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Fang S, Wang H, Qiu K, Pang Y, Li C, Liang X. The fungicide pyraclostrobin affects gene expression by altering the DNA methylation pattern in Magnaporthe oryzae. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1391900. [PMID: 38745924 PMCID: PMC11091397 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1391900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Rice blast disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae has long been the main cause of rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield reduction worldwide. The quinone external inhibitor pyraclostrobin is widely used as a fungicide to effectively control the spread of pathogenic fungi, including M. oryzae. However, M. oryzae can develop resistance through multiple levels of mutation, such as target protein cytb mutation G143A/S, leading to a decrease in the effectiveness of the biocide after a period of application. Therefore, uncovering the possible mutational mechanisms from multiple perspectives will further provide feasible targets for drug development. Methods In this work, we determined the gene expression changes in M. oryzae in response to pyraclostrobin stress and their relationship with DNA methylation by transcriptome and methylome. Results The results showed that under pyraclostrobin treatment, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis were enhanced, suggesting that more aberrant proteins may be generated that need to be cleared. DNA replication and repair processes were inhibited. Glutathione metabolism was enhanced, while lipid metabolism was impaired. The number of alternative splicing events increased. These changes may be related to the elevated methylation levels of cytosine and adenine in gene bodies. Both hypermethylation and hypomethylation of differentially methylated genes (DMGs) mainly occurred in exons and promoters. Some DMGs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were annotated to the same pathways by GO and KEGG, including protein processing in the ER, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, RNA transport and glutathione metabolism, suggesting that pyraclostrobin may affect gene expression by altering the methylation patterns of cytosine and adenine. Discussion Our results revealed that 5mC and 6mA in the gene body are associated with gene expression and contribute to adversity adaptation in M. oryzae. This enriched the understanding for potential mechanism of quinone inhibitor resistance, which will facilitate the development of feasible strategies for maintaining the high efficacy of this kind of fungicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shumei Fang
- Heilongjiang Plant Growth Regulator Engineering Technology Research Center, College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Recycling of Argo-Waste in Cold Region, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
| | - Hanxin Wang
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Recycling of Argo-Waste in Cold Region, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
| | - Kaihua Qiu
- Heilongjiang Plant Growth Regulator Engineering Technology Research Center, College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Pang
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Recycling of Argo-Waste in Cold Region, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
| | - Chen Li
- Heilongjiang Plant Growth Regulator Engineering Technology Research Center, College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
| | - Xilong Liang
- Heilongjiang Plant Growth Regulator Engineering Technology Research Center, College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
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Madusanka RK, Karunaweera ND, Silva H, Selvapandiyan A. Antimony resistance and gene expression in Leishmania: spotlight on molecular and proteomic aspects. Parasitology 2024; 151:1-14. [PMID: 38012864 PMCID: PMC10941051 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023001129] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by Leishmania parasites with a spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from skin lesions to severe visceral complications. Treatment of this infection has been extremely challenging with the concurrent emergence of drug resistance. The differential gene expression and the discrepancies in protein functions contribute to the appearance of 2 distinct phenotypes: resistant and sensitive, but the current diagnostic tools fail to differentiate between them. The identification of gene expression patterns and molecular mechanisms coupled with antimony (Sb) resistance can be leveraged to prompt diagnosis and select the most effective treatment methods. The present study attempts to use comparative expression of Sb resistance-associated genes in resistant and sensitive Leishmania, to disclose their relative abundance in clinical or in vitro selected isolates to gain an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Sb response/resistance. Data suggest that the analysis of resistance gene expression would verify the Sb resistance or susceptibility only to a certain extent; however, none of the individual expression patterns of the studied genes was diagnostic as a biomarker of Sb response of Leishmania. The findings highlighted will be useful in bridging the knowledge gap and discovering innovative diagnostic tools and novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajamanthrilage Kasun Madusanka
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technology, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Nadira D. Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
| | - Hermali Silva
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
| | - Angamuthu Selvapandiyan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technology, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
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Vázquez C, Encalada R, Belmont-Díaz J, Rivera M, Alvarez S, Nogueda-Torres B, Saavedra E. Metabolic control analysis of the transsulfuration pathway and the compensatory role of the cysteine transport in Trypanosoma cruzi. Biosystems 2023; 234:105066. [PMID: 37898397 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.105066] [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: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the causal agent of American Trypanosomiasis or Chagas Disease in humans. The current drugs for its treatment benznidazole and nifurtimox have inconveniences of toxicity and efficacy; therefore, the search for new therapies continues. Validation through genetic strategies of new drug targets against the parasite metabolism have identified numerous essential genes. Target validation can be further narrowed by applying Metabolic Control Analysis (MCA) to determine the flux control coefficients of the pathway enzymes. That coefficient is a quantitative value that represents the degree in which an enzyme/transporter determines the flux of a metabolic pathway; those with the highest coefficients can be promising drug targets. Previous studies have demonstrated that cysteine (Cys) is a key precursor for the synthesis of trypanothione, the main antioxidant metabolite in the parasite. In this research, MCA was applied in an ex vivo system to the enzymes of the reverse transsulfuration pathway (RTP) for Cys synthesis composed by cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) and cystathionine gamma lyase (CGL). The results indicated that CGL has 90% of the control of the pathway flux. Inhibition of CGL with propargylglycine (PAG) decreased the levels of Cys and trypanothione and depleted those of glutathione in epimastigotes (proliferative stage in the insect vector); these metabolite changes were prevented by supplementing with Cys, suggesting a compensatory role of the Cys transport (CysT). Indeed, Cys supplementation (but not PAG treatment) increased the activity of the CysT in epimastigotes whereas in trypomastigotes (infective stage in mammals) CysT was increased when they were incubated with PAG. Our results suggested that CGL could be a potential drug target given its high control on the RTP flux and its effects on the parasite antioxidant defense. However, the redundant Cys supply pathways in the parasite may require inhibition of the CysT as well. Our findings also suggest differential responses of the Cys supply pathways in different parasite stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Citlali Vázquez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico; Posgrado en Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, 11350, Mexico
| | - Rusely Encalada
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
| | - Javier Belmont-Díaz
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
| | - Moisés Rivera
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
| | - Samantha Alvarez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
| | - Benjamín Nogueda-Torres
- Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, 11350, Mexico
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, 14080, Mexico.
