RESUMO
Malaria, babesiosis, trypanosomosis, and leishmaniasis are some of the most life-threatening parasites, but the range of drugs to treat them is limited. An effective, safe, and low-cost drug with a large activity spectrum is urgently needed. For this purpose, an aryl amino alcohol derivative called Alsinol was resynthesized, screened in silico, and tested against Plasmodium, Babesia, Trypanosoma, and Leishmania. In silico Alsinol follows the Lipinski and Ghose rules. In vitro it had schizontocidal activity against Plasmodium falciparum and was able to inhibit gametocytogenesis; it was particularly active against late gametocytes. In malaria-infected mice, it showed a dose-dependent activity similar to chloroquine. It demonstrated a similar level of activity to reference compounds against Babesia divergens, and against promastigotes, and amastigotes stages of Leishmania in vitro. It inhibited the in vitro growth of two African animal strains of Trypanosoma but was ineffective in vivo in our experimental conditions. It showed moderate toxicity in J774A1 and Vero cell models. The study demonstrated that Alsinol has a large spectrum of activity and is potentially affordable to produce. Nevertheless, challenges remain in the process of scaling up synthesis, creating a suitable clinical formulation, and determining the safety margin in preclinical models.
Assuntos
Amino Álcoois/farmacologia , Antiprotozoários/farmacologia , Amino Álcoois/síntese química , Amino Álcoois/química , Animais , Antiprotozoários/síntese química , Antiprotozoários/química , Babesia/efeitos dos fármacos , Babesia/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Chlorocebus aethiops , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Leishmania/efeitos dos fármacos , Leishmania/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Estágios do Ciclo de Vida/efeitos dos fármacos , Camundongos , Plasmodium/efeitos dos fármacos , Plasmodium/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Infecções por Protozoários/tratamento farmacológico , Infecções por Protozoários/parasitologia , Resultado do Tratamento , Trypanosoma/efeitos dos fármacos , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Células VeroRESUMO
BACKGROUND: A considerable amount of evidence has favored ecological host-fitting, rather than coevolution, as the main mechanism responsible for trypanosome divergence. Nevertheless, beyond the study of human pathogenic trypanosomes, the genetic basis of host specificity among trypanosomes isolated from forest-inhabiting hosts remains largely unknown. METHODS: To test possible scenarios on ecological host-fitting and coevolution, we combined a host capture recapture strategy with parasite genetic data and studied the genetic variation, population dynamics and phylogenetic relationships of Trypanosoma terrestris, a recently described trypanosome species isolated from lowland tapirs in the Brazilian Pantanal and Atlantic Forest biomes. RESULTS: We made inferences of T. terrestris population structure at three possible sources of genetic variation: geography, tapir hosts and 'putative' vectors. We found evidence of a bottleneck affecting the contemporary patterns of parasite genetic structure, resulting in little genetic diversity and no evidence of genetic structure among hosts or biomes. Despite this, a strongly divergent haplotype was recorded at a microgeographical scale in the landscape of Nhecolândia in the Pantanal. However, although tapirs are promoting the dispersion of the parasites through the landscape, neither geographical barriers nor tapir hosts were involved in the isolation of this haplotype. Taken together, these findings suggest that either host-switching promoted by putative vectors or declining tapir population densities are influencing the current parasite population dynamics and genetic structure. Similarly, phylogenetic analyses revealed that T. terrestris is strongly linked to the evolutionary history of its perissodactyl hosts, suggesting a coevolving scenario between Perissodactyla and their trypanosomes. Additionally, T. terrestris and T. grayi are closely related, further indicating that host-switching is a common feature promoting trypanosome evolution. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides two lines of evidence, both micro- and macroevolutionary, suggesting that both host-switching by ecological fitting and coevolution are two important and non-mutually-exclusive processes driving the evolution of trypanosomes. In line with other parasite systems, our results support that even in the face of host specialization and coevolution, host-switching may be common and is an important determinant of parasite diversification.
