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Cayla M, Spanos C, McWilliam K, Waskett E, Rappsilber J, Matthews KR. Differentiation granules, a dynamic regulator of T. brucei development. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2972. [PMID: 38582942 PMCID: PMC10998879 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47309-1] [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: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Adaptation to a change of environment is an essential process for survival, in particular for parasitic organisms exposed to a wide range of hosts. Such adaptations include rapid control of gene expression through the formation of membraneless organelles composed of poly-A RNA and proteins. The African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is exquisitely sensitive to well-defined environmental stimuli that trigger cellular adaptations through differentiation events that characterise its complex life cycle. The parasite has been shown to form stress granules in vitro, and it has been proposed that such a stress response could have been repurposed to enable differentiation and facilitate parasite transmission. Therefore, we explored the composition and positional dynamics of membraneless granules formed in response to starvation stress and during differentiation in the mammalian host between the replicative slender and transmission-adapted stumpy forms. We find that T. brucei differentiation does not reflect the default response to environmental stress. Instead, the developmental response of the parasites involves a specific and programmed hierarchy of membraneless granule assembly, with distinct components and regulation by protein kinases such as TbDYRK, that are required for the parasite to successfully progress through its life cycle development and prepare for transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Cayla
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
| | - Christos Spanos
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kirsty McWilliam
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Eliza Waskett
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Juri Rappsilber
- Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Keith R Matthews
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Roscoe S, Guo Y, Vacratsis PO, Ananvoranich S. Proteomic profile of Toxoplasma gondii stress granules by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Can J Microbiol 2024; 70:32-39. [PMID: 37826860 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2023-0091] [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] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Ribonucleoprotein granules are bio-condensates that form a diverse group of dynamic membrane-less organelles implicated in several cellular functions, including stress response and cellular survival. In Toxoplasma gondii, a type of bio-condensates referred to as stress granules (SGs) are formed prior to the parasites' egress from the host cell and are implicated in the survival and invasion competency of extracellular tachyzoites. We used paraformaldehyde to fix and cross-link SG proteins to allow purification by centrifugation and analysis by mass spectrometry. We profiled protein components of SGs at 10 and 30 min post-egress when parasite's invasion ability is significantly diminished. Thirty-three proteins were identified from 10 min SGs, and additional 43 proteins were identified from 30 min SGs. Notably, common SG components such as proteins with intrinsically disordered domains were not identified. Gene ontology analysis of both 10 and 30 min SGs shows that overall molecular functions of SGs' proteins are ATP-binding, GTP-binding, and GTPase activity. Discernable differences between 10 and 30 min SGs are in the proportions of translation and microtubule-related proteins. Ten-minute SGs have a higher proportion of microtubule-related proteins and a lower proportion of ribosome-related proteins, while a reverse correlation was identified for those of 30 min. It remains to be investigated whether this reverse correlation contributes to the ability of extracellular tachyzoites to reinvade host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Roscoe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B3P4, Canada
| | - Yue Guo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B3P4, Canada
| | - Panayiotis O Vacratsis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B3P4, Canada
| | - Sirinart Ananvoranich
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B3P4, Canada
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Jung DM, Kim KK, Kim EM. Chloromethylisothiazolinone induces ER stress-induced stress granule formation in human keratinocytes. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2023; 27:171-179. [PMID: 37636324 PMCID: PMC10448836 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2023.2250852] [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: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT), a humidifier disinfectant, is known to be toxic to the respiratory system. While the toxic effect of CMIT on the lungs has been widely investigated, its effect on the skin is well unknown. In this study, we examined stress granule (SG) formation to investigate the cytotoxic effects of CMIT on human keratinocytes. We assessed the viability of the cells following CMIT exposure and performed immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoblot analyses to determine SG formation and downstream pathways. The IC50 values in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells after CMIT exposure for 1 and 24 h were 11 and 8 μg/mL, respectively, showing no significant difference. As determined using immunofluorescence microscopy, SG formation was effectively induced after CMIT exposure. Moreover, the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2α (eIF2α), a translation initiation factor, and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase, which plays a role in the ER stress-mediated eIF2α phosphorylation, was confirmed by CMIT exposure. These results suggest that exposure to CMIT can have detrimental effects on the skin, even briefly, by inducing SG formation through ER stress in keratinocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Min Jung
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kee K. Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Mi Kim
