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de Oliveira IB, Moura IM, Santana JO, Gramacho KP, Dos Santos Alves S, Ferreira MM, Santos AS, de Novais DPS, Pirovani CP. Cocoa Apoplastome Contains Defense Proteins Against Pathogens. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2024; 114:427-440. [PMID: 37665571 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-03-23-0101-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The apoplast performs important functions in the plant, such as defense against stress, and compounds present form the apoplastic washing fluid (AWF). The fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease (WBD) in Theobroma cacao, initially colonizes the apoplast in its biotrophic phase. In this period, the fungus can remain for approximately 60 days, until it changes to its second phase, causing tissue death and consequently large loss in the production of beans. To better understand the importance of the apoplast in the T. cacao-M. perniciosa interaction, we performed the first apoplastic proteomic mapping of two contrasting genotypes for WBD resistance (CCN51-resistant and Catongo-susceptible). Based on two-dimensional gel analysis, we identified 36 proteins in CCN-51 and 15 in Catongo. We highlight PR-proteins, such as peroxidases, β-1,3-glucanases, and chitinases. A possible candidate for a resistance marker of the CCN-51 genotype, osmotin, was identified. The antioxidative metabolism of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the AWF of the two genotypes under field conditions (FD). T. cacao AWF inhibited the germination of M. perniciosa basidiospores (>80%), in addition to causing morphological changes. Our results shed more light on the nature of the plant's defense performed by the apoplast in the T. cacao-M. perniciosa interaction in the initial (biotrophic) phase of fungal infection and therefore make it possible to expand WBD control strategies based on the identification of potential targets for resistance markers and advance scientific knowledge of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Karina Peres Gramacho
- Centro de Pesquisa do Cacau (CEPEC/CEPLAC) Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, Km 22 Rod. Ilhéus-Itabuna, Ilhéus, Bahia 45600-970, Brazil
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Ferreira MM, Farias KS, Zugaib M, Alves AMM, Amaral GV, Santos MLDC, Freitas ADS, Santana BCG, dos Santos Júnior SL, Mora-Ocampo IY, Santos AS, da Silva MF, Andrade BS, Pirovani CP. TcSERPIN, an inhibitor that interacts with cocoa defense proteins and has biotechnological potential against human pathogens. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1337750. [PMID: 38348273 PMCID: PMC10859438 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1337750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
In plants, serpins are a superfamily of serine and cysteine protease inhibitors involved in stress and defense mechanisms, with potential for controlling agricultural pests, making them important biotechnological tools. The objective of this study was to characterize a serpin from Theobroma cacao, called TcSERPIN, to identify its endogenous targets and determine its function and biotechnological potential. TcSERPIN has 390 amino acid residues and shows conservation of the main active site, RCL. Cis-elements related to light, stress, hormones, anaerobic induction, cell cycle regulation and defense have been identified in the gene's regulatory region. TcSERPIN transcripts are accumulated in different tissues of Theobroma cacao. Furthermore, in plants infected with Moniliophtora perniciosa and Phytophthora palmivora, the expression of TcSERPIN was positively regulated. The protein spectrum, rTcSERPIN, reveals a typical β-sheet pattern and is thermostable at pH 8, but loses its structure with temperature increases above 66°C at pH 7. At the molar ratios of 0.65 and 0.49, rTcSERPIN inhibited 55 and 28% of the activity of papain from Carica papaya and trypsin from Sus scrofa, respectively. The protease trap containing immobilized rTcSERPIN captured endogenous defense proteins from cocoa extracts that are related to metabolic pathways, stress and defense. The evaluation of the biotechnological potential against geohelminth larvae showed that rTcSERPIN and rTcCYS4 (Theobroma cacao cystatin 4) reduced the movement of larvae after 24 hours. The results of this work show that TcSERPIN has ideal biochemical characteristics for biotechnological applications, as well as potential for studies of resistance to phytopathogens of agricultural crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monaliza Macêdo Ferreira
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Keilane Silva Farias
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Maria Zugaib
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Akyla Maria Martins Alves
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Geiseane Velozo Amaral
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Maria Luíza do Carmo Santos
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Andria dos Santos Freitas
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Brenda Conceição Guimarães Santana
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Sérgio Liberato dos Santos Júnior
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Irma Yuliana Mora-Ocampo
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Ariana Silva Santos
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Fernandes da Silva
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Bruno Silva Andrade
- Laboratório de Bioinformática e Química Computacional (LBQC), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), Jequié, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Carlos Priminho Pirovani
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética (CBG), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil
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Guimarães Santana BC, de Almeida Marques DP, Dos Santos Freitas A, Ferreira MM, de Sousa Lopes D, Bagno FF, Guimarães da Fonseca F, Dos Reis JGAC, Oliveira Mendes TAD, Santos JLD, Pirovani CP. Protease inhibitors from Theobroma cacao impair SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15860. [PMID: 37153407 PMCID: PMC10155420 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a newly emerging virus from the Coronaviridae family that has already infected over 700 million people worldwide and killed over 6 million. This virus uses protease molecules to replicate and infect the host, which makes these molecules targets for therapeutic substances to eliminate the virus and treat infected people. Through the protein-protein molecular docking approach, we detected two cystatins from Theobroma cacao, TcCYS3 and TcCYS4, described as papain-like protease inhibitors. These inhibitors decreased SARS-CoV-2 genomic copies without toxicity to Vero cells. There is a need to perform comprehensive studies in relevant animal models and to investigate the action mechanisms of protease inhibitors from Theobroma cacao that control the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daisymara Priscila de Almeida Marques
