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Fonseca ML, Ramírez-Pinzón MA, McNeil KN, Guevara M, Gómez-Gutiérrez LM, Harter K, Mongui A, Stevenson PR. Dietary preferences and feeding strategies of Colombian highland woolly monkeys. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14364. [PMID: 35999220 PMCID: PMC9399098 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17655-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Primates are very selective in the foods they include in their diets with foraging strategies that respond to spatial and temporal changes in resource availability, distribution and quality. Colombian woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha lugens), one of the largest primate species in the Americas, feed mainly on fruits, but they also eat a high percentage of arthropods. This differs from closely related Atelid species that supplement their diet with leaves. In an 11 month study, we investigated the foraging strategies of this endemic monkey and assessed how resource availability affects dietary selection. Using behavioural, phenological, arthropod sampling and metabarcoding methods, we recorded respectively foraging time, forest productivity, arthropod availability in the forest and arthropod consumption. Scat samples and capturing canopy substrates (i.e. moss, bromeliads, aerial insects) were used for assigning arthropod taxonomy. The most important resource in the diet was fruits (54%), followed by arthropods (28%). Resource availability predicted feeding time for arthropods but not for fruits. Further, there was a positive relationship between feeding time on fruits and arthropods, suggesting that eating both resources during the same periods might work as an optimal strategy to maximize nutrient intake. Woolly monkeys preferred and avoided some fruit and arthropod items available in their home range, choosing a wide variety of arthropods. Geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) were the most important and consistent insects eaten over time. We found no differences in the type of arthropods adults and juveniles ate, but adults invested more time foraging for this resource, especially in moss. Although woolly monkeys are generalist foragers, they do not select their food items randomly or opportunistically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel L Fonseca
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología (LEBTYP), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. .,Comparative Zoology, Institut für Evolution und Ökologie (EvE), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Marcela A Ramírez-Pinzón
- Laboratorio de Zoología y Ecología Acuática (LAZOEA), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Kaylie N McNeil
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Michelle Guevara
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Laura M Gómez-Gutiérrez
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología (LEBTYP), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Klaus Harter
- Zentrum für Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alvaro Mongui
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Pablo R Stevenson
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología (LEBTYP), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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Peláez EC, Estevez MC, Mongui A, Menéndez MC, Toro C, Herrera-Sandoval OL, Robledo J, García MJ, Portillo PD, Lechuga LM. Detection and Quantification of HspX Antigen in Sputum Samples Using Plasmonic Biosensing: Toward a Real Point-of-Care (POC) for Tuberculosis Diagnosis. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:1110-1120. [PMID: 32233503 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Advancements that occurred during the last years in the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis infection, have prompted increased survival rates of patients. However, limitations related to the inefficiency of an early detection still remain; some techniques and laboratory methods do not have enough specificity and most instruments are expensive and require handling by trained staff. In order to contribute to a prompt and effective diagnosis of tuberculosis, we report the development of a portable, user-friendly, and low-cost biosensor device for its early detection. By using a label-free surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor, we have established a direct immunoassay for the direct detection and quantification of the heat shock protein X (HspX) of Mtb, a well-established biomarker of this pathogen, directly in pretreated sputum samples. The method relies on highly specific monoclonal antibodies that are previously immobilized on the plasmonic sensor surface. This technology allows for the direct detection of the biomarker without amplification steps, showing a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.63 ng mL-1 and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 2.12 ng mL-1. The direct analysis in pretreated sputum shows significant differences in the HspX concentration in patients with tuberculosis (with concentration levels in the order of 116-175 ng mL-1) compared with non-tuberculosis infected patients (values below the LOQ of the assay).
