1
|
Narooka AR, Apte A, Yadav P, Murillo JR, Goto-Silva L, Junqueira M, Datta S. EhRho6 mediated actin degradation in Entamoeba histolytica is associated with compromised pathogenicity. Mol Microbiol 2022; 117:1121-1137. [PMID: 35324049 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica causes amoebiasis which is a major health concern in developing countries. E. histolytica pathogenicity has been implicated to a large repertoire of small GTPases which switch between the inactive GDP bound state and the active GTP bound state with the help of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating protein (GAPs). Rho family of small GTPases are well known to modulate the actin cytoskeletal dynamics which plays a major role in E. histolytica pathogenicity. Here we report an atypical amoebic RhoGEF, and its preferred substrate EhRho6, which, upon overexpression abrogated the pathogenic behavior of the amoeba such as adhesion to host cell, monolayer destruction, erythrophagocytosis, and formation of actin dots. A causative immunoblot analysis revealed actin degradation in the EhRho6 overexpressing trophozoites that could be inhibited by blocking the amoebic proteasomal pathway. A careful analysis of the results from a previously published transcriptomics study, in conjunction with our observations, led to the identification of a clade of Rho GTPases in this pathogenic amoeba which we hypothesize to have implications during the amoebic encystation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anil Raj Narooka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, India
| | - Achala Apte
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, India
| | - Pooja Yadav
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, India
| | - Jimmy Rodriguez Murillo
- Division of Chemistry I, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Livia Goto-Silva
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rua Diniz Cordeiro, 30 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Magno Junqueira
- Laboratório de Espectrometria de Massa Biológica - LEMB, do Departamento de Bioquímica do Instituto de Química UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Sunando Datta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Umarao P, Rath PP, Gourinath S. Cdc42/Rac Interactive Binding Containing Effector Proteins in Unicellular Protozoans With Reference to Human Host: Locks of the Rho Signaling. Front Genet 2022; 13:781885. [PMID: 35186026 PMCID: PMC8847673 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.781885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Small GTPases are the key to actin cytoskeleton signaling, which opens the lock of effector proteins to forward the signal downstream in several cellular pathways. Actin cytoskeleton assembly is associated with cell polarity, adhesion, movement and other functions in eukaryotic cells. Rho proteins, specifically Cdc42 and Rac, are the primary regulators of actin cytoskeleton dynamics in higher and lower eukaryotes. Effector proteins, present in an inactive state gets activated after binding to the GTP bound Cdc42/Rac to relay a signal downstream. Cdc42/Rac interactive binding (CRIB) motif is an essential conserved sequence found in effector proteins to interact with Cdc42 or Rac. A diverse range of Cdc42/Rac and their effector proteins have evolved from lower to higher eukaryotes. The present study has identified and further classified CRIB containing effector proteins in lower eukaryotes, focusing on parasitic protozoans causing neglected tropical diseases and taking human proteins as a reference point to the highest evolved organism in the evolutionary trait. Lower eukaryotes’ CRIB containing proteins fall into conventional effector molecules, PAKs (p21 activated kinase), Wiskoit-Aldrich Syndrome proteins family, and some have unique domain combinations unlike any known proteins. We also highlight the correlation between the effector protein isoforms and their selective specificity for Cdc42 or Rac proteins during evolution. Here, we report CRIB containing effector proteins; ten in Dictyostelium and Entamoeba, fourteen in Acanthamoeba, one in Trypanosoma and Giardia. CRIB containing effector proteins that have been studied so far in humans are potential candidates for drug targets in cancer, neurological disorders, and others. Conventional CRIB containing proteins from protozoan parasites remain largely elusive and our data provides their identification and classification for further in-depth functional validations. The tropical diseases caused by protozoan parasites lack combinatorial drug targets as effective paradigms. Targeting signaling mechanisms operative in these pathogens can provide greater molecules in combatting their infections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Umarao
- Structural Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Pragyan Parimita Rath
- Structural Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Samudrala Gourinath
- Structural Biology Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Stryiński R, Łopieńska-Biernat E, Carrera M. Proteomic Insights into the Biology of the Most Important Foodborne Parasites in Europe. Foods 2020; 9:E1403. [PMID: 33022912 PMCID: PMC7601233 DOI: 10.3390/foods9101403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Foodborne parasitoses compared with bacterial and viral-caused diseases seem to be neglected, and their unrecognition is a serious issue. Parasitic diseases transmitted by food are currently becoming more common. Constantly changing eating habits, new culinary trends, and easier access to food make foodborne parasites' transmission effortless, and the increase in the diagnosis of foodborne parasitic diseases in noted worldwide. This work presents the applications of numerous proteomic methods into the studies on foodborne parasites and their possible use in targeted diagnostics. Potential directions for the future are also provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Stryiński
