IH. Anti-trypanosomatid drug discovery: an ongoing challenge and a continuing need. Nat Rev Microbiol 2017; 15:217-231. [PMID: 28239154 PMCID: PMC5582623 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro.2016.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 263] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The WHO recognizes human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and the leishmaniases as neglected tropical diseases. These diseases are caused by parasitic trypanosomatids and range in severity from mild and self-curing to near invariably fatal. Public health advances have substantially decreased the effect of these diseases in recent decades but alone will not eliminate them. In this Review, we discuss why new drugs against trypanosomatids are required, approaches that are under investigation to develop new drugs and why the drug discovery pipeline remains essentially unfilled. In addition, we consider the important challenges to drug discovery strategies and the new technologies that can address them. The combination of new drugs, new technologies and public health initiatives is essential for the management, and hopefully eventual elimination, of trypanosomatid diseases from the human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Field
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - David Horn
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Alan H Fairlamb
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Michael A J Ferguson
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - David W Gray
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Kevin D Read
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Manu De Rycker
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Leah S Torrie
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Paul G Wyatt
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Susan Wyllie
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Ian H Gilbert
- Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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Ponte-Sucre A. An Overview of Trypanosoma brucei Infections: An Intense Host-Parasite Interaction. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:2126. [PMID: 28082973 PMCID: PMC5183608 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.02126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and T. brucei gambiense, the causative agents of Human African Trypanosomiasis, are transmitted by tsetse flies. Within the vector, the parasite undergoes through transformations that prepares it to infect the human host. Sequentially these developmental stages are the replicative procyclic (in which the parasite surface is covered by procyclins) and trypo-epimastigote forms, as well as the non-replicative, infective, metacyclic form that develops in the vector salivary glands. As a pre-adaptation to their life in humans, metacyclic parasites begin to express and be densely covered by the Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG). Once the metacyclic form invades the human host the parasite develops into the bloodstream form. Herein the VSG triggers a humoral immune response. To avoid this humoral response, and essential for survival while in the bloodstream, the parasite changes its cover periodically and sheds into the surroundings the expressed VSG, thus evading the consequences of the immune system activation. Additionally, tools comparable to quorum sensing are used by the parasite for the successful parasite transmission from human to insect. On the other hand, the human host promotes clearance of the parasite triggering innate and adaptive immune responses and stimulating cytokine and chemokine secretion. All in all, the host–parasite interaction is extremely active and leads to responses that need multiple control sites to develop appropriately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Ponte-Sucre
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Luis Razetti School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Central de Venezuela Caracas, Venezuela
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Saupe F, Reichel M, Huijbers EJM, Femel J, Markgren PO, Andersson CE, Deindl S, Danielson UH, Hellman LT, Olsson AK. Development of a novel therapeutic vaccine carrier that sustains high antibody titers against several targets simultaneously. FASEB J 2016; 31:1204-1214. [PMID: 27993994 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201600820r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
With the aim to improve the efficacy of therapeutic vaccines that target self-antigens, we have developed a novel fusion protein vaccine on the basis of the C-terminal multimerizing end of the variable lymphocyte receptor B (VLRB), the Ig equivalent in jawless fishes. Recombinant vaccines were produced in Escherichia coli by fusing the VLRB sequence to 4 different cancer-associated target molecules. The anti-self-immune response generated in mice that were vaccinated with VLRB vaccines was compared with the response in mice that received vaccines that contained bacterial thioredoxin (TRX), previously identified as an efficient carrier. The anti-self-Abs were analyzed with respect to titers, binding properties, and duration of response. VLRB-vaccinated mice displayed a 2- to 10-fold increase in anti-self-Ab titers and a substantial decrease in Abs against the foreign part of the fusion protein compared with the response in TRX-vaccinated mice (P < 0.01). VLRB-generated Ab response had duration similar to the corresponding TRX-generated Abs, but displayed a higher diversity in binding characteristics. Of importance, VLRB vaccines could sustain an immune response against several targets simultaneously. VLRB vaccines fulfill several key criteria for an efficient therapeutic vaccine that targets self-antigens as a result of its small size, its multimerizing capacity, and nonexposed foreign sequences in the fusion protein.-Saupe, F., Reichel, M., Huijbers, E. J. M., Femel, J., Markgren, P.-O., Andersson, C. E., Deindl, S., Danielson, U. H., Hellman, L. T., Olsson, A.-K. Development of a novel therapeutic vaccine carrier that sustains high antibody titers against several targets simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falk Saupe
