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Portugal S, Rodriguez A, Prudêncio M. Maria M. Mota: Bringing Plasmodium Liver Infection to the Centre Stage of Malaria Research. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:851484. [PMID: 35211424 PMCID: PMC8860983 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.851484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Miguel Prudêncio,
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2
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Kordes M, Ormond L, Rausch S, Matuschewski K, Hafalla JCR. TLR9 signalling inhibits Plasmodium liver infection by macrophage activation. Eur J Immunol 2021; 52:270-284. [PMID: 34773640 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) through Toll-like receptors (TLRs) plays a pivotal role in first-line pathogen defense. TLRs are also likely triggered during a Plasmodium infection in vivo by parasite-derived components. However, the contribution of innate responses to liver infection and to the subsequent clinical outcome of a blood infection is not well understood. To assess the potential effects of enhanced TLR-signalling on Plasmodium infection, we systematically examined the effect of agonist-primed immune responses to sporozoite inoculation in the P. berghei/C57Bl/6 murine malaria model. We could identify distinct stage-specific effects on the course of infection after stimulation with two out of four TLR-ligands tested. Priming with a TLR9 agonist induced killing of pre-erythrocytic stages in the liver that depended on macrophages and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). These factors have previously not been recognized as antigen-independent effector mechanisms against Plasmodium liver stages. Priming with TLR4 and -9 agonists also translated into blood stage-specific protection against experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). These insights are relevant to the activation of TLR signalling pathways by adjuvant systems of antimalaria vaccine strategies. The protective role of TLR4-activation against ECM might also explain some unexpected clinical effects observed with pre-erythrocytic vaccine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Kordes
- Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Louise Ormond
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Rausch
- Institute of Immunology, Centre of Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Matuschewski
- Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julius Clemence R Hafalla
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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3
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Identification of Plasmodium berghei Oocyst Rupture Protein 2 (ORP2) domains involved in sporozoite egress from the oocyst. Int J Parasitol 2018; 48:1127-1136. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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4
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Santos JM, Egarter S, Zuzarte-Luís V, Kumar H, Moreau CA, Kehrer J, Pinto A, da Costa M, Franke-Fayard B, Janse CJ, Frischknecht F, Mair GR. Malaria parasite LIMP protein regulates sporozoite gliding motility and infectivity in mosquito and mammalian hosts. eLife 2017; 6:e24109. [PMID: 28525314 PMCID: PMC5438254 DOI: 10.7554/elife.24109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gliding motility allows malaria parasites to migrate and invade tissues and cells in different hosts. It requires parasite surface proteins to provide attachment to host cells and extracellular matrices. Here, we identify the Plasmodium protein LIMP (the name refers to a gliding phenotype in the sporozoite arising from epitope tagging of the endogenous protein) as a key regulator for adhesion during gliding motility in the rodent malaria model P. berghei. Transcribed in gametocytes, LIMP is translated in the ookinete from maternal mRNA, and later in the sporozoite. The absence of LIMP reduces initial mosquito infection by 50%, impedes salivary gland invasion 10-fold, and causes a complete absence of liver invasion as mutants fail to attach to host cells. GFP tagging of LIMP caused a limping defect during movement with reduced speed and transient curvature changes of the parasite. LIMP is an essential motility and invasion factor necessary for malaria transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge M Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício Egas Moniz, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Saskia Egarter
- Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vanessa Zuzarte-Luís
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício Egas Moniz, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hirdesh Kumar
- Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Catherine A Moreau
- Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jessica Kehrer
- Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andreia Pinto
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício Egas Moniz, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mário da Costa
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício Egas Moniz, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Blandine Franke-Fayard
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Chris J Janse
- Leiden Malaria Research Group, Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gunnar R Mair
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Edifício Egas Moniz, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisbon, Portugal
- Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany
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5
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Douglas RG, Amino R, Sinnis P, Frischknecht F. Active migration and passive transport of malaria parasites. Trends Parasitol 2015; 31:357-62. [PMID: 26001482 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Revised: 04/22/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Malaria parasites undergo a complex life cycle between their hosts and vectors. During this cycle the parasites invade different types of cells, migrate across barriers, and transfer from one host to another. Recent literature hints at a misunderstanding of the difference between active, parasite-driven migration and passive, circulation-driven movement of the parasite or parasite-infected cells in the various bodily fluids of mosquito and mammalian hosts. Because both active migration and passive transport could be targeted in different ways to interfere with the parasite, a distinction between the two ways the parasite uses to get from one location to another is essential. We discuss the two types of motion needed for parasite dissemination and elaborate on how they could be targeted by future vaccines or drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross G Douglas
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rogerio Amino
- Unité de Biologie et Génétique du Paludisme, Département Parasites et Insectes Vecteurs, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Freddy Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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6
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Design and Synthesis of Novel Hybrid Molecules against Malaria. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2015; 2015:458319. [PMID: 25734014 PMCID: PMC4334980 DOI: 10.1155/2015/458319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The effective treatment of malaria can be very complex: Plasmodium parasites develop in multiple stages within a complex life cycle between mosquitoes as vectors and vertebrates as hosts. For the full and effective elimination of parasites, an effective drug should be active against the earliest stages of the Plasmodium infection: liver stages (reduce the progress of the infection), blood stages (cure the clinical symptoms), and gametocytes (inhibit the transmission cycle). Towards this goal, here we report the design, the synthetic methodology, and the characterization of novel hybrid agents with combined activity against Plasmodium liver stages and blood stages and gametocytes. The divergent synthetic approach allows the access to differently linked primaquine-chloroquine hybrid templates in up to eight steps.
