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Svetlova AO, Karaseva MA, Berdyshev IM, Chukhontseva KN, Pobeguts OV, Galyamina MA, Smirnov IP, Polyakov NB, Zavialova MG, Kostrov SV, Demidyuk IV. Protease S of entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus laumondii: expression, purification and effect on greater wax moth Galleria mellonella. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:713. [PMID: 38824247 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09654-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protease S (PrtS) from Photorhabdus laumondii belongs to the group of protealysin-like proteases (PLPs), which are understudied factors thought to play a role in the interaction of bacteria with other organisms. Since P. laumondii is an insect pathogen and a nematode symbiont, the analysis of the biological functions of PLPs using the PrtS model provides novel data on diverse types of interactions between bacteria and hosts. METHODS AND RESULTS Recombinant PrtS was produced in Escherichia coli. Efficient inhibition of PrtS activity by photorin, a recently discovered emfourin-like protein inhibitor from P. laumondii, was demonstrated. The Galleria mellonella was utilized to examine the insect toxicity of PrtS and the impact of PrtS on hemolymph proteins in vitro. The insect toxicity of PrtS is reduced compared to protease homologues from non-pathogenic bacteria and is likely not essential for the infection process. However, using proteomic analysis, potential PrtS targets have been identified in the hemolymph. CONCLUSIONS The spectrum of identified proteins indicates that the function of PrtS is to modulate the insect immune response. Further studies of PLPs' biological role in the PrtS and P. laumondii model must clarify the details of PrtS interaction with the insect immune system during bacterial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Olga V Pobeguts
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria A Galyamina
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Igor P Smirnov
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikita B Polyakov
- Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria G Zavialova
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Ilya V Demidyuk
- National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow, Russia.
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2
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de Eguileor M, Grimaldi A, Pulze L, Acquati F, Morsiani C, Capri M. Amyloid fil rouge from invertebrate up to human ageing: a focus on Alzheimer Disease. Mech Ageing Dev 2022; 206:111705. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2022.111705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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3
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Manniello MD, Moretta A, Salvia R, Scieuzo C, Lucchetti D, Vogel H, Sgambato A, Falabella P. Insect antimicrobial peptides: potential weapons to counteract the antibiotic resistance. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:4259-4282. [PMID: 33595669 PMCID: PMC8164593 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03784-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have contributed in the last decades to a phenomenon known as antibiotic resistance which is currently considered one of the principal threats to global public health by the World Health Organization. The aim to find alternative drugs has been demonstrated as a real challenge. Thanks to their biodiversity, insects represent the largest class of organisms in the animal kingdom. The humoral immune response includes the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are released into the insect hemolymph after microbial infection. In this review, we have focused on insect immune responses, particularly on AMP characteristics, their mechanism of action and applications, especially in the biomedical field. Furthermore, we discuss the Toll, Imd, and JAK-STAT pathways that activate genes encoding for the expression of AMPs. Moreover, we focused on strategies to improve insect peptides stability against proteolytic susceptibility such as D-amino acid substitutions, N-terminus modification, cyclization and dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Manniello
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - A Moretta
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - R Salvia
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - C Scieuzo
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - D Lucchetti
- Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - H Vogel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straße 8, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - A Sgambato
- Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), Rionero in Vulture (PZ), Italy
| | - P Falabella
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy.
- Spinoff XFlies S.R.L, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy.
