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Category: publications

Anilinoquinoline based inhibitors of trypanosomatid proliferation

Donna Huber on November 26, 2018

Abstract

We recently reported the medicinal chemistry re-optimization of a series of compounds derived from the human tyrosine kinase inhibitor, lapatinib, for activity against Plasmodium falciparum. From this same library of compounds, we now report potent compounds against Trypanosoma brucei brucei (which causes human African trypanosomiasis), T. cruzi (the pathogen that causes Chagas disease), and Leishmania spp. (which cause leishmaniasis). In addition, sub-micromolar compounds were identified that inhibit proliferation of the parasites that cause African animal trypanosomiasis, T. congolense and T. vivax. We have found that this set of compounds display acceptable physicochemical properties and represent progress towards identification of lead compounds to combat several neglected tropical diseases.

Lori Ferrins, Amrita Sharma, Sarah M. Thomas, Naimee Mehta, Jessey Erath, Scott Tanghe, Susan E. Leed, Ana Rodriguez, Kojo Mensa-Wilmot, Richard J. Sciotti, Kirsten Gillingwater, Michael P. Pollastri. 2018. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006834

CRISPR/Cas9 and glycomics tools for Toxoplasma glycobiology

Donna Huber on November 21, 2018

Abstract

Infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a major health risk owing to birth defects, its chronic nature, ability to reactivate to cause blindness and encephalitis, and high prevalence in human populations. Unlike most eukaryotes, Toxoplasma propagates in intracellular parasitophorous vacuoles, but as for nearly all other eukaryotes, Toxoplasma glycosylates many cellular proteins and lipids and assembles polysaccharides. Toxoplasma glycans resemble those of other eukaryotes but species-specific variations have prohibited deeper investigations into their roles in parasite biology and virulence. The Toxoplasma genome encodes a suite of likely glycogenes expected to assemble N-glycans, O-glycans, a C-glycan, GPI-anchors, and polysaccharides, along with their precursors and membrane transporters. To investigate the roles of specific glycans in Toxoplasma, here we coupled genetic and glycomics approaches to map the connections between 67 glycogenes, their enzyme products, the glycans to which they contribute, and cellular functions. We applied a double-CRISPR/Cas9 strategy, in which two guide RNAs promote replacement of a candidate gene with a resistance gene; adapted MS-based glycomics workflows to test for effects on glycan formation; and infected fibroblast monolayers to assess cellular effects. By editing 17 glycogenes, we discovered novel Glc0-2-Man6-GlcNAc2–type N-glycans, a novel HexNAc-GalNAc–mucin-type O-glycan, and Tn-antigen, identified the glycosyltransferases for assembling a novel nuclear O-Fuc–type and cell surface Glc-Fuc–type O-glycans, and showed that they are important for in vitro growth. The guide sequences, editing constructs, and mutant strains are freely available to researchers to investigate the roles of glycans in their favorite biological processes.

Elisabet Gas-Pascual, Hiroshi Travis Ichikawa, Mohammed Osman Sheikh, Mariam Isabella Serji, Bowen Deng, Msano Mandalasi, Giulia Bandini, John Samuelson, Lance Wells and Christopher M. West. 2018. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 294: 1104-1125. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.006072

Highly competent, non-exhausted CD8+ T cells continue to tightly control pathogen load throughout chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Donna Huber on November 12, 2018

Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi infection is characterized by chronic parasitism of non-lymphoid tissues and is rarely eliminated despite potent adaptive immune responses. This failure to cure has frequently been attributed to a loss or impairment of anti-T. cruzi T cell responses over time, analogous to the T cell dysfunction described for other persistent infections. In this study, we have evaluated the role of CD8+ T cells during chronic T. cruzi infection (>100 dpi), with a focus on sites of pathogen persistence. Consistent with repetitive antigen exposure during chronic infection, parasite-specific CD8+ T cells from multiple organs expressed high levels of KLRG1, but exhibit a preferential accumulation of CD69+ cells in skeletal muscle, indicating recent antigen encounter in a niche for T. cruzi persistence. A significant proportion of CD8+ T cells in the muscle also produced IFNγ, TNFα and granzyme B in situ, an indication of their detection of and functional response to T. cruzi in vivo. CD8+ T cell function was crucial for the control of parasite burden during chronic infection as exacerbation of parasite load was observed upon depletion of this population. Attempts to improve T cell function by blocking PD-1 or IL-10, potential negative regulators of T cells, failed to increase IFNγ and TNFα production or to enhance T. cruzi clearance. These results highlight the capacity of the CD8+ T cell population to retain essential in vivo function despite chronic antigen stimulation and support a model in which CD8+ T cell dysfunction plays a negligible role in the ability of Trypanosoma cruzi to persist in mice.

