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Marcolino LMC, Pinto JG, Ferreira I, Godoi BH, de Azevedo Canevari R, Ferreira-Strixino J. Molecular effects of photodynamic therapy with curcumin on Leishmania major promastigotes. Parasitol Res 2024; 123:146. [PMID: 38418645 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08155-8] [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: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease mainly affecting low-income populations. Conventional treatment involves several side effects, is expensive, and, in addition, protozoa can develop resistance. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative in treating the disease. PDT involves applying light at a specific wavelength to activate a photosensitive compound (photosensitizer, PS), to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Curcumin and its photochemical characteristics make it a good candidate for photodynamic therapy. Studies evaluating gene expression can help to understand the molecular events involved in the cell death caused by PDT. In the present study, RNA was extracted from promastigotes from the control and treated groups after applying PDT. RT-qPCR was performed to verify the expression of the putative ATPase beta subunit (ATPS), ATP synthase subunit A (F0F1), argininosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS), ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2), glycoprotein 63 (GP63), superoxide dismutase (FeSODA), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) genes (QR). The results suggest that PDT altered the expression of genes that participate in oxidative stress and cell death pathways, such as ATPS, FeSODA, and G6PD. The ATP-F0F1, ASS, and GP63 genes did not have their expression altered. However, it is essential to highlight that other genes may be involved in the molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress and, consequently, in the death of parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Maria Cortez Marcolino
- Photobiology Applied to Health (PhotoBioS Lab), Universidade Do Vale Do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José Dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana Guerra Pinto
- Photobiology Applied to Health (PhotoBioS Lab), Universidade Do Vale Do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José Dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabelle Ferreira
- Photobiology Applied to Health (PhotoBioS Lab), Universidade Do Vale Do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José Dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Bruno Henrique Godoi
- Photobiology Applied to Health (PhotoBioS Lab), Universidade Do Vale Do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José Dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Renata de Azevedo Canevari
- Cancer Molecular Biology Laboratory, Universidade Do Vale Do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José Dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana Ferreira-Strixino
- Photobiology Applied to Health (PhotoBioS Lab), Universidade Do Vale Do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José Dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
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Retraction: Genetic Manipulation of Leishmania donovani to Explore the Involvement of Argininosuccinate Synthase in Oxidative Stress Management. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011184. [PMID: 36897836 PMCID: PMC10004505 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
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Sagawa CHD, Assis RDAB, Zaini PA, Saxe H, Wilmarth PA, Salemi M, Phinney BS, Dandekar AM. De Novo Arginine Synthesis Is Required for Full Virulence of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis During Walnut Bacterial Blight Disease. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2022; 112:1500-1512. [PMID: 34941365 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-07-21-0302-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Walnut blight (WB) disease caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj) threatens orchards worldwide. Nitrogen metabolism in this bacterial pathogen is dependent on arginine, a nitrogen-enriched amino acid that can either be synthesized or provided by the plant host. The arginine biosynthetic pathway uses argininosuccinate synthase (argG), associated with increased bacterial virulence. We examined the effects of bacterial arginine and nitrogen metabolism on the plant response during WB by proteomic analysis of the mutant strain Xaj argG-. Phenotypically, the mutant strain produced 42% fewer symptoms and survived in the plant tissue with 2.5-fold reduced growth compared with wild type, while showing itself to be auxotrophic for arginine in vitro. Proteomic analysis of infected tissue enabled the profiling of 676 Xaj proteins and 3,296 walnut proteins using isobaric labeling in a data-dependent acquisition approach. Comparative analysis of differentially expressed proteins revealed distinct plant responses. Xaj wild type (WT) triggered processes of catabolism and oxidative stress in the host under observed disease symptoms, while most of the host biosynthetic processes triggered by Xaj WT were inhibited during Xaj argG- infection. Overall, the Xaj proteins revealed a drastic shift in carbon and energy management induced by disruption of nitrogen metabolism while the top differentially expressed proteins included a Fis transcriptional regulator and a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase. Our results show the critical role of de novo arginine biosynthesis to sustain virulence and minimal growth during WB. This study is timely and critical as copper-based control methods are losing their effectiveness, and new sustainable methods are urgently needed in orchard environments.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cíntia H D Sagawa