- Department of Predictive Toxicology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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Marcelino TDP, Fala AM, da Silva MM, Souza-Melo N, Malvezzi AM, Klippel AH, Zoltner M, Padilla-Mejia N, Kosto S, Field MC, Burle-Caldas GDA, Teixeira SMR, Couñago RM, Massirer KB, Schenkman S. Identification of inhibitors for the transmembrane Trypanosoma cruzi eIF2α kinase relevant for parasite proliferation. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104857. [PMID: 37230387 PMCID: PMC10300260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104857] [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: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The TcK2 protein kinase of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, is structurally similar to the human kinase PERK, which phosphorylates the initiation factor eIF2α and, in turn, inhibits translation initiation. We have previously shown that absence of TcK2 kinase impairs parasite proliferation within mammalian cells, positioning it as a potential target for treatment of Chagas disease. To better understand its role in the parasite, here we initially confirmed the importance of TcK2 in parasite proliferation by generating CRISPR/Cas9 TcK2-null cells, albeit they more efficiently differentiate into infective forms. Proteomics indicates that the TcK2 knockout of proliferative forms expresses proteins including trans-sialidases, normally restricted to infective and nonproliferative trypomastigotes explaining decreased proliferation and better differentiation. TcK2 knockout cells lost phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 and cyclic AMP responsive-like element, recognized to promote growth, likely explaining both decreased proliferation and augmented differentiation. To identify specific inhibitors, a library of 379 kinase inhibitors was screened by differential scanning fluorimetry using a recombinant TcK2 encompassing the kinase domain and selected molecules were tested for kinase inhibition. Only Dasatinib and PF-477736, inhibitors of Src/Abl and ChK1 kinases, showed inhibitory activity with IC50 of 0.2 ± 0.02 mM and 0.8 ± 0.1, respectively. In infected cells Dasatinib inhibited growth of parental amastigotes (IC50 = 0.6 ± 0.2 mM) but not TcK2 of depleted parasites (IC50 > 34 mM) identifying Dasatinib as a potential lead for development of therapeutics for Chagas disease targeting TcK2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago de Paula Marcelino
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Angela Maria Fala
- Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering - CBMEG, Center of Medicinal Chemistry - CQMED, Structural Genomics Consortium - SGC, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Matheus Monteiro da Silva
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Normanda Souza-Melo
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Amaranta Muniz Malvezzi
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Angélica Hollunder Klippel
- Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering - CBMEG, Center of Medicinal Chemistry - CQMED, Structural Genomics Consortium - SGC, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Ciências Biológicas da Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho"-Unesp, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Martin Zoltner
- Drug Discovery and Evaluation Unit, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | | | - Samantha Kosto
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK; Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Rafael Miguez Couñago
- Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering - CBMEG, Center of Medicinal Chemistry - CQMED, Structural Genomics Consortium - SGC, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Katlin Brauer Massirer
- Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering - CBMEG, Center of Medicinal Chemistry - CQMED, Structural Genomics Consortium - SGC, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
| | - Sergio Schenkman
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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Burle-Caldas GDA, Grazielle-Silva V, Faustino LP, Teixeira SMR. CRISPR Genome Editing and the Study of Chagas Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1429:111-125. [PMID: 37486519 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-33325-5_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an illness that affects 6-8 million people worldwide and is responsible for approximately 50,000 deaths per year. Despite intense research efforts on Chagas disease and its causative agent, there is still a lack of effective treatments or strategies for disease control. Although significant progress has been made toward the elucidation of molecular mechanisms involved in host-parasite interactions, particularly immune evasion mechanisms, a deeper understanding of these processes has been hindered by a lack of efficient genetic manipulation protocols. One major challenge is the fact that several parasite virulence factors are encoded by multigene families, which constitute a distinctive feature of the T. cruzi genome. The recent advent of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology represented an enormous breakthrough in the studies involving T. cruzi genetic manipulation compared to previous protocols that are poorly efficient and required a long generation time to develop parasite mutants. Since the first publication of CRISPR gene editing in T. cruzi, in 2014, different groups have used distinct protocols to generated knockout mutants, parasites overexpressing a protein or expressing proteins with sequence tags inserted in the endogenous gene. Importantly, CRISPR gene editing allowed generation of parasite mutants with gene disruption in multi-copy gene families. We described four main strategies used to edit the T. cruzi genome and summarized a large list of studies performed by different groups in the past 7 years that are addressing several mechanisms involved with parasite proliferation, differentiation, and survival strategies within its different hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Viviane Grazielle-Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Chang L, Liu X, Chen J, Liu H, Wang G, Wang G, Liao X, Shen X. Attenuation of Activated eIF2α Signaling by ISRIB Treatment After Spinal Cord Injury Improves Locomotor Function. J Mol Neurosci 2021; 72:585-597. [PMID: 34647267 PMCID: PMC8921087 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-021-01920-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Following spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple signaling cascades are activated instantaneously in the injured segments of the spinal cord to create a complex and pathogenic