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Iniesta V, Belinchón-Lorenzo S, Soto M, Fernández-Cotrina J, Muñoz-Madrid R, Monroy I, Baz V, Gómez-Luque A, Parejo JC, Alonso C, Nieto LCG. Detection and chronology of parasitic kinetoplast DNA presence in hair of experimental Leishmania major infected BALB/c mice by Real Time PCR. Acta Trop 2013; 128:468-72. [PMID: 23916508 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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: 02/22/2013] [Revised: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 07/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Hair can accumulate foreign chemical or biological substances. Recently, it has been reported that parasite DNA can also be detected in the hair of Leishmania infantum infected dogs. The aim of this work has been to find out whether parasite DNA incorporates in the hair of Leishmania major experimentally infected animals. For this purpose, a group of 4 BALB/c mice, intradermally inoculated in both ears with 1000 L. major V1 strain promastigote forms, was monitored for parameters associated to the infection during 35 days. Weekly, ear swelling was measured, and hair samples from ears and leg were collected. Blood samples were obtained before challenge and at day 35 post infection, when parasite load was measured in ear, lymph node and spleen by limit dilution. Ear swelling and other parameters observed in the infected mice were consistent with those described for this model. The presence of parasite kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) was detected by Real Time PCR in all ear and leg hair samples at the final timepoint. These data suggests that hair is a specialized tissue in the sequestration and removal of foreign DNA. Detection of DNA in hair could be, therefore, a useful tool to chronologically record the infection process during experimental mice assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Iniesta
- LeishmanCeres Laboratory (GLP Compliance Certified). Parasitology Unit. Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
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Wei Y, Hu H, Lun ZR, Li Z. The cooperative roles of two kinetoplastid-specific kinesins in cytokinesis and in maintaining cell morphology in bloodstream trypanosomes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73869. [PMID: 24069240 PMCID: PMC3772034 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cytoskeleton of Trypanosoma brucei, a unicellular eukaryote and a parasitic protozoan, is defined by the subpellicular microtubule corset that is arranged underneath the plasma membrane. We recently identified two orphan kinesins, TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D, that cooperate to regulate the organization of the subpellicular microtubule corset and thereby maintain cell morphology in the procyclic form of T. brucei. In this report, we characterize the function of TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D in the bloodstream form of T. brucei and investigate their functional cooperation in both the bloodstream and procyclic forms. TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D form a tight complex in vivo in the bloodstream form. TbKIN-C is strongly enriched at the posterior tip of the cell, whereas TbKIN-D is distributed throughout the cell body at all cell cycle stages. RNAi of TbKIN-C or TbKIN-D in the bloodstream form inhibits cell proliferation and leads to cell death, due to cytokinesis defects. RNAi of TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D also results in defects in basal body segregation, but does not affect the synthesis and segregation of the flagellum and the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) filament. Knockdown of TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D does not disrupt the organization of the subpellicular microtubule corset, but produces multinucleated cells with an enlarged flagellar pocket and misplaced flagella. Interestingly, depletion of TbKIN-C results in rapid degradation of TbKIN-D and, similarly, knockdown of TbKIN-C destabilizes TbKIN-D, suggesting that formation of TbKIN-C/TbKIN-D complex stabilizes both kinesins and is required for the two kinesins to execute their essential cellular functions. Altogether, our results demonstrate the essential role of the two kinesins in cell morphogenesis and cytokinesis in the bloodstream form and the requirement of heteromeric complex formation for maintaining the stability of the two kinesins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Huiqing Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zhao-Rong Lun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ziyin Li
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Inbar E, Akopyants NS, Charmoy M, Romano A, Lawyer P, Elnaiem DEA, Kauffmann F, Barhoumi M, Grigg M, Owens K, Fay M, Dobson DE, Shaik J, Beverley SM, Sacks D. The Mating Competence of Geographically Diverse Leishmania major Strains in Their Natural and Unnatural Sand Fly Vectors. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003672. [PMID: 23935521 PMCID: PMC3723561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [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: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Invertebrate stages of Leishmania are capable of genetic exchange during their extracellular growth and development in the sand fly vector. Here we explore two variables: the ability of diverse L. major strains from across its natural range to undergo mating in pairwise tests; and the timing of the appearance of hybrids and their developmental stage associations within both natural (Phlebotomus duboscqi) and unnatural (Lutzomyia longipalpis) sand fly vectors. Following co-infection of flies with parental lines bearing independent drug markers, doubly-drug resistant hybrid progeny were selected, from which 96 clonal lines were analyzed for DNA content and genotyped for parent alleles at 4–6 unlinked nuclear loci as well as the maxicircle DNA. As seen previously, the majority of hybrids showed ‘2n’ DNA contents, but with a significant number of ‘3n’ and one ‘4n’ offspring. In the natural vector, 97% of the nuclear loci showed both parental alleles; however, 3% (4/150) showed only one parental allele. In the unnatural vector, the frequency of uniparental inheritance rose to 10% (27/275). We attribute this to loss of heterozygosity after mating, most likely arising from aneuploidy which is both common and temporally variable in Leishmania. As seen previously, only uniparental inheritance of maxicircle kDNA was observed. Hybrids were recovered at similar efficiencies in all pairwise crosses tested, suggesting that L. major lacks detectable ‘mating types’ that limit free genetic exchange. In the natural vector, comparisons of the timing of hybrid formation with the presence of developmental stages suggest nectomonads as the most likely sexually competent stage, with hybrids emerging well before the first appearance of metacyclic promastigotes. These studies provide an important perspective on the prevalence of genetic exchange in natural populations of L. major and a guide for experimental studies to understand the biology of mating. Leishmania are pathogenic protozoa characterized by substantial diversity in the sand fly species that can transmit them, in the mammalian species that can serve as their reservoir hosts, and in the disease forms and severity of the clinical outcomes they can produce in humans. The possibility that this diversity has arisen, at least in part, by a process involving genetic exchange was recently given experimental support by the recovery of hybrid parasites from sand flies co-infected with two strains of Leishmania major. Here, we demonstrate the sexual competency of L. major strains originating across the full geographic range of this parasite species, and in both natural and unnatural sand fly vectors. Our genotype analyses of a large number of hybrid clones confirmed that they inherited both parental alleles at the majority of chromosomal marker loci analyzed, consistent with a meiotic process, while kinetoplast DNA was inherited from only one parent. Surprisingly, a few nuclear loci were sometimes inherited from only one parent, suggesting loss of heterozygosity. The early timing of hybrid recovery suggests that nectomonad promastigotes are the most likely mating competent stage of the parasite. These studies provide the strongest evidence to date that sex is a component of the natural reproductive strategy of L. major.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehud Inbar
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Natalia S. Akopyants
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Melanie Charmoy
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Audrey Romano
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Phillip Lawyer
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Dia-Eldin A. Elnaiem
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Florence Kauffmann
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Mourad Barhoumi
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Michael Grigg
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Katherine Owens
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Michael Fay
- Biostatistics Research Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Deborah E. Dobson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Jahangheer Shaik
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Stephen M. Beverley
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - David Sacks
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Rocha FL, Roque ALR, de Lima JS, Cheida CC, Lemos FG, de Azevedo FC, Arrais RC, Bilac D, Herrera HM, Mourão G, Jansen AM. Trypanosoma cruzi infection in neotropical wild carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora): at the top of the T. cruzi transmission chain. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67463. [PMID: 23861767 PMCID: PMC3701642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known on the role played by Neotropical wild carnivores in the Trypanosoma cruzi transmission cycles. We investigated T. cruzi infection in wild carnivores from three sites in Brazil through parasitological and serological tests. The seven carnivore species examined were infected by T. cruzi, but high parasitemias detectable by hemoculture were found only in two Procyonidae species. Genotyping by Mini-exon gene, PCR-RFLP (1f8/Akw21I) and kDNA genomic targets revealed that the raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) harbored TcI and the coatis (Nasua nasua) harbored TcI, TcII, TcIII-IV and Trypanosoma rangeli, in single and mixed infections, besides four T. cruzi isolates that displayed odd band patterns in the Mini-exon assay. These findings corroborate the coati can be a bioaccumulator of T. cruzi Discrete Typing Units (DTU) and may act as a transmission hub, a connection point joining sylvatic transmission cycles within terrestrial and arboreal mammals and vectors. Also, the odd band patterns observed in coatis' isolates reinforce that T. cruzi diversity might be much higher than currently acknowledged. Additionally, we assembled our data with T. cruzi infection on Neotropical carnivores' literature records to provide a comprehensive analysis of the infection patterns among distinct carnivore species, especially considering their ecological traits and phylogeny. Altogether, fifteen Neotropical carnivore species were found naturally infected by T. cruzi. Species diet was associated with T. cruzi infection rates, supporting the hypothesis that predator-prey links are important mechanisms for T. cruzi maintenance and dispersion in the wild. Distinct T. cruzi infection patterns across carnivore species and study sites were notable. Musteloidea species consistently exhibit high parasitemias in different studies which indicate their high infectivity potential. Mesocarnivores that feed on both invertebrates and mammals, including the coati, a host that can be bioaccumulator of T. cruzi DTU's, seem to take place at the top of the T. cruzi transmission chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Lopes Rocha
