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Liu C, Nagashima H, Fernando N, Bass V, Gopalakrishnan J, Signorella S, Montgomery W, Lim AI, Harrison O, Reich L, Yao C, Sun HW, Brooks SR, Jiang K, Nagarajan V, Zhao Y, Jung S, Phillips R, Mikami Y, Lareau CA, Kanno Y, Jankovic D, Aryee MJ, Pękowska A, Belkaid Y, O'Shea J, Shih HY. A CTCF-binding site in the Mdm1-Il22-Ifng locus shapes cytokine expression profiles and plays a critical role in early Th1 cell fate specification. Immunity 2024; 57:1005-1018.e7. [PMID: 38697116 PMCID: PMC11108081 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Cytokine expression during T cell differentiation is a highly regulated process that involves long-range promoter-enhancer and CTCF-CTCF contacts at cytokine loci. Here, we investigated the impact of dynamic chromatin loop formation within the topologically associating domain (TAD) in regulating the expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-22 (IL-22); these cytokine loci are closely located in the genome and are associated with complex enhancer landscapes, which are selectively active in type 1 and type 3 lymphocytes. In situ Hi-C analyses revealed inducible TADs that insulated Ifng and Il22 enhancers during Th1 cell differentiation. Targeted deletion of a 17 bp boundary motif of these TADs imbalanced Th1- and Th17-associated immunity, both in vitro and in vivo, upon Toxoplasma gondii infection. In contrast, this boundary element was dispensable for cytokine regulation in natural killer cells. Our findings suggest that precise cytokine regulation relies on lineage- and developmental stage-specific interactions of 3D chromatin architectures and enhancer landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhong Liu
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Nagashima
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nilisha Fernando
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Victor Bass
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jaanam Gopalakrishnan
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sadie Signorella
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Will Montgomery
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ai Ing Lim
- Metaorganism Immunity Section, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Oliver Harrison
- Metaorganism Immunity Section, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Lauren Reich
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chen Yao
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hong-Wei Sun
- Biodata Mining and Discovery Section, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Stephen R Brooks
- Biodata Mining and Discovery Section, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kan Jiang
- Biodata Mining and Discovery Section, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Vijayaraj Nagarajan
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yongbing Zhao
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Seolkyoung Jung
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Rachael Phillips
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yohei Mikami
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Caleb A Lareau
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Yuka Kanno
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Dragana Jankovic
- Immunoparasitology Unit, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Martin J Aryee
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Aleksandra Pękowska
- Dioscuri Center of Chromatin Biology and Epigenomics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Yasmine Belkaid
- Metaorganism Immunity Section, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - John O'Shea
- Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Han-Yu Shih
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Zhong Y, Cao Y, Geng X, Yang S, Qian T, Liu C, Chen J. The role of microRNA-142a in Toxoplasma gondii infection-induced downregulation of Foxp3: implications for adverse pregnancy outcomes. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:490. [PMID: 38741041 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09375-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is capable of infecting nearly all warm-blooded animals and approximately 30% of the global population. Though most infections are subclinical in immunocompetent individuals, congenital contraction can lead to severe consequences such as spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and a range of cranio-cerebral and/or ocular abnormalities. Previous studies reported that T. gondii-infected pregnancy mice unveiled a deficit in both the amount and suppressive functions of regulatory T (Treg) cells, accompanied with reduced levels of forkhead box p3 (Foxp3). Recently, accumulative studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are, to some extent, relevant to T. gondii infection. However, the link between alterations in miRNAs and downregulation of Foxp3 triggered by T. gondii has been only sporadically studied. METHODS Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), protein blotting and immunofluorescence were employed to evaluate the impact of T. gondii infection and antigens on miRNA transcription and Foxp3 expression. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to examine the fluorescence activity in EL4 cells, which were transfected with recombinant plasmids containing full-length/truncated/mutant microRNA-142a-3p (miR-142a) promoter sequence or wild type/mutant of Foxp3 3' untranslated region (3' UTR). RESULTS We found a pronounced increase in miR-142a transcription, concurrent with a decrease in Foxp3 expression in T. gondii-infected mouse placental tissue. Similarly, comparable findings have been experimentally confirmed through the treatment of EL4 cells with T. gondii antigens (TgAg) in vitro. Simultaneously, miR-142a mimics attenuated Foxp3 expression, whereas its inhibitors markedly augmented Foxp3 expression. miR-142a promoter activity was elevated upon the stimulation of T. gondii antigens, which mitigated co-transfection of mutant miR-142a promoter lacking P53 target sites. miR-142a mimics deceased the fluorescence activity of Foxp3 3' untranslated region (3' UTR), but it did not affect the fluorescence activity upon the co-transfection of mutant Foxp3 3' UTR lacking miR-142a target site. CONCLUSION In both in vivo and in vitro studies, a negative correlation was discovered between Foxp3 expression and miR-142a transcription. TgAg enhanced miR-142a promoter activity to facilitate miR-142a transcription through a P53-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, miR-142a directly targeted Foxp3 3' UTR, resulting in the downregulation of Foxp3 expression. Therefore, harnessing miR-142a may be a possible therapeutic approach for adverse pregnancy caused by immune imbalances, particularly those induced by T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhong
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China
- ZhenJiang Provincial Blood Center, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yining Cao
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyu Geng
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China
| | - Shujin Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianmei Qian
- Engineering Research Center of Integration and Application of Digital Learning Technology, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100034, People's Republic of China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Tissue Engineering Technology Products, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China
| | - Chun Liu
- Laboratory Animal Center, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jinling Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226001, People's Republic of China.
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Liu Z, Wang H, Zhang Z, Ma Y, Jing Q, Zhang S, Han J, Chen J, Xiang Y, Kou Y, Wei Y, Wang L, Wang Y. Fam96a is essential for the host control of Toxoplasma gondii infection by fine-tuning macrophage polarization via an iron-dependent mechanism. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012163. [PMID: 38713713 PMCID: PMC11101080 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasmosis affects a quarter of the world's population. Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) is an intracellular parasitic protozoa. Macrophages are necessary for proliferation and spread of T.gondii by regulating immunity and metabolism. Family with sequence similarity 96A (Fam96a; formally named Ciao2a) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that is highly expressed in macrophages, but whether it play a role in control of T. gondii infection is unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study, we utilized myeloid cell-specific knockout mice to test its role in anti-T. gondii immunity. The results showed that myeloid cell-specific deletion of Fam96a led to exacerbate both acute and chronic toxoplasmosis after exposure to T. gondii. This was related to a defectively reprogrammed polarization in Fam96a-deficient macrophages inhibited the induction of immune effector molecules, including iNOS, by suppressing interferon/STAT1 signaling. Fam96a regulated macrophage polarization process was in part dependent on its ability to fine-tuning intracellular iron (Fe) homeostasis in response to inflammatory stimuli. In addition, Fam96a regulated the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation or related events that involved in control of T. gondii. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE All these findings suggest that Fam96a ablation in macrophages disrupts iron homeostasis and inhibits immune effector molecules, which may aggravate both acute and chronic toxoplasmosis. It highlights that Fam96a may autonomously act as a critical gatekeeper of T. gondii control in macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuanzhuan Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hanying Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yulu Ma
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Qiyue Jing
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Shenghai Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jinzhi Han
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Junru Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yaoyao Xiang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yanbo Kou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yanxia Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Peking University Center for Human Disease Genomics, Beijing, China
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yugang Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
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4
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Zhong Y, Qin C, Wang Q, Ding M, Qiu C, Xu Y, Chen J. Inhibition of Foxp3 expression in the placenta of mice infected intraperitoneally by toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites: insights into the PPARγ/miR-7b-5p/Sp1 signaling pathway. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:189. [PMID: 38632598 PMCID: PMC11025192 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06262-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoa, infects approximately 30% of the global population. Contracting T. gondii at the primary infection of the mother can result in neonatal microcephaly, chorioretinitis, hydrocephalus, or mortality. Our previous study indicated that pregnant mice infected with T. gondii displayed a decrease in both the number and the suppressive ability of regulatory T cells, accompanied by the reduced Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3). Numerous studies have proved that microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in T. gondii infection, but there is meager evidence on the relationship between alterations of miRNAs and downregulation of Foxp3 induced by T. gondii. METHODS Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was utilized to detect the transcriptions of miRNAs and Foxp3. Protein blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expressions of Foxp3 and related transcription factors. The structure of mouse placenta was observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. To examine the activity of miR-7b promoter and whether miR-7b-5p targets Sp1 to suppress Foxp3 expression, we constructed recombinant plasmids containing the full-length/truncated/mutant miR-7b promoter sequence or wildtype/mutant of Sp1 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) to detect the fluorescence activity in EL4 cells. RESULTS In T. gondii-infected mice, miR-7b transcription was significantly elevated, while Foxp3 expression was decreased in the placenta. In vitro, miR-7b mimics downregulated Foxp3 expression, whereas its inhibitors significantly upregulated Foxp3 expression. miR-7b promoter activity was elevated upon the stimulation of T. gondii antigens, which was mitigated by co-transfection of mutant miR-7b promoter lacking peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) target sites. Additionally, miR-7b mimics diminished Sp1 expression, while miR-7b inhibitors elevated its expression. miR-7b mimics deceased the fluorescence activity of Sp1 3' untranslated region (3' UTR), but it failed to impact the fluorescence activity upon the co-transfection of mutant Sp1 3' UTR lacking miR-7b target site. CONCLUSIONS T. gondii infection and antigens promote miR-7b transcription but inhibit Foxp3 protein and gene levels. T. gondii antigens promote miR-7b promoter activity by a PPARγ-dependent mechanism. miR-7b directly binds to Sp1 3' UTR to repress Sp1 expression. Understanding the regulatory functions by which T. gondii-induced miR-7b suppresses Foxp3 expression can provide new perspectives for the possible therapeutic avenue of T. gondii-induced adverse pregnancy outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhong
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng Qin
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Maoyuan Ding
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Chong Qiu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunzhao Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jinling Chen
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 19 Qixiu Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
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5
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Zou Y, Yang X, Chen C, Ma H, Cao HW, Jiang J, Wei XY, Zhang XX. Transcriptomic profiling of long non-coding RNAs and messenger RNAs in the liver of mice during Toxoplasma gondii infection. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:20. [PMID: 38229193 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06053-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that can infect a wide range of warm-blooded animals, including humans. It poses significant health risks, particularly in immunocompromised individuals and during pregnancy, leading to severe disease manifestations. The liver, being a crucial organ involved in immune response and metabolic regulation, plays a critical role in the host's defense against T. gondii infection. METHODS In this study, we utilized RNA sequencing to investigate the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in the liver of mice infected with T. gondii. By employing this method, we obtained a comprehensive overview of the alterations in gene expression occurring in the liver during infection. RESULTS By comparing the infected groups to the control groups, we identified numerous differentially expressed lncRNAs DElncRNAs and DEmRNAs at two stages of infection. Specifically, at the acute infection stage, we found 628 DElncRNAs, and 6346 DEmRNAs. At the chronic infection stage, we identified 385 DElncRNAs and 2513 DEmRNAs. Furthermore, we identified 1959 commonly expressed DEmRNAs, including IL27, Nos2, and Cxcr2, across two infection stages. Enrichment and co-location analyses revealed pathways linked to immune and inflammatory responses during T. gondii infection. Notably, through co-location analysis, our analysis revealed several DElncRNAs, including Gm29156, Gm29157, and Gm28644, which are potentially implicated in the progression of liver inflammation induced by T. gondii. Additionally, functional enrichment analysis disclosed stage-specific characteristics of liver inflammation and immune response, alongside changes in metabolic regulation and immunosuppression pathways. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide valuable insights into the expression patterns of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the liver at different stages of T. gondii infection. We identified potential regulatory factors and pathways implicated in liver inflammation, thereby enhancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying liver inflammation and immune responses during T. gondii infection. These findings could contribute to the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for liver inflammation in the context of T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zou
- School of Pharmacy, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, 224002, People's Republic of China
- School of Life Sciences, Baicheng Normal University, Baicheng, Jilin Province, 137000, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing Yang
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan Province, 671000, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, ChangchunJilin Province, 130118, People's Republic of China
| | - He Ma
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, 266109, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Wei Cao
- School of Pharmacy, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, 224002, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jing Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Baicheng Normal University, Baicheng, Jilin Province, 137000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xin-Yu Wei
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Heilongjiang Province163316, Daqing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiao-Xuan Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, 266109, People's Republic of China
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Antunes AV, Shahinas M, Swale C, Farhat DC, Ramakrishnan C, Bruley C, Cannella D, Robert MG, Corrao C, Couté Y, Hehl AB, Bougdour A, Coppens I, Hakimi MA. In vitro production of cat-restricted Toxoplasma pre-sexual stages. Nature 2024; 625:366-376. [PMID: 38093015 PMCID: PMC10781626 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06821-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Sexual reproduction of Toxoplasma gondii, confined to the felid gut, remains largely uncharted owing to ethical concerns regarding the use of cats as model organisms. Chromatin modifiers dictate the developmental fate of the parasite during its multistage life cycle, but their targeting to stage-specific cistromes is poorly described1,2. Here we found that the transcription factors AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2 operate during the tachyzoite stage, a hallmark of acute toxoplasmosis, to silence genes necessary for merozoites, a developmental stage critical for subsequent sexual commitment and transmission to the next host, including humans. Their conditional and simultaneous depletion leads to a marked change in the transcriptional program, promoting a full transition from tachyzoites to merozoites. These in vitro-cultured pre-gametes have unique protein markers and undergo typical asexual endopolygenic division cycles. In tachyzoites, AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2 bind DNA as heterodimers at merozoite promoters and recruit MORC and HDAC3 (ref. 1), thereby limiting chromatin accessibility and transcription. Consequently, the commitment to merogony stems from a profound epigenetic rewiring orchestrated by AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2. Successful production of merozoites in vitro paves the way for future studies on Toxoplasma sexual development without the need for cat infections and holds promise for the development of therapies to prevent parasite transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Vera Antunes
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Martina Shahinas
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Christopher Swale
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Dayana C Farhat
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Christophe Bruley
- University Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INSERM, UA13 BGE, CNRS, CEA, Grenoble, France
| | - Dominique Cannella
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Marie G Robert
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Charlotte Corrao
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Yohann Couté
- University Grenoble Alpes, CEA, INSERM, UA13 BGE, CNRS, CEA, Grenoble, France
| | - Adrian B Hehl
- Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Bougdour
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Isabelle Coppens
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Malaria Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mohamed-Ali Hakimi
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, University Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.
