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Zheng Y, Young ND, Song J, Gasser RB. Genome-Wide Analysis of Haemonchus contortus Proteases and Protease Inhibitors Using Advanced Informatics Provides Insights into Parasite Biology and Host-Parasite Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12320. [PMID: 37569696 PMCID: PMC10418638 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512320] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity within the animal kingdom is associated with extensive molecular diversity. The expansion of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data sets for invertebrate groups and species with unique biological traits necessitates reliable in silico tools for the accurate identification and annotation of molecules and molecular groups. However, conventional tools are inadequate for lesser-known organismal groups, such as eukaryotic pathogens (parasites), so that improved approaches are urgently needed. Here, we established a combined sequence- and structure-based workflow system to harness well-curated publicly available data sets and resources to identify, classify and annotate proteases and protease inhibitors of a highly pathogenic parasitic roundworm (nematode) of global relevance, called Haemonchus contortus (barber's pole worm). This workflow performed markedly better than conventional, sequence-based classification and annotation alone and allowed the first genome-wide characterisation of protease and protease inhibitor genes and gene products in this worm. In total, we identified 790 genes encoding 860 proteases and protease inhibitors representing 83 gene families. The proteins inferred included 280 metallo-, 145 cysteine, 142 serine, 121 aspartic and 81 "mixed" proteases as well as 91 protease inhibitors, all of which had marked physicochemical diversity and inferred involvements in >400 biological processes or pathways. A detailed investigation revealed a remarkable expansion of some protease or inhibitor gene families, which are likely linked to parasitism (e.g., host-parasite interactions, immunomodulation and blood-feeding) and exhibit stage- or sex-specific transcription profiles. This investigation provides a solid foundation for detailed explorations of the structures and functions of proteases and protease inhibitors of H. contortus and related nematodes, and it could assist in the discovery of new drug or vaccine targets against infections or diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanting Zheng
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Neil D. Young
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Jiangning Song
- Department of Data Science and AI, Faculty of IT, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Data Futures Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Robin B. Gasser
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
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Zheng Y, Young ND, Song J, Chang BC, Gasser RB. An informatic workflow for the enhanced annotation of excretory/secretory proteins of Haemonchus contortus. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:2696-2704. [PMID: 37143762 PMCID: PMC10151223 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Major advances in genomic and associated technologies have demanded reliable bioinformatic tools and workflows for the annotation of genes and their products via comparative analyses using well-curated reference data sets, accessible in public repositories. However, the accurate in silico annotation of molecules (proteins) encoded in organisms (e.g., multicellular parasites) which are evolutionarily distant from those for which these extensive reference data sets are available, including invertebrate model organisms (e.g., Caenorhabditis elegans - free-living nematode, and Drosophila melanogaster - the vinegar fly) and vertebrate species (e.g., Homo sapiens and Mus musculus), remains a major challenge. Here, we constructed an informatic workflow for the enhanced annotation of biologically-important, excretory/secretory (ES) proteins ("secretome") encoded in the genome of a parasitic roundworm, called Haemonchus contortus (commonly known as the barber's pole worm). We critically evaluated the performance of five distinct methods, refined some of them, and then combined the use of all five methods to comprehensively annotate ES proteins, according to gene ontology, biological pathways and/or metabolic (enzymatic) processes. Then, using optimised parameter settings, we applied this workflow to comprehensively annotate 2591 of all 3353 proteins (77.3%) in the secretome of H. contortus. This result is a substantial improvement (10-25%) over previous annotations using individual, "off-the-shelf" algorithms and default settings, indicating the ready applicability of the present, refined workflow to gene/protein sequence data sets from a wide range of organisms in the Tree-of-Life.
