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Mi-ichi F, Tsugawa H, Vo TK, Kurizaki Y, Yoshida H, Arita M. Characterization of Entamoeba fatty acid elongases; validation as targets and provision of promising leads for new drugs against amebiasis. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012435. [PMID: 39172749 PMCID: PMC11340893 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite belonging to the phylum Amoebozoa that causes amebiasis, a global public health problem. E. histolytica alternates its form between a proliferative trophozoite and a dormant cyst. Trophozoite proliferation is closely associated with amebiasis symptoms and pathogenesis whereas cysts transmit the disease. Drugs are available for clinical use; however, they have issues of adverse effects and dual targeting of disease symptoms and transmission remains to be improved. Development of new drugs is therefore urgently needed. An untargeted lipidomics analysis recently revealed structural uniqueness of the Entamoeba lipidome at different stages of the parasite's life cycle involving very long (26-30 carbons) and/or medium (8-12 carbons) acyl chains linked to glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Here, we investigated the physiology of this unique acyl chain diversity in Entamoeba, a non-photosynthetic protist. We characterized E. histolytica fatty acid elongases (EhFAEs), which are typically components of the fatty acid elongation cycle of photosynthetic protists and plants. An approach combining genetics and lipidomics revealed that EhFAEs are involved in the production of medium and very long acyl chains in E. histolytica. This approach also showed that the K3 group herbicides, flufenacet, cafenstrole, and fenoxasulfone, inhibited the production of very long acyl chains, thereby impairing Entamoeba trophozoite proliferation and cyst formation. Importantly, none of these three compounds showed toxicity to a human cell line; therefore, EhFAEs are reasonable targets for developing new anti-amebiasis drugs and these compounds are promising leads for such drugs. Interestingly, in the Amoebazoan lineage, gain and loss of the genes encoding two different types of fatty acid elongase have occurred during evolution, which may be relevant to parasite adaptation. Acyl chain diversity in lipids is therefore a unique and indispensable feature for parasitic adaptation of Entamoeba.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumika Mi-ichi
- Central Laboratory, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Immunoscience, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Metabolomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tam Kha Vo
- Central Laboratory, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Immunoscience, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan
| | - Yuto Kurizaki
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroki Yoshida
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Immunoscience, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan
| | - Makoto Arita
- Laboratory for Metabolomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
- Division of Physiological Chemistry and Metabolism, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
- Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center (WPI-Bio2Q), Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
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Mi-Ichi F, Hamano S, Yoshida H. Links between cholesteryl sulfate-dependent and -independent processes in the morphological and physiological changes of Entamoeba encystation. Parasitol Int 2024; 99:102844. [PMID: 38103862 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2023.102844] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica causes amoebiasis, a global public health problem. Amoebiasis is solely transmitted by cysts that are produced from proliferative trophozoites by encystation in the large intestine of humans. During encystation, various metabolites, pathways, and cascades sequentially orchestrate the morphological and physiological changes required to produce cysts. Cholesteryl sulfate (CS) has recently been revealed to be among the key molecules that control the morphological and physiological changes of encystation by exerting pleiotropic effects. CS promotes the rounding of encysting Entamoeba cells and maintains this spherical morphology as encysting cells are surrounded by the cyst wall, a prerequisite for resistance against environmental stresses. CS is also involved in the development of membrane impermeability, another prerequisite for resistance. The initiation of cyst wall formation is, however, CS-independent. Here, we overview CS-dependent and -independent processes during encystation and discuss their functional linkage. We also discuss a potential transcriptional cascade that controls the processes necessary to produce dormant Entamoeba cysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumika Mi-Ichi
- Central Laboratory, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Division of Molecular and Cellular Immunoscience, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan; The Joint Research Center on Tropical Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
| | - Shinjiro Hamano
- The Joint Research Center on Tropical Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan; Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
| | - Hiroki Yoshida
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Immunoscience, Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan
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