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7
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Nejabat M, Heydari M, Motamedifar M, Foroozanfar Z, Fard SA, Hashempour A, Nazari N, Rezaei E, Heydari Z. Association of polymorphism of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-6 with Toxoplasma gondii infection susceptibility in HIV/AIDS patients in Shiraz, southern Iran. Immun Inflamm Dis 2024; 12:e1117. [PMID: 38270309 PMCID: PMC10777877 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.1117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Toxoplasma gondii infection is considered as one of the most important opportunistic infections and cause of death in HIV patients. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 334 HIV positive patients were included. The molecular test was performed by the restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction method. Allelic frequency, haplotype analyses, and linkage disequilibrium were calculated. The odds ratio was calculated. The linear regression model was used to analysis of interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F, and IL-6 single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes in HIV patients with and without toxoplasmosis. RESULTS In total, 95 tested'patients (28.4%) were positive for toxoplasmosis. The risk of toxoplasma infection in the current study did not correlate with IL-17 and IL-6 polymorphism and the risk of contracting toxoplasma was also not significantly correlated in this study. There was no association between the frequency of alleles and the risk of toxoplasma infection in IL-17 haplotype analysis. CONCLUSION The findings of this study revealed that there were significant differences in the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17A, but not IL-17F, between the case and control groups in various genetic models. However, these polymorphisms did not show a significant relationship with toxoplasma infection in HIV-positive patients. This study represents the first investigation in Iran to explore the role of IL-6 and IL-17 polymorphisms in toxoplasma infection among HIV-positive patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Nejabat
- HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Mohammadreza Heydari
- HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Mohammad Motamedifar
- HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, Shiraz Medical SchoolShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazFarsIran
| | - Zohre Foroozanfar
- HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Saeid Amirizadeh Fard
- Virology Section, Diagnostic Laboratory Sciences and Technology Research CenterSchool of Paramedical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Ava Hashempour
- HIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Nazani Nazari
- Department of Immunology, Shiraz Medical SchoolShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
| | - Esmaeil Rezaei
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological SciencesTarbiat Modares UniversityTehranIran
| | - Zahra Heydari
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShahid Behesti UniversityTehranIran
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Su D, Zhu S, Hou Z, Hao F, Xu K, Xu F, Zhu Y, Liu D, Xu J, Tao J. Toxoplasma gondii infection regulates apoptosis of host cells via miR-185/ARAF axis. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:371. [PMID: 37858158 PMCID: PMC10585723 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05991-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis with a worldwide presence that is caused by the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Active regulation of apoptosis is an important immune mechanism by which host cells resist the growth of T. gondii or avoid excessive pathological damage induced by this parasite. Previous studies found that upregulated expression of microRNA-185 (miR-185) during T. gondii infection has a potential role in regulating the expression of the ARAF gene, which is reported to be associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis. METHODS The expression levels of miR-185 and the ARAF gene were evaluated by qPCR and Western blot, respectively, in mice tissues, porcine kidney epithelial cells (PK-15) and porcine alveolar macrophages (3D4/21) following infection with the T. gondii ToxoDB#9 and RH strains. The dual luciferase reporter assay was then used to verify the relationship between miR-185 and ARAF targets in PK-15 cells. PK-15 and 3D4/21 cell lines with stable knockout of the ARAF gene were established by CRISPR, and then the apoptosis rates of the cells following T. gondii infection were detected using cell flow cytometry assays. Simultaneously, the activities of cleaved caspase-3, as a key apoptosis executive protein, were detected by Western blot to evaluate the apoptosis levels of cells. RESULTS Infection with both the T. gondii ToxoDB#9 and RH strains induced an increased expression of miR-185 and a decreased expression of ARAF in mice tissues, PK-15 and 3D4/21 cells. MiR-185 mimic transfections showed a significantly negative correlation in expression levels between miR-185 and the ARAF gene. The dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that ARAF was a target of miR-185. Functional investigation revealed that T. gondii infection induced the apoptosis of PK-15 and 3D4/21 cells, which could be inhibited by ARAF knockout or overexpression of miR-185. The expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 protein were significantly lower in cells with ARAF knockout than in normal cells, which were consistent with the results of the cell flow cytometry assays. CONCLUSIONS Toxoplasma gondii infection could lead to the upregulation of miR-185 and the downregulation of ARAF, which was not related to the strain of T. gondii and the host cells. Toxoplasma gondii infection could regulate the apoptosis of host cells via the miR-185/ARAF axis, which represents an additional strategy used by T. gondii to counteract host-cell apoptosis in order to maintain survival and reproduce in the host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingzeyang Su
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Shifan Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhaofeng Hou
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Fuxing Hao
- Jiangsu Agri-Animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou, 225300 People’s Republic of China
| | - Kangzhi Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Fan Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuyang Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Dandan Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jinjun Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianping Tao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, 12 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009 Jiangsu People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
- International Research Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonotic Diseases of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009 People’s Republic of China
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Li Y, Guo J, Zhang H, Li Z, Ren Y, Jiang Y, Liu X, Hu X. LILRB4 regulates the function of decidual MDSCs via the SHP-2/STAT6 pathway during Toxoplasma gondii infection. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:237. [PMID: 37461040 PMCID: PMC10353217 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05856-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii infection can cause adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as recurrent abortion, fetal growth restriction and infants with malformations, among others. Decidual myeloid-derived suppressor cells (dMDSCs) are a novel immunosuppressive cell type at the fetal-maternal interface which play an important role in sustaining normal pregnancy that is related to their high expression of the inhibitory molecule leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4). It has been reported that the expression of LILRB4 is downregulated on decidual macrophages after T. gondii infection, but it remains unknown whether T. gondii infection can induce dMDSC dysfunction resulting from the change in LILRB4 expression. METHODS LILRB4-deficient (LILRB4-/-) pregnant mice infected with T. gondii with associated adverse pregnancy outcomes, and anti-LILRB4 neutralized antibodies-treated infected human dMDSCs were used in vivo and in vitro experiments, respectively. The aim was to investigate the effect of LILRB4 expression on dMDSC dysfunction induced by T. gondii infection. RESULTS Toxoplasma gondii infection was observed to reduce STAT3 phosphorylation, resulting in decreased LILRB4 expression on dMDSCs. The levels of the main functional molecules (arginase-1 [Arg-1], interleukin-10 [IL-10]) and main signaling molecules (phosphorylated Src-homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase [p-SHP2], phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 [p-STAT6]) in dMDSCs were all significantly reduced in human and mouse dMDSCs due to the decrease of LILRB4 expression induced by T. gondii infection. SHP-2 was found to directly bind to STAT6 and STAT6 to bind to the promoter of the Arg-1 and IL-10 genes during T. gondii infection. CONCLUSIONS The downregulation of LILRB4 expression on dMDSCs induced by T. gondii infection could regulate the expression of Arg-1 and IL-10 via the SHP-2/STAT6 pathway, resulting in the dysfunction of dMDSCs, which might contribute to adverse outcomes during pregnancy by T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuantao Li
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjing Guo
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Haixia Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhidan Li
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yushan Ren
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuzhu Jiang
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianbing Liu
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuemei Hu
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
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Zou Y, Meng JX, Wei XY, Gu XY, Chen C, Geng HL, Yang LH, Zhang XX, Cao HW. CircRNA and miRNA expression analysis in livers of mice with Toxoplasma gondii infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1037586. [PMID: 36389171 PMCID: PMC9646959 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1037586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). However, the functions of circRNAs and miRNAs in response to T. gondii infection in the livers of mice at acute and chronic stages remain unknown. Here, high-throughput RNA sequencing was performed for detecting the expression of circRNAs and miRNAs in livers of mice infected with 20 T. gondii cysts at the acute and chronic stages, in order to understand the potential molecular mechanisms underlying hepatic toxoplasmosis. Overall, 265 and 97 differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were found in livers at the acute and chronic infection stages in comparison with controls, respectively. In addition, 171 and 77 DEmiRNAs were found in livers at the acute and chronic infection stages, respectively. Functional annotation showed that some immunity-related Gene ontology terms, such as “positive regulation of cytokine production”, “regulation of T cell activation”, and “immune receptor activity”, were enriched at the two infection stages. Moreover, the pathways “Valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation”, “Fatty acid metabolism”, and “Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism” were involved in liver disease. Remarkably, DEcircRNA 6:124519352|124575359 was significantly correlated with DEmiRNAs mmu-miR-146a-5p and mmu-miR-150-5p in the network that was associated with liver immunity and pathogenesis of disease. This study revealed that the expression profiling of circRNAs in the livers was changed after T. gondii infection, and improved our understanding of the transcriptomic landscape of hepatic toxoplasmosis in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zou
- School of Pharmacy, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China
- College of Life Sciences, Changchun Sci-Tech University, Changchun, China
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jin-Xin Meng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xin-Yu Wei
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
| | - Xiao-Yi Gu
- School of Pharmacy, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China
| | - Chao Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Hong-Li Geng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Li-Hua Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Changchun Sci-Tech University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Li-Hua Yang, ; Xiao-Xuan Zhang, ; Hong-Wei Cao,
| | - Xiao-Xuan Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- *Correspondence: Li-Hua Yang, ; Xiao-Xuan Zhang, ; Hong-Wei Cao,
| | - Hong-Wei Cao
- School of Pharmacy, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China
- *Correspondence: Li-Hua Yang, ; Xiao-Xuan Zhang, ; Hong-Wei Cao,
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Ulahannan N, Cutler R, Doña-Termine R, Simões-Pires CA, Wijetunga NA, Croken MM, Johnston AD, Kong Y, Maqbool SB, Suzuki M, Greally JM. Genomic insights into host and parasite interactions during intracellular infection by Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275226. [PMID: 36178892 PMCID: PMC9524707 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To gain insights into the molecular interactions of an intracellular pathogen and its host cell, we studied the gene expression and chromatin states of human fibroblasts infected with the Apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. We show a striking activation of host cell genes that regulate a number of cellular processes, some of which are protective of the host cell, others likely to be advantageous to the pathogen. The simultaneous capture of host and parasite genomic information allowed us to gain insights into the regulation of the T. gondii genome. We show how chromatin accessibility and transcriptional profiling together permit novel annotation of the parasite's genome, including more accurate mapping of known genes and the identification of new genes and cis-regulatory elements. Motif analysis reveals not only the known T. gondii AP2 transcription factor-binding site but also a previously-undiscovered candidate TATA box-containing motif at one-quarter of promoters. By inferring the transcription factor and upstream cell signaling responses involved in the host cell, we can use genomic information to gain insights into T. gondii's perturbation of host cell physiology. Our resulting model builds on previously-described human host cell signalling responses to T. gondii infection, linked to induction of specific transcription factors, some of which appear to be solely protective of the host cell, others of which appear to be co-opted by the pathogen to enhance its own survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Netha Ulahannan
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Ronald Cutler
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Reanna Doña-Termine
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Claudia A. Simões-Pires
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - N. Ari Wijetunga
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Matthew McKnight Croken
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Andrew D. Johnston
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Yu Kong
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Shahina B. Maqbool
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - Masako Suzuki
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
| | - John M. Greally
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States of America
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Rovira P, Gutiérrez B, Sorlózano-Puerto A, Gutiérrez-Fernández J, Molina E, Rivera M, Martínez-Leal R, Ibanez-Casas I, Martín-Laguna MV, Rosa A, Torres-González F, Cervilla JA. Toxoplasma gondii Seropositivity Interacts with Catechol- O-methyltransferase Val105/158Met Variation Increasing the Risk of Schizophrenia. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13061088. [PMID: 35741850 PMCID: PMC9222771 DOI: 10.3390/genes13061088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous and severe psychotic disorder. Epidemiological findings have suggested that the exposure to infectious agents such as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is associated with an increased risk for schizophrenia. On the other hand, there is evidence involving the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val105/158Met polymorphism in the aetiology of schizophrenia since it alters the dopamine metabolism. A case−control study of 141 patients and 142 controls was conducted to analyse the polymorphism, the prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG, and their interaction on the risk for schizophrenia. IgG were detected by ELISA, and genotyping was performed with TaqMan Real-Time PCR. Although no association was found between any COMT genotype and schizophrenia, we found a significant association between T. gondii seropositivity and the disorder (χ2 = 11.71; p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, the risk for schizophrenia conferred by T. gondii was modified by the COMT genotype, with those who had been exposed to the infection showing a different risk compared to that of nonexposed ones depending on the COMT genotype (χ2 for the interaction = 7.28, p-value = 0.007). This study provides evidence that the COMT genotype modifies the risk for schizophrenia conferred by T. gondii infection, with it being higher in those individuals with the Met/Met phenotype, intermediate in heterozygous, and lower in those with the Val/Val phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Rovira
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain; (P.R.); (M.R.); (M.V.M.-L.); (J.A.C.)
