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Lira GS, Ota VA, Melo MQS, Castiñeiras ACP, Leitão IC, Silva BO, Mariani D, Gonçalves CCA, Ribeiro LJ, Halpern M, Abreu TF, Carneiro FA, Scheid HT, Souza LAV, Rodrigues DGM, Cruz NVG, Cony A, Carvalho S, de Lima LPO, Viala VL, Caldas LA, de Souza W, Higa LM, Voloch CM, Ferreira OC, Damaso CR, Galliez RM, Faffe DS, Tanuri A, Castiñeiras TMPP. Mpox outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A translational approach. J Med Virol 2024; 96:e29621. [PMID: 38654686 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29621] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Mpox is a zoonotic disease historically reported in Africa. Since 2003, limited outbreaks have occurred outside Africa. In 2022, the global spread of cases with sustained interhuman transmission and unusual disease features raised public health concerns. We explore the mpox outbreak in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state, Brazil, in an observational study of mpox-suspected cases from June to December 2022. Data collection relied on a public healthcare notification form. Diagnosis was determined by MPXV-PCR. In 46 confirmed cases, anti-OPXV IgG was determined by ELISA, and seven MPXV genomes were sequenced. A total of 3095 cases were included, 816 (26.3%) with positive MPXV-PCR results. Most positive cases were men in their 30 s and MSM. A total of 285 (34.9%) MPXV-PCR+ patients live with HIV. Eight were coinfected with varicella-zoster virus. Anogenital lesions and adenomegaly were associated with the diagnosis of mpox. Females and individuals under 18 represented 9.4% and 5.4% of all confirmed cases, respectively, showing higher PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values and fewer anogenital lesions compared to adult men. Anti-OPXV IgG was detected in 29/46 (63.0%) patients. All analyzed sequences belonged to clade IIb. In RJ state, mpox presented a diverse clinical picture, represented mainly by mild cases with low complication rates and prominent genital involvement. The incidence in females and children was higher than usually reported. The observation of a bimodal distribution of Ct values, with few positive results, may suggest the need to review the diagnostic criteria in these groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme S Lira
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Victor A Ota
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Mariana Q S Melo
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Anna C P Castiñeiras
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Isabela C Leitão
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Bianca O Silva
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Diana Mariani
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Cássia C A Gonçalves
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Liane J Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Marcia Halpern
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Thalita F Abreu
- Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagão Gesteira, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Fabiana A Carneiro
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas em Biologia-NUMPEX-BIO, Campus Duque de Caxias Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, Brasil
| | - Helena T Scheid
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Leonardo A V Souza
- Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Débora G M Rodrigues
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Nádia V G Cruz
- Laboratório de Pesquisa e Biodefesa, Instituto de Biologia do Exército, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Andrea Cony
- Laboratório Central Noel Nutes, Secretaria de Estado de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Silvia Carvalho
- Superintendência de Emergências Em Saúde Pública, Secretaria de Estado de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Loyze P O de Lima
- Centro de Vigilância Genômica e Avaliação Sorológica CeVIVAS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Vincent L Viala
- Centro de Vigilância Genômica e Avaliação Sorológica CeVIVAS, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Lucio A Caldas
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas em Biologia-NUMPEX-BIO, Campus Duque de Caxias Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, Brasil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB) and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO)s, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Luiza M Higa
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Carolina M Voloch
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Orlando C Ferreira
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Clarissa R Damaso
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Rafael M Galliez
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Débora S Faffe
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Amilcar Tanuri
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Terezinha M P P Castiñeiras
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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de Souza W. Contribution of microscopy to a better understanding of the anatomy of pathogenic protists. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321515121. [PMID: 38621128 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321515121] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In this Inaugural Article the author briefly revises its scientific career and how he starts to work with parasitic protozoa. Emphasis is given to his contribution to topics such as a) the structural organization of the surface of protozoa using freeze-fracture and deep-etching; b) the cytoskeleton of protozoa, especially structures such as the subpellicular microtubules of trypanosomatids, the conoid of Toxoplasma gondii, microtubules and inner membrane complex of this protozoan, and the costa of Tritrichomonas foetus; c) the flagellulm of trypanosomatids, that in addition to the axoneme contains a complex network of filaments that constitute the paraflagellar rod; d) special organelles such as the acidocalcisome, hydrogenosome, and glycosome; and e) the highly polarized endocytic pathway found in epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem-Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Multiusuário para Análise de Fenômenos Biomédicos, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Amazonas 69065-001, Brazil
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Santana de Andrade JC, Benchimol M, de Souza W. Stimulation of microvesicle secretion in Trichomonas vaginalis. Exp Parasitol 2024; 259:108722. [PMID: 38395187 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108722] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is an extracellular flagellate protozoan and the etiological agent of human trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) with a high incidence. Several reports have shown that this protozoan releases microvesicles into the culture medium, which show high potential in modulating cell-to-cell communication and the host response to infections. However, the biogenesis of these vesicles has not been analyzed in detail. In the present study, high-resolution ion scanning microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to analyze the surface of control cells and cells incubated in the presence of Ca2+ alone or with A 23187 calcium ionophore. Two different strains of T. vaginalis were analyzed. Most control cells displayed relatively smooth surfaces, whereas cells incubated with Ca2+ had many surface projections of variable shape and size (from 40 nm to around 1 μm). Quantitative analyses were performed directly in the scanning electron microscope and showed a significant increase in the number of cells with surface projections after incubation in the presence of calcium. TEM showed that treated cells presented several cytoplasmic multivesicular structures, suggesting membrane fusion and exosomes in the extracellular medium. The amount and size of the released vesicles were quantitatively analyzed using light scattering and TEM on negatively stained samples. The observations show that incubation of both parasite strains in the presence of Ca2+ significantly increased the release of microvesicles into the extracellular medium in a time-dependent process. Sequential incubation in the presence of Ca2+ and the calcium ionophore A23187 increases the presence of vesicles on the parasite surface only at a short incubation time (5 min). Transmission electron microscopy showed that at least part of the vesicles are originated from cytoplasmic multivesicular structures. This information contributes to a better understanding of the biogenesis of extracellular vesicles secreted by T. vaginalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlio César Santana de Andrade
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil; BIOTRANS-CAXIAS, Universidade do Grande Rio. UNIGRANRIO, Rio de Janeiro, 96200-000, Brazil.
| | - Marlene Benchimol
- BIOTRANS-CAXIAS, Universidade do Grande Rio. UNIGRANRIO, Rio de Janeiro, 96200-000, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil.
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil.
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Verdan R, Patricio B, Weismuller G, Miranda K, de Souza W, Benchimol M, Gadelha AP. Characterization of a new extra-axonemal structure in the Giardia intestinalis flagella. J Struct Biol 2024; 216:108064. [PMID: 38280689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2024.108064] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
The inner structure of the flagella of Giardia intestinalis is similar to that of other organisms, consisting of nine pairs of outer microtubules and a central pair containing radial spokes. Although the 9+2 axonemal structure is conserved, it is not clear whether subregions, including the transition zone, are present in the flagella of this parasite. Giardia axonemes originate from basal bodies and have a lengthy cytosolic portion before becoming active flagella. The region of the emergence of the flagellum is not accompanied by any membrane specialization, as seen in other protozoa. Although Giardia is an intriguing model of study, few works focused on the ultrastructural analysis of the flagella of this parasite. Here, we analyzed the externalization region of the G. intestinalis flagella using ultra-high resolution scanning microscopy (with electrons and ions), atomic force microscopy in liquid medium, freeze fracture, and electron tomography. Our data show that this region possesses a distinctive morphological feature - it extends outward and takes on a ring-like shape. When the plasma membrane is removed, a structure surrounding the axoneme becomes visible in this region. This new extra-axonemal structure is observed in all pairs of flagella of trophozoites and remains attached to the axoneme even when the interconnections between the axonemal microtubules are disrupted. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy provided insights into the arrangement of this structure, contributing to the characterization of the externalization region of the flagella of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Verdan
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Beatriz Patricio
- Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal do Estado Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gilberto Weismuller
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kildare Miranda
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem e Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Centro Multiusuário para Análise de Fenômenos Biomédicos, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem e Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Centro Multiusuário para Análise de Fenômenos Biomédicos, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Marlene Benchimol
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem e Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Universidade do Grande Rio (UNIGRANRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Gadelha
- Universidade do Grande Rio (UNIGRANRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Diretoria de Metrologia Científica e Industrial, Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Miranda GASC, Corrêa IA, Amorim ÉA, Caldas LA, Carneiro FÁ, da Costa LJ, Granjeiro JM, Tanuri A, de Souza W, Baptista LS. Cost-effective 3D lung tissue spheroid as a model for SARS-CoV-2 infection and drug screening. Artif Organs 2024. [PMID: 38385713 DOI: 10.1111/aor.14729] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spurred an unparalleled scientific endeavor to elucidate the virus' structure, infection mechanisms, and pathogenesis. Two-dimensional culture systems have been instrumental in shedding light on numerous aspects of COVID-19. However, these in vitro systems lack the physiological complexity to comprehend the infection process and explore treatment options. Three-dimensional (3D) models have been proposed to fill the gap between 2D cultures and in vivo studies. Specifically, spheroids, composed of lung cell types, have been suggested for studying SARS-CoV-2 infection and serving as a drug screening platform. METHODS 3D lung spheroids were prepared by coculturing human alveolar or bronchial epithelial cells with human lung stromal cells. The morphology, size, and ultrastructure of spheroids before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection were analyzed using optical and electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect spike protein and, thus, the virus presence in the spheroids. Multiplex analysis elucidated the cytokine release after virus infection. RESULTS The spheroids were stable and kept their size and morphology after SARS-CoV-2 infection despite the presence of multivesicular bodies, endoplasmic reticulum rearrangement, tubular compartment-enclosed vesicles, and the accumulation of viral particles. The spheroid responded to the infection releasing IL-6 and IL-8 cytokines. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that coculture spheroids of epithelial and stromal cells can serve as a cost-effective infection model for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We suggest using this 3D spheroid as a drug screening platform to explore new treatments related to the cytokines released during virus infection, especially for long COVID treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isadora Alonso Corrêa
- Laboratório de Genética e Imunologia das Infecções Virais, Departamento de Virologia, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Érica Almeida Amorim
- Gcell 3D, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lucio Ayres Caldas
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa (Numpex-bio), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Ávila Carneiro
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa (Numpex-bio), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana Jesus da Costa
- Laboratório de Genética e Imunologia das Infecções Virais, Departamento de Virologia, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Mauro Granjeiro
- Laboratório de Biologia de Células Eucarióticas, Duque de Caxias, Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Odontologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Amilcar Tanuri
- Laboratório de Genética e Imunologia das Infecções Virais, Departamento de Virologia, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Centro de Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leandra Santos Baptista
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa (Numpex-bio), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia de Células Eucarióticas, Duque de Caxias, Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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de Araujo-Silva CA, Peclat-Araujo MR, de Souza W, Vommaro RC. An alternative method to establish an early acute ocular toxoplasmosis model for experimental tests. Int Ophthalmol 2024; 44:73. [PMID: 38349587 DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-02985-2] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE To provide a simple alternative acute ocular toxoplasmosis model with great reproducibility for experimental tests that demand monitoring of the ocular lesion. METHODS ME49-wt and ME49-GFP tachyzoites from cell culture were used to infect male C57BL6 mice by intraperitoneal injection. B1 expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was used to detect the presence of T. gondii in ocular tissue at the beginning of the infection. Fluorescence microscopy and histopathology analysis were carried out to assess the evolution of the acute infection up to 20 days in both eyes of infected mice. RESULTS All mice infected with the 104 tachyzoites showed B1 expression in the retina of both eyes, in the RPE (retinal pigment epithelium), and choroid structures, after 5 days of infection. Tachyzoites of the ME49-GFP strain were easily detected by fluorescence microscopy in the retina tissue of mice after 5 days post-infection. After 20 days, mice inflammatory cell infiltrates and a disorganized morphology of the retinal laminar architecture were observed. CONCLUSION Infection of C57BL6 mice via intraperitoneal with 104 tachyzoites of the ME49-GFP strain from cell culture is a suitable model for acute ocular toxoplasmosis. This model has great reproducibility in establishing the ocular lesion since day 5 post-infection. This model can be suitable for experimental tests of chemotherapy and the investigation of the role of the immune response on the development of uveitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlla Assis de Araujo-Silva
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-904, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Milena Ribeiro Peclat-Araujo
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-904, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-904, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rossiane Claudia Vommaro
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-904, Brazil.