Assuntos
Perissodáctilos/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/classificação , Jacarés e Crocodilos/parasitologia , Animais , Teorema de Bayes , Coevolução Biológica , Análise por Conglomerados , Fenômenos Ecológicos e Ambientais , Ecossistema , Variação Genética , Genética Populacional , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Filogenia , Dinâmica Populacional , Trypanosoma/genética , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimentoRESUMO
Trypanosoma evansi appears to have a significant tropism for brain tissue in its chronic and acute phases. The most common symptoms of this brain infection are motor incoordination, meningoencephalitis, demyelination, and anemia. There have only been few studies of the effects of T. evansi infection on neuronal differentiation and brain plasticity. Here, we investigated the impact of the congenital T. evansi infection on brain development in mice. We collected telencephalon-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from T. evansi uninfected and infected mice, and cultivated them into neurospheres. We found that T. evansi significantly decreased the number of cells during development of neurospheres. Analysis of neurosphere differentiation revealed that T. evansi infection significantly increased neural migration. We also observed that T. evansi promoted expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in infected cells. These data suggest that congenital T. evansi infection may affect embryonic brain development.
Assuntos
Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno , Células-Tronco Neurais/patologia , Células-Tronco Neurais/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Animais , Diferenciação Celular , CamundongosRESUMO
Trypanosomatids are the etiologic agents of various infectious diseases in humans. They diverged early during eukaryotic evolution and have attracted attention as peculiar models for evolutionary and comparative studies. Here, we show a meticulous study comparing the incorporation and detection of the thymidine analogs BrdU and EdU in Leishmania amazonensis, Trypanosoma brucei, and Trypanosoma cruzi to monitor their DNA replication. We used BrdU- and EdU-incorporated parasites with the respective standard detection approaches: indirect immunofluorescence to detect BrdU after standard denaturation (2 M HCl) and "click" chemistry to detect EdU. We found a discrepancy between these two thymidine analogs due to the poor detection of BrdU, which is reflected on the estimative of the duration of the cell cycle phases G1, S, and G2. To solve this discrepancy, we increase the exposure of incorporated BrdU using different concentrations of HCl. Using a new value for HCl concentration, we re-estimated the phases G1, S, G2 + M, and cytokinesis durations, confirming the values found by this approach using EdU. In conclusion, we suggest that the studies using BrdU with standard detection approach, not only in trypanosomatids but also in others cell types, should be reviewed to ensure an accurate estimation of DNA replication monitoring.
Assuntos
Bromodesoxiuridina/análise , Ciclo Celular , Replicação do DNA , Desoxiuridina/análogos & derivados , Leishmania/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Desoxiuridina/análise , Leishmania/metabolismo , Coloração e Rotulagem , Trypanosoma/metabolismoRESUMO
Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) are treated with toxic therapy of limited efficacy. Previously, we studied the antimicrobial effect of Dinoponera quadriceps venom (DqV) against bacteria. To continue the study, we report in this short communication the antimicrobial effect of DqV against Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi. DqV inhibits the promastigote forms of L. amazonensis and all T. cruzi developmental forms, with low toxicity in host cells. DqV causes cell death in T. cruzi through necrotic and apoptotic mechanisms observed by staining the cells with annexin V-FITC (AX) and propidium iodide (PI), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential by flow cytometry analyses and confocal microscopy and morphological alterations, such as loss of membrane integrity and cell shrinkage by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In conclusion, we suggest there is an antimicrobial effect also on parasites.
