Significance of Plasmodium berghei Amino Acid Transporter 1 in Food Vacuole Functionality and Its Association with Cerebral Pathogenesis.

The food vacuole plays a central role in the blood stage of parasite development by digesting host hemoglobin acquired from red blood cells and detoxifying the host heme released during hemoglobin digestion into hemozoin. Blood-stage parasites undergo periodic schizont bursts, releasing food vacuoles containing hemozoin. Clinical studies in malaria-infected patients and in vivo animal studies have shown the association of hemozoin with disease pathogenesis and abnormal host immune responses in malaria. Here, we perform a detailed in vivo characterization of putative Plasmodium berghei amino acid transporter 1 localized in the food vacuole to understand its significance in the malaria parasite. We show that the targeted deletion of amino acid transporter 1 in Plasmodium berghei leads to a swollen food vacuole phenotype with the accumulation of host hemoglobin-derived peptides. Plasmodium berghei amino acid transporter 1-knockout parasites produce less hemozoin, and the hemozoin crystals display a thin morphology compared with wild-type parasites. The knockout parasites show reduced sensitivity to chloroquine and amodiaquine by showing recrudescence. More importantly, mice infected with the knockout parasites are protected from cerebral malaria and display reduced neuronal inflammation and cerebral complications. Genetic complementation of the knockout parasites restores the food vacuole morphology with hemozoin levels similar to that of wild-type parasites, causing cerebral malaria in the infected mice. The knockout parasites also show a significant delay in male gametocyte exflagellation. Our findings highlight the significance of amino acid transporter 1 in food vacuole functionality and its association with malaria pathogenesis and gametocyte development. IMPORTANCE Food vacuoles of the malaria parasite are involved in the degradation of red blood cell hemoglobin. The amino acids derived from hemoglobin degradation support parasite growth, and the heme released is detoxified into hemozoin. Antimalarials such as quinolines target hemozoin formation in the food vacuole. Food vacuole transporters transport hemoglobin-derived amino acids and peptides from the food vacuole to the parasite cytosol. Such transporters are also associated with drug resistance. Here, we show that the deletion of amino acid transporter 1 in Plasmodium berghei leads to swollen food vacuoles with the accumulation of hemoglobin-derived peptides. The transporter-deleted parasites generate less hemozoin with thin crystal morphology and show reduced sensitivity to quinolines. Mice infected with transporter-deleted parasites are protected from cerebral malaria. There is also a delay in male gametocyte exflagellation, affecting transmission. Our findings uncover the functional significance of amino acid transporter 1 in the life cycle of the malaria parasite.

The preprotein translocase YidC controls respiratory metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The YidC-Oxa1-Alb3 preprotein translocases play a vital role in membrane insertion of proteins in eukaryotes and bacteria. In a recent study we observed that Rv3921c, which encodes putative YidC translocase in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is essential for in vitro growth of bacteria. However, the exact function of this particular protein remains to identify in mycobacterial pathogens. By performing a systematic study here we show that YidC of Mtb is an envelope protein, which is required for production of ATP and maintenance of cellular redox balance. Drastic effects of depletion of Rv3921c on the expression of hypoxic genes, ATP synthases, and many proteins of central metabolic and respiratory pathways shed a significant light on the function of YidC towards controlling respiratory metabolism in Mtb. Association of YidC with proteins such as succinate dehydrogenases and ubiquinol-cytochrome C reductase further confirms its role in respiration. Finally we demonstrate that YidC is required for the intracellular survival of Mtb in human macrophages.

A rapid and efficient protocol for in vitro multiplication of genetically uniform Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni).

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), commonly called candy leaf or sweet leaf, endemic to South America, is an important medicinal plant. As a source of low calorie natural sweetener 'stevoside', it is used in obesity, diabetes, treatment of heartburn and tooth decay, and also serves as a food supplement. Large scale commercial propagation of S. rebaudiana demands a suitable protocol. Here, we propose an improved protocol for in vitro multiplication of S. rebaudiana from nodal explants. In this protocol, the effect of laboratory grade urea on multiple shoot induction from nodal explants was studied. The nodal explants were initially cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media for 2 weeks which facilitated the axillary bud break. Further, culturing of these explants on MS medium fortified with 6 benzyl amninopurine (BAP) (2 mg/L) and Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1 mg/L) with and .without urea (5 mg/L) for a period of 40 days revealed maximum shoot production of 44.56 from a single nodal explant in media supplemented with urea as compared to 22.44 without urea. The differences in the number of shoots produced were significant and these shoots readily rooted in MS media with NAA (4 mg/L). Primary and secondary hardening was successful in these plants. There were no visible morphological abnormalities observed in the micropropagated plantlets. Genetic analysis from random samples also revealed that these plants are genetically uniform. The advantage of the present protocol is that the complete process of multiple shoot induction, rooting and hardening could be completed within a period of 6 months as compared to the existing protocols.

De novo transcriptome sequencing and analysis of the cereal cyst nematode, Heterodera avenae.

