Immunoglobulin A as a Key Immunological Molecular Signature of Post-COVID-19 Conditions.

COVID-19 has infected humans worldwide, causing millions of deaths or prolonged symptoms in survivors. The transient or persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection have been defined as post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC). We conducted a study of 151 Brazilian PCC patients to analyze symptoms and immunoglobulin profiles, taking into account sex, vaccination, hospitalization, and age. Fatigue and myalgia were the most common symptoms, and lack of vaccination, hospitalization, and neuropsychiatric and metabolic comorbidities were relevant to the development of PCC. Analysis of serological immunoglobulins showed that IgA was higher in PCC patients, especially in the adult and elderly groups. Also, non-hospitalized and hospitalized PCC patients produced high and similar levels of IgA. Our results indicated that the detection of IgA antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 during the course of the disease could be associated with the development of PCC and may be an immunological signature to predict prolonged symptoms in COVID-19 patients.

Chemical Modifications of Vicilins Interfere with Chitin-Binding Affinity and Toxicity to Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Insect: A Combined In Vitro and In Silico Analysis.

Vicilins are related to cowpea seed resistance toward Callosobruchus maculatus due to their ability to bind to chitinous structures lining larval midgut. However, this binding mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we identified chitin binding sites and investigated how in vitro and in silico chemical modifications interfere with vicilin chitin binding and insect toxicity. In vitro assays showed that unmodified vicilin strongly binds to chitin matrices, mainly with acetylated chitin. Chemical modifications of specific amino acids (tryptophan, lysine, tyrosine), as well as glutaraldehyde cross-linking, decreased the evaluated parameters. In silico analyses identified at least one chitin binding site in vicilin monomer, the region between Arg208 and Lys216, which bears the sequence REGIRELMK and forms an α helix, exposed in the 3D structure. In silico modifications of Lys223 (acetylated at its terminal nitrogen) and Trp316 (iodinated to 7-iodine-L-tryptophan or oxidized to ß-oxy-indolylalanine) decreased vicilin chitin binding affinity. Glucose, sucrose, and N-acetylglucosamine also interfered with vicilin chitin binding affinity.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase from the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) modulates mitochondrial polyphosphate metabolism.

Polyphosphates (polyPs) have been found in all cell types examined to date and play diverse roles, depending on the cell type. In eukaryotic organisms, polyPs have been mainly investigated in mammalian cells, with few studies on insects. In this study, we investigated mitochondrial polyphosphate metabolism in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Substrate specificity for different chain lengths demonstrated the presence of two exopolyphosphatase isoforms in mitochondria. T. castaneum mitochondrial polyP levels decreased after injection with soluble pyrophosphatase (Tc-sPPase) dsRNA, while the membrane exopolyphosphate activity increased. Mitochondrial respiration modulated exopolyphosphatase activity only in wild-type beetles. Tripolyphosphate was able to increase the F-ATPase activity in wild-type and Tc-sPPase RNAi beetles. We suggest that inorganic pyrophosphatase modulates polyphosphate metabolism in mitochondria and affects the link between mitochondrial activity and polyphosphate metabolism in T. castaneum.

The effects of Roundup® in embryo development and energy metabolism of the zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Roundup® is currently the most widely used and sold agricultural pesticide in the world. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of Roundup® on energy metabolism during zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryogenesis. The embryo toxicity test was performed for 96 h post-fertilisation and the sublethal concentration of Roundup® was defined as 58.3 mg/L, which resulted in failure to inflate the swim bladder. Biochemical assays were performed with viable embryos following glyphosate exposure, and no significant effects on protein, glucose, glycogen, triglyceride levels or the enzymatic activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed. However, the activity of hexokinase was significantly altered following exposure to 11.7 mg/L Roundup®. Through molecular docking we have shown for the first time that the interactions of glucokinase and hexokinases 1 and 2 with glyphosate showed significant interactions in the active sites, corroborating the biochemical results of hexokinase activity in zebrafish exposed to the chemical. From the results of molecular docking interactions carried out on the Zfishglucok, ZfishHK1 and ZfishHK2 models with the glyphosate linker, it can be concluded that there are significant interactions between glyphosate and active sites of glucokinase and hexokinase 1 and 2 proteins. The present work suggests that Roundup® can induce problems in fish embryogenesis relating to the incapacity of swim bladder to inflate. This represents the first study demonstrating the interaction of glyphosate with hexokinase and its isoforms.

Molecular and structural characterization of novel cystatins from the taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus.