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Brasileiro para Medicina da Conservação, TRÍADE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Programa de Conservação Mamíferos do Cerrado, PCMC, Araguari, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Juliane Saab de Lima
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, UFMS, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Carolina Carvalho Cheida
- Programa de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem/Projeto Carnívoros, Instituto de Pesquisas Cananéia (IPeC), Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Frederico Gemesio Lemos
- Programa de Conservação Mamíferos do Cerrado, PCMC, Araguari, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, UFG, Catalão, Goiás, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo Corassa Arrais
- Programa de Conservação Mamíferos do Cerrado, PCMC, Araguari, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniele Bilac
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Guilherme Mourão
- Laboratório de Vida Selvagem, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Pantanal, Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Jansen
- Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Tiwary P, Kumar D, Mishra M, Singh RP, Rai M, Sundar S. Seasonal variation in the prevalence of sand flies infected with Leishmania donovani. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61370. [PMID: 23585896 PMCID: PMC3621828 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 08/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a life threatening neglected infectious disease in the Indian subcontinent, transmitted by the bite of female sand flies. Estimation of the infectivity in the vector population, collected in different seasons, may be useful to better understanding the transmission dynamics of VL as well as to plan vector control measures. METHODOLOGY We collected sand flies from highly endemic regions of Bihar state, India for one year over three seasons. The species of the sand flies were confirmed by species-specific PCR-RFLP. Leishmania donovani infection was investigated in 1397 female Phlebotomus argentipes using PCR, targeting the Leishmania specific minicircle of the kDNA region. Further, the parasitic load in the infected sand flies was measured using quantitative PCR. CONCLUSION Though sand flies were most abundant in the rainy season, the highest rate of infection was detected in the winter season with 2.84% sand flies infected followed by the summer and rainy seasons respectively. This study can help in vector elimination programmes and to reduce disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puja Tiwary
- Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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Oshaghi MA, Rassi Y, Hazratian T, Fallah E, Rafizadeh S. Natural infection of wild caught Phlebotomus tobbi to Leishmania infantum in East Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran. J Vector Borne Dis 2013; 50:24-29. [PMID: 23703436] [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: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania infantum, which is transmitted to humans by bites of phlebotomine sandflies and is one of the most important public health problems in Iran. To detect and identify the Leishmania parasites and their corresponding vector(s), an investigation was carried out in Azarshahr County, a new and important focus of the disease in East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran during late April to late October 2010. METHODS Sandflies were sampled using sticky papers (A4 white paper soaked in castor oil) from inside and outside of the houses and animal shelters, close to the vegetation and crevices. The head and three last abdomen segments of the specimens were removed and mounted in Puri's medium for species identification. The rest of body was subjected to molecular methods for detection of leishmanial parasites. RESULTS Among 400 female sandflies tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of kDNA, ITS1-rDNA, and CPB genes of the parasite followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), only 2 out of 8 Phlebotomus tobbi were positive to L. infantum parasites. CONCLUSION The results indicated that, P. tobbi was the only species found infected by L.infantum and the principal vector of the disease agent to human.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Oshaghi
- Department of Medical Entomology & Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Marlow MA, da Silva Mattos M, Makowiecky ME, Eger I, Rossetto AL, Grisard EC, Steindel M. Divergent profile of emerging cutaneous leishmaniasis in subtropical Brazil: new endemic areas in the southern frontier. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56177. [PMID: 23457521 PMCID: PMC3572950 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 09/28/2012] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although known to be highly endemic in the Amazon regions of Brazil, the presence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the subtropical southern part of the country has largely been ignored. This study was conducted to demonstrate CL is emerging in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, as well as to characterize the epidemiological profile and Leishmania species involved. Methodology/Principal Findings For this cross-sectional study, data from all CL cases from Santa Catarina, Brazil, reported to the Brazilian National Notifiable Diseases Information System from 2001 to 2009 were investigated. Amplification of the kDNA minicircle conserved region followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was conducted to screen for Leishmania species present in patient biopsy. Overall, 542 CL cases were reported, with majority resulting from autochthonous transmission (n = 401, 73.99%) and occurring in urban zones (n = 422, 77.86%). Age, gender, zone of residence, origin of case, clinical form and case outcome were found to differ significantly by region. Imported cases were over seven times more likely to relapse (95% CI 2.56–21.09). Mapping of cases revealed new endemic areas in northeastern Santa Catarina with two species present. With the exception of three L. (Leishmania) amazonensis cases (1.20%), majority of PCR positive samples were found to be L. (Viannia) braziliensis (n = 248, 98.80%). Conclusions/Significance CL is now endemic in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, with case profiles varying significantly by region. L. (V.) braziliensis has been identified as the predominant species in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariel Asbury Marlow
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Marise da Silva Mattos
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maria Ernestina Makowiecky
- Department of Zoonoses, Diretoria de Vigilância Epidemiológica, Secretaria Estadual de Saúde de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Iriane Eger
- Center for Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, Itajaí, Brazil
| | | | - Edmundo Carlos Grisard
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Mário Steindel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Yang BB, Chen DL, Chen JP, Liao L, Hu XS, Xu JN. Analysis of kinetoplast cytochrome b gene of 16 Leishmania isolates from different foci of China: different species of Leishmania in China and their phylogenetic inference. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6:32. [PMID: 23383990 PMCID: PMC3573894 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 04/05/2012] [Accepted: 01/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania species belong to the family Trypanosomatidae and cause leishmaniasis, a geographically widespread disease that infects humans and other vertebrates. This disease remains endemic in China. Due to the large geographic area and complex ecological environment, the taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationship of Chinese Leishmania isolates remain uncertain. A recent internal transcribed spacer 1 and cytochrome oxidase II phylogeny of Chinese Leishmania isolates has challenged some aspects of their traditional taxonomy as well as cladistics hypotheses of their phylogeny. The current study was designed to provide further disease background and sequence analysis. METHODS We systematically analyzed 50 cytochrome b (cyt b) gene sequences of 19 isolates (16 from China, 3 from other countries) sequenced after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a special primer for cyt b as well as 31 sequences downloaded from GenBank. After alignment, the data were analyzed using the maximum parsimony, Bayesian and netwok methods. RESULTS Sequences of six haplotypes representing 10 Chinese isolates formed a monophyletic group and clustered with Leishmania tarentolae. The isolates GS1, GS7, XJ771 of this study from China clustered with other isolates of Leishmania donovani complex. The isolate JS1 was a sister to Leishmania tropica, which represented an L. tropica complex instead of clustering with L. donovani complex or with the other 10 Chinese isolates. The isolates KXG-2 and GS-GER20 formed a monophyletic group with Leishmania turanica from central Asia. In the different phylogenetic trees, all of the Chinese isolates occurred in at least four groups regardless of geographic distribution. CONCLUSIONS The undescribed Leishmania species of China, which are clearly causative agents of canine leishmaniasis and human visceral leishmaniasis and are related to Sauroleishmania, may have evolved from a common ancestral parasite that came from the Americas and may have split off earlier than the other old world Leishmania. Our results also suggest the following: the isolates GS7, GS1 and XJ771 occur as part of the L. donovani complex; the JS1 isolate is L. tropica; and the isolate GS-GER20 identified as Leishmania gerbilli is close to KXG-2 which is L. turanica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Bin Yang
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Weifang Medical University, #7166, The West Baotong street, Weifang, Shandong, 261053, China
- Department of Parasitology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, #17, The 3th Section of South Renmin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Da-Li Chen
- Department of Parasitology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, #17, The 3th Section of South Renmin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Jian-Ping Chen
- Department of Parasitology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, #17, The 3th Section of South Renmin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
- Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, #24, The South 1st Section of Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Lin Liao
- Department of Parasitology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, #17, The 3th Section of South Renmin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Xiao-Su Hu
- Department of Parasitology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, #17, The 3th Section of South Renmin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Jia-Nan Xu
- Department of Parasitology, West China School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, #17, The 3th Section of South Renmin Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