microenvironment, making it difficult to treat SCI. Nevertheless, the significance of the integrated stress response (ISR) to the series of physiological and pathological changes that occur after SCI remains unclear. Through western blotting (WB), we determined that the autophosphorylation of stress receptors (GCN2, PERK, PKR, and HRI) was enhanced after SCI, leading to increased phosphorylation of eIF2α at Ser51. Strikingly, we found that eIF2α was highly phosphorylated at 1 day post injury (dpi) and that this hypophosphorylation was maintained thereafter in the spinal cord, especially in neurons, which suggests that intervening with eIF2α phosphorylation may be a treatment strategy for SCI. Therefore, we employed the small molecule ISRIB, which inhibits eIF2α phosphorylation when the ISR is activated at moderate or low levels but not when the ISR is highly activated. Daily intraperitoneal injection of ISRIB significantly inhibited ISR signaling after SCI, reduced the cytosolic localization of RNA-binding proteins, and decreased neuronal apoptosis. Histological and functional experiments further demonstrated that treatment with ISRIB after SCI effectively curbed morphological deterioration and promoted the recovery of locomotor function. In summary, the ISR plays an important role in SCI, and ISRIB is a promising drug for the treatment of SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), No.61, West Jiefang Road, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Xiangyang Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), No.61, West Jiefang Road, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, China
| | - Hongzhe Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), No.61, West Jiefang Road, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Guoping Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), No.61, West Jiefang Road, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Guohua Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), No.61, West Jiefang Road, Changsha, 410005, China
| | - Xiaoyun Liao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha, China
| | - Xiongjie Shen
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), No.61, West Jiefang Road, Changsha, 410005, China.
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Zhang S, Shen J, Li D, Cheng Y. Strategies in the delivery of Cas9 ribonucleoprotein for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Theranostics 2021; 11:614-648. [PMID: 33391496 PMCID: PMC7738854 DOI: 10.7150/thno.47007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has gained rapidly increasing attentions in recent years, however, the translation of this biotechnology into therapy has been hindered by efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 materials into target cells. Direct delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 system as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex consisting of Cas9 protein and single guide RNA (sgRNA) has emerged as a powerful and widespread method for genome editing due to its advantages of transient genome editing and reduced off-target effects. In this review, we summarized the current Cas9 RNP delivery systems including physical approaches and synthetic carriers. The mechanisms and beneficial roles of these strategies in intracellular Cas9 RNP delivery were reviewed. Examples in the development of stimuli-responsive and targeted carriers for RNP delivery are highlighted. Finally, the challenges of current Cas9 RNP delivery systems and perspectives in rational design of next generation materials for this promising field will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhang
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jiangtao Shen
- The Second People's Hospital of Taizhou affiliated to Yangzhou University, Taizhou, 225500, China
| | - Dali Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yiyun Cheng
- South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Molecular Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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Maldonado E, Rojas DA, Morales S, Miralles V, Solari A. Dual and Opposite Roles of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in Chagas Disease: Beneficial on the Pathogen and Harmful on the Host. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2020; 2020:8867701. [PMID: 33376582 PMCID: PMC7746463 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8867701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease, which affects an estimate of 6-7 million people worldwide. Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, which is a eukaryotic flagellate unicellular organism. At the primary infection sites, these parasites are phagocytized by macrophages, which produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to the infection with T. cruzi. The ROS produce damage to the host tissues; however, macrophage-produced ROS is also used as a signal for T. cruzi proliferation. At the later stages of infection, mitochondrial ROS is produced by the infected cardiomyocytes that contribute to the oxidative damage, which persists at the chronic stage of the disease. The oxidative damage leads to a functional impairment of the heart. In this review article, we will discuss the mechanisms by which T. cruzi is able to deal with the oxidative stress and how this helps the parasite growth at the acute phase of infection and how the oxidative stress affects the cardiomyopathy at the chronic stage of the Chagas disease. We will describe the mechanisms used by the parasite to deal with ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) through the trypanothione and the mechanisms used to repair the damaged DNA. Also, a description of the events produced by ROS at the acute and chronic stages of the disease is presented. Lastly, we discuss the benefits of ROS for T. cruzi growth and proliferation and the possible mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. Hypothesis is put forward to explain the molecular mechanisms by which ROS triggers parasite growth and proliferation and how ROS is able to produce a long persisting damage on cardiomyocytes even in the absence of the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edio Maldonado
- Programa Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Diego A. Rojas
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastian Morales
- Programa Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vicente Miralles
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Aldo Solari
- Programa Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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