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain;
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Vicerectorat de Recerca, Investigadora postdoctoral Margarita Salas, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Blanca Gutiérrez
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain; (P.R.); (M.R.); (M.V.M.-L.); (J.A.C.)
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain;
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Correspondence: (B.G.); (E.M.); Tel.: +34-958-242-075 (B.G. & E.M.)
| | - Antonio Sorlózano-Puerto
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - José Gutiérrez-Fernández
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Esther Molina
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain; (P.R.); (M.R.); (M.V.M.-L.); (J.A.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Departamento de Enfermería, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
- Correspondence: (B.G.); (E.M.); Tel.: +34-958-242-075 (B.G. & E.M.)
| | - Margarita Rivera
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain; (P.R.); (M.R.); (M.V.M.-L.); (J.A.C.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Rafael Martínez-Leal
- Unidad de Investigación en Discapacidad Intelectual y Trastornos del Desarrollo (UNIVIDD), Fundació Villablanca, IISPV, Departamento de Psicología, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), 43007 Reus, Spain;
| | - Inmaculada Ibanez-Casas
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, 12901 NY, USA;
| | - María Victoria Martín-Laguna
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain; (P.R.); (M.R.); (M.V.M.-L.); (J.A.C.)
| | - Araceli Rosa
- Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | | | - Jorge A. Cervilla
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica (CIBM), Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain; (P.R.); (M.R.); (M.V.M.-L.); (J.A.C.)
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain;
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
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Pamukcu S, Cerutti A, Bordat Y, Hem S, Rofidal V, Besteiro S. Differential contribution of two organelles of endosymbiotic origin to iron-sulfur cluster synthesis and overall fitness in Toxoplasma. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1010096. [PMID: 34793583 PMCID: PMC8639094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are one of the most ancient and ubiquitous prosthetic groups, and they are required by a variety of proteins involved in important metabolic processes. Apicomplexan parasites have inherited different plastidic and mitochondrial Fe-S clusters biosynthesis pathways through endosymbiosis. We have investigated the relative contributions of these pathways to the fitness of Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan parasite causing disease in humans, by generating specific mutants. Phenotypic analysis and quantitative proteomics allowed us to highlight notable differences in these mutants. Both Fe-S cluster synthesis pathways are necessary for optimal parasite growth in vitro, but their disruption leads to markedly different fates: impairment of the plastidic pathway leads to a loss of the organelle and to parasite death, while disruption of the mitochondrial pathway trigger differentiation into a stress resistance stage. This highlights that otherwise similar biochemical pathways hosted by different sub-cellular compartments can have very different contributions to the biology of the parasites, which is something to consider when exploring novel strategies for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aude Cerutti
- LPHI, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Yann Bordat
- LPHI, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Sonia Hem
- BPMP, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - Valérie Rofidal
- BPMP, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
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14
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Rajendran E, Clark M, Goulart C, Steinhöfel B, Tjhin ET, Gross S, Smith NC, Kirk K, van Dooren GG. Substrate-mediated regulation of the arginine transporter of Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009816. [PMID: 34352043 PMCID: PMC8370653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular parasites, such as the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii, are adept at scavenging nutrients from their host. However, there is little understanding of how parasites sense and respond to the changing nutrient environments they encounter during an infection. TgApiAT1, a member of the apicomplexan ApiAT family of amino acid transporters, is the major uptake route for the essential amino acid L-arginine (Arg) in T. gondii. Here, we show that the abundance of TgApiAT1, and hence the rate of uptake of Arg, is regulated by the availability of Arg in the parasite's external environment, increasing in response to decreased [Arg]. Using a luciferase-based 'biosensor' strain of T. gondii, we demonstrate that the expression of TgApiAT1 varies between different organs within the host, indicating that parasites are able to modulate TgApiAT1-dependent uptake of Arg as they encounter different nutrient environments in vivo. Finally, we show that Arg-dependent regulation of TgApiAT1 expression is post-transcriptional, mediated by an upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the TgApiAT1 transcript, and we provide evidence that the peptide encoded by this uORF is critical for mediating regulation. Together, our data reveal the mechanism by which an apicomplexan parasite responds to changes in the availability of a key nutrient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Rajendran
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Morgan Clark
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Cibelly Goulart
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Birte Steinhöfel
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Erick T. Tjhin
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Simon Gross
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Nicholas C. Smith
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kiaran Kirk
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Giel G. van Dooren
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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15
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Rosenberg A, Sibley LD. Toxoplasma gondii secreted effectors co-opt host repressor complexes to inhibit necroptosis. Cell Host Microbe 2021; 29:1186-1198.e8. [PMID: 34043960 PMCID: PMC8711274 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii translocates effector proteins into its host cell to subvert various host pathways. T. gondii effector TgIST blocks the transcription of interferon-stimulated genes to reduce immune defense. Interferons upregulate numerous genes, including protein kinase R (PKR), which induce necrosome formation to activate mixed-lineage-kinase-domain-like (MLKL) pseudokinase and induce necroptosis. Whether these interferon functions are targeted by Toxoplasma is unknown. Here, we examine secreted effectors that localize to the host cell nucleus and find that the chronic bradyzoite stage secretes effector TgNSM that targets the NCoR/SMRT complex, a repressor for various transcription factors, to inhibit interferon-regulated genes involved in cell death. TgNSM acts with TgIST to block IFN-driven expression of PKR and MLKL, thus preventing host cell necroptotic death and protecting the parasite's intracellular niche. The mechanism of action of TgNSM uncovers a role of NCoR/SMRT in necroptosis, assuring survival of intracellular cysts and chronic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Rosenberg
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - L David Sibley
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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Wu Y, Tan Y, Ou D, Wang X, Wang Y. Azathioprine-induced toxoplasma gondii infection in a patient with Crohn's disease with NUDT15 variation: A case report. Medicine (Baltimore) 2021; 100:e25781. [PMID: 33950972 PMCID: PMC8104275 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000025781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Azathioprine (AZA) has been widely used for the treatment of various immune-related diseases and has become a mainstay in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. However, patients with genetic mutations may experience severe adverse events when treated with azathioprine. Most of the previous literature focused on the TPMP gene-related adverse reactions, herein, we report a case of Crohn's disease patient with nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X motif 15 gene (NUDT15) variation and wild-type TPMP gene who developed toxoplasma gondii infection after azathioprine treatment. PATIENT CONCERNS A 56-year-old Crohn's disease patient developed toxoplasma gondii infection within 2 months after the administration of azathioprine; however, he had no relevant high-risk factors. DIAGNOSIS Subsequent genetic testing revealed that the patient was heterozygous for NUDT15. Therefore, it was reasonable to consider that the patient's genetic mutation resulted in reduced tolerance to azathioprine, leading to low immunity and eventually toxoplasma infection. INTERVENTIONS AZA was then discontinued; after anti-infection, antipyretic and other supportive treatments were administered, the patient's condition gradually improved. OUTCOMES The patient was followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge; fortunately, he was in good health. CONCLUSION We report a case of Crohn's disease in a patient who developed severe pneumonia caused by toxoplasma gondii infection due to the administration of AZA, with normal TPMP gene but NUDT15 gene mutation. This indicates that NUDT15 variation may contribute to severe adverse events in patients treated with azathioprine, and we suggest that NUDT15 genotype be detected before the use of azathioprine in order to provide personalized therapy and reduce side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Xiangya Hospital
- Research Center of Digestive Disease, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Yuyong Tan
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Xiangya Hospital
- Research Center of Digestive Disease, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Dalian Ou
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Xiangya Hospital
- Research Center of Digestive Disease, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Xuehong Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Xiangya Hospital
- Research Center of Digestive Disease, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Yongjun Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Xiangya Hospital
- Research Center of Digestive Disease, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
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Clark JT, Christian DA, Gullicksrud JA, Perry JA, Park J, Jacquet M, Tarrant JC, Radaelli E, Silver J, Hunter CA. IL-33 promotes innate lymphoid cell-dependent IFN-γ production required for innate immunity to Toxoplasma gondii. eLife 2021; 10:e65614. [PMID: 33929319 PMCID: PMC8121546 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
IL-33 is an alarmin required for resistance to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, but its role in innate resistance to this organism is unclear. Infection with T. gondii promotes increased stromal cell expression of IL-33, and levels of parasite replication correlate with release of IL-33 in affected tissues. In response to infection, a subset of innate lymphoid cells (ILC) emerges composed of IL-33R+ NK cells and ILC1s. In Rag1-/-mice, where NK cells and ILC1 production of IFN-γ mediate innate resistance to T. gondii, the loss of the IL-33R resulted in reduced ILC responses and increased parasite replication. Furthermore, administration of IL-33 to Rag1-/- mice resulted in a marked decrease in parasite burden, increased production of IFN-γ, and the recruitment and expansion of inflammatory monocytes associated with parasite control. These protective effects of exogenous IL-33 were dependent on endogenous IL-12p40 and the ability of IL-33 to enhance ILC production of IFN-γ. These results highlight that IL-33 synergizes with IL-12 to promote ILC-mediated resistance to T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph T Clark
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - David A Christian
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Jodi A Gullicksrud
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Joseph A Perry
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Jeongho Park
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
- Kangwon National University College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute of Veterinary ScienceChuncheonRepublic of Korea
| | - Maxime Jacquet
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
- Liver Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital of Basel and University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - James C Tarrant
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Enrico Radaelli
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Jonathan Silver
- Department of Respiratory Inflammation and Autoimmunity, AstraZenecaGaithersburgUnited States
| | - Christopher A Hunter
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary MedicinePhiladelphiaUnited States
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Shin JH, Hwang YS, Jung BK, Seo SH, Ham DW, Shin EH. Reduction of Amyloid Burden by Proliferated Homeostatic Microglia in Toxoplasma gondii-Infected Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052764. [PMID: 33803262 PMCID: PMC7975980 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we confirmed that the number of resident homeostatic microglia increases during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection. Given that the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) worsens with the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques, which are eliminated through microglial phagocytosis, we hypothesized that T. gondii-induced microglial proliferation would reduce AD progression. Therefore, we investigated the association between microglial proliferation and Aβ plaque burden using brain tissues isolated from 5XFAD AD mice (AD group) and T. gondii-infected AD mice (AD + Toxo group). In the AD + Toxo group, amyloid plaque burden significantly decreased compared with the AD group; conversely, homeostatic microglial proliferation, and number of plaque-associated microglia significantly increased. As most plaque-associated microglia shifted to the disease-associated microglia (DAM) phenotype in both AD and AD + Toxo groups and underwent apoptosis after the lysosomal degradation of phagocytosed Aβ plaques, this indicates that a sustained supply of homeostatic microglia is required for alleviating Aβ plaque burden. Thus, chronic T. gondii infection can induce microglial proliferation in the brains of mice with progressed AD; a sustained supply of homeostatic microglia is a promising prospect for AD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hun Shin
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul 03080, Korea; (J.-H.S.); (Y.S.H.); (S.-H.S.); (D.-W.H.)
| | - Young Sang Hwang
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul 03080, Korea; (J.-H.S.); (Y.S.H.); (S.-H.S.); (D.-W.H.)
| | - Bong-Kwang Jung
- Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Korea Association of Health Promotion, Seoul 07649, Korea;
| | - Seung-Hwan Seo
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul 03080, Korea; (J.-H.S.); (Y.S.H.); (S.-H.S.); (D.-W.H.)
| | - Do-Won Ham
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul 03080, Korea; (J.-H.S.); (Y.S.H.); (S.-H.S.); (D.-W.H.)
| | - Eun-Hee Shin
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul 03080, Korea; (J.-H.S.); (Y.S.H.); (S.-H.S.); (D.-W.H.)
- Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-2-740-8344
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19
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Menard KL, Bu L, Denkers EY. Transcriptomics analysis of Toxoplasma gondii-infected mouse macrophages reveals coding and noncoding signatures in the presence and absence of MyD88. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:130. [PMID: 33622246 PMCID: PMC7903719 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07437-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed protozoan parasite that establishes life-long asymptomatic infection in humans, often emerging as a life-threatening opportunistic pathogen during immunodeficiency. As an intracellular microbe, Toxoplasma establishes an intimate relationship with its host cell from the outset of infection. Macrophages are targets of infection and they are important in early innate immunity and possibly parasite dissemination throughout the host. Here, we employ an RNA-sequencing approach to identify host and parasite transcriptional responses during infection of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). We incorporated into our analysis infection with the high virulence Type I RH strain and the low virulence Type II strain PTG. Because the well-known TLR-MyD88 signaling axis is likely of less importance in humans, we examined transcriptional responses in both MyD88+/+ and MyD88-/- BMDM. Long noncoding (lnc) RNA molecules are emerging as key regulators in infection and immunity, and were, therefore, included in our analysis. RESULTS We found significantly more host genes were differentially expressed in response to the highly virulent RH strain rather than with the less virulent PTG strain (335 versus 74 protein coding genes for RH and PTG, respectively). Enriched in these protein coding genes were subsets associated with the immune response as well as cell adhesion and migration. We identified 249 and 83 non-coding RNAs as differentially expressed during infection with RH and PTG strains, respectively. Although the majority of these are of unknown function, one conserved lncRNA termed mir17hg encodes the mir17 microRNA gene cluster that has been implicated in down-regulating host cell apoptosis during T. gondii infection. Only a minimal number of transcripts were differentially expressed between MyD88 knockout and wild type cells. However, several immune genes were among the differences. While transcripts for parasite secretory proteins were amongst the most highly expressed T. gondii genes during infection, no differentially expressed parasite genes were identified when comparing infection in MyD88 knockout and wild type host BMDM. CONCLUSIONS The large dataset presented here lays the groundwork for continued studies on both the MyD88-independent immune response and the function of lncRNAs during Toxoplasma gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla L Menard
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | - Lijing Bu
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Eric Y Denkers
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
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20
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Baqer NN, Saheb EJ, Ahmed NS. Association between genetic polymorphism of IL-27 (rs153109) and toxoplasmosis in Iraqi women with recurrent abortion. Ann Parasitol 2021; 67:435-443. [PMID: 34953118 DOI: 10.17420/ap6703.356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are predictive markers for diseases, also cytokines are undergoing genetic controls and their genetic polymorphisms have a functional role in regulating the levels of cytokine gene expression. This study aims to reveal the association of toxoplasmosis with serum levels and SNP of IL-27 in aborted women. Total, 200 blood samples of patients and controls were collected from Al-Alawiya Maternity Teaching Hospital/Baghdad/Iraq from 2019–2020 for detecting the level of IL-27 by ELISA while the allelic discrimination method was used for SNP IL-27 (rs153109). The results indicated the IL-27 serum concentration elevated with significant differences in recurrent abortion with toxoplasmosis group compared to healthy women, pregnant women, and recurrent abortion. Also, recurrent abortion had significant differences compared to healthy women and pregnant women (P<0.05). Moreover, SNP results of IL-27 showed no significant association between patients and controls. Considering the distribution of serum levels for IL-27 by SNP, it was observed that IL-27 serum levels for TT, TC, and CC genotypes elevated in the patient group versus the control group. In addition, it was observed elevation serum level of IL-27 for the genotypes TT, TC, and CC in recurrent abortion with toxoplasmosis in contrast to healthy women, pregnant women, and recurrent abortion (P<0.05). Also, in recurrent abortion, the level of IL-27 for TC, and CC genotype showed significant differences comparing to healthy and pregnant women (P<0.05). In conclusion, the level of IL-27 in recurrent abortion women with toxoplasmosis was higher than the recurrent abortion women, which may be due to the inflammatory response to toxoplasmosis. SNP of IL-27 has not represented as a risk factor in recurrent abortion women with toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor Nihad Baqer
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Directorate of Water and Environment, Iraq
| | - Entsar Jabbar Saheb
- Department of Biology, Collage of Science, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq
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21
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Chen K, Günay-Esiyok Ö, Klingeberg M, Marquardt S, Pomorski TG, Gupta N. Aminoglycerophospholipid flipping and P4-ATPases in Toxoplasma gondii. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100315. [PMID: 33485966 PMCID: PMC7949121 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid flipping in the membrane bilayers is a widespread eukaryotic phenomenon that is catalyzed by assorted P4-ATPases. Its occurrence, mechanism, and importance in apicomplexan parasites have remained elusive, however. Here we show that Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite with high clinical relevance, can salvage phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) but not phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) probes from its milieu. Consistently, the drug analogs of PtdCho are broadly ineffective in the parasite culture. NBD-PtdSer imported to the parasite interior is decarboxylated to NBD-PtdEtn, while the latter is not methylated to yield PtdCho, which confirms the expression of PtdSer decarboxylase but a lack of PtdEtn methyltransferase activity and suggests a role of exogenous lipids in membrane biogenesis of T. gondii. Flow cytometric quantitation of NBD-probes endorsed the selectivity of phospholipid transport and revealed a dependence of the process on energy and protein. Accordingly, our further work identified five P4-ATPases (TgP4-ATPase1-5), all of which harbor the signature residues and motifs required for phospholipid flipping. Of the four proteins expressed during the lytic cycle, TgP4-ATPase1 is present in the apical plasmalemma; TgP4-ATPase3 resides in the Golgi network along with its noncatalytic partner Ligand Effector Module 3 (TgLem3), whereas TgP4-ATPase2 and TgP4-ATPase5 localize in the plasmalemma as well as endo/cytomembranes. Last but not least, auxin-induced degradation of TgP4-ATPase1-3 impaired the parasite growth in human host cells, disclosing their crucial roles during acute infection. In conclusion, we show selective translocation of PtdEtn and PtdSer at the parasite surface and provide the underlying mechanistic and physiological insights in a model eukaryotic pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Chen
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Özlem Günay-Esiyok
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Melissa Klingeberg
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Marquardt
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany; Department of Experimental Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Günther Pomorski
- Department of Experimental Biophysics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nishith Gupta
- Department of Molecular Parasitology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany; Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani (BITS-P), Hyderabad, India.
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22
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Andrade JMDA, de Oliveira CBS, Meurer YDSR, Santana JE, de Almeida YGB, Vilela Dos Santos P, de Souza DMS, Costa GDP, Talvani A, Palomino GM, Freitas JCDOC, de Andrade-Neto VF. Genetic polymorphism in IL17RA induces susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii infection in Brazilian pregnant women. Acta Trop 2020; 211:105594. [PMID: 32598917 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Congenital toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular parasite which can cause fetal death/abortion and can induce damage in the brain and eyes of the infected babies. The environmental and genetic factors associated with T. gondii and the maternal immune response, drive part of the pathogenesis of congenital toxoplasmosis. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate the allelic and genotypic frequencies of specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL17A and IL17RA genes, as well as the production of IL-17A, IL-33, and CCL2 in pregnant women, from the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, further relating these along with the clinical parameters, to the toxoplasmosis infection. Through PCR-RFLP techniques, two SNPs implicated in Th17 immune response, IL17A rs2275913 (G> A) and IL17RA rs4819554 (A> G) modulation were evaluated in pregnant women, either infected or not infected by T. gondii. These women were also evaluated in terms of plasma release of CCL2, IL-33, and IL-17A which relate to hypertension, number of abortions, and ethnic pattern. The results showed that the G-allele of the SNP rs2275913 (IL17A) appeared to be protective in this population, while the rs4819554 (IL17RA) SNP G allele was associated with greater susceptibility to T. gondii infection [ρ value = 0.025; OR = 2.815 (1.118-7.089); CI = 95%]. None of the cytokines had any influence on the analyzed parameters (abortion and hypertension). In conclusion, our data suggest an immunogenic evidence of susceptibility to T. gondii infection driven by the rs4819554 (IL17RA) SNP G allele in Brazilian pregnant women. Further studies are needed to reinforce this trial marker in populations from distinct geographical areas as well as to confirm the protective pattern related to the G-allele of the SNP rs2275913 (IL17A) in pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelma Maria de Araujo Andrade
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology/LABMAT, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte. Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; Postgraduate Program of Biological Science, Bioscience Center, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte. Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Claudio Bruno Silva de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology/LABMAT, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte. Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Priscilla Vilela Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Immunobiology of Inflammation, DECBI/ICEB and Post-graduate Program of Health and Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Débora Maria Soares de Souza
- Laboratory of Immunobiology of Inflammation, DECBI/ICEB and Post-graduate Program of Health and Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Guilherme de Paula Costa
- Laboratory of Immunobiology of Inflammation, DECBI/ICEB and Post-graduate Program of Health and Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - André Talvani
- Laboratory of Immunobiology of Inflammation, DECBI/ICEB and Post-graduate Program of Health and Nutrition, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Martelli Palomino
- Department of Clinical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte. Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | | | - Valter Ferreira de Andrade-Neto
- Laboratory of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Biology/LABMAT, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte. Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
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Zhuang H, Yao C, Zhao X, Chen X, Yang Y, Huang S, Pan L, Du A, Yang Y. DNA double-strand breaks in the Toxoplasma gondii-infected cells by the action of reactive oxygen species. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:490. [PMID: 32988387 PMCID: PMC7523337 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04324-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate parasite of all warm-blooded animals around the globe. Once infecting a cell, it manipulates the host's DNA damage response that is yet to be elucidated. The objectives of the present study were three-fold: (i) to assess DNA damages in T. gondii-infected cells in vitro; (ii) to ascertain causes of DNA damage in T. gondii-infected cells; and (iii) to investigate activation of DNA damage responses during T. gondii infection. METHODS HeLa, Vero and HEK293 cells were infected with T. gondii at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10:1. Infected cells were analyzed for a biomarker of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) γH2AX at 10 h, 20 h or 30 h post-infection using both western blot and immunofluorescence assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA), and ROS-induced DNA damage was inhibited by a ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Lastly, DNA damage responses were evaluated by detecting the active form of ataxia telangiectasia mutated/checkpoint kinase 2 (ATM/CHK2) by western blot. RESULTS γH2AX levels in the infected HeLa cells were significantly increased over time during T. gondii infection compared to uninfected cells. NAC treatment greatly reduced ROS and concomitantly diminished γH2AX in host cells. The phosphorylated ATM/CHK2 were elevated in T. gondii-infected cells. CONCLUSIONS Toxoplasma gondii infection triggered DNA DSBs with ROS as a major player in host cells in vitro. It also activated DNA damage response pathway ATM/CHK2. Toxoplasma gondii manages to keep a balance between survival and apoptosis of its host cells for the benefit of its own survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haohan Zhuang
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Departments of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 334, Basseterre, West Indies, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Xianfeng Zhao
- Animals & Plant Inspection and Quarantine Technology Center of Shenzhen Customs, Shenzhen, 518045, PR China
| | - Xueqiu Chen
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Yimin Yang
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Siyang Huang
- Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, and Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Lingtao Pan
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Aifang Du
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China.
| | - Yi Yang
- Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China.
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Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an incredibly successful parasite owing in part to its ability to persist within cells for the life of the host. Remarkably, at least 350 host species of T. gondii have been described to date, and it is estimated that 30% of the global human population is chronically infected. The importance of T. gondii in human health was made clear with the first reports of congenital toxoplasmosis in the 1940s. However, the AIDS crisis in the 1980s revealed the prevalence of chronic infection, as patients presented with reactivated chronic toxoplasmosis, underscoring the importance of an intact immune system for parasite control. In the last 40 years, there has been tremendous progress toward understanding the biology of T. gondii infection using rodent models, human cell experimental systems, and clinical data. However, there are still major holes in our understanding of T. gondii biology, including the genes controlling parasite development, the mechanisms of cell-intrinsic immunity to T. gondii in the brain and muscle, and the long-term effects of infection on host homeostasis. The need to better understand the biology of chronic infection is underscored by the recent rise in ocular disease associated with emerging haplotypes of T. gondii and our lack of effective treatments to sterilize chronic infection. This Review discusses the cell types and molecular mediators, both host and parasite, that facilitate persistent T. gondii infection. We highlight the consequences of chronic infection for tissue-specific pathology and identify open questions in this area of host-Toxoplasma interactions.
