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Pasquier G, Andreotti Q, Ravel C, Sterkers Y. Molecular diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: a French study comparing a reference PCR method targeting kinetoplast DNA and a commercial kit targeting ribosomal DNA. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0215423. [PMID: 37819127 PMCID: PMC10714885 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02154-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE PCR revolutionized the direct diagnosis of infectious diseases, especially protozooses, where the infectious load is usually low. Commercial PCR methods are available and offer many advantages, including convenience and batch tracking as part of a quality system. For most parameters, the performance of commercial methods is at least as good as that of finely optimized methods developed in expert laboratories. This comparison work has not been done for the molecular diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis. Leishmania sp. has a unique organelle, the kinetoplast, which corresponds to the mitochondrial DNA. It is organized into a large number of minicircles, which has made it a target for the development of diagnostic PCR. The quanty Leishmaniae, Clonit kit targeting ribosomal DNA was compared to a widely used laboratory-developed method based on kinetoplast DNA. This reference method gave significantly better results, probably due to the difference in the number of repeats of the PCR targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Pasquier
- Department of Parasitology-Mycology, National Reference Center for Leishmaniasis, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, University Hospital Center (CHU) of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Quentin Andreotti
- Department of Parasitology-Mycology, National Reference Center for Leishmaniasis, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, University Hospital Center (CHU) of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Christophe Ravel
- Department of Parasitology-Mycology, National Reference Center for Leishmaniasis, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, University Hospital Center (CHU) of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Yvon Sterkers
- Department of Parasitology-Mycology, National Reference Center for Leishmaniasis, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, University Hospital Center (CHU) of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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2
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Anuntasomboon P, Siripattanapipong S, Unajak S, Choowongkomon K, Burchmore R, Leelayoova S, Mungthin M, E-Kobon T. Identification of a unique conserved region from a kinetoplastid genome of Leishmania orientalis (formerly named Leishmania siamensis) strain PCM2 in Thailand. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19644. [PMID: 37950023 PMCID: PMC10638283 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46638-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) appear in almost all eukaryotic species and are useful molecular markers for phylogenetic studies and species identification. Kinetoplast DNAs (kDNAs) are structurally complex circular mtDNA networks in kinetoplastids, divided into maxicircles and minicircles. Despite several kDNAs of many Leishmania species being examined, the kDNAs of the new species, Leishmania orientalis (formerly named Leishmania siamensis) strain PCM2, have not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the maxicircle and minicircle DNAs of L. orientalis strain PCM2 using hybrid genome sequencing technologies and bioinformatic analyses. The kDNA sequences were isolated and assembled using the SPAdes hybrid assembler from the Illumina short-read and PacBio long-read data. Circular contigs of the maxicircle and minicircle DNAs were reconstructed and confirmed by BLASTn and rKOMICs programs. The kDNA genome was annotated by BLASTn before the genome comparison and phylogenetic analysis by progressiveMauve, MAFFT, and MEGA programs. The maxicircle of L. orientalis strain PCM2 (18,215 bp) showed 99.92% similarity and gene arrangement to Leishmania enriettii strain LEM3045 maxicircle with variation in the 12s rRNA gene and divergent region. Phylogenetics of the whole sequence, coding regions, divergent regions, and 12s rRNA gene also confirmed this relationship and subgenera separation. The identified 105 classes of minicircles (402-1177 bp) were clustered monophyletically and related to the Leishmania donovani minicircles. The kinetoplast maxicircle and minicircle DNAs of L. orientalis strain PCM2 contained a unique conserved region potentially useful for specific diagnosis of L. orientalis and further exploration of this parasite population genetics in Thailand and related regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pornchai Anuntasomboon
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Sasimanas Unajak
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Richard Burchmore
- Glasgow Polyomics, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Saovanee Leelayoova
- Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mathirut Mungthin
- Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teerasak E-Kobon
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok, Thailand.
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3
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Amodeo S, Bregy I, Ochsenreiter T. Mitochondrial genome maintenance-the kinetoplast story. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuac047. [PMID: 36449697 PMCID: PMC10719067 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuac047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA replication is an essential process in most eukaryotes. Similar to the diversity in mitochondrial genome size and organization in the different eukaryotic supergroups, there is considerable diversity in the replication process of the mitochondrial DNA. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of mitochondrial DNA replication and the associated factors in trypanosomes with a focus on Trypanosoma brucei, and provide a new model of minicircle replication for this protozoan parasite. The model assumes the mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplast DNA, kDNA) of T. brucei to be loosely diploid in nature and the replication of the genome to occur at two replication centers at the opposing ends of the kDNA disc (also known as antipodal sites, APS). The new model is consistent with the localization of most replication factors and in contrast to the current model, it does not require the assumption of an unknown sorting and transport complex moving freshly replicated DNA to the APS. In combination with the previously proposed sexual stages of the parasite in the insect vector, the new model provides a mechanism for maintenance of the mitochondrial genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Amodeo
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Irina Bregy
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Torsten Ochsenreiter
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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4
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Lima VA, Silva REC, Camargo LHMC, Hiramoto RM, Leal EDS, Braz LMA, Lindoso JAL. Genetic variability of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum causing human visceral leishmaniasis in the Southeastern Brazil. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2023; 65:e55. [PMID: 37878972 PMCID: PMC10588988 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946202365055] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmania infantum is a protozoan that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas and some regions of Europe. The disease is mainly characterized by hepatosplenomegaly and fever, and can be fatal. Factors related to the host and parasite can contribute to the transmission of Leishmania and the clinical outcome. The intraspecific genetic variability of L. infantum strains may be one of these factors. In this study, we evaluated the genetic variability of L. infantum obtained from bone marrow smear slides from patients in the Sao Paulo State, Brazil. For this, the minicircle of the kDNA hypervariable region was used as target by Sanger sequencing. By analyzing the similarity of the nucleotides and the maximum likelihood tree (Fasttree), we observed a high similarity (98%) among samples. Moreover, we identified four different profiles of L. infantum. In conclusion, L. infantum strains from Sao Paulo State, Brazil, showed low diversity measured by minicircle of the kDNA hypervariable region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius Alves Lima
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Laboratório de Protozoologia (LIM-49), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata Elen Costa Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Laboratório de Endocrinologia Molecular e Translacional, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Elcio de Souza Leal
- Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Lucia Maria Almeida Braz
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José Angelo Lauletta Lindoso
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Moléstias Infecciosas e Parasitárias, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Laboratório de Protozoologia (LIM-49), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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5
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Izeta-Alberdi A, Pech-May A, Tun-Ku E, Mazariegos-Hidalgo CJ, López-Cancino SA, Gutiérrez S, Albino-Miranda S, De la Cruz-Felix K, Diaz de la Cruz JM, Ibarra-Cerdeña CN, Arellano E, Vallejo RM, Ocampo MA, Ramsey JM. Trypanosoma cruzi in Mexican Neotropical vectors and mammals: wildlife, livestock, pets, and human population. Salud Publica Mex 2023; 65:114-126. [PMID: 38060864 DOI: 10.21149/13801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To provide primary evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi landscape genetics in the Mexican Neotropics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Trypanosoma cruzi and discrete typing units (DTU) prevalence were analyzed in landscape communities of vectors, wildlife, livestock, pets, and sympatric human populations using endpoint PCR and sequencing of all relevant amplicons from mitochondrial (kDNA) and nuclear (ME, 18S, 24Sα) gene markers. RESULTS Although 98% of the infected sample-set (N=2 963) contained single or mixed infections of DTUI (TcI, 96.2%) and TcVI (22.6%), TcIV and TcII were also identified. Sensitivity of individual markers varied and was dependent on host taxon; kDNA, ME and 18S combined identified 95% of infections. ME genotyped 90% of vector infections, but 60% of mammals (36% wildlife), while neither 18S nor 24Sα typed more than 20% of mammal infections. CONCLUSION Available gene fragments to identify or genotype T. cruzi are not universally sensitive for all landscape parasite populations, highlighting important T. cruzi heteroge- neity among mammal reservoir taxa and triatomine species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angélica Pech-May
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical, ANLIS Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán. Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Campus II, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas. Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico..
| | - Ezequiel Tun-Ku
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico..
| | | | - Sury Antonio López-Cancino
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Campus II, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas. Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico..
| | - Sleidher Gutiérrez
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico..
| | - Sergio Albino-Miranda
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Mexico City, Mexico. Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología AC. Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico..
| | - Keynes De la Cruz-Felix
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico..
| | - José Manuel Diaz de la Cruz
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico..
| | - Carlos N Ibarra-Cerdeña
- Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Unidad Mérida. Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico..
| | - Elizabeth Arellano
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos. Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico..
| | - Rachel M Vallejo
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIByC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos.
| | - Marco A Ocampo
- Coordinación de Enfermedades Transmitidas por Vectores y Zoonosis, Servicios de Salud de Morelos. Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico..
| | - Janine M Ramsey
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico..
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6
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Louizi C, Khan MAA, Faisal K, Chowdhury R, Ghosh P, Hossain F, Nisansala T, Ranasinghe S, Moreno J, Alvar J, Mondal D, Buhl T, Lüder CGK, Abd El Wahed A. Assessment of pan-Leishmania detection by recombinase polymerase amplification assay. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 105:115862. [PMID: 36493571 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2022.115862] [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: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The spread of vector habitats along with increasing human mobility can introduce atypical Leishmania species and hence can challenge existing diagnostic practices for rapid detection of active infection with species outside the narrow target range. Here we assessed the pan-Leishmania detection ability of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assays targeting 18S rRNA gene, cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinase B (Cpb) gene, and kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA) regions. While the lowest limit of detection of the 18S rRNA-RPA and Cpb-RPA assays were estimated as 12 and 17 standard DNA molecules, respectively, both assays could amplify genomic DNA of 7 pathogenic Leishmania species. Evaluation of 18S rRNA-RPA and our previously developed kDNA-RPA assays on 70 real-time PCR-positive leishmaniasis samples of varying pathologies resulted in sensitivity rates of 35.71% and 88.57%, respectively, while the combined sensitivity was 98.57%. Combinatorial application of 18S rRNA-RPA and kDNA-RPA assays can be recommended for further diagnostic assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiheb Louizi
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Md Anik Ashfaq Khan
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| | - Khaledul Faisal
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Rajashree Chowdhury
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Prakash Ghosh
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Faria Hossain
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Thilini Nisansala
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Baru, Kelantan, Malaysia; Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Shalindra Ranasinghe
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Javier Moreno
- WHO Collaborating Center for Leishmaniasis, National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Alvar
- Royal Academy of Medicine of Spain, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dinesh Mondal
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Laboratory Sciences and Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Timo Buhl
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Centre Göttingen, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carsten G K Lüder
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Medical Center Goettingen, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ahmed Abd El Wahed
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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7
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Delzell S, Nelson SW, Frost MP, Klingbeil MM. Trypanosoma brucei Mitochondrial DNA Polymerase POLIB Contains a Novel Polymerase Domain Insertion That Confers Dominant Exonuclease Activity. Biochemistry 2022; 61:2751-2765. [PMID: 36399653 PMCID: PMC9731263 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei and related parasites contain an unusual catenated mitochondrial genome known as kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) composed of maxicircles and minicircles. The kDNA structure and replication mechanism are divergent and essential for parasite survival. POLIB is one of three Family A DNA polymerases independently essential to maintain the kDNA network. However, the division of labor among the paralogs, particularly which might be a replicative, proofreading enzyme, remains enigmatic. De novo modeling of POLIB suggested a structure that is divergent from all other Family A polymerases, in which the thumb subdomain contains a 369 amino acid insertion with homology to DEDDh DnaQ family 3'-5' exonucleases. Here we demonstrate recombinant POLIB 3'-5' exonuclease prefers DNA vs RNA substrates and degrades single- and double-stranded DNA nonprocessively. Exonuclease activity prevails over polymerase activity on DNA substrates at pH 8.0, while DNA primer extension is favored at pH 6.0. Mutations that ablate POLIB polymerase activity slow the exonuclease rate suggesting crosstalk between the domains. We show that POLIB extends an RNA primer more efficiently than a DNA primer in the presence of dNTPs but does not incorporate rNTPs efficiently using either primer. Immunoprecipitation of Pol I-like paralogs from T. brucei corroborates the pH selectivity and RNA primer preferences of POLIB and revealed that the other paralogs efficiently extend a DNA primer. The enzymatic properties of POLIB suggest this paralog is not a replicative kDNA polymerase, and the noncanonical polymerase domain provides another example of exquisite diversity among DNA polymerases for specialized function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie
B. Delzell
- Department
of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts01003, United States
| | - Scott W. Nelson
- Roy
J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa50011, United States
| | - Matthew P. Frost
- Department
of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts01003, United States
| | - Michele M. Klingbeil
- Department
of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts01003, United States
- The
Institute for Applied Life Sciences, University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts01003, United States
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8
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Flores-Chavez MD, Abras A, Ballart C, Ibáñez-Perez I, Perez-Gordillo P, Gállego M, Muñoz C, Moure Z, Sulleiro E, Nieto J, García Diez E, Simón L, Cruz I, Picado A. Parasitemia Levels in Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Spain, an Area Where the Disease Is Not Endemic: Trends by Different Molecular Approaches. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0262822. [PMID: 36190410 PMCID: PMC9603785 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02628-22] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi infection has expanded globally through human migration. In Spain, the mother-to-child route is the mode of transmission contributing to autochthonous Chagas disease (CD); however, most people acquired the infection in their country of origin and were diagnosed in the chronic phase (imported chronic CD). In this context, we assessed the quantitative potential of the Loopamp Trypanosoma cruzi detection kit (Sat-TcLAMP) based on satellite DNA (Sat-DNA) to determine parasitemia levels compared to those detected by real-time quantitative PCRs (qPCRs) targeting Sat-DNA (Sat-qPCR) and kinetoplast DNA minicircles (kDNA-qPCR). This study included 173 specimens from 39 autochthonous congenital and 116 imported chronic CD cases diagnosed in Spain. kDNA-qPCR showed higher sensitivity than Sat-qPCR and Sat-TcLAMP. According to all quantitative approaches, parasitemia levels were significantly higher in congenital infection than in chronic CD (1 × 10-1 to 5 × 105 versus >1 × 10-1 to 6 × 103 parasite equivalents/mL, respectively [P < 0.001]). Sat-TcLAMP, Sat-qPCR, and kDNA-qPCR results were equivalent at high levels of parasitemia (P = 0.381). Discrepancies were significant for low levels of parasitemia and older individuals. Differences between Sat-TcLAMP and Sat-qPCR were not qualitatively significant, but estimations of parasitemia using Sat-TcLAMP were closer to those by kDNA-qPCR. Parasitemia changes were assessed in 6 individual cases in follow-up, in which trends showed similar patterns by all quantitative approaches. At high levels of parasitemia, Sat-TcLAMP, Sat-qPCR, and kDNA-qPCR worked similarly, but significant differences were found for the low levels characteristic of late chronic CD. A suitable harmonization strategy needs to be developed for low-level parasitemia detection using Sat-DNA- and kDNA-based tests. IMPORTANCE Currently, molecular equipment has been introduced into many health care centers, even in low-income countries. PCR, qPCR, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) are becoming more accessible for the diagnosis of neglected infectious diseases. Chagas disease (CD) is spreading worldwide, and in countries where the disease is not endemic, such as Spain, the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is transmitted from mother to child (congenital CD). Here, we explore why LAMP, aimed at detecting T. cruzi parasite DNA, is a reliable option for the diagnosis of congenital CD and the early detection of reactivation in chronic infection. When the parasite load is high, LAMP is equivalent to any qPCR. In addition, the estimations of T. cruzi parasitemia in patients living in Spain, a country where the disease is not endemic, resemble natural evolution in areas of endemicity. If molecular tests are introduced into the diagnostic algorithm for congenital infection, early diagnosis and timely treatment would be accomplished, so the interruption of vertical transmission can be an achievable goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria D. Flores-Chavez