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Caldas LA, Carneiro FA, Augusto I, Corrêa IA, da Costa LJ, Miranda K, Tanuri A, de Souza W. SARS-CoV-2 egress from Vero cells: a morphological approach. Histochem Cell Biol 2024; 161:59-67. [PMID: 37736815 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-023-02239-9] [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] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Despite being extensively studied because of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) interactions with mammalian cells are still poorly understood. Furthermore, little is known about this coronavirus cycle within the host cells, particularly the steps that lead to viral egress. This study aimed to shed light on the morphological features of SARS-CoV-2 egress by utilizing transmission and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, along with serial electron tomography, to describe the route of nascent virions towards the extracellular medium. Electron microscopy revealed that the clusters of viruses in the paracellular space did not seem to result from collective virus release. Instead, virus accumulation was observed on incurved areas of the cell surface, with egress primarily occurring through individual vesicles. Additionally, our findings showed that the emission of long membrane projections, which could facilitate virus surfing in Vero cells infected with SARS-CoV-2, was also observed in non-infected cultures, suggesting that these are constitutive events in this cell lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucio Ayres Caldas
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Prédio CCS, Bloco C, Subsolo, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP:21941902, Brazil.
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas em Biologia - NUMPEX-BIO, Campus Duque de Caxias Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Fabiana Avila Carneiro
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Prédio CCS, Bloco C, Subsolo, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP:21941902, Brazil
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas em Biologia - NUMPEX-BIO, Campus Duque de Caxias Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Augusto
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Prédio CCS, Bloco C, Subsolo, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP:21941902, Brazil
| | - Isadora Alonso Corrêa
- Laboratório de Genética e Imunologia das Infecções Virais, Departamento de Virologia, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana Jesus da Costa
- Laboratório de Genética e Imunologia das Infecções Virais, Departamento de Virologia, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kildare Miranda
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Prédio CCS, Bloco C, Subsolo, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP:21941902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB) and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Amilcar Tanuri
- Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho 373, Prédio CCS, Bloco C, Subsolo, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP:21941902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB) and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Thompson C, Bacha L, Paz PHC, de Assis Passos Oliveira M, Oliveira BCV, Omachi C, Chueke C, de Lima Hilário M, Lima M, Leomil L, Felix-Cordeiro T, da Cruz TLC, Otsuki K, Vidal L, Thompson M, Ribeiro E Silva R, Cabezas CMV, Veríssimo BM, Zaganelli JL, Botelho ACN, Teixeira L, Cosenza C, Costa PM, Landuci F, Tschoeke DA, Silva TA, Attias M, de Souza W, de Rezende CE, Thompson F. Collapse of scallop Nodipecten nodosus production in the tropical Southeast Brazil as a possible consequence of global warming and water pollution. Sci Total Environ 2023; 904:166873. [PMID: 37689208 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166873] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Mollusc rearing is a relevant global socioeconomic activity. However, this activity has faced severe problems in the last years in southeast Brazil. The mariculture scallop production dropped from 51,2 tons in 2016 to 10,2 tons in 2022 in the Baia da Ilha Grande (BIG; Rio de Janeiro). However, the possible causes of this collapse are unknown. This study aimed to analyze decadal trends of water quality in Nodipecten nodosus spat and adult production in BIG. We also performed physical-chemical and biological water quality analyses of three scallop farms and two nearby locations at BIG in 2022 to evaluate possible environmental stressors and risks. Scallop spat production dropped drastically in the last five years (2018-2022: mean ± stdev: 0.47 ± 0.45 million). Spat production was higher in colder waters and during peaks of Chlorophyll a in the last 13 years. Reduction of Chlorophyll a coincided with decreasing spat production in the last five years. Warmer periods (>27 °C) of the year may hamper scallop development. Counts of potentially pathogenic bacteria (Vibrios) and Escherichia coli were significantly higher in warmer periods which may further reduce scallop productivity. Shotgun metagenomics of seawater samples from the five studied corroborated these culture-based counts. Vibrios and fecal indicator bacteria metagenomic sequences were abundant across the entire study area throughout 2022. The results of this study suggest the collapse of scallop mariculture is the result of a synergistic negative effect of global warming and poor seawater quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiane Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Leonardo Bacha
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Fuzzy Lab, Politécnica, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique C Paz
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Braulio Cherene Vaz Oliveira
- Laboratory of Environmental Sciences (LCA), Center of Biosciences and Biotechnology (CBB), State University of Northern of Rio de Janeiro Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
| | - Claudia Omachi
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Caroline Chueke
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcela de Lima Hilário
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Michele Lima
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana Leomil
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thais Felix-Cordeiro
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thalya Lou Cordeiro da Cruz
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Koko Otsuki
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Livia Vidal
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mateus Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Fisheries Institute of the Rio de Janeiro State (FIPERJ), Niterói, Brazil
| | - Renan Ribeiro E Silva
- Instituto de Sócio Desenvolvimento da Baia da Ilha Grande (IED-BIG), Angra dos Reis, Brazil
| | | | - Bruno Marque Veríssimo
- Instituto de Sócio Desenvolvimento da Baia da Ilha Grande (IED-BIG), Angra dos Reis, Brazil
| | - José Luiz Zaganelli
- Instituto de Sócio Desenvolvimento da Baia da Ilha Grande (IED-BIG), Angra dos Reis, Brazil
| | - Ana Caroline N Botelho
- Institute of Microbiology Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lucia Teixeira
- Institute of Microbiology Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Paulo Marcio Costa
- Fisheries Institute of the Rio de Janeiro State (FIPERJ), Niterói, Brazil
| | - Felipe Landuci
- Fisheries Institute of the Rio de Janeiro State (FIPERJ), Niterói, Brazil
| | - Diogo A Tschoeke
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Biomedical Engineer Program, COPPE, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Marcia Attias
- Laboratory of Cell Ultrastructure Hertha Meyer (CENABIO), UFRJ, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos E de Rezende
- Laboratory of Environmental Sciences (LCA), Center of Biosciences and Biotechnology (CBB), State University of Northern of Rio de Janeiro Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
| | - Fabiano Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Bandeira PT, Ortiz SFDN, Benchimol M, de Souza W. Expansion Microscopy of trichomonads. Exp Parasitol 2023; 255:108629. [PMID: 37802179 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108629] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Light microscopy has significantly advanced in recent decades, especially concerning the increased resolution obtained in fluorescence images. Here we present the Expansion Microscopy (ExM) technique in two parasites, Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus, which significantly improved the localization of distinct proteins closely associated with cytoskeleton by immunofluorescence microscopy. The ExM techniques have been used in various cell types, tissues and other protist parasites. It requires the embedment of the samples in a swellable gel that is highly hydrophilic. As a result, cells are expanded 4.5 times in an isotropic manner, offering a spatial resolution of ∼70 nm. We used this new methodology not only to observe the structural organization of protozoa in more detail but also to increase the resolution by immunofluorescence microscopy of two major proteins such as tubulin, found in structures formed by microtubules, and costain 1, the only protein identified until now in the T. foetus's costa, a unique rod-shaped like structure. The individualized microtubules of the axostyle were seen for the first time in fluorescence microscopy and several other details are presented after this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Terra Bandeira
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Sharmila Fiama das Neves Ortiz
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Marlene Benchimol
- BIOTRANS-CAXIAS, Universidade do Grande Rio. UNIGRANRIO, Rio de Janeiro, 96200-000, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil.
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901, Brazil
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Souza-Melo N, de Lima Alcantara C, Vidal JC, Rocha GM, de Souza W. Implications of Flagellar Attachment Zone Proteins TcGP72 and TcFLA-1BP in Morphology, Proliferation, and Intracellular Dynamics in Trypanosoma cruzi. Pathogens 2023; 12:1367. [PMID: 38003831 PMCID: PMC10675206 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111367] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The highly adaptable parasite Trypanosoma cruzi undergoes complex developmental stages to exploit host organisms effectively. Each stage involves the expression of specific proteins and precise intracellular structural organization. These morphological changes depend on key structures that control intracellular components' growth and redistribution. In trypanosomatids, the flagellar attachment zone (FAZ) connects the flagellum to the cell body and plays a pivotal role in cell expansion and structural rearrangement. While FAZ proteins are well-studied in other trypanosomatids, there is limited knowledge about specific components, organization, and function in T. cruzi. This study employed the CRISPR/Cas9 system to label endogenous genes and conduct deletions to characterize FAZ-specific proteins during epimastigote cell division and metacyclogenesis. In T. cruzi, these proteins exhibited distinct organization compared to their counterparts in T. brucei. TcGP72 is anchored to the flagellar membrane, while TcFLA-1BP is anchored to the membrane lining the cell body. We identified unique features in the organization and function of the FAZ in T. cruzi compared to other trypanosomatids. Deleting these proteins had varying effects on intracellular structures, cytokinesis, and metacyclogenesis. This study reveals specific variations that directly impact the success of cell division and differentiation of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Normanda Souza-Melo
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisas em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21491-590, Brazil; (C.d.L.A.); (J.C.V.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Carolina de Lima Alcantara
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisas em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21491-590, Brazil; (C.d.L.A.); (J.C.V.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Juliana Cunha Vidal
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisas em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21491-590, Brazil; (C.d.L.A.); (J.C.V.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Gustavo Miranda Rocha
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisas em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21491-590, Brazil; (C.d.L.A.); (J.C.V.); (G.M.R.)
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisas em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21491-590, Brazil; (C.d.L.A.); (J.C.V.); (G.M.R.)