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Matthias Reichel
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elisabeth J M Huijbers
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Julia Femel
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Per-Olof Markgren
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Biomedical Center, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - C Evalena Andersson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Deindl
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - U Helena Danielson
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Biomedical Center, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars T Hellman
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna-Karin Olsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;
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Welburn SC, Bardosh KL, Coleman PG. Novel Financing Model for Neglected Tropical Diseases: Development Impact Bonds Applied to Sleeping Sickness and Rabies Control. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0005000. [PMID: 27855156 PMCID: PMC5113866 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Susan Christina Welburn
- Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Chancellor’s Building, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Kevin Louis Bardosh
- Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Chancellor’s Building, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Gerard Coleman
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom
- H2O Venture Partners, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Pathogenic animal trypanosomes affecting livestock have represented a major constraint to agricultural development in Africa for centuries, and their negative economic impact is increasing in South America and Asia. Chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis represent the main means of control. However, research into new trypanocides has remained inadequate for decades, leading to a situation where the few compounds available are losing efficacy due to the emergence of drug-resistant parasites. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current options available for the treatment and prophylaxis of the animal trypanosomiases, with a special focus on the problem of resistance. The key issues surrounding the main economically important animal trypanosome species and the diseases they cause are also presented. As new investment becomes available to develop improved tools to control the animal trypanosomiases, we stress that efforts should be directed towards a better understanding of the biology of the relevant parasite species and strains, to identify new drug targets and interrogate resistance mechanisms.
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Eze AA, Gould MK, Munday JC, Tagoe DNA, Stelmanis V, Schnaufer A, De Koning HP. Reduced Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Is a Late Adaptation of Trypanosoma brucei brucei to Isometamidium Preceded by Mutations in the γ Subunit of the F1Fo-ATPase. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004791. [PMID: 27518185 PMCID: PMC4982688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Isometamidium is the main prophylactic drug used to prevent the infection of livestock with trypanosomes that cause Animal African Trypanosomiasis. As well as the animal infective trypanosome species, livestock can also harbor the closely related human infective subspecies T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense. Resistance to isometamidium is a growing concern, as is cross-resistance to the diamidine drugs diminazene and pentamidine. Methodology/Principal Findings Two isometamidium resistant Trypanosoma brucei clones were generated (ISMR1 and ISMR15), being 7270- and 16,000-fold resistant to isometamidium, respectively, which retained their ability to grow in vitro and establish an infection in mice. Considerable cross-resistance was shown to ethidium bromide and diminazene, with minor cross-resistance to pentamidine. The mitochondrial membrane potentials of both resistant cell lines were significantly reduced compared to the wild type. The net uptake rate of isometamidium was reduced 2-3-fold but isometamidium efflux was similar in wild-type and resistant lines. Fluorescence microscopy and PCR analysis revealed that ISMR1 and ISMR15 had completely lost their kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and both lines carried a mutation in the nuclearly encoded γ subunit gene of F1 ATPase, truncating the protein by 22 amino acids. The mutation compensated for the loss of the kinetoplast in bloodstream forms, allowing near-normal growth, and conferred considerable resistance to isometamidium and ethidium as well as significant resistance to diminazene and pentamidine, when expressed in wild type trypanosomes. Subsequent exposure to either isometamidium or ethidium led to rapid loss of kDNA and a further increase in isometamidium resistance. Conclusions/Significance Sub-lethal exposure to isometamidium gives rise to viable but highly resistant trypanosomes that, depending on sub-species, are infective to humans and cross-resistant to