- National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Fundación Mundo Sano-España, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alba Abras
- Departament de Biologia, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Cristina Ballart
- Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ismael Ibáñez-Perez
- National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Montserrat Gállego
- Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERINFEC, ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Muñoz
- Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Zaira Moure
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain
| | - Elena Sulleiro
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERINFEC, ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- Microbiology Department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital, PROSICS Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Nieto
- National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERINFEC, ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilia García Diez
- National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorena Simón
- National Centre of Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Israel Cruz
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERINFEC, ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- National School of Public Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Albert Picado
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, Switzerland
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9
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Pradella GD, Escobar TA, Santos TPD, Vargas RC, Góss GC, Ferrareze PAG, Rosa E Silva LK, Zuravski L, Pereira KB, Duarte CA, Lübeck I. PCR-RLFP characterization of Leishmania spp. in domestic animals from the south-western border of Brazil. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2022; 31:e005222. [PMID: 35858013 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612022035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterize Leishmania spp. from canine and feline samples using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). It was conducted in the southern region of Brazil, located at border crossings to Argentina and Uruguay. Samples were collected from 116 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and 89 cats (Felis catus). The PCR was performed to screen for an LT1 fragment from kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) target gene, and positive samples were subjected to a second PCR for an internal transcribed spacers (ITS1) region from ribosomal DNA (rDNA) target. RFLP was performed using the Haemophilus aegyptius (HAE III) restriction endonuclease (Fermentas ®). Positive samples by PCR ITS1 were sequenced and deposited in NCBI GenBank, and a phylogenetic analysis was developed. We found that 12.9% (15/116) of the samples from dogs were positive. All the 89 cat samples were negative. Positive samples were tested against Leishmania reference strains presenting different patterns in PCR-RFLP, and these samples showed bands denoting similarity to the standard species of Leishmania infantum, proven through sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The RFLP technique, alone, was shown to be feasible for practical application and confirmation of the involved Leishmania spp.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Luísa Zuravski
- Universidade Federal do Pampa - UNIPAMPA, Uruguaiana, RS, Brasil
| | | | | | - Irina Lübeck
- Universidade Federal do Pampa - UNIPAMPA, Uruguaiana, RS, Brasil
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Mota TF, Brodskyn CI, Morello LG, Marchini FK, Krieger MA, de Cássia Pontello Rampazzo R, Fraga DBM. Multiplex qPCR assay to determine Leishmania infantum load in Lutzomyia longipalpis sandfly samples. Med Vet Entomol 2022; 36:176-184. [PMID: 35089617 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12564] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The study aimed to develop a multiplex qPCR to detect Leishmania infantum load in different sandfly sample settings using Leishmania kDNA and sandfly vacuolar ATPase (VATP) subunit C as internal control gene. The amplification of Lutzomyia longipalpis VATP gene was evaluated together with Leishmania infantum kDNA in a multiplex reaction. The concentration of VATP gene oligonucleotides was adjusted until no statistically significant difference was observed between all multiplex standard curves and singleplex curves, that is, only kDNA amplification. Limit of detection (LoD) was measured using a probit model and a cut-off defined by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Limit of quantification (LoQ) was assessed by a linear model using the coefficient of variation threshold of 25%. After assuring VATP gene amplification, its primer-probe concentrations were best at 100 nM/10 nM, respectively. The cut-off Cq value for L. infantum kDNA was defined as 35.46 with 100% of sensitivity and specificity. A total of 95% LoD was determined to be of 0.162 parasites while LoQ was 5.858. Our VATP/kDNA multiplex qPCR assay shows that it can be used to evaluate both DNA integrity and determine L. infantum load in L. longipalpis even for low yielded samples, that is, individual midguts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Feitosa Mota
- Laboratório de Interação Parasito-Hospedeiro e Epidemiologia (LaIPHE), Instituto Gonçalo Moniz (IGM), FIOCRUZ-BA, Rua Waldemar Falcão, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Claudia Ida Brodskyn
- Laboratório de Interação Parasito-Hospedeiro e Epidemiologia (LaIPHE), Instituto Gonçalo Moniz (IGM), FIOCRUZ-BA, Rua Waldemar Falcão, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Luis Gustavo Morello
- Instituto Carlos Chagas (ICC), FIOCRUZ-PR, Rua Prof. Algacyr Munhoz Mader, Curitiba, Brazil
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular do Paraná (IBMP), Rua Professor Algacyr Munhoz Mader, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Fabricio Klerynton Marchini
- Instituto Carlos Chagas (ICC), FIOCRUZ-PR, Rua Prof. Algacyr Munhoz Mader, Curitiba, Brazil
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular do Paraná (IBMP), Rua Professor Algacyr Munhoz Mader, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Marco Aurelio Krieger
- Instituto Carlos Chagas (ICC), FIOCRUZ-PR, Rua Prof. Algacyr Munhoz Mader, Curitiba, Brazil
| | | | - Deborah Bittencourt Mothé Fraga
- Laboratório de Interação Parasito-Hospedeiro e Epidemiologia (LaIPHE), Instituto Gonçalo Moniz (IGM), FIOCRUZ-BA, Rua Waldemar Falcão, Salvador, Brazil
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Produção Animal, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil
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11
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Schimanski B, Aeschlimann S, Stettler P, Käser S, Gomez-Fabra Gala M, Bender J, Warscheid B, Vögtle FN, Schneider A. p166 links membrane and intramitochondrial modules of the trypanosomal tripartite attachment complex. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010207. [PMID: 35709300 PMCID: PMC9242489 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010207] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The protist parasite Trypanosoma brucei has a single mitochondrion with a single unit genome termed kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). Faithfull segregation of replicated kDNA is ensured by a complicated structure termed tripartite attachment complex (TAC). The TAC physically links the basal body of the flagellum with the kDNA spanning the two mitochondrial membranes. Here, we characterized p166 as the only known TAC subunit that is anchored in the inner membrane. Its C-terminal transmembrane domain separates the protein into a large N-terminal region that interacts with the kDNA-localized TAC102 and a 34 aa C-tail that binds to the intermembrane space-exposed loop of the integral outer membrane protein TAC60. Whereas the outer membrane region requires four essential subunits for proper TAC function, the inner membrane integral p166, via its interaction with TAC60 and TAC102, would theoretically suffice to bridge the distance between the OM and the kDNA. Surprisingly, non-functional p166 lacking the C-terminal 34 aa still localizes to the TAC region. This suggests the existence of additional TAC-associated proteins which loosely bind to non-functional p166 lacking the C-terminal 34 aa and keep it at the TAC. However, binding of full length p166 to these TAC-associated proteins alone would not be sufficient to withstand the mechanical load imposed by the segregating basal bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Schimanski
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Salome Aeschlimann
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Philip Stettler
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sandro Käser
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maria Gomez-Fabra Gala
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julian Bender
- Biochemistry II, Theodor Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Warscheid
- Biochemistry II, Theodor Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - F.-Nora Vögtle
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- CIBSS—Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - André Schneider
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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12
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Asfaram S, Fakhar M, Mohebali M, Ziaei Hezarjaribi H, Mardani A, Ghezelbash B, Akhoundi B, Zarei Z, Moazeni M. A Convenient and Sensitive kDNA-PCR for Screening of Leishmania infantum Latent Infection Among Blood Donors in a Highly Endemic Focus, Northwestern Iran. Acta Parasitol 2022; 67:842-850. [PMID: 35294973 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-022-00528-2] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent global evidences showed that asymptomatic blood donor carriers of Leishmania infection will appear as a threat for blood transfusions recipients in endemic areas. As yet, there is no appropriate diagnostic procedure for detecting infection of blood donors in blood banks. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The present study was aimed to apply various current diagnostic tests among blood donors in an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), Ardabil Province, northwestern Iran. Blood samples were gathered from 860 blood donors in endemic areas of the province between 2017 and 2018, at eight blood donation centers. These samples was assessed using microculture, serological (DAT and rK39-ICT) and molecular based (conventional kDNA-PCR and HRM-PCR) tests. RESULTS Of 860 eligible donors, 24 (2.8%) were seropositive for VL by DAT, and 388 (45%) were positive by kDNA-PCR. Moreover, 19 (19/860) were positive for both of them. Out of 19 subjects, 5.3% (1/19) was positive by rK39-ICT, 10.5% (2/19), and 79% (15/19) were detected positive in microculture and HRM-PCR methods, respectively. Nineteen donors were followed up for 2 years, of which 16 (84.2%) had a serological conversion, and 4 (21%) were positive by kDNA-PCR. The sensitivity of kDNA-PCR, and HRM-PCR procedures in detecting Leishmania parasite was found to be 98.7%, and 79%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our findings justify the use of kDNA-PCR as a convenient and sensitive tool for screening subjects with leishmanial latent infection in blood banks at least in endemic regions. In these areas, however, a PCR-based test should be used to validate Leishmania infection among seropositive donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabnam Asfaram
- Zoonoses Research Center (ZRC), Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Iranian National Registry Center for Lophomoniasis and Toxoplasmosis, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, P.O Box: 48471-91971, Farah-Abad Road, Sari, Iran
| | - Mahdi Fakhar
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Iranian National Registry Center for Lophomoniasis and Toxoplasmosis, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, P.O Box: 48471-91971, Farah-Abad Road, Sari, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Mohebali
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Department of Parasitology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hajar Ziaei Hezarjaribi
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Iranian National Registry Center for Lophomoniasis and Toxoplasmosis, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, P.O Box: 48471-91971, Farah-Abad Road, Sari, Iran
| | - Ahmad Mardani
- Department of Microbiology, Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behrooz Ghezelbash
- Laboratory Hematology and Blood Bank, Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnaz Akhoundi
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Department of Parasitology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zabihollah Zarei
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Department of Parasitology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Moazeni
- Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
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13
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Abstract
Genetic exchange among disease-causing micro-organisms can generate progeny that combine different pathogenic traits. Though sexual reproduction has been described in trypanosomes, its impact on the epidemiology of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) remains controversial. However, human infective and non-human infective strains of Trypanosoma brucei circulate in the same transmission cycles in HAT endemic areas in subsaharan Africa, providing the opportunity for mating during the developmental cycle in the tsetse fly vector. Here we investigated inheritance among progeny from a laboratory cross of T. brucei and then applied these insights to genomic analysis of field-collected isolates to identify signatures of past genetic exchange. Genomes of two parental and four hybrid progeny clones with a range of DNA contents were assembled and analysed by k-mer and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequencies to determine heterozygosity and chromosomal inheritance. Variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) genes and kinetoplast (mitochondrial) DNA maxi- and minicircles were extracted from each genome to examine how each of these components was inherited in the hybrid progeny. The same bioinformatic approaches were applied to an additional 37 genomes representing the diversity of T. brucei in subsaharan Africa and T. evansi. SNP analysis provided evidence of crossover events affecting all 11 pairs of megabase chromosomes and demonstrated that polyploid hybrids were formed post-meiotically and not by fusion of the parental diploid cells. VSGs and kinetoplast DNA minicircles were inherited biparentally, with approximately equal numbers from each parent, whereas maxicircles were inherited uniparentally. Extrapolation of these findings to field isolates allowed us to distinguish clonal descent from hybridization by comparing maxicircle genotype to VSG and minicircle repertoires. Discordance between maxicircle genotype and VSG and minicircle repertoires indicated inter-lineage hybridization. Significantly, some of the hybridization events we identified involved human infective and non-human infective trypanosomes circulating in the same geographic areas. Sexual reproduction allows genes from different individuals to be mixed up in the offspring. This is particularly important for disease-causing microbes, because new combinations of harmful traits can arise, potentially leading to more severe outbreaks of disease. Tsetse-transmitted trypanosomes are single-celled parasites that cause severe human and livestock diseases in tropical Africa. During their developmental cycle in the tsetse fly, trypanosomes can mate and produce hybrid trypanosomes, which have one set of chromosomes from each parent. But polyploid hybrids, with more than one set of chromosomes from one or both parents, are often observed too. Here we have investigated how these polyploid hybrids are formed by comparing the genomes of hybrid progeny with those of their parents. Analysis of the large, paired chromosomes of both diploid and polyploid hybrids showed frequent crossovers, which are the hallmark of meiosis, the special form of division that produces haploid gametes. This indicates that the polyploids were formed after meiosis rather than by fusion of the parental diploid cells. We also investigated the inheritance of two other features of trypanosomes: the large family of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) genes, and the mitochondrial (kinetoplast) DNA. Hybrid clones had inherited about half the VSG genes from each parent, and also showed biparental inheritance of one component of the kinetoplast DNA, the minicircles. We assessed the relatedness of field-collected trypanosomes by comparing their VSG and minicircle repertoires, together with maxicircle genotype. While most isolates shared few VSGs or minicircles, a group of mostly human-infective strains from Uganda had a large proportion of their repertoires in common. Most of these trypanosomes were probably related by clonal descent, but we also identified that some were hybrids by the mismatch between their maxicircle genotype and their VSG and minicircle repertoires. These signals of hybridization were also detected in some of the other field-collected isolates, suggesting that genetic exchange is widespread in nature. Significantly, the hybridization events involved human infective and non-human infective trypanosomes circulating in the same geographic areas, providing a mechanism for the generation of new, potentially more pathogenic, trypanosome strains causing human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Kay
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Lori Peacock
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Tom A. Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Wendy Gibson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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14