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Piñeyro MD, Chiribao ML, Arias DG, Robello C, Parodi-Talice A. Overoxidation and Oligomerization of Trypanosoma cruzi Cytosolic and Mitochondrial Peroxiredoxins. Pathogens 2023; 12:1273. [PMID: 37887789 PMCID: PMC10610341 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12101273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) have been shown to be important enzymes for trypanosomatids, counteracting oxidative stress and promoting cell infection and intracellular survival. In this work, we investigate the in vitro sensitivity to overoxidation and the overoxidation dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi Prxs in parasites in culture and in the infection context. We showed that recombinant m-TXNPx, in contrast to what was observed for c-TXNPx, exists as low molecular mass forms in the overoxidized state. We observed that T. cruzi Prxs were overoxidized in epimastigotes treated with oxidants, and a significant proportion of the overoxidized forms were still present at least 24 h after treatment suggesting that these forms are not actively reversed. In in vitro infection experiments, we observed that Prxs are overoxidized in amastigotes residing in infected macrophages, demonstrating that inactivation of at least part of the Prxs by overoxidation occurs in a physiological context. We have shown that m-TXNPx has a redox-state-dependent chaperone activity. This function may be related to the increased thermotolerance observed in m-TXNPx-overexpressing parasites. This study suggests that despite the similarity between protozoan and mammalian Prxs, T. cruzi Prxs have different oligomerization dynamics and sensitivities to overoxidation, which may have implications for their function in the parasite life cycle and infection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Dolores Piñeyro
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Hospedero Patógeno, Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (M.D.P.); (M.L.C.); (C.R.)
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - María Laura Chiribao
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Hospedero Patógeno, Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (M.D.P.); (M.L.C.); (C.R.)
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Diego G. Arias
- Laboratorio de Enzimología Molecular, Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, UNL-CONICET, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina;
- Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
| | - Carlos Robello
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Hospedero Patógeno, Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (M.D.P.); (M.L.C.); (C.R.)
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Adriana Parodi-Talice
- Laboratorio de Interacciones Hospedero Patógeno, Unidad de Biología Molecular, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay; (M.D.P.); (M.L.C.); (C.R.)
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
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González-González A, Vázquez C, Encalada R, Saavedra E, Vázquez-Jiménez LK, Ortiz-Pérez E, Bolognesi ML, Rivera G. Phenothiazine-based virtual screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics of new trypanothione reductase inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi. Mol Inform 2023; 42:e2300069. [PMID: 37490403 DOI: 10.1002/minf.202300069] [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: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Phenothiazine derivatives can unselectively inhibit the trypanothione-dependent antioxidant system enzyme trypanothione reductase (TR). A virtual screening of 2163 phenothiazine derivatives from the ZINC15 and PubChem databases docked on the active site of T. cruzi TR showed that 285 compounds have higher affinity than the natural ligand trypanothione disulfide. 244 compounds showed higher affinity toward the parasite's enzyme than to its human homolog glutathione reductase. Protein-ligand interaction profiling predicted that the main interactions for the top scored compounds were with residues important for trypanothione disulfide binding: Phe396, Pro398, Leu399, His461, Glu466, and Glu467, particularly His461, which participates in catalysis. Two compounds with the desired profiles, ZINC1033681 (Zn_C687) and ZINC10213096 (Zn_C216), decreased parasite growth by 20 % and 50 %, respectively. They behaved as mixed-type inhibitors of recombinant TR, with Ki values of 59 and 47 μM, respectively. This study provides a further understanding of the potential of phenothiazine derivatives as TR inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonzo González-González
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710, Reynosa, México
| | - Citlali Vázquez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, 14080, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rusely Encalada
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, 14080, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, 14080, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Lenci K Vázquez-Jiménez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710, Reynosa, México
| | - Eyra Ortiz-Pérez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710, Reynosa, México
| | - María Laura Bolognesi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, I-40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gildardo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, 88710, Reynosa, México