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Taki AC, Wang T, Nguyen NN, Ang CS, Leeming MG, Nie S, Byrne JJ, Young ND, Zheng Y, Ma G, Korhonen PK, Koehler AV, Williamson NA, Hofmann A, Chang BCH, Häberli C, Keiser J, Jabbar A, Sleebs BE, Gasser RB. Thermal proteome profiling reveals Haemonchus orphan protein HCO_011565 as a target of the nematocidal small molecule UMW-868. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1014804. [PMID: 36313370 PMCID: PMC9616048 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1014804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic roundworms (nematodes) cause destructive diseases, and immense suffering in humans and other animals around the world. The control of these parasites relies heavily on anthelmintic therapy, but treatment failures and resistance to these drugs are widespread. As efforts to develop vaccines against parasitic nematodes have been largely unsuccessful, there is an increased focus on discovering new anthelmintic entities to combat drug resistant worms. Here, we employed thermal proteome profiling (TPP) to explore hit pharmacology and to support optimisation of a hit compound (UMW-868), identified in a high-throughput whole-worm, phenotypic screen. Using advanced structural prediction and docking tools, we inferred an entirely novel, parasite-specific target (HCO_011565) of this anthelmintic small molecule in the highly pathogenic, blood-feeding barber’s pole worm, and in other socioeconomically important parasitic nematodes. The “hit-to-target” workflow constructed here provides a unique prospect of accelerating the simultaneous discovery of novel anthelmintics and associated parasite-specific targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya C. Taki
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nghi N. Nguyen
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ching-Seng Ang
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael G. Leeming
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Shuai Nie
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Joseph J. Byrne
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Neil D. Young
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Yuanting Zheng
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Guangxu Ma
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Pasi K. Korhonen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Anson V. Koehler
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicholas A. Williamson
- Melbourne Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Andreas Hofmann
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Bill C. H. Chang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Cécile Häberli
- Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Brad E. Sleebs
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Brad E. Sleebs, ; Robin B. Gasser,
| | - Robin B. Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- *Correspondence: Brad E. Sleebs, ; Robin B. Gasser,
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Untargeted Multimodal Metabolomics Investigation of the Haemonchus contortus Exsheathment Secretome. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162525. [PMID: 36010603 PMCID: PMC9406637 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In nematodes that invade the gastro-intestinal tract of the ruminant, the process of larval exsheathment marks the transition from the free-living to the parasitic stages of these parasites. To investigate the secretome associated with larval exsheathment, a closed in vitro system that effectively reproduces the two basic components of an anaerobic rumen environment (CO2 and 39 °C) was developed to trigger exsheathment in one of the most pathogenic and model gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes, Haemonchus contortus (barber‘s pole worm). This study reports the use of multimodal untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics methodologies to identify the metabolic signatures and compounds secreted during in vitro larval exsheathment in the H. contortus infective third-stage larva (iL3). A combination of statistical and chemoinformatic analyses using three analytical platforms revealed a panel of metabolites detected post exsheathment and associated with amino acids, purines, as well as select organic compounds. The major lipid classes identified by the non-targeted lipidomics method applied were lysophosphatidylglycerols, diglycerides, fatty acyls, glycerophospholipids, and a triglyceride. The identified metabolites may serve as metabolic signatures to improve tractability of parasitic nematodes for characterizing small molecule host–parasite interactions related to pathogenesis, vaccine and drug design, as well as the discovery of metabolic biomarkers.
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Zheng Y, Ma G, Wang T, Hofmann A, Song J, Gasser RB, Young ND. Ubiquitination pathway model for the barber's pole worm - Haemonchus contortus. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:581-590. [PMID: 35853501 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitin-mediated pathway has been comprehensively explored in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but very little is known about this pathway in parasitic nematodes. Here, we inferred the ubiquitination pathway for an economically significant and pathogenic nematode - Haemonchus contortus - using abundant resources available for C. elegans. We identified 215 genes encoding ubiquitin (Ub; n = 3 genes), ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1; one), -conjugating enzymes (E2s; 21), ligases (E3s; 157) and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs; 33). With reference to C. elegans, Ub, E1 and E2 were relatively conserved in sequence and structure, and E3s and DUBs were divergent, likely reflecting functional and biological uniqueness in H. contortus. Most genes encoding ubiquitination pathway components exhibit high transcription in the egg compared with other stages, indicating marked protein homeostasis in this early developmental stage. The ubiquitination pathway model constructed for H. contortus provides a foundation to explore the ubiquitin-proteasome system, crosstalk between autophagy and the proteasome system, and the parasite-host interactions. Selected E3 and DUB proteins which are very divergent in sequence and structure from host homologues or entirely unique to H. contortus and related parasitic nematodes may represent possible anthelmintic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanting Zheng
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Guangxu Ma
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andreas Hofmann
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Max Rubner-Institut, Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food, Kulmbach, Germany
| | - Jiangning Song
- Department of Data Science and AI, Faculty of IT, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; Monash Data Futures Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Neil D Young