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland;
| | - Elżbieta Łopieńska-Biernat
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland;
| | - Mónica Carrera
- Department of Food Technology, Marine Research Institute (IIM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 36-208 Vigo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Luna-Nácar M, Navarrete-Perea J, Moguel B, Bobes RJ, Laclette JP, Carrero JC. Proteomic Study of Entamoeba histolytica Trophozoites, Cysts, and Cyst-Like Structures. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0156018. [PMID: 27228164 PMCID: PMC4882050 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [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: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The cyst stage of Entamoeba histolytica is a promising therapeutic target against human amoebiasis. Our research team previously reported the production in vitro of Cyst-Like Structures (CLS) sharing structural features with cysts, including rounded shape, size reduction, multinucleation, and the formation of a chitin wall coupled to the overexpression of glucosamine 6-phosphate isomerase, the rate-limiting enzyme of the chitin synthesis pathway. A proteomic study of E. histolytica trophozoites, cysts, and in vitro-produced CLS is reported herein to determine the nature of CLS, widen our knowledge on the cyst stage, and identify possible proteins and pathways involved in the encystment process. Total protein extracts were obtained from E. histolytica trophozoites, CLS, and partially purified cysts recovered from the feces of amoebic human patients; extracts were trypsin-digested and analyzed by LC-MS/MS. In total, 1029 proteins were identified in trophozoites, 550 in CLS, and 411 in cysts, with 539, 299, and 84 proteins unique to each sample, respectively, and only 74 proteins shared by all three stages. About 70% of CLS proteins were shared with trophozoites, even though differences were observed in the relative protein abundance. While trophozoites showed a greater abundance of proteins associated to a metabolically active cell, CLS showed higher expression of proteins related to proteolysis, redox homeostasis, and stress response. In addition, the expression of genes encoding for the cyst wall proteins Jessie and Jacob was detected by RT-PCR and the Jacob protein identified by Western blotting and immunofluorescence in CLS. However, the proteomic profile of cysts as determined by LC-MS/MS was very dissimilar to that of trophozoites and CLS, with almost 40% of hypothetical proteins. Our global results suggest that CLS are more alike to trophozoites than to cysts, and they could be generated as a rapid survival response of trophozoites to a stressful condition, which allows the parasite to survive temporarily inside a chitin-like resistant cover containing Jacob protein. Our findings lead us to suggest that encystment and CLS formation could be distinct stress responses. In addition, we show that cysts express a high number of genes with unknown function, including four new, highly antigenic, possibly membrane-located proteins that could be targets of therapeutic and diagnostic usefulness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Milka Luna-Nácar
- Department of Immunology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México D.F., México
| | - José Navarrete-Perea
- Department of Immunology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México D.F., México
| | - Bárbara Moguel
- Department of Immunology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México D.F., México
| | - Raúl J. Bobes
- Department of Immunology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México D.F., México
| | - Juan P. Laclette
- Department of Immunology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México D.F., México
| | - Julio C. Carrero
- Department of Immunology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Tercer Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, México D.F., México
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Muñoz C, San Francisco J, Gutiérrez B, González J. Role of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Systems in the Biology and Virulence of Protozoan Parasites. Biomed Res Int 2015; 2015:141526. [PMID: 26090380 DOI: 10.1155/2015/141526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, proteasomes perform crucial roles in many cellular pathways by degrading proteins to enforce quality control and regulate many cellular processes such as cell cycle progression, signal transduction, cell death, immune responses, metabolism, protein-quality control, and development. The catalytic heart of these complexes, the 20S proteasome, is highly conserved in bacteria, yeast, and humans. However, until a few years ago, the role of proteasomes in parasite biology was completely unknown. Here, we summarize findings about the role of proteasomes in protozoan parasites biology and virulence. Several reports have confirmed the role of proteasomes in parasite biological processes such as cell differentiation, cell cycle, proliferation, and encystation. Proliferation and cell differentiation are key steps in host colonization. Considering the importance of proteasomes in both processes in many different parasites such as Trypanosoma, Leishmania, Toxoplasma, and Entamoeba, parasite proteasomes might serve as virulence factors. Several pieces of evidence strongly suggest that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is also a viable parasitic therapeutic target. Research in recent years has shown that the proteasome is a valid drug target for sleeping sickness and malaria. Then, proteasomes are a key organelle in parasite biology and virulence and appear to be an attractive new chemotherapeutic target.