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Renata de A B Assis
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Paulo A Zaini
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Houston Saxe
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Phillip A Wilmarth
- Proteomics Shared Resource, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, U.S.A
| | - Michelle Salemi
- Proteomics Core Facility, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Brett S Phinney
- Proteomics Core Facility, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Abhaya M Dandekar
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
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Chandrakar P, Parmar N, Descoteaux A, Kar S. Differential Induction of SOCS Isoforms by Leishmania donovani Impairs Macrophage–T Cell Cross-Talk and Host Defense. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 204:596-610. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Chauhan K, Kaur G, Kaur S. Evaluation of antileishmanial efficacy of Salidroside against the SSG-sensitive and resistant strain of Leishmania donovani. Parasitol Int 2019; 72:101928. [PMID: 31108221 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.101928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The successful control and eradication of leishmaniasis are still challenging in view of the lack of adequate chemotherapy and potential prophylaxis. Research is going on for finding an appropriate anti-leishmanial drug which should be acceptable in terms of cost and safety. In view of this, the current study investigated the anti-leishmanial efficacy of salidroside (SAL) which is a phenylpropanoid glycoside. The leishmanicidal capacity of SAL was verified in vitro as well as in vivo. The SAL exhibited leishmanicidal activity against the promastigotes of L. donovani which was further validated by propidium iodide staining and its ability to arrest the promastigotes at the sub G0/G1 stage. SAL decreased and controlled the VL infection in mice as estimated by real-time PCR. Active immunomodulation was exhibited upon SAL treatment in BALB/c mice. The characteristic features like pronounced DTH reaction, polarization of immune status to Th1 type of immune response, increased the production of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells indicated the immune-stimulatory property of SAL. In addition to this the expression of NF-ĸB, iNOS genes along with the levels of leishmanicidal species, NO and ROS were found to be augmented in SAL treated infected animals. Moreover, SAL exhibited minimal toxicity to the THP-1 cells and it revealed no toxicity against liver and kidney. The capability of SAL in promoting the immune status in favor of host during VL infection without causing any side-effects may be used as an effective strategy to fight the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gurpreet Kaur
- Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Sukhbir Kaur
- Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
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Samarasinghe SR, Samaranayake N, Kariyawasam UL, Siriwardana YD, Imamura H, Karunaweera ND. Genomic insights into virulence mechanisms of Leishmania donovani: evidence from an atypical strain. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:843. [PMID: 30486770 PMCID: PMC6262978 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5271-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease with diverse clinical phenotypes, determined by parasite, host and vector interactions. Despite the advances in molecular biology and the availability of more Leishmania genome references in recent years, the association between parasite species and distinct clinical phenotypes remains poorly understood. We present a genomic comparison of an atypical variant of Leishmania donovani from a South Asian focus, where it mostly causes cutaneous form of leishmaniasis. Results Clinical isolates from six cutaneous leishmaniasis patients (CL-SL); 2 of whom were poor responders to antimony (CL-PR), and two visceral leishmaniasis patients (VL-SL) were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. Chromosome aneuploidy was observed in both groups but was more frequent in CL-SL. 248 genes differed by 2 fold or more in copy number among the two groups. Genes involved in amino acid use (LdBPK_271940) and energy metabolism (LdBPK_271950), predominated the VL-SL group with the same distribution pattern reflected in gene tandem arrays. Genes encoding amastins were present in higher copy numbers in VL-SL and CL-PR as well as being among predicted pseudogenes in CL-SL. Both chromosome and SNP profiles showed CL-SL and VL-SL to form two distinct groups. While expected heterozygosity was much higher in VL-SL, SNP allele frequency patterns did not suggest potential recent recombination breakpoints. The SNP/indel profile obtained using the more recently generated PacBio sequence did not vary markedly from that based on the standard LdBPK282A1 reference. Several genes previously associated with resistance to antimonials were observed in higher copy numbers in the analysis of CL-PR. H-locus amplification was seen in one cutaneous isolate which however did not belong to the CL-PR group. Conclusions The data presented suggests that intra species variations at chromosome and gene level are more likely to influence differences in tropism as well as response to treatment, and contributes to greater understanding of parasite molecular mechanisms underpinning these differences. These findings should be substantiated with a larger sample number and expression/functional studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5271-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumudu R Samarasinghe