- Centro de Estudos Biomédicos-CMABio, Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas-UEA, Manaus 69065-000, Brazil
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Negri EM, Benchimol M, Mauad T, Duarte-Neto AN, Gottardi M, da Silva LFF, Saldiva PHN, Dolhnikoff M, Souza WD, Garcia Caldini E. Ultrastructural characterization of alveolar microvascular damage in severe COVID-19 respiratory failure. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2023; 135:950-955. [PMID: 37675474 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00424.2023] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Endothelial dysfunction is a key phenomenon in COVID-19, induced by direct viral endothelial infection and secondary inflammation, mainly affecting the microvascular circulation. However, few studies described the subcellular aspects of the lung microvasculature and the associated thrombotic phenomena, which are widely present in severe COVID-19 cases. To that end, in this transversal observational study we performed transmission and scanning electron microscopy in nine lung samples of patients who died due to COVID-19, obtained via minimally invasive autopsies in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2020. All patients died due to acute respiratory failure and had microvascular thrombosis at histology. Electron microscopy revealed areas of endothelial damage with basal lamina disruption and virus infection in endothelial cells. In the capillary lumens, the ultrastructure of the thrombi is depicted, with red blood cells stacking, dysmorphism and hemolysis, fibrin meshworks, and extracellular traps. Our description illustrates the complex pathophysiology of microvascular thrombosis at the cellular level, which leads to some of the peculiar characteristics of severe COVID-19.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, electron microscopy was used to explain the pathophysiology of respiratory failure in severe COVID-19. Before the advent of vaccination, as the virus entered the respiratory system, it rapidly progressed to the alveolar capillary network and, before causing exudative alveolar edema, it caused mainly thrombosis of the pulmonary microcirculation with preserved lung compliance explaining "happy hypoxia." Timing of anticoagulation is of pivotal importance in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnara Marcia Negri
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marlene Benchimol
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Universidade do Grande Rio (UNIGRANRIO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thais Mauad
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Amaro Nunes Duarte-Neto
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maiara Gottardi
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marisa Dolhnikoff
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Universidade do Grande Rio (UNIGRANRIO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elia Garcia Caldini
- Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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de Souza Teles ER, de Araujo Portes J, de Souza W. New morphological observations on the initial events of Toxoplasma gondii entry into host cells. Vet Parasitol 2023; 322:110006. [PMID: 37633244 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.110006] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan of worldwide distribution. It is effective in the infection of various homoeothermic animals of economic importance. The process of T. gondii invasion of host cells occurs in less than 20 s by the active mechanism of penetration. First, a mobile junction is formed due to the association between the apical end of the parasite and the host cell surface. Then, the secretion of invasive and docking proteins allows the formation of the mobile junction before the complete internalization of the parasite. Here, using high-resolution microscopy, it was described new morphological observations of the early events of host cell invasion by tachyzoites of T. gondii. Attempts were made to synchronize the interaction process using low temperatures and treatment of the host cells with cytochalasin D, a drug that interferes with the actin dynamics. Images were obtained showing that the parasite and the host cells seem to release small vesicles with diameters varying from 25 to 100 nm. Furthermore, tunneling nanotubes emerge from the host cell surface and interact with the parasite even at long distance. These observations add new details of adhesion and entry events, such as surface projections of the host cell plasma membrane, pseudopods, and nanotubes radiating from the host cell toward the parasite. In addition, scanning microscopy revealed intense vesiculation, with a morphological characteristic of extracellular microvesicles, during the entry of the tachyzoite into the host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Everson Reili de Souza Teles
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Juliana de Araujo Portes
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Pesquisa em Medicina de Precisão, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem - INBEB, and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Centro de Estudos Biomédicos-CMABio, Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
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13
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Roussaki M, Magoulas GE, Fotopoulou T, Santarem N, Barrias E, Pöhner I, Luelmo S, Afroudakis P, Georgikopoulou K, Nevado PT, Eick J, Bifeld E, Corral MJ, Jiménez-Antón MD, Ellinger B, Kuzikov M, Fragiadaki I, Scoulica E, Gul S, Clos J, Prousis KC, Torrado JJ, Alunda JM, Wade RC, de Souza W, Cordeiro da Silva A, Calogeropoulou T. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of antiparasitic dinitroaniline-ether phospholipid hybrids. Bioorg Chem 2023; 138:106615. [PMID: 37244229 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106615] [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: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
A series of nine novel ether phospholipid-dinitroaniline hybrids were synthesized in an effort to deliver more potent antiparasitic agents with improved safety profile compared to miltefosine. The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antiparasitic activity against L. infantum, L.donovani, L. amazonensis, L. major and L. tropica promastigotes, L. infantum and L. donovani intracellular amastigotes, Trypanosoma brucei brucei and against different developmental stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. The nature of the oligomethylene spacer between the dinitroaniline moiety and the phosphate group, the length of the side chain substituent on the dinitroaniline and the choline or homocholine head group were found to affect both the activity and toxicity of the hybrids. The early ADMET profile of the derivatives did not reveal major liabilities. Hybrid 3, bearing an 11-carbon oligomethylene spacer, a butyl side chain and a choline head group, was the most potent analogue of the series. It exhibited a broad spectrum antiparasitic profile against the promastigotes of New and Old World Leishmania spp., against intracellular amastigotes of two L. infantum strains and L. donovani, against T. brucei and against T. cruzi Y strain epimastigotes, intracellular amastigotes and trypomastigotes. The early toxicity studies revealed that hybrid 3 showed a safe toxicological profile while its cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) against THP-1 macrophages being >100 μM. Computational analysis of binding sites and docking indicated that the interaction of hybrid 3 with trypanosomatid α-tubulin may contribute to its mechanism of action. Furthermore, compound 3 was found to interfere with the cell cycle in T. cruzi epimastigotes, while ultrastructural studies using SEM and TEM in T. cruzi showed that compound 3 affects cellular processes that result in changes in the Golgi complex, the mitochondria and the parasite's plasma membrane. The snapshot pharmacokinetic studies showed low levels of 3 after 24 h following oral administration of 100 mg/Kg, while, its homocholine congener compound 9 presented a better pharmacokinetic profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Roussaki
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
| | - George E Magoulas
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
| | - Theano Fotopoulou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
| | - Nuno Santarem
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Parasite Disease Group, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Emile Barrias
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Ina Pöhner
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Sara Luelmo
- i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Pantelis Afroudakis
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
| | - Kalliopi Georgikopoulou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
| | - Paloma Tejera Nevado
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Leishmania Genetics Group, Bernhard Nocht St 74, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Julia Eick
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Leishmania Genetics Group, Bernhard Nocht St 74, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Eugenia Bifeld
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Leishmania Genetics Group, Bernhard Nocht St 74, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - María J Corral
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - María Dolores Jiménez-Antón
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Bernhard Ellinger
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Maria Kuzikov
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Irini Fragiadaki
- University of Crete, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Voutes University Campus, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | - Effie Scoulica
- University of Crete, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Voutes University Campus, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | - Sheraz Gul
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Joachim Clos
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Leishmania Genetics Group, Bernhard Nocht St 74, D-20359 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Kyriakos C Prousis
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
| | - Juan J Torrado
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Food Technology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28240 Madrid, Spain.
| | - José María Alunda
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Rebecca C Wade
- Molecular and Cellular Modeling Group, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS), D-69118 Heidelberg, Germany; Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, and Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Anabela Cordeiro da Silva
- IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Parasite Disease Group, Porto, Portugal; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Departmento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Theodora Calogeropoulou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece.
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14
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Araujo-Silva CA, Marinho PM, Marcos AAA, Branco AMC, Sakamoto V, Matuoka ML, Moraes NF, Tierno PFGMM, Mourad WM, Nascimento H, Burnier M, de Souza W, Belfort R. Postmortem Ultrastructural Analysis of the Retina from COVID-19 Deceased Patients. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 2023:1-9. [PMID: 37552861 DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2023.2238817] [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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, first reported in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Among the common complications is a pro-inflammatory and hypercoagulative response that compromises the vasculature among various organs. METHODS In this report, we present the postmortem retinal findings of five patients observed by means of optical microscopy and transmission and scanning electron microscopy techniques. RESULTS Clinical manifestations such as retinal hemorrhages and exacerbated inflammatory infiltrate, altered ultra structure with swollen mitochondria and pyknotic cells in both layers of the retina were observed in all analyzed eyes. CONCLUSION Our data point to the fragility of this tissue in cases of severe COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlla A Araujo-Silva
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - INBEB, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - CENABIO, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paula M Marinho
- São Paulo Hospital, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Paulista de Estudos e Pesquisas em Oftalmologia - IPEPO, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alléxya A A Marcos
- São Paulo Hospital, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Paulista de Estudos e Pesquisas em Oftalmologia - IPEPO, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana M C Branco
- São Paulo Hospital, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Paulista de Estudos e Pesquisas em Oftalmologia - IPEPO, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Victoria Sakamoto
- São Paulo Hospital, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mateus L Matuoka
- Hospital Municipal de Barueri Dr. Francisco Moran, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nara F Moraes
- Hospital Municipal de Barueri Dr. Francisco Moran, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Walid M Mourad
- Instituto Paulista de Estudos e Pesquisas em Oftalmologia - IPEPO, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Heloisa Nascimento
- São Paulo Hospital, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Paulista de Estudos e Pesquisas em Oftalmologia - IPEPO, São Paulo, Brazil
- Hospital Municipal de Barueri Dr. Francisco Moran, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Miguel Burnier
- Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - INBEB, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - CENABIO, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rubens Belfort
- São Paulo Hospital, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Paulista de Estudos e Pesquisas em Oftalmologia - IPEPO, São Paulo, Brazil
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15
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Nunes Lemes LF, Magoulas GE, Souza de Oliveira A, Barrias E, de Camargo Nascente L, Granado R, Teixeira de Macedo Silva S, Assimomytis N, de Souza W, Bolognesi ML, Romeiro LAS, Calogeropoulou T. Valorizing Constituents of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid toward the Sustainable Development of New Drugs against Chagas Disease. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1334-1345. [PMID: 37307287 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00076] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Six new ether phospholipid analogues encompassing constituents from cashew nut shell liquid as the lipid portion were synthesized in an effort to valorize byproducts of the cashew industry toward the generation of potent compounds against Chagas disease. Anacardic acids, cardanols, and cardols were used as the lipid portions and choline as the polar headgroup. The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antiparasitic activity against different developmental stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. Compounds 16 and 17 were found to be the most potent against T. cruzi epimastigotes, trypomastigotes, and intracellular amastigotes exhibiting selectivity indices against the latter 32-fold and 7-fold higher than current drug benznidazole, respectively. Hence, four out of six analogues can be considered as hit-compounds toward the sustainable development of new treatments for Chagas disease, based on inexpensive agro-waste material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís Flávia Nunes Lemes
- Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
- Catholic University of Brasilia, QS 07, Lote 01, EPCT, Águas Claras, 71966-700 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - George E Magoulas
- Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | - Andressa Souza de Oliveira
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Emile Barrias
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana de Camargo Nascente
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Renato Granado
- Laboratory of Metrology Applied to Life Sciences, National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology - Inmetro, Rua Santa Alexandrina, 416, Rio Comprido, 20261-232 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sara Teixeira de Macedo Silva
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nikos Assimomytis
- Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho s/n, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maria Laura Bolognesi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Luiz Antonio Soares Romeiro
- Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, 70910-900 Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Theodora Calogeropoulou
- Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
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16
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Benchimol M, Gadelha AP, de Souza W. Ultrastructural Alterations of the Human Pathogen Giardia intestinalis after Drug Treatment. Pathogens 2023; 12:810. [PMID: 37375500 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060810] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This review presents the main cell characteristics altered after in vitro incubation of the parasite with commercial drugs used to treat the disease caused by Giardia intestinalis. This important intestinal parasite primarily causes diarrhea in children. Metronidazole and albendazole are the primary compounds used in therapy against Giardia intestinalis. However, they provoke significant side effects, and some strains have developed resistance to metronidazole. Benzimidazole carbamates, such as albendazole and mebendazole, have shown the best activity against Giardia. Despite their in vitro efficacy, clinical treatment with benzimidazoles has yielded conflicting results, demonstrating lower cure rates. Recently, nitazoxanide has been suggested as an alternative to these drugs. Therefore, to enhance the quality of chemotherapy against this parasite, it is important to invest in developing other compounds that can interfere with key steps of metabolic pathways or cell structures and organelles. For example, Giardia exhibits a unique cell structure called the ventral disc, which is crucial for host adhesion and pathogenicity. Thus, drugs that can disrupt the adhesion process hold promise for future therapy against Giardia. Additionally, this review discusses new drugs and strategies that can be employed, as well as suggestions for developing novel drugs to control the infection caused by this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Benchimol
- BIOTRANS-CAXIAS, Universidade do Grande Rio. UNIGRANRIO, Rio de Janeiro 96200-000, Brazil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Gadelha
- Diretoria de Metrologia Científica, Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO), Rio de Janeiro 25259-020, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
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17
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de Souza TG, Granado R, Benaim G, de Souza W, Benchimol M. Effects of SQ109 on Trichomonas vaginalis. Exp Parasitol 2023; 250:108549. [PMID: 37196704 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108549] [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: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan that causes human trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that affects approximately 278 million people worldwide. The current treatment for human trichomoniasis is based on 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole, known as Metronidazole (MTZ). Although effective in eliminating parasitic infection, MTZ is related to serious adverse effects and is not recommended during pregnancy. In addition, some strains are resistant to 5'-nitroimidazoles, prompting the development of alternative drugs for trichomoniasis. Here we show that SQ109 [N-adamantan-2-yl-N'-((E)-3,7-dimethyl-octa- 2,6-dienyl)-ethane-1,2-diamine], a drug under development (antitubercular drug candidate that completed Phase IIb/III) for the treatment of tuberculosis, and previously tested in Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania. SQ109 inhibited T.vaginalis growth with an IC50 of 3.15 μM. We used scanning and transmission electron microscopy to visualize the ultrastructural alterations induced by SQ109. The microscopy analysis showed morphological changes on the protozoan surface, where the cells became rounded with increasing surface projections. In addition, the hydrogenosomes increased their size and area occupied in the cell. Furthermore, the volume and a significant association of glycogen particles with the organelle were seen to be altered. A bioinformatics search was done about the compound to find its possible targets and mechanisms of action. Our observations identify SQ109 as a promising compound against T. vaginalis in vitro, suggesting its potential utility as an alternative chemotherapy for trichomoniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Guinancio de Souza
- Universidade do Grande Rio, Duque de Caxias, Brazil; Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renato Granado
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Benaim
- Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, Caracas, Venezuela; Instituto de Biologia Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; CMABio da Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Marlene Benchimol
- Universidade do Grande Rio, Duque de Caxias, Brazil; Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; CMABio da Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
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18
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Tenaglia AH, Luján LA, Ríos DN, Molina CR, Midlej V, Iribarren PA, Berazategui MA, Torri A, Saura A, Peralta DO, Rodríguez-Walker M, Fernández EA, Petiti JP, Serradell MC, Gargantini PR, Sparwasser T, Alvarez VE, de Souza W, Luján HD. Antibodies to variable surface antigens induce antigenic variation in the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2537. [PMID: 37137944 PMCID: PMC10156722 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38317-8] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The genomes of most protozoa encode families of variant surface antigens. In some parasitic microorganisms, it has been demonstrated that mutually exclusive changes in the expression of these antigens allow parasites to evade the host's immune response. It is widely assumed that antigenic variation in protozoan parasites is accomplished by the spontaneous appearance within the population of cells expressing antigenic variants that escape antibody-mediated cytotoxicity. Here we show, both in vitro and in animal infections, that antibodies to Variant-specific Surface Proteins (VSPs) of the intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia are not cytotoxic, inducing instead VSP clustering into liquid-ordered phase membrane microdomains that trigger a massive release of microvesicles carrying the original VSP and switch in expression to different VSPs by a calcium-dependent mechanism. This novel mechanism of surface antigen clearance throughout its release into microvesicles coupled to the stochastic induction of new phenotypic variants not only changes current paradigms of antigenic switching but also provides a new framework for understanding the course of protozoan infections as a host/parasite adaptive process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albano H Tenaglia
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
- Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba (CIQUIBIC), CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Lucas A Luján
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Diego N Ríos
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
- Clínica Universitaria Reina Fabiola, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Cecilia R Molina
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Victor Midlej
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), 21941-170, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paula A Iribarren
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIBIO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), B1650HMP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María A Berazategui
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIBIO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), B1650HMP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Department of Life Sciences, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Alessandro Torri
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
- Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, CNRS Unité Mixte de Recherche, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Alicia Saura
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
- Cátedra de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Damián O Peralta
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Macarena Rodríguez-Walker
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Elmer A Fernández
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
- Fundación para el progreso de la Medicina, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Juan P Petiti
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA), Centro de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. CONICET/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5016HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Marianela C Serradell
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Parasitología y Micología, Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, X5016HUA, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Pablo R Gargantini
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Tim Sparwasser
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Vanina E Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIBIO), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), B1650HMP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), 21941-170, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Hugo D Luján
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIDIE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Católica de Córdoba (UCC), X5016HDK, Córdoba, Argentina.