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Azmi K, Schonian G, Abdeen Z. Specification of blood meals ingested by female sand flies caught in Palestinian foci and identification of their concomitant leishmanial infections. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008748. [PMID: 33017399 PMCID: PMC7561261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Since leishmaniases are zoonotic vector-borne diseases transmitted through the bites of infected female sand flies, identification of the sources of imbibed blood meals and the detection and identification of leishmanial DNA in them are important in discerning animal reservoirs, clarifying the epidemiology and facilitating control of local leishmaniases. CDC light traps, aspirators and sticky paper traps were used to collect sand flies in four Palestinian foci of both, CL and VL. Phlebotomine species identification was based on morphological keys. Female specimens were screened to detect and identify leishmanial infections, using kDNA-PCR and ITS1-PCR, and engorged female specimens were analyzed to identify the origin of their blood meals, using an RDB blood meal assay based on the amplification of the cytochrome b gene (cytb) of vertebrate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Twenty sand fly species, 11 of the genus Phlebotomus and nine the genus Sergentomyia, were identified. The most abundant species was Ph. papatasi (33.7%), followed by Ph. sergenti (21%). Among the 691 female sand fly specimens, 18.5% (128/691) were positive for leishmanial DNA, using the kDNA-PCR and 6.4% (44/691) were positive using the ITS1-PCR. DNA from parasites of the genus Leishmania was identified in only 1.5% of the infected sand flies. That of Leishmania tropica parasites was detected in six female specimens of Ph. sergenti and that of L. major parasites in two female specimens of Ph. papatasi. Interestingly, two engorged females of the species Se. (Neophlebotomus) sp. were positive for L. tropica DNA. Ninety engorged female sand flies of Ph. papatasi and 104 of Ph. sergenti had fed on a large variety of vertebrate hosts such as humans, hyraxes, rats, cows, goats and birds. Regarding blood-meals showing a mixture from different species of animal host, hyrax and rat blood was revealed in 8/104 (7.7%) females of Ph. sergenti. Detection of hyrax blood in engorged female sand flies of the species Ph. sergenti supports the role of hyraxes being a potential reservoir of L. tropica in Palestinian regions. Rat blood meals might be significant since a few strains L. tropica and L. infantum were isolated from rats. Further studies must be undertaken before conclusions could be drawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kifaya Azmi
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department-Faculty of Medicine-Al-Quds University, Abu Deis, The West Bank, Palestine
- Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Abu-Deis, The West Bank, Palestine
- Al-Quds Public Health Society, Jerusalem, Palestine
- * E-mail: ,
| | | | - Ziad Abdeen
- Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Abu-Deis, The West Bank, Palestine
- Al-Quds Public Health Society, Jerusalem, Palestine
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15
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Damasceno JD, Marques CA, Black J, Briggs E, McCulloch R. Read, Write, Adapt: Challenges and Opportunities during Kinetoplastid Genome Replication. Trends Genet 2020; 37:21-34. [PMID: 32993968 PMCID: PMC9213392 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The genomes of all organisms are read throughout their growth and development, generating new copies during cell division and encoding the cellular activities dictated by the genome’s content. However, genomes are not invariant information stores but are purposefully altered in minor and major ways, adapting cellular behaviour and driving evolution. Kinetoplastids are eukaryotic microbes that display a wide range of such read–write genome activities, in many cases affecting critical aspects of their biology, such as host adaptation. Here we discuss the range of read–write genome changes found in two well-studied kinetoplastid parasites, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania, focusing on recent work that suggests such adaptive genome variation is linked to novel strategies the parasites use to replicate their unconventional genomes. Polycistronic transcription dominates and shapes kinetoplastid genomes, inevitably leading to clashes with DNA replication. By harnessing the resultant DNA damage for adaptation, kinetoplastids have huge potential for dynamic read–write genome variation. Major origins of DNA replication are confined to the boundaries of polycistronic transcription units in the Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania genomes, putatively limiting DNA damage. Subtelomeres may lack this arrangement, generating read–write hotspots. In T. brucei, early replication of the highly transcribed subtelomeric variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) expression site may ensure replication-transcription clashes within this site to trigger DNA recombination, an event critical for antigenic variation. Leishmania genomes show extensive aneuploidy and copy number variation. Notably, DNA replication requires recombination factors and relies on post-S phase replication of subtelomeres. Evolution of compartmentalised DNA replication programmes underpin important aspects of genome biology in kinetoplastids, illustrating the consolidation of genome maintenance strategies to promote genome plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeziel D Damasceno
- The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Sir Graeme Davies Building, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
| | - Catarina A Marques
- The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Sir Graeme Davies Building, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK
| | - Jennifer Black
- The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Sir Graeme Davies Building, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK
| | - Emma Briggs
- The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Sir Graeme Davies Building, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK; Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Richard McCulloch
- The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Sir Graeme Davies Building, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
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16
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Kieft R, Zhang Y, Marand AP, Moran JD, Bridger R, Wells L, Schmitz RJ, Sabatini R. Identification of a novel base J binding protein complex involved in RNA polymerase II transcription termination in trypanosomes. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008390. [PMID: 32084124 PMCID: PMC7055916 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Base J, β-D-glucosyl-hydroxymethyluracil, is a modification of thymine DNA base involved in RNA Polymerase (Pol) II transcription termination in kinetoplastid protozoa. Little is understood regarding how specific thymine residues are targeted for J-modification or the mechanism of J regulated transcription termination. To identify proteins involved in J-synthesis, we expressed a tagged version of the J-glucosyltransferase (JGT) in Leishmania tarentolae, and identified four co-purified proteins by mass spectrometry: protein phosphatase (PP1), a homolog of Wdr82, a potential PP1 regulatory protein (PNUTS) and a protein containing a J-DNA binding domain (named JBP3). Gel shift studies indicate JBP3 is a J-DNA binding protein. Reciprocal tagging, co-IP and sucrose gradient analyses indicate PP1, JGT, JBP3, Wdr82 and PNUTS form a multimeric complex in kinetoplastids, similar to the mammalian PTW/PP1 complex involved in transcription termination via PP1 mediated dephosphorylation of Pol II. Using RNAi and analysis of Pol II termination by RNA-seq and RT-PCR, we demonstrate that ablation of PNUTS, JBP3 and Wdr82 lead to defects in Pol II termination at the 3'-end of polycistronic gene arrays in Trypanosoma brucei. Mutants also contain increased antisense RNA levels upstream of transcription start sites, suggesting an additional role of the complex in regulating termination of bi-directional transcription. In addition, PNUTS loss causes derepression of silent Variant Surface Glycoprotein genes involved in host immune evasion. Our results suggest a novel mechanistic link between base J and Pol II polycistronic transcription termination in kinetoplastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudo Kieft
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alexandre P. Marand
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jose Dagoberto Moran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Robert Bridger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Lance Wells
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Schmitz
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Robert Sabatini
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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17
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Rusman F, Floridia-Yapur N, Ragone PG, Diosque P, Tomasini N. Evidence of hybridization, mitochondrial introgression and biparental inheritance of the kDNA minicircles in Trypanosoma cruzi I. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0007770. [PMID: 32004318 PMCID: PMC7015434 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genetic exchange in Trypanosoma cruzi is controversial not only in relation to its frequency, but also to its mechanism. Parasexual genetic exchange has been proposed based on laboratory hybrids, but population genomics strongly suggests meiosis in T. cruzi. In addition, mitochondrial introgression has been reported several times in natural isolates although its mechanism is not fully understood yet. Moreover, hybrid T. cruzi DTUs (TcV and TcVI) have inherited at least part of the kinetoplastic DNA (kDNA = mitochondrial DNA) from both parents. Methodology/Principal findings In order to address such topics, we sequenced and analyzed fourteen nuclear DNA fragments and three kDNA maxicircle genes in three TcI stocks which are natural clones potentially involved in events of genetic exchange. We also deep-sequenced (a total of 6,146,686 paired-end reads) the minicircle hypervariable region (mHVR) of the kDNA in such three strains. In addition, we analyzed the DNA content by flow cytometry to address cell ploidy. We observed that most polymorphic sites in nuclear loci showed a hybrid pattern in one cloned strain and the other two cloned strains were compatible as parental strains (or nearly related to the true parents). The three clones had almost the same ploidy and the DNA content was similar to the reference strain Sylvio (a nearly diploid strain). Despite maxicircle genes evolve faster than nuclear housekeeping ones, we detected no polymorphisms in the sequence of three maxicircle genes showing mito-nuclear discordance. Lastly, the hybrid stock shared 66% of its mHVR clusters with one putative parent and 47% with the other one; in contrast, the putative parental stocks shared less than 30% of the mHVR clusters between them. Conclusions/significance The results suggest a reductive division, a natural hybridization, biparental inheritance of the minicircles in the hybrid and maxicircle introgression. The models including such phenomena and explaining the relationships between these three clones are discussed. Chagas disease, an important public health problem in Latin America, is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Despite being a widely studied parasite, several questions on the biology of genetic exchange remain unanswered. Population genomic studies have inferred meiosis in T. cruzi, but this cellular division mechanism has not been observed in laboratory yet. In addition, previous results suggest that mitochondrial DNA (called kDNA) may be inherited from both parents in hybrids. Here, we analyzed a hybrid strain and its potential parents to address the mechanisms of genetic exchange at nuclear and mitochondrial levels. We observed that the hybrid strain had heterozygous patterns and DNA content compatible with a meiosis event. Also, we observed that the evolutionary histories of nuclear DNA and kDNA maxicircles were discordant and that the three strains shared identical DNA sequences. Mitochondrial introgression of maxicircle DNA from one genotype to another may explain this observation. In addition, we demonstrated that the hybrid strain shared kDNA minicircles with both parental strains. Our results suggest that hybridization implied meiosis and biparental inheritance of the kDNA. Further research is required to address such phenomena in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Rusman
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Noelia Floridia-Yapur
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Paula G. Ragone
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Patricio Diosque
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Salta, Argentina
| | - Nicolás Tomasini
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Salta, Argentina
- * E-mail:
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Cooper S, Wadsworth ES, Ochsenreiter T, Ivens A, Savill NJ, Schnaufer A. Assembly and annotation of the mitochondrial minicircle genome of a differentiation-competent strain of Trypanosoma brucei. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:11304-11325. [PMID: 31665448 PMCID: PMC6868439 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Kinetoplastids are protists defined by one of the most complex mitochondrial genomes in nature, the kinetoplast. In the sleeping sickness parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the kinetoplast is a chain mail-like network of two types of interlocked DNA molecules: a few dozen ∼23-kb maxicircles (homologs of the mitochondrial genome of other eukaryotes) and thousands of ∼1-kb minicircles. Maxicircles encode components of respiratory chain complexes and the mitoribosome. Several maxicircle-encoded mRNAs undergo extensive post-transcriptional RNA editing via addition and deletion of uridines. The process is mediated by hundreds of species of minicircle-encoded guide RNAs (gRNAs), but the precise number of minicircle classes and gRNA genes was unknown. Here we present the first essentially complete assembly and annotation of the kinetoplast genome of T. brucei. We have identified 391 minicircles, encoding not only ∼930 predicted 'canonical' gRNA genes that cover nearly all known editing events (accessible via the web at http://hank.bio.ed.ac.uk), but also ∼370 'non-canonical' gRNA genes of unknown function. Small RNA transcriptome data confirmed expression of the majority of both categories of gRNAs. Finally, we have used our data set to refine definitions for minicircle structure and to explore dynamics of minicircle copy numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinclair Cooper
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Elizabeth S Wadsworth
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FL, UK
| | | | - Alasdair Ivens
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Nicholas J Savill
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Achim Schnaufer
- Institute of Immunology & Infection Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FL, UK
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19
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Camacho E, Rastrojo A, Sanchiz Á, González-de la Fuente S, Aguado B, Requena JM. Leishmania Mitochondrial Genomes: Maxicircle Structure and Heterogeneity of Minicircles. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10100758. [PMID: 31561572 PMCID: PMC6826401 DOI: 10.3390/genes10100758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is present in almost all eukaryotic organisms, is a useful marker for phylogenetic studies due to its relative high conservation and its inheritance manner. In Leishmania and other trypanosomatids, the mtDNA (also referred to as kinetoplast DNA or kDNA) is composed of thousands of minicircles and a few maxicircles, catenated together into a complex network. Maxicircles are functionally similar to other eukaryotic mtDNAs, whereas minicircles are involved in RNA editing of some maxicircle-encoded transcripts. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly used for assembling nuclear genomes and, currently, a large number of genomic sequences are available. However, most of the time, the mitochondrial genome is ignored in the genome assembly processes. The aim of this study was to develop a pipeline to assemble Leishmania minicircles and maxicircle DNA molecules, exploiting the raw data generated in the NGS projects. As a result, the maxicircle molecules and the plethora of minicircle classes for Leishmania major, Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis have been characterized. We have observed that whereas the heterogeneity of minicircle sequences existing in a single cell hampers their use for Leishmania typing and classification, maxicircles emerge as an extremely robust genetic marker for taxonomic studies within the clade of kinetoplastids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Camacho
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) UAM+CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Alberto Rastrojo
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) UAM+CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - África Sanchiz
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) UAM+CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sandra González-de la Fuente
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) UAM+CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Begoña Aguado
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) UAM+CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Jose M Requena
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Campus de Excelencia Internacional (CEI) UAM+CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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20
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Aravind
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20894, United States
| | - Shankar Balasubramanian
- Department of Chemistry and Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0RE, U.K
| | - Anjana Rao
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, California 92093, United States
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21
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Hijawi KJF, Hijjawi NS, Ibbini JH. Detection, genotyping, and phylogenetic analysis of Leishmania isolates collected from infected Jordanian residents and Syrian refugees who suffered from cutaneous leishmaniasis. Parasitol Res 2019; 118:793-805. [PMID: 30729301 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06222-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania is a parasitic protozoan which is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia sand flies. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), caused by Leishmania major and L. tropica, is an endemic disease in many areas of Jordan and considered as a major public health problem. The political instability in the Syrian Arab Republic has resulted in the immigration of large number of refugees into Jordan where most of them resided in camps near the Syrian borders. Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to inspect Leishmania species/genotypes which are responsible for CL infections among Syrian refugees and compare them with the recovered species/genotypes isolated from Jordanian patients. Three molecular-based assays (ITS1-PCR-RFLP, Nested ITS1-5.8S rDNA PCR, and Kinetoplast DNA PCR) followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were undertaken and compared for their efficiency to confirm CL diagnosis and genotype the infecting Leishmania species. Thereafter, the evolutionary relationships among various Leishmania isolates from Syrian and Jordanian CL patients were elucidated. Results from the present study indicated that 20 and 9 out of the inspected 66 patients (39 Jordanian and 27 Syrian) were infected with L. major and L. tropica respectively. ITS1-PCR RFLP typing proved to be more sensitive in the detection of Leishmania species (positive in 44% of the isolates) compared to both ITS1-5.8S rDNA gene and Kinetoplast DNA PCR which were successful in identifying Leishmania species only in 23% and 33% of the isolates respectively. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of ITS1 and ITS1-5.8S rDNA genes revealed high levels of heterogeneity among the sequenced isolates. One sample typed as L. tropica from Jordanian patient showed high similarity with L. tropica sample isolated from a Syrian patient in a Lebanon refugee camp; therefore, the need for comprehensive studies to confirm if any new L. tropica strains might be introduced to Jordan by Syrian refugees is urgently indicated. These observations highlighted the need for further studies to clarify the risk status of species and strains which might be introduced from Syria to Jordan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamal J F Hijawi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, The Hashemite University, PO Box 150459, Zarqa, 13115, Jordan.
