1
|
González-Blanco G, García-Rivera G, Talmás-Rohana P, Orozco E, Galindo-Rosales JM, Vélez C, Salucedo-Cárdenas O, Azuara-Liceaga E, Rodríguez-Rodríguez MA, Nozaki T, Valdés J. An Unusual U2AF2 Inhibits Splicing and Attenuates the Virulence of the Human Protozoan Parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:888428. [PMID: 35782149 PMCID: PMC9247205 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.888428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
E. histolytica is the etiological agent of intestinal amebiasis and liver abscesses, which still poses public health threat globally. Metronidazole is the drug of choice against amebiasis. However, metronidazole-resistant amoebic clinical isolates and strains have been reported recently, challenging the efforts for amebiasis eradication. In search of alternative treatments, E. histolytica transcriptomes have shown the association of genes involved in RNA metabolism with the virulence of the parasite. Among the upregulated genes in amoebic liver abscesses are the splicing factors EhU2AF2 and a paralog of EhSF3B1. For this reason and because EhU2AF2 contains unusual KH-QUA2 (84KQ) motifs in its lengthened C-terminus domain, here we investigated how the role of EhU2AF2 in pre-mRNA processing impacts the virulence of the parasite. We found that 84KQ is involved in splicing inhibition/intron retention of several virulence and non-virulence-related genes. The 84KQ domain interacts with the same domain of the constitutive splicing factor SF1 (SF1KQ), both in solution and when SF1KQ is bound to branchpoint signal RNA probes. The 84KQ–SF1KQ interaction prevents splicing complex E to A transition, thus inhibiting splicing. Surprisingly, the deletion of the 84KQ domain in EhU2AF2 amoeba transformants increased splicing and enhanced the in vitro and in vivo virulence phenotypes. We conclude that the interaction of the 84KQ and SF1KQ domains, probably involving additional factors, tunes down Entamoeba virulence by favoring intron retention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gretter González-Blanco
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - Guillermina García-Rivera
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - Patricia Talmás-Rohana
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - Ester Orozco
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - José Manuel Galindo-Rosales
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - Cristina Vélez
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - Odila Salucedo-Cárdenas
- Departamento de Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico
| | - Elisa Azuara-Liceaga
- Posgrado en Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
| | - Mario Alberto Rodríguez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
| | - Tomoyoshi Nozaki
- Laboratory of Biomedical Chemistry, Department of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jesús Valdés
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), CDMX, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Jesús Valdés,
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Torres-Cifuentes DM, Galindo-Rosales JM, Saucedo-Cárdenas O, Valdés J. The Entamoeba histolytica Syf1 Homolog Is Involved in the Splicing of AG-Dependent and AG-Independent Transcripts. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:229. [PMID: 30038900 PMCID: PMC6046404 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Syf1 is a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) protein implicated in transcription elongation, spliceosome conformation, mRNA nuclear-cytoplasmic export and transcription-coupled DNA repair. Recently, we identified the spliceosomal components of the human parasite Entamoeba histolytica, among them is EhSyf. Molecular predictions confirmed that EhSyf contains 15 type 1 TPR tandem α-antiparallel array motifs. Amoeba transformants carrying plasmids overexpressing HA-tagged or EhSyf silencing plasmids were established to monitor the impact of EhSyf on the splicing of several test Entamoeba transcripts. EhSyf Entamoeba transformants efficiently silenced or overexpressed the proteins in the nucleus. The overexpression or absence of EhSyf notably enhanced or blocked splicing of transcripts irrespective of the strength of their 3′ splice site. Finally, the absence of EhSyf negatively affected the transcription of an intron-less transcript. Altogether our data suggest that EhSyf is a bona fide Syf1 ortholog involved in transcription and splicing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Diana M Torres-Cifuentes
- RNA Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José M Galindo-Rosales
- RNA Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Odila Saucedo-Cárdenas
- Departamento de Histología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Mexico.,División de Genética, Centro de Investigación Biomédica del Noreste, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico
| | - Jesús Valdés
