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Dick CF, Rocco-Machado N, Dos-Santos ALA, Carvalho-Kelly LF, Alcantara CL, Cunha-E-Silva NL, Meyer-Fernandes JR, Vieyra A. An Iron Transporter Is Involved in Iron Homeostasis, Energy Metabolism, Oxidative Stress, and Metacyclogenesis in Trypanosoma cruzi. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:789401. [PMID: 35083166 PMCID: PMC8785980 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.789401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes Chagas’ disease; both heme and ionic Fe are required for its optimal growth, differentiation, and invasion. Fe is an essential cofactor in many metabolic pathways. Fe is also harmful due to catalyzing the formation of reactive O2 species; for this reason, all living systems develop mechanisms to control the uptake, metabolism, and storage of Fe. However, there is limited information available on Fe uptake by T. cruzi. Here, we identified a putative 39-kDa Fe transporter in T. cruzi genome, TcIT, homologous to the Fe transporter in Leishmania amazonensis and Arabidopsis thaliana. Epimastigotes grown in Fe-depleted medium have increased TcIT transcription compared with controls grown in regular medium. Intracellular Fe concentration in cells maintained in Fe-depleted medium is lower than in controls, and there is a lower O2 consumption. Epimastigotes overexpressing TcIT, which was encountered in the parasite plasma membrane, have high intracellular Fe content, high O2 consumption—especially in phosphorylating conditions, high intracellular ATP, very high H2O2 production, and stimulated transition to trypomastigotes. The investigation of the mechanisms of Fe transport at the cellular and molecular levels will assist in elucidating Fe metabolism in T. cruzi and the involvement of its transport in the differentiation from epimastigotes to trypomastigotes, virulence, and maintenance/progression of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia F Dick
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nathália Rocco-Machado
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André L A Dos-Santos
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiz F Carvalho-Kelly
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina L Alcantara
- Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Narcisa L Cunha-E-Silva
- Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José R Meyer-Fernandes
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Adalberto Vieyra
- Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Translational Biomedicine/BIOTRANS, Unigranrio University, Duque de Caxias, Brazil
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Halliday C, de Castro-Neto A, Alcantara CL, Cunha-E-Silva NL, Vaughan S, Sunter JD. Trypanosomatid Flagellar Pocket from Structure to Function. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:317-329. [PMID: 33308952 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The trypanosomatids Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp. are flagellate eukaryotic parasites that cause serious diseases in humans and animals. These parasites have cell shapes defined by a subpellicular microtubule array and all share a number of important cellular features. One of these is the flagellar pocket, an invagination of the cell membrane around the proximal end of the flagellum, which is an important organelle for endo/exocytosis. The flagellar pocket plays a crucial role in parasite pathogenicity and persistence in the host and has a great influence on cell morphogenesis and cell division. Here, we compare the morphology and function of the flagellar pockets between different trypanosomatids, with their life cycles and ecological niches likely influencing these differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Halliday
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Artur de Castro-Neto
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Carolina L Alcantara
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Narcisa L Cunha-E-Silva
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Jack D Sunter
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.
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Dick CF, de Moura Guimarães L, Carvalho-Kelly LF, Cortes AL, da Silva Lara Morcillo L, da Silva Sampaio L, Meyer-Fernandes JR, Vieyra A. A ferric reductase of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcFR) is involved in iron metabolism in the parasite. Exp Parasitol 2020; 217:107962. [PMID: 32763249 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2020.107962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasitic protozoan that infects various species of domestic and wild animals, triatomine bugs and humans. It is the etiological agent of American trypanosomiasis, also known as Chagas Disease, which affects about 17 million people in Latin America and is emerging elsewhere in the world. Iron (Fe) is a crucial micronutrient for almost all cells, acting as a cofactor for several metabolic enzymes. T. cruzi has a high requirement for Fe, using heminic and non-heminic Fe for growth and differentiation. Fe occurs in the oxidized (Fe3+) form in aerobic environments and needs to be reduced to Fe2+ before it enters cells. Fe-reductase, located in the plasma membranes of some organisms, catalyzes the Fe3+⇒ Fe2+ conversion. In the present study we found an amino acid sequence in silico that allowed us to identify a novel 35 kDa protein in T. cruzi with two transmembrane domains in the C-terminal region containing His residues that are conserved in the Ferric Reductase Domain Superfamily and are required for catalyzing Fe3+ reduction. Accordingly, we named this protein TcFR. Intact epimastigotes from the T. cruzi DM28c strain reduced the artificial Fe3+-containing substrate potassium ferricyanide in a cell density-dependent manner, following Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The TcFR activity was more than eightfold higher in a plasma membrane-enriched fraction than in whole homogenates, and this increase was consistent with the intensity of the 35 kDa band on Western blotting images obtained using anti-NOX5 raised against the human antigen. Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated TcFR on the parasite surface. That TcFR is part of a catalytic complex allowing T. cruzi to take up Fe from the medium was confirmed by experiments in which DM28c was assayed after culturing in Fe-depleted medium: (i) proliferation during the stationary growth phase was five times slower; (ii) the relative expression of TcFR (qPCR) was 50% greater; (iii) intact cells had 120% higher Fe-reductase activity. This ensemble of results indicates that TcFR is a conserved enzyme in T. cruzi, and its catalytic properties are modulated in order to respond to external Fe fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia F Dick
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics,Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Lídia de Moura Guimarães
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiz Fernando Carvalho-Kelly
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Aline Leal Cortes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Luzia da Silva Sampaio
- Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics,Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Roberto Meyer-Fernandes
- Leopoldo de Meis Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Adalberto Vieyra
- Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics,Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; National Center of Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Graduate Program in Translational Biomedicine, Grande Rio University, 25071-202, Duque de Caxias, Brazil
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Transferrin: Endocytosis and Cell Signaling in Parasitic Protozoa. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:641392. [PMID: 26090431 PMCID: PMC4450279 DOI: 10.1155/2015/641392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Iron is the fourth most abundant element on Earth and the most abundant metal in the human body. This element is crucial for life because almost all organisms need iron for several biological activities. This is the case with pathogenic organisms, which are at the vanguard in the battle with the human host for iron. The latest regulates Fe concentration through several iron-containing proteins, such as transferrin. The transferrin receptor transports iron to each cell that needs it and maintains it away from pathogens. Parasites have developed several strategies to obtain iron as the expression of specific transferrin receptors localized on plasma membrane, internalized through endocytosis. Signal transduction pathways related to the activation of the receptor have functional importance in proliferation. The study of transferrin receptors and other proteins with action in the signaling networks is important because these proteins could be used as therapeutic targets due to their specificity or to differences with the human counterpart. In this work, we describe proteins that participate in signal transduction processes, especially those that involve transferrin endocytosis, and we compare these processes with those found in T. brucei, T. cruzi, Leishmania spp., and E. histolytica parasites.