| | - Nawal S Hijjawi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, The Hashemite University, PO Box 150459, Zarqa, 13115, Jordan
| | - Jwan H Ibbini
- Department of Land Management and Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Hashemite University, Zarqa, 13115, Jordan
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22
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de Sousa Ferreira T, Timbó RV, Minuzzi-Souza TTC, de Almeida Rocha D, Neiva M, de Albuquerque Ribeiro J, de Almeida PS, Hecht M, Nitz N, Gurgel-Gonçalves R. High molecular prevalence of Leishmania in phlebotomine sand flies fed on chicken blood in Brazil. Vet Parasitol 2018; 259:80-84. [PMID: 30056989 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniases are endemic in Brazil, where Leishmania infantum has been detected in humans, dogs, cats, and phlebotomine vectors. Monitoring synanthropic vector populations is critical for leishmaniasis control-surveillance in such transmission-prone areas. Here, a suite of molecular approaches were used to assess Leishmania infection prevalence and to identify blood-meal sources in a large sample of sand flies collected in anthropic environments of a Leishmania-transmission area in Mato Grosso do Sul State (Rio Verde de Mato Grosso municipality), Central-West Brazil. We sampled sand flies monthly (January-June 2014 and 2016) in one peri-domestic site within each of six neighborhoods with recent records of human visceral and/or tegumentary leishmaniasis. kDNA-qPCR plus rDNA ITS-sequencing were used to detect and identify Leishmania in pooled female sand flies. Individual engorged females (n = 58) were used for blood-meal analyses through High-Resolution Melting (HRM) targeting the mtDNA cytb gene. Overall, 90.5% of 420 CDC trap-nights yielded vectors, for a total catch of 24,989 sand flies. We sub-sampled and identified 3088 sand flies of 12 species, including 2775 Lutzomyia longipalpis (the most abundant species at all sampling sites) and 297 Nyssomyia whitmani. Female sand flies (n = 1261) were grouped in 159 pools, of which 92 Lu. longipalpis (minimum infection rate [MIR] 8%) and 7 Ny. whitmani pools (MIR 7%) were Leishmania kDNA-positive. Most positive Lu. longipalpis were collected in the 2016 rainy season. Sequencing confirmed L. infantum in Lu. longipalpis samples. HRM analyses identified chicken DNA in 57 sand flies (98.3%), 37 of which were Leishmania DNA-positive (64.9%); human blood was found in just one (Leishmania-negative) female. Our data show ongoing risk of L. infantum transmission to humans in the study area, where Leishmania-infected sandfly vectors are common and heavily rely on chicken blood in the peri-domestic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tauana de Sousa Ferreira
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Renata Velôzo Timbó
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Thaís T C Minuzzi-Souza
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Douglas de Almeida Rocha
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Mariana Neiva
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Joana de Albuquerque Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Paulo Silva de Almeida
- Laboratório Regional de Entomologia, Núcleo Regional de Saúde da Secretaria Estadual de Saúde, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Mariana Hecht
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Biociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Nadjar Nitz
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Biociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Gurgel-Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Médica e Biologia de Vetores, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil.
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23
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Sevilha-Santos L, Dos Santos Júnior ACM, Medeiros-Silva V, Bergmann JO, da Silva EF, Segato LF, Arabi AYM, de Paula NA, Sampaio RNR, Lima BD, Gomes CM. Accuracy of qPCR for quantifying Leishmania kDNA in different skin layers of patients with American tegumentary leishmaniasis. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018; 25:242-247. [PMID: 29730222 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 01/06/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Superficial swab sampling of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) lesions shows higher amounts of Leishmania than those from biopsy. Subcutaneous involvement is also important in ATL, but parasite quantification according to lesion depth has not been evaluated. We aim to present the best depth at which sampling should be performed for molecular exams of ATL. METHODS Patients with a clinical presentation compatible with ATL were allocated to ATL and control groups. Qualitative and quantitative qPCR assays were performed using SYBR Green and primers amplifying the kDNA minicircle of Leishmania spp. in different skin layers, including the epidermis, the superior dermis, the inferior dermis, and the hypodermis. RESULTS Fifty-nine patients were included in this study, including 40 who had been diagnosed with ATL and 19 controls. The number of parasites was greater in samples of the epidermis and superior dermis (159.1 × 106, range 4.0-781.7, and 75.4 × 106, range 8.0-244.5, mean Leishmania parasite equivalents per μg of tissue DNA, respectively) than those in samples of the inferior dermis and hypodermis (54.6, range 8.0-256.6, and 16.8 × 106, range 8.0-24.1, mean Leishmania parasite equivalents per μg of tissue DNA, respectively). The best diagnostic accuracy was achieved in the superior dermis (77.9%) and was significantly greater than that in the hypodermis (63.3%; p 0.039). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that superficial sampling can retrieve a greater quantity of parasites. Future studies of the role of transepidermal elimination as a mechanism of host defence in ATL must be performed as there is a considerable quantity of Leishmania kDNA in the epidermis.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Sevilha-Santos
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - A C M Dos Santos Júnior
- Postgraduate Program in Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - V Medeiros-Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - J O Bergmann
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - E F da Silva
- Department of Statistics, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - L F Segato
- Dermatology Division, University Hospital of Brasília (HUB), University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - A Y M Arabi
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - N A de Paula
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Pathogenic Bioagents, Dermatology Division, Department of Medical Clinics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - R N R Sampaio
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil; Dermatomycology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - B D Lima
- Gene Biology Laboratory, Postgraduate Program in Microbial Biology, Cell Biology Department, Biological Sciences Institute, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - C M Gomes
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil; Dermatology Division, University Hospital of Brasília (HUB), University of Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil; Dermatomycology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil; Tropical Medicine Nucleus, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.