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Sabou M, Doderer-Lang C, Leyer C, Konjic A, Kubina S, Lennon S, Rohr O, Viville S, Cianférani S, Candolfi E, Pfaff AW, Brunet J. Toxoplasma gondii ROP16 kinase silences the cyclin B1 gene promoter by hijacking host cell UHRF1-dependent epigenetic pathways. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:2141-2156. [PMID: 31492965 PMCID: PMC7256068 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03267-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most common infections in the world due to the lifelong persistence of this parasite in a latent stage. This parasite hijacks host signaling pathways through epigenetic mechanisms which converge on key nuclear proteins. Here, we report a new parasite persistence strategy involving T. gondii rhoptry protein ROP16 secreted early during invasion, which targets the transcription factor UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING fingers domain 1), and leads to host cell cycle arrest. This is mediated by DNMT activity and chromatin remodeling at the cyclin B1 gene promoter through recruitment of phosphorylated UHRF1 associated with a repressive multienzymatic protein complex. This leads to deacetylation and methylation of histone H3 surrounding the cyclin B1 promoter to epigenetically silence its transcriptional activity. Moreover, T. gondii infection causes DNA hypermethylation in its host cell, by upregulation of DNMTs. ROP16 is already known to activate and phosphorylate protective immunity transcription factors such as STAT 3/6/5 and modulate host signaling pathways in a strain-dependent manner. Like in the case of STAT6, the strain-dependent effects of ROP16 on UHRF1 are dependent on a single amino-acid polymorphism in ROP16. This study demonstrates that Toxoplasma hijacks a new epigenetic initiator, UHRF1, through an early event initiated by the ROP16 parasite kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Sabou
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Service de Parasitologie et Mycologie Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Pôle Sérologie, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cécile Doderer-Lang
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Caroline Leyer
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ana Konjic
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sophie Kubina
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sarah Lennon
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique (LSMBO), Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, CNRS, UMR7178, Strasbourg, France
| | - Olivier Rohr
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Stéphane Viville
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sarah Cianférani
- Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse BioOrganique (LSMBO), Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, CNRS, UMR7178, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ermanno Candolfi
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Service de Parasitologie et Mycologie Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Pôle Sérologie, Strasbourg, France
| | - Alexander W Pfaff
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
- Service de Parasitologie et Mycologie Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Pôle Sérologie, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Julie Brunet
- Institut de Parasitologie et de Pathologie Tropicale de Strasbourg, « Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions » EA 7292, Fédération de Médecine Translationelle Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Service de Parasitologie et Mycologie Médicale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Centre National de Référence de la Toxoplasmose, Pôle Sérologie, Strasbourg, France
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Alibakhshi A, Bandehpour M, Sharifnia Z, Kazemi B. The development and evaluation of a multi-epitope antigen as a serodiagnostic marker of Toxoplasma gondii infection. ADV CLIN EXP MED 2020; 29:669-675. [PMID: 32573993 DOI: 10.17219/acem/104554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite which causes a serious disease called toxoplasmosis. The high prevalence of T. gondii infection has attracted a great deal of interest in its diagnosis and treatment. The use of pure antigens shows high sensitivity and specificity, but challenges such as cross-reactivity remain diagnostic difficulties. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to use 3 surface antigens (SAGs) of T. gondii to design gene-encoding a multi-epitope and immunogenic protein as a serodiagnostic marker. MATERIAL AND METHODS The multi-epitope antigen was expressed using Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells and purified using affinity chromatography. To evaluate acute toxoplasmosis, 95 human sera with anti-T. gondii IgG, 25 human sera without anti-T. gondii IgG and 6 serum samples with nosocomial infections were collected and submitted to an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. The potential of purified protein as a diagnostic marker of T. gondii infection was also investigated using ELISA analysis. RESULTS The western blot analysis for both protein expression and purification confirmed that the protein was expressed and purified successfully. The results of validation showed a sensitivity of 72.6% and a specificity of 90.3% for recombinant ELISA. CONCLUSIONS Although this protein showed potential for detecting T. gondii, the sensitivity and specificity were lower than in tests that use the whole body of the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Alibakhshi
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojgan Bandehpour
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zarin Sharifnia
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahram Kazemi
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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27
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Mukhopadhyay D, Arranz-Solís D, Saeij JPJ. Toxoplasma GRA15 and GRA24 are important activators of the host innate immune response in the absence of TLR11. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008586. [PMID: 32453782 PMCID: PMC7274473 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The murine innate immune response against Toxoplasma gondii is predominated by the interaction of TLR11/12 with Toxoplasma profilin. However, mice lacking Tlr11 or humans, who do not have functional TLR11 or TLR12, still elicit a strong innate immune response upon Toxoplasma infection. The parasite factors that determine this immune response are largely unknown. Herein, we investigated two dense granule proteins (GRAs) secreted by Toxoplasma, GRA15 and GRA24, for their role in stimulating the innate immune response in Tlr11-/- mice and in human cells, which naturally lack TLR11/TLR12. Our results show that GRA15 and GRA24 synergistically shape the early immune response and parasite virulence in Tlr11-/- mice, with GRA15 as the predominant effector. Nevertheless, acute virulence in Tlr11-/- mice is still dominated by allelic combinations of ROP18 and ROP5, which are effectors that determine evasion of the immunity-related GTPases. In human macrophages, GRA15 and GRA24 play a major role in the induction of IL12, IL18 and IL1β secretion. We further show that GRA15/GRA24-mediated IL12, IL18 and IL1β secretion activates IFNγ secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which controls Toxoplasma proliferation. Taken together, our study demonstrates the important role of GRA15 and GRA24 in activating the innate immune response in hosts lacking TLR11.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debanjan Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - David Arranz-Solís
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Jeroen P. J. Saeij
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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28
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Bergmann A, Floyd K, Key M, Dameron C, Rees KC, Thornton LB, Whitehead DC, Hamza I, Dou Z. Toxoplasma gondii requires its plant-like heme biosynthesis pathway for infection. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008499. [PMID: 32407406 PMCID: PMC7252677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Heme, an iron-containing organic ring, is essential for virtually all living organisms by serving as a prosthetic group in proteins that function in diverse cellular activities ranging from diatomic gas transport and sensing, to mitochondrial respiration, to detoxification. Cellular heme levels in microbial pathogens can be a composite of endogenous de novo synthesis or exogenous uptake of heme or heme synthesis intermediates. Intracellular pathogenic microbes switch routes for heme supply when heme availability fluctuates in their replicative environment throughout infection. Here, we show that Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, encodes a functional heme biosynthesis pathway. A chloroplast-derived organelle, termed apicoplast, is involved in heme production. Genetic and chemical manipulation revealed that de novo heme production is essential for T. gondii intracellular growth and pathogenesis. Surprisingly, the herbicide oxadiazon significantly impaired Toxoplasma growth, consistent with phylogenetic analyses that show T. gondii protoporphyrinogen oxidase is more closely related to plants than mammals. This inhibition can be enhanced by 15- to 25-fold with two oxadiazon derivatives, lending therapeutic proof that Toxoplasma heme biosynthesis is a druggable target. As T. gondii has been used to model other apicomplexan parasites, our study underscores the utility of targeting heme biosynthesis in other pathogenic apicomplexans, such as Plasmodium spp., Cystoisospora, Eimeria, Neospora, and Sarcocystis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Bergmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Katherine Floyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Melanie Key
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Carly Dameron
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kerrick C. Rees
- Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - L. Brock Thornton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel C. Whitehead
- Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Iqbal Hamza
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Zhicheng Dou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
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Fukumoto J, Yamano A, Matsuzaki M, Kyan H, Masatani T, Matsuo T, Matsui T, Murakami M, Takashima Y, Matsubara R, Tahara M, Sakura T, Takeuchi F, Nagamune K. Molecular and biological analysis revealed genetic diversity and high virulence strain of Toxoplasma gondii in Japan. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227749. [PMID: 32012177 PMCID: PMC6996823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is classified into 16 haplogroups based on a worldwide genotyping study of the parasite. However, only a few isolates from Japan were included in this analysis. To conduct more precise genotyping of T. gondii, we examined the genotypes of Japanese isolates in this study. DNA sequences of 6 loci were determined in 17 Japanese isolates and compared with those of strains of 16 haplogroups. As a result, Japanese isolates were classified into four groups. We investigated the virulence of some Japanese isolates and found a highly virulent strain in mice, comparable to that of RH strain, although this Japanese isolate was sister to strains of haplogroup 2, which show moderate virulence in mice. We further investigated whether this high virulence isolate had different virulence mechanism and strategy to adapt to Japanese host from other strains by comparing the virulence-related genes, ROP5, 18 and the immunomodulatory gene, ROP16 of the isolate with those of archetypical strains (GT1, ME49 and VEG). This analysis indicated the high virulence of the isolate in mice was partly explained by gene sequences of ROP5 and ROP16. These findings lead to the elucidation of biodiversity of T. gondii and have potential to optimize the diagnostic protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junpei Fukumoto
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Akinori Yamano
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Motomichi Matsuzaki
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hisako Kyan
- Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment, Uruma, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Tatsunori Masatani
- Transboundary Animal Diseases Research Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Tomohide Matsuo
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Matsui
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Mami Murakami
- Graduate School of Applied Biological Sciences and Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, University of Gifu, Gifu, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Takashima
- Graduate School of Applied Biological Sciences and Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, University of Gifu, Gifu, Gifu, Japan
| | - Ryuma Matsubara
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Michiru Tahara
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takaya Sakura
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fumihiko Takeuchi
- Department of Gene Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Research Institute National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kisaburo Nagamune
- Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Detavernier A, Azouz A, Shehade H, Splittgerber M, Van Maele L, Nguyen M, Thomas S, Achouri Y, Svec D, Calonne E, Fuks F, Oldenhove G, Goriely S. Monocytes undergo multi-step differentiation in mice during oral infection by Toxoplasma gondii. Commun Biol 2019; 2:472. [PMID: 31872076 PMCID: PMC6920430 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0718-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Monocytes play a major role in the defense against pathogens. They are rapidly mobilized to inflamed sites where they exert both proinflammatory and regulatory effector functions. It is still poorly understood how this dynamic and exceptionally plastic system is controlled at the molecular level. Herein, we evaluated the differentiation process that occurs in Ly6Chi monocytes during oral infection by Toxoplasma gondii. Flow cytometry and single-cell analysis revealed distinct activation status and gene expression profiles in the bone marrow, the spleen and the lamina propria of infected mice. We provide further evidence that acquisition of effector functions, such as the capacity to produce interleukin-27, is accompanied by distinct waves of epigenetic programming, highlighting a role for STAT1/IRF1 in the bone marrow and AP-1/NF-κB in the periphery. This work broadens our understanding of the molecular events that occur in vivo during monocyte differentiation in response to inflammatory cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Detavernier
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Abdulkader Azouz
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Hussein Shehade
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Marion Splittgerber
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Laurye Van Maele
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Muriel Nguyen
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Séverine Thomas
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Younes Achouri
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Duve, Brussels, Belgium
| | - David Svec
- Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Science, 252 50 Vestec u prahy, Czech Republic
| | - Emilie Calonne
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, Brussels, Belgium
| | - François Fuks
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Guillaume Oldenhove
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Laboratoire d’Immunobiologie, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Stanislas Goriely
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Institute for Medical Immunology and ULB Center for Research in Immunology (U-CRI), Gosselies, Belgium
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31
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Duffy AR, O'Connell JR, Pavlovich M, Ryan KA, Lowry CA, Daue M, Raheja UK, Brenner LA, Markon AO, Punzalan CM, Dagdag A, Hill DE, Pollin TI, Seyfang A, Groer MW, Mitchell BD, Postolache TT. Toxoplasma gondii Serointensity and Seropositivity: Heritability and Household-Related Associations in the Old Order Amish. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:E3732. [PMID: 31623376 PMCID: PMC6801611 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular parasite infecting one third of the world's population. Latent T. gondii infection has been associated with mental illness, including schizophrenia and suicidal behavior. T. gondii IgG antibody titers were measured via ELISA. The heritability of T. gondii IgG was estimated using a mixed model that included fixed effects for age and sex and random kinship effect. Of 2017 Old Order Amish participants, 1098 had positive titers (54.4%). The heritability for T. gondii serointensity was estimated to be 0.22 (p = 1.7 × 10-8 and for seropositivity, it was estimated to be 0.28 (p = 1.9 × 10-5). Shared household environmental effects (i.e., household effects) were also determined. Household effects, modeled as a random variable, were assessed as the phenotypic covariance between any two individuals who had the same current address (i.e., contemporaneous household), and nuclear household (i.e., the phenotypic covariance between parents and children only, not other siblings or spouses). Household effects did not account for a significant proportion of variance in either T. gondii serointensity or T. gondii seropositivity. Our results suggest a significant familial aggregation of T. gondii serointensity and seropositivity with significant heritability. The shared household does not contribute significantly to family aggregation with T. gondii, suggesting that there are possible unmeasured non-household shared and non-shared environmental factors that may play a significant role. Furthermore, the small but significant heritability effects justify the exploration of genetic vulnerability to T. gondii exposure, infection, virulence, and neurotropism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson R Duffy
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA.
- College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
| | - Jeffrey R O'Connell
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Mary Pavlovich
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Kathleen A Ryan
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Christopher A Lowry
- Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Melanie Daue
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Uttam K Raheja
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA.
| | - Lisa A Brenner
- Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - André O Markon
- US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
| | | | - Aline Dagdag
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA.
| | - Dolores E Hill
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
| | - Toni I Pollin
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Andreas Seyfang
- College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
| | - Maureen W Groer
- College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
| | - Braxton D Mitchell
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
- Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
| | - Teodor T Postolache
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA.
- Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 5), VA Capitol Health Care Network, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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Young J, Dominicus C, Wagener J, Butterworth S, Ye X, Kelly G, Ordan M, Saunders B, Instrell R, Howell M, Stewart A, Treeck M. A CRISPR platform for targeted in vivo screens identifies Toxoplasma gondii virulence factors in mice. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3963. [PMID: 31481656 PMCID: PMC6722137 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11855-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide CRISPR screening is a powerful tool to identify genes required under selective conditions. However, the inherent scale of genome-wide libraries can limit their application in experimental settings where cell numbers are restricted, such as in vivo infections or single cell analysis. The use of small scale CRISPR libraries targeting gene subsets circumvents this problem. Here we develop a method for rapid generation of custom guide RNA (gRNA) libraries using arrayed single-stranded oligonucleotides for reproducible pooled cloning of CRISPR/Cas9 libraries. We use this system to generate mutant pools of different sizes in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondi and describe optimised analysis methods for small scale libraries. An in vivo genetic screen in the murine host identifies novel and known virulence factors and we confirm results using cloned knock-out parasites. Our study also reveals a potential trans-rescue of individual knock-out parasites in pools of mutants compared to homogenous knock-out lines of the key virulence factor MYR1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Young
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Caia Dominicus
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Jeanette Wagener
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Simon Butterworth
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Xingda Ye
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Gavin Kelly
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Merav Ordan
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Becky Saunders
- High Throughput Screening Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Rachael Instrell
- High Throughput Screening Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Michael Howell
- High Throughput Screening Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Aengus Stewart
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK
| | - Moritz Treeck
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK.