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Tsukayama P, Núñez JH, De Los Santos M, Soberón V, Lucas CM, Matlashewski G, Llanos-Cuentas A, Ore M, Baldeviano GC, Edgel KA, Lescano AG, Graf PCF, Bacon DJ. A FRET-based real-time PCR assay to identify the main causal agents of New World tegumentary leishmaniasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7:e1956. [PMID: 23301111 PMCID: PMC3536805 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In South America, various species of Leishmania are endemic and cause New World tegumentary leishmaniasis (NWTL). The correct identification of these species is critical for adequate clinical management and surveillance activities. We developed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and evaluated its diagnostic performance using 64 archived parasite isolates and 192 prospectively identified samples collected from individuals with suspected leishmaniasis enrolled at two reference clinics in Lima, Peru. The real-time PCR assay was able to detect a single parasite and provided unambiguous melting peaks for five Leishmania species of the Viannia subgenus that are highly prevalent in South America: L. (V.) braziliensis, L. (V.) panamensis, L. (V.) guyanensis, L. (V.) peruviana and L. (V.) lainsoni. Using kinetoplastid DNA-based PCR as a gold standard, the real-time PCR had sensitivity and specificity values of 92% and 77%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of conventional tests such as microscopy, culture and the leishmanin skin test (LST). In addition, the real-time PCR identified 147 different clinical samples at the species level, providing an overall agreement of 100% when compared to multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data performed on a subset of these samples. Furthermore, the real-time PCR was three times faster and five times less expensive when compared to PCR - MLST for species identification from clinical specimens. In summary, this new assay represents a cost-effective and reliable alternative for the identification of the main species causing NWTL in South America. Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease with more than two million new human infections annually worldwide. Tegumentary leishmaniasis, cutaneous and mucocutaneous, is mainly caused by five Leishmania species of the Viannia complex in South America. Different species can cause disease with similar symptoms but have dissimilar prognoses and may need different therapeutic regimens. Identification of Leishmania species traditionally relies on the multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) assay, but it can only be applied to culture-positive samples and takes at least six weeks of intense laboratory work. A reliable and rapid assay for species identification can be a valuable tool. Molecular assays are the fastest and most accurate way to identify the etiological agents causing leishmaniasis. This paper describes a novel real-time PCR assay for identification of the five main species that cause tegumentary leishmaniasis in the New World. The assay correctly identified each of these five species of Leishmania directly from clinical samples. Because of its reliability, speed and simplicity, this assay could be used for species identification in routine laboratory diagnosis of leishmaniasis in endemic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Tsukayama
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - Jorge H. Núñez
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - Maxy De Los Santos
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - Valeria Soberón
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - Carmen M. Lucas
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - Greg Matlashewski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas
- Leishmaniasis Working Group, Instituto de Medicina Tropical ‘Alexander von Humboldt’, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | | | - Kimberly A. Edgel
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
| | - Andres G. Lescano
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
- * E-mail:
| | - Paul C. F. Graf
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
- Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory Department, Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - David J. Bacon
- Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Peru
- Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., United States of America
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Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam H, Ajdary S, Riazi-Rad F, Mirzadegan E, Rezaeian A, Khaze V, Djadid ND, Alimohammadian MH. Molecular epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis and heterogeneity ofLeishmania majorstrains in Iran. Trop Med Int Health 2012; 17:1335-44. [PMID: 22947226 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.03078.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Mahmoudzadeh-Niknam
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Malaria and Vector Research Group, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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61
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Alvarenga JSC, Ligeiro CM, Gontijo CMF, Cortes S, Campino L, Vago AR, Melo MN. KDNA genetic signatures obtained by LSSP-PCR analysis of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum isolated from the new and the old world. PLoS One 2012; 7:e43363. [PMID: 22912862 PMCID: PMC3422226 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 02/03/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) caused by species from the Leishmania donovani complex is the most severe form of the disease, lethal if untreated. VL caused by Leishmania infantum is a zoonosis with an increasing number of human cases and millions of dogs infected in the Old and the New World. In this study, L. infantum (syn. L.chagasi) strains were isolated from human and canine VL cases. The strains were obtained from endemic areas from Brazil and Portugal and their genetic polymorphism was ascertained using the LSSP-PCR (Low-Stringency Single Specific Primer PCR) technique for analyzing the kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA) minicircles hypervariable region. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS KDNA genetic signatures obtained by minicircle LSSP-PCR analysis of forty L. infantum strains allowed the grouping of strains in several clades. Furthermore, LSSP-PCR profiles of L. infantum subpopulations were closely related to the host origin (human or canine). To our knowledge this is the first study which used this technique to compare genetic polymorphisms among strains of L. infantum originated from both the Old and the New World. CONCLUSIONS LSSP-PCR profiles obtained by analysis of L. infantum kDNA hypervariable region of parasites isolated from human cases and infected dogs from Brazil and Portugal exhibited a genetic correlation among isolates originated from the same reservoir, human or canine. However, no association has been detected among the kDNA signatures and the geographical origin of L. infantum strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janaína Sousa Campos Alvarenga
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Carla Maia Ligeiro
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | | | - Sofia Cortes
- Unidade de Leishmanioses, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Lenea Campino
- Unidade de Leishmanioses, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Annamaria Ravara Vago
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
| | - Maria Norma Melo
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil
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Azizi K, Moemenbellah-Fard MD, Kalantari M, Fakoorziba MR. Molecular detection of Leishmania major kDNA from wild rodents in a new focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in an Oriental region of Iran. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2012; 12:844-50. [PMID: 22651390 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2011.0872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the most challenging public health issues in many tropical and subtropical countries of the world, including Iran. More than half (54%) of the new zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) cases among the Eastern Mediterranean countries were reported from Iran in 2008. The detection of Leishmania parasites in rodents is essential to incriminate them as probable reservoir hosts of ZCL infection. As a result of the annual detection of about 200-250 clinical ZCL cases in the Jask district of southern Iran, feral rodents were trapped, identified to species level, and examined for Leishmania presence by preparing routine blood smears on microscopic slides from 2007 to 2008. Overall, 27 Tatera indica, 17 Gerbillus nanus, 29 Meriones persicus, 26 M. hurrianae, and 7 M. libycus were identified. Females of T. indica, M. hurrianae, and G. nanus appeared to be naturally infected with the protozoan parasite, L. major. This is the first report of microscopic and molecular detection of this trypanosomatid parasite infecting these three rodents reported from Hormozgan province in southeast Iran. More than three-quarters (82%) of the parasite-infected rodents came from the eastern plain of this province, but none of the other rodents were found to be smear-positive or kinetoplast DNA-positive by PCR. M. hurrianae, G. nanus, and T. indica are therefore incriminated as three potential reservoir hosts of L. major in Oriental parts of Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kourosh Azizi
- Department of Medical Entomology, School of Health and Nutrition, Research Centre for Health Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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63
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Abstract
Dinoflagellate protists harbor a characteristic peridinin-containing plastid that evolved from a red or haptophyte alga. In contrast to typical plastids that have ∼100-200 kb circular genomes, the dinoflagellate plastid genome is composed of minicircles that each encode 0-5 genes. It is commonly assumed that dinoflagellate minicircles are derived from a standard plastid genome through drastic reduction and fragmentation. However, we demonstrate that the ycf16 and ycf24 genes (encoded on the Ceratium AF490364 minicircle), as well as rpl28 and rpl33 (encoded on the Pyrocystis AF490367 minicircle), are related to sequences from Algoriphagus and/or Cytophaga bacteria belonging to the Bacteroidetes clade. Moreover, we identified a new open reading frame on the Pyrocystis minicircle encoding a SRP54 N domain, which is typical of FtsY proteins. Because neither of these minicircles share sequence similarity with any other dinoflagellate minicircles, and their genes resemble bacterial operons, we propose that these Ceratium and Pyrocystis minicircles resulted from a horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from a Bacteroidetes donor. Our findings are the first indication of HGT to dinoflagellate minicircles, highlighting yet another peculiar aspect of this plastid genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Moszczynski
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS), Campus in Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
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Alves JMP, Voegtly L, Matveyev AV, Lara AM, da Silva FM, Serrano MG, Buck GA, Teixeira MMG, Camargo EP. Identification and phylogenetic analysis of heme synthesis genes in trypanosomatids and their bacterial endosymbionts. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23518. [PMID: 21853145 PMCID: PMC3154472 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 05/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been known for decades that some insect-infecting trypanosomatids can survive in culture without heme supplementation while others cannot, and that this capability is associated with the presence of a betaproteobacterial endosymbiont in the flagellate's cytoplasm. However, the specific mechanisms involved in this process remained obscure. In this work, we sequence and phylogenetically analyze the heme pathway genes from the symbionts and from their hosts, as well as from a number of heme synthesis-deficient Kinetoplastida. Our results show that the enzymes responsible for synthesis of heme are encoded on the symbiont genomes and produced in close cooperation with the flagellate host. Our evidence suggests that this synergistic relationship is the end result of a history of extensive gene loss and multiple lateral gene transfer events in different branches of the phylogeny of the Trypanosomatidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- João M P Alves
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America.
