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Phan IQ, Rice CA, Craig J, Noorai RE, McDonald JR, Subramanian S, Tillery L, Barrett LK, Shankar V, Morris JC, Van Voorhis WC, Kyle DE, Myler PJ. The transcriptome of Balamuthia mandrillaris trophozoites for structure-guided drug design. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21664. [PMID: 34737367 PMCID: PMC8569187 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99903-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Balamuthia mandrillaris, a pathogenic free-living amoeba, causes cutaneous skin lesions as well as granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, a 'brain-eating' disease. As with the other known pathogenic free-living amoebas (Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba species), drug discovery efforts to combat Balamuthia infections of the central nervous system are sparse; few targets have been validated or characterized at the molecular level, and little is known about the biochemical pathways necessary for parasite survival. Current treatments of encephalitis due to B. mandrillaris lack efficacy, leading to case fatality rates above 90%. Using our recently published methodology to discover potential drugs against pathogenic amoebas, we screened a collection of 85 compounds with known antiparasitic activity and identified 59 compounds that impacted the growth of Balamuthia trophozoites at concentrations below 220 µM. Since there is no fully annotated genome or proteome of B. mandrillaris, we sequenced and assembled its transcriptome from a high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) experiment and located the coding sequences of the genes potentially targeted by the growth inhibitors from our compound screens. We determined the sequence of 17 of these target genes and obtained expression clones for 15 that we validated by direct sequencing. These will be used in the future in combination with the identified hits in structure guided drug discovery campaigns to develop new approaches for the treatment of Balamuthia infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Q Phan
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA.
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Christopher A Rice
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - Justin Craig
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rooksana E Noorai
- Clemson University Genomics and Bioinformatics Facility, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Jacquelyn R McDonald
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sandhya Subramanian
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Logan Tillery
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lynn K Barrett
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vijay Shankar
- Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, Greenwood, SC, USA
| | - James C Morris
- Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Wesley C Van Voorhis
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Peter J Myler
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID), Seattle, WA, USA.
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Sierra-López F, Baylón-Pacheco L, Vanegas-Villa SC, Rosales-Encina JL. Characterization of low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatases of Entamoeba histolytica. Biochimie 2021; 180:43-53. [PMID: 33122104 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal protozoan parasite of humans and is endemic in developing countries. E. histolytica has two low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMW-PTP) genes, EhLMW-PTP1 and EhLMW-PTP2, which are expressed in cultured trophozoites, clinical isolates, and cysts. The amino acid sequences of proteins EhLMW-PTP1 and EhLMW-PTP2 showed only one amino acid difference between them at position A85V, respectively. Both genes are expressed in cultured trophozoites, mainly EhLMW-PTP2, and in trophozoites recovered from amoebic liver abscess, the expression of EhLMW-PTP1 is downregulated. We cloned the two genes and purified the corresponding recombinant (rEhLMW-PTPs) proteins. Antibodies anti-rEhLMW-PTP2 showed that during red blood cells uptake by E. histolytica, the EhLMW-PTPs were found in the phagocytic cups based on analysis of fluorescence signals. On the other hand, rEhLMW-PTPs showed an optimum phosphatase activity at pH 6.0 with p-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate. They dephosphorylate phosphotyrosine and 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphate, but not phosphoserine or phosphothreonine, and the enzymatic activity is inhibited by orthovanadate. rEhLMW-PTP1 and rEhLMW-PTP2 exhibited optimum temperatures of activities at 60 °C and 58 °C, respectively, with high thermal stability at 50 °C. Also, the rEhLMW-PTPs showed high specific activities and specific km value with pNPP or OMFP as the substrates at the physiological temperature (37 °C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Sierra-López
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N., Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Lidia Baylón-Pacheco
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N., Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Sonia Cynthia Vanegas-Villa
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de, Mexico.