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19
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Girard-Dias W, Augusto I, V. A. Fernandes T, G. Pascutti P, de Souza W, Miranda K. A spatially resolved elemental nanodomain organization within acidocalcisomes in Trypanosoma cruzi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300942120. [PMID: 37036984 PMCID: PMC10120040 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300942120] [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: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
How are ions distributed in the three-dimensional (3D) volume confined in a nanoscale compartment? Regulation of ionic flow in the intracellular milieu has been explained by different theoretical models and experimentally demonstrated for several compartments with microscale dimensions. Most of these models predict a homogeneous distribution of ions seconds or milliseconds after an initial diffusion step formed at the ion translocation site, leaving open questions when it comes to ion/element distribution in spaces/compartments with nanoscale dimensions. Due to the influence of compartment size on the regulation of ionic flow, theoretical variations of classical models have been proposed, suggesting heterogeneous distributions of ions/elements within nanoscale compartments. Nonetheless, such assumptions have not been fully proven for the 3D volume of an organelle. In this work, we used a combination of cutting-edge electron microscopy techniques to map the 3D distribution of diffusible elements within the whole volume of acidocalcisomes in trypanosomes. Cryofixed cells were analyzed by scanning transmission electron microscopy tomography combined with elemental mapping using a high-performance setup of X-ray detectors. Results showed the existence of elemental nanodomains within the acidocalcisomes, where cationic elements display a self-excluding pattern. These were validated by Pearson correlation analysis and in silico molecular dynamic simulations. Formation of element domains within the 3D space of an organelle is demonstrated. Distribution patterns that support the electrodiffusion theory proposed for nanophysiology models have been found. The experimental pipeline shown here can be applied to a variety of models where ion mobilization plays a crucial role in physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendell Girard-Dias
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Plataforma de Microscopia Eletrônica Rudolf Barth, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro21041-250, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Augusto
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
| | - Tácio V. A. Fernandes
- Laboratório de Modelagem e Dinâmica Molecular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto de Tecnologia de Fármacos (Farmanguinhos), Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro22775-903, Brazil
| | - Pedro G. Pascutti
- Laboratório de Modelagem e Dinâmica Molecular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Multiusuário para Análise de Fenômenos Biomédicos, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Amazonas69065-001, Brazil
| | - Kildare Miranda
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro21941-902, Brazil
- Centro Multiusuário para Análise de Fenômenos Biomédicos, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Amazonas69065-001, Brazil
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20
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Visbal G, Justo RMS, dos Santos da Silva e Miranda G, Teixeira de Macedo Silva S, de Souza W, Rodrigues JCF, Navarro M. Zinc(II)-Sterol Hydrazone Complex as a Potent Anti-Leishmania Agent: Synthesis, Characterization, and Insight into Its Mechanism of Antiparasitic Action. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15041113. [PMID: 37111599 PMCID: PMC10142724 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15041113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Searching for new alternatives for treating leishmaniasis, we present the synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation against Leishmania amazonensis of the new ZnCl2(H3)2 complex. H3 is 22-hydrazone-imidazoline-2-yl-chol-5-ene-3β-ol, a well-known bioactive molecule functioning as a sterol Δ24-sterol methyl transferase (24-SMT) inhibitor. The ZnCl2(H3)2 complex was characterized by infrared, UV-vis, molar conductance measurements, elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and NMR experiments. The biological results showed that the free ligand H3 and ZnCl2(H3)2 significantly inhibited the growth of promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. The IC50 values found for H3 and ZnCl2(H3)2 were 5.2 µM and 2.5 µM for promastigotes, and 543 nM and 32 nM for intracellular amastigotes, respectively. Thus, the ZnCl2(H3)2 complex proved to be seventeen times more potent than the free ligand H3 against the intracellular amastigote, the clinically relevant stage. Furthermore, cytotoxicity assays and determination of selectivity index (SI) revealed that ZnCl2(H3)2 (CC50 = 5 μΜ, SI = 156) is more selective than H3 (CC50 = 10 μΜ, SI = 20). Furthermore, as H3 is a specific inhibitor of the 24-SMT, free sterol analysis was performed. The results showed that H3 was not only able to induce depletion of endogenous parasite sterols (episterol and 5-dehydroepisterol) and their replacement by 24-desalkyl sterols (cholesta-5,7,24-trien-3β-ol and cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol) but also its zinc derivative resulting in a loss of cell viability. Using electron microscopy, studies on the fine ultrastructure of the parasites showed significant differences between the control cells and parasites treated with H3 and ZnCl2(H3)2. The inhibitors induced membrane wrinkle, mitochondrial injury, and abnormal chromatin condensation changes that are more intense in the cells treated with ZnCl2(H3)2.
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de Souza CC, de Azevedo-França JA, Barrias E, Cavalcante SCF, Vieira EG, Ferreira AMDC, de Souza W, Navarro M. Silver and copper-benznidazole derivatives as potential antiparasitic metallodrugs: Synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation. J Inorg Biochem 2023; 239:112047. [PMID: 36428157 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2022.112047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Currently the only drug available to treat Chagas disease in Brazil is benznidazole (BZN). Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover and develop new anti- Trypanosoma cruzi candidates. In our continuous effort to enhance clinical antiparasitic drugs using synergistic strategy, BZN was coordinated to silver and copper ions to enhance its effectiveness to treat that illness. In this work, the syntheses of four novel metal-BZN complexes, [Ag(BZN)2]NO3·H2O (1), [CuCl2(BZN)(H2O)]·1/2CH3CN (2), [Ag(PPh3)2(BZN)2]NO3·H2O (3), and [Cu(PPh3)2(BNZ)2]NO3·2H2O (4), and their characterization using multiple analytical and spectroscopic techniques such as Infrared (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H, 13C, 31P), UV-Visible (UV-Vis), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), conductivity and elemental analysis are described. IC50 (Half-maximal inhibitory concentration) values of Ag-BZN compounds are about five to ten times lower than benznidazole itself in both proliferation stages of the parasite (epimastigotes and amastigotes). The cytotoxicity of both compounds in human cells (fibroblasts and hepatocytes) are comparable to BZN, indicating that Ag-BZN complexes can be more selective than BZN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassiano Cunha de Souza
- Laboratório de Química Bioinorgânica e Catálise, Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - José Aleixo de Azevedo-França
- Laboratório de Química Bioinorgânica e Catálise, Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Emile Barrias
- Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia, INMETRO, Xerém, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Eduardo Guimarães Vieira
- Laboratório de Bioinorgânica, Catálise e Farmacologia, Departamento de Química Fundamental, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Da Costa Ferreira
- Laboratório de Bioinorgânica, Catálise e Farmacologia, Departamento de Química Fundamental, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INBEB) and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maribel Navarro
- Laboratório de Química Bioinorgânica e Catálise, Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
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22
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Zuma AA, de Souza W. Fexinidazole interferes with the growth and structural organization of Trypanosoma cruzi. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20388. [PMID: 36437273 PMCID: PMC9701812 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23941-z] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Fexinidazole (FEX) is a heterocyclic compound and constitutes the first 100% oral treatment drug for African trypanosomiasis. Its effectiveness against Trypanosoma brucei encouraged the investigation of its antiparasitic potential against T. cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas disease. Although previous studies addressed the antitrypanosomal effects of FEX, none used electron microscopy to identify the main target structures of T. brucei or T. cruzi. In this work, we used microscopy techniques to analyze the ultrastructural alterations caused by FEX in different developmental stages of T. cruzi. In addition to inhibiting T. cruzi proliferation, with IC50 of 1 µM for intracellular amastigotes, FEX promoted massive disorganization of reservosomes, the detachment of the plasma membrane, unpacking of nuclear heterochromatin, mitochondrial swelling, Golgi disruption and alterations in the kinetoplast-mitochondrion complex. Together, these observations point to FEX as a potential drug leader for further developing of chemotherapy against Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Araujo Zuma
- grid.8536.80000 0001 2294 473XLaboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21491-590 Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- grid.8536.80000 0001 2294 473XLaboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21491-590 Brazil ,grid.412290.c0000 0000 8024 0602Centro Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas Biológica-CMABio, Escola Superior de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas-UEA, Av. Carvalho Leal, 1777-Cachoeirinha, Manaus, AM 69065-000 Brazil
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23
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Benchimol M, Gadelha AP, de Souza W. Unusual Cell Structures and Organelles in Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis Are Potential Drug Targets. Microorganisms 2022; 10:2176. [PMID: 36363768 PMCID: PMC9698047 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This review presents the main cell organelles and structures of two important protist parasites, Giardia intestinalis, and Trichomonas vaginalis; many are unusual and are not found in other eukaryotic cells, thus could be good candidates for new drug targets aimed at improvement of the chemotherapy of diseases caused by these eukaryotic protists. For example, in Giardia, the ventral disc is a specific structure to this parasite and is fundamental for the adhesion and pathogenicity to the host. In Trichomonas, the hydrogenosome, a double membrane-bounded organelle that produces ATP, also can be a good target. Other structures include mitosomes, ribosomes, and proteasomes. Metronidazole is the most frequent compound used to kill many anaerobic organisms, including Giardia and Trichomonas. It enters the cell by passive diffusion and needs to find a highly reductive environment to be reduced to the nitro radicals to be active. However, it provokes several side effects, and some strains present metronidazole resistance. Therefore, to improve the quality of the chemotherapy against parasitic protozoa is important to invest in the development of highly specific compounds that interfere with key steps of essential metabolic pathways or in the functional macromolecular complexes which are most often associated with cell structures and organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Benchimol
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Centro de Ciêcias da Saúde, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitaria, Rio de Janeiro 96200-000, Brazil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Gadelha
- Diretoria de Metrologia Aplicada as Ciências da Vida, Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (INMETRO), Rio de Janeiro 25250-020, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil
- CMABio, Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas-UEA, Manaus 69850-000, Brazil
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24
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Lima MS, Hamerski L, Silva TA, da Cruz MLR, Varasteh T, Tschoeke DA, Atella GC, de Souza W, Thompson FL, Thompson CC. Insights on the biochemical and cellular changes induced by heat stress in the Cladocopium isolated from coral Mussismilia braziliensis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:973980. [PMID: 36299729 PMCID: PMC9590694 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.973980] [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: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Corals are treatened by global warming. Bleaching is one immediate effect of global warming, resulting from the loss of photosynthetic endosymbiont dinoflagellates. Understanding host-symbiont associations are critical for assessing coral’s habitat requirements and its response to environmental changes. Cladocopium (formerly family Symbiodiniaceae clade C) are dominant endosymbionts in the reef-building coral, Mussismilia braziliensis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of temperature on the biochemical and cellular features of Cladocopium. Heat stress increased oxygen (O2) and decreased proteins, pigments (Chla + Chlc2), hexadecanoic acid- methyl ester, methyl stearate, and octadecenoic acid (Z)- methyl ester molecules. In addition, there was an increase in neutral lipids such as esterified cholesterol and a decrease in free fatty acids that may have been incorporated for the production of lipid droplets. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that Cladocopium cells subjected to heat stress had thinner cell walls, deformation of chloroplasts, and increased lipid droplets after 3 days at 28°C. These findings indicate that thermal stress negatively affects isolated Cladocopium spp. from Mussismilia host coral.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele S. Lima
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Biology Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lidilhone Hamerski
- Walter Mors Institute of Research on Natural Products, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tatiana A. Silva
- Laboratory of Celullar Ultrastructure Hertha Meyer, Biophysics Institute Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (Cenabio), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maria Luíza R. da Cruz