Assuntos
Venenos de Formiga/uso terapêutico , Formigas , Leishmania/efeitos dos fármacos , Trypanosoma/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Venenos de Formiga/administração & dosagem , Linhagem Celular , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Leishmania/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Leishmania/ultraestrutura , Macaca mulatta , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/ultraestruturaRESUMO
This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of oxidative stress in the heart tissue of rats infected with Trypanosoma evansi. Rats were divided into 2 groups (A and B) with 12 animals each, and further subdivided into 4 subgroups (A1 and A2, 6 animals/each; and B1 and B2, 6 animals/each). Animals in the groups B1 and B2 were subcutaneously inoculated with T. evansi. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), glutathione S-transferase activity (GST), reduced glutathione activity (GSH), and non-protein thiols (NPSH) in the heart tissue were evaluated. At day 5 and 15 post-infection (PI), an increase in the TBARS levels and a decrease in the SOD activity (P<0.05) were observed. GSH and GST activities were decreased in infected animals at day 15 PI (P<0.05). Considering the proper functioning of the heart, it is possible that the changes in the activity of these enzymes involved in the oxidative stress may be related, at least in part, in the pathophysiology of rats infected with T. evansi.
Assuntos
Miocárdio/patologia , Estresse Oxidativo , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Tripanossomíase/patologia , Animais , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Feminino , Glutationa/análise , Glutationa Transferase/análise , Ratos Wistar , Superóxido Dismutase/análise , Substâncias Reativas com Ácido Tiobarbitúrico/análise , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
We described the phylogenetic affiliation, development in cultures and ultrastructural features of a trypanosome of Leptodacylus chaquensis from the Pantanal biome of Brazil. In the inferred phylogeny, this trypanosome nested into the Anura clade of the basal Aquatic clade of Trypanosoma, but was separate from all known species within this clade. This finding enabled us to describe it as Trypanosoma herthameyeri n. sp., which also infects other Leptodacylus species from the Pantanal and Caatinga biomes. Trypanosoma herthameyeri multiplies as small rounded forms clumped together and evolving into multiple-fission forms and rosettes of epimastigotes released as long forms with long flagella; scarce trypomastigotes and glove-like forms are common in stationary-phase cultures. For the first time, a trypanosome from an amphibian was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, revealing a cytostome opening, well-developed flagellar lamella, and many grooves in pumpkin-like forms. Transmission electron microscopy showed highly developed Golgi complexes, relaxed catenation of KDNA, and a rich set of spongiome tubules in a regular parallel arrangement to the flagellar pocket as confirmed by electron tomography. Considering the basal position in the phylogenetic tree, developmental and ultrastructural data of T. herthameyeri are valuable for evolutionary studies of trypanosome architecture and cell biology.
Assuntos
Anuros/parasitologia , Filogenia , Trypanosoma/classificação , Trypanosoma/ultraestrutura , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Anuros/sangue , Biodiversidade , Brasil , Classificação , DNA de Protozoário/genética , Ecologia , Ecossistema , Tomografia com Microscopia Eletrônica/métodos , Flagelos/ultraestrutura , Complexo de Golgi/ultraestrutura , Especificidade de Hospedeiro , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura/métodos , Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão/métodos , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificação , Tripanossomíase/sangue , Tripanossomíase/diagnóstico , Tripanossomíase/parasitologiaRESUMO
Representatives of the genus Trypanosoma have been traditionally found in epimastigote, espheromastigote and trypomastigote flagellated forms in axenic cultures. Trypanosoma caninum is a trypanosomatid that has recently been reported infecting dogs in endemic areas of canine leishmaniasis in Brazil. It presents specific biological characteristics and it is found exclusively on healthy skin. Here, we describe the evolutive forms of this parasite showing not only the forms commonly found in culture, but also epimastigote forms with no free flagellum. The study was conducted using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and, we demonstrate that typical flagellated epimastigotes originate from forms without flagellum, although the latter may remain without differentiation in the culture. Two hypotheses are considered and discussed in this paper: (i) the aflagellated epimastigotes are a typical developmental forms of T. caninum and (ii) the emergence of these aflagellated forms could be resultant from a disturbed process during cell division caused by interfering specific proteins, which leads to inability to form and regulate the flagellum length. In any case, considering that T. caninum is a parasite that is still little studied, the information brought by our study adds data which may be useful to clarify aspects on the cell cycle of this intriguing parasite that has been found in different regions of Brazil.