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Laureano de Souza M, Lapierre TJWJD, Vitor de Lima Marques G, Ferraz WR, Penteado AB, Henrique Goulart Trossini G, Murta SMF, de Oliveira RB, de Oliveira Rezende C, Ferreira RS. Molecular targets for Chagas disease: validation, challenges and lead compounds for widely exploited targets. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:911-925. [PMID: 37772733 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2264512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chagas disease (CD) imposes social and economic burdens, yet the available treatments have limited efficacy in the disease's chronic phase and cause serious adverse effects. To address this challenge, target-based approaches are a possible strategy to develop new, safe, and active treatments for both phases of the disease. AREAS COVERED This review delves into target-based approaches applied to CD drug discovery, emphasizing the studies from the last five years. We highlight the proteins cruzain (CZ), trypanothione reductase (TR), sterol 14 α-demethylase (CPY51), iron superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD), proteasome, cytochrome b (Cytb), and cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor 3 (CPSF3), chosen based on their biological and chemical validation as drug targets. For each, we discuss its biological relevance and validation as a target, currently related challenges, and the status of the most promising inhibitors. EXPERT OPINION Target-based approaches toward developing potential CD therapeutics have yielded promising leads in recent years. We expect a significant advance in this field in the next decade, fueled by the new options for Trypanosoma cruzi genetic manipulation that arose in the past decade, combined with recent advances in computational chemistry and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Laureano de Souza
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Gabriel Vitor de Lima Marques
- Departamento de Produtos Farmacêuticos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Witor Ribeiro Ferraz
- Departamento de Farmacia, Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - André Berndt Penteado
- Departamento de Farmacia, Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Renata Barbosa de Oliveira
- Departamento de Produtos Farmacêuticos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Rafaela Salgado Ferreira
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Lobo-Rojas Á, Quintero-Troconis E, Rondón-Mercado R, Pérez-Aguilar. MC, Concepción JL, Cáceres AJ. Consumption of Galactose by Trypanosoma cruzi Epimastigotes Generates Resistance against Oxidative Stress. Pathogens 2022; 11:1174. [PMID: 36297231 PMCID: PMC9611177 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate that Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes previously grown in LIT medium supplemented with 20 mM galactose and exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (100 μM) showed two-fold and five-fold viability when compared to epimastigotes grown in LIT medium supplemented with two different glucose concentrations (20 mM and 1.5 mM), respectively. Similar results were obtained when exposing epimastigotes from all treatments to methylene blue 30 μM. Additionally, through differential centrifugation and the selective permeabilization of cellular membranes with digitonin, we found that phosphoglucomutase activity (a key enzyme in galactose metabolism) occurs predominantly within the cytosolic compartment. Furthermore, after partially permeabilizing epimastigotes with digitonin (0.025 mg × mg-1 of protein), intact glycosomes treated with 20 mM galactose released a higher hexose phosphate concentration to the cytosol in the form of glucose-1-phosphate, when compared to intact glycosomes treated with 20 mM glucose, which predominantly released glucose-6-phosphate. These results shine a light on T. cruzi's galactose metabolism and its interplay with mechanisms that enable resistance to oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Lobo-Rojas
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
| | - Ender Quintero-Troconis
- Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida 5101, Venezuela
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Almeida-Silva J, Menezes DS, Fernandes JMP, Almeida MC, Vasco-Dos-Santos DR, Saraiva RM, Viçosa AL, Perez SAC, Andrade SG, Suarez-Fontes AM, Vannier-Santos MA. The repositioned drugs disulfiram/diethyldithiocarbamate combined to benznidazole: Searching for Chagas disease selective therapy, preventing toxicity and drug resistance. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:926699. [PMID: 35967878 PMCID: PMC9372510 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.926699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) affects at least 6 million people in 21 South American countries besides several thousand in other nations all over the world. It is estimated that at least 14,000 people die every year of CD. Since vaccines are not available, chemotherapy remains of pivotal relevance. About 30% of the treated patients cannot complete the therapy because of severe adverse reactions. Thus, the search for novel drugs is required. Here we tested the benznidazole (BZ) combination with the repositioned drug disulfiram (DSF) and its derivative diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) upon Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro and in vivo. DETC-BZ combination was synergistic diminishing epimastigote proliferation and enhancing selective indexes up to over 10-fold. DETC was effective upon amastigotes of the BZ- partially resistant Y and the BZ-resistant Colombiana strains. The combination reduced proliferation even using low concentrations (e.g., 2.5 µM). Scanning electron microscopy revealed membrane discontinuities and cell body volume reduction. Transmission electron microscopy revealed remarkable enlargement of endoplasmic reticulum cisternae besides, dilated mitochondria with decreased electron density and disorganized kinetoplast DNA. At advanced stages, the cytoplasm vacuolation apparently impaired compartmentation. The fluorescent probe H2-DCFDA indicates the increased production of reactive oxygen species associated with enhanced lipid peroxidation in parasites incubated with DETC. The biochemical measurement indicates the downmodulation of thiol expression. DETC inhibited superoxide dismutase activity on parasites was more pronounced than in infected mice. In order to approach the DETC effects on intracellular infection, peritoneal macrophages were infected with Colombiana trypomastigotes. DETC addition diminished parasite numbers and the DETC-BZ combination was effective, despite the low concentrations used. In the murine infection, the combination significantly enhanced animal survival, decreasing parasitemia over BZ. Histopathology revealed that low doses of BZ-treated animals presented myocardial amastigote, not observed in combination-treated animals. The picrosirius collagen staining showed reduced myocardial fibrosis. Aminotransferase de aspartate, Aminotransferase de alanine, Creatine kinase, and urea plasma levels demonstrated that the combination was non-toxic. As DSF and DETC can reduce the toxicity of other drugs and resistance phenotypes, such a combination may be safe and effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Almeida-Silva
- Innovations in Therapies, Education and Bioproducts Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Diego Silva Menezes
- Parasite Biology Laboratory, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Juan Mateus Pereira Fernandes
- Innovations in Therapies, Education and Bioproducts Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Márcio Cerqueira Almeida
- Parasite Biology Laboratory, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Deyvison Rhuan Vasco-Dos-Santos
- Innovations in Therapies, Education and Bioproducts Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Roberto Magalhães Saraiva
- Laboratory of Clinical Research on Chagas Disease, Evandro Chagas Infectious Disease Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Lifsitch Viçosa
- Experimental Pharmacotechnics Laboratory, Department of Galenic Innovation, Institute of Drug Technology - Farmanguinhos, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sandra Aurora Chavez Perez
- Project Management Technical Assistance, Institute of Drug Technology - Farmanguinhos, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sônia Gumes Andrade
- Experimental Chagas Disease Laboratory, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Ana Márcia Suarez-Fontes
- Innovations in Therapies, Education and Bioproducts Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcos André Vannier-Santos
- Innovations in Therapies, Education and Bioproducts Laboratory, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Ali V, Behera S, Nawaz A, Equbal A, Pandey K. Unique thiol metabolism in trypanosomatids: Redox homeostasis and drug resistance. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2022; 117:75-155. [PMID: 35878950 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosomatids are mainly responsible for heterogeneous parasitic diseases: Leishmaniasis, Sleeping sickness, and Chagas disease and control of these diseases implicates serious challenges due to the emergence of drug resistance. Redox-active biomolecules are the endogenous substances in organisms, which play important role in the regulation of redox homeostasis. The redox-active substances like glutathione, trypanothione, cysteine, cysteine persulfides, etc., and other inorganic intermediates (hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide) are very useful as defence mechanism. In the present review, the suitability of trypanothione and other essential thiol molecules of trypanosomatids as drug targets are described in Leishmania and Trypanosoma. We have explored the role of tryparedoxin, tryparedoxin peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and glutaredoxins in the anti-oxidant mechanism and drug resistance. Up-regulation of some proteins in trypanothione metabolism helps the parasites in survival against drug pressure (sodium stibogluconate, Amphotericin B, etc.) and oxidative stress. These molecules accept electrons from the reduced trypanothione and donate their electrons to other proteins, and these proteins reduce toxic molecules, neutralize reactive oxygen, or nitrogen species; and help parasites to cope with oxidative stress. Thus, a better understanding of the role of these molecules in drug resistance and redox homeostasis will help to target metabolic pathway proteins to combat Leishmaniasis and trypanosomiases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahab Ali
- Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna, Bihar, India.