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Nilakshi Samaranayake
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Udeshika L Kariyawasam
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Yamuna D Siriwardana
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | - Hideo Imamura
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nadira D Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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Avishek K, Ahuja K, Pradhan D, Gannavaram S, Selvapandiyan A, Nakhasi HL, Salotra P. A Leishmania-specific gene upregulated at the amastigote stage is crucial for parasite survival. Parasitol Res 2018; 117:3215-3228. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-018-6020-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Cuypers B, Berg M, Imamura H, Dumetz F, De Muylder G, Domagalska MA, Rijal S, Bhattarai NR, Maes I, Sanders M, Cotton JA, Meysman P, Laukens K, Dujardin JC. Integrated genomic and metabolomic profiling of ISC1, an emerging Leishmania donovani population in the Indian subcontinent. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2018; 62:170-178. [PMID: 29679745 PMCID: PMC6261844 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2018.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania donovani is the responsible agent for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent (ISC). The disease is lethal without treatment and causes 0.2 to 0.4 million cases each year. Recently, reports of VL in Nepalese hilly districts have increased as well as VL cases caused by L. donovani from the ISC1 genetic group, a new and emerging genotype. In this study, we perform for the first time an integrated, untargeted genomics and metabolomics approach to characterize ISC1, in comparison with the Core Group (CG), main population that drove the most recent outbreak of VL in the ISC. We show that the ISC1 population is very different from the CG, both at genome and metabolome levels. The genomic differences include SNPs, CNV and small indels in genes coding for known virulence factors, immunogens and surface proteins. Both genomic and metabolic approaches highlighted dissimilarities related to membrane lipids, the nucleotide salvage pathway and the urea cycle in ISC1 versus CG. Many of these pathways and molecules are important for the interaction with the host/extracellular environment. Altogether, our data predict major functional differences in ISC1 versus CG parasites, including virulence. Therefore, particular attention is required to monitor the fate of this emerging ISC1 population in the ISC, especially in a post-VL elimination context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Cuypers
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maya Berg
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Hideo Imamura
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Franck Dumetz
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Géraldine De Muylder
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Suman Rijal
- BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | | | - Ilse Maes
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Mandy Sanders
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - James A Cotton
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Pieter Meysman
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kris Laukens
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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Muxel SM, Aoki JI, Fernandes JCR, Laranjeira-Silva MF, Zampieri RA, Acuña SM, Müller KE, Vanderlinde RH, Floeter-Winter LM. Arginine and Polyamines Fate in Leishmania Infection. Front Microbiol 2018; 8:2682. [PMID: 29379478 PMCID: PMC5775291 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania is a protozoan parasite that alternates its life cycle between the sand fly and the mammalian host macrophages, involving several environmental changes. The parasite responds to these changes by promoting a rapid metabolic adaptation through cellular signaling modifications that lead to transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression regulation and morphological modifications. Molecular approaches such as gene expression regulation, next-generation sequencing (NGS), microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling, in cell Western blot analyses and enzymatic activity profiling, have been used to characterize the infection of murine BALB/c and C57BL/6 macrophages, as well as the human monocytic cell-lineage THP-1, with Leishmania amazonensis wild type (La-WT) or arginase knockout (La-arg-). These models are being used to elucidate physiological roles of arginine and polyamines pathways and the importance of arginase for the establishment of the infection. In this review, we will describe the main aspects of Leishmania-host interaction, focusing on the arginine and polyamines pathways and pointing to possible targets to be used for prognosis and/or in the control of the infection. The parasite enzymes, arginase and nitric oxide synthase-like, have essential roles in the parasite survival and in the maintenance of infection. On the other hand, in mammalian macrophages, defense mechanisms are activated inducing alterations in the mRNA, miRNA and enzymatic profiles that lead to the control of infection. Furthermore, the genetic background of both parasite and host are also important to define the fate of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M Muxel