Assuntos
Cultura Axênica , Flagelos/ultraestrutura , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/ultraestrutura , Animais , Brasil , Cães , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura , Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificaçãoRESUMO
Fish trypanosomes are widely distributed in commercially important fish, with high prevalence in some Brazilian species. This study provides the first record of the isolation and in vitro maintenance of trypanosomes from Brazilian fish. We produced 49 trypanosome isolates from naturally infected catfish (Hypostomus affinis and Hypostomus luetkeni), using 9 different culture media (out of 31 tested). Trypanosomes were maintained in culture for at least 15 mo and were successfully cryopreserved. Culture forms-epimastigotes and short trypomastigotes-were capable of dividing in vitro. Our study is an important step in the investigation of ultrastructure, taxonomy, and phylogeny of trypanosomes from commercially important Brazilian fish.
Assuntos
Peixes-Gato/parasitologia , Doenças dos Peixes/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificação , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Criopreservação , Meios de Cultura , Doenças dos Peixes/epidemiologia , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura/veterinária , Prevalência , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/ultraestrutura , Tripanossomíase/epidemiologia , Tripanossomíase/parasitologiaRESUMO
Trypanosoma caninum constitutes the most recent trypanosomatid species infecting dogs in Brazil. Due to the limited data available about this parasite, this study aims to disclose clinical and laboratory findings from 14 dogs naturally infected. The dogs were diagnosed during a cross-sectional survey in Cuiabá (Mato Grosso, Brazil) and followed up at an interval of 3, 6, and 12 mo in order to evaluate the clinical evolution and to investigate the parasite, the DNA, or both in different biological samples (intact skin, cutaneous scar, blood, bone marrow, and lymph node aspirate) by parasitological (culture and smear exam) and molecular (DNA-based tests) methods. Specific anti-T. caninum and anti-Leishmania antibody production was also evaluated. Ten of 14 dogs infected by T. caninum showed a good general state at the time of diagnosis, and this status did not vary during the follow-up. Anti-T. caninum and anti-Leishmania IgG antibodies were detected by IFAT in 10 and 2 animals, respectively. Concomitant infection by Leishmania chagasi was confirmed in 2 dogs, indicating an overlap of endemic areas in Cuiabá. Trypanosoma caninum (parasite or DNA) was found only in the intact skin in all animals examined. Our results suggest that T. caninum infection can be manifested as an asymptomatic case with low humoral immune response.
Assuntos
Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/classificação , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Brasil , Cromatografia de Afinidade/veterinária , Estudos Transversais , DNA de Cinetoplasto/genética , DNA de Protozoário/isolamento & purificação , DNA Ribossômico/isolamento & purificação , Cães , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática/veterinária , Feminino , Técnica Indireta de Fluorescência para Anticorpo/veterinária , Seguimentos , Imunoglobulina G/sangue , Masculino , RNA Ribossômico 18S/genética , Pele/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/genética , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/imunologia , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificação , Tripanossomíase/parasitologia , Globinas beta/genéticaRESUMO
In Venezuela, horses are indispensable for extensive cattle raising, and extensive cattle raising prevails in all regions. This determines the numerical relationship between horses and cattle (r = 0.93) to be relatively constant nationwide. At regional level, the average extension of cattle ranches varies greatly. However, in relation to the area covered by pastures, the numbers of horses (r = 0.95) and cattle (r = 0.93) are relatively uniform nationwide. Water buffalo occupy small fractions of the territory; therefore, their numbers are related to the area of pastures less strongly (r = 0.56). There is no information on the numerical relationship between the numbers of horses and water buffalo. In the Llanos region of the country, equine trypanosomiasis is responsible for a high mortality in horses, causing considerable financial losses to cattle ranches. So far, such losses have not been assessed. For this region, in 2008, it can be calculated that: (1) with no treatment, losses owing to horse mortality caused by this hemoparasitosis would have amounted to US$7,486,000; (2) the diagnosis and treatment of affected horses would have required an investment of US$805,000; and (3) in terms of horses saved, this investment would have resulted in benefit of US$6,232,000. Therefore, for every monetary unit invested, there would be a benefit 7.75 times greater, this ratio being applicable to any year and all regions of the country. It follows that the profitability of investing in the diagnosis and treatment of equine trypanosomiasis is guaranteed.