at least some diamidine drugs. The crucial mutation is in the F1 ATPase γ subunit, which allows loss of kDNA and results in a reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Isometamidium is the only prophylactic treatment of Animal African Trypanosomiasis, a wasting disease of livestock and domestic animals in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately resistance threatens the continued utility of this drug after decades of use. Not only does this disease have severe impacts on agriculture, but some subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei are human-infective as well (causing sleeping sickness) and there is concern that cross-resistance with trypanocides of the diamidine class could further undermine treatment of both veterinary and human infections. It is therefore essential to understand the mechanism of isometamidium resistance and the likelihood for cross-resistance with other first-line trypanocides. Here, we report that isometamidium resistance can be caused by a mutation in an important mitochondrial protein, the γ subunit of the F1 ATPase, and that this mutation alone is sufficient for high levels of resistance, cross-resistance to various drugs, and a strongly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. This report will for the first time enable a structural assessment of isometamidium resistance genes in T. brucei spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthonius A. Eze
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew K. Gould
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research and Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jane C. Munday
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel N. A. Tagoe
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Valters Stelmanis
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Achim Schnaufer
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research and Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Harry P. De Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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DNA Recombination Strategies During Antigenic Variation in the African Trypanosome. Microbiol Spectr 2016; 3:MDNA3-0016-2014. [PMID: 26104717 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.mdna3-0016-2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival of the African trypanosome in its mammalian hosts has led to the evolution of antigenic variation, a process for evasion of adaptive immunity that has independently evolved in many other viral, bacterial and eukaryotic pathogens. The essential features of trypanosome antigenic variation have been understood for many years and comprise a dense, protective Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) coat, which can be changed by recombination-based and transcription-based processes that focus on telomeric VSG gene transcription sites. However, it is only recently that the scale of this process has been truly appreciated. Genome sequencing of Trypanosoma brucei has revealed a massive archive of >1000 VSG genes, the huge majority of which are functionally impaired but are used to generate far greater numbers of VSG coats through segmental gene conversion. This chapter will discuss the implications of such VSG diversity for immune evasion by antigenic variation, and will consider how this expressed diversity can arise, drawing on a growing body of work that has begun to examine the proteins and sequences through which VSG switching is catalyzed. Most studies of trypanosome antigenic variation have focused on T. brucei, the causative agent of human sleeping sickness. Other work has begun to look at antigenic variation in animal-infective trypanosomes, and we will compare the findings that are emerging, as well as consider how antigenic variation relates to the dynamics of host-trypanosome interaction.
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Alkhaldi AAM, Martinek J, Panicucci B, Dardonville C, Zíková A, de Koning HP. Trypanocidal action of bisphosphonium salts through a mitochondrial target in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2015; 6:23-34. [PMID: 27054061 PMCID: PMC4805778 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2015.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Lipophilic bisphosphonium salts are among the most promising antiprotozoal leads currently under investigation. As part of their preclinical evaluation we here report on their mode of action against African trypanosomes, the etiological agents of sleeping sickness. The bisphosphonium compounds CD38 and AHI-9 exhibited rapid inhibition of Trypanosoma brucei growth, apparently the result of cell cycle arrest that blocked the replication of mitochondrial DNA, contained in the kinetoplast, thereby preventing the initiation of S-phase. Incubation with either compound led to a rapid reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, and ATP levels decreased by approximately 50% within 1 h. Between 4 and 8 h, cellular calcium levels increased, consistent with release from the depolarized mitochondria. Within the mitochondria, the Succinate Dehydrogenase complex (SDH) was investigated as a target for bisphosphonium salts, but while its subunit 1 (SDH1) was present at low levels in the bloodstream form trypanosomes, the assembled complex was hardly detectable. RNAi knockdown of the SDH1 subunit produced no growth phenotype, either in bloodstream or in the procyclic (insect) forms and we conclude that in trypanosomes SDH is not the target for bisphosphonium salts. Instead, the compounds inhibited ATP production in intact mitochondria, as well as the purified F1 ATPase, to a level that was similar to 1 mM azide. Co-incubation with azide and bisphosphonium compounds did not inhibit ATPase activity more than either product alone. The results show that, in T. brucei, bisphosphonium compounds do not principally act on succinate dehydrogenase but on the mitochondrial FoF1 ATPase. Bisphosphonium salts display highly promising antiprotozoal activity. It has been reported that, in Leishmania, they act on the mitochondrial SDH complex. We show that in Trypanosoma brucei SDH is not essential and not the drug target. Instead, we present strong evidence that the F1F0 ATPase is the target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulsalam A M Alkhaldi