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Biology Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Tooba Varasteh
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Biology Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diogo A. Tschoeke
- Biomedical Engineering Program – COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Georgia C. Atella
- Laboratory of Lipids Biochemistry and Lipoprotein, Biochemistry Institute Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratory of Celullar Ultrastructure Hertha Meyer, Biophysics Institute Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (Cenabio), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiano L. Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Biology Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Center of Technology-CT2, SAGE-COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Fabiano L. Thompson, ; Cristiane C. Thompson,
| | - Cristiane C. Thompson
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Biology Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Fabiano L. Thompson, ; Cristiane C. Thompson,
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Borba-Santos LP, Rollin-Pinheiro R, da Silva Fontes Y, dos Santos GMP, de Sousa Araújo GR, Rodrigues AM, Guimarães AJ, de Souza W, Frases S, Ferreira-Pereira A, Barreto-Bergter E, Rozental S. Screening of Pandemic Response Box Library Reveals the High Activity of Olorofim against Pathogenic Sporothrix Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8101004. [PMID: 36294569 PMCID: PMC9605001 DOI: 10.3390/jof8101004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The increase in the prevalence and severity of fungal infections and the resistance to available antifungals highlights the imperative need for novel therapeutics and the search for new targets. High-content screening of libraries containing hundreds of compounds is a powerful strategy for searching for new drug candidates. In this study, we screened the Pandemic Response Box library (Medicines for Malaria Venture) of 400 diverse molecules against the Sporothrix pathogenic species. The initial screen identified twenty-four candidates that inhibited the growth of Sporothrix brasiliensis by more than 80%. Some of these compounds are known to display antifungal activity, including olorofim (MMV1782354), a new antifungal drug. Olorofim inhibited and killed the yeasts of S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii, and S. globosa at concentrations lower than itraconazole, and it also showed antibiofilm activity. According to the results obtained by fluorimetry, electron microscopy, and particle characterization analyses, we observed that olorofim induced profound alterations on the cell surface and cell cycle arrest in S. brasiliensis yeasts. We also verified that these morphophysiological alterations impaired their ability to adhere to keratinocytes in vitro. Our results indicate that olorofim is a promising new antifungal against sporotrichosis agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana Pereira Borba-Santos
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-21-39386569
| | - Rodrigo Rollin-Pinheiro
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Yasmin da Silva Fontes
- Laboratório de Bioquímica Microbiana, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Giulia Maria Pires dos Santos
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Glauber Ribeiro de Sousa Araújo
- Laboratório de Biofísica de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Anderson Messias Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Patógenos Fúngicos Emergentes, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo 04023-062, Brazil
| | - Allan J. Guimarães
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Imunologia das Micoses, Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói 24210-130, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Susana Frases
- Laboratório de Biofísica de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Antonio Ferreira-Pereira
- Laboratório de Bioquímica Microbiana, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Eliana Barreto-Bergter
- Laboratório de Química Biológica de Microrganismos, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Sonia Rozental
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
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26
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Nekoei S, Khamesipour F, Habtemariam S, de Souza W, Mohammadi Pour P, Hosseini SR. The anti‐
Trypanosoma
activities of medicinal plants: A systematic review of the literature. Vet Med Sci 2022; 8:2738-2772. [DOI: 10.1002/vms3.912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Nekoei
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Shahrekord Branch Islamic Azad University Shahrekord Iran
| | - Faham Khamesipour
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Shahrekord Branch Islamic Azad University Shahrekord Iran
- Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Solomon Habtemariam
- Pharmacognosy Research Laboratories and Herbal Analysis Services University of Greenwich Central Avenue Chatham‐Maritime Gillingham Kent UK
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens e Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Pardis Mohammadi Pour
- Phytochemistry Research Center Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Seyed Reza Hosseini
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Shahrekord Branch Islamic Azad University Shahrekord Iran
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Oliveira RVF, de Souza W, Vögerl K, Bracher F, Benchimol M, Gadelha APR. In vitro effects of the 4-[(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)methyl]-N-hydroxybenzamide on Giardia intestinalis trophozoites. Acta Trop 2022; 232:106484. [PMID: 35483428 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Giardiasis is an intestinal disease caused by the parasite protozoan Giardia intestinalis. For more than five decades, the treatment of this disease has been based on compounds such as nitroimidazoles and benzimidazoles. The parasite's adverse effects and therapeutic failure are largely recognized. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new forms of chemotherapy treatment against giardiasis. Lysine deacetylases (KDACs), which remove an acetyl group from lysine residues in histone and non-histone proteins as tubulin, are found in the Giardia genome and can become an interesting option for giardiasis treatment. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of 4-[(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)methyl]-N-hydroxybenzamide, a new class I/II KDAC inhibitor, on G. intestinalis growth, cytoskeleton, and ultrastructure organization. This compound decreased parasite proliferation and viability and displayed an IC50 value of 179 nM. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of protrusions on the cell surface after treatment. In addition, the vacuoles containing concentric membranous lamella and glycogen granules were observed in treated trophozoites. The cell membrane appeared deformed just above these vacuoles. Alterations on the microtubular cytoskeleton of the parasite were not observed after drug exposure. The number of diving cells with incomplete cytokinesis increased after treatment, indicating that the compound can interfere in the late steps of cell division. Our results indicate that 4-[(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)methyl]-N-hydroxybenzamide should be explored to develop new therapeutic compounds for treating giardiasis.
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de Macedo-Silva ST, Visbal G, Souza GF, Dos Santos MR, Cämmerer SB, de Souza W, Rodrigues JCF. Benzylamines as highly potent inhibitors of the sterol biosynthesis pathway in Leishmania amazonensis leading to oxidative stress and ultrastructural alterations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11313. [PMID: 35788652 PMCID: PMC9253131 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15449-3] [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: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. Benzylamines are a class of compounds selectively designed to inhibit the squalene synthase (SQS) that catalyzes the first committed reaction on the sterol biosynthesis pathway. Herein, we studied seven new benzylamines (SBC 37–43) against Leishmania amazonensis. After the first screening of cell viability, two inhibitors (SBC 39 and SBC 40) were selected. Against intracellular amastigotes, SBC 39 and SBC 40 presented selectivity indexes of 117.7 and 180, respectively, indicating high selectivity. Analysis of the sterol composition revealed a depletion of endogenous 24-alkylated sterols such as episterol and 5-dehydroepisterol, with a concomitant accumulation of fecosterol, implying a disturbance in cellular lipid content. This result suggests a blockade of de novo sterol synthesis at the level of SQS and C-5 desaturase. Furthermore, physiological analysis and electron microscopy revealed three main alterations: (1) in the mitochondrion; (2) the presence of lipid bodies and autophagosomes; and (3) the appearance of projections in the plasma membrane. In conclusion, our results support the notion that benzylamines have a potent effect against Leishmania amazonensis and should be an exciting novel pharmaceutical lead for developing new chemotherapeutic alternatives to treat leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Teixeira de Macedo-Silva
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, CENABIO, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gonzalo Visbal
- Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia, Inmetro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Simon B Cämmerer
- Instituto de Química, Departamento de Química Orgânica, UNICAMP, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Juliany Cola Fernandes Rodrigues
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. .,Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa em Biologia, Divisão Biologia (NUMPEX-BIO), Campus UFRJ-Duque de Caxias Prof. Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rodovia Washington Luiz, n. 19.593, km 104.5-Santa Cruz da Serra, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25.240-005, Brazil.
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29
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Borba-Santos LP, Nicoletti CD, Vila T, Ferreira PG, Araújo-Lima CF, Galvão BVD, Felzenszwalb I, de Souza W, de Carvalho da Silva F, Ferreira VF, Futuro DO, Rozental S. A novel naphthoquinone derivative shows selective antifungal activity against Sporothrix yeasts and biofilms. Braz J Microbiol 2022; 53:749-758. [PMID: 35258797 PMCID: PMC9151959 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-022-00725-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis that affects humans and animals, with few therapeutic options available in the pharmaceutical market. We screened the in vitro antifungal activity of fourteen 1,4-naphthoquinones derivative compounds against Sporothrix brasiliensis and Sporothrix schenckii, the main etiological agents of sporotrichosis in Latin America. The most active compound was selected for further studies exploring its antibiofilm activity, effects on yeast morphophysiology, interaction with itraconazole, and selectivity to fungal cells. Among the fourteen 1,4-naphthoquinones tested, naphthoquinone 5, a silver salt of lawsone, was the most active compound. Naphthoquinone 5 was able to inhibit Sporothrix biofilms and induced ROS accumulation, mitochondrial disturbances, and severe plasmatic membrane damage in fungal cells. Furthermore, naphthoquinone 5 was ten times more selective towards fungal cells than fibroblast, and the combination of itraconazole with naphthoquinone 5 improved the inhibitory activity of the azole. Combined, the data presented here indicate that the silver salt naphthoquinone 5 exerts promising in vitro activity against the two main agents of sporotrichosis with important antibiofilm activity and a good toxicity profile, suggesting it is a promising molecule for the development of a new family of antifungals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana P Borba-Santos
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Caroline Deckmann Nicoletti
- Departamento de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
| | - Taissa Vila
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Patricia Garcia Ferreira
- Departamento de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
| | - Carlos Fernando Araújo-Lima
- Laboratório de Mutagênese Ambiental, Departamento de Biofísica e Biometria, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bárbara Verena Dias Galvão
- Laboratório de Mutagênese Ambiental, Departamento de Biofísica e Biometria, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Israel Felzenszwalb
- Laboratório de Mutagênese Ambiental, Departamento de Biofísica e Biometria, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Vitor Francisco Ferreira
- Departamento de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
| | - Debora Omena Futuro
- Departamento de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sonia Rozental
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Costa Catta-Preta CM, Cézar de Azevedo-Martins A, de Souza W, Motta MCM. Effect of the endoplasmic reticulum stressor tunicamycin in Angomonas deanei heat-shock protein expression and on the association with the endosymbiotic bacterium. Exp Cell Res 2022; 417:113162. [PMID: 35460679 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2022.113162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) presents unique properties to establishing bacterium symbiosis in eukaryotic cells since it synthesizes and glycosylates essential molecules like proteins and lipids. Tunicamycin (TM) is an antibiotic that inhibits the first step in the N-linked glycosylation in eukaryotes and has been used as an ER stress inducer to activate the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR). Mutualistic symbiosis in trypanosomatids is characterized by structural adaptations and intense metabolic exchanges, thus we investigated the effects of TM in the association between Angomonas deanei and its symbiotic bacterium, through ultrastructural and proteomic approaches. Cells treated with the inhibitor showed a decrease in proliferation, enlargement of the ER and Golgi cisternae and an increased distance between the symbiont and the ER. TM proved to be an important tool to better understand ER stress in trypanosomatids, since changes in protein composition were observed in the host protozoan, especially the expression of the Hsp90 chaperone. Furthermore, data obtained indicates the importance of the ER for the adaptation and maintenance of symbiotic associations between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, considering that this organelle has recognized importance in the biogenesis and division of cell structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Moura Costa Catta-Preta
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Allan Cézar de Azevedo-Martins
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina M Motta
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, RJ, Brazil.