Assuntos
Antiprotozoários/uso terapêutico , Doenças dos Cavalos/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Antiprotozoários/economia , Análise Custo-Benefício , Doenças dos Cavalos/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças dos Cavalos/economia , Doenças dos Cavalos/epidemiologia , Cavalos , Tripanossomíase/tratamento farmacológico , Tripanossomíase/economia , Tripanossomíase/epidemiologia , Tripanossomíase/parasitologia , Venezuela/epidemiologiaRESUMO
The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in hematological and biochemical parameters of blood during acute Trypanosoma evansi infection in Wistar rats. The end points studied were hematologic parameters, red blood cell fragility, iron content, and glutathione and lipid peroxidation levels. Forty-eight animals were infected with trypomastigotes and distributed into five groups according to the level of parasitemia. Twelve non-inoculated animals were used as control. Parasitemia increased progressively, reaching highest scores at 15 days post-inoculation. At this point, several deleterious effects were observed such as an increase in iron content, in osmotic fragility, and in lipid peroxidation index, while glutathione decreased drastically. These changes were highly correlated to parasitemia (p < 0.0001) and among each other (p ≤ 0.001). Hematological indices (Hb, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cells (RBC), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) were also correlated to parasitemia (p ≤ 0.0003) but failed to correlate to the other variables. Along with increase in iron, RBC fragility produced a decrease in RBC, PCV, and Hb, but not in mean corpuscular volume. Decrease in glutathione was negatively correlated to the end products of lipid peroxidation, clearly indicating the establishment of a pro-oxidant condition. The results show that the infection causes hematological impairments, increases iron and osmotic fragility, along with marked oxidative stress in red blood cells of rats inoculated with T. evansi.
Assuntos
Glutationa/sangue , Ferro/sangue , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Tripanossomíase/patologia , Animais , Sangue/parasitologia , Análise Química do Sangue , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Peroxidação de Lipídeos , Oxirredução , Parasitemia , Ratos , Ratos WistarRESUMO
The aim of this study was to evaluate biochemical parameters of iron metabolism in rats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi. To this end, 20 rats (Wistar) were intraperitoneally inoculated with blood containing trypomastigotes 10(6) (Group T) and 12 animals were used as negative control (Group C) and received saline (0.2 mL) through same route. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture on day 5 (C5, T5) and 30 (C30, T30) post-inoculation (pi) to perform complete blood count and determination of serum iron, transferrin, ferritin, total and latent iron fixation capacity, transferrin saturation and prohepcidin concentration. Also, bone marrow samples were collected, to perform Pearls staining reaction. Levels of iron, total and latent iron binding capacity and prohepcidin concentration were lower (P<0.05) in infected rats (T5 and T30 groups) compared to controls. On the other hand, levels of transferrin and ferritin were higher when compared to controls (P<0.05). The transferrin saturation increased on day 5 pi, but decreased on day 30 pi. The Pearls reaction showed a higher accumulation of iron in the bone marrow of infected animals in day 5 pi (P<0.01). Infection with T. evansi in rats caused anemia and changes in iron metabolism associated to the peaks of parasitemia. These results suggest that changes in iron metabolism may be related to the host immune response to infection and anemic status of infected animals.