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Augusto L, Amin PH, Wek RC, Sullivan WJ. Regulation of arginine transport by GCN2 eIF2 kinase is important for replication of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007746. [PMID: 31194856 PMCID: PMC6564765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent protozoan parasite that can infect any nucleated cell but cannot replicate outside of its host cell. Toxoplasma is auxotrophic for several nutrients including arginine, tryptophan, and purines, which it must acquire from its host cell. The demands of parasite replication rapidly deplete the host cell of these essential nutrients, yet Toxoplasma successfully manages to proliferate until it lyses the host cell. In eukaryotic cells, nutrient starvation can induce the integrated stress response (ISR) through phosphorylation of an essential translation factor eIF2. Phosphorylation of eIF2 lowers global protein synthesis coincident with preferential translation of gene transcripts involved in stress adaptation, such as that encoding the transcription factor ATF4 (CREB2), which activates genes that modulate amino acid metabolism and uptake. Here, we discovered that the ISR is induced in host cells infected with Toxoplasma. Our results show that as Toxoplasma depletes host cell arginine, the host cell phosphorylates eIF2 via protein kinase GCN2 (EIF2AK4), leading to induced ATF4. Increased ATF4 then enhances expression of the cationic amino acid transporter CAT1 (SLC7A1), resulting in increased uptake of arginine in Toxoplasma-infected cells. Deletion of host GCN2, or its downstream effectors ATF4 and CAT1, lowers arginine levels in the host, impairing proliferation of the parasite. Our findings establish that Toxoplasma usurps the host cell ISR to help secure nutrients that it needs for parasite replication. Parasites that live inside a host cell must develop strategies to ensure sufficient delivery of nutrients required for survival and replication. After invasion, Toxoplasma rapidly usurps the supply of its essential amino acid arginine from the host cell. Sensing low levels of arginine, the host cell initiates a nutrient starvation response designated the integrated stress response (ISR) that leads to enhanced expression of CAT1, a transporter that facilitates arginine uptake. Through activation of the host ISR and increased expression of this transporter, Toxoplasma secures a continued supply of arginine for its growth and reproduction. Inhibition of these pathways by therapeutic intervention could be a novel strategy to impair survival of the intracellular parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Augusto
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Parth H. Amin
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Ronald C. Wek
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RCW); (WJS)
| | - William J. Sullivan
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RCW); (WJS)
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Thornton LB, Teehan P, Floyd K, Cochrane C, Bergmann A, Riegel B, Stasic AJ, Di Cristina M, Moreno SNJ, Roepe PD, Dou Z. An ortholog of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of the endolysosomal system in Toxoplasma gondii to facilitate host invasion. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007775. [PMID: 31170269 PMCID: PMC6553793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite with the ability to use foodborne, zoonotic, and congenital routes of transmission that causes severe disease in immunocompromised patients. The parasites harbor a lysosome-like organelle, termed the "Vacuolar Compartment/Plant-Like Vacuole" (VAC/PLV), which plays an important role in maintaining the lytic cycle and virulence of T. gondii. The VAC supplies proteolytic enzymes that contribute to the maturation of invasion effectors and that digest autophagosomes and endocytosed host proteins. Previous work identified a T. gondii ortholog of the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) that localized to the VAC. Here, we show that TgCRT is a membrane transporter that is functionally similar to PfCRT. We also genetically ablate TgCRT and reveal that the TgCRT protein plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of the parasite’s endolysosomal system by controlling morphology of the VAC. When TgCRT is absent, the VAC dramatically increases in volume by ~15-fold and overlaps with adjacent endosome-like compartments. Presumably to reduce aberrant swelling, transcription and translation of endolysosomal proteases are decreased in ΔTgCRT parasites. Expression of subtilisin protease 1 is significantly reduced, which impedes trimming of microneme proteins, and significantly decreases parasite invasion. Chemical or genetic inhibition of proteolysis within the VAC reverses these effects, reducing VAC size and partially restoring integrity of the endolysosomal system, microneme protein trimming, and invasion. Taken together, these findings reveal for the first time a physiological role of TgCRT in substrate transport that impacts VAC volume and the integrity of the endolysosomal system in T. gondii. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that belongs to the phylum Apicomplexa and that infects virtually all warm-blooded organisms. Approximately one-third of the human population is infected with Toxoplasma. Toxoplasma invades host cells using processed invasion effectors. A lysosome-like organelle (VAC) is involved in refining these invasion effectors to reach their final forms. A T. gondii ortholog of the malarial chloroquine resistance transporter protein (TgCRT) was found to be localized to the VAC membrane. Although the mutated version of the malarial chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) has been shown to confer resistance to chloroquine treatment, its physiologic function remains poorly understood. Comparison between the related PfCRT and TgCRT facilitates definition of the physiologic role of CRT proteins. Here, we report that TgCRT plays a key role in affecting the integrity and proteolytic activity of the VAC and adjacent organelles, the secretion of invasion effectors, and parasite invasion and virulence. To relieve osmotic stress caused by VAC swelling when TgCRT is deleted, parasites repress proteolysis within this organelle to decrease solute accumulation, which then has secondary effects on parasite invasion. Our findings highlight a common function for PfCRT and TgCRT in mediating small solute transport to affect apicomplexan parasite vacuolar size and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Brock Thornton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Paige Teehan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Katherine Floyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Christian Cochrane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Amy Bergmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Bryce Riegel
- Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, NW, Washington DC, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, NW, Washington DC, United States of America
| | - Andrew J. Stasic
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Manlio Di Cristina
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Silvia N. J. Moreno
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Paul D. Roepe
- Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, NW, Washington DC, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, NW, Washington DC, United States of America
| | - Zhicheng Dou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Nakashima F, Brandão de Mattos CC, Ferreira AIC, Spergiorin LCJF, Meira-Strejevitch CS, Oliani AH, Vaz-Oliani DCM, Pereira-Chioccola VL, de Mattos LC. FUT3 and FUT2 genotyping and glycoconjugate profile Lewis b as a protective factor to Toxoplasma gondii infection. Acta Trop 2019; 193:92-98. [PMID: 30831115 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The interaction between the ABO, FUT2 and FUT3 genes results in the synthesis of different glycoconjugates profiles expressed in gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, utilizes this organ as an infection route. We analyzed the frequencies of the different glycoconjugate profiles which were determined by phenotyping ABO and genotyping the status secretor (FUT2; substitution G428A) and Lewis (FUT3; substitution T202C and C314T) histo-blood systems, assessed by PCR-RFLP and PCR-SSP, respectively. A total of 244 pregnant women (G1: Seropositive; G2: Seronegative) for IgG T. gondii antibodies were enrolled. IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies were determined by ELISA. G1 was composed of 158 (64.8%) sample and G2 by 86 (36.2%). The glycoconjugate profile was accessed in 151 seropositive and 85 seronegative samples by the combination of ABO and Lewis phenotyping as well as FUT2 and FUT3 genotyping. In G1, 36 (22.8%) presented the glycoconjugate profile ALeb, 5 (3.3%) A, 13 (8.6) BLeb, 1 (0.6%) B, 41 (27.1%) Leb, 13(8.6%) H, 38(25.2%) Lea and 4 (2.6%) Lec. G2 was composed of 13 (15.3%) of ALeb, 15 (17.6%) BLeb, 1 (1.2%) B, 42 (49,4%) Leb and 14 (16.5) Lea. H and Lec glycoconjugate profiles were not found in G2. The frequencies of the glycoconjugates profiles Leb (p = 0.001) and H (p = 0.005) were significantly different compared between G1 and G2. The glycoconjugate profile H inferred from the ABO phenotyping and FUT3 and FUT2 genotyping is associated with infection by T. gondii in pregnant women and the Leb profile appears to protect the infection by this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Nakashima
- Biology Department, Bioscience, Languages and Exact Sciences Institute of the Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (IBILCE/UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Immunogenetics Laboratory, Molecular Biology Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Cinara Cássia Brandão de Mattos
- Immunogenetics Laboratory, Molecular Biology Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Brazil.
| | - Ana Iara Costa Ferreira
- Immunogenetics Laboratory, Molecular Biology Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Lígia Cosentino Junqueira Franco Spergiorin
- Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Brazil.
| | | | - Antonio Hélio Oliani
- Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Denise Cristina Mós Vaz-Oliani
- Gynecology and Obstetrics Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | - Luiz Carlos de Mattos
- Immunogenetics Laboratory, Molecular Biology Department, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; FAMERP Toxoplasma Research Group, Brazil.
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Melatti C, Pieperhoff M, Lemgruber L, Pohl E, Sheiner L, Meissner M. A unique dynamin-related protein is essential for mitochondrial fission in Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007512. [PMID: 30947298 PMCID: PMC6448817 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The single mitochondrion of apicomplexan protozoa is thought to be critical for all stages of the life cycle, and is a validated drug target against these important human and veterinary parasites. In contrast to other eukaryotes, replication of the mitochondrion is tightly linked to the cell cycle. A key step in mitochondrial segregation is the fission event, which in many eukaryotes occurs by the action of dynamins constricting the outer membrane of the mitochondria from the cytosolic face. To date, none of the components of the apicomplexan fission machinery have been identified and validated. We identify here a highly divergent, dynamin-related protein (TgDrpC), conserved in apicomplexans as essential for mitochondrial biogenesis and potentially for fission in Toxoplasma gondii. We show that TgDrpC is found adjacent to the mitochondrion, and is localised both at its periphery and at its basal part, where fission is expected to occur. We demonstrate that depletion or dominant negative expression of TgDrpC results in interconnected mitochondria and ultimately in drastic changes in mitochondrial morphology, as well as in parasite death. Intriguingly, we find that the canonical adaptor TgFis1 is not required for mitochondrial fission. The identification of an Apicomplexa-specific enzyme required for mitochondrial biogenesis and essential for parasite growth highlights parasite adaptation. This work paves the way for future drug development targeting TgDrpC, and for the analysis of additional partners involved in this crucial step of apicomplexan multiplication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Melatti
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Manuela Pieperhoff
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Leandro Lemgruber
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Ehmke Pohl
- Department of Biosciences, & Biophysical Sciences Institute, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Lilach Sheiner
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Markus Meissner
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Radke JB, Worth D, Hong D, Huang S, Sullivan WJ, Wilson EH, White MW. Transcriptional repression by ApiAP2 factors is central to chronic toxoplasmosis. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007035. [PMID: 29718996 PMCID: PMC5951591 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tachyzoite to bradyzoite development in Toxoplasma is marked by major changes in gene expression resulting in a parasite that expresses a new repertoire of surface antigens hidden inside a modified parasitophorous vacuole called the tissue cyst. The factors that control this important life cycle transition are not well understood. Here we describe an important transcriptional repressor mechanism controlling bradyzoite differentiation that operates in the tachyzoite stage. The ApiAP2 factor, AP2IV-4, is a nuclear factor dynamically expressed in late S phase through mitosis/cytokinesis of the tachyzoite cell cycle. Remarkably, deletion of the AP2IV-4 locus resulted in the expression of a subset of bradyzoite-specific proteins in replicating tachyzoites that included tissue cyst wall components BPK1, MCP4, CST1 and the surface antigen SRS9. In the murine animal model, the mis-timing of bradyzoite antigens in tachyzoites lacking AP2IV-4 caused a potent inflammatory monocyte immune response that effectively eliminated this parasite and prevented tissue cyst formation in mouse brain tissue. Altogether, these results indicate that suppression of bradyzoite antigens by AP2IV-4 during acute infection is required for Toxoplasma to successfully establish a chronic infection in the immune-competent host. The Toxoplasma biology that underlies the establishment of a chronic infection is developmental conversion of the acute tachyzoite stage into the latent bradyzoite-tissue cyst stage. Despite the important clinical consequences of this developmental pathway, the molecular basis of the switch mechanisms that control formation of the tissue cyst is still poorly understood. A fundamental feature of tissue cyst formation is the expression of bradyzoite-specific genes. Here we show the transcription factor AP2IV-4 directly silences bradyzoite mRNA and protein expression in the acute tachyzoite stage demonstrating that developmental control of tissue cyst formation is as much about when not to express bradyzoite genes as it is about when to activate them. Losing the suppression of bradyzoite gene expression in the acute tachyzoite stage caused by deleting AP2IV-4 blocked the establishment of chronic disease in healthy animals via increased protective immunity suggesting a possible strategy for preventing chronic Toxoplasma infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B. Radke
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States of America
| | - Danielle Worth
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States of America
| | - David Hong
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States of America
| | - Sherri Huang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
| | - William J. Sullivan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America
| | - Emma H. Wilson
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States of America
| | - Michael W. White