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Andria Dos Santos Freitas
- Laboratório de Proteômica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | - Monaliza Macêdo Ferreira
- Laboratório de Proteômica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | - Danielle de Sousa Lopes
- Laboratório de Imunobiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | - Flávia Fonseca Bagno
- Centro de Tecnologia de Vacinas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Jordana Grazziela Alves Coelho Dos Reis
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Jane Lima Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Imunobiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | - Carlos Priminho Pirovani
- Laboratório de Proteômica, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
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do Amaral M, Freitas ACO, Santos AS, Dos Santos EC, Ferreira MM, da Silva Gesteira A, Gramacho KP, Marinho-Prado JS, Pirovani CP. TcTI, a Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor from cocoa associated with defense against pathogens. Sci Rep 2022; 12:698. [PMID: 35027639 PMCID: PMC8758671 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04700-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Protease inhibitors (PIs) are important biotechnological tools of interest in agriculture. Usually they are the first proteins to be activated in plant-induced resistance against pathogens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize a Theobroma cacao trypsin inhibitor called TcTI. The ORF has 740 bp encoding a protein with 219 amino acids, molecular weight of approximately 23 kDa. rTcTI was expressed in the soluble fraction of Escherichia coli strain Rosetta [DE3]. The purified His-Tag rTcTI showed inhibitory activity against commercial porcine trypsin. The kinetic model demonstrated that rTcTI is a competitive inhibitor, with a Ki value of 4.08 × 10-7 mol L-1. The thermostability analysis of rTcTI showed that 100% inhibitory activity was retained up to 60 °C and that at 70-80 °C, inhibitory activity remained above 50%. Circular dichroism analysis indicated that the protein is rich in loop structures and β-conformations. Furthermore, in vivo assays against Helicoverpa armigera larvae were also performed with rTcTI in 0.1 mg mL-1 spray solutions on leaf surfaces, which reduced larval growth by 70% compared to the control treatment. Trials with cocoa plants infected with Mp showed a greater accumulation of TcTI in resistant varieties of T. cacao, so this regulation may be associated with different isoforms of TcTI. This inhibitor has biochemical characteristics suitable for biotechnological applications as well as in resistance studies of T. cacao and other crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena do Amaral
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, Km - 16, Ilhéus, BA, CEP 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Ana Camila Oliveira Freitas
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, Km - 16, Ilhéus, BA, CEP 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Ariana Silva Santos
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, Km - 16, Ilhéus, BA, CEP 45662-900, Brazil.
| | - Everton Cruz Dos Santos
- Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20230-130, Brazil
| | - Monaliza Macêdo Ferreira
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, Km - 16, Ilhéus, BA, CEP 45662-900, Brazil
| | | | - Karina Peres Gramacho
- Centro de Pesquisa do Cacau [CEPEC/CEPLAC] Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory, Km 22 Rod. Ilhéus-Itabuna, Ilhéus, Bahia, 45600-970, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos Priminho Pirovani
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, Km - 16, Ilhéus, BA, CEP 45662-900, Brazil
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Moura GTD, Souza AA, Garay AV, Freitas SMD, Valadares NF. Crystal structure and physicochemical characterization of a phytocystatin from Humulus lupulus: Insights into its domain-swapped dimer. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1869:140541. [PMID: 32947025 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2020.140541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phytocystatins are a family of plant cysteine-protease inhibitors of great interest due to their biotechnological application in culture improvement. It was shown that their expression in plants increases resistance to herbivory by insects and improves tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stress factors. In this work, owing to the economical relevance of the source organism, a phytocystatin from hop (Humulus lupulus), Hop1, was produced by heterologous expression in E. coli Lemo21 (DE3) cultivated in auto-inducing ZYM-5052 medium and purified by immobilized metal ion affinity and size exclusion chromatography. Thermal denaturation assays by circular dichroism showed that Hop1 exhibited high melting temperatures ranging from 82 °C to 85 °C and high thermal stability at a wide pH range, with ΔG25's higher than 12 kcal/mol. At 20 °C and pH 7.6, the dimeric conformation of the protein is favored according to size exclusion chromatography and analytical ultracentrifugation data, although monomers and higher order oligomers could still be detected in a lesser extent. The crystal structure of Hop1 was solved in the space groups P 2 21 21 and C 2 2 21 at resolutions of 1.80 Å and 1.68 Å, respectively. In both models, Hop1 is folded as a domain-swapped dimer where the first inhibitory loop undergoes a significant structural change and interacts with their equivalent from the other monomer forming a long antiparallel beta strand, leading to loss of inhibitory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Trajano de Moura
- Laboratório de Biofísica Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Amanda Araújo Souza
- Laboratório de Biofísica Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Aisel Valle Garay
- Laboratório de Biofísica Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Sonia Maria de Freitas
- Laboratório de Biofísica Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Napoleão Fonseca Valadares
- Laboratório de Biofísica Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 70910-900, Brazil.