Assuntos
Ferro/metabolismo , Tripanossomíase/metabolismo , Anemia Ferropriva/imunologia , Anemia Ferropriva/parasitologia , Animais , Peptídeos Catiônicos Antimicrobianos/sangue , Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Cães , Contagem de Eritrócitos , Índices de Eritrócitos , Ferritinas/metabolismo , Hematócrito , Hemoglobinas/análise , Hemossiderina/metabolismo , Hepcidinas , Sistema Imunitário/metabolismo , Ferro/sangue , Masculino , Parasitemia/imunologia , Parasitemia/parasitologia , Precursores de Proteínas/sangue , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Transferrina/metabolismo , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Tripanossomíase/sangue , Tripanossomíase/complicações , Tripanossomíase/imunologiaRESUMO
The purpose of this study was to verify the in vitro development of Trypanosoma sp. isolated from Leptodactylus ocellatus frogs under a new protocol using a biphasic medium composed of Novy, McNeal, and Nicolle (NNN) blood agar medium as a solid phase and liver infusion, brain heart infusion, and tryptose (LIBHIT) medium as a liquid phase. Blood forms, collected by cardiac puncture or after the maceration of different organs, were inoculated in culture tubes containing the biphasic medium composed by NNN and LIBHIT. Trypanosomes were observed 4 days postinoculation; most bloodstream trypomastigotes had differentiated into epimastigotes and amastigotes by this time. Trypomastigotes were again observed in older cultures (7 days). Parasites were successfully subcultured for 8 mo in this medium and successfully cryopreserved. The present study provides a new protocol medium for the isolation and culture of anuran trypanosomes.
Assuntos
Anuros/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificação , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Meios de Cultura , Tripanossomíase/parasitologiaRESUMO
Infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional therapy, resulting in prolonged illness, increased treatment costs and greater risk of death. Consequently, the development of novel antimicrobial drugs is becoming more demanding every day since the existing drugs either have too many side-effects or they tend to lose effectiveness due to the selection of resistant strains. In view of these facts, a number of new strategies to obstruct vital biological processes of a microbial cell have emerged; one of these is focused on the use of metal-chelating agents, which are able to selectively disturb the essential metal metabolism of the microorganism by interfering with metal acquisition and bioavailability for crucial reactions. The chelation activity is able to inhibit the biological role of metal-dependent proteins (e.g., metalloproteases and transcription factors), disturbing the microbial cell homeostasis and culminating in the blockage of microbial nutrition, growth and development, cellular differentiation, adhesion to biotic (e.g., extracellular matrix components, cell and/or tissue) and abiotic (e.g., plastic, silicone and acrylic) structures as well as controlling the in vivo infection progression. Interestingly, chelating agents also potentiate the activity of classical antimicrobial compounds. The differences between the microorganism and host in terms of the behavior displayed in the presence of chelating agents could provide exploitable targets for the development of an effective chemotherapy for these diseases. Consequently, metal chelators represent a novel group of antimicrobial agents with potential therapeutic applications. This review will focus on the anti-fungal and anti-protozoan action of the most common chelating agents, deciphering and discussing their mode of action.
Assuntos
Anti-Infecciosos/farmacologia , Antiprotozoários/farmacologia , Quelantes/farmacologia , Fungos/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Fungos/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Fungos/patogenicidade , Humanos , Plasmodium/efeitos dos fármacos , Plasmodium/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Plasmodium/patogenicidade , Trypanosoma/efeitos dos fármacos , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trypanosoma/patogenicidadeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Trypanosoma rangeli is dependent on the presence of exogenous orthophosphate (Pi) for maximal growth and ecto-phosphatase activity is responsible for Pi supply under low Pi. Here we investigated the mechanisms of Pi uptake. METHODS: We investigated the kinetics of 32Pi transport, its Na+ and H+ dependence, its correlation with the Na+-ATPase and H+-ATPase, and gene expression of the Na+:Pi cotransporter and Na+-ATPase. RESULTS: T. rangeli grown under limiting Pi transports this anion to the cytosol in the absence and presence of Na+, suggesting that influx is mediated by both Na+-independent and Na+-dependent transporters. Cloning studies demonstrated that this parasite expresses a Pi transporter not previously studied in trypanosomatids. The H+ ionophore, carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, decreased both components of 32Pi influx by 80-95%. The H+-ATPase inhibitor, bafilomycin A1, inhibited the Na+-independent mechanism. Furosemide, an inhibitor of ouabain-insensitive Na+-ATPase, decreased both uptake mechanisms of 32Pi to the same extent, whereas ouabain had no effect, indicating that the former is the pump responsible for inwardly directed Na+ and the electric gradients required by the transporters. Parasite growth in high Pi had a lower Pi influx than that found in those grown in low Pi, without alteration in TrPho89 expression, showing that turnover of the transporters is stimulated by Pi starvation. CONCLUSIONS: Two modes of Pi transport, one coupled to Na+-ATPase and other coupled to H+-ATPase seem to be responsible for Pi acquisition during development of T. rangeli. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides the first description of the mechanism of Pi transport across the plasma membrane of trypanosomatids.