| | - Sachidananda Behera
- Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna, Bihar, India
| | - Afreen Nawaz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna, Bihar, India
| | - Asif Equbal
- Laboratory of Molecular Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna, Bihar, India; Department of Botany, Araria College, Purnea University, Purnia, Bihar, India
| | - Krishna Pandey
- Department of Clinical Medicine, ICMR-Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna, Bihar, India
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Lo-Thong-Viramoutou O, Charton P, Cadet XF, Grondin-Perez B, Saavedra E, Damour C, Cadet F. Non-linearity of Metabolic Pathways Critically Influences the Choice of Machine Learning Model. Front Artif Intell 2022; 5:744755. [PMID: 35757298 PMCID: PMC9226554 DOI: 10.3389/frai.2022.744755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of machine learning (ML) in life sciences has gained wide interest over the past years, as it speeds up the development of high performing models. Important modeling tools in biology have proven their worth for pathway design, such as mechanistic models and metabolic networks, as they allow better understanding of mechanisms involved in the functioning of organisms. However, little has been done on the use of ML to model metabolic pathways, and the degree of non-linearity associated with them is not clear. Here, we report the construction of different metabolic pathways with several linear and non-linear ML models. Different types of data are used; they lead to the prediction of important biological data, such as pathway flux and final product concentration. A comparison reveals that the data features impact model performance and highlight the effectiveness of non-linear models (e.g., QRF: RMSE = 0.021 nmol·min-1 and R2 = 1 vs. Bayesian GLM: RMSE = 1.379 nmol·min-1 R2 = 0.823). It turns out that the greater the degree of non-linearity of the pathway, the better suited a non-linear model will be. Therefore, a decision-making support for pathway modeling is established. These findings generally support the hypothesis that non-linear aspects predominate within the metabolic pathways. This must be taken into account when devising possible applications of these pathways for the identification of biomarkers of diseases (e.g., infections, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases) or the optimization of industrial production processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ophélie Lo-Thong-Viramoutou
- University of Paris, BIGR—Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge, Inserm, UMR_S1134, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Laboratory DSIMB, UMR_S1134, BIGR, Inserm, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of La Reunion, Saint-Denis, France
| | - Philippe Charton
- University of Paris, BIGR—Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge, Inserm, UMR_S1134, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Laboratory DSIMB, UMR_S1134, BIGR, Inserm, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of La Reunion, Saint-Denis, France
| | | | - Brigitte Grondin-Perez
- EnergyLab, EA 4079, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of La Reunion, Saint-Denis, France
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Cédric Damour
- EnergyLab, EA 4079, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of La Reunion, Saint-Denis, France
| | - Frédéric Cadet
- University of Paris, BIGR—Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge, Inserm, UMR_S1134, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Excellence GR-Ex, Paris, France
- Laboratory DSIMB, UMR_S1134, BIGR, Inserm, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of La Reunion, Saint-Denis, France
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11
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Antioxidant Therapy in Cancer: Rationale and Progress. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11061128. [PMID: 35740025 PMCID: PMC9220137 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11061128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is characterized by increased oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. Enhanced ROS accumulation, as a result of metabolic disturbances and signaling aberrations, can promote carcinogenesis and malignant progression by inducing gene mutations and activating pro-oncogenic signaling, providing a possible rationale for targeting oxidative stress in cancer treatment. While numerous antioxidants have demonstrated therapeutic potential, their clinical efficacy in cancer remains unproven. Here, we review the rationale for, and recent advances in, pre-clinical and clinical research on antioxidant therapy in cancer, including targeting ROS with nonenzymatic antioxidants, such as NRF2 activators, vitamins, N-acetylcysteine and GSH esters, or targeting ROS with enzymatic antioxidants, such as NOX inhibitors and SOD mimics. In addition, we will offer insights into prospective therapeutic options for improving the effectiveness of antioxidant therapy, which may expand its applications in clinical cancer treatment.
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Espinosa-Bustos C, Ortiz Pérez M, Gonzalez-Gonzalez A, Zarate AM, Rivera G, Belmont-Díaz JA, Saavedra E, Cuellar MA, Vázquez K, Salas CO. New Amino Naphthoquinone Derivatives as Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Agents Targeting Trypanothione Reductase. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14061121. [PMID: 35745694 PMCID: PMC9228152 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14061121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To develop novel chemotherapeutic alternatives for the treatment of Chagas disease, in this study, a set of new amino naphthoquinone derivatives were synthesised and evaluated in vitro on the epimastigote and trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi strains (NINOA and INC-5) and on J774 murine macrophages. The design of the new naphthoquinone derivatives considered the incorporation of nitrogenous fragments with different substitution patterns present in compounds with activity on T. cruzi, and, thus, 19 compounds were synthesised in a simple manner. Compounds 2e and 7j showed the lowest IC50 values (0.43 µM against both strains for 2e and 0.19 µM and 0.92 µM for 7j). Likewise, 7j was more potent than the reference drug, benznidazole, and was more selective on epimastigotes. To postulate a possible mechanism of action, molecular docking studies were performed on T. cruzi trypanothione reductase (TcTR), specifically at a site in the dimer interface, which is a binding site for this type of naphthoquinone. Interestingly, 7j was one of the compounds that showed the best interaction profile on the enzyme; therefore, 7j was evaluated on TR, which behaved as a non-competitive inhibitor. Finally, 7j was predicted to have a good pharmacokinetic profile for oral administration. Thus, the naphthoquinone nucleus should be considered in the search for new trypanocidal agents based on our hit 7j.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Espinosa-Bustos
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Santiago 7820436, Chile;
| | - Mariana Ortiz Pérez
- Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Francisco Villa 20, General Escobedo 66054, Mexico;
| | - Alonzo Gonzalez-Gonzalez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Boulevard del Maestro s/n, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.G.-G.); (G.R.)
| | - Ana María Zarate
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago 7820436, Chile;
| | - Gildardo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Boulevard del Maestro s/n, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.G.-G.); (G.R.)
| | - Javier A. Belmont-Díaz
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, México City 14080, Mexico; (J.A.B.-D.); (E.S.)