| | - José Luis Rosales-Encina
- Departamento de Infectómica y Patogénesis Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N., Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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Ponce A, Ogazon del Toro A, Jimenez L, Eligio‐Garcia L, Jimenez‐Cardoso E. Injection of mRNA isolated from trophozoites of Giardia intestinalis induces expression of three types of chloride currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Physiol Rep 2019; 7:e14029. [PMID: 31187589 PMCID: PMC6560338 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14029] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Giardia lamblia is one of the most important worldwide causes of intestinal infections, yet little is known about its cellular physiology, especially the diversity of ionic channels that this parasite expresses. In this work, we show that injection of mRNA isolated from trophozoites of Giardia, into Xenopus laevis oocytes, induces expression of three types of chloride currents (here referred to as ICl-G1, ICl-G2, and ICl-G3), which have different biophysical and pharmacological properties. ICl-G1 currents show inward rectification and voltage dependence are enhanced by hypotonicity, show a selectivity sequence of (I > Br > Cl > F), and are inhibited by NPPB, DIDS, SITS, 9AC, DPC, and Zinc. These findings suggest that ICl-G1 is the result of expression of chloride channels related to ClC2. ICl-G2 currents show outward rectification and are dependent of intracellular calcium, its selectivity sequence is (Cl > Br > I > F) and are inhibited by NPPB, DIDS, SITS, 9AC, DPC, niflumic acid, tannic acid, and benzbromarone. These findings suggest that they are produced by calcium dependent chloride channels (CaCC). The third type of currents (ICl-G3) appears only after a hypoosmotic challenge, and has similar properties to those described for ICl-swell, such as outward rectification, instant activation, and slow inactivation at large depolarizing voltages. They were blocked by NPPB, DIDS, 9AC, NIf, DCPIB, and tamoxifen. Our results indicate that Giardia intestinalis has at least three types of anion conductances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Ponce
- Department of PhysiologyBiophysics and Neurosciences. Center for Research and Advanced StudiesMexico CityMexico
| | - Alejandro Ogazon del Toro
- Department of PhysiologyBiophysics and Neurosciences. Center for Research and Advanced StudiesMexico CityMexico
| | - Lidia Jimenez
- Department of PhysiologyBiophysics and Neurosciences. Center for Research and Advanced StudiesMexico CityMexico
| | - Leticia Eligio‐Garcia
- Parasitology Research LaboratoryChildren Hospital of México “Federico Gomez”Mexico CityMéxico
| | - Enedina Jimenez‐Cardoso
- Parasitology Research LaboratoryChildren Hospital of México “Federico Gomez”Mexico CityMéxico
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Kim A, Popovici J, Menard D, Serre D. Plasmodium vivax transcriptomes reveal stage-specific chloroquine response and differential regulation of male and female gametocytes. Nat Commun 2019; 10:371. [PMID: 30670687 PMCID: PMC6342968 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08312-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of Plasmodium vivax gene expression are complicated by the lack of in vitro culture system and the difficulties associated with studying clinical infections that often contain multiple clones and a mixture of parasite stages. Here, we characterize the transcriptomes of P. vivax parasites from 26 malaria patients. We show that most parasite mRNAs derive from trophozoites and that the asynchronicity of P. vivax infections is therefore unlikely to confound gene expression studies. Analyses of gametocyte genes reveal two distinct clusters of co-regulated genes, suggesting that male and female gametocytes are independently regulated. Finally, we analyze gene expression changes induced by chloroquine and show that this antimalarial drug efficiently eliminates most P. vivax parasite stages but, in contrast to P. falciparum, does not affect trophozoites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Kim
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 670 W Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jean Popovici
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, 5 Boulevard Monivong, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, 12 201, Cambodia
| | - Didier Menard
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, 5 Boulevard Monivong, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, 12 201, Cambodia
- Biology of Host-Parasite Interactions Unit, Institut Pasteur, 25-28 Rue du Dr. Roux, 75724, Paris, France
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 670 W Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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Jáuregui-Wade JM, Valdés J, Ayala-Sumuano JT, Ávila-García R, Cerbón-Solorzano J. De novo synthesis of sphingolipids plays an important role during in vitro encystment of Entamoeba invadens. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 508:1031-1037. [PMID: 30545628 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Entamoeba invadens is a protozoan, which causes multiple damages in reptiles and is considered a prototype for the study of the Entamoeba encystment in vitro. Here we report for the first time the role of the de novo synthesis pathway of sphingolipids during the encystment of E. invadens. In silico analysis showed that this parasite has six putative genes coding for ceramide synthases (CerS), all of them coding for proteins containing the Lag1p motif, a region conserved in the ceramide synthases of multiple organisms, suggesting that they might be bona fide CerS. The six genes of E. invadens are differentially expressed at different time intervals in both stages trophozoite and cyst, based on the results obtained through qRT-PCR assays, the genes involved in the synthesis of sphingolipids with long-chain fatty acids CerS 2,3,4 (EIN_046610, EIN_097030, EIN_130350) have maximum points of relative expression in both stages of the E. invadens life cycle, which strongly suggest that the signaling exerted from the synthesis pathway of sphingolipids is essential for the encystment of E. invadens, since the generation of the more abundant sphingomyelin (SM) subspecies with long-chain fatty acids are fundamental for the parasite to reach its conversion from trophozoite to cyst. When myriocin was used as an inhibitor of serine palmitoyl CoA transferase (SPT), first enzyme in the de novo biosynthesis of sphingolipids, the trophozoites of E. invadens were unable to reach the encystment. Since the effect of myriocin was reversed with exogenous d-erythrosphingosine (DHS), it was demonstrated that the inhibition was specific and it was confirmed that the synthesis of sphingolipids play an essential role during the encystment process of E. invadens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesús Valdés
- Department of Biochemistry, CINVESTAV-IPN, P.O. Box 14-740, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | - Ricardo Ávila-García
- Department of Biochemistry, CINVESTAV-IPN, P.O. Box 14-740, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jorge Cerbón-Solorzano
- Department of Biochemistry, CINVESTAV-IPN, P.O. Box 14-740, 07360, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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