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Franchi N, Ballarin L, Peronato A, Cima F, Grimaldi A, Girardello R, de Eguileor M. Functional amyloidogenesis in immunocytes from the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri: Evolutionary perspective. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 90:108-120. [PMID: 30236880 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2018.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cytotoxic morula cells (MCs) and phagocytes are the circulating immunocytes of the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri: Both these cells can synthesise amyloid fibrils, supporting the idea that physiological amyloidogenesis is involved in inflammation and modulation of immune responses. Intriguingly, amyloid of B. schlosseri immunocytes is made of two different proteins. MCs, the first cells to sense non-self and involved in the allorejection reaction between contacting genetically incompatible colonies, use melanin encapsulation as the principal method to fight non-self. They release amyloid fibrils formed by p102 protein that allow the packaging and deposit of melanin and other toxic molecules nearby the invader or in the contact region of incompatible colonies. Phagocytes release amyloid-based extracellular traps when challenged with microbes: their amyloid fibrils harbour BsAPP, an orthologue of the vertebrate amyloidogeneic protein APP. This strategy of immune response, present also in human neutrophils, allows phagocytes to block and engulf bacteria and fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Franchi
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Anna Peronato
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Cima
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Annalisa Grimaldi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Rossana Girardello
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Magda de Eguileor
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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Widana Gamage SMK, Rotenberg D, Schneweis DJ, Tsai CW, Dietzgen RG. Transcriptome-wide responses of adult melon thrips (Thrips palmi) associated with capsicum chlorosis virus infection. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208538. [PMID: 30532222 PMCID: PMC6286046 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Thrips palmi is a widely distributed major agricultural pest in the tropics and subtropics, causing significant losses in cucurbit and solanaceous crops through feeding damage and transmission of tospoviruses. Thrips palmi is a vector of capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV) in Australia. The present understanding of transmission biology and potential effects of CaCV on T. palmi is limited. To gain insights into molecular responses to CaCV infection, we performed RNA-Seq to identify thrips transcripts that are differentially-abundant during virus infection of adults. De-novo assembly of the transcriptome generated from whole bodies of T. palmi adults generated 166,445 contigs, of which ~24% contained a predicted open reading frame. We identified 1,389 differentially-expressed (DE) transcripts, with comparable numbers up- (708) and down-regulated (681) in virus-exposed thrips compared to non-exposed thrips. Approximately 59% of these DE transcripts had significant matches to NCBI non-redundant proteins (Blastx) and Blast2GO identified provisional functional categories among the up-regulated transcripts in virus-exposed thrips including innate immune response-related genes, salivary gland and/or gut-associated genes and vitellogenin genes. The majority of the immune-related proteins are known to serve functions in lysosome activity and melanisation in insects. Most of the up-regulated oral and extra-oral digestion-associated genes appear to be involved in digestion of proteins, lipids and plant cell wall components which may indirectly enhance the likelihood or frequency of virus transmission or may be involved in the regulation of host defence responses. Most of the down-regulated transcripts fell into the gene ontology functional category of 'structural constituent of cuticle'. Comparison to DE genes responsive to tomato spotted wilt virus in Frankliniella occidentalis indicates conservation of some thrips molecular responses to infection by different tospoviruses. This study assembled the first transcriptome in the genus Thrips and provides important data to broaden our understanding of networks of molecular interactions between thrips and tospoviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirani M. K. Widana Gamage
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Dorith Rotenberg
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States of America
| | - Derek J. Schneweis
- Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States of America
| | - Chi-Wei Tsai
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ralf G. Dietzgen
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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Becchimanzi A, Avolio M, Di Lelio I, Marinelli A, Varricchio P, Grimaldi A, de Eguileor M, Pennacchio F, Caccia S. Host regulation by the ectophagous parasitoid wasp Bracon nigricans. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 101:73-81. [PMID: 28694149 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The host regulation process has been widely investigated in endophagous parasitoid wasps, which in most cases finely interact with living hosts (i.e. koinobiont parasitoids). In contrast, only very limited information is available for ectophagous parasitoids that permanently paralyze and rapidly suppress their victims (i.e. idiobiont parasitoids). Here we try to fill this research gap by investigating the host regulation by Bracon nigricans, an ectophagous idiobiont wasp species. Parasitism, mainly by venom action, is able to redirect host metabolism in order to enhance its nutritional suitability for the developing parasitoid larvae and to provide the required metabolic support to host tissues. The observed alterations of the host titers of haemolymph proteins, carbohydrates and acylglycerols are associated with a parasitoid-induced mobilization of nutrients stored in the fat body. This tissue undergoes a controlled degradation mediated by a close surface interaction with haemocytes, where a cathepsin L activity is localized, as demonstrated by immunolocalization, biochemical and transcriptional data. B. nigricans parasitism does not markedly influence the survival of haemocytes, even though a persistent suppression of the immune competence is observed in parasitized hosts, which show a reduced capacity to encapsulate and melanize non-self objects. These immune alterations likely allow a more efficient food uptake and use by the ectophagous larvae. The obtained results indicate that the host regulation process in basal lineages of parasitic Hymenoptera is more complex than expected and shares functional similarities with adaptive strategies occurring in derived koinobiont species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Becchimanzi
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Maddalena Avolio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Ilaria Di Lelio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Adriana Marinelli
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Paola Varricchio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Annalisa Grimaldi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, via Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Magda de Eguileor
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, via Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Francesco Pennacchio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.
| | - Silvia Caccia
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Laboratory of Entomology "E. Tremblay", University of Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.