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana I Aoki
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliane C R Fernandes
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo A Zampieri
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Stephanie M Acuña
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Karl E Müller
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rubia H Vanderlinde
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucile M Floeter-Winter
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Singh J, Khan MI, Singh Yadav SP, Srivastava A, Sinha KK, Ashish, Das P, Kundu B. L-Asparaginase of Leishmania donovani: Metabolic target and its role in Amphotericin B resistance. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2017; 7:337-349. [PMID: 28988014 PMCID: PMC5633258 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Emergence of Amphotericin B (AmB) resistant Leishmania donovani has posed major therapeutic challenge against the parasite. Consequently, combination therapy aimed at multiple molecular targets, based on proteome wise network analysis has been recommended. In this regard we had earlier identified and proposed L-asparaginase of Leishmania donovani (LdAI) as a crucial metabolic target. Here we report that both LdAI overexpressing axenic amastigote and promastigote forms of L. donovani survives better when challenged with AmB as compared to wild type strain. Conversely, qRT-PCR analysis showed an upregulation of LdAI in both forms upon AmB treatment. Our data demonstrates the importance of LdAI in imparting immediate protective response to the parasite upon AmB treatment. In the absence of structural and functional information, we modeled LdAI and validated its solution structure through small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis. We identified its specific inhibitors through ligand and structure-based approach and characterized their effects on enzymatic properties (Km, Vmax, Kcat) of LdAI. We show that in presence of two of the inhibitors L1 and L2, the survival of L. donovani is compromised whereas overexpression of LdAI in these cells restores viability. Taken together, our results conclusively prove that LdAI is a crucial metabolic enzyme conferring early counter measure against AmB treatment by Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasdeep Singh
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Mohd Imran Khan
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, EPIP Complex, Hajipur, Vaishali 844102, India
| | - Shiv Pratap Singh Yadav
- The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ankit Srivastava
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Kislay K Sinha
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, EPIP Complex, Hajipur, Vaishali 844102, India
| | - Ashish
- The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Pradeep Das
- Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna 800007, India
| | - Bishwajit Kundu
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
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Revealing the mystery of metabolic adaptations using a genome scale model of Leishmania infantum. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10262. [PMID: 28860532 PMCID: PMC5579285 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10743-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Human macrophage phagolysosome and sandfly midgut provide antagonistic ecological niches for Leishmania parasites to survive and proliferate. Parasites optimize their metabolism to utilize the available inadequate resources by adapting to those environments. Lately, a number of metabolomics studies have revived the interest to understand metabolic strategies utilized by the Leishmania parasite for optimal survival within its hosts. For the first time, we propose a reconstructed genome-scale metabolic model for Leishmania infantum JPCM5, the analyses of which not only captures observations reported by metabolomics studies in other Leishmania species but also divulges novel features of the L. infantum metabolome. Our results indicate that Leishmania metabolism is organized in such a way that the parasite can select appropriate alternatives to compensate for limited external substrates. A dynamic non-essential amino acid motif exists within the network that promotes a restricted redistribution of resources to yield required essential metabolites. Further, subcellular compartments regulate this metabolic re-routing by reinforcing the physiological coupling of specific reactions. This unique metabolic organization is robust against accidental errors and provides a wide array of choices for the parasite to achieve optimal survival.
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