Cystatins are cysteine peptidase inhibitors that in ticks mediate processes such as blood feeding and digestion. The ixodid tick Ixodes persulcatus is endemic to the Eurasia, where it is the principal vector of Lyme borreliosis. To date, no I. persulcatus cystatin has been characterized. In the present work, we describe three novel cystatins from I. persulcatus, named JpIpcys2a, JpIpcys2b and JpIpcys2c. In addition, the potential of tick cystatins as cross-protective antigens was evaluated by vaccination of hamsters using BrBmcys2c, a cystatin from Rhipicephalus microplus, against I. persulcatus infestation. Sequence analysis showed that motifs that are characteristic of cystatins type 2 are fully conserved in JpIpcys2b, while mutations are present in both JpIpcys2a and JpIpcys2c. Protein-protein docking simulations further revealed that JpIpcys2a, JpIpcys2b and JpIpcys2c showed conserved binding sites to human cathepsins L, all of them covering the active site cleft. Cystatin transcripts were detected in different I. persulcatus tissues and instars, showing their ubiquitous expression during I. persulcatus development. Serological analysis showed that although hamsters immunized with BrBmcys2c developed a humoral immune response, this response was not adequate to protect against a heterologous challenge with I. persulcatus adult ticks. The lack of cross-protection provided by BrBmcys2c immunization is perhaps linked to the fact that cystatins cluster into multigene protein families that are expressed differentially and exhibit functional redundancy. How to target such small proteins that are secreted in low quantities remains a challenge in the development of suitable anti-tick vaccine antigens.

A novel mechanism of functional cooperativity regulation by thiol redox status in a dimeric inorganic pyrophosphatase.

BACKGROUND: Inorganic PPases are essential metal-dependent enzymes that convert pyrophosphate into orthophosphate. This reaction is quite exergonic and provides a thermodynamic advantage for many ATP-driven biosynthetic reactions. We have previously demonstrated that cytosolic PPase from R. microplus embryos is an atypical Family I PPase. Here, we explored the functional role of the cysteine residues located at the homodimer interface, its redox sensitivity, as well as structural and kinetic parameters related to thiol redox status. METHODS: In this work, we used prokaryotic expression system for recombinant protein overexpression, biochemical approaches to assess kinetic parameters, ticks embryos and computational approaches to analyze and predict critical amino acids as well as physicochemical properties at the homodimer interface. RESULTS: Cysteine 339, located at the homodimer interface, was found to play an important role in stabilizing a functional cooperativity between the two catalytic sites, as indicated by kinetics and Hill coefficient analyses of the WT-rBmPPase. WT-rBmPPase activity was up-regulated by physiological antioxidant molecules such as reduced glutathione and ascorbic acid. On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide at physiological concentrations decreased the affinity of WT-rBmPPase for its substrate (PPi), probably by inducing disulfide bridge formation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a new angle in understanding redox control by disulfide bonds formation in enzymes from hematophagous arthropods. The reversibility of the down-regulation is dependent on hydrophobic interactions at the dimer interface. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study is the first report on a soluble PPase where dimeric cooperativity is regulated by a redox mechanism, according to cysteine redox status.

A soluble pyrophosphatase is essential to oogenesis and is required for polyphosphate metabolism in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum).

Polyphosphates have been found in all cell types examined to date and play diverse roles depending on the cell type. In eukaryotic organisms, polyphosphates have been mainly investigated in mammalian cells with few studies on insects. Some studies have demonstrated that a pyrophosphatase regulates polyphosphate metabolism, and most of them were performed on trypanosomatids. Here, we investigated the effects of sPPase gene knocked down in oogenesis and polyphosphate metabolism in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). A single sPPase gene was identified in insect genome and is maternally provided at the mRNA level and not restricted to any embryonic or extraembryonic region during embryogenesis. After injection of Tc-sPPase dsRNA, female survival was reduced to 15% of the control (dsNeo RNA), and egg laying was completely impaired. The morphological analysis by nuclear DAPI staining of the ovarioles in Tc-sPPase dsRNA-injected females showed that the ovariole number is diminished, degenerated oocytes can be observed, and germarium is reduced. The polyphosphate level was increased in cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions in Tc-sPPase RNAi; Concomitantly, the exopolyphosphatase activity decreased in both fractions. Altogether, these data suggest a role for sPPase in the regulation on polyphosphate metabolism in insects and provide evidence that Tc-sPPase is essential to oogenesis.

Inorganic polyphosphates regulate hexokinase activity and reactive oxygen species generation in mitochondria of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus embryo.

The physiological roles of polyphosphates (poly P) recently found in arthropod mitochondria remain obscure. Here, the possible involvement of poly P with reactive oxygen species generation in mitochondria of Rhipicephalus microplus embryos was investigated. Mitochondrial hexokinase and scavenger antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase were assayed during embryogenesis of R. microplus. The influence of poly P3 and poly P15 were analyzed during the period of higher enzymatic activity during embryogenesis. Both poly Ps inhibited hexokinase activity by up to 90% and, interestingly, the mitochondrial membrane exopolyphosphatase activity was stimulated by the hexokinase reaction product, glucose-6-phosphate. Poly P increased hydrogen peroxide generation in mitochondria in a situation where mitochondrial hexokinase is also active. The superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase activities were higher during embryo cellularization, at the end of embryogenesis and during embryo segmentation, respectively. All of the enzymes were stimulated by poly P3. However, superoxide dismutase was not affected by poly P15, catalase activity was stimulated only at high concentrations and glutathione reductase was the only enzyme that was stimulated in the same way by both poly Ps. Altogether, our results indicate that inorganic polyphosphate and mitochondrial membrane exopolyphosphatase regulation can be correlated with the generation of reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria of R. microplus embryos.