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Martinek
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre & Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Brian Panicucci
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre & Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | | | - Alena Zíková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre & Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Harry P de Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
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Tewari AK, Kurup SP, Baidya S, Barta JR, Sharma B. Protective antibody and cytokine responses in mice following immunization with recombinant beta-tubulin and subsequent Trypanosoma evansi challenge. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:580. [PMID: 26566996 PMCID: PMC4644280 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1189-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Trypanosomosis or Surra, caused by the flagellated hemoprotozoan parasite Trypanosoma evansi, is a disease of economic importance through its wide prevalence in domestic livestock in tropical countries. In the absence of a protective vaccine, management of the disease relies on a few available chemotherapeutic agents. Although humoral immunity is the mainstay of resistance to T. evansi, the ability of the parasite to vary its immunodominant surface proteins to subvert the immune system has forced vaccine efforts to target a variety of invariant epitopes. Beta tubulin, an integral component of the trypanosome cytoskeleton, was therefore targeted using the recombinant form of the protein for immunization. Methods The 1329 bp coding sequence of beta tubulin gene was PCR amplified and cloned in pQE-TriSystem expression vector. Recombinant beta tubulin was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli as a 46 KDa fusion protein and used for immunization of mice. The Ig response was studied by ELISA, whereas the cytokine response was measured using a cytometric bead-based assay quantified by flow cytometry. Result Immunization with recombinant beta (β)-tubulin protein induced a beta-tubulin specific humoral immune response of predominantly IgG2a isotype. Lethal challenge with T. evansi blood-form trypomastigotes post-immunization elicited a robust anamnestic response. An abundance of IFN-γ further confirmed the Th-1 bias of the protective response. We also observed extended survival and better control of the challenge infection in the immunized mice. Conclusions A robust anamnestic response following challenge including a Th-1 serum cytokine profile coupled with increased survival is indicative of protective immunity in the immunized mice. These observations suggest that β-tubulin of T. evansi is a viable antigenic target for development of a vaccine against this important livestock pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Kumar Tewari
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. .,Division of Parasitology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh, 243 122, India.
| | - Samarchith P Kurup
- Division of Parasitology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh, 243 122, India. .,Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | - Surajit Baidya
- Division of Parasitology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh, 243 122, India. .,Department of Parasitology, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, 37 & 68, Kshudiram Bose Sarani, Belgachia, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700037, India.
| | - John R Barta
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Bhaskar Sharma
- Division of Animal Biochemistry, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh, 243 122, India.
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Iron Homeostasis and Trypanosoma brucei Associated Immunopathogenicity Development: A Battle/Quest for Iron. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:819389. [PMID: 26090446 PMCID: PMC4450282 DOI: 10.1155/2015/819389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Revised: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
African trypanosomosis is a chronic debilitating disease affecting the health and economic well-being of developing countries. The immune response during African trypanosome infection consisting of a strong proinflammatory M1-type activation of the myeloid phagocyte system (MYPS) results in iron deprivation for these extracellular parasites. Yet, the persistence of M1-type MYPS activation causes the development of anemia (anemia of chronic disease, ACD) as a most prominent pathological parameter in the mammalian host, due to enhanced erythrophagocytosis and retention of iron within the MYPS thereby depriving iron for erythropoiesis. In this review we give an overview of how parasites acquire iron from the host and how iron modulation of the host MYPS affects trypanosomosis-associated anemia development. Finally, we also discuss different strategies at the level of both the host and the parasite that can/might be used to modulate iron availability during African trypanosome infections.