- RNA Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Valdés-Flores J, López-Rosas I, López-Camarillo C, Ramírez-Moreno E, Ospina-Villa JD, Marchat LA. Life and Death of mRNA Molecules in Entamoeba histolytica. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:199. [PMID: 29971219 PMCID: PMC6018208 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, the life cycle of mRNA molecules is modulated in response to environmental signals and cell-cell communication in order to support cellular homeostasis. Capping, splicing and polyadenylation in the nucleus lead to the formation of transcripts that are suitable for translation in cytoplasm, until mRNA decay occurs in P-bodies. Although pre-mRNA processing and degradation mechanisms have usually been studied separately, they occur simultaneously and in a coordinated manner through protein-protein interactions, maintaining the integrity of gene expression. In the past few years, the availability of the genome sequence of Entamoeba histolytica, the protozoan parasite responsible for human amoebiasis, coupled to the development of the so-called “omics” technologies provided new opportunities for the study of mRNA processing and turnover in this pathogen. Here, we review the current knowledge about the molecular basis for splicing, 3′ end formation and mRNA degradation in amoeba, which suggest the conservation of events related to mRNA life throughout evolution. We also present the functional characterization of some key proteins and describe some interactions that indicate the relevance of cooperative regulatory events for gene expression in this human parasite.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Valdés-Flores
- Departamento de Bioquímica, CINVESTAV, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Itzel López-Rosas
- CONACyT Research Fellow - Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Campeche, Campeche, Mexico
| | - César López-Camarillo
- Posgrado en Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Esther Ramírez-Moreno
- Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan D Ospina-Villa
- Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Laurence A Marchat
- Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lozano-Amado D, Herrera-Solorio AM, Valdés J, Alemán-Lazarini L, Almaraz-Barrera MDJ, Luna-Rivera E, Vargas M, Hernández-Rivas R. Identification of repressive and active epigenetic marks and nuclear bodies in Entamoeba histolytica. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:19. [PMID: 26767976 PMCID: PMC4712492 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1298-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In human hosts, Entamoeba histolytica cysts can develop into trophozoites, suggesting that the life cycle of this parasite are regulated by changes in gene expression. To date, some evidence has suggested that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification are involved in the regulation of gene expression in Entamoeba. Some post–translational modifications (PTMs) at the N-terminus of E. histolytica’s histones have been reported experimentally, including tri-methylation in the lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3) and dimethylation in the lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me2), dimethylation of arginine 3 (H4R3me2) and the indirect acetylation of histone H4 in the N-terminal region. However, it is not known which residues of histone H4 are subject to acetylation and/or methylation or where in the nucleus these epigenetic marks are located. Methods Histones from trophozoites of E. histolytica were obtained and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. WB assays were performed using antibodies against epigenetic marks (acetylated lysines and methylated arginines). Immunofluorescence assays (IFA) were carried out to determine the distribution of PTMs and the localization of DNA methylation as a heterochromatin marker. Nuclear bodies such as the nucleolus were identified by using antibodies against fibrillarin and nucleolin and speckles by using anti-PRP6 antibody. Results Some new PTMs in histone H4 of E. histolytica, such as the acetylation of lysines 5, 8, 12 and 16 and the monomethylation of arginine 3, were identified by WB. IFA demonstrated that some marks are associated with transcriptional activity (such as acetylation and/or methylation) and that these marks are distributed throughout the E. histolytica nucleus. Staining with antibodies against anti-pan-acetylated lysine H4 histone and 5-methyl cytosine showed that the activation and transcriptional repression marks converge. Additionally, two nuclear bodies, the nucleolus and speckles, were identified in this parasite. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence that the nucleus of E. histolytica is not compartmentalized and contains two nuclear bodies, the nucleolus and speckles, the latter of which was not identified previously. The challenge is now to understand how these epigenetic marks and nuclear bodies work together to regulate gene expression in E. histolytica. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1298-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Lozano-Amado
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Abril Marcela Herrera-Solorio
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Jesús Valdés
- Biochemistry Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Leticia Alemán-Lazarini
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Ma de Jesús Almaraz-Barrera
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Eva Luna-Rivera
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Miguel Vargas
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| | - Rosaura Hernández-Rivas
- Molecular Biomedicine Department, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional # 2508, Apartado postal 14-740,, 07360, D. F. Mexico, México.
| |
Collapse
|