Characterization of a Novel Endoplasmic Reticulum Protein Involved in Tubercidin Resistance in Leishmania major.

BACKGROUND: Tubercidin (TUB) is a toxic adenosine analog with potential antiparasitic activity against Leishmania, with mechanism of action and resistance that are not completely understood. For understanding the mechanisms of action and identifying the potential metabolic pathways affected by this drug, we employed in this study an overexpression/selection approach using TUB for the identification of potential targets, as well as, drug resistance genes in L. major. Although, TUB is toxic to the mammalian host, these findings can provide evidences for a rational drug design based on purine pathway against leishmaniasis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: After transfection of a cosmid genomic library into L. major Friedlin (LmjF) parasites and application of the overexpression/selection method, we identified two cosmids (cosTUB1 and cosTU2) containing two different loci capable of conferring significant levels of TUB resistance. In the cosTUB1 contained a gene encoding NUPM1-like protein, which has been previously described as associated with TUB resistance in L. amazonensis. In the cosTUB2 we identified and characterized a gene encoding a 63 kDa protein that we denoted as tubercidin-resistance protein (TRP). Functional analysis revealed that the transfectants were less susceptible to TUB than LmjF parasites or those transfected with the control vector. In addition, the trp mRNA and protein levels in cosTUB2 transfectants were higher than LmjF. TRP immunolocalization revealed that it was co-localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a cellular compartment with many functions. In silico predictions indicated that TRP contains only a hypothetical transmembrane domain. Thus, it is likely that TRP is a lumen protein involved in multidrug efflux transport that may be involved in the purine metabolic pathway. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrated for the first time that TRP is associated with TUB resistance in Leishmania. The next challenge is to determine how TRP mediates TUB resistance and whether purine metabolism is affected by this protein in the parasite. Finally, these findings may be helpful for the development of alternative anti-leishmanial drugs that target purine pathway.

Effects of bovine leukemia virus infection on milk neutrophil function and the milk lymphocyte profile.

The effects of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) on the immune response have been extensively investigated; however, its effects on mammary gland immunity are only speculative. Although BLV has a tropism for B cells, it can affect both adaptive and innate immunities because these systems share many effector mechanisms. This scenario is the basis of this investigation of the effects of BLV on mammary gland immunity, which is largely dependent upon neutrophilic functions. Thus, the present study sought to examine neutrophilic functions and the lymphocyte profile in the milk of naturally BLV-infected cows. The viability of the milk neutrophils and the percentage of milk neutrophils that produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) or phagocytosed Staphylococcus aureus were similar between BLV-infected and BLV-uninfected dairy cows. Furthermore, the expression of CD62L and CD11b by the milk neutrophils and the percentage of milk neutrophils (CH138+ cells) that were obtained from the udder quarters of the BLV-infected cows were not altered. Conversely, the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) representing intracellular ROS production and the phagocytosis of S. aureus, the expression of CD44 by the milk neutrophils and the percentage of apoptotic B cells were lower in the milk cells from BLV-infected dairy cows, particularly those from animals with persistent lymphocytosis (PL). The lymphocyte subsets were not different among the groups, with the exception of the percentage of CD5-/CD11b- B cells, which was higher in the milk cells from BLV-infected cows, particularly those with PL. Thus, the present study provides novel insight into the implications of BLV infection for mammary gland immunity.