- Department of Global Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Zhang H, Wu S, Shi Z, Wang S, Lu W, Wu Y, Sun P, Xu Q. [Toxoplasma gondii ROP38 promotes the maturation of dendritic cells mediated by TLR4]. Xi Bao Yu Fen Zi Mian Yi Xue Za Zhi 2018; 34:199-204. [PMID: 29773099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Objective To investigate the effect of rhoptry protein 38 (ROP38) from Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) on the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) induction in vitro. Methods The total RNA from T. gondii RH strain was extracted by guanidine thiocyanate method, and then cDNA was synthesized with reverse transcription reaction. After ROP38 gene was amplified by PCR, the recombinant pGEX-4T-ROP38 was constructed and expressed under IPTG induction. The recombinant ROP38 protein was detected by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. The secondary structure and antigenicity of the ROP38 were predicted through DNAStar8.0 and ProtScale. In vitro, DCs were isolated and cultured for 6 days, then reacted with ROP38 antigen for 2 hours. The CD11c was detected by flow cytometry, and the data were analyzed with ANOVA by SPSS 23.0 software. Results The amplified gene was about 516 bp as expected. The sequence analysis showed that its homology was 99% compared with the reported sequence (XM_002366710.2) from GenBank. It was found that the relative molecular mass (Mr) of recombinant ROP38 was 45 kD. The prediction of structure indicated that there were 5 α-helices, 5 β-sheets, 5 hydrophilic regions and 8 potential epitopes in ROP38 protein. In vitro, the expression of CD11c on DCs was significantly up-regulated after stimulated with ROP38, and the expression level of CD11c in ROP38 infection group was significantly higher than that of the other groups. Conclusion ROP38 promotes the maturation of DCs mediated by TLR4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Shanghua Wu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Zhiqiang Shi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Shan Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Wei Lu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Yizhen Wu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Pei Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Qianming Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. *Corresponding author, E-mail:
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Nakamoto MA, Lovejoy AF, Cygan AM, Boothroyd JC. mRNA pseudouridylation affects RNA metabolism in the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. RNA 2017; 23:1834-1849. [PMID: 28851751 PMCID: PMC5689004 DOI: 10.1261/rna.062794.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
RNA contains over 100 modified nucleotides that are created post-transcriptionally, among which pseudouridine (Ψ) is one of the most abundant. Although it was one of the first modifications discovered, the biological role of this modification is still not fully understood. Recently, we reported that a pseudouridine synthase (TgPUS1) is necessary for differentiation of the single-celled eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii from active to chronic infection. To better understand the biological role of pseudouridylation, we report here gel-based and deep-sequencing methods to identify TgPUS1-dependent Ψ's in Toxoplasma RNA, and the use of TgPUS1 mutants to examine the effect of this modification on mRNAs. In addition to identifying conserved sites of pseudouridylation in Toxoplasma rRNA, tRNA, and snRNA, we also report extensive pseudouridylation of Toxoplasma mRNAs, with the Ψ's being relatively depleted in the 3'-UTR but enriched at position 1 of codons. We show that many Ψ's in tRNA and mRNA are dependent on the action of TgPUS1 and that TgPUS1-dependent mRNA Ψ's are enriched in developmentally regulated transcripts. RNA-seq data obtained from wild-type and TgPUS1-mutant parasites shows that genes containing a TgPUS1-dependent Ψ are relatively more abundant in mutant parasites, while pulse/chase labeling of RNA with 4-thiouracil shows that mRNAs containing TgPUS1-dependent Ψ have a modest but statistically significant increase in half-life in the mutant parasites. These data are some of the first evidence suggesting that mRNA Ψ's play an important biological role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret A Nakamoto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Alexander F Lovejoy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Alicja M Cygan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - John C Boothroyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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Znalesniak EB, Fu T, Salm F, Händel U, Hoffmann W. Transcriptional Responses in the Murine Spleen after Toxoplasma gondii Infection: Inflammasome and Mucus-Associated Genes. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18061245. [PMID: 28604600 PMCID: PMC5486068 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18061245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The spleen plays an important role in coordinating both adaptive and innate immune responses. Here, the transcriptional response to T. gondii infection in the murine spleen was characterized concerning inflammasome sensors (two different models: seven days after oral or four weeks after intraperitoneal infection). Additionally, Tff1KO and Tff3KO mice were investigated because TFF genes are often upregulated during inflammation. The expression of the pattern-recognition receptors Nlrp3, Nlrp12, and Nlrp1a was significantly increased after infection. This increase was diminished in Tff1KO and Tff3KO mice pointing towards a positive regulation of the inflammatory response by Tff1 and Tff3. Furthermore, the transcription of Tff1 (encoding a motogenic lectin) and other secretory genes was analyzed, i.e., gastrokines (Gkn), IgG Fc binding protein (Fcgbp), and the mucin Muc2. The corresponding gene products belong to an interactome protecting mucous epithelia. Tff1 was significantly induced after infection, which might increase the motility of immune cells. In contrast, Gkn3, Fcgbp, and Muc2 were downregulated seven days after oral infection; whereas four weeks after i.p. infection only Gkn3 remained downregulated. This might be an indication that Gkn3, Fcgbp, and Muc2 are involved in the transient disruption of the splenic architecture and its reorganization, which is characteristic after T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva B Znalesniak
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Ting Fu
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Franz Salm
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Ulrike Händel
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Werner Hoffmann
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
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Nagayasu E, Hwang YC, Liu J, Murray JM, Hu K. Loss of a doublecortin (DCX)-domain protein causes structural defects in a tubulin-based organelle of Toxoplasma gondii and impairs host-cell invasion. Mol Biol Cell 2017; 28:411-428. [PMID: 27932494 PMCID: PMC5341725 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e16-08-0587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ∼6000 species in phylum Apicomplexa are single-celled obligate intracellular parasites. Their defining characteristic is the apical complex-membranous and cytoskeletal elements at the apical end of the cell that participate in host-cell invasion. The apical complex of Toxoplasma gondii and some other apicomplexans includes a cone-shaped assembly, the conoid, which in T. gondii comprises 14 spirally arranged fibers that are nontubular polymers of tubulin. The tubulin dimers of the conoid fibers make canonical microtubules elsewhere in the same cell, suggesting that nontubulin protein dictates their special arrangement in the conoid fibers. One candidate for this role is TgDCX, which has a doublecortin (DCX) domain and a TPPP/P25-α domain, both of which are known modulators of tubulin polymer structure. Loss of TgDCX radically disrupts the structure of the conoid, severely impairs host-cell invasion, and slows growth. Both the conoid structural defects and the impaired invasion of TgDCX-null parasites are corrected by reintroduction of a TgDCX coding sequence. The nontubular polymeric form of tubulin found in the conoid is not found in the host cell, suggesting that TgDCX may be an attractive target for new parasite-specific chemotherapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jun Liu
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
| | - John M Murray
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
| | - Ke Hu
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
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McPhillie M, Zhou Y, El Bissati K, Dubey J, Lorenzi H, Capper M, Lukens AK, Hickman M, Muench S, Verma SK, Weber CR, Wheeler K, Gordon J, Sanders J, Moulton H, Wang K, Kim TK, He Y, Santos T, Woods S, Lee P, Donkin D, Kim E, Fraczek L, Lykins J, Esaa F, Alibana-Clouser F, Dovgin S, Weiss L, Brasseur G, Wirth D, Kent M, Hood L, Meunieur B, Roberts CW, Hasnain SS, Antonyuk SV, Fishwick C, McLeod R. New paradigms for understanding and step changes in treating active and chronic, persistent apicomplexan infections. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29179. [PMID: 27412848 PMCID: PMC4944145 DOI: 10.1038/srep29179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii, the most common parasitic infection of human brain and eye, persists across lifetimes, can progressively damage sight, and is currently incurable. New, curative medicines are needed urgently. Herein, we develop novel models to facilitate drug development: EGS strain T. gondii forms cysts in vitro that induce oocysts in cats, the gold standard criterion for cysts. These cysts highly express cytochrome b. Using these models, we envisioned, and then created, novel 4-(1H)-quinolone scaffolds that target the cytochrome bc1 complex Qi site, of which, a substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolin-4-one inhibits active infection (IC50, 30 nM) and cysts (IC50, 4 μM) in vitro, and in vivo (25 mg/kg), and drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum (IC50, <30 nM), with clinically relevant synergy. Mutant yeast and co-crystallographic studies demonstrate binding to the bc1 complex Qi site. Our results have direct impact on improving outcomes for those with toxoplasmosis, malaria, and ~2 billion persons chronically infected with encysted bradyzoites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Amanda K Lukens
- Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- The Broad Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark Hickman
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Taek-Kyun Kim
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Yuqing He
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Tatiana Santos
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | - Patty Lee
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - David Donkin
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Eric Kim
- Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Louis Weiss
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | - Dyann Wirth
- Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- The Broad Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Leroy Hood
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Brigitte Meunieur
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (12BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Lau YL, Lee WC, Gudimella R, Zhang G, Ching XT, Razali R, Aziz F, Anwar A, Fong MY. Deciphering the Draft Genome of Toxoplasma gondii RH Strain. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0157901. [PMID: 27355363 PMCID: PMC4927122 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a widespread parasitic infection by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite with at least three distinct clonal lineages. This article reports the whole genome sequencing and de novo assembly of T. gondii RH (type I representative strain), as well as genome-wide comparison across major T. gondii lineages. Genomic DNA was extracted from tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain and its identity was verified by PCR and LAMP. Subsequently, whole genome sequencing was performed, followed by sequence filtering, genome assembly, gene annotation assignments, clustering of gene orthologs and phylogenetic tree construction. Genome comparison was done with the already archived genomes of T. gondii. From this study, the genome size of T. gondii RH strain was found to be 69.35Mb, with a mean GC content of 52%. The genome shares high similarity to the archived genomes of T. gondii GT1, ME49 and VEG strains. Nevertheless, 111 genes were found to be unique to T. gondii RH strain. Importantly, unique genes annotated to functions that are potentially critical for T. gondii virulence were found, which may explain the unique phenotypes of this particular strain. This report complements the genomic archive of T. gondii. Data obtained from this study contribute to better understanding of T. gondii and serve as a reference for future studies on this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee-Ling Lau
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
| | - Wenn-Chyau Lee
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | | | | | - Xiao-Teng Ching
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Rozaimi Razali
- Sengenics HIR, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Farhanah Aziz
- Sengenics HIR, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Arif Anwar
- Sengenics HIR, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mun-Yik Fong
- Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Hassan MA, Jensen KD, Butty V, Hu K, Boedec E, Prins P, Saeij JPJ. Transcriptional and Linkage Analyses Identify Loci that Mediate the Differential Macrophage Response to Inflammatory Stimuli and Infection. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005619. [PMID: 26510153 PMCID: PMC4625001 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Macrophages display flexible activation states that range between pro-inflammatory (classical activation) and anti-inflammatory (alternative activation). These macrophage polarization states contribute to a variety of organismal phenotypes such as tissue remodeling and susceptibility to infectious and inflammatory diseases. Several macrophage- or immune-related genes have been shown to modulate infectious and inflammatory disease pathogenesis. However, the potential role that differences in macrophage activation phenotypes play in modulating differences in susceptibility to infectious and inflammatory disease is just emerging. We integrated transcriptional profiling and linkage analyses to determine the genetic basis for the differential murine macrophage response to inflammatory stimuli and to infection with the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. We show that specific transcriptional programs, defined by distinct genomic loci, modulate macrophage activation phenotypes. In addition, we show that the difference between AJ and C57BL/6J macrophages in controlling Toxoplasma growth after stimulation with interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha mapped to chromosome 3, proximal to the Guanylate binding protein (Gbp) locus that is known to modulate the murine macrophage response to Toxoplasma. Using an shRNA-knockdown strategy, we show that the transcript levels of an RNA helicase, Ddx1, regulates strain differences in the amount of nitric oxide produced by macrophage after stimulation with interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor. Our results provide a template for discovering candidate genes that modulate macrophage-mediated complex traits. Macrophages provide a first line of defense against invading pathogens and play an important role in the initiation and resolution of immune responses. When in contact with pathogens or immune factors, such as cytokines, macrophages assume activation states that range between pro-inflammatory (classical activation) and anti-inflammatory (alternative activation). Even though it is known that macrophages from different individuals are biased towards one of the various activation states, the genetic factors that define individual differences in macrophage activation are not fully understood. Additionally, although macrophages are important in infectious disease pathogenesis, how individual differences in macrophage activation contribute to individual differences in susceptibility to infectious disease is just emerging. We used macrophages from genetically segregating mice to show that discrete transcriptional programs, which are modulated by specific genomic regions, modulate differences in macrophage activation. Murine macrophages differences in controlling Toxoplasma growth mapped to chromosome 3, proximal to the Guanylate binding protein (Gbp) locus that is known to modulate the murine macrophage response to Toxoplasma. Using a shRNA-mediated knockdown approach, we show that the DEAD box polypeptide 1 (Ddx1) modulates nitric oxide production in macrophages stimulated with interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor. These findings are a step towards the identification of genes that regulate macrophage phenotypes and disease outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Musa A. Hassan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MAH); (JPJS)
| | - Kirk D. Jensen
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Vincent Butty
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kenneth Hu
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Erwan Boedec
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- School of Biotechnology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pjotr Prins
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen P. J. Saeij
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MAH); (JPJS)
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Frénal