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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Geurden T, Smith ER, Vercruysse J, Yazwinski T, Rehbein S, Nielsen MK. Reflections and future directions for continued development and refinement of guidelines for anthelmintic efficacy studies. Vet Parasitol 2022; 307-308:109741. [PMID: 35667202 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2022.109741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This reflection paper complements the WAAVP (World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology) general anthelmintic efficacy guideline, which outlines the general principles of anthelmintic efficacy evaluation across all animal host species. It provides background to the recommendations made in the WAAVP general anthelmintic efficacy guideline, with insights into the discussions leading to specific recommendations in the general guideline or the absence thereof. Furthermore, this paper discusses recent technological advancements with potential value to the evaluation of anthelmintic efficacy that may be considered for future versions of the general or species-specific guidelines if supported by sufficient levels of evidence. Finally, it also identifies potential research questions, such as the statistical approach for comparing worm counts between groups of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily R Smith
- Center for Veterinary Medicine, USA Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, USA
| | - Jozef Vercruysse
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Gent, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Tom Yazwinski
- Department of Animal Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Steffen Rehbein
- Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Kathrinenhof Research Center, Rohrdorf, Germany
| | - Martin K Nielsen
- M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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Wang T, Nie S, Reid GE, Gasser RB. Helminth lipidomics: Technical aspects and future prospects. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2022; 1:100018. [PMID: 35284853 PMCID: PMC8906070 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Lipidomics is a relatively recent molecular research field, and explores lipids (fats) and their biology using advanced mass spectrometry technologies. Although this field has expanded significantly in biomedical and biotechnological disciplines, it is still in its infancy in molecular parasitology. Our goal here is to review and discuss technical aspects of MS-based lipidomics and its recent applications to parasitic worms, as well as challenges and future directions for worm lipid research. In a multi-omic paradigm, we expect that the exploration of lipidomic data for parasitic worms will yield important insights into lipid-associated biological pathways and processes, including the regulation of essential signalling pathways, parasite invasion, establishment, adaptation and development. Lipids are involved in critical biological functions in parasitic worms. Lipidomics is an emerging research field in molecular helminthology. This article covers technological advances and applications to parasitic worms. It also discusses challenges and future directions for lipidomic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Shuai Nie
- Bio21 Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Gavin E Reid
- School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.,Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Herath HMPD, Taki AC, Rostami A, Jabbar A, Keiser J, Geary TG, Gasser RB. Whole-organism phenotypic screening methods used in early-phase anthelmintic drug discovery. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 57:107937. [PMID: 35271946 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Diseases caused by parasitic helminths (worms) represent a major global health burden in both humans and animals. As vaccines against helminths have yet to achieve a prominent role in worm control, anthelmintics are the primary tool to limit production losses and disease due to helminth infections in both human and veterinary medicine. However, the excessive and often uncontrolled use of these drugs has led to widespread anthelmintic resistance in these worms - particularly of animals - to almost all commercially available anthelmintics, severely compromising control. Thus, there is a major demand for the discovery and development of new classes of anthelmintics. A key component of the discovery process is screening libraries of compounds for anthelmintic activity. Given the need for, and major interest by the pharmaceutical industry in, novel anthelmintics, we considered it both timely and appropriate to re-examine screening methods used for anthelmintic discovery. Thus, we reviewed current literature (1977-2021) on whole-worm phenotypic screening assays developed and used in academic laboratories, with a particular focus on those employed to discover nematocides. This review reveals that at least 50 distinct phenotypic assays with low-, medium- or high-throughput capacity were developed over this period, with more recently developed methods being quantitative, semi-automated and higher throughput. The main features assessed or measured in these assays include worm motility, growth/development, morphological changes, viability/lethality, pharyngeal pumping, egg hatching, larval migration, CO2- or ATP-production and/or enzyme activity. Recent progress in assay development has led to the routine application of practical, cost-effective, medium- to high-throughput whole-worm screening assays in academic or public-private partnership (PPP) contexts, and major potential for novel high-content, high-throughput platforms in the near future. Complementing this progress are major advances in the molecular data sciences, computational biology and informatics, which are likely to further enable and accelerate anthelmintic drug discovery and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M P Dilrukshi Herath
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Aya C Taki
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ali Rostami
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Timothy G Geary
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Sainte Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X3V9, Canada; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University-Belfast, Belfast, Ireland
| | - Robin B Gasser
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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A High-Throughput Phenotypic Screen of the 'Pandemic Response Box' Identifies a Quinoline Derivative with Significant Anthelmintic Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15020257. [PMID: 35215369 PMCID: PMC8874578 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes cause diseases in livestock animals and major economic losses to the agricultural industry worldwide. Nematodes of the order Strongylida, including Haemonchus contortus, are particularly important. The excessive use of anthelmintic compounds to treat infections and disease has led to widespread resistance to these compounds in nematodes, such that there is a need for new anthelmintics with distinctive mechanisms of action. With a focus on discovering new anthelmintic entities, we screened 400 chemically diverse compounds within the 'Pandemic Response Box' (from Medicines for Malaria Venture, MMV) for activity against H. contortus and its free-living relative, Caenorhabditis elegans-a model organism. Using established phenotypic assays, test compounds were evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit the motility and/or development of H. contortus and C. elegans. Dose-response evaluations identified a compound, MMV1581032, that significantly the motility of H. contortus larvae (IC50 = 3.4 ± 1.1 μM) and young adults of C. elegans (IC50 = 7.1 ± 4.6 μM), and the development of H. contortus larvae (IC50 = 2.2 ± 0.7 μM). The favourable characteristics of MMV1581032, such as suitable physicochemical properties and an efficient, cost-effective pathway to analogue synthesis, indicates a promising candidate for further evaluation as a nematocide. Future work will focus on a structure-activity relationship investigation of this chemical scaffold, a toxicity assessment of potent analogues and a mechanism/mode of action investigation.