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65
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Abstract
RNA editing in trypanosomatids is an elaborate form of post-transcriptional processing that inserts and deletes uridines in many mitochondrial pre-mRNAs, providing the genetic information needed to create functional transcripts. The process has been extensively analyzed in Trypanosoma brucei, Crithidia fasciculata, and Leishmania tarentolae. However, few data exist on this mechanism in pathogenic Leishmania species. Here, we show evidence that this process also operates in Leishmania braziliensis, being the first time that RNA editing has been described in a species of the Viannia subgenus. A partially edited transcript corresponding to the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 8 (ND8) gene was identified in L. braziliensis promastigotes. Sequence analysis allowed the identification of the maxicircle-encoded cryptogene, which shows a high degree of sequence conservation with the corresponding cryptogenes in other Leishmania species. Although an edition pattern could be postulated for the ND8 transcripts in L. braziliensis, attempts to isolate completely edited transcripts by RT-PCR were not fruitful; instead, many transcripts with partial and unexpected editing patterns were isolated. This data, together with our inability to detect full-size transcripts by Northern blotting in promastigotes of L. braziliensis, led us to the suggestion that the strain used in this study (M2904) lacks of critical RNA guides for a complete edition of ND8 transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Departamento de Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
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66
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Schnaufer A. Evolution of dyskinetoplastic trypanosomes: how, and how often? Trends Parasitol 2011; 26:557-8. [PMID: 20801716 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2010.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2010] [Revised: 08/03/2010] [Accepted: 08/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Jercic MI, Mercado R, Villarroel R. Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi infection in neonates and infants from two regions of Chile where Chagas' disease is endemic. J Clin Microbiol 2010; 48:3824-6. [PMID: 20686091 PMCID: PMC2953114 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00048-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
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Boggild AK, Ramos AP, Espinosa D, Valencia BM, Veland N, Miranda-Verastegui C, Arevalo J, Low DE, Llanos-Cuentas A. Clinical and demographic stratification of test performance: a pooled analysis of five laboratory diagnostic methods for American cutaneous leishmaniasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010; 83:345-50. [PMID: 20682880 PMCID: PMC2911183 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2009] [Accepted: 04/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated performance characteristics of five diagnostic methods for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Patients who came to the Leishmania Clinic of Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, were enrolled in the study. Lesion smears, culture, microculture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and leishmanin skin test (LST) were performed. A total of 145 patients with 202 lesions were enrolled: 114 patients with 161 lesions fulfilled criteria for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Sensitivity and specificity were 57.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 50.2-65.4%) and 100.0% for culture, 78.3% (95% CI = 71.9-84.7%) and 100.0% for microculture, 71.4% (95% CI = 64.4-78.4%) and 100.0% for smears, 78.2% (95% CI = 70.6-85.8%) and 77.4% (95% CI = 62.7-92.1%) for LST, and 96.9% (95% CI = 94.2-99.6%) and 65.9% (95% CI = 51.4-80.4%) for PCR. PCR was more sensitive than the other assays (P < 0.001). Sensitivities of culture, smears, and LST varied by lesion duration and appearance. PCR offers performance advantages over other assays, irrespective of patient age, sex, lesion duration, or appearance. That clinical factors influence performance of non-molecular assays offers clinicians a patient-focused approach to diagnostic test selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea K Boggild
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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69
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del Puerto R, Nishizawa JE, Kikuchi M, Iihoshi N, Roca Y, Avilas C, Gianella A, Lora J, Gutierrez Velarde FU, Renjel LA, Miura S, Higo H, Komiya N, Maemura K, Hirayama K. Lineage analysis of circulating Trypanosoma cruzi parasites and their association with clinical forms of Chagas disease in Bolivia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2010; 4:e687. [PMID: 20502516 PMCID: PMC2872639 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [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: 03/11/2009] [Accepted: 03/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, is divided into 6 Discrete Typing Units (DTU): Tc I, IIa, IIb, IIc, IId and IIe. In order to assess the relative pathogenicities of different DTUs, blood samples from three different clinical groups of chronic Chagas disease patients (indeterminate, cardiac, megacolon) from Bolivia were analyzed for their circulating parasites lineages using minicircle kinetoplast DNA polymorphism. Methods and Findings Between 2000 and 2007, patients sent to the Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Tropicales for diagnosis of Chagas from clinics and hospitals in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, were assessed by serology, cardiology and gastro-intestinal examinations. Additionally, patients who underwent colonectomies due to Chagasic magacolon at the Hospital Universitario Japonés were also included. A total of 306 chronic Chagas patients were defined by their clinical types (81 with cardiopathy, 150 without cardiopathy, 100 with megacolon, 144 without megacolon, 164 with cardiopathy or megacolon, 73 indeterminate and 17 cases with both cardiopathy and megacolon). DNA was extracted from 10 ml of peripheral venous blood for PCR analysis. The kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA) was amplified from 196 out of 306 samples (64.1%), of which 104 (53.3%) were Tc IId, 4 (2.0%) Tc I, 7 (3.6%) Tc IIb, 1 (0.5%) Tc IIe, 26 (13.3%) Tc I/IId, 1 (0.5%) Tc I/IIb/IId, 2 (1.0%) Tc IIb/d and 51 (25.9%) were unidentified. Of the 133 Tc IId samples, three different kDNA hypervariable region patterns were detected; Mn (49.6%), TPK like (48.9%) and Bug-like (1.5%). There was no significant association between Tc types and clinical manifestations of disease. Conclusions None of the identified lineages or sublineages was significantly associated with any particular clinical manifestations in the chronic Chagas patients in Bolivia. Around 30–50% of Trypanosoma cruzi infections in Latin America cause chronic Chagas disease 10–30 years after the primary infection due to lack of effective treatment. The major clinical complications associated with chronic Chagas disease are cardiac myositis (leading to cardiac failure), and autonomous neuroplexus degeneration of the digestive tract that can cause megacolon or megaesophagus. Therefore, there are three major clinical forms of Chagas disease; cardiac, digestive and indeterminate (asymptomatic). The parasites, which can infect humans as well as other mammals, are transmitted by species of triatomines commonly found in the Americas. The parasite is divided in at least six discrete typing units: TcI, TcIIa–e. In humans, the TcI is mainly observed in Central America and northern parts of South America while the TcIIb/d/e is confined mainly to the southern cone of Latin America. We determined which DTU were prevalent in chronic patients in Bolivia, where the three clinical forms and several DTUs of the parasites are present, in order to determine whether there was a link between a particular parasite DTU and a particular clinical outcome. We found a vast majority of TcIId but its kDNA polymorphism showed no association with any of the clinical manifestations of chronic Chagas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona del Puerto
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | | | - Mihoko Kikuchi
- Center for International Collaboration Research, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Naomi Iihoshi
- Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Tropicales, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | - Yelin Roca
- Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Tropicales, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | - Cinthia Avilas
- Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Tropicales, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | | | - Javier Lora
- Centro Nacional de Enfermedades Tropicales, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | | | | | - Sachio Miura
- Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroo Higo
- Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Norihiro Komiya
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Koji Maemura
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kenji Hirayama
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Global COE Program, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Zhou Q, Gheiratmand L, Chen Y, Lim TK, Zhang J, Li S, Xia N, Liu B, Lin Q, He CY. A comparative proteomic analysis reveals a new bi-lobe protein required for bi-lobe duplication and cell division in Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS One 2010; 5:e9660. [PMID: 20300570 PMCID: PMC2837748 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [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: 11/16/2009] [Accepted: 02/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A Golgi-associated bi-lobed structure was previously found to be important for Golgi duplication and cell division in Trypanosoma brucei. To further understand its functions, comparative proteomics was performed on extracted flagellar complexes (including the flagellum and flagellum-associated structures such as the basal bodies and the bi-lobe) and purified flagella to identify new bi-lobe proteins. A leucine-rich repeats containing protein, TbLRRP1, was characterized as a new bi-lobe component. The anterior part of the TbLRRP1-labeled bi-lobe is adjacent to the single Golgi apparatus, and the posterior side is tightly associated with the flagellar pocket collar marked by TbBILBO1. Inducible depletion of TbLRRP1 by RNA interference inhibited duplication of the bi-lobe as well as the adjacent Golgi apparatus and flagellar pocket collar. Formation of a new flagellum attachment zone and subsequent cell division were also inhibited, suggesting a central role of bi-lobe in Golgi, flagellar pocket collar and flagellum attachment zone biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Zhou
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ladan Gheiratmand
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yixin Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Teck Kwang Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jun Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Shaowei Li
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Ningshao Xia
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Binghai Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qingsong Lin
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cynthia Y. He
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
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71
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Liu B, Yildirir G, Wang J, Tolun G, Griffith JD, Englund PT. TbPIF1, a Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial DNA helicase, is essential for kinetoplast minicircle replication. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:7056-7066. [PMID: 20042610 PMCID: PMC2844155 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.084038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [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: 11/12/2009] [Revised: 12/22/2009] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Kinetoplast DNA, the trypanosome mitochondrial genome, is a network of interlocked DNA rings including several thousand minicircles and a few dozen maxicircles. Minicircles replicate after release from the network, and their progeny reattach. Remarkably, trypanosomes have six mitochondrial DNA helicases related to yeast PIF1 helicase. Here we report that one of the six, TbPIF1, functions in minicircle replication. RNA interference (RNAi) of TbPIF1 causes a growth defect and kinetoplast DNA loss. Minicircle replication intermediates decrease during RNAi, and there is an accumulation of multiply interlocked, covalently closed minicircle dimers (fraction U). In studying the significance of fraction U, we found that this species also accumulates during RNAi of mitochondrial topoisomerase II. These data indicate that one function of TbPIF1 is an involvement, together with topoisomerase II, in the segregation of minicircle progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beiyu Liu
- From the Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 and