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24
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Amodeo S, Jakob M, Ochsenreiter T. Characterization of the novel mitochondrial genome replication factor MiRF172 in Trypanosoma brucei. J Cell Sci 2018; 131:jcs211730. [PMID: 29626111 PMCID: PMC5963845 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.211730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The unicellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei harbors one mitochondrial organelle with a singular genome called the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). The kDNA consists of a network of concatenated minicircles and a few maxicircles that form the kDNA disc. More than 30 proteins involved in kDNA replication have been described. However, several mechanistic questions are only poorly understood. Here, we describe and characterize minicircle replication factor 172 (MiRF172), a novel mitochondrial genome replication factor that is essential for cell growth and kDNA maintenance. By performing super-resolution microscopy, we show that MiRF172 is localized to the kDNA disc, facing the region between the genome and the mitochondrial membranes. We demonstrate that depletion of MiRF172 leads to a loss of minicircles and maxicircles. Detailed analysis suggests that MiRF172 is involved in the reattachment of replicated minicircles to the kDNA disc. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the localization of the replication factor MiRF172 not only depends on the kDNA itself, but also on the mitochondrial genome segregation machinery, suggesting an interaction between the two essential entities.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Amodeo
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Martin Jakob
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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25
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Paulsen T, Kumar P, Koseoglu MM, Dutta A. Discoveries of Extrachromosomal Circles of DNA in Normal and Tumor Cells. Trends Genet 2018; 34:270-278. [PMID: 29329720 PMCID: PMC5881399 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [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: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
While the vast majority of cellular DNA in eukaryotes is contained in long linear strands in chromosomes, we have long recognized some exceptions like mitochondrial DNA, plasmids in yeasts, and double minutes (DMs) in cancer cells where the DNA is present in extrachromosomal circles. In addition, specialized extrachromosomal circles of DNA (eccDNA) have been noted to arise from repetitive genomic sequences like telomeric DNA or rDNA. Recently eccDNA arising from unique (nonrepetitive) DNA have been discovered in normal and malignant cells, raising interesting questions about their biogenesis, function and clinical utility. Here, we review recent results and future directions of inquiry on these new forms of eccDNA.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Chromosomes, Human/chemistry
- Chromosomes, Human/metabolism
- DNA, Chloroplast/chemistry
- DNA, Chloroplast/genetics
- DNA, Chloroplast/metabolism
- DNA, Circular/chemistry
- DNA, Circular/genetics
- DNA, Circular/metabolism
- DNA, Kinetoplast/chemistry
- DNA, Kinetoplast/genetics
- DNA, Kinetoplast/metabolism
- DNA, Mitochondrial/chemistry
- DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics
- DNA, Mitochondrial/metabolism
- DNA, Neoplasm/chemistry
- DNA, Neoplasm/genetics
- DNA, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Eukaryotic Cells/chemistry
- Eukaryotic Cells/metabolism
- Humans
- Kinetoplastida/genetics
- Kinetoplastida/metabolism
- Neoplasms/genetics
- Neoplasms/metabolism
- Neoplasms/pathology
- Neoplastic Cells, Circulating/chemistry
- Neoplastic Cells, Circulating/metabolism
- Plants/genetics
- Plants/metabolism
- Plasmids/chemistry
- Plasmids/metabolism
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism
- Telomere/chemistry
- Telomere/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Teressa Paulsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Pankaj Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - M Murat Koseoglu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Anindya Dutta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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26
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Mulindwa J, Leiss K, Ibberson D, Kamanyi Marucha K, Helbig C, Melo do Nascimento L, Silvester E, Matthews K, Matovu E, Enyaru J, Clayton C. Transcriptomes of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense from sleeping sickness patients, rodents and culture: Effects of strain, growth conditions and RNA preparation methods. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006280. [PMID: 29474390 PMCID: PMC5842037 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
All of our current knowledge of African trypanosome metabolism is based on results from trypanosomes grown in culture or in rodents. Drugs against sleeping sickness must however treat trypanosomes in humans. We here compare the transcriptomes of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of human patients with those of trypanosomes from culture and rodents. The data were aligned and analysed using new user-friendly applications designed for Kinetoplastid RNA-Seq data. The transcriptomes of trypanosomes from human blood and cerebrospinal fluid did not predict major metabolic differences that might affect drug susceptibility. Usefully, there were relatively few differences between the transcriptomes of trypanosomes from patients and those of similar trypanosomes grown in rats. Transcriptomes of monomorphic laboratory-adapted parasites grown in in vitro culture closely resembled those of the human parasites, but some differences were seen. In poly(A)-selected mRNA transcriptomes, mRNAs encoding some protein kinases and RNA-binding proteins were under-represented relative to mRNA that had not been poly(A) selected; further investigation revealed that the selection tends to result in loss of longer mRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius Mulindwa
- Centre for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Sports Science, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Kevin Leiss
- Centre for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Kevin Kamanyi Marucha
- Centre for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Claudia Helbig
- Centre for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Larissa Melo do Nascimento
- Centre for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eleanor Silvester
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Keith Matthews
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Enock Matovu
- Department of Biotechnology and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary medicine, Animal resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - John Enyaru
- Department of Biochemistry and Sports Science, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Christine Clayton
- Centre for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, Heidelberg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Latrofa MS, Iatta R, Dantas-Torres F, Annoscia G, Gabrielli S, Pombi M, Gradoni L, Otranto D. Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in phlebotomine sand flies from an area where canine leishmaniosis is endemic in southern Italy. Vet Parasitol 2018; 253:39-42. [PMID: 29605001 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) are vectors of Leishmania spp., among which Leishmania infantum is recognized as the main agent of human and canine leishmaniosis (CanL) in the Mediterranean area. In this study, females of Phlebotomus spp. (P. perniciosus, P. neglectus and P. papatasi) and Sergentomyia minuta were collected in a dog shelter of southern Italy, where CanL is endemic, and examined for Leishmania DNA. In total, 32 out of 56 of Phlebotomus spp. insects (57.1%) were found positive for L. infantum DNA by quantitative PCR (qPCR), with a mean parasite load of 1.9 × 103 promastigotes/ml among 23 positive P. perniciosus and 2.1 × 103 promastigotes/ml among five positive P. neglectus. Four P. papatasi, a species known to be refractory to L. infantum development, were also found positive. Among 216 S. minuta specimens examined, 25 (11.6%) scored positive for Leishmania tarentolae by conventional nested PCR; two (16.7%) of them were also positive for lizard blood, which is in agreement with the feeding preference of this phlebotomine species. Nine S. minuta (4.2%) were positive for L. infantum by qPCR, with a mean parasite load of 1.62 × 102 promastigotes/ml. The detection of L. infantum DNA in S. minuta may suggest that this species could acquire the protozoan, occasionally feeding on infected dogs. Further investigations need to clarify the potential role that S. minuta may have in the transmission of L. infantum to receptive mammal hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roberta Iatta
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Filipe Dantas-Torres
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; Department of Immunology, Aggeu Magalhães Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Giada Annoscia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Simona Gabrielli
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Pombi
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Luigi Gradoni
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
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Kariyawasam UL, Selvapandiyan A, Rai K, Wani TH, Ahuja K, Beg MA, Premathilake HU, Bhattarai NR, Siriwardena YD, Zhong D, Zhou G, Rijal S, Nakhasi H, Karunaweera ND. Genetic diversity of Leishmania donovani that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka: a cross sectional study with regional comparisons. BMC Infect Dis 2017; 17:791. [PMID: 29273010 PMCID: PMC5741890 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-017-2883-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [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: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania donovani is the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent. However, it is also known to cause cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan L. donovani differs from other L. donovani strains, both at the molecular and biochemical level. To investigate the different species or strain-specific differences of L. donovani in Sri Lanka we evaluated sequence variation of the kinetoplastid DNA (kDNA). METHODS Parasites isolated from skin lesions of 34 CL patients and bone marrow aspirates from 4 VL patients were genotyped using the kDNA minicircle PCR analysis. A total of 301 minicircle sequences that included sequences from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and six reference species of Leishmania were analyzed. RESULTS Haplotype diversity of Sri Lankan isolates were high (H d = 0.757) with strong inter-geographical genetic differentiation (F ST > 0.25). In this study, L. donovani isolates clustered according to their geographic origin, while Sri Lankan isolates formed a separate cluster and were clearly distinct from other Leishmania species. Within the Sri Lankan group, there were three distinct sub-clusters formed, from CL patients who responded to standard antimony therapy, CL patients who responded poorly to antimony therapy and from VL patients. There was no specific clustering of sequences based on geographical origin within Sri Lanka. CONCLUSION This study reveals high levels of haplotype diversity of L. donovani in Sri Lanka with a distinct genetic association with clinically relevant phenotypic characteristics. The use of genetic tools to identify clinically relevant features of Leishmania parasites has important therapeutic implications for leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udeshika Lakmini Kariyawasam
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 8 Sri Lanka
| | | | - Keshav Rai
- Department of Microbiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | | | - Kavita Ahuja
- JH-Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | - Mizra Adil Beg
- JH-Institute of Molecular Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Narayan Raj Bhattarai
- Department of Microbiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Yamuna Deepani Siriwardena
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 8 Sri Lanka
| | - Daibin Zhong
- University of California Irvine, College of Health Sciences, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Guofa Zhou
- University of California Irvine, College of Health Sciences, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Suman Rijal
- Department of Microbiology, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal
| | - Hira Nakhasi
- Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, USA
| | - Nadira D. Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo, 8 Sri Lanka
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Käser S, Willemin M, Schnarwiler F, Schimanski B, Poveda-Huertes D, Oeljeklaus S, Haenni B, Zuber B, Warscheid B, Meisinger C, Schneider A. Biogenesis of the mitochondrial DNA inheritance machinery in the mitochondrial outer membrane of Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006808. [PMID: 29287109 PMCID: PMC5764417 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria cannot form de novo but require mechanisms that mediate their inheritance to daughter cells. The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei has a single mitochondrion with a single-unit genome that is physically connected across the two mitochondrial membranes with the basal body of the flagellum. This connection, termed the tripartite attachment complex (TAC), is essential for the segregation of the replicated mitochondrial genomes prior to cytokinesis. Here we identify a protein complex consisting of three integral mitochondrial outer membrane proteins-TAC60, TAC42 and TAC40-which are essential subunits of the TAC. TAC60 contains separable mitochondrial import and TAC-sorting signals and its biogenesis depends on the main outer membrane protein translocase. TAC40 is a member of the mitochondrial porin family, whereas TAC42 represents a novel class of mitochondrial outer membrane β-barrel proteins. Consequently TAC40 and TAC42 contain C-terminal β-signals. Thus in trypanosomes the highly conserved β-barrel protein assembly machinery plays a major role in the biogenesis of its unique mitochondrial genome segregation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Käser
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Mathilde Willemin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Felix Schnarwiler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Schimanski
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Poveda-Huertes
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Silke Oeljeklaus
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Beat Haenni
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Benoît Zuber
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bettina Warscheid
- Department of Biochemistry and Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Chris Meisinger
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - André Schneider
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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de Lima ECB, Barbosa WL, de Brito MEF, de Melo FL, Brandão SP, de Medeiros ZM. Characterization of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi in visceral leishmaniasis associated with hiv co-infection in Northeastern Brazil. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2017; 59:e48. [PMID: 28902293 PMCID: PMC5574623 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946201759048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Visceral leishmaniasis, associated with HIV/AIDS coinfection, is becoming a more aggressive disease, complicating an accurate prognosis. A 21-year-old HIV-positive female presenting with clinical features of visceral leishmaniasis was enrolled in this study. Bone marrow cytology, Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle culture and kDNA PCR of peripheral blood were all positive. Typing methods, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and ITS1-RFLP PCR of peripheral blood confirmed infection by Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi . PCR has proved to be safer and more affordable than other characterization methods; ITS1-RFLP PCR can diagnose and type Leishmania spp. in both endemic and non-endemic areas, favoring the prognosis and allowing the appropriate treatment of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Walter Lins Barbosa
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Pernambuco,
Brazil
| | | | - Fábio Lopes de Melo
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Pernambuco,
Brazil
| | | | - Zulma Maria de Medeiros
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Pernambuco,
Brazil
- Universidade de Pernambuco, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Recife,
Pernambuco, Brazil
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Cooper C, Thompson RCA, Botero A, Kristancic A, Peacock C, Kirilak Y, Clode PL. A comparative molecular and 3-dimensional structural investigation into cross-continental and novel avian Trypanosoma spp. in Australia. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:234. [PMID: 28499405 PMCID: PMC5427604 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2173-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular and structural information on avian Trypanosoma spp. throughout Australia is limited despite their intrinsic value in understanding trypanosomatid evolution, diversity, and structural biology. In Western Australia tissue samples (n = 429) extracted from 93 birds in 25 bird species were screened using generic PCR primers to investigate the diversity of Trypanosoma spp. To investigate avian trypanosome structural biology the first 3-dimensional ultrastructural models of a Trypanosoma spp. (Trypanosoma sp. AAT) isolated from a bird (currawong, Strepera spp.) were generated using focussed ion beam milling combined with scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). RESULTS Here, we confirm four intercontinental species of avian trypanosomes in native Australian birds, and identify a new avian Trypanosoma. Trypanosome infection was identified in 18 birds from 13 different bird species (19%). A single new genotype was isolated and found to be closely related to T. culicavium (Trypanosoma sp. CC2016 B002). Other Trypanosoma spp. identified include T. avium, T. culicavium, T. thomasbancrofti, Trypanosoma sp. TL.AQ.22, Trypanosoma sp. AAT, and an uncharacterised Trypanosoma sp. (group C-III sensu Zidková et al. (Infect Genet Evol 12:102-112, 2012)), all previously identified in Australia or other continents. Serially-sectioning Trypanosoma sp. AAT epimastigotes using FIB-SEM revealed the disc-shaped kinetoplast pocket attached perpendicular to the branching mitochondrion. Additionally, the universal minicircle sequence within the kinetoplast DNA and the associated binding protein were determined in Trypanosoma sp. AAT. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that bird trypanosomes are relatively conserved across continents, while being locally diverse, which supports the hypothesis that bird trypanosomes exist as fewer species than described in the literature. Evidence exists that avian Trypanosoma spp. are infecting mammals and could be transmitted by haemadipsid leeches. Trypanosoma sp. AAT is most likely a separate species currently found only in Australia and the first 3-dimentional ultrastructural analysis of an avian trypanosome provides interesting information on their morphology and organelle arrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crystal Cooper
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
| | - R. C. Andrew Thompson
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150 Australia
| | - Adriana Botero
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150 Australia
| | - Amanda Kristancic
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150 Australia
| | - Christopher Peacock
- Marshall Centre, School of Pathology and Laboratory and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
- Telethon Kids Institute, 100 Roberts Rd, Subiaco, WA 6008 Australia
| | - Yaowanuj Kirilak
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Peta L. Clode
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