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Currà C, Di Luca M, Picci L, de Sousa Silva Gomes dos Santos C, Siden-Kiamos I, Pace T, Ponzi M. The ETRAMP family member SEP2 is expressed throughout Plasmodium berghei life cycle and is released during sporozoite gliding motility. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67238. [PMID: 23840634 PMCID: PMC3696012 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The early transcribed membrane proteins ETRAMPs belong to a family of small, transmembrane molecules unique to Plasmodium parasite, which share a signal peptide followed by a short lysine-rich stretch, a transmembrane domain and a variable, highly charged C-terminal region. ETRAMPs are usually expressed in a stage-specific manner. In the blood stages they localize to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and, in described cases, to vesicle-like structures exported to the host erythrocyte cytosol. Two family members of the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei, uis3 and uis4, localize to secretory organelles of sporozoites and to the parasitophorous membrane vacuole of the liver stages. By the use of specific antibodies and the generation of transgenic lines, we showed that the P. berghei ETRAMP family member SEP2 is abundantly expressed in gametocytes as well as in mosquito and liver stages. In intracellular parasite stages, SEP2 is routed to the parasitophorous vacuole membrane while, in invasive ookinete and sporozoite stages, it localizes to the parasite surface. To date SEP2 is the only ETRAMP protein detected throughout the parasite life cycle. Furthermore, SEP2 is also released during gliding motility of salivary gland sporozoites. A limited number of proteins are known to be involved in this key function and the best characterized, the CSP and TRAP, are both promising transmission-blocking candidates. Our results suggest that ETRAMP members may be viewed as new potential candidates for malaria control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Currà
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Roma, Italy
| | - Marco Di Luca
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Roma, Italy
| | - Leonardo Picci
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Inga Siden-Kiamos
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Tomasino Pace
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Roma, Italy
| | - Marta Ponzi
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Parassitarie ed Immunomediate, Roma, Italy
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8
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Silveira H, Gabriel A, Ramos S, Palma J, Felix R, Custódio A, Collins LV. CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides increases resistance of Anopheles mosquitoes to Plasmodium infection. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2012; 42:758-765. [PMID: 22885118 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2012.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2012] [Revised: 07/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Unmethylated CpG dinucleotide motifs in bacterial DNA or in synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) are potent stimulators of the vertebrate innate immune system. However, the potential of these DNA species to modulate mosquito immunity have not been explored. In the present study, we investigated the effects of CpG-ODN on the outcome of Plasmodium infection in insects and on the modulation of mosquito immunity to Plasmodium. Anopheles stephensi and Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes inoculated with CpG-ODN showed significant reductions in the prevalence of Plasmodium infection, intensity of Plasmodium infection, and number of eggs produced. Microarrays were used to elucidate the transcriptional profiles of the fat bodies of CpG-ODN-treated mosquitoes. In total, 172 genes were differentially expressed, of which 136 were up-regulated and 36 were down-regulated. The major functional class of CpG-ODN-regulated genes encoded immune response-related proteins (31%). Within this group, genes associated with coagulation/wound healing were the most frequently represented (23%). Knockdown of a transglutaminase gene that was up-regulated by the CpG-ODN and chemical inhibition of the enzyme resulted in a significant increase in Plasmodium infection. Mosquitoes that were treated with CpG-ODNs were found to be less susceptible to Plasmodium infection. Transcriptional profiling of the fat body suggests that protection is associated with coagulation/wound healing. We show for the first time that transglutaminase activity plays a role in the control of Plasmodium infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique Silveira
- Centro de Malária e Outras Doenças Tropicais, UEI Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira, 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Rodrigues T, Prudêncio M, Moreira R, Mota MM, Lopes F. Targeting the liver stage of malaria parasites: a yet unmet goal. J Med Chem 2011; 55:995-1012. [PMID: 22122518 DOI: 10.1021/jm201095h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Rodrigues
- Research Institute for Medicines and Pharmaceutical Sciences (iMed.UL), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-019 Lisbon, Portugal
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Prudêncio M, Mota MM, Mendes AM. A toolbox to study liver stage malaria. Trends Parasitol 2011; 27:565-74. [PMID: 22015112 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2011.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Revised: 09/09/2011] [Accepted: 09/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The first obligatory phase of mammalian infection by Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, occurs in the liver of the host. This stage of Plasmodium infection bears enormous potential for anti-malarial intervention. Recent technological progress has strongly contributed to overcoming some of the long-standing difficulties in experimentally assessing hepatic infection by Plasmodium. Here, we review appropriate infection models and infection assessment tools, and provide a comprehensive description of recent advances in experimental strategies to investigate the liver stage of malaria. These issues are discussed in the context of current challenges in the field to provide researchers with the technical tools that enable effective experimental approaches to study liver stage malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Prudêncio
- Unidade de Malária, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal.
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