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31
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Lopes DM, Provençano AF, de Mello CB, Feder MD, Cunha JA, Nogueira N, Lechuga GC, Bourguignon SC, de Souza W, Garcia ES, das Chagas EF, Azambuja P, Gonzalez MS. Ecdysone modulates both ultrastructural arrangement of hindgut and attachment of Trypanosoma cruzi DM 28c to the rectum cuticle of Rhodnius prolixus fifth-instar nymph. Exp Parasitol 2022; 236-237:108247. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2022.108247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Turiel-Silva M, Wendt C, Silva EO, Rodrigues APD, de Souza W, Miranda K, Diniz J. Three-dimensional Architecture of Cyrilia lignieresi Gametocyte-stage Development Inside Red Blood Cells. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12894. [PMID: 35152525 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12894] [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: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Haemogregarinidae family (Apicomplexa: Adeleina) comprises hemoprotozoa that infect mammals, birds, amphibians, fish and reptiles. Some morphological characteristics of the Cyrilia lignieresi have been described previously, but the parasite-erythrocyte relationship is still poorly understood. In order to understand the structural architecture of Cyrilia lignieresi-infected red blood cells, electron microscopy-based three-dimensional reconstruction was carried out using TEM as well as FIB-SEM tomography. Results showed that development of the macrogametocyte-stage inside the red blood cell is related to an increase in cleft-like structures in the host cell cytoplasm. Furthermore, other aspects related to parasite intraerythrocytic development were explored by 3D visualization techniques. We observed the invagination of a large extension of the Inner Membrane Complex on the parasite body, which results from or induces a folding of the posterior end of the parasite. Small tubular structures were seen associated with areas related to Inner Membrane Complex folding. Taken together, results provide new information on the remodeling of erythrocytes induced by the protozoan C. lignieresi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maíra Turiel-Silva
- Universidade do Estado do Pará, Centro de Ciëncias Biológicas e da Saúde, Marabá-PA, Brazil.,Instituto Evandro Chagas, Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, Belém-PA, Brazil
| | - Camila Wendt
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
| | - Edilene O Silva
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Laboratório de Biologia Estrutural, Belém-PA, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Drummond Rodrigues
- Instituto Evandro Chagas, Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, Belém-PA, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
| | - Kildare Miranda
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
| | - José Diniz
- Instituto Evandro Chagas, Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica, Belém-PA, Brazil
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Benchimol M, de Souza W. Giardia intestinalis and its Endomembrane System. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12893. [PMID: 35148450 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Giardia intestinalis has unique characteristics, even in the absence of certain organelles. For instance, Golgi and mitochondria are not found. On the other hand, there is a network of peripheral vacuoles (PVs) and mitosomes. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), nuclear membrane, peroxisomes, and lipid bodies are present. The peripheral vacuole system seems to play several simultaneous roles. It is involved in the endocytic activity of the trophozoite but also has characteristics of early and late endosomes and even lysosomes, establishing a connection with the ER. Some of the PVs contain small vesicles, acting as multivesicular bodies, including the release of exosomes. The mitosomes are surrounded by two membranes, divide during mitosis, and are distributed throughout the cell. They do not contain DNA, enzymes involved in the citric acid cycle, respiratory chain, or ATP synthesis. However, they contain the iron-sulfur complex and transporters as TOM and TIM. Some mitosomes are linked to flagellar axonemes through a fibrillar connection. During encystation, two types of larger cytoplasmic vesicles appear. One originating from the ER contains the cyst wall proteins. Another contains carbohydrates. Both migrate to the cell periphery and fuse with plasma membrane secreting their contents to give rise to the cell wall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Benchimol
- Universidade do Grande Rio (UNIGRANRIO), Rio de Janeiro Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil.,Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, CENABIO-Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, CENABIO-Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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34
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de Azevedo-Martins AC, Ocaña K, de Souza W, de Vasconcelos ATR, Teixeira MMG, Camargo EP, Alves JMP, Motta MCM. The Importance of Glycerophospholipid Production to the Mutualist Symbiosis of Trypanosomatids. Pathogens 2021; 11:pathogens11010041. [PMID: 35055989 PMCID: PMC8779180 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11010041] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The symbiosis in trypanosomatids is a mutualistic relationship characterized by extensive metabolic exchanges between the bacterium and the protozoan. The symbiotic bacterium can complete host essential metabolic pathways, such as those for heme, amino acid, and vitamin production. Experimental assays indicate that the symbiont acquires phospholipids from the host trypanosomatid, especially phosphatidylcholine, which is often present in bacteria that have a close association with eukaryotic cells. In this work, an in-silico study was performed to find genes involved in the glycerophospholipid (GPL) production of Symbiont Harboring Trypanosomatids (SHTs) and their respective bacteria, also extending the search for trypanosomatids that naturally do not have symbionts. Results showed that most genes for GPL synthesis are only present in the SHT. The bacterium has an exclusive sequence related to phosphatidylglycerol production and contains genes for phosphatidic acid production, which may enhance SHT phosphatidic acid production. Phylogenetic data did not indicate gene transfers from the bacterium to the SHT nucleus, proposing that enzymes participating in GPL route have eukaryotic characteristics. Taken together, our data indicate that, differently from other metabolic pathways described so far, the symbiont contributes little to the production of GPLs and acquires most of these molecules from the SHT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan C. de Azevedo-Martins
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20000-000, RJ, Brazil; (A.C.d.A.-M.); (W.d.S.)
| | - Kary Ocaña
- Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petropolis 25600-000, RJ, Brazil; (K.O.); (A.T.R.d.V.)
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20000-000, RJ, Brazil; (A.C.d.A.-M.); (W.d.S.)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Rio de Janeiro 20000-000, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Marta M. G. Teixeira
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil; (M.M.G.T.); (E.P.C.)
| | - Erney P. Camargo
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil; (M.M.G.T.); (E.P.C.)
| | - João M. P. Alves
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil; (M.M.G.T.); (E.P.C.)
- Correspondence: (J.M.P.A.); (M.C.M.M.)
| | - Maria Cristina M. Motta
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20000-000, RJ, Brazil; (A.C.d.A.-M.); (W.d.S.)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Rio de Janeiro 20000-000, RJ, Brazil
- Correspondence: (J.M.P.A.); (M.C.M.M.)
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35
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Bandeira PT, de Souza W. Costain 1 (ARM19800.1) - The first identified protein of the costa of the pathogenic protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus. Exp Parasitol 2021; 232:108177. [PMID: 34774534 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2021.108177] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Protists members of the Trichomonadidae and Tritrichomonadidae families include agents of trichomoniasis that constitute important parasitic diseases in humans and in animals of veterinary interest. One of the characteristic features of these eukaryotic microorganisms is that they contain a fibrous structure known as the costa as an important cytoskeleton structure, that differs in several aspects from other cytoskeleton structures found in eukaryotic cells. Previous proteomic analysis of an enriched costa fraction revealed the presence of several hypothetical proteins. Here we describe the localization of one of the most prevalent protein found in this previously made proteomic assay to confirm its presence in the costa of Tritrichomonas foetus. A peptide sequence of the hypothetical protein ARM19800.1 was selected for the production of specific polyclonal antibodies and its specificity was confirmed by Western Blotting using an enriched costa fraction. Next, the specific localization of the selected protein was evaluated by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy immunocytochemistry. Our observations clearly showed that the ARM 19800.1 protein is indeed localized in the costa and displays an almost periodic labeling pattern. Since this is the first protein identified in the costa, it was designated as costain 1. A better understanding of a structure as peculiar as the costa is of great biological and evolutionary importance due to the fact that it contains unique proteins, it may represent a possible chemotherapy target and it may correspond to antigens of interest in immunodiagnosis and/or vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Terra Bandeira
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens-INBEB, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-600, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens-CENABIO, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-600, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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da Encarnação Sá-Guimarães T, Salles TS, Rocha Dos Santos C, Moreira MF, de Souza W, Caldas LA. Route of Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti by transmission electron microscopy. BMC Microbiol 2021; 21:300. [PMID: 34717555 PMCID: PMC8557066 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02366-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Zika fever has been a global health security threat, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions where most of the cases occur. The disease is caused by Zika virus (ZIKV), which belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus. The virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, mostly by Aedes aegypti, during its blood meal. In this study we present a descriptive analysis, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), of ZIKV infection in A. aegypti elected tissues at the 3rd day of infection. ZIKV vertical transmission experiments by oral infection were conducted to explore an offspring of natural infection. Results Gut and ovary tissues harbored a higher number of viral particles. The ZIKV genome was also detected, by RT-qPCR technique, in the organism of orally infected female mosquitoes and in their eggs laid. Conclusions The data obtained suggest that the ovary is an organ susceptible to be infected with ZIKV and that virus can be transmitted from mother to a fraction of the progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tiago Souza Salles
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-909, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Carlucio Rocha Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Controle de Artrópodes Vetores, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, CEP 21040-900, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Monica Ferreira Moreira
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-909, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Lucio Ayres Caldas
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. .,Duque de Caxias, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisa UFRJ-Xerém em Biologia - NUMPEX-BIO, RJ, CEP: 25265-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Correa Leite PE, de Araujo Portes J, Pereira MR, Russo FB, Martins-Duarte ES, Almeida Dos Santos N, Attias M, Barrantes FJ, Baleeiro Beltrão-Braga PC, de Souza W. Morphological and biochemical repercussions of Toxoplasma gondii infection in a 3D human brain neurospheres model. Brain Behav Immun Health 2021; 11:100190. [PMID: 34589727 PMCID: PMC8474451 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii that can infect the central nervous system (CNS), promoting neuroinflammation, neuronal loss, neurotransmitter imbalance and behavioral alterations. T. gondii infection is also related to neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The pathogenicity and inflammatory response in rodents are different to the case of humans, compromising the correlation between the behavioral alterations and physiological modifications observed in the disease. In the present work we used BrainSpheres, a 3D CNS model derived from human pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), to investigate the morphological and biochemical repercussions of T. gondii infection in human neural cells. Methods We evaluated T. gondii ME49 strain proliferation and cyst formation in both 2D cultured human neural cells and BrainSpheres. Aspects of cell morphology, ultrastructure, viability, gene expression of neural phenotype markers, as well as secretion of inflammatory mediators were evaluated for 2 and 4 weeks post infection in BrainSpheres. Results T. gondii can infect BrainSpheres, proliferating and inducing cysts formation, neural cell death, alteration in neural gene expression and triggering the release of several inflammatory mediators. Conclusions BrainSpheres reproduce many aspects of T. gondii infection in human CNS, constituting a useful model to study the neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation mediated by the parasite. In addition, these data could be important for future studies aiming at better understanding possible correlations between psychiatric disorders and human CNS infection with T. gondii. T. gondii infects, proliferates and induce cysts formation in neurospheres. T. gondii infection induces neural cell death in neurospheres. T. gondii infection promotes alteration in neural gene expression in neurospheres. T. gondii infection promotes release of inflammatory mediators in neurospheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Emilio Correa Leite
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho and National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Directory of Metrology Applied to Life Sciences (Dimav), National Institute of Metrology Quality and Technology (INMETRO), Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil
| | - Juliana de Araujo Portes
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho and National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Fabiele Baldino Russo
- Laboratory of Disease Modeling, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Erica S Martins-Duarte
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho and National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Department of Parasitology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Nathalia Almeida Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Disease Modeling, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
| | - Marcia Attias
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho and National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Francisco J Barrantes
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute for Biomedical Research (BIOMED), UCA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Patricia Cristina Baleeiro Beltrão-Braga
- Laboratory of Disease Modeling, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Scientific Platform Pasteur-USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho and National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging (CENABIO), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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38
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Moreira FF, Portes JDA, Barros Azeredo NF, Fernandes C, Horn A, Santiago CP, Segat BB, Caramori GF, Madureira LMP, Candela DRS, Marques MM, Lamounier Camargos Resende JA, de Souza W, DaMatta RA, Seabra SH. Development of new dinuclear Fe(III) coordination compounds with in vitro nanomolar antitrypanosomal activity. Dalton Trans 2021; 50:12242-12264. [PMID: 34519725 DOI: 10.1039/d1dt01048d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease is a major public health problem affecting about 6 to 7 million people worldwide, mostly in Latin America. The available therapy for this disease is based on two drugs, nifurtimox and benznidazole, which exhibit severe side effects, including resistance, severe cytotoxicity, variable efficacy and inefficiency in the chronic phase. Therefore, new drugs are urgently needed. Coordination compounds may be an interesting alternative for antiparasite therapy against Leishmania spp., Toxoplasma gondii and T. cruzi. Herein, we tested the in vitro effect on T. cruzi epimastigotes (Y strain) of two new μ-oxo Fe(III) dinuclear complexes: [(HL1)(Cl)Fe(μ-O)Fe(Cl)(HL2)](Cl)2·(CH3CH2OH)2·H2O (1) and [(HL2)(Cl)Fe(μ-O)Fe(Cl)(HL2)](Cl)2·H2O (2) where HL1 and HL2 are ligands which contain two pyridines, amine and alcohol moieties with a naphthyl pendant unit yielding a N3O coordination environment. Complexes (1) and (2), which are isomers, were completely characterized, including X-ray diffraction studies for complex (1). Parasites were treated with the complexes and the outcome was analyzed. Complex (1) exhibited the lowest IC50 values, which were 99 ± 3, 97 ± 2 and 110 ± 39 nM, after 48, 72 and 120 h of treatment, respectively. Complex (2) showed IC50 values of 118 ± 5, 122 ± 6 and 104 ± 29 nM for the same treatment times. Low cytotoxicity to the host cell LLC-MK2 was found for both complexes, resulting in impressive selectivity indexes of 106 for complex (1) and 178 for (2), after 120 h of treatment. Treatment with both complexes reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential of the parasite. Ultrastructural analysis of the parasite after treatment with complexes showed that the mitochondria outer membrane presented swelling and abnormal disposition around the kinetoplast; in addition, reservosomes presented anomalous spicules and rupture. The complexes showed low nanomolar IC50 values affecting mitochondria and reservosomes, essential organelles for the survival of the parasite. The low IC50 and the high selectivity index show that both complexes act as a new prototype of drugs against T. cruzi and may be used for further development in drug discovery to treat Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Figueirôa Moreira