Collapse
|
6
|
Reyes-López M, Piña-Vázquez C, Serrano-Luna J. Transferrin: Endocytosis and Cell Signaling in Parasitic Protozoa. Biomed Res Int 2015; 2015:641392. [PMID: 26090431 DOI: 10.1155/2015/641392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Iron is the fourth most abundant element on Earth and the most abundant metal in the human body. This element is crucial for life because almost all organisms need iron for several biological activities. This is the case with pathogenic organisms, which are at the vanguard in the battle with the human host for iron. The latest regulates Fe concentration through several iron-containing proteins, such as transferrin. The transferrin receptor transports iron to each cell that needs it and maintains it away from pathogens. Parasites have developed several strategies to obtain iron as the expression of specific transferrin receptors localized on plasma membrane, internalized through endocytosis. Signal transduction pathways related to the activation of the receptor have functional importance in proliferation. The study of transferrin receptors and other proteins with action in the signaling networks is important because these proteins could be used as therapeutic targets due to their specificity or to differences with the human counterpart. In this work, we describe proteins that participate in signal transduction processes, especially those that involve transferrin endocytosis, and we compare these processes with those found in T. brucei, T. cruzi, Leishmania spp., and E. histolytica parasites.
Collapse
|
7
|
Caumo KS, Monteiro KM, Ott TR, Maschio VJ, Wagner G, Ferreira HB, Rott MB. Proteomic profiling of the infective trophozoite stage of Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Acta Trop 2014; 140:166-72. [PMID: 25149354 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2014.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Acanthamoeba polyphaga is a free-living protozoan pathogen, whose infective trophozoite form is capable of causing a blinding keratitis and fatal granulomatous encephalitis in humans. The damage caused by A. polyphaga trophozoites in human corneal or brain infections is the result of several different pathogenic mechanisms that have not yet been elucidated at the molecular level. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the proteins expressed by A. polyphaga trophozoites, based on complementary 2-DE MS/MS and gel-free LC-MS/MS approaches. Overall, 202 non-redundant proteins were identified. An A. polyphaga proteomic map in the pH range 3-10 was produced, with protein identification for 184 of 370 resolved spots, corresponding to 142 proteins. Additionally, 94 proteins were identified by gel-free LC-MS/MS. Functional classification revealed several proteins with potential importance for pathogen survival and infection of mammalian hosts, including surface proteins and proteins related to defense mechanisms. Our study provided the first comprehensive proteomic survey of the trophozoite infective stage of an Acanthamoeba species, and established foundations for prospective, comparative and functional studies of proteins involved in mechanisms of survival, development, and pathogenicity in A. polyphaga and other pathogenic amoebae.