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Lima AM, Barros NLF, Freitas ACO, Tavares LSC, Pirovani CP, Siqueira AS, Gonçalves EC, de Souza CRB. A new Piper nigrum cysteine proteinase inhibitor, PnCPI, with antifungal activity: molecular cloning, recombinant expression, functional analyses and molecular modeling. PLANTA 2020; 252:16. [PMID: 32661769 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-020-03425-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A new Piper nigrum cysteine proteinase inhibitor, PnCPI, belonging to group I of phytocystatins, with inhibitory activity against papain and growth of Fusarium solani f. sp. piperis, was isolated and characterized. Previous studies (de Souza et al. 2011) have identified a partial cDNA sequence of putative cysteine proteinase inhibitor differentially expressed in roots of black pepper (P. nigrum L.) infected by F. solani f. sp. piperis. Here, we aimed to isolate the full-length cDNA and genomic sequences of the P. nigrum cysteine proteinase inhibitor gene, named PnCPI. Sequence analyses showed that the PnCPI gene encodes a deduced protein of 108 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 12.3 kDa and isoelectric point of 6.51. Besides the LARFAV-like sequence, common to all phytocystatins, PnCPI contains three conserved motifs of the superfamily cystatin: a glycine residue at the N-terminal region, the QxVxG reactive site more centrally positioned, and one tryptophan in the C-terminal region. PnCPI, belonging to group I of phytocystatins, showed high identity with cystatins isolated from several plant species. Sequence analyses also revealed no putative signal peptide at the N-terminal of PnCPI, as well as no introns within the genomic sequence corresponding to the PnCPI coding region. Molecular modeling showed the ability of PnCPI to interact with papain, while its inhibitory activity against this protease was confirmed after heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. The effects of heat treatments on the inhibitory activity of recombinant PnCPI, rPnCPI, were evaluated. In addition, rPnCPI exhibited in vitro activity against F. solani f. sp. piperis, revealing a new cystatin with the potential antifungal application. The identification of PnCPI as a functional cystatin able to inhibit the in vitro growth of F. solani f. sp. piperis indicates other factors contributing to in vivo susceptibility of black pepper to root rot disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Medeiros Lima
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
- Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Tomé-Açu, PA, 68680-000, Brazil
| | - Nicolle Louise Ferreira Barros
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
| | - Ana Camila Oliveira Freitas
- Laboratório de Proteômica, Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Jorge Amado, Km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos Priminho Pirovani
- Laboratório de Proteômica, Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Rodovia Jorge Amado, Km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Andrei Santos Siqueira
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil
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TcCYPR04, a Cacao Papain-Like Cysteine-Protease Detected in Senescent and Necrotic Tissues Interacts with a Cystatin TcCYS4. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144440. [PMID: 26641247 PMCID: PMC4671599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction amongst papain-like cysteine-proteases (PLCP) and their substrates and inhibitors, such as cystatins, can be perceived as part of the molecular battlefield in plant-pathogen interaction. In cacao, four cystatins were identified and characterized by our group. We identified 448 proteases in cacao genome, whereof 134 were cysteine-proteases. We expressed in Escherichia coli a PLCP from cacao, named TcCYSPR04. Immunoblottings with anti-TcCYSPR04 exhibited protein increases during leaf development. Additional isoforms of TcCYSPR04 appeared in senescent leaves and cacao tissues infected by Moniliophthora perniciosa during the transition from the biotrophic to the saprophytic phase. TcCYSPR04 was induced in the apoplastic fluid of Catongo and TSH1188 cacao genotypes, susceptible and resistant to M. perniciosa, respectively, but greater intensity and additional isoforms were observed in TSH1188. The fungal protein MpNEP induced PLCP isoform expression in tobacco leaves, according to the cross reaction with anti-TcCYSPR04. Several protein isoforms were detected at 72 hours after treatment with MpNEP. We captured an active PLCP from cacao tissues, using a recombinant cacao cystatin immobilized in CNBr-Sepharose. Mass spectrometry showed that this protein corresponds to TcCYSPR04. A homology modeling was obtained for both proteins. In order to become active, TcCYSPR04 needs to lose its inhibitory domain. Molecular docking showed the physical-chemical complementarities of the interaction between the cacao enzyme and its inhibitor. We propose that TcCYSPR04 and its interactions with cacao cystatins are involved in the senescence and necrosis events related to witches' broom symptoms. This molecular interaction may be the target for future interventions to control witches' broom disease.
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