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Peña-Diaz P, Vancová M, Resl C, Field MC, Lukeš J. A leucine aminopeptidase is involved in kinetoplast DNA segregation in Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006310. [PMID: 28388690 PMCID: PMC5397073 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The kinetoplast (k), the uniquely packaged mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomatid protists is formed by a catenated network of minicircles and maxicircles that divide and segregate once each cell cycle. Although many proteins involved in kDNA replication and segregation are now known, several key steps in the replication mechanism remain uncharacterized at the molecular level, one of which is the nabelschnur or umbilicus, a prominent structure which in the mammalian parasite Trypanosoma brucei connects the daughter kDNA networks prior to their segregation. Here we characterize an M17 family leucyl aminopeptidase metalloprotease, termed TbLAP1, which specifically localizes to the kDNA disk and the nabelschur and represents the first described protein found in this structure. We show that TbLAP1 is required for correct segregation of kDNA, with knockdown resulting in delayed cytokinesis and ectopic expression leading to kDNA loss and decreased cell proliferation. We propose that TbLAP1 is required for efficient kDNA division and specifically participates in the separation of daughter kDNA networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscila Peña-Diaz
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Marie Vancová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Christian Resl
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Mark C. Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
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de Cássia-Pires R, de Melo MDFAD, Barbosa RDH, Roque ALR. Multiplex PCR as a tool for the diagnosis of Leishmania spp. kDNA and the gapdh housekeeping gene of mammal hosts. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173922. [PMID: 28301553 PMCID: PMC5354409 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The PCR assays usually employed for Leishmania diagnosis does not simultaneously detect a constitutive gene that would certify the viability of the DNA sample. We present a multiplex PCR approach for the simultaneous diagnosis of the Leishmania sp. kDNA fragment and a catalytic domain segment of a conserved region of the mammalian gapdh gene. Methodology The proposed multiplex protocol was designed through in silico PCR. The annealing temperature, concentration of primer pairs, number of cycles, distinct polymerase enzymes and premix kit were defined to achieve an optimal reaction. The DNA detection sensitivity was tested with different concentrations of known L. tropica DNA, and the reproducibility of the assay was confirmed using samples from 106 wild mammals that were previously subject to Leishmania sp. kDNA analysis through singleplex reactions. Principal findings The following optimal conditions were established: 95°C for 1 min followed by 30 cycles of 95°C for 30 s, 61°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 30 s and a final extension at 72°C for 1 min. The multiplex PCR system was capable of detecting 0.1 ng of L. tropica diluted in 100 ng of mammalian DNA. Of 51 kDNA samples that were previously found to be positive, 45 (88.2%) were positive for both targets, two were positive only for kDNA and four were negative for both. Of 55 kDNA samples that were previously identified as negative, 38 (69.1%) were positive for gapdh whereas the other 17 were negative for both targets. Conclusions/Significance The proposed multiplex PCR system allows the simultaneous detection of the gapdh gene and Leishmania sp. kDNA in tissue samples derived from distinct wild mammal species. The amplification of the gapdh mammalian gene in the same reaction ensures the quality and viability of the DNA in the sample, eliminating the possibility of false-negative results that would impair an accurate description of the infection rates in a given population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata de Cássia-Pires
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Raquel da Hora Barbosa
- Center of Medical Sciences, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, UFF, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André Luiz Rodrigues Roque
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Qureshi NA, Ali A, Rashid U, Ali N. Prevalence of Leishmania tropica in school boys of khyber agency, FATA near Pak-Afghan border. Acta Trop 2016; 164:90-94. [PMID: 27593497 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In Pakistan leishmaniasis occurs periodically throughout the year and various out breaks are reported frequently. In continuation of our research on this neglected disease, the aim of present study is to explore: (1) the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in school boys; (2) Leishmania species identification in order to epidemiology and dynamics of the disease; (3) Identification of risk factors for Leishmaniasis especially for CL. The data was collected in August 2014 The experimental strategy involved a questionnaire for data collection and along with clinical diagnosis of 134 out of 9368 students for incidence of Leishmania spp. in 7 square kilometres area in the schoolboys at Tehsil Landi Kotal, District Khyber Agency, FATA Pakistan. The parasitological and molecular diagnosis of clinically suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis cases were performed using microscopical examination of Giemsa-stained smears of lesion exudates and minicircle kDNA semi nested PCR, respectively. Microscopy (x=1000) positive cases were 84/134 (62.6%) and 50/134 (37.4%) slides did not showed any presence of amastigotes of Leishmania spp. The samples were amplified using kDNA semi nested PCR and confirmed the presence of L. Tropica (Ac.no KT 985473). PCR positive cases were 97/134 (72.4%) and 37(27.6%) were negative. The prevalence of L. tropica in school boys was 1.4% (134/9368) in the total population studied (n=9368). The parasite prevalence might be greater as only male students were considered in the study due to ethical and social issues and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveeda Akhtar Qureshi
- Department of Animal Sciences, Parasitology Laboratory, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
| | - Abid Ali
- Department of Animal Sciences, Parasitology Laboratory, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Umer Rashid
- Department of Chemistry, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan
| | - Naeem Ali
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
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Eze AA, Gould MK, Munday JC, Tagoe DNA, Stelmanis V, Schnaufer A, De Koning HP. Reduced Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Is a Late Adaptation of Trypanosoma brucei brucei to Isometamidium Preceded by Mutations in the γ Subunit of the F1Fo-ATPase. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004791. [PMID: 27518185 PMCID: PMC4982688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Isometamidium is the main prophylactic drug used to prevent the infection of livestock with trypanosomes that cause Animal African Trypanosomiasis. As well as the animal infective trypanosome species, livestock can also harbor the closely related human infective subspecies T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense. Resistance to isometamidium is a growing concern, as is cross-resistance to the diamidine drugs diminazene and pentamidine. Methodology/Principal Findings Two isometamidium resistant Trypanosoma brucei clones were generated (ISMR1 and ISMR15), being 7270- and 16,000-fold resistant to isometamidium, respectively, which retained their ability to grow in vitro and establish an infection in mice. Considerable cross-resistance was shown to ethidium bromide and diminazene, with minor cross-resistance to pentamidine. The mitochondrial membrane potentials of both resistant cell lines were significantly reduced compared to the wild type. The net uptake rate of isometamidium was reduced 2-3-fold but isometamidium efflux was similar in wild-type and resistant lines. Fluorescence microscopy and PCR analysis revealed that ISMR1 and ISMR15 had completely lost their kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and both lines carried a mutation in the nuclearly encoded γ subunit gene of F1 ATPase, truncating the protein by 22 amino acids. The mutation compensated for the loss of the kinetoplast in bloodstream forms, allowing near-normal growth, and conferred considerable resistance to isometamidium and ethidium as well as significant resistance to diminazene and pentamidine, when expressed in wild type trypanosomes. Subsequent exposure to either isometamidium or ethidium led to rapid loss of kDNA and a further increase in isometamidium resistance. Conclusions/Significance Sub-lethal exposure to isometamidium gives rise to viable but highly resistant trypanosomes that, depending on sub-species, are infective to humans and cross-resistant to at least some diamidine drugs. The crucial mutation is in the F1 ATPase γ subunit, which allows loss of kDNA and results in a reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Isometamidium is the only prophylactic treatment of Animal African Trypanosomiasis, a wasting disease of livestock and domestic animals in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately resistance threatens the continued utility of this drug after decades of use. Not only does this disease have severe impacts on agriculture, but some subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei are human-infective as well (causing sleeping sickness) and there is concern that cross-resistance with trypanocides of the diamidine class could further undermine treatment of both veterinary and human infections. It is therefore essential to understand the mechanism of isometamidium resistance and the likelihood for cross-resistance with other first-line trypanocides. Here, we report that isometamidium resistance can be caused by a mutation in an important mitochondrial protein, the γ subunit of the F1 ATPase, and that this mutation alone is sufficient for high levels of resistance, cross-resistance to various drugs, and a strongly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. This report will for the first time enable a structural assessment of isometamidium resistance genes in T. brucei spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthonius A. Eze
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew K. Gould
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research and Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jane C. Munday
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel N. A. Tagoe
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Valters Stelmanis
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Achim Schnaufer
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research and Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Harry P. De Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Shirian S, Oryan A, Hatam GR, Tabandeh MR, Daneshmand E, Hashemi Orimi M, Saberi H, Daneshbod Y. Correlation of Genetic Heterogeneity with Cytopathological and Epidemiological Findings of Leishmania major Isolated from Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Southern Iran. Acta Cytol 2016; 60:97-106. [PMID: 27215312 DOI: 10.1159/000445865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has recently grown into a major public health problem in 88 countries of the world, including Iran. It is a polymorphic disease which may show various clinicopathological features. Although the effect of the genetic diversity of the parasite has been demonstrated as one of the factors influencing clinical manifestations in CL, no data exist regarding the genetic variation of Leishmania major and its microscopical features. STUDY DESIGN Fine-needle aspiration, touch smears and the histological sections of 100 patients were examined for Leishmania amastigotes, using Giemsa and hematoxylin and eosin. Diverse types of inflammatory cells in the 40 positive and 5 negative smears were differentiated. Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) was amplified using nested PCR and subsequently sequenced. Sequencing analysis of the amplified kDNA was used to investigate the genetic variations among L. major isolates and to correlate the findings with microscopical features and geographical origins. RESULTS The quantified amastigote density in the 40 positive touch smears was blindly classified by 3 observers. Grade I, II, III and IV had 7, 13, 9 and 11 cases, respectively. The microscopical features, the mean percentage of neutrophils, lymphocytes and other inflammatory cells, and the leishmanial density of the grades and negative cytopathological samples were contrasting. kDNA amplification of L. major was detected from the cutaneous lesion, and 21 of these amplicons were successfully sequenced. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that L. major strains causing CL in southern Iran are genetically diverse; furthermore, a correlation between the genetic heterogeneity of the parasite, the microscopical manifestation and the geographical regions of the disease in humans was found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadegh Shirian
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
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Saldarriaga OA, Castellanos-Gonzalez A, Porrozzi R, Baldeviano GC, Lescano AG, de Los Santos MB, Fernandez OL, Saravia NG, Costa E, Melby PC, Travi BL. An Innovative Field-Applicable Molecular Test to Diagnose Cutaneous Leishmania Viannia spp. Infections. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004638. [PMID: 27115155 PMCID: PMC4845993 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis is widely distributed in Central and South America. Leishmania of the Viannia subgenus are the most frequent species infecting humans. L. (V.) braziliensis, L. (V.) panamensis are also responsible for metastatic mucosal leishmaniasis. Conventional or real time PCR is a more sensitive diagnostic test than microscopy, but the cost and requirement for infrastructure and trained personnel makes it impractical in most endemic regions. Primary health systems need a sensitive and specific point of care (POC) diagnostic tool. We developed a novel POC molecular diagnostic test for cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Viannia) spp. Parasite DNA was amplified using isothermal Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) with primers and probes that targeted the kinetoplast DNA. The amplification product was detected by naked eye with a lateral flow (LF) immunochromatographic strip. The RPA-LF had an analytical sensitivity equivalent to 0.1 parasites per reaction. The test amplified the principal L. Viannia species from multiple countries: L. (V.) braziliensis (n = 33), L. (V.) guyanensis (n = 17), L. (V.) panamensis (n = 9). The less common L. (V.) lainsoni, L. (V.) shawi, and L. (V.) naiffi were also amplified. No amplification was observed in parasites of the L. (Leishmania) subgenus. In a small number of clinical samples (n = 13) we found 100% agreement between PCR and RPA-LF. The high analytical sensitivity and clinical validation indicate the test could improve the efficiency of diagnosis, especially in chronic lesions with submicroscopic parasite burdens. Field implementation of the RPA-LF test could contribute to management and control of cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of sandflies that produces skin ulcers. The severe, disfiguring form of the disease is characterized by parasite dissemination to the mucosa of the nose and palate. Current diagnosis is based on microscopy which has low sensitivity in chronic cases. Molecular methods (PCR) that detect parasite DNA are highly sensitive but costs and personnel training make it impossible to implement it in resource-limited areas. We developed a novel molecular method (RPA-LF) that could be applied in the field because it does not require sophisticated equipment. It is also very sensitive and specific to detect the principal Leishmania species that produce cutaneous leishmaniasis in Latin America. Future field implementation of RPA-LF could have a positive impact on disease management and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar A. Saldarriaga
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Alejandro Castellanos-Gonzalez
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Renato Porrozzi
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Andrés G. Lescano
- U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 6 (NAMRU-6), Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Salud Pública y Administración, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Olga L. Fernandez
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | - Nancy G. Saravia
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | - Erika Costa
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Peter C. Melby
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Bruno L. Travi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD), University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Lin RH, Lai DH, Zheng LL, Wu J, Lukeš J, Hide G, Lun ZR. Analysis of the mitochondrial maxicircle of Trypanosoma lewisi, a neglected human pathogen. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:665. [PMID: 26715306 PMCID: PMC4696184 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1281-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The haemoflagellate Trypanosoma lewisi is a kinetoplastid parasite which, as it has been recently reported to cause human disease, deserves increased attention. Characteristic features of all kinetoplastid flagellates are a uniquely structured mitochondrial DNA or kinetoplast, comprised of a network of catenated DNA circles, and RNA editing of mitochondrial transcripts. The aim of this study was to describe the kinetoplast DNA of T. lewisi. METHODS/RESULTS In this study, purified kinetoplast DNA from T. lewisi was sequenced using high-throughput sequencing in combination with sequencing of PCR amplicons. This allowed the assembly of the T. lewisi kinetoplast maxicircle DNA, which is a homologue of the mitochondrial genome in other eukaryotes. The assembly of 23,745 bp comprises the non-coding and coding regions. Comparative analysis of the maxicircle sequence of T. lewisi with Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma rangeli, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania tarentolae revealed that it shares 78%, 77%, 74% and 66% sequence identity with these parasites, respectively. The high GC content in at least 9 maxicircle genes of T. lewisi (ATPase6; NADH dehydrogenase subunits ND3, ND7, ND8 and ND9; G-rich regions GR3 and GR4; cytochrome oxidase subunit COIII and ribosomal protein RPS12) implies that their products may be extensively edited. A detailed analysis of the non-coding region revealed that it contains numerous repeat motifs and palindromes. CONCLUSIONS We have sequenced and comprehensively annotated the kinetoplast maxicircle of T. lewisi. Our analysis reveals that T. lewisi is closely related to T. cruzi and T. brucei, and may share similar RNA editing patterns with them rather than with L. tarentolae. These findings provide novel insight into the biological features of this emerging human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruo-Hong Lin
- Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases and Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, The People's Republic of China.
| | - De-Hua Lai
- Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases and Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, The People's Republic of China.
| | - Ling-Ling Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, The People's Republic of China.
| | - Jie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, The People's Republic of China.
| | - Julius Lukeš
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic.
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Geoff Hide
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre and Biomedical Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK.
| | - Zhao-Rong Lun
- Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases and Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, The People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, The People's Republic of China.
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre and Biomedical Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, UK.