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Affiliation(s)
- Enelia Cristina Peláez
- Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group (NanoB2A), Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC, CIBER-BBN and BIST, Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico de la Industria Electro Electrónica y TIC (CIDEI), Calle 45a BIS # 19-09 Floor 2, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
- Corporación CorpoGen, Departamento Biotecnología Molecular, Carrera 4 # 20-41, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
- Research Cluster on Converging Sciences and Technology (NBIC), Universidad Central, Calle 21 #4-40, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
| | - Maria Carmen Estevez
- Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group (NanoB2A), Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC, CIBER-BBN and BIST, Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Mongui
- Corporación CorpoGen, Departamento Biotecnología Molecular, Carrera 4 # 20-41, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
| | - M-Carmen Menéndez
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Salud Pública y Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, St Arzobispo Morcillo s/n, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Toro
- Department of Microbiology, La Paz University Hospital, IdiPaz, St/Paseo de la Castellana 261, 28046 Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar L. Herrera-Sandoval
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico de la Industria Electro Electrónica y TIC (CIDEI), Calle 45a BIS # 19-09 Floor 2, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
- Research Cluster on Converging Sciences and Technology (NBIC), Universidad Central, Calle 21 #4-40, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
| | - Jaime Robledo
- Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Laboratorio de Micobacterias, Carrera 72A 78B-141, 050034 Medellín, Colombia
| | - Maria J. García
- Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, Salud Pública y Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, St Arzobispo Morcillo s/n, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Del Portillo
- Corporación CorpoGen, Departamento Biotecnología Molecular, Carrera 4 # 20-41, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
| | - Laura M. Lechuga
- Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group (NanoB2A), Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC, CIBER-BBN and BIST, Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
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Mongui A, Lozano GL, Handelsman J, Restrepo S, Junca H. Design and validation of a transposon that promotes expression of genes in episomal DNA. J Biotechnol 2020; 310:1-5. [PMID: 31954761 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2020.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Functional metagenomics, or the cloning and expression of DNA isolated directly from environmental samples, represents a source of novel compounds with biotechnological potential. However, attempts to identify such compounds in metagenomic libraries are generally inefficient in part due to lack of expression of heterologous DNA. In this research, the TnC_T7 transposon was developed to supply transcriptional machinery during functional analysis of metagenomic libraries. TnC_T7 contains bidirectional T7 promoters, the gene encoding the T7 RNA polymerase (T7RNAP), and a kanamycin resistance gene. The T7 RNA polymerase gene is regulated by the inducible arabinose promoter (PBAD), thereby facilitating inducible expression of genes adjacent to the randomly integrating transposon. The high processivity of T7RNAP should make this tool particularly useful for obtaining gene expression in long inserts. TnC_T7 functionality was validated by conducting in vitro transposition of pKR-C12 or fosmid pF076_GFPmut3*, carrying metagenomic DNA from soil. We identified transposon insertions that enhanced GFP expression in both vectors, including insertions in which the promoter delivered by the transposon was located as far as 8.7 kb from the GFP gene, indicating the power of the high processivity of the T7 polymerase. The results gathered in this research demonstrate the potential of TnC_T7 to enhance gene expression in functional metagenomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mongui
- Molecular Biotechnology, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia; Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Gabriel L Lozano
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jo Handelsman
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Silvia Restrepo
- Laboratory of Mycology and Plant Diseases, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Howard Junca
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution, Microbiomas Foundation, Chía, Colombia