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, México City 14080, Mexico; (J.A.B.-D.); (E.S.)
| | - Mauricio A. Cuellar
- Centro de Investigación Farmacopea Chilena, Escuela de Química y Farmacia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valparaíso, Av. Gran Bretaña 1093, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile;
| | - Karina Vázquez
- Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Francisco Villa 20, General Escobedo 66054, Mexico;
- Correspondence: (K.V.); (C.O.S.)
| | - Cristian O. Salas
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago 7820436, Chile;
- Correspondence: (K.V.); (C.O.S.)
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Zhang VX, Sze KMF, Chan LK, Ho DWH, Tsui YM, Chiu YT, Lee E, Husain A, Huang H, Tian L, Wong CCL, Ng IOL. Antioxidant supplements promote tumor formation and growth and confer drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma by reducing intracellular ROS and induction of TMBIM1. Cell Biosci 2021; 11:217. [PMID: 34924003 PMCID: PMC8684635 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-021-00731-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Controversy over the benefits of antioxidants supplements in cancers persists for long. Using hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a model, we investigated the effects of exogenous antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione (GSH) on tumor formation and growth. Methods Multiple mouse models, including diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced and Trp53KO/C-MycOE-induced HCC models, mouse hepatoma cell and human HCC cell xenograft models with subcutaneous or orthotopic injection were used. In vitro assays including ROS assay, colony formation, sphere formation, proliferation, migration and invasion, apoptosis, cell cycle assays were conducted. Western blot was performed for protein expression and RNA-sequencing to identify potential gene targets. Results In these multiple different mouse and cell line models, we observed that NAC and GSH promoted HCC tumor formation and growth, accompanied with significant reduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Moreover, NAC and GSH promoted cancer stemness, and abrogated the tumor-suppressive effects of Sorafenib both in vitro and in vivo. Exogenous supplementation of NAC or GSH reduced the expression of NRF2 and GCLC, suggesting the NRF2/GCLC-related antioxidant production pathway might be desensitized. Using transcriptomic analysis to identify potential gene targets, we found that TMBIM1 was significantly upregulated upon NAC and GSH treatment. Both TCGA and in-house RNA-sequence databases showed that TMBIM1 was overexpressed in HCC tumors. Stable knockdown of TMBIM1 increased the intracellular ROS; it also abolished the promoting effects of the antioxidants in HCC cells. On the other hand, BSO and SSA, inhibitors targeting NAC and GSH metabolism respectively, partially abrogated the pro-oncogenic effects induced by NAC and GSH in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our data implicate that exogenous antioxidants NAC and GSH, by reducing the intracellular ROS levels and inducing TMBIM expression, promoted HCC formation and tumor growth, and counteracted the therapeutic effect of Sorafenib. Our study provides scientific insight regarding the use of exogenous antioxidant supplements in cancers. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13578-021-00731-0.
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Feregrino-Mondragón RD, Vega-Segura A, Sánchez-Thomas R, Silva-Flores M, Rodríguez-Zavala JS, Marín-Hernández Á, Pérez-Torres I, Torres-Márquez ME, Moreno-Sánchez R, Jasso-Chávez R. The essential role of mitochondria in the consumption of waste-organic matter and production of metabolites of biotechnological interest in Euglena gracilis. ALGAL RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2021.102302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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15
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Piñeyro MD, Arias D, Parodi-Talice A, Guerrero S, Robello C. Trypanothione Metabolism as Drug Target for Trypanosomatids. Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:1834-1846. [PMID: 33308115 DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666201211115329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chagas Disease, African sleeping sickness, and leishmaniasis are neglected diseases caused by pathogenic trypanosomatid parasites, which have a considerable impact on morbidity and mortality in poor countries. The available drugs used as treatment have high toxicity, limited access, and can cause parasite drug resistance. Long-term treatments, added to their high toxicity, result in patients that give up therapy. Trypanosomatids presents a unique trypanothione based redox system, which is responsible for maintaining the redox balance. Therefore, inhibition of these essential and exclusive parasite's metabolic pathways, absent from the mammalian host, could lead to the development of more efficient and safe drugs. The system contains different redox cascades, where trypanothione and tryparedoxins play together a central role in transferring reduced power to different enzymes, such as 2-Cys peroxiredoxins, non-selenium glutathione peroxidases, ascorbate peroxidases, glutaredoxins and methionine sulfoxide reductases, through NADPH as a source of electrons. There is sufficient evidence that this complex system is essential for parasite survival and infection. In this review, we explore what is known in terms of essentiality, kinetic and structural data, and the development of inhibitors of enzymes from this trypanothione-based redox system. The recent advances and limitations in the development of lead inhibitory compounds targeting these enzymes have been discussed. The combination of molecular biology, bioinformatics, genomics, and structural biology is fundamental since the knowledge of unique features of the trypanothione-dependent system will provide tools for rational drug design in order to develop better treatments for these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diego Arias
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia del Litoral y Facultad de Bioquimica y Ciencias Biologicas, CONICET-UNL, Santa F, Argentina
| | | | - Sergio Guerrero
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia del Litoral y Facultad de Bioquimica y Ciencias Biologicas, CONICET-UNL, Santa F, Argentina
| | - Carlos Robello
- Unidad de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Pasteur Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