| | - Gokben Yildirir
- From the Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 and
| | - Jianyang Wang
- From the Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 and
| | - Gökhan Tolun
- the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Jack D. Griffith
- the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Paul T. Englund
- From the Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland 21205 and
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72
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Sciandrello G, Mauro M, Caradonna F, Catanzaro I, Saverini M, Barbata G. Acrylamide catalytically inhibits topoisomerase II in V79 cells. Toxicol In Vitro 2009; 24:830-4. [PMID: 20006698 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2009.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2009] [Revised: 12/07/2009] [Accepted: 12/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The vinyl monomer acrylamide is characterized by the presence of an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl group that makes it reactive towards thiol, hydroxyl or amino groups and towards the nucleophilic centers in DNA. The ability of acrylamide to chemically modify protein thiols has prompted us to consider topoisomerase II as one possible target of acrylamide, since agents targeting protein sulfhydryl groups act as either catalytic inhibitors or poisons of topoisomerase II. Nuclear extracts from V79 Chinese hamster cells incubated with acrylamide reduced topoisomerase II activity as inferred by an inability to convert kinetoplast DNA to the decatenated form. Nuclear extracts incubated with acrylamide pre-incubated with DTT converted kinetoplast DNA to the decatenated form, suggesting that acrylamide influences topoisomerase II activity through reaction with sulfhydryl groups on the enzyme. Furthermore, acrylamide did not induce the pBR322 DNA cleavage, as assessed by cleavage assay; thus, it cannot be regarded as a poison of topoisomerase II. As a catalytic inhibitor, acrylamide antagonizes the effect of etoposide, a topoisomerase II poison, as determined by clonogenic assay in V79 cells. This antagonism is confirmed by band depletion assay, from which it can be inferred that acrylamide reduces the level of catalytically active cellular topoisomerase II available for the action of etoposide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Sciandrello
- Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo A Monroy, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Parco d'Orleans, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
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73
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Bhutto AM, Soomro FR, Baloch JH, Matsumoto J, Uezato H, Hashiguchi Y, Katakura K. Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (L.) major infection in Sindh province, Pakistan. Acta Trop 2009; 111:295-8. [PMID: 19467219 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2008] [Revised: 04/07/2009] [Accepted: 05/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is endemic in Pakistan and is wide-spread throughout the country. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to identify the Leishmania species present in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients from new endemic areas of the central part of Sindh province, Pakistan. The PCR primers used were designed for the identification and differentiation of Leishmania (Leishmania) major and Leishmania (Leishmania) tropica species, and PCR bands at 620 and 830 bp of the parasite-specific kinetoplast DNA sequences was identified for L. (L.) major and L. (L.) tropica, respectively. Among a total of 144 DNA samples purified from the skin biopsies of clinically suspected CL patients, 108 (75%) were positive for PCR amplification. Out of the 108 cases, 105 (97.2%) were determined to be positive for L. (L.) major infection, and 3 (2.8%) were positive for L. (L.) tropica infection. It was concluded that CL caused by L. (L.) major is the main source of infection in the central part of Sindh province in Pakistan. This rapid screening technique could be used for the diagnosis of a large number of samples from skin lesions, which commonly contain other bacterial and fungal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Manan Bhutto
- Department of Dermatology, Chandka Medical College, Doctors Colony, Bunglow No. 14, VIP Road, Larkana, Pakistan. bhutto
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74
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Rodríguez IB, Botero A, Mejía-Jaramillo AM, Marquez EJ, Ortiz S, Solari A, Triana-Chávez O. Transmission dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi determined by low-stringency single primer polymerase chain reaction and southern blot analyses in four indigenous communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2009; 81:396-403. [PMID: 19706903] [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: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This study attempted to evaluate the transmission dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi in four indigenous communities of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), Colombia. Low-stringency single primer-polymerase chain reaction (LSSP-PCR) of the minicircles and Southern blot analyses were used to characterize samples from patients, vectors, and reservoirs in these communities. The LSSP-PCR profiles revealed a high genetic variability but with similarities among the parasites present in the samples of vectors, patients, and reservoirs of the same and different communities. Cluster and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) analyses of data derived from LSSP-PCR and Southern blot suggest a gene flux among populations of T. cruzi circulating in patients, vectors, and reservoirs. The results support the idea that the domestic and wild transmission cycles overlap in the SNSM, with Rhodnius prolixus as the main vector and Triatoma dimidiata playing an important role in the transmission of Chagas disease in this zone, making the vector control strategy by spraying unsuccessful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid B Rodríguez
- Grupo Biología y Control de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
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75
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Akopyants NS, Kimblin N, Secundino N, Patrick R, Peters N, Lawyer P, Dobson DE, Beverley SM, Sacks DL. Demonstration of genetic exchange during cyclical development of Leishmania in the sand fly vector. Science 2009; 324:265-8. [PMID: 19359589 PMCID: PMC2729066 DOI: 10.1126/science.1169464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [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] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Genetic exchange has not been shown to be a mechanism underlying the extensive diversity of Leishmania parasites. We report here evidence that the invertebrate stages of Leishmania are capable of having a sexual cycle consistent with a meiotic process like that described for African trypanosomes. Hybrid progeny were generated that bore full genomic complements from both parents, but kinetoplast DNA maxicircles from one parent. Mating occurred only in the sand fly vector, and hybrids were transmitted to the mammalian host by sand fly bite. Genetic exchange likely contributes to phenotypic diversity in natural populations, and analysis of hybrid progeny will be useful for positional cloning of the genes controlling traits such as virulence, tissue tropism, and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia S. Akopyants
- Dept. of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO 63110 USA
| | - Nicola Kimblin
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda MD, 20892
| | - Nagila Secundino
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda MD, 20892
| | - Rachel Patrick
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda MD, 20892
| | - Nathan Peters
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda MD, 20892
| | - Phillip Lawyer
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda MD, 20892
| | - Deborah E. Dobson
- Dept. of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO 63110 USA
| | - Stephen M. Beverley
- Dept. of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO 63110 USA
| | - David L. Sacks
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH, Bethesda MD, 20892
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76
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Fitzwater S, Calderon M, Lafuente C, Galdos-Cardenas G, Ferrufino L, Verastegui M, Gilman RH, Bern C. Polymerase chain reaction for chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection yields higher sensitivity in blood clot than buffy coat or whole blood specimens. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008; 79:768-770. [PMID: 18981520] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is widely used, but sensitivity varies widely. We compared PCR using 121/122 primers targeting kinetoplast minicircle DNA in whole blood, buffy coat, and clot from Bolivian women. Sensitivity was significantly higher in clot (60.1%) than buffy coat (46.5%) or whole blood (40%). The use of clot could simplify specimen collection while improving sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Fitzwater
- Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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77
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Medeiros AR, Silva WA, Roselino AM. DNA sequencing confirms the involvement of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis in American tegumentary leishmaniasis in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2008; 63:451-6. [PMID: 18719754 PMCID: PMC2664119 DOI: 10.1590/s1807-59322008000400007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2008] [Accepted: 04/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) represents one of the most important public health issues in the world. An increased number of autochthonous cases of ATL in the Northeastern region of São Paulo State has been documented in the last few years, leading to a desire to determine the Leishmania species implicated. METHODS PCR followed by DNA sequencing was carried out to identify a 120bp fragment from the universal kDNA minicircle of the genus Leishmania in 61 skin or mucosal biopsies from patients with ATL. RESULTS DNA sequencing permitted the identification of a particular 15bp fragment (5' GTC TTT GGG GCA AGT... 3') in all samples. Analysis by the neighbor-joining method showed the occurrence of two distinct groups related to the genus Viannia (V) and Leishmania (L), each with two subgroups. Autochthonous cases with identity to a special Leishmania sequence not referenced in Genbank predominated in subgroup V.1, suggesting the possible existence of a subtype or mutation of Leishmania Viannia in this region. In the subgroup L.2, which showed identity with a known sequence of L. (L.) amazonensis, there was a balanced distribution of autochthonous and non-autochthonous cases, including the mucosal and mucocutaneous forms in four patients. The last observation may direct us to new concepts, since the mucosal compromising has commonly been attributed to L. (V.) braziliensis, even though L. (L.) amazonensis is more frequent in the Amazonian region. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm the pattern of distribution and possible mutations of these species, as well as the change in the clinical form presentation of ATL in the São Paulo State.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wilson A Silva
- Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo – Ribeirão Preto/SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Roselino
- Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo – Ribeirão Preto/SP, Brazil
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78
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Manoel-Caetano FDS, Carareto CMA, Borim AA, Miyazaki K, Silva AE. kDNA gene signatures of Trypanosoma cruzi in blood and oesophageal mucosa from chronic chagasic patients. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2008; 102:1102-7. [PMID: 18617206 DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2008.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2008] [Revised: 05/28/2008] [Accepted: 05/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi presents a high degree of intraspecific variability, with possible implications for the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate T. cruzi kDNA minicircle gene signatures using the low-stringency single-specific-primer PCR technique in both peripheral blood and oesophageal mucosa from chronic chagasic patients, with or without megaesophagus, alone or in combination with cardiopathy and megacolon. It was not possible to identify a uniform pattern of shared bands between blood and oesophageal mucosa samples from individuals with the same clinical form or mixed forms, suggesting multiple T. cruzi infections with differential tissue tropism. Thus, the results indicate that there is an intense intraspecific variability in the hypervariable regions of T. cruzi kDNA, which has so far made it impossible to correlate the genetic profile of this structure with the clinical manifestations of Chagas disease.