Assuntos
Fosfatos/metabolismo , Rhodnius/parasitologia , Sódio/metabolismo , Trypanosoma/metabolismo , Adenosina Trifosfatases/antagonistas & inibidores , Adenosina Trifosfatases/metabolismo , Animais , Transporte Biológico , Proteínas de Transporte de Cátions/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas de Transporte de Cátions/metabolismo , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Macrolídeos/farmacologia , Ouabaína/farmacologia , ATPases Translocadoras de Prótons/antagonistas & inibidores , ATPases Translocadoras de Prótons/metabolismo , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Rhodnius/metabolismo , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimentoRESUMO
The phylogenetic proximity between Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) dionisii suggests that these parasites might explore similar strategies to complete their life cycles. T. cruzi is the etiological agent of the life-threatening Chagas' disease, whereas T. dionisii is a bat trypanosome and probably not capable of infecting humans. Here we sought to compare mammalian cell invasion and intracellular traffic of both trypanosomes and determine the differences and similarities in this process. The results presented demonstrate that T. dionisii is highly infective in vitro, particularly when the infection process occurs without serum and that the invasion is similarly affected by agents known to interfere with T. cruzi invasion process. Our results indicate that the formation of lysosomal-enriched compartments is part of a cell-invasion mechanism retained by related trypanosomatids, and that residence and further escape from a lysosomal compartment may be a common requisite for successful infection. During intracellular growth, parasites share a few epitopes with T. cruzi amastigotes and trypomastigotes. Unexpectedly, in heavily infected cells, amastigotes and trypomastigotes were found inside the host cell nucleus. These findings suggest that T. dionisii, although sharing some features in host cell invasion with T. cruzi, has unique behaviors that deserve to be further explored.
Assuntos
Núcleo Celular/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Lisossomos/parasitologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Vacúolos/parasitologiaRESUMO
Here we demonstrate for the first time that growth of Trypanosoma rangeli, a protozoa parasite, is strongly dependent on the presence of inorganic phosphate (Pi) in the culture medium and that the replacement of the inorganic phosphate in the culture medium by beta-glycerophosphate, a substrate for phosphatases lead the cells to achieve its maximal growth. The ecto-phosphatase activity present on the external surface of T. rangeli decreased during the growth phase of the parasite, suggesting that this enzyme could be important for the development. Accordingly, the inhibition of this ecto-phosphatase activity by sodium orthovanadate also inhibited the proliferation of T. rangeli. Parasites maintained in a Pi-starved culture medium (2 mM Pi) had 4-fold more ecto-phosphatase activity as compared to parasites maintained in a Pi-supplemented culture medium (50 mM Pi). Altogether, these results presented here suggest that this ecto-phosphatase activity leads to hydrolysis of phosphorylated compounds present in the extracellular medium, which could contribute to the acquisition of inorganic phosphate during the development of T. rangeli epimastigotes.