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Amoebiasis is a serious infectious disease that is caused by the unicellular parasite, Entamoeba histolytica. This parasite is mainly found in developing countries, and are named owing to its ability to destroy tissues. The molecular mechanisms that regulate the virulence of this parasite are not well understood. In recent years, an increasing interest in the epigenetic regulation of the parasite's virulence has emerged. In this article, an overview of our current knowledge about the role of DNA methylation, histone modifications and RNA-associated silencing in the biology of E. histolytica is provided. The relevance of some features of the parasite's unique epigenetic machinery to the development of new antiamoebic therapeutic molecules is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayala Tovy
- Department of Microbiology, Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology & the Rappaport Institute, Haifa, Israel
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
González E, de Leon Mdel C, Meza I, Ocadiz-Delgado R, Gariglio P, Silva-Olivares A, Galindo-Gómez S, Shibayama M, Morán P, Valadez A, Limón A, Rojas L, Hernández EG, Cerritos R, Ximenez C. Entamoeba histolytica calreticulin: an endoplasmic reticulum protein expressed by trophozoites into experimentally induced amoebic liver abscesses. Parasitol Res 2011; 108:439-49. [PMID: 20922421 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-010-2085-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Accepted: 09/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica calreticulin (EhCRT) is remarkably immunogenic in humans (90-100% of invasive amoebiasis patients). Nevertheless, the study of calreticulin in this protozoan is still in its early stages. The exact location, biological functions, and its role in pathogenesis are yet to be fully understood. The aim of the present work is to determine the location of EhCRT in virulent trophozoites in vivo and the expression of the Ehcrt gene during the development of experimentally induced amoebic liver abscesses (ALA) in hamsters. Antibodies against recombinant EhCRT were used for the immunolocalization of EhCRT in trophozoites through confocal microscopy; immunohistochemical assays were also performed on tissue sections of ALAs at different times after intrahepatic inoculation. The expression of the Ehcrt gene during the development of ALA was estimated through both in situ RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR. Confocal assays of virulent trophozoites showed a distribution of EhCRT in the cytoplasmic vesicles of different sizes. Apparently, EhCRT is not exported into the hepatic tissue. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated an over-expression of the Ehcrt gene at 30 min after trophozoite inoculation, reaching a peak at 1-2 h; thereafter, the expression fell sharply to its original levels. These results demonstrate for the first time in an in vivo model of ALA, the expression of Ehcrt gene in E. histolytica trophozoites and add evidence that support CRT as a resident protein of the ER in E. histolytica species. The in vivo experiments suggest that CRT may play an important role during the early stages of the host-parasite relationship, when the parasite is adapting to a new environment, although the protein seems to be constitutively synthesized. Moreover, trophozoites apparently do not export EhCRT into the hepatic tissue in ALA.
Collapse
|
10
|
Carpentieri A, Ratner DM, Ghosh SK, Banerjee S, Bushkin GG, Cui J, Lubrano M, Steffen M, Costello CE, O'Keefe B, Robbins PW, Samuelson J. The antiretroviral lectin cyanovirin-N targets well-known and novel targets on the surface of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites. Eukaryot Cell 2010; 9:1661-8. [PMID: 20852023 DOI: 10.1128/EC.00166-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica, the protist that causes amebic dysentery and liver abscess, has a truncated Asn-linked glycan (N-glycan) precursor composed of seven sugars (Man(5)GlcNAc(2)). Here, we show that glycoproteins with unmodified N-glycans are aggregated and capped on the surface of E. histolytica trophozoites by the antiretroviral lectin cyanovirin-N and then replenished from large intracellular pools. Cyanovirin-N cocaps the Gal/GalNAc adherence lectin, as well as glycoproteins containing O-phosphodiester-linked glycans recognized by an anti-proteophosphoglycan monoclonal antibody. Cyanovirin-N inhibits phagocytosis by E. histolytica trophozoites of mucin-coated beads, a surrogate assay for amebic virulence. For technical reasons, we used the plant lectin concanavalin A rather than cyanovirin-N to enrich secreted and membrane proteins for mass spectrometric identification. E. histolytica glycoproteins with occupied N-glycan sites include Gal/GalNAc lectins, proteases, and 17 previously hypothetical proteins. The latter glycoproteins, as well as 50 previously hypothetical proteins enriched by concanavalin A, may be vaccine targets as they are abundant and unique. In summary, the antiretroviral lectin cyanovirin-N binds to well-known and novel targets on the surface of E. histolytica that are rapidly replenished from large intracellular pools.
Collapse
|