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Haynes CLF, Ameloot P, Remaut H, Callewaert N, Sterckx YGJ, Magez S. Production, purification and crystallization of a trans-sialidase from Trypanosoma vivax. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2015; 71:577-85. [PMID: 25945712 PMCID: PMC4427168 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x15002496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Sialidases and trans-sialidases play important roles in the life cycles of various microorganisms. These enzymes can serve nutritional purposes, act as virulence factors or mediate cellular interactions (cell evasion and invasion). In the case of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma vivax, trans-sialidase activity has been suggested to be involved in infection-associated anaemia, which is the major pathology in the disease nagana. The physiological role of trypanosomal trans-sialidases in host-parasite interaction as well as their structures remain obscure. Here, the production, purification and crystallization of a recombinant version of T. vivax trans-sialidase 1 (rTvTS1) are described. The obtained rTvTS1 crystals diffracted to a resolution of 2.5 Å and belonged to the orthorhombic space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 57.3, b = 78.4, c = 209.0 Å.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole L. F. Haynes
- Structural Biology Research Center (SBRC), VIB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Research Unit for Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMIM), VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Department for Molecular Biomedical Research (DMBR), UGent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Paul Ameloot
- Department for Molecular Biomedical Research (DMBR), UGent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Han Remaut
- Structural Biology Research Center (SBRC), VIB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology (SMM), VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nico Callewaert
- Department for Molecular Biomedical Research (DMBR), UGent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yann G.-J. Sterckx
- Structural Biology Research Center (SBRC), VIB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Research Unit for Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMIM), VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stefan Magez
- Structural Biology Research Center (SBRC), VIB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Research Unit for Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMIM), VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Generation of a nanobody targeting the paraflagellar rod protein of trypanosomes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115893. [PMID: 25551637 PMCID: PMC4281110 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosomes are protozoan parasites that cause diseases in humans and livestock for which no vaccines are available. Disease eradication requires sensitive diagnostic tools and efficient treatment strategies. Immunodiagnostics based on antigen detection are preferable to antibody detection because the latter cannot differentiate between active infection and cure. Classical monoclonal antibodies are inaccessible to cryptic epitopes (based on their size-150 kDa), costly to produce and require cold chain maintenance, a condition that is difficult to achieve in trypanosomiasis endemic regions, which are mostly rural. Nanobodies are recombinant, heat-stable, small-sized (15 kDa), antigen-specific, single-domain, variable fragments derived from heavy chain-only antibodies in camelids. Because of numerous advantages over classical antibodies, we investigated the use of nanobodies for the targeting of trypanosome-specific antigens and diagnostic potential. An alpaca was immunized using lysates of Trypanosoma evansi. Using phage display and bio-panning techniques, a cross-reactive nanobody (Nb392) targeting all trypanosome species and isolates tested was selected. Imunoblotting, immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry assays were combined to identify the target recognized. Nb392 targets paraflagellar rod protein (PFR1) of T. evansi, T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax. Two different RNAi mutants with defective PFR assembly (PFR2RNAi and KIF9BRNAi) were used to confirm its specificity. In conclusion, using a complex protein mixture for alpaca immunization, we generated a highly specific nanobody (Nb392) that targets a conserved trypanosome protein, i.e., PFR1 in the flagella of trypanosomes. Nb392 is an excellent marker for the PFR and can be useful in the diagnosis of trypanosomiasis. In addition, as demonstrated, Nb392 can be a useful research or PFR protein isolation tool.