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Identification of protein complex associated with LYT1 of Trypanosoma cruzi. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2013; 2013:493525. [PMID: 23586042 PMCID: PMC3613072 DOI: 10.1155/2013/493525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/24/2012] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
To carry out the intracellular phase of its life cycle, Trypanosoma cruzi must infect a host cell. Although a few molecules have been reported to participate in this process, one known protein is LYT1, which promotes lysis under acidic conditions and is involved in parasite infection and development. Alternative transcripts from a single LYT1 gene generate two proteins with differential functions and compartmentalization. Single-gene products targeted to more than one location can interact with disparate proteins that might affect their function and targeting properties. The aim of this work was to study the LYT1 interaction map using coimmunoprecipitation assays with transgenic parasites expressing LYT1 products fused to GFP. We detected several proteins of sizes from 8 to 150 kDa that bind to LYT1 with different binding strengths. By MS-MS analysis, we identified proteins involved in parasite infectivity (trans-sialidase), development (kDSPs and histones H2A and H2B), and motility and protein traffic (dynein and α - and β -tubulin), as well as protein-protein interactions (TPR-protein and kDSPs) and several hypothetical proteins. Our approach led us to identify the LYT1 interaction profile, thereby providing insights into the molecular mechanisms that contribute to parasite stage development and pathogenesis of T. cruzi infection.
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Rotureau B, Blisnick T, Subota I, Julkowska D, Cayet N, Perrot S, Bastin P. Flagellar adhesion in Trypanosoma brucei relies on interactions between different skeletal structures present in the flagellum and in the cell body. J Cell Sci 2013; 127:204-15. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.136424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Trypanosoma brucei flagellum is an essential organelle anchored along the surface of the cell body via a specialized structure called the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ). Adhesion relies on the interaction of the extracellular portion of two transmembrane proteins termed FLA1 and FLA1BP. Analysis of the flagellum proteome identified FLAM3, a novel large protein associated to the flagellum skeleton whose ablation inhibits flagellum attachment. FLAM3 does not contain transmembrane domains and its flagellar localization matches closely but not exactly with that of the paraflagellar rod, an extra-axonemal structure present in the flagellum. Knockdown of FLA1 or FLAM3 triggers similar motility and morphogenesis defects, characterized by the assembly of a drastically reduced FAZ filament. FLAM3 remains associated to the flagellum skeleton even in the absence of adhesion or of a normal paraflagellar rod. However, the protein is dispersed in the cytoplasm when flagellum formation is inhibited. By contrast, FLA1 remains tightly associated to the FAZ filament even in the absence of a flagellum. In these conditions, the extracellular domain of FLA1 points to the cell surface. FLAM3 turns out to be essential for proper distribution of FLA1BP that is restricted to the very proximal portion of the flagellum upon FLAM3 knockdown. We propose that FLAM3 is a key component of the FAZ connectors that appear to link the axoneme to the adhesion zone, hence acting in an equivalent manner to the FAZ filament complex, but on the flagellum side.
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Flagellar motility of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. J Biomed Biotechnol 2012; 2012:520380. [PMID: 22287834 PMCID: PMC3263639 DOI: 10.1155/2012/520380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Revised: 09/28/2011] [Accepted: 09/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The hemoflagellate Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of American trypanosomiasis. Despite the importance of motility in the parasite life cycle, little is known about T. cruzi motility, and there is no quantitative description of its flagellar beating. Using video microscopy and quantitative vectorial analysis of epimastigote trajectories, we find a forward parasite motility defined by tip-to-base symmetrical flagellar beats. This motion is occasionally interrupted by base-to-tip highly asymmetric beats, which represent the ciliary beat of trypanosomatid flagella. The switch between flagellar and ciliary beating facilitates the parasite's reorientation, which produces a large variability of movement and trajectories that results in different distance ranges traveled by the cells. An analysis of the distance, speed, and rotational angle indicates that epimastigote movement is not completely random, and the phenomenon is highly dependent on the parasite behavior and is characterized by directed and tumbling parasite motion as well as their combination, resulting in the alternation of rectilinear and intricate motility paths.
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