Angela D. Pack, Matthew H. Collins, Charles S. Rosenberg, Rick L. Tarleton. 2018. PLOS Pathogens. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007410

Genetic conservation of Cytauxzoon felis antigens and mRNA expression in the schizont life-stage

Donna Huber on November 6, 2018

Cytauxzoon felis schizont formation in a feline splenic vessel

Fig. 1. Cytauxzoon felis schizont formation in a feline splenic vessel. A. Hematoxylin and eosin stained splenic tissue demonstrating schizonts forming a parasitic thrombus and completely occluding a splenic vessel, 20× objective, B. Hematoxylin and eosin stained schizont with developing merozoites, 40× objective.

Abstract

Cytauxzoonosis is a highly fatal disease of domestic cats caused by the apicomplexan protozoan Cytauxzoon felis, which is most closely related to Theileria spp. The growing prevalence, high morbidity and mortality, and treatment cost of cytauxzoonosis emphasize the need for vaccine development. Traditional approaches for vaccine development, however, have been hindered by the inability to culture C. felis in vitro. Recent availability of the annotated C. felis genome combined with genome-based vaccine design and protein microarray immunoscreening allowed for high-throughput identification of C. felis antigens that could serve as vaccine candidates. This study assessed the suitability of three of these vaccine candidates (cf30, cf63, cf58) in addition to a previously reported vaccine candidate (cf76) based on two criteria: genetic conservation among diverse C. felis geographic isolates and expression in tissues containing the C. felis schizont life stage, which has been previously associated with the development of a protective immune response. A comparison of seventeen C. felis isolates across seven states demonstrated high sequence identity (99–100%) for cf30, cf63, and cf58, similar to the degree of conservation previously reported for cf76. RNAscope® in situ hybridization using acutely infected feline splenic tissue revealed robust levels of all transcripts in the schizont life stage of the parasite. These data support the suitability of these three antigens for further investigation as vaccine candidates against cytauxzoonosis.

Daven B. Khana, David S. Peterson, James B. Stanton, Megan E. Schreeg, Adam J. Birkenheuer, Jaime L.Tarigo. 2018. Veterinary Parasitology; 263:49-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.10.007

Anthelmintics – From Discovery to Resistance III (Indian Rocks Beach, FL, 2018)

Donna Huber on November 5, 2018

Abstract

The third scientific meeting in the series “Anthelmintics: From Discovery to Resistance” was held in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, at the end of January 2018. The meeting focused on a variety of topics related to the title, including the identification of novel targets and new leads, the mechanism of action of existing drugs and the genetic basis of resistance against them. Throughout there was an emphasis on the exploitation of new technologies and methods to further these aims. The presentations, oral and poster, covered basic, veterinary and medical science with strong participation by both academic and commercial researchers. This special issue contains selected papers from the meeting.