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Rosales-Chilama M, Gongora RE, Valderrama L, Jojoa J, Alexander N, Rubiano LC, Cossio A, Adams ER, Saravia NG, Gomez MA. Parasitological Confirmation and Analysis of Leishmania Diversity in Asymptomatic and Subclinical Infection following Resolution of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0004273. [PMID: 26659114 PMCID: PMC4684356 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The contribution of individuals with subclinical infection to the transmission and endemicity of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is unknown. Immunological evidence of exposure to Leishmania in residents of endemic areas has been the basis for defining the human population with asymptomatic infection. However, parasitological confirmation of subclinical infection is lacking. Methods We investigated the presence and viability of Leishmania in blood and non-invasive mucosal tissue samples from individuals with immunological evidence of subclinical infection in endemic areas for CL caused by Leishmania (Viannia) in Colombia. Detection of Leishmania kDNA was conducted by PCR-Southern Blot, and parasite viability was confirmed by amplification of parasite 7SLRNA gene transcripts. A molecular tool for genetic diversity analysis of parasite populations causing persistent subclinical infection based on PCR amplification and sequence analysis of an 82bp region between kDNA conserved blocks 1 and 2 was developed. Principal Findings Persistent Leishmania infection was demonstrated in 40% (46 of 114) of leishmanin skin test (LST) positive individuals without active disease; parasite viability was established in 59% of these (27 of 46; 24% of total). Parasite burden quantified from circulating blood monocytes, nasal, conjunctival or tonsil mucosal swab samples was comparable, and ranged between 0.2 to 22 parasites per reaction. kDNA sequences were obtained from samples from 2 individuals with asymptomatic infection and from 26 with history of CL, allowing genetic distance analysis that revealed diversity among sequences and clustering within the L. (Viannia) subgenus. Conclusions Our results provide parasitological confirmation of persistent infection among residents of endemic areas of L. (Viannia) transmission who have experienced asymptomatic infection or recovered from CL, revealing a reservoir of infection that potentially contributes to the endemicity and transmission of disease. kDNA genotyping establishes proof-of-principle of the feasibility of genetic diversity analysis in previously inaccessible and unexplored parasite populations in subclinically infected individuals. A variable and often high proportion of individuals residing in areas where cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic are exposed to Leishmania parasites, yet do not develop symptoms of disease. The role of this asymptomatic population in the transmission of disease is unknown and could interfere with the effectiveness of community or population-based control measures. Exposure to Leishmania is indirectly assessed by immunological tests; however, immunological evidence does not discriminate between historical exposure to the parasite and actual presence of parasites without causing clinical manifestations. We sought to determine whether viable Leishmania are present in individuals with immunological evidence of asymptomatic infection. Our results showed that at least 24% of individuals having immunological evidence of subclinical or asymptomatic infection harboured live Leishmania. These individuals may be at risk of activation of disease, or could represent an unperceived reservoir of parasites for vector-borne transmission. Characterization of Leishmania causing asymptomatic infection has not been possible due to technical limits of detection of parasites in low grade infections. We developed a molecular method that allows genotypic analysis of parasites involved in subclinical infection and potentially provides a means to assess their involvement in transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rafael E. Gongora
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - Liliana Valderrama
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - Jimena Jojoa
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - Neal Alexander
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - Luisa C. Rubiano
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - Alexandra Cossio
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - Emily R. Adams
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Centre for Applied Health Research, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Nancy G. Saravia
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
| | - María Adelaida Gomez
- Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas-CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia
- * E-mail:
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Simpson L, Douglass SM, Lake JA, Pellegrini M, Li F. Comparison of the Mitochondrial Genomes and Steady State Transcriptomes of Two Strains of the Trypanosomatid Parasite, Leishmania tarentolae. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015. [PMID: 26204118 PMCID: PMC4512693 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
U-insertion/deletion RNA editing is a post-transcriptional mitochondrial RNA modification phenomenon required for viability of trypanosomatid parasites. Small guide RNAs encoded mainly by the thousands of catenated minicircles contain the information for this editing. We analyzed by NGS technology the mitochondrial genomes and transcriptomes of two strains, the old lab UC strain and the recently isolated LEM125 strain. PacBio sequencing provided complete minicircle sequences which avoided the assembly problem of short reads caused by the conserved regions. Minicircles were identified by a characteristic size, the presence of three short conserved sequences, a region of inherently bent DNA and the presence of single gRNA genes at a fairly defined location. The LEM125 strain contained over 114 minicircles encoding different gRNAs and the UC strain only ~24 minicircles. Some LEM125 minicircles contained no identifiable gRNAs. Approximate copy numbers of the different minicircle classes in the network were determined by the number of PacBio CCS reads that assembled to each class. Mitochondrial RNA libraries from both strains were mapped against the minicircle and maxicircle sequences. Small RNA reads mapped to the putative gRNA genes but also to multiple regions outside the genes on both strands and large RNA reads mapped in many cases over almost the entire minicircle on both strands. These data suggest that minicircle transcription is complete and bidirectional, with 3’ processing yielding the mature gRNAs. Steady state RNAs in varying abundances are derived from all maxicircle genes, including portions of the repetitive divergent region. The relative extents of editing in both strains correlated with the presence of a cascade of cognate gRNAs. These data should provide the foundation for a deeper understanding of this dynamic genetic system as well as the evolutionary variation of editing in different strains. U-insertion/deletion RNA editing is a unique post-transcriptional mRNA modification process that occurs in trypanosomatid parasites and is required for viability. The participation of guide RNAs which are transcribed from the thousands of catenated minicircles in determining the precise sites and number of U’s inserted and deleted to create translatable mRNAs is novel and significant in terms of the recently realized importance of small RNAs in biology. This study contributes the necessary bioinformatics foundation for a deeper understanding of this important genetic system in molecular detail using a model trypanosomatid, Leishmania tarentolae. We used Next Generation Sequencing methods to determine the complete maxicircle and minicircle genomes and to map maxicircle pre-edited and edited transcripts and minicircle transcripts. The transcription of minicircle-encoded guide RNAs was confirmed and novel information about minicircle gene expression was obtained. The biological context involved a comparison of two strains of the parasites, one recently isolated and having an intact mitochondrial genetic system and the other an old lab strain that has developed a partially defective mitochondrial genome. The data are important for an understanding of the mitochondrial genomic complexity and expression of this dynamic genetic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry Simpson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Stephen M. Douglass
- Bioinformatics Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - James A. Lake
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Matteo Pellegrini
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Feng Li
- Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
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Suárez M, Valencia BM, Jara M, Alba M, Boggild AK, Dujardin JC, Llanos-Cuentas A, Arevalo J, Adaui V. Quantification of Leishmania (Viannia) Kinetoplast DNA in Ulcers of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Reveals Inter-site and Inter-sampling Variability in Parasite Load. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015. [PMID: 26204525 PMCID: PMC4512720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a skin disease caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania. Few studies have assessed the influence of the sample collection site within the ulcer and the sampling method on the sensitivity of parasitological and molecular diagnostic techniques for CL. Sensitivity of the technique can be dependent upon the load and distribution of Leishmania amastigotes in the lesion. Methodology/Principal Findings We applied a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for Leishmania (Viannia) minicircle kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) detection and parasite load quantification in biopsy and scraping samples obtained from 3 sites within each ulcer (border, base, and center) as well as in cytology brush specimens taken from the ulcer base and center. A total of 248 lesion samples from 31 patients with laboratory confirmed CL of recent onset (≤3 months) were evaluated. The kDNA-qPCR detected Leishmania DNA in 97.6% (242/248) of the examined samples. Median parasite loads were significantly higher in the ulcer base and center than in the border in biopsies (P<0.0001) and scrapings (P = 0.0002). There was no significant difference in parasite load between the ulcer base and center (P = 0.80, 0.43, and 0.07 for biopsy, scraping, and cytology brush specimens, respectively). The parasite load varied significantly by sampling method: in the ulcer base and center, the descending order for the parasite load levels in samples was: cytology brushes, scrapings, and biopsies (P<0.0001); in the ulcer border, scrapings had higher parasite load than biopsies (P<0.0001). There was no difference in parasite load according to L. braziliensis and L. peruviana infections (P = 0.4). Conclusion/Significance Our results suggest an uneven distribution of Leishmania amastigotes in acute CL ulcers, with higher parasite loads in the ulcer base and center, which has implications for bedside collection of diagnostic specimens. The use of scrapings and cytology brushes is recommended instead of the more invasive biopsy. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease of the skin caused by obligate intra-macrophage protozoa of the genus Leishmania which usually presents as ulcerative lesions at the site of infection. Traditionally, histopathological and diagnostic studies on CL have employed samples collected from the border of the ulcer since this area is believed to contain the highest amount of parasites. However, no formal demonstration of the distribution of Leishmania parasites in the ulcer has been provided yet. Focusing on human skin lesions of recent onset (≤3 months) caused by L. (Viannia) species, we estimated the parasite loads among different skin lesion sites by means of quantitative real-time PCR targeting the parasite kinetoplast DNA. Paired lesion samples collected by use of different sampling methods were analyzed. We found that the ulcerated zone of the lesion contained a higher parasite load than the ulcer border, and that scraping and cytology brush specimens presented higher parasite loads as compared to the more invasive biopsy. Our results have implications for bedside collection of diagnostic and post-therapeutic follow-up specimens from CL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milagros Suárez
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Braulio M. Valencia
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Marlene Jara
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Milena Alba
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Andrea K. Boggild
- Public Health Ontario Laboratories, Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Tropical Disease Unit, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jean-Claude Dujardin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Jorge Arevalo
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Vanessa Adaui
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- * E-mail:
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Gao CH, Wang JY, Zhang S, Yang YT, Wang Y. Survey of Wild and Domestic Mammals for Infection with Leishmania infantum following an Outbreak of Desert Zoonotic Visceral Leishmaniasis in Jiashi, People's Republic of China. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132493. [PMID: 26177101 PMCID: PMC4503304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2008 and 2009, an outbreak of desert-subtype zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis occurred in Jiashi county, Xinjiang, China. So far, no animal reservoir has been identified for this type of visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, we surveyed the most common mammals (wild and domestic) for Leishmania infections during the outbreak in 2008 and 2009 in order to identify the source of the visceral leishmaniasis in this region. Spleen, liver, bone marrow and blood samples collected from 86 wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), 61midday jirds (Meriones meridianus) and 27 Yarkand hares (Lepus yarkandensis) were tested for the presence of Leishmania by microscopy, culture and PCR. All of the animals were found to be negative for Leishmania infections; On the other hand, Leishmania DNA was detected in blood samples collected from livestock reared in the outbreak area: 30.36% (17/56) of sheep, 21.57% (11/51) of goats, 17.78% (8/45) of cattle, and 21.62 (8/37) of donkeys were positive for Leishmania DNA by PCR. The amplified kDNA sequences from the livestock samples matched Leishmania DNA sequences isolated from patients with visceral leishmaniasis in the study area. We suggest that these domestic mammals are a possible reservoir host for Leishmania infantum in the outbreak area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-hua Gao
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology of the Chinese Ministry of Health, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Malaria, Schistosomiasis and Filariasis, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jun-yun Wang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology of the Chinese Ministry of Health, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Malaria, Schistosomiasis and Filariasis, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
- * E-mail:
| | - Song Zhang
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830002, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue-tao Yang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology of the Chinese Ministry of Health, National Center for International Research on Tropical Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Malaria, Schistosomiasis and Filariasis, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, People's Republic of China
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Týč J, Klingbeil MM, Lukeš J. Mitochondrial heat shock protein machinery hsp70/hsp40 is indispensable for proper mitochondrial DNA maintenance and replication. mBio 2015. [PMID: 25670781 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02425-02414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Mitochondrial chaperones have multiple functions that are essential for proper functioning of mitochondria. In the human-pathogenic protist Trypanosoma brucei, we demonstrate a novel function of the highly conserved machinery composed of mitochondrial heat shock proteins 70 and 40 (mtHsp70/mtHsp40) and the ATP exchange factor Mge1. The mitochondrial DNA of T. brucei, also known as kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), is represented by a single catenated network composed of thousands of minicircles and dozens of maxicircles packed into an electron-dense kDNA disk. The chaperones mtHsp70 and mtHsp40 and their cofactor Mge1 are uniformly distributed throughout the single mitochondrial network and are all essential for the parasite. Following RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated depletion of each of these proteins, the kDNA network shrinks and eventually disappears. Ultrastructural analysis of cells depleted for mtHsp70 or mtHsp40 revealed that the otherwise compact kDNA network becomes severely compromised, a consequence of decreased maxicircle and minicircle copy numbers. Moreover, we show that the replication of minicircles is impaired, although the lack of these proteins has a bigger impact on the less abundant maxicircles. We provide additional evidence that these chaperones are indispensable for the maintenance and replication of kDNA, in addition to their already known functions in Fe-S cluster synthesis and protein import. IMPORTANCE Impairment or loss of mitochondrial DNA is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and a wide range of neural, muscular, and other diseases. We present the first evidence showing that the entire mtHsp70/mtHsp40 machinery plays an important role in mitochondrial DNA replication and maintenance, a function likely retained from prokaryotes. These abundant, ubiquitous, and multifunctional chaperones share phenotypes with enzymes engaged in the initial stages of replication of the mitochondrial DNA in T. brucei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Týč
- Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia and Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice (Budweis), Czech Republic
| | - Michele M Klingbeil
- Department of Microbiology, Morrill Science Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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Zhao GH, Yin K, Zhong WX, Cui Y, Wang HF. [Development and application of rapid molecular method for detection of asymptomatic infection of Leishmania]. Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za Zhi 2015; 27:45-52. [PMID: 26094413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To develop a rapid molecular biological method for detection of the asymptomatic infection of Leishmania. METHODS Two pairs of primers named RV1-RV2 and K13A-K13B were selected to be the fast diagnosis primers since they were designed according to the conserved region of Leishmania kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) minicircles. The PCR amplification products of Leishmania donovani promastigote from Shandong Province were sequenced to compare their conservatism. The method was applied to detect 105 venous blood samples from healthy home canine and 7 venous blood samples from home canine suffered from Kala-azar in Heishui County of Sichuan Province, and 75 venous blood samples from susceptible population (no leishmaniasis symptoms) and 7 venous blood samples from patients in Xinjiang Kashi area in order to verify the feasibility and accuracy of the method. RESULTS The size of PCR products was consistent with the expected fragments with high conservative among Leishmania species. The positive rates of 105 home canine samples and 75 susceptible population samples were 37.14% (39/105) and 82.67% (62/75) rspectively, and the positive rates of home canine suffered from Kala-azar and patients were all 100%(7/7). CONCLUSION This rapid diagnosis method is suitable for detection of asymptomatic infection of Leishmania in Kalaazar endemic areas of China with high sensitive and specific, thus it has bright perspective to be used.