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79
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Li Z, Lindsay ME, Motyka SA, Englund PT, Wang CC. Identification of a bacterial-like HslVU protease in the mitochondria of Trypanosoma brucei and its role in mitochondrial DNA replication. PLoS Pathog 2008; 4:e1000048. [PMID: 18421378 PMCID: PMC2277460 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 02/01/2008] [Accepted: 03/20/2008] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
ATP-dependent protease complexes are present in all living organisms, including the 26S proteasome in eukaryotes, Archaea, and Actinomycetales, and the HslVU protease in eubacteria. The structure of HslVU protease resembles that of the 26S proteasome, and the simultaneous presence of both proteases in one organism was deemed unlikely. However, HslVU homologs have been identified recently in some primordial eukaryotes, though their potential function remains elusive. We characterized the HslVU homolog from Trypanosoma brucei, a eukaryotic protozoan parasite and the causative agent of human sleeping sickness. TbHslVU has ATP-dependent peptidase activity and, like its bacterial counterpart, has essential lysine and N-terminal threonines in the catalytic subunit. By epitope tagging, TbHslVU localizes to mitochondria and is associated with the mitochondrial genome, kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). RNAi of TbHslVU dramatically affects the kDNA by causing over-replication of the minicircle DNA. This leads to defects in kDNA segregation and, subsequently, to continuous network growth to an enormous size. Multiple discrete foci of nicked/gapped minicircles are formed on the periphery of kDNA disc, suggesting a failure in repairing the gaps in the minicircles for kDNA segregation. TbHslVU is a eubacterial protease identified in the mitochondria of a eukaryote. It has a novel function in regulating mitochondrial DNA replication that has never been observed in other organisms. ATP-dependent protein-hydrolyzing enzyme complexes are present in all living organisms, including the 26S proteasome in eukaryotes and the HslVU complex in bacteria. A simultaneous presence of both complexes in an organism was originally deemed unlikely until some HslVU homologs were found in certain ancient eukaryotes, though their potential function in these organisms remains unclear. We characterized an HslVU complex in Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite that causes human sleeping sickness in Africa. The complex is an active enzyme localized to the mitochondria of the parasite and closely associated with the mitochondrial DNA complex, which consists of several thousand small circular DNAs and a few dozen mitochondrial genomic DNAs. Depletion of this HslVU from the parasite resulted in a continuous synthesis of the small circular DNA, which led to aberrant segregation and incessant growth of the mitochondrial DNA complex to an enormous size that eventually blocks cell division. This novel HslVU function, which has not been observed in other organisms previously, could be a potential target for anti-sleeping sickness chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyin Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Megan E. Lindsay
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shawn A. Motyka
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Paul T. Englund
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ching C. Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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80
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Majumder HK. Drug targets in kinetoplastid parasites. Preface. Adv Exp Med Biol 2008; 625:vii-viii. [PMID: 18365653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hemanta K Majumder
- Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
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81
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Rozas M, Botto-Mahan C, Coronado X, Ortiz S, Cattan PE, Solari A. Coexistence of Trypanosoma cruzi genotypes in wild and periodomestic mammals in Chile. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2007; 77:647-653. [PMID: 17978065] [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: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidemiologic evidence suggests a preferential association of Trypanosoma cruzi genotypes TCI and TCII with marsupials and placental mammals, respectively. We identify T. cruzi genotypes from 117 infected mammals. Minicircle DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction and hybridization with a panel of four specific probes showed frequencies for the T. cruzi genotypes TCI, TCIIb, TCIId, and TCIIe of 38%, 41%, 26%, and 9%, respectively, in wild mammals. In peridomestic mammals, frequencies for the same clones were 29%, 33%, 43%, and 14%, respectively. As a whole, mixed infections are found in more than 31% of the cases, which indicates the coexistence of multiclonal strains circulating in nature, and the absence of specific associations between T. cruzi genotypes and reservoir hosts, including marsupials. The direct characterization of parasite genotypes emphasizes the importance of obtaining unbiased epidemiologic information from parasite-endemic areas. Results are discussed in the context of competition or facilitation of T. cruzi genotypes within hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Rozas
- Program of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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82
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Barrio A, Mora MC, Ramos F, Moreno S, Samson R, Basombrío MA. Use of kDNA-based polymerase chain reaction as a sensitive and differentially diagnostic method of American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in disease-endemic areas of northern Argentina. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2007; 77:636-639. [PMID: 17978063] [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: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
We evaluated the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of endemic American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in Salta, Argentina. Diverse Leishmania species, coexistence of mycotic and varicose ulcers, and high endemicity T. cruzi, represent diagnostic challenges in the region. We performed a simplified PCR using sensitive, generic primers on samples obtained by a non-invasive method. We tested different culture types and clinical specimens with other microorganisms that induce leishmaniasis-like lesions. The PCR had a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Forty-five patients with presumptive leishmaniasis were compared to the PCR, smears, and the Montenegro skin test (MST). In the same population, the PCR had an increased sensitivity, detecting 25 of 45 cases compared with 16 of 45 for smears and had a higher sensitivity in detecting mucocutaneous lesions. Diagnosis by PCR was supported by clinical presentation, positive MST results, compatible epidemiology, and in some cases histopathologic results or isolation of parasites by culture. These findings indicate the convenience of incorporating this PCR into diagnostic strategies for detecting leishmaniasis in northern Argentina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Barrio
- Instituto de Patología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina.
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83
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Abstract
The experimental approach to revealing the genetic information hidden in kinetoplastid cryptogenes and expressed through the posttranscriptional mRNA processing of U-insertion/deletion editing proceeds in reverse to the informational flow of the RNA editing process itself. While the editing integrates the informational content of maxicircle-encoded cryptogenes with that of minicircle-encoded gRNAs to produce functional edited mRNAs, the cryptogene analysis utilizes a comparison of the mature mRNA sequence with the cryptogene sequence to deduce the locations of edited sites and editing patterns, and a comparison of that mRNA sequence with the minicircle (or minicircle equivalent) sequences to identify the corresponding guide RNAs. Although a "direct" approach (prediction of a fully edited sequence pattern based on the analysis of cryptogene and minicircle sequences) seems to be theoretically possible, it proved to be not practically feasible. The major steps of the procedures utilized to decipher editing in a broad range of kinetoplastid species are presented in this chapter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri A Maslov
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
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84
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Sturm NR, Dollet M, Lukes J, Campbell DA. Rational sub-division of plant trypanosomes (Phytomonas spp.) based on minicircle conserved region analysis. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2007; 7:570-6. [PMID: 17499027 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2007.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2007] [Revised: 04/04/2007] [Accepted: 04/05/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The sequences of minicircle conserved regions from various plant trypanosomatids have been determined and analyzed. The goal of this study was to add another tool to the arsenal of molecular probes for distinguishing between the different trypanosomatids occurring in plants: systemic trypanosomatids multiplying in the sap, those from the laticiferous tubes, and those developing in fruits, seeds or flowers but not in the plant itself and that are frequently considered as opportunistic insect trypanosomatids. As some plant intraphloemic trypanosomatids are the causative agents of important diseases, a clear definition of the different types of trypanosomatids is critical. The conserved region of the mitochondrial minicircle provides several specific features in a small sequence region containing three functionally elements required for minicircle replication. Trees generated from the analysis recapitulated trees drawn from analyses of isoenzymes, RAPD, and particular gene sequences, supporting the validity of the small region used in this work. Three groups of isolates were significant and in accordance with previous work. The peculiarity of phloem-restricted trypanosomatids associated with wilts of coconut and oil palm in Latin America - group H - is confirmed. In agreement with previous studies on their biological and serological properties the results highlighted this group called 'phloemicola'. It always differentiated from all other latex and fruit isolates or opportunistic trypanosomatids, like insect trypanosomatids. We can assert that phloemicola is the only well-defined taxon among all plant trypanosomatids. A group of non-pathogenic latex isolates from South American euphorbs (G), and a heterogenous group (A) including one fruit, one possible latex and one insect isolate are clearly distinct groups. The group of Mediterranean isolates from latex (D), even with a low boostrap, stood out well from other groups. The remainder of the isolates fell into a heterogeneous cluster. At least eight different groups in the plant trypanosomatids were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy R Sturm
- CIRAD,UPR29 Etiologie Dépérissements, Département Systèmes Biologiques, TA A-29/F, Campus International de Baillarguet, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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85
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Abstract
Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), from trypanosomatid mitochondria, is a network containing several thousand catenated minicircles that is condensed into a disk-shaped structure in vivo. kDNA synthesis involves release of individual minicircles from the network, replication of the free minicircles and reattachment of progeny at two sites on the network periphery approximately 180 degrees apart. In Crithidia fasciculata, rotation of the kDNA disk relative to the antipodal attachment sites results in distribution of progeny minicircles in a ring around the network periphery. In contrast, Trypanosoma brucei progeny minicircles accumulate on opposite ends of the kDNA disk, a pattern that did not suggest kinetoplast motion. Thus, there seemed to be two distinct replication mechanisms. Based on fluorescence microscopy of the kDNA network undergoing replication, we now report that the T. brucei kinetoplast does move relative to the antipodal sites. Whereas the C. fasciculata kinetoplast rotates, that from T. brucei oscillates. Kinetoplast motion of either type must facilitate orderly replication of this incredibly complex structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Liu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD, USA
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86