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Centre Médical Universitaire, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Centre Médical Universitaire, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Eells JB, Varela-Stokes A, Guo-Ross SX, Kummari E, Smith HM, Cox AD, Lindsay DS. Chronic Toxoplasma gondii in Nurr1-null heterozygous mice exacerbates elevated open field activity. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119280. [PMID: 25855987 PMCID: PMC4391871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Latent infection with Toxoplasma gondii is common in humans (approximately 30% of the global population) and is a significant risk factor for schizophrenia. Since prevalence of T. gondii infection is far greater than prevalence of schizophrenia (0.5-1%), genetic risk factors are likely also necessary to contribute to schizophrenia. To test this concept in an animal model, Nurr1-null heterozygous (+/-) mice and wild-type (+/+) mice were evaluate using an emergence test, activity in an open field and with a novel object, response to bobcat urine and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response (PPI) prior to and 6 weeks after infection with T. gondii. In the emergence test, T. gondii infection significantly decreased the amount of time spent in the cylinder. Toxoplasma gondii infection significantly elevated open field activity in both +/+ and +/- mice but this increase was significantly exacerbated in +/- mice. T. gondii infection reduced PPI in male +/- mice but this was not statistically significant. Aversion to bobcat urine was abolished by T. gondii infection in +/+ mice. In female +/- mice, aversion to bobcat urine remained after T. gondii infection while the male +/- mice showed no aversion to bobcat urine. Antibody titers of infected mice were a critical variable associated with changes in open field activity, such that an inverted U shaped relationship existed between antibody titers and the percent change in open field activity with a significant increase in activity at low and medium antibody titers but no effect at high antibody titers. These data demonstrate that the Nurr1 +/- genotype predisposes mice to T. gondii-induced alterations in behaviors that involve dopamine neurotransmission and are associated with symptoms of schizophrenia. We propose that these alterations in murine behavior were due to further exacerbation of the altered dopamine neurotransmission in Nurr1 +/- mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B. Eells
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Andrea Varela-Stokes
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Shirley X. Guo-Ross
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Evangel Kummari
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Holly M. Smith
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - Arin D. Cox
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States of America
| | - David S. Lindsay
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, Virginia–Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
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Majumdar T, Chattopadhyay S, Ozhegov E, Dhar J, Goswami R, Sen GC, Barik S. Induction of interferon-stimulated genes by IRF3 promotes replication of Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1004779. [PMID: 25811886 PMCID: PMC4374777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Innate immunity is the first line of defense against microbial insult. The transcription factor, IRF3, is needed by mammalian cells to mount innate immune responses against many microbes, especially viruses. IRF3 remains inactive in the cytoplasm of uninfected cells; upon virus infection, it gets phosphorylated and then translocates to the nucleus, where it binds to the promoters of antiviral genes and induces their expression. Such genes include type I interferons (IFNs) as well as Interferon Stimulated Genes (ISGs). IRF3-/- cells support enhanced replication of many viruses and therefore, the corresponding mice are highly susceptible to viral pathogenesis. Here, we provide evidence for an unexpected pro-microbial role of IRF3: the replication of the protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, was significantly impaired in IRF3-/- cells. In exploring whether the transcriptional activity of IRF3 was important for its pro-parasitic function, we found that ISGs induced by parasite-activated IRF3 were indeed essential, whereas type I interferons were not important. To delineate the signaling pathway that activates IRF3 in response to parasite infection, we used genetically modified human and mouse cells. The pro-parasitic signaling pathway, which we termed PISA (Parasite-IRF3 Signaling Activation), activated IRF3 without any involvement of the Toll-like receptor or RIG-I-like receptor pathways, thereby ruling out a role of parasite-derived RNA species in activating PISA. Instead, PISA needed the presence of cGAS, STING, TBK1 and IRF3, indicating the necessity of DNA-triggered signaling. To evaluate the physiological significance of our in vitro findings, IRF3-/- mice were challenged with parasite infection and their morbidity and mortality were measured. Unlike WT mice, the IRF3-/- mice did not support replication of the parasite and were resistant to pathogenesis caused by it. Our results revealed a new paradigm in which the antiviral host factor, IRF3, plays a cell-intrinsic pro-parasitic role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmay Majumdar
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Saurabh Chattopadhyay
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Evgeny Ozhegov
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jayeeta Dhar
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ramansu Goswami
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ganes C. Sen
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Sailen Barik
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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Mouveaux T, Oria G, Werkmeister E, Slomianny C, Fox BA, Bzik DJ, Tomavo S. Nuclear glycolytic enzyme enolase of Toxoplasma gondii functions as a transcriptional regulator. PLoS One 2014; 9:e105820. [PMID: 25153525 PMCID: PMC4143315 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites including Toxoplasma gondii have complex life cycles within different hosts and their infectivity relies on their capacity to regulate gene expression. However, little is known about the nuclear factors that regulate gene expression in these pathogens. Here, we report that T. gondii enolase TgENO2 is targeted to the nucleus of actively replicating parasites, where it specifically binds to nuclear chromatin in vivo. Using a ChIP-Seq technique, we provide evidence for TgENO2 enrichment at the 5′ untranslated gene regions containing the putative promoters of 241 nuclear genes. Ectopic expression of HA-tagged TgENO1 or TgENO2 led to changes in transcript levels of numerous gene targets. Targeted disruption of TgENO1 gene results in a decrease in brain cyst burden of chronically infected mice and in changes in transcript levels of several nuclear genes. Complementation of this knockout mutant with ectopic TgENO1-HA fully restored normal transcript levels. Our findings reveal that enolase functions extend beyond glycolytic activity and include a direct role in coordinating gene regulation in T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Mouveaux
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, CNRS UMR 8204, INSERM U 1019, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Gabrielle Oria
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, CNRS UMR 8204, INSERM U 1019, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Elisabeth Werkmeister
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, CNRS UMR 8204, INSERM U 1019, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Christian Slomianny
- Laboratory of Cell Physiology, INSERM U 1003, Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Barbara A. Fox
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - David J. Bzik
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Stanislas Tomavo
- Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, CNRS UMR 8204, INSERM U 1019, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
- * E-mail:
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49
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Cavailles P, Flori P, Papapietro O, Bisanz C, Lagrange D, Pilloux L, Massera C, Cristinelli S, Jublot D, Bastien O, Loeuillet C, Aldebert D, Touquet B, Fournié GJ, Cesbron-Delauw MF. A highly conserved Toxo1 haplotype directs resistance to toxoplasmosis and its associated caspase-1 dependent killing of parasite and host macrophage. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004005. [PMID: 24699513 PMCID: PMC3974857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural immunity or resistance to pathogens most often relies on the genetic make-up of the host. In a LEW rat model of refractoriness to toxoplasmosis, we previously identified on chromosome 10 the Toxo1 locus that directs toxoplasmosis outcome and controls parasite spreading by a macrophage-dependent mechanism. Now, we narrowed down Toxo1 to a 891 kb interval containing 29 genes syntenic to human 17p13 region. Strikingly, Toxo1 is included in a haplotype block strictly conserved among all refractory rat strains. The sequencing of Toxo1 in nine rat strains (5 refractory and 4 susceptible) revealed resistant-restricted conserved polymorphisms displaying a distribution gradient that peaks at the bottom border of Toxo1, and highlighting the NOD-like receptor, Nlrp1a, as a major candidate. The Nlrp1 inflammasome is known to trigger, upon pathogen intracellular sensing, pyroptosis programmed-cell death involving caspase-1 activation and cleavage of IL-1β. Functional studies demonstrated that the Toxo1-dependent refractoriness in vivo correlated with both the ability of macrophages to restrict T. gondii growth and a T. gondii-induced death of intracellular parasites and its host macrophages. The parasite-induced cell death of infected macrophages bearing the LEW-Toxo1 alleles was found to exhibit pyroptosis-like features with ROS production, the activation of caspase-1 and IL1-β secretion. The pharmacological inactivation of caspase-1 using YVAD and Z-VAD inhibitors prevented the death of both intravacuolar parasites and host non-permissive macrophages but failed to restore parasite proliferation. These findings demonstrated that the Toxo1-dependent response of rat macrophages to T. gondii infection may trigger two pathways leading to the control of parasite proliferation and the death of parasites and host macrophages. The NOD-like receptor NLRP1a/Caspase-1 pathway is the best candidate to mediate the parasite-induced cell death. These data represent new insights towards the identification of a major pathway of innate resistance to toxoplasmosis and the prediction of individual resistance. Toxoplasmosis is a ubiquitous parasitic infection causing a wide spectrum of diseases. It is usually asymptomatic but can lead to severe ocular and neurological disorders. The host factors that determine natural resistance to toxoplasmosis are yet poorly characterized. Among the animal models to study susceptibility to toxoplasmosis, rats develop like humans a subclinical chronic infection. The finding of a total resistance in the LEW rat strain has allowed genetic studies leading to the identification of Toxo1, a unique locus that controls the outcome of toxoplasmosis. In this report, a panel of recombinant inbred rat strains was used to genetically reduce the Toxo1 locus, on chromosome 10, to a limited region containing 29 genes. This locus is highly conserved among five resistant, by comparison to four susceptible, rat strains, indicating that refractoriness to toxoplasmosis could be predicted. The Toxo1-controlled refractoriness depends on the ability of macrophages to restrict parasite proliferation and the rapid death of both T. gondii and host macrophages in vitro. The NOD-like receptor NLRP1a/Caspase-1 pathway is the best candidate to mediate the parasite-induced cell death. Our data represent new insights towards the identification of a major pathway of innate immunity that protects from toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Cavailles
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Pierre Flori
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- GIMAP, EA 3064, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Olivier Papapietro
- UMR Inserm, U1043, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Toulouse, France
| | - Cordelia Bisanz
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Dominique Lagrange
- UMR Inserm, U1043, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Toulouse, France
| | - Ludovic Pilloux
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Céline Massera
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Sara Cristinelli
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Delphine Jublot
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Olivier Bastien
- UMR 5168, CNRS/INRA, Université Joseph Fourier, CEA, Grenoble, France
| | - Corinne Loeuillet
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Delphine Aldebert
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Bastien Touquet
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
| | - Gilbert J. Fournié
- UMR Inserm, U1043, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Toulouse, France
| | - Marie France Cesbron-Delauw
- UMR 5163, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Grenoble, France
- Université Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France
- * E-mail:
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50
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Cirelli KM, Gorfu G, Hassan MA, Printz M, Crown D, Leppla SH, Grigg ME, Saeij JPJ, Moayeri M. Inflammasome sensor NLRP1 controls rat macrophage susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1003927. [PMID: 24626226 PMCID: PMC3953412 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2013] [Accepted: 12/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that infects a wide range of warm-blooded species. Rats vary in their susceptibility to this parasite. The Toxo1 locus conferring Toxoplasma resistance in rats was previously mapped to a region of chromosome 10 containing Nlrp1. This gene encodes an inflammasome sensor controlling macrophage sensitivity to anthrax lethal toxin (LT) induced rapid cell death (pyroptosis). We show here that rat strain differences in Toxoplasma infected macrophage sensitivity to pyroptosis, IL-1β/IL-18 processing, and inhibition of parasite proliferation are perfectly correlated with NLRP1 sequence, while inversely correlated with sensitivity to anthrax LT-induced cell death. Using recombinant inbred rats, SNP analyses and whole transcriptome gene expression studies, we narrowed the candidate genes for control of Toxoplasma-mediated rat macrophage pyroptosis to four genes, one of which was Nlrp1. Knockdown of Nlrp1 in pyroptosis-sensitive macrophages resulted in higher parasite replication and protection from cell death. Reciprocally, overexpression of the NLRP1 variant from Toxoplasma-sensitive macrophages in pyroptosis-resistant cells led to sensitization of these resistant macrophages. Our findings reveal Toxoplasma as a novel activator of the NLRP1 inflammasome in rat macrophages. Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that are a major component of the innate immune system. They contain “sensor” proteins that are responsible for detecting various microbial and environmental danger signals and function by activating caspase-1, an enzyme that mediates cleavage and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18. Toxoplasma gondii is a highly successful protozoan parasite capable of infecting a wide range of host species that have variable levels of resistance. Rat strains have been previously shown to vary in their susceptibility to this parasite. We report here that rat macrophages from different inbred strains also vary in sensitivity to Toxoplasma induced lysis. We find that NLRP1, an inflammasome sensor whose only known agonist is anthrax LT, is also activated by Toxoplasma infection. In rats there is a perfect correlation between NLRP1 sequence and macrophage sensitivity to Toxoplasma-induced rapid cell death, inhibition of parasite proliferation, and IL-1β/IL-18 processing. Nlrp1 genes from sensitive rat macrophages can confer sensitivity to this rapid cell death when expressed in Toxoplasma resistant rat macrophages. Our findings suggest Toxoplasma is a new activator of the NLRP1 inflammasome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly M. Cirelli
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Gezahegn Gorfu
- Molecular Parasitology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Musa A. Hassan
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Morton Printz
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Devorah Crown
- Microbial Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Stephen H. Leppla
- Microbial Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michael E. Grigg
- Molecular Parasitology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MEG); (JPJS); (MM)
| | - Jeroen P. J. Saeij
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MEG); (JPJS); (MM)
| | - Mahtab Moayeri
- Microbial Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (MEG); (JPJS); (MM)
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