RESUMO
Peripheral nerve lesions are considered the most relevant symptoms of leprosy, a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The strategies employed by M. leprae to infect and multiply inside Schwann cells (SCs), however, remain poorly understood. In this study, it is shown that treatment of SCs with M. leprae significantly decreased cell death induced by serum deprivation. Not displayed by Mycobacterium smegmatis or Mycobacterium bovis BCG, the M. leprae survival effect was both dose dependent and specific. The conditioned medium (CM) of M. leprae-treated cultures was seen to mimic the protective effect of the bacteria, suggesting that soluble factors secreted by SCs in response to M. leprae were involved in cell survival. Indeed, by quantitative RT-PCR and dot blot/ELISA, it was demonstrated that M. leprae induced the expression and secretion of the SC survival factor insulin-like growth factor-I. Finally, the involvement of this hormone in M. leprae-induced SC survival was confirmed in experiments with neutralizing antibodies. Taken together, the results of this study delineate an important strategy for the successful colonization of M. leprae in the nerve based on the survival maintenance of the host cell through induction of IGF-I production.
Assuntos
Meios de Cultura Livres de Soro/farmacologia , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like I/fisiologia , Mycobacterium leprae/fisiologia , Células de Schwann/metabolismo , Células de Schwann/microbiologia , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/fisiologia , Células Cultivadas , Meios de Cultivo Condicionados/farmacologia , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Citometria de Fluxo , Humanos , Imunoquímica , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like I/metabolismo , Potencial da Membrana Mitocondrial , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Células de Schwann/citologia , Células de Schwann/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
Members of the high temperature requirement A (HtrA) family of chaperone proteases have been shown to play a role in bacterial pathogenesis. In a recent report, we demonstrated that the gene ML0176, which codes for a predicted HtrA-like protease, a gene conserved in other species of mycobacteria, is transcribed by Mycobacterium leprae in human leprosy lesions. In the present study, the recombinant ML0176 protein was produced and its enzymatic properties investigated. M. lepraerecombinant ML0176 was able to hydrolyse a variety of synthetic and natural peptides. Similar to other HtrA proteins, this enzyme displayed maximum proteolytic activity at temperatures above 40°C and was completely inactivated by aprotinin, a protease inhibitor with high selectivity for serine proteases. Finally, analysis of M. leprae ML0176 specificity suggested a broader cleavage preference than that of previously described HtrAs homologues. In summary, we have identified an HtrA-like protease in M. lepraethat may constitute a potential new target for the development of novel prophylactic and/or therapeutic strategies against mycobacterial infections.
Assuntos
Humanos , Mycobacterium leprae/enzimologia , Serina Endopeptidases/biossíntese , Sequência de Bases , Clonagem Molecular , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/genética , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mycobacterium leprae/genética , Espectroscopia de Infravermelho com Transformada de FourierRESUMO
Members of the high temperature requirement A (HtrA) family of chaperone proteases have been shown to play a role in bacterial pathogenesis. In a recent report, we demonstrated that the gene ML0176, which codes for a predicted HtrA-like protease, a gene conserved in other species of mycobacteria, is transcribed by Mycobacterium leprae in human leprosy lesions. In the present study, the recombinant ML0176 protein was produced and its enzymatic properties investigated. M. lepraerecombinant ML0176 was able to hydrolyse a variety of synthetic and natural peptides. Similar to other HtrA proteins, this enzyme displayed maximum proteolytic activity at temperatures above 40 degrees C and was completely inactivated by aprotinin, a protease inhibitor with high selectivity for serine proteases. Finally, analysis of M. leprae ML0176 specificity suggested a broader cleavage preference than that of previously described HtrAs homologues. In summary, we have identified an HtrA-like protease in M. lepraethat may constitute a potential new target for the development of novel prophylactic and/or therapeutic strategies against mycobacterial infections.
Assuntos
Mycobacterium leprae/enzimologia , Serina Endopeptidases/biossíntese , Sequência de Bases , Clonagem Molecular , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/genética , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Humanos , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mycobacterium leprae/genética , Espectroscopia de Infravermelho com Transformada de FourierRESUMO
Proteases are commonly involved in bacterial pathogenesis and their inhibition has represented a successful therapeutic approach to treat infectious diseases. However, there is little information on the role of proteases in the pathogenesis of Mycobacteria. Five of these genes, three coding for putative secreted proteases, were selected in the present study to investigate their expression in Mycobacterium leprae isolated from skin biopsies of multibacillary leprosy patients. Via nested-PCR, it was demonstrated that mycP1 or ML0041, htrA2 or ML0176, htrA4 or ML2659, gcp or ML0379 and clpC or ML0235 are transcribed in vivo during the course of human infection. Moreover, the expression of Gcp in leprosy lesions was further confirmed by immunohistochemistry using a specific hyperimmune serum. This observation reinforces the potential role of mycobacterial proteases in the context of leprosy pathogenesis.