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Li X, Weth O, Haimann M, Möscheid MF, Huber TS, Grevelding CG. Rhodopsin orphan GPCR20 interacts with neuropeptides and directs growth, sexual differentiation, and egg production in female Schistosoma mansoni. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0219323. [PMID: 38047698 PMCID: PMC10783048 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02193-23] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Schistosomes cause schistosomiasis, one of the neglected tropical diseases as defined by the WHO. For decades, the treatment of schistosomiasis relies on a single drug, praziquantel. Due to its wide use, there is justified fear of resistance against this drug, and a vaccine is not available. Besides its biological relevance in signal transduction processes, the class of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is also well suited for drug design. Against this background, we characterized one GPCR of Schistosoma mansoni, SmGPCR20, at the molecular and functional level. We identified two potential neuropeptides (NPPs) as ligands, SmNPP26 and SmNPP40, and unraveled their roles, in combination with SmGPCR20, in neuronal processes controlling egg production, oogenesis, and growth of S. mansoni females. Since eggs are closely associated with the pathogenesis of schistosomiasis, our results contribute to the understanding of processes leading to egg production in schistosomes, which is under the control of pairing in this exceptional parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Li
- Institute for Parasitology, BFS, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Oliver Weth
- Institute for Parasitology, BFS, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Martin Haimann
- Institute for Parasitology, BFS, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Max F. Möscheid
- Institute for Parasitology, BFS, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Theresa S. Huber
- Institute for Parasitology, BFS, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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Yang WB, Luo F, Zhang W, Sun CS, Tan C, Zhou A, Hu W. Inhibition of signal peptidase complex expression affects the development and survival of Schistosoma japonicum. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1136056. [PMID: 36936776 PMCID: PMC10020623 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1136056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Schistosomiasis, the second most neglected tropical disease defined by the WHO, is a significant zoonotic parasitic disease infecting approximately 250 million people globally. This debilitating disease has seriously threatened public health, while only one drug, praziquantel, is used to control it. Because of this, it highlights the significance of identifying more satisfactory target genes for drug development. Protein translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is vital to the subsequent localization of secretory and transmembrane proteins. The signal peptidase complex (SPC) is an essential component of the translocation machinery and functions to cleave the signal peptide sequence (SP) of secretory and membrane proteins entering the ER. Inhibiting the expression of SPC can lead to the abolishment or weaker cleavage of the signal peptide, and the accumulation of uncleaved protein in the ER would affect the survival of organisms. Despite the evident importance of SPC, in vivo studies exploring its function have yet to be reported in S. japonicum. Methods The S. japonicum SPC consists of four proteins: SPC12, SPC18, SPC22 and SPC25. RNA interference was used to investigate the impact of SPC components on schistosome growth and development in vivo. qPCR and in situ hybridization were applied to localize the SPC25 expression. Mayer's carmalum and Fast Blue B staining were used to observe morphological changes in the reproductive organs of dsRNA-treated worms. The effect of inhibitor treatment on the worm's viability and pairing was also examined in vitro. Results Our results showed that RNAi-SPC delayed the worm's normal development and was even lethal for schistosomula in vivo. Among them, the expression of SPC25 was significantly higher in the developmental stages of the reproductive organs in schistosomes. Moreover, SPC25 possessed high expression in the worm tegument, testes of male worms and the ovaries and vitellarium of female worms. The SPC25 knockdown led to the degeneration of reproductive organs, such as the ovaries and vitellarium of female worms. The SPC25 exhaustion also reduced egg production while reducing the pathological damage of the eggs to the host. Additionally, the SPC-related inhibitor AEBSF or suppressing the expression of SPC25 also impacted cultured worms' pairing and viability in vitro. Conclusions These data demonstrate that SPC is necessary to maintain the development and reproduction of S. japonicum. This research provides a promising anti-schistosomiasis drug target and discovers a new perspective on preventing worm fecundity and maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Bin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Fang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng-Song Sun
- Central Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Anhui, China
| | - Cong Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - An Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
- *Correspondence: Wei Hu,
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