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Cássia-Pires R, Boité MC, D'Andrea PS, Herrera HM, Cupolillo E, Jansen AM, Roque ALR. Distinct Leishmania species infecting wild caviomorph rodents (Rodentia: Hystricognathi) from Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e3389. [PMID: 25503973 PMCID: PMC4263410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Caviomorph rodents, some of the oldest Leishmania spp. hosts, are widely dispersed in Brazil. Despite both experimental and field studies having suggested that these rodents are potential reservoirs of Leishmania parasites, not more than 88 specimens were analyzed in the few studies of natural infection. Our hypothesis was that caviomorph rodents are inserted in the transmission cycles of Leishmania in different regions, more so than is currently recognized. Methodology We investigated the Leishmania infection in spleen fragments of 373 caviomorph rodents from 20 different species collected in five Brazilian biomes in a period of 13 years. PCR reactions targeting kDNA of Leishmania sp. were used to diagnose infection, while Leishmania species identification was performed by DNA sequencing of the amplified products obtained in the HSP70 (234) targeting. Serology by IFAT was performed on the available serum of these rodents. Principal findings In 13 caviomorph rodents, DNA sequencing analyses allowed the identification of 4 species of the subgenus L. (Viannia): L. shawi, L. guyanensis, L. naiffi, and L. braziliensis; and 1 species of the subgenus L. (Leishmania): L. infantum. These include the description of parasite species in areas not previously included in their known distribution: L. shawi in Thrichomys inermis from Northeastern Brazil and L. naiffi in T. fosteri from Western Brazil. From the four other positive rodents, two were positive for HSP70 (234) targeting but did not generate sequences that enabled the species identification, and another two were positive only in kDNA targeting. Conclusions/Significance The infection rate demonstrated by the serology (51.3%) points out that the natural Leishmania infection in caviomorph rodents is much higher than that observed in the molecular diagnosis (4.6%), highlighting that, in terms of the host species responsible for maintaining Leishmania species in the wild, our current knowledge represents only the “tip of the iceberg.” Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem expanding in Brazil and one of the reasons is that we still have poor knowledge of some aspects of the biology and epidemiology of Leishmania species, including the role of wild mammals. Caviomorph rodents, some of the oldest Leishmania spp. hosts, are widely dispersed in Brazil and reported as potential reservoirs of Leishmania parasites. Spleen fragments of 373 brazilian caviomorph rodents from 20 species were investigated for Leishmania infection. The molecular algorithm proposed to diagnose the infection associate the sensitivity of a molecular target with multiple copies with the specificity of another marker with discriminatory taxonomic ability between species. These demonstrated their usefulness in identifying most of the parasite species infecting the rodents, including the description of species in previously unknown hosts and in areas not previously included in their known distribution, such as L. shawi in Thrichomys inermis from Northeastern Brazil and L. naiffi in T. fosteri from Western Brazil. Although the percent of infection by molecular diagnosis was 4.6%, the serology demonstrated that about 51% of them had been exposed to Leishmania parasites pointing that caviomorph rodents are inserted in enzootic cycles of Leishmania, to a higher extent than currently recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Cássia-Pires
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mariana C. Boité
- Laboratory of Leishmaniasis Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paulo S. D'Andrea
- Laboratory of Biology and Parasitology of Wild Reservoir Mammals, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Heitor M. Herrera
- Dom Bosco Catholic University, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Elisa Cupolillo
- Laboratory of Leishmaniasis Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Jansen
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - André Luiz R. Roque
- Laboratory of Trypanosomatid Biology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Sharbatkhori M, Spotin A, Taherkhani H, Roshanghalb M, Parvizi P. Molecular variation in Leishmania parasites from sandflies species of a zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in northeast of Iran. J Vector Borne Dis 2014; 51:16-21. [PMID: 24717197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES In the well-known zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) focus in Turkmen Sahara, border of Iran and Turkmenistan, ZCL has increased among humans in the past five years. The present study was undertaken to incriminate vectors of ZCL in the region, and to find molecular variation in Leishmania parasites. METHODS The sandflies were sampled using CDC light-traps and sticky papers. All the sandflies were identified using morphological characters of the head and abdominal terminalia. DNA was extracted from the dissected thorax and attached anterior abdomen of individual female sandfly. Leishmania detection and identification of sandflies were performed using PCR, digestion of BsuRI restriction enzyme and sequencing of ITS-rDNA gene and also by semi-nested PCR to amplify minicircle kinetoplast (k) DNA of Leishmania. RESULTS Leishmania infections were detected in 26 out of 206 female sandflies. Of the infected sandflies, 18 were Phlebotomus papatasi while eight were P. caucasicus/P. mongolensis. Two infections of L. turnica were detected, one in P. papatasi and other in P. caucasicus/P. mongolensis and the rest of the sandflies were found infected with L. major. CONCLUSION Our finding showed that L. major had low diversity with only one common haplotype (GenBank Access No. EF413075). The novel haplotypes were discovered in L. major (GenBank Access No. KF152937) and in L. turanica (GenBank Access No. EF413079) in low frequency. These Leishmania parasites are circulating to maintain infections in the P. papatasi and P. caucasicus/P. mongolensis in Turkmen Sahara.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Parviz Parvizi
- Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Ceccarelli M, Galluzzi L, Migliazzo A, Magnani M. Detection and characterization of Leishmania (Leishmania) and Leishmania (Viannia) by SYBR green-based real-time PCR and high resolution melt analysis targeting kinetoplast minicircle DNA. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88845. [PMID: 24551178 PMCID: PMC3923818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 01/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease with a broad clinical spectrum which includes asymptomatic infection. A thorough diagnosis, able to distinguish and quantify Leishmania parasites in a clinical sample, constitutes a key step in choosing an appropriate therapy, making an accurate prognosis and performing epidemiological studies. Several molecular techniques have been shown to be effective in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis. In particular, a number of PCR methods have been developed on various target DNA sequences including kinetoplast minicircle constant regions. The first aim of this study was to develop a SYBR green-based qPCR assay for Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum detection and quantification, using kinetoplast minicircle constant region as target. To this end, two assays were compared: the first used previously published primer pairs (qPCR1), whereas the second used a nested primer pairs generating a shorter PCR product (qPCR2). The second aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility to discriminate among subgenera Leishmania (Leishmania) and Leishmania (Viannia) using the qPCR2 assay followed by melting or High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis. Both assays used in this study showed good sensitivity and specificity, and a good correlation with standard IFAT methods in 62 canine clinical samples. However, the qPCR2 assay allowed to discriminate between Leishmania (Leishmania) and Leishmania (Viannia) subgenera through melting or HRM analysis. In addition to developing assays, we investigated the number and genetic variability of kinetoplast minicircles in the Leishmania (L.) infantum WHO international reference strain (MHOM/TN/80/IPT1), highlighting the presence of minicircle subclasses and sequence heterogeneity. Specifically, the kinetoplast minicircle number per cell was estimated to be 26,566±1,192, while the subclass of minicircles amplifiable by qPCR2 was estimated to be 1,263±115. This heterogeneity, also observed in canine clinical samples, must be taken into account in quantitative PCR-based applications; however, it might also be used to differentiate between Leishmania subgenera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Ceccarelli
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Fano (PU), Italy
| | - Luca Galluzzi
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Fano (PU), Italy
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Mauro Magnani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Urbino (PU), Italy
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De Winne K, Büscher P, Luquetti AO, Tavares SBN, Oliveira RA, Solari A, Zulantay I, Apt W, Diosque P, Monje Rumi M, Gironès N, Fresno M, Lopez-Velez R, Perez-Molina JA, Monge-Maillo B, Garcia L, Deborggraeve S. The Trypanosoma cruzi satellite DNA OligoC-TesT and Trypanosoma cruzi kinetoplast DNA OligoC-TesT for diagnosis of Chagas disease: a multi-cohort comparative evaluation study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e2633. [PMID: 24392177 PMCID: PMC3879245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 11/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Trypanosoma cruzi satellite DNA (satDNA) OligoC-TesT is a standardised PCR format for diagnosis of Chagas disease. The sensitivity of the test is lower for discrete typing unit (DTU) TcI than for TcII-VI and the test has not been evaluated in chronic Chagas disease patients. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We developed a new prototype of the OligoC-TesT based on kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) detection. We evaluated the satDNA and kDNA OligoC-TesTs in a multi-cohort study with 187 chronic Chagas patients and 88 healthy endemic controls recruited in Argentina, Chile and Spain and 26 diseased non-endemic controls from D.R. Congo and Sudan. All specimens were tested in duplicate. The overall specificity in the controls was 99.1% (95% CI 95.2%-99.8%) for the satDNA OligoC-TesT and 97.4% (95% CI 92.6%-99.1%) for the kDNA OligoC-TesT. The overall sensitivity in the patients was 67.9% (95% CI 60.9%-74.2%) for the satDNA OligoC-TesT and 79.1% (95% CI 72.8%-84.4%) for the kDNA OligoC-Test. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Specificities of the two T. cruzi OligoC-TesT prototypes are high on non-endemic and endemic controls. Sensitivities are moderate but significantly (p = 0.0004) higher for the kDNA OligoC-TesT compared to the satDNA OligoC-TesT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen De Winne
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Parasite Diagnostics Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Philippe Büscher
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Parasite Diagnostics Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alejandro O. Luquetti
- Instituto de Patología Tropical e Saúde Pública and Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiania, Brazil
| | - Suelene B. N. Tavares
- Instituto de Patología Tropical e Saúde Pública and Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiania, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A. Oliveira
- Instituto de Patología Tropical e Saúde Pública and Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiania, Brazil
| | - Aldo Solari
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ines Zulantay
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Werner Apt
- Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricio Diosque
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Salta, Argentina
| | - Mercedes Monje Rumi
- Unidad de Epidemiología Molecular (UEM), Instituto de Patología Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Salta, Argentina
| | - Nuria Gironès
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Fresno
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rogelio Lopez-Velez
- Tropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases Department, Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - José A. Perez-Molina
- Tropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases Department, Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Begoña Monge-Maillo
- Tropical Medicine & Clinical Parasitology, Infectious Diseases Department, Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lineth Garcia
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Stijn Deborggraeve
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Parasite Diagnostics Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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Iniesta V, Belinchón-Lorenzo S, Soto M, Fernández-Cotrina J, Muñoz-Madrid R, Monroy I, Baz V, Gómez-Luque A, Parejo JC, Alonso C, Nieto LCG. Detection and chronology of parasitic kinetoplast DNA presence in hair of experimental Leishmania major infected BALB/c mice by Real Time PCR. Acta Trop 2013; 128:468-72. [PMID: 23916508 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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: 02/22/2013] [Revised: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 07/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Hair can accumulate foreign chemical or biological substances. Recently, it has been reported that parasite DNA can also be detected in the hair of Leishmania infantum infected dogs. The aim of this work has been to find out whether parasite DNA incorporates in the hair of Leishmania major experimentally infected animals. For this purpose, a group of 4 BALB/c mice, intradermally inoculated in both ears with 1000 L. major V1 strain promastigote forms, was monitored for parameters associated to the infection during 35 days. Weekly, ear swelling was measured, and hair samples from ears and leg were collected. Blood samples were obtained before challenge and at day 35 post infection, when parasite load was measured in ear, lymph node and spleen by limit dilution. Ear swelling and other parameters observed in the infected mice were consistent with those described for this model. The presence of parasite kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) was detected by Real Time PCR in all ear and leg hair samples at the final timepoint. These data suggests that hair is a specialized tissue in the sequestration and removal of foreign DNA. Detection of DNA in hair could be, therefore, a useful tool to chronologically record the infection process during experimental mice assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Iniesta
- LeishmanCeres Laboratory (GLP Compliance Certified). Parasitology Unit. Veterinary Faculty, University of Extremadura, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
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Wei Y, Hu H, Lun ZR, Li Z. The cooperative roles of two kinetoplastid-specific kinesins in cytokinesis and in maintaining cell morphology in bloodstream trypanosomes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73869. [PMID: 24069240 PMCID: PMC3772034 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cytoskeleton of Trypanosoma brucei, a unicellular eukaryote and a parasitic protozoan, is defined by the subpellicular microtubule corset that is arranged underneath the plasma membrane. We recently identified two orphan kinesins, TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D, that cooperate to regulate the organization of the subpellicular microtubule corset and thereby maintain cell morphology in the procyclic form of T. brucei. In this report, we characterize the function of TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D in the bloodstream form of T. brucei and investigate their functional cooperation in both the bloodstream and procyclic forms. TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D form a tight complex in vivo in the bloodstream form. TbKIN-C is strongly enriched at the posterior tip of the cell, whereas TbKIN-D is distributed throughout the cell body at all cell cycle stages. RNAi of TbKIN-C or TbKIN-D in the bloodstream form inhibits cell proliferation and leads to cell death, due to cytokinesis defects. RNAi of TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D also results in defects in basal body segregation, but does not affect the synthesis and segregation of the flagellum and the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ) filament. Knockdown of TbKIN-C and TbKIN-D does not disrupt the organization of the subpellicular microtubule corset, but produces multinucleated cells with an enlarged flagellar pocket and misplaced flagella. Interestingly, depletion of TbKIN-C results in rapid degradation of TbKIN-D and, similarly, knockdown of TbKIN-C destabilizes TbKIN-D, suggesting that formation of TbKIN-C/TbKIN-D complex stabilizes both kinesins and is required for the two kinesins to execute their essential cellular functions. Altogether, our results demonstrate the essential role of the two kinesins in cell morphogenesis and cytokinesis in the bloodstream form and the requirement of heteromeric complex formation for maintaining the stability of the two kinesins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Huiqing Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zhao-Rong Lun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ziyin Li
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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