Adrian J. Wolstenholme, Richard J. Martin. 2018. International Journal of Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance; 8(3):494-495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.11.002

First evidence of polychaete intermediate hosts for Neospirorchis spp. marine turtle blood flukes (Trematoda: Spirorchiidae)

Donna Huber on October 25, 2018

Abstract

Graphical abstract

Life cycles of spirorchiids that infect the vascular system of turtles are poorly understood. Few life cycles of these blood flukes have been elucidated and all intermediate hosts reported are gastropods (Mollusca), regardless of whether the definitive host is a freshwater or a marine turtle. During a recent survey of blood fluke larvae in polychaetes on the coast of South Carolina, USA, spirorchiid-like cercariae were found to infect the polychaetes Amphitrite ornata (Terebellidae) and Enoplobranchus sanguineus (Polycirridae). Cercariae were large, furcate, with a ventral acetabulum, but no eyespots were observed. Partial sequences of D1–D2 domains of the large ribosomal subunit, the internal transcribed spacer 2, and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 genes allowed the identification of sporocysts and cercariae as belonging to two unidentified Neospirorchis species reported from the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, in Florida: Neospirorchis sp. (Neogen 13) in A. ornata and Neospirorchis sp. (Neogen 14) in E. sanguineus. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that infection of annelids by blood flukes evolved separately in aporocotylids and spirorchiids. Our results support the contention that the Spirorchiidae is not a valid family and suggest that Neospirorchis is a monophyletic clade within the paraphyletic Spirorchiidae. Since specificity of spirorchiids for their intermediate hosts is broader than it was thus far assumed, surveys of annelids in turtle habitats are necessary to further our understanding of the life history of these pathogenic parasites.

Isaure de Buron, Beatrice L. Colon, Sasha V. Siegel, Jenna Oberstaller, Andrea Rivero, Dennis E. Kyle. 2018. International Journal for Parasitology; 48(14):1097-1106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.08.002

Phenotypic screens reveal posaconazole as rapidly cidal combination partner for treatment of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis

Donna Huber on October 24, 2018

Abstract

Naegleria fowleri is the causative agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is fatal in >97% of cases. In this study, we aimed to identify new, rapidly acting drugs to increase survival rates. We conducted phenotypic screens of libraries of Food and Drug Administration–approved compounds and the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pathogen Box and validated 14 hits (defined as a 50% inhibitory concentration of <1 μM). The hits were then prioritized by assessing the rate of action and efficacy in combination with current drugs used to treat PAM. Posaconazole was found to inhibit amoeba growth within the first 12 hours of exposure, which was faster than any currently used drug. In addition, posaconazole cured 33% of N. fowleri–infected mice at a dose of 20 mg/kg and, in combination with azithromycin, increased survival by an additional 20%. Fluconazole, which is currently used for PAM therapy, was ineffective in vitro and vivo. Our results suggest posaconazole could replace fluconazole in the treatment of PAM.

Beatrice L Colon, Christopher A Rice, R Kiplin Guy, Dennis E Kyle. 2018. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy622

Phloroglucinols from the Roots of Garcinia dauphinensis and Their Antiproliferative and Antiplasmodial Activities

Donna Huber on October 24, 2018

Graphica abstract

Abstract

Garcinia dauphinensis is a previously uninvestigated endemic plant species of Madagascar. The new phloroglucinols dauphinols A–F and 3′-methylhyperjovoinol B (1–7) and six known phloroglucinols (8–13) together with tocotrienol 14 and the three triterpenoids 15–17 were isolated from an ethanolic extract of G. dauphinensis roots using various chromatographic techniques. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by NMR, MS, optical rotation, and ECD data. Theoretical ECD spectra and specific rotations for 2 were calculated and compared to experimental data in order to assign its absolute configuration. Among the compounds tested, 1showed the most promising growth inhibitory activity against A2870 ovarian cancer cells, with IC50= 4.5 ± 0.9 μM, while 2 had good antiplasmodial activity against the Dd2 drug-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum, with IC50 = 0.8 ± 0.1 μM.

Rolly G. Fuentes, Kirk C. Pearce, Yongle Du, Andriamalala Rakotondrafara, Ana L. Valenciano, Maria B. Cassera, Vincent E. Rasamison, T. Daniel Crawford, and David G. I. Kingston. 2018. Journal of Natural Products.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00379

A recombinant antibody against Plasmodium vivax UIS4 for distinguishing replicating from dormant liver stages