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A Trypanosoma brucei ORFeome-Based Gain-of-Function Library Identifies Genes That Promote Survival during Melarsoprol Treatment. mSphere 2020; 5:5/5/e00769-20. [PMID: 33028684 PMCID: PMC7568655 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00769-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei is an early branching protozoan parasite that causes human and animal African trypanosomiasis. Forward genetics approaches are powerful tools for uncovering novel aspects of trypanosomatid biology, pathogenesis, and therapeutic approaches against trypanosomiasis. Here, we have generated a T. brucei cloned ORFeome consisting of >90% of the targeted 7,245 genes and used it to make an inducible gain-of-function parasite library broadly applicable to large-scale forward genetic screens. We conducted a proof-of-principle genetic screen to identify genes whose expression promotes survival in melarsoprol, a critical drug of last resort. The 57 genes identified as overrepresented in melarsoprol survivor populations included the gene encoding the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of an established drug target (trypanothione), validating the tool. In addition, novel genes associated with gene expression, flagellum localization, and mitochondrion localization were identified, and a subset of those genes increased melarsoprol resistance upon overexpression in culture. These findings offer new insights into trypanosomatid basic biology, implications for drug targets, and direct or indirect drug resistance mechanisms. This study generated a T. brucei ORFeome and gain-of-function parasite library, demonstrated the library's usefulness in forward genetic screening, and identified novel aspects of melarsoprol resistance that will be the subject of future investigations. These powerful genetic tools can be used to broadly advance trypanosomatid research.IMPORTANCE Trypanosomatid parasites threaten the health of more than 1 billion people worldwide. Because their genomes are highly diverged from those of well-established eukaryotes, conservation is not always useful in assigning gene functions. However, it is precisely among the trypanosomatid-specific genes that ideal therapeutic targets might be found. Forward genetics approaches are an effective way to identify novel gene functions. We used an ORFeome approach to clone a large percentage of Trypanosoma brucei genes and generate a gain-of-function parasite library. This library was used in a genetic screen to identify genes that promote resistance to the clinically significant yet highly toxic drug melarsoprol. Hits arising from the screen demonstrated the library's usefulness in identifying known pathways and uncovered novel aspects of resistance mediated by proteins localized to the flagellum and mitochondrion. The powerful new genetic tools generated herein are expected to promote advances in trypanosomatid biology and therapeutic development in the years to come.
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Motility patterns of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes correlate with the efficiency of parasite invasion in vitro. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15894. [PMID: 32985548 PMCID: PMC7522242 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72604-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous works have demonstrated that trypanosomatid motility is relevant for parasite replication and sensitivity. Nonetheless, although some findings indirectly suggest that motility also plays an important role during infection, this has not been extensively investigated. This work is aimed at partially filling this void for the case of Trypanosoma cruzi. After recording swimming T. cruzi trypomastigotes (CL Brener strain) and recovering their individual trajectories, we statistically analyzed parasite motility patterns. We did this with parasites that swim alone or above monolayer cultures of different cell lines. Our results indicate that T. cruzi trypomastigotes change their motility patterns when they are in the presence of mammalian cells, in a cell-line dependent manner. We further performed infection experiments in which each of the mammalian cell cultures were incubated for 2 h together with trypomastigotes, and measured the corresponding invasion efficiency. Not only this parameter varied from cell line to cell line, but it resulted to be positively correlated with the corresponding intensity of the motility pattern changes. Together, these results suggest that T. cruzi trypomastigotes are capable of sensing the presence of mammalian cells and of changing their motility patterns accordingly, and that this might increase their invasion efficiency.
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18
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Juárez-Saldivar A, Schroeder M, Salentin S, Haupt VJ, Saavedra E, Vázquez C, Reyes-Espinosa F, Herrera-Mayorga V, Villalobos-Rocha JC, García-Pérez CA, Campillo NE, Rivera G. Computational Drug Repositioning for Chagas Disease Using Protein-Ligand Interaction Profiling. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124270. [PMID: 32560043 PMCID: PMC7348847 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), affects nearly eight million people worldwide. There are currently only limited treatment options, which cause several side effects and have drug resistance. Thus, there is a great need for a novel, improved Chagas treatment. Bifunctional enzyme dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) has emerged as a promising pharmacological target. Moreover, some human dihydrofolate reductase (HsDHFR) inhibitors such as trimetrexate also inhibit T. cruzi DHFR-TS (TcDHFR-TS). These compounds serve as a starting point and a reference in a screening campaign to search for new TcDHFR-TS inhibitors. In this paper, a novel virtual screening approach was developed that combines classical docking with protein-ligand interaction profiling to identify drug repositioning opportunities against T. cruzi infection. In this approach, some food and drug administration (FDA)-approved drugs that were predicted to bind with high affinity to TcDHFR-TS and whose predicted molecular interactions are conserved among known inhibitors were selected. Overall, ten putative TcDHFR-TS inhibitors were identified. These exhibited a similar interaction profile and a higher computed binding affinity, compared to trimetrexate. Nilotinib, glipizide, glyburide and gliquidone were tested on T. cruzi epimastigotes and showed growth inhibitory activity in the micromolar range. Therefore, these compounds could lead to the development of new treatment options for Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Juárez-Saldivar
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.J.-S.); (F.R.-E.); (V.H.-M.); (J.C.V.-R.)