Assuntos
Fosfatos/farmacologia , Fosfoproteínas Fosfatases/metabolismo , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Animais , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Meios de Cultura , Fosfatos/metabolismo , Fosfoproteínas Fosfatases/antagonistas & inibidores , Trypanosoma/citologia , Trypanosoma/enzimologiaRESUMO
An unknown Trypanosoma species was isolated from an axenic culture of intact skin from a domestic dog captured in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which was co-infected with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Giemsa-stained smears of cultures grown in different media revealed the presence of epimastigotes, trypomastigotes, spheromastigotes, transitional stages, and dividing forms (epimastigotes or spheromastigotes). The highest frequency of trypomastigotes was observed in RPMI (15.2%) and DMEM (9.2%) media containing 5% FCS, with a mean length of these forms of 43.0 and 36.0 mum, respectively. Molecular analysis by sequential application of PCR assays indicated that this trypanosome differs from Trypanosoma cruzi and T. rangeli when specific primers were applied. On the other hand, a PCR strategy targeted to the D7 domain of 24salpha rDNA, using primers D75/D76, amplified products of about 250 bp in that isolate (stock A-27), different from the amplification products obtained with T. cruzi and T. rangeli. This organism differs from T. cruzi mainly by the size of its trypomastigote forms and kinetoplasts and the absence of infectivity for macrophages and triatomine bugs. It is also morphologically distinct from salivarian trypanosomes reported in Brazil. Isoenzyme analysis at 8 loci demonstrated a very peculiar banding pattern clearly distinct from those of T. rangeli and T. cruzi. We conclude that this isolate is a new Trypanosoma species. The name T. caninum is suggested.
Assuntos
Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Dermatopatias Parasitárias/parasitologia , Pele/parasitologia , Trypanosoma/classificação , Trypanosoma/isolamento & purificação , Tripanossomíase/veterinária , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Brasil , Meios de Cultura , DNA Ribossômico/análise , Cães , Isoenzimas/análise , Macrófagos Peritoneais/parasitologia , Camundongos , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , RNA , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Especificidade da Espécie , Trypanosoma/enzimologia , Trypanosoma/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Tripanossomíase/parasitologiaRESUMO
In this work, we characterized a Mg(2+)-dependent ecto-phosphatase activity present in live Trypanosoma rangeli epimastigotes. This enzyme showed capacity to hydrolyze the artificial substrate for phosphatases, p-nitrophenylphosphate (p-NPP). At saturating concentration of p-NPP, half-maximal p-NPP hydrolysis was obtained with 0.23mM Mg(2+). Ca(2+) had no effect on the basal phosphatase activity, could not substitute Mg(2+) as an activator and in contrast inhibited the p-NPP hydrolysis stimulated by Mg(2+). The dependence on p-NPP concentration showed a normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics for this phosphatase activity with values of V(max) of 8.94+/-0.36 nmol p-NP x h(-1) x 10(-7) cells and apparent K(m) of 1.04+/-0.16 mM p-NPP. Mg(2+)-dependent ecto-phosphatase activity was stimulated by the alkaline pH range. Experiments using inhibitors, such as, sodium fluoride, sodium orthovanadate and ammonium molybdate, inhibited the Mg(2+)-dependent ecto-phosphatase activity. Inorganic phosphate (Pi), a product of phosphatases, inhibited reversibly in 50% this activity. Okadaic acid and microcystin-LR, specific phosphoserine/threonine phosphatase inhibitors, inhibited significantly the Mg(2+)-dependent ecto-phosphatase activity. In addition, this phosphatase activity was able to recognize as substrates only o-phosphoserine and o-phosphothreonine, while o-phosphotyrosine was not a good substrate for this phosphatase. Epimastigote forms of T. rangeli exhibit a typical growth curve, achieving the stationary phase around fifth or sixth day and the Mg(2+)-dependent ecto-phosphatase activity decreased around 10-fold with the cell growth progression. Cells maintained at Pi-deprived medium (2 mM Pi) present Mg(2+)-dependent ecto-phosphatase activity approximately threefold higher than that maintained at Pi-supplemented medium (50 mM Pi).