The cereal cyst nematode (CCN, Heterodera avenae) is a major pest of wheat (Triticum spp) that reduces crop yields in many countries. Cyst nematodes are obligate sedentary endoparasites that reproduce by amphimixis. Here, we report the first transcriptome analysis of two stages of H. avenae. After sequencing extracted RNA from pre parasitic infective juvenile and adult stages of the life cycle, 131 million Illumina high quality paired end reads were obtained which generated 27,765 contigs with N50 of 1,028 base pairs, of which 10,452 were annotated. Comparative analyses were undertaken to evaluate H. avenae sequences with those of other plant, animal and free living nematodes to identify differences in expressed genes. There were 4,431 transcripts common to H. avenae and the free living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and 9,462 in common with more closely related potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida. Annotation of H. avenae carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZy) revealed fewer glycoside hydrolases (GHs) but more glycosyl transferases (GTs) and carbohydrate esterases (CEs) when compared to M. incognita. 1,280 transcripts were found to have secretory signature, presence of signal peptide and absence of transmembrane. In a comparison of genes expressed in the pre-parasitic juvenile and feeding female stages, expression levels of 30 genes with high RPKM (reads per base per kilo million) value, were analysed by qRT-PCR which confirmed the observed differences in their levels of expression levels. In addition, we have also developed a user-friendly resource, Heterodera transcriptome database (HATdb) for public access of the data generated in this study. The new data provided on the transcriptome of H. avenae adds to the genetic resources available to study plant parasitic nematodes and provides an opportunity to seek new effectors that are specifically involved in the H. avenae-cereal host interaction.

Structural and functional analysis of cathepsin S of Heterodera spp: a promising candidate for its control.

Cysteine proteinases are required for a wide range of physiological processes in all living organisms. In parasitic nematodes, they are particularly crucial for the digestion of host tissues and evasion of host immune responses. Therefore, in general, these are identified as primary targets for the control of parasitic nematodes. Herein, cathepsin S-like cysteine proteinase of Heterodera avenae (Hacp-s) has been cloned and analysed for the first time. The predicted protein is 298 amino acids long and showed significant similarity with cathepsin S of Heterodera glycines (Hgcp-s). The sequence of cathepsin S contains a signal peptide of 30 amino acids which suggests its role in extracellular functions. Multiple sequence alignment revealed the presence of ERFNIN motif and conserved catalytic residues. Three dimensional structure (3D) of Hgcp-s was modelled using homology modelling. In order to illustrate the plausible mode of interaction of cathepsin S (Hgcp-s), docking analysis was performed with E-64 cysteine proteinase inhibitor. Docking studies revealed the hydrogen bonding of E-64 with Gln153, His299 and Gly203 as well as close interaction with catalytic residues Cys159 and Asn320 Expression analysis of Hacp-s using qRT-PCR showed high expression of cathepsin S in pre parasitic J2s and female stages suggesting its significant role in both pre-parasitic and parasitic stages of the nematode life cycle.

Utility of host delivered RNAi of two FMRF amide like peptides, flp-14 and flp-18, for the management of root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita.

Root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, is an obligate sedentary endoparasite that infects a large number of crop species and causes substantial yield losses. Non-chemical based control strategies for these nematodes are gaining importance. In the present study, we have demonstrated the significance of two FMRFamide like peptide genes (flp-14 and flp-18) for infection and development of resistance to M. incognita through host-derived RNAi. The study demonstrated both in vitro and in planta validation of RNAi-induced silencing of the two genes cloned from J2 stage of M. incognita. In vitro silencing of both the genes interfered with nematode migration towards the host roots and subsequent invasion into the roots. Transgenic tobacco lines were developed with RNAi constructs of flp-14 and flp-18 and evaluated against M. incognita. The transformed plants did not show any visible phenotypic variations suggesting the absence of any off-target effects. Bioefficacy studies with deliberate challenging of M. incognita resulted in 50-80% reduction in infection and multiplication confirming the silencing effect. We have provided evidence for in vitro and in planta silencing of the genes by expression analysis using qRT-PCR. Thus the identified genes and the strategy can be used as a potential tool for the control of M. incognita. This is the first ever report that has revealed the utility of host delivered RNAi of flps to control M. incognita. The strategy can also be extended to other crops and nematodes.

Selection and validation of reference genes for quantitative gene expression studies by real-time PCR in eggplant (Solanum melongena L).

BACKGROUND: Analysis of gene expression patterns leads to functional understanding of biological processes. Quantitative real-time PCR has become the most commonly used technique for in-depth studies of gene expression. To quantify variation in specific gene expression, accurate and reliable normalization across different samples and tissues is necessary. This can be achieved by selecting one or more suitable reference genes to compare the target mRNA transcript levels. In the present work, we illustrate the first evaluation of potential internal control or reference genes across different developmental stages of eggplant for reliable quantification of transcripts by real-time PCR. RESULTS: We have evaluated the stability in expression of six candidate reference genes (18s rRNA, APRT, GAPDH, Cyclophilin, Actin, and RuBP) in a set of tissues representing six developmental stages of eggplant. The candidate genes were cloned from cDNA and analysed by real-time PCR. The expression data analyzed by three statistical methods (geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper) identified 18s rRNA, Cyclophilin and APRT as the most stable and suitable reference genes in eggplant. This was further confirmed in four different varieties, two representative lines of transgenic eggplant as well as in nematode infected eggplant. CONCLUSION: 18s rRNA, Cyclophilin and APRT have been found to be appropriate for the normalization of real-time PCR data for gene expression studies in eggplant.