Donna Huber on October 17, 2018

Abstract

Background:Plasmodium vivax is the most geographically widespread of the human malaria parasites, causing 50,000 to 100,000 deaths annually. Plasmodium vivax parasites have the unique feature of forming dormant liver stages (hypnozoites) that can reactivate weeks or months after a parasite-infected mosquito bite, leading to new symptomatic blood stage infections. Efforts to eliminate P. vivax malaria likely will need to target the persistent hypnozoites in the liver. Therefore, research on P. vivax liver stages necessitates a marker for clearly distinguishing between actively replicating parasites and dormant hypnozoites. Hypnozoites possess a densely fluorescent prominence in the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) when stained with antibodies against the PVM-resident protein Upregulated in Infectious Sporozoites 4 (PvUIS4), resulting in a key feature recognizable for quantification of hypnozoites. Thus, PvUIS4 staining, in combination with the characteristic small size of the parasite, is currently the only hypnozoite-specific morphological marker available.

Results: Here, the generation and validation of a recombinant monoclonal antibody against PvUIS4 (α-rUIS4 mAb) is described. The variable heavy and light chain domains of an α-PvUIS4 hybridoma were cloned into murine IgG1 and IgK expression vectors. These expression plasmids were co-transfected into HEK293 cells and mature IgG was purified from culture supernatants. It is shown that the α-rUIS4 mAb binds to its target with high affinity. It reliably stains the schizont PVM and the hypnozoite-specific PVM prominence, enabling the visual differentiation of hypnozoites from replicating liver stages by immunofluorescence assays in different in vitro settings, as well as in liver sections from P. vivax infected liver-chimeric mice. The antibody functions reliably against all four parasite isolates tested and will be an important tool in the identification of the elusive hypnozoite.

Conclusions: The α-rUIS4 mAb is a versatile tool for distinguishing replicating P. vivax liver stages from dormant hypnozoites, making it a valuable resource that can be deployed throughout laboratories worldwide.

Carola Schafer, Nicholas Dambrauskas, Ryan W. Steel, Sara Carbonetti, Vorada Chuenchob, Erika L. Flannery, Vladimir Vigdorovich, Brian G. Oliver, Wanlapa Roobsoong, Steven P. Maher, Dennis Kyle, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Stefan H. I. Kappe, Sebastian A. Mikolajczak and D. Noah Sather. 2018. Malaria Journal; 17:370. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2519-7

Plasmodium falciparum cGMP-dependent protein kinase interacts with a subunit of the parasite proteasome

Donna Huber on October 15, 2018

ABSTRACT

Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, which undergoes a complex life cycle in a human host and a mosquito vector. The parasite’s cyclic GMP (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is essential at multiple steps of the life cycle. Phosphoproteomic studies in Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic stages and Plasmodium berghei ookinetes have identified proteolysis as a major biological pathway dependent on PKG activity. To further understand PKG’s mechanism of action, we screened a yeast two-hybrid library for P. falciparum proteins that interact with P. falciparum PKG (PfPKG) and tested peptide libraries to identify its phosphorylation site preferences. Our data suggest that PfPKG has a distinct phosphorylation site and that PfPKG directly phosphorylates parasite RPT1, one of six AAA+ ATPases present in the 19S regulatory particle of the proteasome. PfPKG and RPT1 interact in vitro, and the interacting fragment of RPT1 carries a PfPKG consensus phosphorylation site; a peptide carrying this consensus site competes with the RPT1 fragment for binding to PfPKG and is efficiently phosphorylated by PfPKG. These data suggest that PfPKG’s phosphorylation of RPT1 could contribute to its regulation of parasite proteolysis. We demonstrate that proteolysis plays an important role in a biological process known to require Plasmodium PKG: invasion by sporozoites of hepatocytes. A small-molecule inhibitor of proteasomal activity blocks sporozoite invasion in an additive manner when combined with a Plasmodium PKG-specific inhibitor. Mining the previously described parasite PKG-dependent phosphoproteomes using the consensus phosphorylation motif identified additional proteins that are likely to be direct substrates of the enzyme.

K. Govindasamy, R. Khan, M. Snyder, H. J. Lou, P. Du, H. M. Kudyba, V. Muralidharan, B. E. Turk, P. Bhanot. 2018. Infection and Immunity. https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00523-18