- Laboratório de Tecnologia em Bioquímica e Microscopia, Centro Universitário Estadual da Zona Oeste (UEZO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. .,Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Juliana de Araujo Portes
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil
| | - Nathália Florência Barros Azeredo
- Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Christiane Fernandes
- Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Adolfo Horn
- Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Cristina Pinheiro Santiago
- Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Bruna Barriquel Segat
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Giovanni Finoto Caramori
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ, Brazil
| | - Renato Augusto DaMatta
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sergio Henrique Seabra
- Laboratório de Tecnologia em Bioquímica e Microscopia, Centro Universitário Estadual da Zona Oeste (UEZO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. .,Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
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Magoulas GE, Afroudakis P, Georgikopoulou K, Roussaki M, Borsari C, Fotopoulou T, Santarem N, Barrias E, Tejera Nevado P, Hachenberg J, Bifeld E, Ellinger B, Kuzikov M, Fragiadaki I, Scoulica E, Clos J, Gul S, Costi MP, de Souza W, Prousis KC, Cordeiro da Silva A, Calogeropoulou T. Design, Synthesis and Antiparasitic Evaluation of Click Phospholipids. Molecules 2021; 26:4204. [PMID: 34299479 PMCID: PMC8305768 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26144204] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
A library of seventeen novel ether phospholipid analogues, containing 5-membered heterocyclic rings (1,2,3-triazolyl, isoxazolyl, 1,3,4-oxadiazolyl and 1,2,4-oxadiazolyl) in the lipid portion were designed and synthesized aiming to identify optimised miltefosine analogues. The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antiparasitic activity against Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani intracellular amastigotes, against Trypanosoma brucei brucei and against different developmental stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. The nature of the substituents of the heterocyclic ring (tail) and the oligomethylene spacer between the head group and the heterocyclic ring was found to affect the activity and toxicity of these compounds leading to a significantly improved understanding of their structure-activity relationships. The early ADMET profile of the new derivatives did not reveal major liabilities for the potent compounds. The 1,2,3-triazole derivative 27 substituted by a decyl tail, an undecyl spacer and a choline head group exhibited broad spectrum antiparasitic activity. It possessed low micromolar activity against the intracellular amastigotes of two L. infantum strains and T. cruzi Y strain epimastigotes, intracellular amastigotes and trypomastigotes, while its cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) against THP-1 macrophages ranged between 50 and 100 μM. Altogether, our work paves the way for the development of improved ether phospholipid derivatives to control neglected tropical diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- George E. Magoulas
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
| | - Pantelis Afroudakis
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
| | - Kalliopi Georgikopoulou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
| | - Marina Roussaki
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
| | - Chiara Borsari
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland;
| | - Theano Fotopoulou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
| | - Nuno Santarem
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (N.S.); (A.C.d.S.)
- Parasite Disease Group, IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
| | - Emile Barrias
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil; (E.B.); (W.d.S.)
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Paloma Tejera Nevado
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (P.T.N.); (J.H.); (E.B.); (J.C.)
| | - Julia Hachenberg
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (P.T.N.); (J.H.); (E.B.); (J.C.)
| | - Eugenia Bifeld
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (P.T.N.); (J.H.); (E.B.); (J.C.)
| | - Bernhard Ellinger
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 22525 Hamburg, Germany; (B.E.); (M.K.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Kuzikov
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 22525 Hamburg, Germany; (B.E.); (M.K.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Irini Fragiadaki
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (I.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Effie Scoulica
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (I.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Joachim Clos
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359 Hamburg, Germany; (P.T.N.); (J.H.); (E.B.); (J.C.)
| | - Sheraz Gul
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 22525 Hamburg, Germany; (B.E.); (M.K.); (S.G.)
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Paola Costi
- Department of Pharmacy, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy;
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil; (E.B.); (W.d.S.)
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Kyriakos C. Prousis
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
| | - Anabela Cordeiro da Silva
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (N.S.); (A.C.d.S.)
- Parasite Disease Group, IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
- Departmento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Theodora Calogeropoulou
- National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute of Chemical Biology, 11653 Athens, Greece; (G.E.M.); (P.A.); (K.G.); (M.R.); (T.F.); (K.C.P.)
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Abstract
The present review addresses basic aspects of the biology of the pathogenic protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi and some comparative information of Trypanosoma brucei. Like eukaryotic cells, their cellular organization is similar to that of mammalian hosts. However, these parasites present structural particularities. That is why the following topics are emphasized in this paper: developmental stages of the life cycle in the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts; the cytoskeleton of the protozoa, especially the sub-pellicular microtubules; the flagellum and its attachment to the protozoan body through specialized junctions; the kinetoplast-mitochondrion complex, including its structural organization and DNA replication; glycosome and its role in the metabolism of the cell; acidocalcisome, describing its morphology, biochemistry, and functional role; cytostome and the endocytic pathway; the organization of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex; the nucleus, describing its structural organization during interphase and division; and the process of interaction of the parasite with host cells. The unique characteristics of these structures also make them interesting chemotherapeutic targets. Therefore, further understanding of cell biology aspects contributes to the development of drugs for chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline A Zuma
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Emile Dos Santos Barrias
- Laboratorio de Metrologia Aplicada a Ciencias da Vida, Diretoria de Metrologia Aplicada a Ciencias da Vida - Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia (Inmetro), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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41
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Souza WD. Development in the Chemotherapy of Infectious Diseases caused by Intracellular Pathogenic Protozoa: Trypanosoma and Leishmania. Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:1649. [PMID: 34112066 DOI: 10.2174/138161282714210429112726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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42
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de Oliveira Santos J, Zuma AA, de Souza W, Motta MCM. Tubastatin A, a deacetylase inhibitor, as a tool to study the division, cell cycle and microtubule cytoskeleton of trypanosomatids. Eur J Protistol 2021; 80:125821. [PMID: 34144311 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan of great medical interest since it is the causative agent of Chagas disease, an endemic condition in Latin America. This parasite undergoes epigenetic events, such as phosphorylation, methylation and acetylation, which play a role in several cellular processes including replication, transcription and gene expression. Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are involved in chromatin compaction and post-translational modifications of cytoplasmic proteins, such as tubulin. Tubastatin A (TST) is a specific HDAC6 inhibitor that affects cell growth and promotes structural modifications in cancer cells and parasites. In the present study, we demonstrated that T. cruzi epimastigote cell proliferation and viability are reduced after 72 h of TST treatment. The results obtained through different microscopy methodologies suggest that this inhibitor impairs the polymerization dynamics of cytoskeleton microtubules, generating protozoa displaying atypical morphology and cellular patterns that include polynucleated parasites. Furthermore, the microtubules of treated protozoa were more intensely acetylated, especially at the anterior portion of the cell body. A cell cycle analysis demonstrated an increase in the number of trypanosomatids in the G2/M phase. Together, our results suggest that TST should be explored as a tool to study trypanosomatid cell biology, including microtubule cytoskeleton dynamics, and as an antiparasitic drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean de Oliveira Santos
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ, 21491-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia e Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - CENABIO, UFRJ, RJ, Brazil
| | - Aline Araujo Zuma
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ, 21491-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia e Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - CENABIO, UFRJ, RJ, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ, 21491-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia e Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - CENABIO, UFRJ, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina M Motta
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ, 21491-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia e Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens - CENABIO, UFRJ, RJ, Brazil.
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Alcantara CL, de Souza W, Cunha E Silva NL. The cytostome-cytopharynx complex of intracellular and extracellular amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi exhibit structural and functional differences. Cell Microbiol 2021; 23:e13346. [PMID: 33900003 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Endocytosis in Trypanosoma cruzi is mainly performed through a specialised membrane domain called cytostome-cytopharynx complex. Its ultrastructure and dynamics in endocytosis are well characterized in epimastigotes, being absent in trypomastigotes, that lack endocytic activity. Intracellular amastigotes also possess a cytostome-cytopharynx but participation in endocytosis of these forms is not clear. Extracellular amastigotes can be obtained from the supernatant of infected cells or in vitro amastigogenesis. These amastigotes share biochemical and morphological features with intracellular amastigotes but retain trypomastigote's ability to establish infection. We analysed and compared the ultrastructure of the cytostome-cytopharynx complex of intracellular amastigotes and extracellular amastigotes using high-resolution tridimensional electron microscopy techniques. We compared the endocytic ability of intracellular amastigotes, obtained through host cell lysis, with that of extracellular amastigotes. Intracellular amastigotes showed a cytostome-cytopharynx complex similar to epimastigotes'. However, after isolation, the complex undergoes ultrastructural modifications that progressively took to an impairment of endocytosis. Extracellular amastigotes do not possess a cytostome-cytopharynx complex nor the ability to endocytose. Those observations highlight morpho functional differences between intra and extracellular amastigotes regarding an important structure related to cell metabolism. TAKE AWAYS: T. cruzi intracellular amastigotes endocytose through the cytostome-cytopharynx complex. The cytostome-cytopharynx complex of intracellular amastigotes is ultrastructurally similar to the epimastigote. Intracellular amastigotes, once outside the host cell, disassembles the cytostome-cytopharynx membrane domain. Extracellular amastigotes do not possess a cytostome-cytopharynx either the ability to endocytose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina L Alcantara
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens (CENABIO)-Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Biomagens (INBEB), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens (CENABIO)-Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Biomagens (INBEB), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Narcisa L Cunha E Silva
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens (CENABIO)-Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Biomagens (INBEB), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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44
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Araújo GRDS, Alcantara CDL, Rodrigues N, de Souza W, Pontes B, Frases S. Ultrastructural Study of Cryptococcus neoformans Surface During Budding Events. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:609244. [PMID: 33732220 PMCID: PMC7957021 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.609244] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. It is surrounded by three concentric structures that separate the cell from the extracellular space: the plasma membrane, the cell wall and the polysaccharide (PS) capsule. Although several studies have revealed the chemical composition of these structures, little is known about their ultrastructural organization and remodeling during C. neoformans budding events. Here, by combining the latest and most accurate light and electron microscopy techniques, we describe the morphological remodeling that occurs among the capsule, cell wall and plasma membrane during budding in C. neoformans. Our results show that the cell wall deforms to generate a specialized region at one of the cell’s poles. This region subsequently begins to break into layers that are slightly separated from each other and with thick tips. We also observe a reorganization of the capsular PS around the specialized regions. While daughter cells present their PS fibers aligned in the direction of budding, mother cells show a similar pattern but in the opposite direction. Also, daughter cells form multilamellar membrane structures covering the continuous opening between both cells. Together, our findings provide compelling ultrastructural evidence for C. neoformans surface remodeling during budding, which may have important implications for future studies exploring these remodeled specialized regions as drug-targets against cryptococcosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glauber R de S Araújo
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratório de Biofísica de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina de L Alcantara
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Noêmia Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bruno Pontes
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratório de Pinças Óticas (LPO-COPEA), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Susana Frases
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratório de Biofísica de Fungos, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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45
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Zuma AA, Teixeira de Macedo-Silva S, Achari A, Vinayagam J, Bhattacharjee P, Chatterjee S, Gupta VK, Cristina de Sousa Leite A, Souza de Castro L, Jaisankar P, de Souza W. Furan derivatives impair proliferation and affect ultrastructural organization of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania amazonensis. Exp Parasitol 2021; 224:108100. [PMID: 33744229 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2021.108100] [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: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease and leishmaniasis are neglected diseases caused by parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family and together they affect millions of people in the five continents. The treatment of Chagas disease is based on benznidazole, whereas for leishmaniasis few drugs are available, such as amphotericin B and miltefosine. In both cases, the current treatment is not entirely efficient due to toxicity or side effects. Encouraged by the need to discover valid targets and new treatment options, we evaluated 8 furan compounds against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania amazonensis, considering their effects against proliferation, infection, and ultrastructure. Many of them were able to impair T. cruzi and L. amazonensis proliferation, as well as cause ultrastructural alterations, such as Golgi apparatus disorganization, autophagosome formation, and mitochondrial swelling. Taken together, the results obtained so far make these compounds eligible for further steps of chemotherapy study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Araujo Zuma
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Sara Teixeira de Macedo-Silva
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Anushree Achari
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India
| | - Jayaraman Vinayagam
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India
| | - Pinaki Bhattacharjee
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India
| | - Sourav Chatterjee
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India
| | - Vivek Kumar Gupta
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India
| | - Amanda Cristina de Sousa Leite
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Lucas Souza de Castro
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Parasuraman Jaisankar
- Organic & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India.