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Abstract
African trypanosomes have been around for more than 100 million years, and have adapted to survival in a very wide host range. While various indigenous African mammalian host species display a tolerant phenotype towards this parasitic infection, and hence serve as perpetual reservoirs, many commercially important livestock species are highly disease susceptible. When considering humans, they too display a highly sensitive disease progression phenotype for infections with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense or Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, while being intrinsically resistant to infections with other trypanosome species. As extracellular trypanosomes proliferate and live freely in the bloodstream and lymphatics, they are constantly exposed to the immune system. Due to co-evolution, this environment however no longer poses a hostile threat, but has become the niche environment where trypanosomes thrive and obligatory await transmission through the bites of tsetse flies or other haematophagic vectors, ideally without causing severe side infection-associated pathology to their host. Hence, African trypanosomes have acquired various mechanisms to manipulate and control the host immune response, evading effective elimination. Despite the extensive research into trypanosomosis over the past 40 years, many aspects of the anti-parasite immune response remain to be solved and no vaccine is currently available. Here we review the recent work on the different escape mechanisms employed by African Trypanosomes to ensure infection chronicity and transmission potential.
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Beschin A, Van Den Abbeele J, De Baetselier P, Pays E. African trypanosome control in the insect vector and mammalian host. Trends Parasitol 2014; 30:538-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2014.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Revised: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Obishakin E, de Trez C, Magez S. Chronic Trypanosoma congolense infections in mice cause a sustained disruption of the B-cell homeostasis in the bone marrow and spleen. Parasite Immunol 2014; 36:187-98. [PMID: 24451010 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma congolense is one of the main species responsible for Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT). As preventive vaccination strategies for AAT have been unsuccessful so far, investigating the mechanisms underlying vaccine failure has to be prioritized. In T. brucei and T. vivax infections, recent studies revealed a rapid onset of destruction of the host B-cell compartment, resulting in the loss of memory recall capacity. To assess such effect in experimental T. congolense trypanosomosis, we performed infections with both the cloned Tc13 parasite, which is considered as a standard model system for T. congolense rodent infections and the noncloned TRT55 field isolate. These infections differ in their virulence level in the C57BL/6 mouse model for trypanosomosis. We show that early on, an irreversible depletion of all developmental B cells stages occur. Subsequently, in the spleen, a detrimental decrease in immature B cells is followed by a significant and permanent depletion of Marginal zone B cells and Follicular B cells. The severity of these events later on in infection correlated with the virulence level of the parasite stock. In line with this, it was observed that later-stage infection-induced IgGs were largely nonspecific, in particular in the more virulent TRT55 infection model.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Obishakin
- Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Structural Biology, VIB, Brussels, Belgium
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MacLean L, Myburgh E, Rodgers J, Price HP. Imaging African trypanosomes. Parasite Immunol 2014; 35:283-94. [PMID: 23790101 PMCID: PMC3992894 DOI: 10.1111/pim.12046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei are extracellular kinetoplastid parasites transmitted by the blood-sucking tsetse fly. They are responsible for the fatal disease human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness. In late-stage infection, trypanosomes cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and invade the central nervous system (CNS) invariably leading to coma and death if untreated. There is no available vaccine and current late-stage HAT chemotherapy consists of either melarsoprol, which is highly toxic causing up to 8% of deaths, or nifurtimox–eflornithine combination therapy (NECT), which is costly and difficult to administer. There is therefore an urgent need to identify new late-stage HAT drug candidates. Here, we review how current imaging tools, ranging from fluorescent confocal microscopy of live immobilized cells in culture to whole-animal imaging, are providing insight into T. brucei biology, parasite-host interplay, trypanosome CNS invasion and disease progression. We also consider how imaging tools can be used for candidate drug screening purposes that could lead to new chemotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- L MacLean
- Centre for Immunology and Infection, Department of Biology/Hull York Medical School, University of York, Heslington, York, UK.