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Ovalle Bracho C, Porras de Quintana L, Muvdi Arenas S, Rios Parra M. Polymerase chain reaction with two molecular targets in mucosal leishmaniasis' diagnosis: a validation study. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2007; 102:549-54. [PMID: 17710297 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762007005000061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2006] [Accepted: 04/24/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We validated the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a composite reference standard in 61 patients clinically suspected of having mucosal leishmaniasis, 36 of which were cases and 25 were non-cases according to this reference standard. Patient classification and test application were carried out independently by two blind observers. One pair of primers was used to amplify a fragment of 120 bp in the conserved region of kDNA and another pair was used to amplify the internal transcript spacers (ITS) rDNA. PCR showed 68.6% (95% CI 59.2-72.6) sensitivity and 92% (95% CI 78.9-97.7) specificity; positive likelihood ratio: 8.6 (95% CI 2.8-31.3) and negative likelihood ratio: 0.3 (95% CI 0.3-0.5), when kDNA molecular target was amplified. The test performed better on sensitivity using this target compared to the ITS rDNA molecular target which showed 40% (95% CI 31.5-42.3) sensitivity and 96% (95% CI 84.1-99.3) specificity; positive likelihood ratio: 10 (95% CI 2.0-58.8) and negative likelihood ratio: 0.6 (95% CI 0.6-0.8). The inter-observer agreement was excellent for both tests. Based upon results obtained and due to low performance of conventional methods for diagnosing mucosal leishmaniasis, we consider PCR with kDNA as molecular target is a useful diagnostic test and the ITS rDNA molecular target is useful when the aim is to identify species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clemencia Ovalle Bracho
- Tropical Dermatology Research Group, National Institute of Dermatology, Centro Dermatológico Federico Lleras Acosta, Bogotá, Colombia
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87
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Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA of Kinetoplastea is composed of different chromosomes, the maxicircle (bearing 'regular' genes) and numerous minicircles (specifying guide RNAs involved in RNA editing). In trypanosomes [Kinetoplastea], DNA circles are compacted into a single dense body, the kinetoplast. This report addresses the question whether multi-chromosome mitochondrial genomes and compacted chromosome organization are restricted to Kinetoplastea or rather occur throughout Euglenozoa, i.e., Kinetoplastea, Euglenida and Diplonemea. To this end, we investigated the diplonemid Rhynchopus euleeides and the euglenids Petalomonas cantuscygni, Peranema trichophorum and Entosiphon sulcatum, using light and electron microscopy and molecular techniques. Our findings together with previously published data show that multi-chromosome mitochondrial genomes prevail across Euglenozoa, while kinetoplast-like mtDNA packaging is confined to trypanosomes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- DNA, Circular/genetics
- DNA, Circular/isolation & purification
- DNA, Circular/ultrastructure
- DNA, Kinetoplast/genetics
- DNA, Kinetoplast/isolation & purification
- DNA, Kinetoplast/ultrastructure
- DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics
- DNA, Mitochondrial/isolation & purification
- DNA, Mitochondrial/ultrastructure
- DNA, Protozoan/genetics
- DNA, Protozoan/isolation & purification
- DNA, Protozoan/ultrastructure
- Euglenida/genetics
- Euglenida/ultrastructure
- Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
- Microscopy, Fluorescence
- Mitochondria/diagnostic imaging
- Mitochondria/genetics
- Ultrasonography
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Affiliation(s)
- Joannie Roy
- Centre Robert Cedergren, Bioinformatics & Genomics, Département de biochimie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3 T 1J4
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88
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Franceschi A, Compagnoni F, Mancianti F. A simple duplex-PCR protocol for routine diagnosis and follow up of canine leishmaniasis. Parassitologia 2007; 49:43-48. [PMID: 18412042] [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: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of PCR has efficiently improved diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis. In order to provide a robust, efficient and reliable diagnostic method, a duplex PCR assay targeting the Leishmania infantum kDNA minicircle and the canine GAPDH gene as inner control was designed. Sensitivity of the assay reached 0.15 parasites/ml blood. Development, testing and application of this system on a group of 10 dogs during therapy administration (60 days) are also described. Six dogs (out of eight that have been showing a positive PCR result on peripheral blood during the study) were tested negative at day 62, indicating a reduction of parasitaemia at the end of the treatment period. All the animals had a positive PCR on lymph node aspirate both at the beginning and at the end of treatment. These findings seem to suggest that, in order to test therapy efficacy, PCR on whole blood could be a useful assay in dogs that have a positive PCR at the beginning of the treatment, while PCR positivity on lymph nodes lasts longer than the observation period during therapy administration. The presence of the GAPDH inner control band efficiently contributed to prevent false negatives, by highlighting samples affected by haemoglobin inhibition or inappropriate DNA isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Franceschi
- Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Profilassi ed Igiene degli Alimenti, Università di Pisa, Italy.
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89
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Simões-Barbosa A, Argañaraz ER, Barros AM, Rosa ADC, Alves NP, Louvandini P, D'Souza-Ault MR, Nitz N, Sturm NR, Nascimento RJ, Teixeira ARL. Hitchhiking Trypanosoma cruzi minicircle DNA affects gene expression in human host cells via LINE-1 retrotransposon. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2007; 101:833-43. [PMID: 17293976 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762006000800003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2006] [Accepted: 09/19/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The horizontal transfer of Trypanosoma cruzi mitochondrial minicircle DNA to the genomes of naturally infected humans may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. Minicircle integrations within LINE-1 elements create the potential for foreign DNA mobility within the host genome via the machinery associated with this retrotransposon. Here we document integration of minicircle DNA fragments in clonal human macrophage cell lines and their mobilization over time. The movement of an integration event in a clonal transfected cell line was tracked at three months and three years post-infection. The minicircle sequence integrated into a LINE-1 retrotransposon; one such foreign fragment subsequently relocated to another genomic location in association with associated LINE-1 elements. The p15 locus was altered at three years as a direct effect of minicircle/LINE-1 acquisition, resulting in elimination of p15 mRNA. Here we show for the first time a molecular pathology stemming from mobilization of a kDNA/LINE-1 mutation. These genomic changes and detected transcript variations are consistent with our hypothesis that minicircle integration is a causal component of parasite-independent, autoimmune-driven lesions seen in the heart and other target tissues associated with Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Augusto Simões-Barbosa
- Laboratório Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa em Doença de Chagas, Universidade de Brasília, 70919-970 Brasília, DF, Brasil
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90
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Lira CBB, Siqueira Neto JL, Giardini MA, Winck FV, Ramos CHI, Cano MIN. LaRbp38: a Leishmania amazonensis protein that binds nuclear and kinetoplast DNAs. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2007; 358:854-60. [PMID: 17506988 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2007] [Accepted: 05/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania amazonensis causes a wide spectrum of leishmaniasis. There are no vaccines or adequate treatment for leishmaniasis, therefore there is considerable interest in the identification of new targets for anti-leishmania drugs. The central role of telomere-binding proteins in cell maintenance makes these proteins potential targets for new drugs. In this work, we used a combination of purification chromatographies to screen L. amazonensis proteins for molecules capable of binding double-stranded telomeric DNA. This approach resulted in the purification of a 38kDa polypeptide that was identified by mass spectrometry as Rbp38, a trypanosomatid protein previously shown to stabilize mitochondrial RNA and to associate with nuclear and kinetoplast DNAs. Western blotting and supershift assays confirmed the identity of the protein as LaRbp38. Competition and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that LaRbp38 interacted with kinetoplast and nuclear DNAs in vivo and suggested that LaRbp38 may have dual cellular localization and more than one function.
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Affiliation(s)
- C B B Lira
- Departamento de Genética, IB, Universidade Estadual de São Paulo, UNESP, 18618-000, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
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91
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Elias MC, da Cunha JPC, de Faria FP, Mortara RA, Freymüller E, Schenkman S. Morphological Events during the Trypanosoma cruzi Cell Cycle. Protist 2007; 158:147-57. [PMID: 17185034 DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2006.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2006] [Accepted: 10/14/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The replication and segregation of organelles producing two identical daughter cells must be precisely controlled during the cell cycle progression of eukaryotes. In kinetoplastid flagellated protozoa, this includes the duplication of the single mitochondrion containing a network of DNA, known as the kinetoplast, and a flagellum that grows from a cytoplasmic basal body through the flagellar pocket compartment before emerging from the cell. Here, we show the morphological events and the timing of these events during the cell cycle of the epimastigote form of Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas' disease. DNA staining, flagellum labeling, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, and ultra-thin serial sections show that nuclear replication takes 10% of the whole cell cycle time. In the middle of the G2 stage, the new flagellum emerges from the flagellar pocket and grows unattached to the cell body. While the new flagellum is still short, the kinetoplast segregates and mitosis occurs. The new flagellum reaches its final size during cytokinesis when a new cell body is formed. These precisely coordinated cell cycle events conserve the epimastigote morphology with a single nucleus, a single kinetoplast, and a single flagellum status of the interphasic cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Carolina Elias
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia-Universidade Federal de São Paulo, R. Botucatu, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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92
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Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi acute infections often go unperceived, but one third of chronically infected individuals die of Chagas disease, showing diverse manifestations affecting the heart, intestines, and nervous systems. A common denominator of pathology in Chagas disease is the minimal rejection unit, whereby parasite-free target host cells are destroyed by immune system mononuclear effectors cells infiltrates. Another key feature stemming from T. cruzi infection is the integration of kDNA minicircles into the vertebrate host genome; horizontal transfer of the parasite DNA can undergo vertical transmission to the progeny of mammals and birds. kDNA integration-induced mutations can enter multiple loci in diverse chromosomes, generating new genes, pseudo genes and knock-outs, and resulting in genomic shuffling and remodeling over time. As a result of the juxtaposition of kDNA insertions with host open reading frames, novel chimeric products may be generated. Germ line transmission of kDNA-mutations determined the appearance of lesions in birds that are indistinguishable from those seen in Chagas disease patients. The production of tissue lesions showing typical minimal rejection units in birds' refractory to T. cruzi infection is consistent with the hypothesis that autoimmunity, likely triggered by integration-induced phenotypic alterations, plays a major role in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio R L Teixeira
- Laboratório de Pesquisa Multidisciplinar em Doença de Chagas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasilia, Caixa Postal 04536, 70919-970 Brasilia,-DF, Brasil.