| | - Michael Schroeder
- Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC), Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (M.S.); (S.S.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Sebastian Salentin
- Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC), Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (M.S.); (S.S.); (V.J.H.)
| | - V. Joachim Haupt
- Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC), Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (M.S.); (S.S.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico; (E.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Citlali Vázquez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de Mexico 14080, Mexico; (E.S.); (C.V.)
| | - Francisco Reyes-Espinosa
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.J.-S.); (F.R.-E.); (V.H.-M.); (J.C.V.-R.)
| | - Verónica Herrera-Mayorga
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.J.-S.); (F.R.-E.); (V.H.-M.); (J.C.V.-R.)
- Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Mante, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Mante 89840, Mexico
| | - Juan Carlos Villalobos-Rocha
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.J.-S.); (F.R.-E.); (V.H.-M.); (J.C.V.-R.)
| | - Carlos A. García-Pérez
- Scientific Computing Research Unit, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany;
| | - Nuria E. Campillo
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Gildardo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico; (A.J.-S.); (F.R.-E.); (V.H.-M.); (J.C.V.-R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +52-1-8991-601-356
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Moreno-Sánchez R, Marín-Hernández Á, Gallardo-Pérez JC, Pacheco-Velázquez SC, Robledo-Cadena DX, Padilla-Flores JA, Saavedra E, Rodríguez-Enríquez S. Physiological Role of Glutamate Dehydrogenase in Cancer Cells. Front Oncol 2020; 10:429. [PMID: 32328457 PMCID: PMC7160333 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
NH 4 + increased growth rates and final densities of several human metastatic cancer cells. To assess whether glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) in cancer cells may catalyze the reverse reaction of NH 4 + fixation, its covalent regulation and kinetic parameters were determined under near-physiological conditions. Increased total protein and phosphorylation were attained in NH 4 + -supplemented metastatic cells, but total cell GDH activity was unchanged. Higher V max values for the GDH reverse reaction vs. forward reaction in both isolated hepatoma (HepM) and liver mitochondria [rat liver mitochondria (RLM)] favored an NH 4 + -fixing role. GDH sigmoidal kinetics with NH 4 + , ADP, and leucine fitted to Hill equation showed n H values of 2 to 3. However, the K 0.5 values for NH 4 + were over 20 mM, questioning the physiological relevance of the GDH reverse reaction, because intracellular NH 4 + in tumors is 1 to 5 mM. In contrast, data fitting to the Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) model revealed lower K m values for NH 4 + , of 6 to 12 mM. In silico analysis made with MWC equation, and using physiological concentrations of substrates and modulators, predicted GDH N-fixing activity in cancer cells. Therefore, together with its thermodynamic feasibility, GDH may reach rates for its reverse, NH 4 + -fixing reaction that are compatible with an anabolic role for supporting growth of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Moreno-Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | - Juan C Gallardo-Pérez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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20
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González-Chávez Z, Vázquez C, Moreno-Sánchez R, Saavedra E. Metabolic Control Analysis for Drug Target Prioritization in Trypanosomatids. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2116:689-718. [PMID: 32221950 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0294-2_41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
To validate therapeutic targets in metabolic pathways of trypanosomatids, the criterion of enzyme essentiality determined by gene knockout or knockdown is usually being applied. Since, it is often found that most of the enzymes/proteins analyzed are essential, additional criteria have to be implemented for drug target prioritization. Metabolic control analysis (MCA), often in conjunction with kinetic pathway modeling, offers such possibility for prioritization. MCA is a theoretical and experimental approach to analyze how metabolic pathways are controlled. It involves strategies to perform quantitative analyses to determine the degree in which an enzyme controls a pathway flux, a value called flux control coefficient ([Formula: see text]). By determining the [Formula: see text] of individual steps in a metabolic pathway, the distribution of control of the pathway is established, that is, the identification of the main flux-controlling steps. Therefore, MCA can help in ranking pathway enzymes as drug targets from a metabolic perspective. In this chapter, three approaches to determine [Formula: see text] are reviewed: (1) In vitro pathway reconstitution, (2) manipulation of enzyme activities within parasites, and (3) in silico kinetic modeling of the metabolic pathway. To perform these methods, accurate experimental data of enzyme activities, metabolite concentrations and pathway fluxes are necessary. The methodology is illustrated with the example of trypanothione metabolism of Trypanosoma cruzi and protocols to determine such experimental data for this metabolic process are also described. However, the MCA strategy can be applied to any metabolic pathway in the parasite and general directions to perform it are provided in this chapter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zabdi González-Chávez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Citlali Vázquez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Rafael Moreno-Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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