Structural and molecular basis of the peroxynitrite-mediated nitration and inactivation of Trypanosoma cruzi iron-superoxide dismutases (Fe-SODs) A and B: disparate susceptibilities due to the repair of Tyr35 radical by Cys83 in Fe-SODB through intramolecular electron transfer.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, contains exclusively iron-dependent superoxide dismutases (Fe-SODs) located in different subcellular compartments. Peroxynitrite, a key cytotoxic and oxidizing effector biomolecule, reacted with T. cruzi mitochondrial (Fe-SODA) and cytosolic (Fe-SODB) SODs with second order rate constants of 4.6 ± 0.2 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 4.3 ± 0.4 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) at pH 7.4 and 37 °C, respectively. Both isoforms are dose-dependently nitrated and inactivated by peroxynitrite. Susceptibility of T. cruzi Fe-SODA toward peroxynitrite was similar to that reported previously for Escherichia coli Mn- and Fe-SODs and mammalian Mn-SOD, whereas Fe-SODB was exceptionally resistant to oxidant-mediated inactivation. We report mass spectrometry analysis indicating that peroxynitrite-mediated inactivation of T. cruzi Fe-SODs is due to the site-specific nitration of the critical and universally conserved Tyr(35). Searching for structural differences, the crystal structure of Fe-SODA was solved at 2.2 Å resolution. Structural analysis comparing both Fe-SOD isoforms reveals differences in key cysteines and tryptophan residues. Thiol alkylation of Fe-SODB cysteines made the enzyme more susceptible to peroxynitrite. In particular, Cys(83) mutation (C83S, absent in Fe-SODA) increased the Fe-SODB sensitivity toward peroxynitrite. Molecular dynamics, electron paramagnetic resonance, and immunospin trapping analysis revealed that Cys(83) present in Fe-SODB acts as an electron donor that repairs Tyr(35) radical via intramolecular electron transfer, preventing peroxynitrite-dependent nitration and consequent inactivation of Fe-SODB. Parasites exposed to exogenous or endogenous sources of peroxynitrite resulted in nitration and inactivation of Fe-SODA but not Fe-SODB, suggesting that these enzymes play distinctive biological roles during parasite infection of mammalian cells.

Transcriptome analysis of the bloodstream stage from the parasite Trypanosoma vivax.

BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma vivax is the earliest branching African trypanosome. This crucial phylogenetic position makes T. vivax a fascinating model to tackle fundamental questions concerning the origin and evolution of several features that characterize African trypanosomes, such as the Variant Surface Glycoproteins (VSGs) upon which antibody clearing and antigenic variation are based. Other features like gene content and trans-splicing patterns are worth analyzing in this species for comparative purposes. RESULTS: We present a RNA-seq analysis of the bloodstream stage of T. vivax from data obtained using two complementary sequencing technologies (454 Titanium and Illumina). Assembly of 454 reads yielded 13385 contigs corresponding to proteins coding genes (7800 of which were identified). These sequences, their annotation and other features are available through an online database presented herein. Among these sequences, about 1000 were found to be species specific and 50 exclusive of the T. vivax strain analyzed here. Expression patterns and levels were determined for VSGs and the remaining genes. Interestingly, VSG expression level, although being high, is considerably lower than in Trypanosoma brucei. Indeed, the comparison of surface protein composition between both African trypanosomes (as inferred from RNA-seq data), shows that they are substantially different, being VSG absolutely predominant in T. brucei, while in T. vivax it represents only about 55%. This raises the question concerning the protective role of VSGs in T. vivax, hence their ancestral role in immune evasion.It was also found that around 600 genes have their unique (or main) trans-splice site very close (sometimes immediately before) the start codon. Gene Ontology analysis shows that this group is enriched in proteins related to the translation machinery (e.g. ribosomal proteins, elongation factors). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first RNA-seq data study in trypanosomes outside the model species T. brucei, hence it provides the possibility to conduct comparisons that allow drawing evolutionary and functional inferences. This analysis also provides several insights on the expression patterns and levels of protein coding sequences (such as VSG gene expression), trans-splicing, codon patterns and regulatory mechanisms. An online T. vivax RNA-seq database described herein could be a useful tool for parasitologists working with trypanosomes.