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Whitten MMA, Coates CJ. Re-evaluation of insect melanogenesis research: Views from the dark side. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2017; 30:386-401. [PMID: 28378380 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Melanins (eumelanin and pheomelanin) are synthesized in insects for several purposes including cuticle sclerotization and color patterning, clot formation, organogenesis, and innate immunity. Traditional views of insect immunity detail the storage of pro-phenoloxidases inside specialized blood cells (hemocytes) and their release upon recognition of foreign bodies. Activated phenoloxidases convert monophenols into reactive quinones in a two-step enzymatic reaction, and until recently, the mechanism of tyrosine hydroxylation remained a mystery. Herein, we present our interpretations of these enzyme-substrate complexes. The resultant melanins are deposited onto the surface of microbes to immobilize, agglutinate, and suffocate them. Phenoloxidase activity and melanin production are not limited to the blood (hemolymph) or cuticle, as recent evidence points to more diverse, sophisticated interactions in the gut and with the resident symbionts. This review offers insight into the somewhat neglected areas of insect melanogenesis research, particularly in innate immunity, its role in beneficial insects such as pollinators, the functional versatility of phenoloxidases, and the limitations of common experimental approaches that may impede progress inadvertently.
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Homa J, Ortmann W, Kolaczkowska E. Conservative Mechanisms of Extracellular Trap Formation by Annelida Eisenia andrei: Serine Protease Activity Requirement. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0159031. [PMID: 27416067 PMCID: PMC4945018 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Formation of extracellular traps (ETs) capturing and immobilizing pathogens is now a well-established defense mechanism added to the repertoire of vertebrate phagocytes. These ETs are composed of extracellular DNA (extDNA), histones and antimicrobial proteins. Formation of mouse and human ETs depends on enzymes (i) facilitating decondensation of chromatin by citrullination of histones, and (ii) serine proteases degrading histones. In invertebrates, initial reports revealed existence of ETs composed of extDNA and histones, and here we document for the first time that also coelomocytes, immunocompetent cells of an earthworm Eisenia andrei, cast ETs which successfully trap bacteria in a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent and -independent manner. Importantly, the formation of ETs was observed not only when coelomocytes were studied ex vivo, but also in vivo, directly in the earthworm coelom. These ETs were composed of extDNA, heat shock proteins (HSP27) and H3 histones. Furthermore, the formation of E. andrei ETs depended on activity of serine proteases, including elastase-like activity. Moreover, ETs interconnected and hold together aggregating coelomocytes, a processes proceeding encapsulation. In conclusion, the study confirms ET formation by earthworms, and unravels mechanisms leading to ET formation and encapsulation in invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Homa
- Department of Evolutionary Immunology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Weronika Ortmann
- Department of Evolutionary Immunology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Kolaczkowska
- Department of Evolutionary Immunology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
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Grossi G, Grimaldi A, Cardone RA, Monné M, Reshkin SJ, Girardello R, Greco MR, Coviello E, Laurino S, Falabella P. Extracellular matrix degradation via enolase/plasminogen interaction: Evidence for a mechanism conserved in Metazoa. Biol Cell 2016; 108:161-78. [PMID: 26847147 DOI: 10.1111/boc.201500095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND INFORMATION While enolase is a ubiquitous metalloenzyme involved in the glycolytic pathway, it is also known as a multifunctional protein, since enolases anchored on the outer surface of the plasma membrane are involved in tissue invasion. RESULTS We have identified an extracellular enolase (Ae-ENO) produced by the teratocytes, embryonic cells of the insect parasitoid Aphidius ervi. We demonstrate that Ae-ENO, although lacking a signal peptide, accumulates in cytoplasmic vesicles oriented towards the cell membrane. Ae-ENO binds to and activates a plasminogen-like molecule inducing digestion of the host tissue and thereby ensuring successful parasitism. CONCLUSIONS These results support the hypothesis that plasminogen-like proteins exist in invertebrates. Interestingly the activation of a plasminogen-like protein is mediated by a mechanisms involving the surface enolase/fibrinolytic system considered, until now, exclusive of vertebrates, and that instead is conserved across species. SIGNIFICANCE To our knowledge, this is the first example of enolase mediated Plg-like binding and activation in insect cells, demonstrating the existence of an ECM degradation process via a Plg-like protein in invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerarda Grossi
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, 85100, Italy
| | - Annalisa Grimaldi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, 21100, Italy
| | - Rosa A Cardone
- Department of Bioscience, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari, 70126, Italy
| | - Magnus Monné
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, 85100, Italy
| | - Stephan J Reshkin
- Department of Bioscience, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari, 70126, Italy
| | - Rossana Girardello
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, 21100, Italy
| | - Maria R Greco
- Department of Bioscience, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari, 70126, Italy
| | - Elena Coviello
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, 85100, Italy
| | - Simona Laurino
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, 85100, Italy
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