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Calderon D, Peña L, Suarez A, Villamil C, Ramirez-Rojas A, Anzola JM, García-Betancur JC, Cepeda ML, Uribe D, Del Portillo P, Mongui A. Recovery and functional validation of hidden soil enzymes in metagenomic libraries. Microbiologyopen 2019; 8:e00572. [PMID: 30851083 PMCID: PMC6460280 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The vast microbial diversity on the planet represents an invaluable source for identifying novel activities with potential industrial and therapeutic application. In this regard, metagenomics has emerged as a group of strategies that have significantly facilitated the analysis of DNA from multiple environments and has expanded the limits of known microbial diversity. However, the functional characterization of enzymes, metabolites, and products encoded by diverse microbial genomes is limited by the inefficient heterologous expression of foreign genes. We have implemented a pipeline that combines NGS and Sanger sequencing as a way to identify fosmids within metagenomic libraries. This strategy facilitated the identification of putative proteins, subcloning of targeted genes and preliminary characterization of selected proteins. Overall, the in silico approach followed by the experimental validation allowed us to efficiently recover the activity of previously hidden enzymes derived from agricultural soil samples. Therefore, the methodology workflow described herein can be applied to recover activities encoded by environmental DNA from multiple sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana Calderon
- Molecular Biotechnology Research Group, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Luis Peña
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Friedrich-Schiller Universität, Jena, Germany
| | - Angélica Suarez
- Molecular Biotechnology Research Group, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Carolina Villamil
- Molecular Biotechnology Research Group, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Adan Ramirez-Rojas
- Molecular Biotechnology Research Group, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Juan M Anzola
- Computational Biology, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Martha L Cepeda
- Molecular Biotechnology Research Group, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Daniel Uribe
- Biotechnology Institute, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Alvaro Mongui
- Molecular Biotechnology Research Group, Corporación CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia.,Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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Mongui A, Pérez-Llanos FJ, Yamamoto MM, Lozano M, Zambrano MM, Del Portillo P, Fernández-Becerra C, Restrepo S, Del Portillo HA, Junca H. Development of a genetic tool for functional screening of anti-malarial bioactive extracts in metagenomic libraries. Malar J 2015; 14:233. [PMID: 26040274 PMCID: PMC4464701 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-015-0748-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The chemical treatment of Plasmodium falciparum for human infections is losing efficacy each year due to the rise of resistance. One possible strategy to find novel anti-malarial drugs is to access the largest reservoir of genomic biodiversity source on earth present in metagenomes of environmental microbial communities. Methods A bioluminescent P. falciparum parasite was used to quickly detect shifts in viability of microcultures grown in 96-well plates. A synthetic gene encoding the Dermaseptin 4 peptide was designed and cloned under tight transcriptional control in a large metagenomic insert context (30 kb) to serve as proof-of-principle for the screening platform. Results Decrease in parasite viability consistently correlated with bioluminescence emitted from parasite microcultures, after their exposure to bacterial extracts containing a plasmid or fosmid engineered to encode the Dermaseptin 4 anti-malarial peptide. Conclusions Here, a new technical platform to access the anti-malarial potential in microbial environmental metagenomes has been developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mongui
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution - CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Francy J Pérez-Llanos
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution - CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Marcio M Yamamoto
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Marcela Lozano
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution - CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Maria M Zambrano
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution - CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Patricia Del Portillo
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution - CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Carmen Fernández-Becerra
- ICREA at ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr Int Health Res (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Silvia Restrepo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Hernando A Del Portillo
- ICREA at ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr Int Health Res (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Howard Junca
- RG Microbial Ecology: Metabolism, Genomics & Evolution - CorpoGen, Bogotá, Colombia. .,Present Address: Applied Biology Program, Faculty of Basic & Applied Sciences, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada-UMNG, Campus Cajicá, Bogotá, DC, Colombia.
