RESUMO
Leishmaniasis is caused by several species of protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and represents an important global health problem. Leishmania braziliensis in particular is responsible of cutaneous and mucocutaneous forms of this parasitosis, with prevalence in Latin America. In the present work, we describe in L. braziliensis promastigotes and amastigotes the presence of a Phospholipase A1 (PLA1) activity, an enzyme that catalyses extensive deacylation of phospholipids like phosphatidylcholine. In order to deepen the knowledge about L. braziliensis PLA1, the cloning and expression of the gene that codifies for this enzyme was carried out in a baculovirus expression system with the obtaintion of a purified recombinant protein that displayed PLA1 activity. Given that this is the first molecular and functional protein characterization of a PLA1 in the Leishmania genus, we also performed a phylogenetic analysis of this gene throughout 12 species whose genome sequences were available. The results presented here will contribute to increase the knowledge about trypanosome phospholipases, which could be novel and valuable as potential targets to fight neglected diseases like Leishmaniasis.
Assuntos
Leishmania braziliensis , Fosfolipases A1 , Animais , Baculoviridae/genética , Clonagem Molecular/métodos , Expressão Gênica , Genes de Protozoários , América Latina , Leishmania braziliensis/genética , Leishmania braziliensis/metabolismo , Leishmaniose Cutânea/parasitologia , Fosfolipases A1/genética , Fosfolipases A1/isolamento & purificação , Fosfolipases A1/metabolismo , Filogenia , Proteínas Recombinantes/isolamento & purificação , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Células Sf9RESUMO
Leishmania are obligate protozoan parasites responsible for substantial public health problems in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, with L. braziliensis being one of the causative agents of American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis. Macrophages, fundamental cells in the innate inflammatory response against Leishmania, constitute a heterogeneous group with multiple activation phenotypes and functions. The outcome of this infection depends largely on the activation status of macrophages, the first line of mammalian defense and the major target cells for parasite replication. The importance of lipids, the major components of cell membranes, goes beyond their basic structural functions. Lipid bioactive molecules have been described in Leishmania spp., and in the recent years the knowledge about the biological relevance of lipids in particular and their relationship with the immune response is expanding. The present work analyzes the biological effects of L. braziliensis lipids from lysed promastigotes (PRO) to mimic rapid modulatory processes that could occur in the initial steps of infection or the effects of lipids from lysed and incubated promastigotes (PROinc), simulating the parasite lipid degradation processes triggered after parasite lysis that might occur in the mammalian host. To perform these studies, lipid profiles of PRO and PROinc were compared with lipids from amastigotes under similar conditions (AMA and AMAinc), and the effect of these lipid extracts were analyzed on the induction of an inflammatory response in murine peritoneal macrophages: LB induction, COX-2, iNOS and Arginase expression, TNF-α, IL-10 and NO production, Arginase activity and M1/M2 markers mRNA induction.
Assuntos
Antígenos de Protozoários/imunologia , Leishmania braziliensis/imunologia , Leishmaniose/imunologia , Lipídeos/imunologia , Ativação de Macrófagos/imunologia , Animais , Macrófagos/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB CRESUMO
Previously, we showed that oleic acid (OA) induces Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclogenesis through a signaling pathway involving de novo diacylglycerol biosynthesis and simultaneous protein kinase C (PKC) activation. Herein, we demonstrated that OA also triggers a transient Ca(2+) signal in epimastigotes, necessary for parasite differentiation, that could account for PKC activation. In addition, we found that this free fatty acid (FFA) directly stimulated in vitro the activity of T. cruzi PKC in a dose-response way. We determined the presence of classical and novel PKC isoenzymes that were differentially expressed in the infective amastigotes (alpha and delta) and tripomastigotes (alpha, beta, and gamma) and in the non-infective epimastigotes (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). We also demonstrated that OA induced in epimastigotes the translocation of PKC alpha, beta, gamma, and delta to the membrane, indicating a selective effect of this FFA. To establish a correlation between T. cruzi metacyclogenesis induced by OA and the activation of a particular PKC isoenzyme, the specific PKC inhibitors Ro 32-0432 and Rottlerin (9-30 nM and 5-35 microM, respectively) were employed. These compounds, even at the lowest concentrations assayed, abrogated both epimastigote differentiation and membrane translocation of PKC beta, gamma, and delta. These findings strongly support a key role for classical and novel PKC isoenzymes in the signaling pathways involved in T. cruzi metacyclogenesis induced by OA.