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
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da Silva Ferreira V, Eugenio MFC, Del Nery Dos Santos E, de Souza W, Sant'Anna C. Cellular toxicology and mechanism of the response to silver-based nanoparticle exposure in Ewing's sarcoma cells. Nanotechnology 2021; 32:115101. [PMID: 33254155 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/abcef3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ewing's sarcoma is the most aggressive connective tissue tumor, mainly affecting children and adolescents; the 5 year survival rate is only 50%. Current treatments have poor effectiveness, and more efficient treatments are being sought. Silver-based nanoparticles, such as silver chloride nanoparticles (AgCl-NPs) and silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl-NPs) nanoparticles, can be biologically produced and can release Ag+ ions into solution; however, their antitumor activity has been minimally investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor potential of AgCl-NPs and Ag/AgCl-NPs against Ewing's sarcoma cells. A673 cells (Ewing's sarcoma) were treated for 72 h with 0-12.5 μg ml-1 of Ag/AgCl-NPs or 0-40 μg ml-1 of AgCl-NPs. Human cells from the RPE-1 cell line (pigmented retinal epithelium) were used as a model of nontumor cells. The RPE-1 cells were less affected by the administration of AgCl-NPs or Ag/AgCl-NPs, with small reductions in the number of cells and viability and a small increase in apoptosis rates, while lysosomal damage, changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and alterations in microfilaments or cell areas were not observed. A673 tumor cells had significantly reduced number and viability levels when treated with AgCl-NPs, with reductions of 65.05% and 99.17%, respectively, whereas with Ag/AgCl-NP treatment, reductions of 65.53% and 92.51% were observed, respectively. When treated with silver-based nanoparticles, A673 cells also showed a significant increase in ROS production and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, which culminated in an increase in the percentage of apoptosis among the population. Lysosomal damage was also observed when A673 cells were treated with the highest concentration of AgCl-NPs. In conclusion, the results showed that both AgCl-NPs and Ag/AgCl-NPs had some antitumor activity with minimal effects against healthy cells, which demonstrated the possibility of their use in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica da Silva Ferreira
- Laboratory of Microscopy Applied to Life Science-Lamav, National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology-Inmetro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25250-020, Brazil
- Post-graduation Program on Translational Biomedicine-Biotrans, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25071-202, Brazil
| | - Mateus Ferreira Conz Eugenio
- Laboratory of Microscopy Applied to Life Science-Lamav, National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology-Inmetro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25250-020, Brazil
- Post-graduation Program on Translational Biomedicine-Biotrans, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25071-202, Brazil
| | - Elaine Del Nery Dos Santos
- Plateforme BioPhenics, Département de Recherche Translationnelle, Centre de Recherche-Institut Curie, Paris, F-75005, France
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Post-graduation Program on Translational Biomedicine-Biotrans, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25071-202, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21949-900, Brazil
- Laboratory of Cellular Ultrastructure Hertha Meyer, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21949-900, Brazil
| | - Celso Sant'Anna
- Laboratory of Microscopy Applied to Life Science-Lamav, National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology-Inmetro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25250-020, Brazil
- Post-graduation Program on Translational Biomedicine-Biotrans, Duque de Caxias, RJ, 25071-202, Brazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21949-900, Brazil
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Damasceno-Sá JC, de Souza FS, Dos Santos TAT, de Oliveira FC, da Silva MDFS, Dias RRF, de Souza W, Arnholdt ACV, Seabra SH, DaMatta RA. Inhibition of nitric oxide production of activated mice peritoneal macrophages is independent of the Toxoplasma gondii strain. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2021; 116:e200417. [PMID: 33729328 PMCID: PMC7949196 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760200417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxoplasma gondii causes toxoplasmosis and is controlled by activated macrophages. However, infection of macrophages by tachyzoites induces TGF-β signaling (TGF-s) inhibiting nitric oxide (NO) production. NO inhibition may be a general escape mechanism of distinct T. gondii strains. OBJECTIVES To evaluate in activated macrophages the capacity of T. gondii strains of different virulence and genetics (RH, type I; ME-49, type II; VEG, type III; P-Br, recombinant) to evade the NO microbicidal defense system and determine LC3 loading to the parasitophorous vacuole. METHODS Activated peritoneal macrophages were infected with the different T. gondii strains, NO-production was evaluated by the Griess reagent, and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, TGF-s, and LC3 localisation assayed by immunofluorescence. FINDINGS Only RH persisted in macrophages, while VEG was more resistant than P-Br and ME-49. All strains induced TGF-s, degradation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, and NO-production inhibition from 2 to 24 h of infection, but only RH sustained these alterations for 48 h. By 24 h of infection, TGF-s lowered in macrophages infected by ME-49, and P-Br, and NO-production recovered, while VEG sustained TGF-s and NO-production inhibition longer. LC3 loading to parasitophorous vacuole was strain-dependent: higher for ME-49, P-Br and VEG, lower for RH. All strains inhibited NO-production, but only RH sustained this effect probably because it persisted in macrophages due to additional evasive mechanisms as lower LC3 loading to parasitophorous vacuole. MAIN CONCLUSIONS These results support that T. gondii can escape the NO microbicidal defense system at the initial phase of the infection, but only the virulent strain sustain this evasion mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Cláudio Damasceno-Sá
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
| | - Fernanda Silva de Souza
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
| | - Thiago Alves Teixeira Dos Santos
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil.,Centro Universitário Estadual da Zona Oeste, Colegiado de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Laboratório de Tecnologia em Bioquímica e Microscopia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Fábio Conceição de Oliveira
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
| | - Maria de Fátima Sarro da Silva
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
| | - Raul Ramos Furtado Dias
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Andrea Cristina Veto Arnholdt
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia do Reconhecer, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
| | - Sergio Henrique Seabra
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil.,Centro Universitário Estadual da Zona Oeste, Colegiado de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Laboratório de Tecnologia em Bioquímica e Microscopia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Renato Augusto DaMatta
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil
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Caldas LA, Carneiro FA, Monteiro FL, Augusto I, Higa LM, Miranda K, Tanuri A, de Souza W. Intracellular host cell membrane remodelling induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. Biol Cell 2021; 113:281-293. [PMID: 33600624 PMCID: PMC8013410 DOI: 10.1111/boc.202000146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Background Information Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection induces an alteration in the endomembrane system of the mammalian cells. In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography to investigate the main structural alterations in the cytoplasm of Vero cells infected with a SARS‐CoV‐2 isolate from São Paulo state (Brazil). Results Different membranous structures derived from the zippered endoplasmic reticulum were observed along with virus assembly through membrane budding. Also, we demonstrated the occurrence of annulate lamellae in the cytoplasm of infected cells and the presence of virus particles in the perinuclear space. Conclusions and Significance This study contributes to a better understanding of the cell biology of SARS‐CoV‐2 and the mechanisms of the interaction of the virus with the host cell that promote morphological changes, recruitment of organelles and cell components, in a context of a virus‐induced membrane remodelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucio Ayres Caldas
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas em Biologia - NUMPEX-BIO, Campus Duque de Caxias Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil.,Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Avila Carneiro
- Núcleo Multidisciplinar de Pesquisas em Biologia - NUMPEX-BIO, Campus Duque de Caxias Geraldo Cidade, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fabio Luis Monteiro
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Augusto
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiza Mendonça Higa
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Kildare Miranda
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB) and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estutural e Bioimagen (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Amilcar Tanuri
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (INBEB) and Centro Nacional de Biologia Estutural e Bioimagen (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Abstract
Chagas disease is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), and although endemic in Latin America, affects around 6-7 million people infected worldwide. The treatment of Chagas disease is based on benznidazole and nifurtimox, which are the only available drugs. However, they are not effective during the chronic phase and cause several side effects. Furthermore, BZ promotes cure in 80% of the patients in the acute phase, but the cure rate drops to 20% in adults in the chronic phase of the disease. In this review, we present several studies published in the last six years, which describes the antiparasitic potential of distinct drugs, from the synthesis of new compounds aiming to target the parasite, as well as the repositioning and the combination of drugs. We highlight several compounds for having shown results that are equivalent or superior to BZ, which means that they should be further studied, either in vitro or in vivo. Furthermore, we stand out the differences in the effects of BZ on the same strain of T. cruzi, which might be related to methodological differences such as parasite and cell ratios, host cell type and the time of adding the drug. In addition, we discuss the wide variety of strains and also the cell types used as a host cell, which makes it difficult to compare the trypanocidal effect of the compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Araujo Zuma
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brazil
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Martins-Duarte ÉS, Sheiner L, Reiff SB, de Souza W, Striepen B. Replication and partitioning of the apicoplast genome of Toxoplasma gondii is linked to the cell cycle and requires DNA polymerase and gyrase. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:493-504. [PMID: 33581138 PMCID: PMC8113025 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Apicomplexans are the causative agents of numerous important infectious diseases including malaria and toxoplasmosis. Most of them harbour a chloroplast-like organelle called the apicoplast that is essential for the parasites' metabolism and survival. While most apicoplast proteins are nuclear encoded, the organelle also maintains its own genome, a 35 kb circle. In this study we used Toxoplasma gondii to identify and characterise essential proteins involved in apicoplast genome replication and to understand how apicoplast genome segregation unfolds over time. We demonstrated that the DNA replication enzymes Prex, DNA gyrase and DNA single stranded binding protein localise to the apicoplast. We show in knockdown experiments that apicoplast DNA Gyrase A and B, and Prex are required for apicoplast genome replication and growth of the parasite. Analysis of apicoplast genome replication by structured illumination microscopy in T. gondii tachyzoites showed that apicoplast nucleoid division and segregation initiate at the beginning of S phase and conclude during mitosis. Thus, the replication and division of the apicoplast nucleoid is highly coordinated with nuclear genome replication and mitosis. Our observations highlight essential components of apicoplast genome maintenance and shed light on the timing of this process in the context of the overall parasite cell cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Érica S Martins-Duarte
- Laboratório de Quimioterapia de Protozoários Egler Chiari, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens (CENABIO) - Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Biomagens (INBEB), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Lilach Sheiner
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, 120 University Place Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah B Reiff
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Núcleo de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagens (CENABIO) - Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biologia Estrutural e Biomagens (INBEB), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Boris Striepen
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. USA
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