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Restrepo-Montoya D, Becerra D, Carvajal-Patiño JG, Mongui A, Niño LF, Patarroyo ME, Patarroyo MA. Identification of Plasmodium vivax proteins with potential role in invasion using sequence redundancy reduction and profile hidden Markov models. PLoS One 2011; 6:e25189. [PMID: 21984903 PMCID: PMC3184965 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2011] [Accepted: 08/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study describes a bioinformatics approach designed to identify Plasmodium vivax proteins potentially involved in reticulocyte invasion. Specifically, different protein training sets were built and tuned based on different biological parameters, such as experimental evidence of secretion and/or involvement in invasion-related processes. A profile-based sequence method supported by hidden Markov models (HMMs) was then used to build classifiers to search for biologically-related proteins. The transcriptional profile of the P. vivax intra-erythrocyte developmental cycle was then screened using these classifiers. Results A bioinformatics methodology for identifying potentially secreted P. vivax proteins was designed using sequence redundancy reduction and probabilistic profiles. This methodology led to identifying a set of 45 proteins that are potentially secreted during the P. vivax intra-erythrocyte development cycle and could be involved in cell invasion. Thirteen of the 45 proteins have already been described as vaccine candidates; there is experimental evidence of protein expression for 7 of the 32 remaining ones, while no previous studies of expression, function or immunology have been carried out for the additional 25. Conclusions The results support the idea that probabilistic techniques like profile HMMs improve similarity searches. Also, different adjustments such as sequence redundancy reduction using Pisces or Cd-Hit allowed data clustering based on rational reproducible measurements. This kind of approach for selecting proteins with specific functions is highly important for supporting large-scale analyses that could aid in the identification of genes encoding potential new target antigens for vaccine development and drug design. The present study has led to targeting 32 proteins for further testing regarding their ability to induce protective immune responses against P. vivax malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Restrepo-Montoya
- Bioinformatics and Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory - BIOLISI, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- Research Group on Combinatorial Algorithms - ALGOS-UN, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia - FIDIC, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - David Becerra
- Bioinformatics and Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory - BIOLISI, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- Research Group on Combinatorial Algorithms - ALGOS-UN, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Juan G. Carvajal-Patiño
- Bioinformatics and Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory - BIOLISI, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia - FIDIC, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Alvaro Mongui
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia - FIDIC, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Luis F. Niño
- Bioinformatics and Intelligent Systems Research Laboratory - BIOLISI, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- Research Group on Combinatorial Algorithms - ALGOS-UN, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Manuel E. Patarroyo
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia - FIDIC, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Manuel A. Patarroyo
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia - FIDIC, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- * E-mail:
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Moreno-Perez DA, Mongui A, Soler LN, Sanchez-Ladino M, Patarroyo MA. Identifying and characterizing a member of the RhopH1/Clag family in Plasmodium vivax. Gene 2011; 481:17-23. [PMID: 21513780 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2011.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2011] [Revised: 03/05/2011] [Accepted: 03/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax malaria caused is a public health problem that produces very high morbidity worldwide. During invasion of red blood cells the parasite requires the intervention of high molecular weight complex rhoptry proteins that are also essential for cytoadherence. PfClag9, a member of the RhopH multigene family, has been identified as being critical during Plasmodium falciparum infection. This study describes identifying and characterizing the pfclag9 ortholog in P. vivax (hereinafter named pvclag7). The pvclag7 gene is transcribed at the end of the intraerythrocytic cycle and is recognized by sera from humans who have been infected by P. vivax. PvClag7 subcellular localization has been also determined and, similar to what occurs with PfClag9, it co-localize with other proteins from the Rhoptry high molecular weight complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darwin A Moreno-Perez
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50 No. 26-20, Bogotá, Colombia.