Assuntos
Morfogênese/efeitos dos fármacos , Ácido Oleico/metabolismo , Proteína Quinase C/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Trypanosoma cruzi/efeitos dos fármacos , Trypanosoma cruzi/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Cálcio/metabolismo , Isoenzimas/metabolismo , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Alinhamento de SequênciaRESUMO
Chagas disease is a major unsolved health issue in Latin America and an emerging threat worldwide. New drugs are urgently needed for chemotherapy as those available (benznidazole and nifurtimox) have variable efficacy and elevated toxicity. Efforts are actually oriented to improve tools and technologies (e.g. transgenic parasites, flow cytometry or image-based systems) for the screening of large numbers of candidate compounds for their activity against Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). Methods that test drug efficacy and selectivity in the same assay are suitable to accelerate the process of drug discovery. Here, we developed a GFP expressing T. cruzi from a moderate virulence stock and confirmed that the transgenic parasite retained the biological characteristics of the parental strain. With this tool, we established a flow cytometer-based method to simultaneously test drug activity against intracellular amastigotes and toxicity to the host cell. This one-step procedure allows determining the selectivity index of the tested compound in a sensitive and accurate manner even with low infection rates. This method can provide additional information on the interactions between drug, parasites and host cell and could be adapted to other trypanosomatids and protozoa with intracellular multiplication.
Assuntos
Doença de Chagas/tratamento farmacológico , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Descoberta de Drogas/métodos , Nifurtimox/uso terapêutico , Nitroimidazóis/uso terapêutico , Tripanossomicidas/uso terapêutico , Trypanosoma cruzi/efeitos dos fármacos , Citometria de Fluxo , HumanosRESUMO
Phospholipase A1 (PLA1) has been described in the infective stages of Trypanosoma cruzi as a membrane-bound/secreted enzyme that significantly modified host cell lipid profile with generation of second lipid messengers and concomitant activation of protein kinase C. In the present work we determined higher levels of PLA1 expression in the infective amastigotes and trypomastigotes than in the non-infective epimastigotes of lethal RA strain. In addition, we found similar expression patterns but distinct PLA1 activity levels in bloodstream trypomastigotes from Cvd and RA (lethal) and K98 (non-lethal) T. cruzi strains, obtained at their corresponding parasitemia peaks. This fact was likely due to the presence of different levels of anti-T. cruzi PLA1 antibodies in sera of infected mice, that modulated the enzyme activity. Moreover, these antibodies significantly reduced in vitro parasite invasion indicating the participation of T. cruzi PLA1 in the early events of parasite-host cell interaction. We also demonstrated the presence of lysophospholipase activity in live infective stages that could account for self-protection against the toxic lysophospholipids generated by T. cruzi PLA1 action. At the genome level, we identified at least eight putative genes that codify for T. cruzi PLA1 with high amino acid sequence variability in their amino and carboxy-terminal regions; a putative PLA1 selected gene was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein that possessed PLA1 activity. Collectively, the results presented here point out at T. cruzi PLA1 as a novel virulence factor implicated in parasite invasion.
Assuntos
Fosfolipases A1/metabolismo , Trypanosoma cruzi/enzimologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/patogenicidade , Fatores de Virulência/metabolismo , Animais , Anticorpos Neutralizantes/sangue , Anticorpos Neutralizantes/imunologia , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/imunologia , Doença de Chagas/imunologia , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Chlorocebus aethiops , Clonagem Molecular , DNA de Protozoário/química , DNA de Protozoário/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Camundongos , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Parasitemia/imunologia , Parasitemia/parasitologia , Fosfolipases A1/genética , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Trypanosoma cruzi/genética , Células Vero , Fatores de Virulência/genéticaRESUMO
Phospholipases are a complex and important group of enzymes widespread in nature, that play crucial roles in diverse biochemical processes and are classified as A(1), A(2), C, and D. Phospholipases A(1) and A(2) activities have been linked to pathogenesis in various microorganisms, and particularly in pathogenic protozoa they have been implicated in cell invasion. Kinetoplastids are a group of flagellated protozoa, including extra- and intracellular parasites that cause severe disease in humans and animals. In the present paper, we will mainly focus on the three most important kinetoplastid human pathogens, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp., giving a perspective of the research done up to now regarding biochemical, biological, and molecular characteristics of Phospholipases A(1) and A(2) and their contribution to pathogenesis.