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Shi H, Huang X, Chen X, Yang Y, Wu F, Yao C, Ma G, Du A. Haemonchus contortus Transthyretin-Like Protein TTR-31 Plays Roles in Post-Embryonic Larval Development and Potentially Apoptosis of Germ Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:753667. [PMID: 34805162 PMCID: PMC8595280 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.753667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Transthyretin (TTR)-like proteins play multi-function roles in nematode and are important component of excretory/secretory product in Haemonchus contortus. In this study, we functionally characterised a secretory transthyretin-like protein in the barber's pole worm H. contortus. A full-length of transthyretin-like protein-coding gene (Hc-ttr-31) was identified in this parasitic nematode, representing a counterpart of Ce-ttr-31 in Caenorhabditis elegans. High transcriptional levels of Hc-ttr-31 were detected in the egg and early larval stages of H. contortus, with the lowest level measured in the adult stage, indicating a decreased transcriptional pattern of this gene during nematode development. Localisation analysis indicated a secretion of TTR-31 from the intestine to the gonad, suggesting additional roles of Hc-ttr-31 in nematode reproduction. Expression of Hc-ttr-31 and Ce-ttr-31 in C. elegans did not show marked influence on the nematode development and reproduction, whereas Hc-ttr-31 RNA interference-mediated gene knockdown of Ce-ttr-31 shortened the lifespan, decreased the brood size, slowed the pumping rate and inhibited the growth of treated worms. Particularly, gene knockdown of Hc-ttr-31 in C. elegans was linked to activated apoptosis signalling pathway, increased general reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, apoptotic germ cells and facultative vivipary phenotype, as well as suppressed germ cell removal signalling pathways. Taken together, Hc-ttr-31 appears to play roles in regulating post-embryonic larval development, and potentially in protecting gonad from oxidative stress and mediating engulfment of apoptotic germ cells. A better knowledge of these aspects should contribute to a better understanding of the developmental biology of H. contortus and a discovery of potential targets against this and related parasitic worms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengzhi Shi
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaocui Huang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueqiu Chen
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Yang
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Wu
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Guangxu Ma
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Aifang Du
- College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Wang T, Gasser RB. Prospects of Using High-Throughput Proteomics to Underpin the Discovery of Animal Host-Nematode Interactions. Pathogens 2021; 10:825. [PMID: 34209223 PMCID: PMC8308620 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasitic nematodes impose a significant public health burden, and cause major economic losses to agriculture worldwide. Due to the widespread of anthelmintic resistance and lack of effective vaccines for most nematode species, there is an urgent need to discover novel therapeutic and vaccine targets, informed through an understanding of host-parasite interactions. Proteomics, underpinned by genomics, enables the global characterisation proteins expressed in a particular cell type, tissue and organism, and provides a key to insights at the host-parasite interface using advanced high-throughput mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies. Here, we (i) review current mass-spectrometry-based proteomic methods, with an emphasis on a high-throughput 'bottom-up' approach; (ii) summarise recent progress in the proteomics of parasitic nematodes of animals, with a focus on molecules inferred to be involved in host-parasite interactions; and (iii) discuss future research directions that could enhance our knowledge and understanding of the molecular interplay between nematodes and host animals, in order to work toward new, improved methods for the treatment, diagnosis and control of nematodiases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
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