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Mongui A, Angel DI, Moreno-Perez DA, Villarreal-Gonzalez S, Almonacid H, Vanegas M, Patarroyo MA. Identification and characterization of the Plasmodium vivax thrombospondin-related apical merozoite protein. Malar J 2010; 9:283. [PMID: 20942952 PMCID: PMC3020679 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-9-283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 04/30/2010] [Accepted: 10/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax is a major public health problem worldwide that affects 70-80 million people in the Middle East, Asia, Western Pacific, South America and the Caribbean. Despite its epidemiological importance, few antigens from this parasite species have been characterized to date compared to Plasmodium falciparum, due in part to the difficulties of maintaining an in vitro culture of P. vivax. This study describes the identification of the P. falciparum thrombospondin-related apical merozoite protein homologue in P. vivax (PvTRAMP) and examines its potential to be further evaluated as vaccine candidate. Methods The gene encoding PvTRAMP was identified through an extensive search of the databases hosting the genome sequence of P. vivax. Genes adjacent to pvtramp were identified in silico to determine the degree of similarity between the protein sequences encoded by equivalent chromosomic fragments in P. falciparum and Plasmodium knowlesi. The pvtramp gene was amplified from cDNA of P. vivax schizont stages, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Anti-PvTRAMP antisera was obtained by inoculating rabbits with PvTRAMP B cell epitopes produced as synthetic peptides in order to assess its recognition in parasite lysates by Western blot and in intact parasites by indirect immunofluorescence. The recognition of recombinant PvTRAMP by sera from P. vivax-infected individuals living in endemic areas was also assessed by ELISA. Results The PfTRAMP homologue in P. vivax, here denoted as PvTRAMP, is a 340-amino-acid long antigen encoded by a single exon that could have a potential role in cytoadherence, as indicated by the presence of a thrombospondin structural homology repeat (TSR) domain. According to its transcription and expression profile, PvTRAMP is initially located at the parasite's apical end and later on the parasite surface. Recombinant PvTRAMP is recognized by sera from infected patients, therefore, indicating that it is targeted by the immune system during a natural infection with P. vivax. Conclusions The results of this work support conducting further studies with PvTRAMP to evaluate its immunogenicity and protection-inducing ability in the Aotus animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mongui
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Bogotá, Colombia
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Giraldo MA, Arevalo-Pinzon G, Rojas-Caraballo J, Mongui A, Rodriguez R, Patarroyo MA. Vaccination with recombinant Plasmodium vivax MSP-10 formulated in different adjuvants induces strong immunogenicity but no protection. Vaccine 2009; 28:7-13. [PMID: 19782110 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.09.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2009] [Revised: 09/05/2009] [Accepted: 09/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Although largely considered benign, Plasmodium vivax causes disease in nearly 75 million people each year and the available strategies are not sufficient to reduce the burden of disease, therefore pointing to vaccine development as a cost-effective control measure. In this study, the P. vivax merozoite surface protein 10 (MSP-10) was expressed as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography. High antigenicity was observed since sera from P. vivax-infected patients strongly recognized rPvMSP10. The immunogenicity of rPvMSP10 was tested in Aotus monkeys, comparing responses induced by formulations with Freund's adjuvant, Montanide ISA720 or aluminum hydroxide. All formulations produced high antibody titers recognizing the native protein in late schizonts. Despite inducing strong antibody production, none of the formulations protected immunized Aotus monkeys upon experimental challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel A Giraldo
- Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
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Angel DI, Mongui A, Ardila J, Vanegas M, Patarroyo MA. The Plasmodium vivax Pv41 surface protein: identification and characterization. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2008; 377:1113-7. [PMID: 18983983 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.10.129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2008] [Accepted: 10/21/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Recently, Plasmodium vivax has been related to nearly 81% of malaria cases reported in Central America and the Mediterranean. Due to the difficulty of culturing this parasite species in vitro, most studies on P. vivax have focused on the identification of new antigens by homology comparison with P. falciparum vaccine candidate proteins. In this study, we have identified and characterized a Pf41 homologue in P. vivax, hence named Pv41, by following such approach and using web-available bioinformatics databases, molecular techniques and immunochemistry assays. Pv41 protein is a 384-amino-acid-long antigen encoded by a single exon that exhibits two s48/45 domains characteristic of gametocyte surface proteins. We have also demonstrated Pv41 transcription and expression during late intra-erythrocytic parasite stages and defined its subcellular localization on the parasite surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana I Angel
- Molecular Biology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia, Carrera 50#26-20, Bogotá, Colombia