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Lejon V, Mumba Ngoyi D, Kestens L, Boel L, Barbé B, Kande Betu V, van Griensven J, Bottieau E, Muyembe Tamfum JJ, Jacobs J, Büscher P. Gambiense human african trypanosomiasis and immunological memory: effect on phenotypic lymphocyte profiles and humoral immunity. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1003947. [PMID: 24603894 PMCID: PMC3946376 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In mice, experimental infection with Trypanosoma brucei causes decreased bone marrow B-cell development, abolished splenic B-cell maturation and loss of antibody mediated protection including vaccine induced memory responses. Nothing is known about this phenomenon in human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), but if occurring, it would imply the need of revaccination of HAT patients after therapy and abolish hope for a HAT vaccine. The effect of gambiense HAT on peripheral blood memory T- and B-cells and on innate and vaccine induced antibody levels was examined. The percentage of memory B- and T-cells was quantified in peripheral blood, prospectively collected in DR Congo from 117 Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infected HAT patients before and six months after treatment and 117 controls at the same time points. Antibodies against carbohydrate antigens on red blood cells and against measles were quantified. Before treatment, significantly higher percentages of memory B-cells, mainly T-independent memory B-cells, were observed in HAT patients compared to controls (CD20+CD27+IgM+, 13.0% versus 2.0%, p<0.001). The percentage of memory T-cells, mainly early effector/memory T-cells, was higher in HAT (CD3+CD45RO+CD27+, 19.4% versus 16.7%, p = 0.003). After treatment, the percentage of memory T-cells normalized, the percentage of memory B-cells did not. The median anti-red blood cell carbohydrate IgM level was one titer lower in HAT patients than in controls (p<0.004), and partially normalized after treatment. Anti-measles antibody concentrations were lower in HAT patients than in controls (medians of 1500 versus 2250 mIU/ml, p = 0.02), and remained so after treatment, but were above the cut-off level assumed to provide protection in 94.8% of HAT patients, before and after treatment (versus 98.3% of controls, p = 0.3). Although functionality of the B-cells was not verified, the results suggest that immunity was conserved in T.b. gambiense infected HAT patients and that B-cell dysfunction might not be that severe as in mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerle Lejon
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 177 IRD-CIRAD INTERTRYP, Montpellier, France
| | - Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi
- Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Luc Kestens
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Luc Boel
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Victor Kande Betu
- Programme Nationale de Lutte contre la Trypanosomiase Humaine Africaine, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | | | | | - Jan Jacobs
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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Maharana B, Rao J, Tewari A, Singh H, Allaie I, Varghese A. Molecular characterisation of paraflagellar rod protein gene (PFR) ofTrypanosoma evansi. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2013.795894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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50
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Wyse BA, Oshidari R, Jeffery DC, Yankulov KY. Parasite epigenetics and immune evasion: lessons from budding yeast. Epigenetics Chromatin 2013; 6:40. [PMID: 24252437 PMCID: PMC3843538 DOI: 10.1186/1756-8935-6-40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The remarkable ability of many parasites to evade host immunity is the key to their success and pervasiveness. The immune evasion is directly linked to the silencing of the members of extended families of genes that encode for major parasite antigens. At any time only one of these genes is active. Infrequent switches to other members of the gene family help the parasites elude the immune system and cause prolonged maladies. For most pathogens, the detailed mechanisms of gene silencing and switching are poorly understood. On the other hand, studies in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have revealed similar mechanisms of gene repression and switching and have provided significant insights into the molecular basis of these phenomena. This information is becoming increasingly relevant to the genetics of the parasites. Here we summarize recent advances in parasite epigenetics and emphasize the similarities between S. cerevisiae and pathogens such as Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, Candida, and Pneumocystis. We also outline current challenges in the control and the treatment of the diseases caused by these parasites and link them to epigenetics and the wealth of knowledge acquired from budding yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Krassimir Y Yankulov
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2 W1, Canada.
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