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93
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Laurent T, Rijal S, Yardley V, Croft S, De Doncker S, Decuypere S, Khanal B, Singh R, Schönian G, Kuhls K, Chappuis F, Dujardin JC. Epidemiological dynamics of antimonial resistance in Leishmania donovani: Genotyping reveals a polyclonal population structure among naturally-resistant clinical isolates from Nepal. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2007; 7:206-12. [PMID: 17010679 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2006.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2006] [Revised: 08/30/2006] [Accepted: 08/31/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Pentavalent antimonials (SbV) are the first line drug against leishmaniasis worldwide, but drug resistance is increasingly reported, particularly in the Indian sub-continent, where it represents a major threat for the control of anthroponotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In order to understand the epidemiological dynamics of antimonial resistance in anthroponotic VL, we analysed here the population structure of 24 Leishmania donovani stocks isolated from anthroponotic VL-patients from Eastern Nepal: 13 SbV-naturally resistant and 11 SbV-sensitive, as demonstrated by in vitro drug susceptibility assays. The parasites were genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis of kDNA minicircles and by microsatellite analysis and the encountered polymorphism revealed a polyclonal structure among resistant isolates. Furthermore, analysis of paired samples obtained from the same patients before treatment and after failure revealed primary as well as acquired resistance. The hypothesis of independent events of drug resistance emergence is proposed and confronted to alternative explanations. Our results show the dynamics of drug resistance epidemiology and highlight the importance of surveillance networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Laurent
- Department of Parasitology, Unit of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp B-2000, Belgium
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94
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Truc P, Gibson W, Herder S. Genetic characterization of Trypanosoma evansi isolated from a patient in India. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2007; 7:305-7. [PMID: 16934537 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2006.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2006] [Revised: 07/19/2006] [Accepted: 07/20/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The first human case of trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi was recently discovered in India. We have focused on the parasite to investigate whether this atypical infection was due to a particular genotype of T. evansi. The SRA gene was not detected by PCR in the Indian human T. evansi (TEVH) DNA sample. TEVH appears to be closely related to Vietnam WH, with identical alleles for TRBPA and MT30-33 AC/TC microsatellites. Furthermore, T. evansi has homogeneous kDNA minicircles and the minicircles of isolate TEVH were shown to be of Type A. Thus, the T. evansi isolated from an Indian patient appears to be a typical T. evansi as far as we can judge, suggesting that the explanation for this unusual infection may lie with the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Truc
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UR177, Instituto de Combate e Controlo das Tripanossomiases (ICCT), CP 2657, Luanda, Angola.
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95
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert R. Zink
- Academic Teaching Hospital München-Bogenhausen, Munich, Germany
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Mark Spigelman
- University College London, London, UK
- The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Bettina Schraut
- Academic Teaching Hospital München-Bogenhausen, Munich, Germany
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96
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Nelson MJ, Dang Y, Filek E, Zhang Z, Yu VWC, Ishida KI, Green BR. Identification and transcription of transfer RNA genes in dinoflagellate plastid minicircles. Gene 2007; 392:291-8. [PMID: 17350182 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2007.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2006] [Revised: 12/14/2006] [Accepted: 01/23/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The dinoflagellate chloroplast genome is unique in that the genes are found on small circular DNA molecules carrying from one to three genes. In addition, only 14 of the typical chloroplast-located genes have so far been discovered on minicircles, while a number have been transferred to the nucleus. We have sequenced four new minicircles from the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra, three of which carry a single protein-coding gene (psbD, psbE, petD) and one that appears to be an "empty" circle. Using the tRNA prediction programs ARAGORN and tRNAscan-SE, tRNA-Met was found in the petD circle immediately downstream of the end of petD, while tRNA-Trp and tRNA-Pro were detected in the psbE and petD circles as well as in several chimeric circles of H. triquetra and the psbA minicircles of Heterocapsa pygmaea. RT-PCR showed that the tRNAs were co-transcribed with the protein-coding genes that preceded them, and cleaved from the precursor before a poly(U) tail was added to the mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha J Nelson
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, #3529-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4
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97
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Rodríguez-González I, Marín C, Longoni SS, Mateo H, Alunda JM, Minaya G, Gutiérrez-Sánchez R, Vargas F, Sánchez-Moreno M. Identification of New WorldLeishmaniaspecies from Peru by biochemical techniques and multiplex PCR assay. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2007; 267:9-16. [PMID: 17233673 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2006.00574.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We have characterized diverse strains or species of Leishmania isolated in humans that are currently circulating throughout Peru, by means of isoenzymatic characterization, kDNA analysis by restriction enzymes, and multiplex PCR assay. The cluster analysis gave five groups. Cluster 1 includes L. (L.) donovani together with the isolates LP4 and LP7, forming the donovani complex. Thus, this complex corresponds to the New World visceral form, L. (L.) chagasi. Cluster 2 is formed by the isolates LP1-LP3, LP6, LP10, LP9, and LP11, phylogenetically intermediate between Cluster 1 and Cluster 3, or they can be treated as hybrids. Cluster 3 is divided into two subgroups: one formed by L. (V.) peruviana, together with the isolates LP14 and LP5, and the second one formed by L. (V.) brazilensis and the isolate LP8. These two subgroups form part of the brazilensis complex. The three strains of L. (L.) infantum [L. (L.) infantum I and II and la LSI] make up Cluster 4. In Cluster 5, we include the three Mexican strains (LM1-LM3) forming one subgroup while we would place L. (L.) amazonensis in another subgroup. These two subgroups would comprise the complex mexicana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Rodríguez-González
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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98
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Abstract
Chagas disease is the clinical condition triggered by infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The infection is transmitted by triatomine insects while blood feeding on a human host. Field studies predict that one third of an estimated 18 million T cruzi-infected humans in Latin America will die of Chagas disease. Acute infections are usually asymptomatic, but the ensuing chronic T cruzi infections have been associated with high ratios of morbidity and mortality: Chagas heart disease leads to unexpected death in 37.5% of patients, 58% develop heart failure and die and megacolon or megaoesophagus has been associated with death in 4.5%. The pathogenesis of Chagas disease appears to be related to a parasite-induced mutation of the vertebrate genome. Currently, treatment is unsatisfactory.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R L Teixeira
- Chagas Disease Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, PO Box 04536 70919-970, Federal District, Brazil.
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99
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Waki K, Dutta S, Ray D, Kolli BK, Akman L, Kawazu SI, Lin CP, Chang KP. Transmembrane molecules for phylogenetic analyses of pathogenic protists: Leishmania-specific informative sites in hydrophilic loops of trans- endoplasmic reticulum N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase. Eukaryot Cell 2006; 6:198-210. [PMID: 17142569 PMCID: PMC1797956 DOI: 10.1128/ec.00282-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A sequence database was created for the Leishmania N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase (nagt) gene from 193 independent isolates. PCR products of this single-copy gene were analyzed for restriction fragment length polymorphism based on seven nagt sequences initially available. We subsequently sequenced 77 samples and found 19 new variants (genotypes). Alignment of all 26 nagt sequences is gap free, except for a single codon addition or deletion. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequences allow grouping the isolates into three subgenera, each consisting of recognized species complexes, i.e., subgenus Leishmania (L. amazonensis-L. mexicana, L. donovani-L. infantum, L. tropica, L. major, and L. turanica-L. gerbilli), subgenus Viannia (L. braziliensis, L. panamensis), and one unclassified (L. enriettii) species. This hierarchy of grouping is also supported by sequence analyses of selected samples for additional single-copy genes present on different chromosomes. Intraspecies divergence of nagt varies considerably with different species complexes. Interestingly, species complexes with less subspecies divergence are more widely distributed than those that are more divergent. The relevance of this to Leishmania evolutionary adaptation is discussed. Heterozygosity of subspecies variants contributes to intraspecies diversity, which is prominent in L. tropica but not in L. donovani-L. infantum. This disparity is thought to result from the genetic recombination of the respective species at different times as a rare event during their predominantly clonal evolution. Phylogenetically useful sites of nagt are restricted largely to several extended hydrophilic loops predicted from hypothetical models of Leishmania NAGT as an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein. In silico analyses of nagt from fungi and other protozoa further illustrate the potential value of this and, perhaps, other similar transmembrane molecules for phylogenetic analyses of single-cell eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayoko Waki
- Department of Microbiology/Immunology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
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100
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Abstract
Three PCR assays for diagnosing leishmaniasis were compared and validated against parasite cultures and microscopic evaluation of stained tissue smears using 92 specimens from suspected cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Israel and the West Bank. Samples from imported and locally acquired disease were examined. The kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) PCR showed the highest sensitivity (98.7%) of any assay, correctly diagnosing 77/78 of the confirmed positive samples, followed by the rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) PCR (71/78 positive, 91.0% sensitivity) and then the spliced leader mini-exon PCR (42/78 positive, 53.8% sensitivity). Either parasite culture or microscopy alone detected 62.8% (49/78) or 74.4% (58/78) of the positive specimens, respectively, while culture and microscopy together improved overall sensitivity to 83.3% (65/78). Except for the kDNA PCR that had six false positives, all other assays were 100% specific. Further, restriction enzyme analysis of the ITS1 PCR product enabled identification of 74.6% of the positive samples, which included strains of Leishmania major (50.9%), Leishmania tropica (47.2%), and the Leishmania braziliensis complex (1.9%). This suggests that a PCR using kDNA should be used for the diagnosis of CL and that an ITS1 PCR can be reliably used for the diagnosis of CL when rapid species identification is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Bensoussan
- Department of Parasitology, P.O. Box 12272, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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