Partial characterization of an atypical family I inorganic pyrophosphatase from cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

The present paper presents the partial characterization of a family I inorganic pyrophosphatase from the hard tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (BmPPase). The BmPPase gene was cloned from the tick embryo and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence shared high similarity with other eukaryotic PPases, on the other hand, BmPPase presented some cysteine residues non-conserved in other groups. This pyrophosphatase is inhibited by Ca(2+), and the inhibition is antagonized by Mg(2+), suggesting that the balance between free Ca(2+) and free Mg(2+) in the eggs could be involved in BmPPase activity control. We observed that the BmPPase transcripts are present in the fat body, midgut and ovary of ticks, in two developmental stages (partially and fully engorged females). However, higher transcription amounts were found in ovary from fully engorged females. BmPPase activity was considerably abolished by the thiol reagent dithionitrobenzoic acid (DTNB), suggesting that cysteine residues are exposed in its structure. Therefore, these cysteine residues play a critical role in the structural stability of BmPPase. Molecular dynamics simulation analysis indicates that BmPPase is the first Family I PPase that could promote disulfide bonds between cysteine residues 138-339 and 167-295. Finally, we believe that these cysteine residues exposed in the BmPPase structure can play an important controlling role regarding enzyme activity, which would be an interesting mechanism of redox control. The results presented here also indicate that this enzyme can be involved in embryogenesis of this arthropod, and may be useful as a target in the development of new tick control strategies.

A mitochondrial membrane exopolyphosphatase is modulated by, and plays a role in, the energy metabolism of hard tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus embryos.

The physiological roles of polyphosphates (polyP) recently found in arthropod mitochondria remain obscure. Here, the relationship between the mitochondrial membrane exopolyphosphatase (PPX) and the energy metabolism of hard tick Rhipicephalus microplus embryos are investigated. Mitochondrial respiration was activated by adenosine diphosphate using polyP as the only source of inorganic phosphate (P(i)) and this activation was much greater using polyP(3) than polyP(15). After mitochondrial subfractionation, most of the PPX activity was recovered in the membrane fraction and its kinetic analysis revealed that the affinity for polyP(3) was 10 times stronger than that for polyP(15). Membrane PPX activity was also increased in the presence of the respiratory substrate pyruvic acid and after addition of the protonophore carbonyl cyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone. Furthermore, these stimulatory effects disappeared upon addition of the cytochrome oxidase inhibitor potassium cyanide and the activity was completely inhibited by 20 µg/mL heparin. The activity was either increased or decreased by 50% upon addition of dithiothreitol or hydrogen peroxide, respectively, suggesting redox regulation. These results indicate a PPX activity that is regulated during mitochondrial respiration and that plays a role in adenosine-5'-triphosphate synthesis in hard tick embryos.

Exopolyphosphatases in nuclear and mitochondrial fractions during embryogenesis of the hard tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

The present work evaluated polyphosphate (poly P) metabolism in nuclear and mitochondrial fractions during Rhipicephalus microplus embryogenesis. Nuclear poly P decreased and activity of exopolyphosphatase (PPX - polyphosphate-phosphohydrolases; EC 3.6.1.11) increased after embryo cellularization until the end of embryogenesis. The utilization of mitochondrial poly P content occurred between embryo cellularization and segmentation stages. Increasing amounts of total RNA extracted from eggs progressively enhanced nuclear PPX activity, whereas it exerted no effect on mitochondrial PPX activity. The decline in total poly P content after the 7th day of embryogenesis does not reflect the free P(i) increase and the total poly P chain length decrease after embryo cellularization. The Km(app) utilizing poly P(3), poly P(15) and poly P(65) as substrate was almost the same for the nuclear fraction (around 1muM), while the affinity for substrate in mitochondrial fraction was around 10 times higher for poly P(3) (Km(app) = 0.2muM) than for poly P(15) (Km(app) = 2.8muM) and poly P(65) (Km(app) = 3.6muM). PPX activity was stimulated by a factor of two by Mg2+ and Co2+ in the nuclear fraction and only by Mg2+ in the mitochondrial fraction. Heparin (20microg/mL) inhibited nuclear and mitochondrial PPX activity in about 90 and 95% respectively. Together, these data are consistent with the existence of two different PPX isoforms operating in the nuclei and mitochondria of the hard tick R. microplus with distinct metal dependence, inhibitor and activator sensitivities. The data also shed new light on poly P biochemistry during arthropod embryogenesis, opening new routes for future comparative studies on the physiological roles of different poly P pools distributed over cell compartments.