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Mongui A, Angel DI, Guzman C, Vanegas M, Patarroyo MA. Characterisation of the Plasmodium vivax Pv38 antigen. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2008; 376:326-30. [PMID: 18789893 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.08.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2008] [Accepted: 08/28/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study describes the identification and characterisation of Pv38, based on the available genomic sequence of Plasmodium vivax and previous studies done with its Plasmodium falciparum homologue: Pf38. Pv38 is a 355 amino acid long peptide encoded by a single exon gene, for which orthologous genes have been identified in other Plasmodium species by bioinformatic approaches. As for Pf38, Pv38 was found to contain a s48/45 domain which is usually found in proteins displayed on gametocytes surface. The association of Pv38 with detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs), its expression in mature blood stages of the parasite (mainly schizonts) and the detection of its recombinant protein by sera from Aotus monkeys previously exposed to the parasite, were here assessed to further characterise this new antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mongui
- Molecular Biology Department, Fundacion Instituto de Inmunologia de Colombia, Carrera 50 No. 26-20, Bogota, Colombia
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Mongui A, Perez-Leal O, Rojas-Caraballo J, Angel DI, Cortes J, Patarroyo MA. Identifying and characterising the Plasmodium falciparum RhopH3 Plasmodium vivax homologue. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2007; 358:861-6. [PMID: 17511961 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2007] [Accepted: 05/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Four Plasmodium species cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium falciparum being the most widely studied to date. All Plasmodium species have paired club-shaped organelles towards their apical extreme named rhoptries that contain many lipids and proteins which are released during target cell invasion. P. falciparum RhopH3 is a rhoptry protein triggering important immune responses in patients from endemic regions. It has also been shown that anti-RhopH3 antibodies inhibit in vitro invasion of erythrocytes. Recent immunisation studies in mice with the Plasmodium yoelii and Plasmodium berghei RhopH3 P. falciparum homologue proteins found that they are able to induce protection in murine models. This study described identifying and characterising RhopH3 protein in Plasmodium vivax; it is encoded by a seven exon gene and expressed during the parasite's asexual stage. PvRhopH3 has similar processing to its homologue in P. falciparum and presents a cellular immunolocalisation pattern characteristic of rhoptry proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mongui
- Molecular Biology Department, Fundacion Instituto de Inmunologia de Colombia, Carrera 50#26-00, Bogota, Colombia
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Mongui A, Perez-Leal O, Soto SC, Cortes J, Patarroyo MA. Cloning, expression, and characterisation of a Plasmodium vivax MSP7 family merozoite surface protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2006; 351:639-44. [PMID: 17081497 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.10.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2006] [Accepted: 10/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax remains the most widespread Plasmodium parasite species around the world, producing about 75 million malaria cases, mainly in South America and Asia. A vaccine against this disease is of urgent need, making the identification of new antigens involved in target cell invasion, and thus potential vaccine candidates, a priority. A protein belonging to the P. vivax merozoite surface protein 7 (PvMSP7) family was identified in this study. This protein (named PvMSP7(1)) has 311 amino acids displaying an N-terminal region sharing high identity with P. falciparum MSP7, as well as a similar proteolytical cleavage pattern. This protein's expression in P. vivax asexual blood stages was revealed by immuno-histochemical and molecular techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mongui
- Molecular Biology Department, Fundacion Instituto de Inmunologia de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia
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Perez-Leal O, Mongui A, Cortes J, Yepes G, Leiton J, Patarroyo MA. The Plasmodium vivax rhoptry-associated protein 1. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2006; 341:1053-8. [PMID: 16458855 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.01.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2006] [Accepted: 01/17/2006] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Rhoptries are cellular organelles localized at the apical pole of apicomplexan parasites. Their content is rich in lipids and proteins that are released during target cell invasion. Plasmodium falciparum rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP1) has been the most widely studied among this parasite species' rhoptry proteins and is considered to be a good anti-malarial vaccine candidate since it displays little polymorphism and induces antibodies in infected humans. Monoclonal antibodies directed against RAP1 are also able to inhibit target cell invasion in vitro and protection against P. falciparum experimental challenge is induced when non-human primates are immunized with this protein expressed in its recombinant form. This study describes identifying and characterizing RAP1 in Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread parasite species causing malaria in humans, producing more than 80 million infections yearly, mainly in Asia and Latin America. This new protein is encoded by a two-exon gene, is proteolytically processed in a similar manner to its falciparum homologue and, as observed by microscopy, the immunofluorescence pattern displayed is suggestive of its rhoptry localization. Further studies evaluating P. vivax RAP1 protective efficacy in non-human primates should be carried out taking into account the relevance that its P. falciparum homologue has as an anti-malarial vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Perez-Leal
- Molecular Biology Department, Fundacion Instituto de Inmunologia de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia
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