RESUMO
Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease with a high incidence worldwide, affecting 270 million people. Despite the existence of a catalog of available drugs to combat this infection, their extensive use promotes the appearance of resistant Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis), and some side effects in treated people, which are reasons why it is necessary to find new alternatives to combat this infection. In this study, we investigated the impact of an in-house library comprising 55 compounds on the activity of the fused T. vaginalis G6PD::6PGL (TvG6PD::6PGL) protein, a protein mediating the first reaction step of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), a crucial pathway involved in the parasite's energy production. We found four compounds: JMM-3, CNZ-3, CNZ-17, and MCC-7, which inhibited the TvG6PD::6PGL protein by more than 50%. Furthermore, we determined the IC50, the inactivation constants, and the type of inhibition. Our results showed that these inhibitors induced catalytic function loss of the TvG6PD::6PGL enzyme by altering its secondary and tertiary structures. Finally, molecular docking was performed for the best inhibitors, JMM-3 and MCC-7. All our findings demonstrate the potential role of these selected hit compounds as TvG6PD::6PGL enzyme selective inhibitors.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/química , Proteínas de Bactérias , Inibidores Enzimáticos/química , Glucosefosfato Desidrogenase , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , Proteínas de Bactérias/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas de Bactérias/química , Glucosefosfato Desidrogenase/antagonistas & inibidores , Glucosefosfato Desidrogenase/química , CinéticaRESUMO
Lycorine is an Amaryllidaceae alkaloid that presents anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activity. T. vaginalis causes trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection. The modulation of T. vaginalis purinergic signaling through the ectonucleotidases, nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (NTPDase), and ecto-5'-nucleotidase represents new targets for combating the parasite. With this knowledge, the aim of this study was to investigate whether NTPDase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase inhibition by lycorine could lead to extracellular ATP accumulation. Moreover, the lycorine effect on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by neutrophils and parasites was evaluated as well as the alkaloid toxicity. The metabolism of purines was assessed by HPLC. ROS production was measured by flow cytometry. Cytotoxicity against epithelial vaginal cells and fibroblasts was tested, as well as the hemolytic effect of lycorine and its in vivo toxicity in Galleria mellonella larvae. Our findings showed that lycorine caused ATP accumulation due to NTPDase inhibition. The alkaloid did not affect the ROS production by T. vaginalis; however, it increased ROS levels in neutrophils incubated with lycorine-treated trophozoites. Lycorine was cytotoxic against vaginal epithelial cells and fibroblasts; conversely, it was not hemolytic neither exhibited toxicity against the in vivo model of G. mellonella larvae. Overall, besides having anti-T. vaginalis activity, lycorine modulates ectonucleotidases and stimulates neutrophils to secrete ROS. This mechanism of action exerted by the alkaloid could enhance the susceptibility of T. vaginalis to host immune cell, contributing to protozoan clearance.
Assuntos
Alcaloides de Amaryllidaceae/farmacologia , Amaryllidaceae/química , Antiprotozoários/farmacologia , Neutrófilos/metabolismo , Nucleosídeo-Trifosfatase/antagonistas & inibidores , Fenantridinas/farmacologia , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Proteínas de Protozoários/antagonistas & inibidores , Tricomoníase/metabolismo , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , 5'-Nucleotidase/antagonistas & inibidores , 5'-Nucleotidase/metabolismo , Humanos , Neutrófilos/efeitos dos fármacos , Nucleosídeo-Trifosfatase/metabolismo , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Tricomoníase/parasitologia , Trichomonas vaginalis/efeitos dos fármacos , Trichomonas vaginalis/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trichomonas vaginalis/metabolismo , Trofozoítos/efeitos dos fármacos , Trofozoítos/enzimologia , Trofozoítos/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Trofozoítos/metabolismoRESUMO
Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) induces host cell damage through cysteine proteinases (CPs) modulated by iron. An immunoproteomic analysis showed that trichomoniasis patient sera recognize various CPs, also some of them are present in vaginal washes (VWs). Thus, the goal of this work was to determine whether TvCP2 is expressed during infection and to assess the effect of iron on TvCP2 expression, localization and contribution to in vitro cellular damage. Western-blotting (WB) assays using TvCP2r and vaginitis patient serum samples showed that 6/9 Tv (+) but none of the Tv (-) patient sera recognized TvCP2r. WB using an anti-TvCP2r antibody and VWs from the same patients showed that in all of the Tv (+) but none of the Tv (-) VWs, the anti-TvCP2r antibody detected a 27 kDa protein band that corresponded to the mature TvCP2, which was confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Iron decreased the amount of TvCP2 mRNA and the protein localized on the parasite surface and cytoplasmic vesicles concomitant with the cytotoxic effect of TvCP2 on HeLa cells. Parasites pretreated with the anti-TvCP2r antibody also showed reduced levels of cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction in HeLa cell monolayers. In conclusion, these results show that TvCP2 is expressed during trichomonal infection and plays an important role in the in vitro HeLa cell cytotoxic damage under iron-restricted conditions.
Assuntos
Cisteína Proteases/metabolismo , Ferro/administração & dosagem , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Trichomonas vaginalis/efeitos dos fármacos , Vagina/parasitologia , Secreções Corporais/parasitologia , Feminino , Humanos , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologiaRESUMO
INTRODUCCTION: Trichomonas vaginalis is a highly prevalent parasitic that causes the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis with some serious health complications. More understanding about genetic features of the parasite can be helpful in the study of the pathogenesis, epidemiology of the infection and drug susceptibility. For this end, we conducted analysis of a fragment (23 kDa) of the p60 of T. vaginalis gene. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods was used. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: RFLP analysis showed the difference between T. vaginalis isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, suggesting a relation between the genetic identity of the isolates and their clinical manifestations.
Assuntos
Variação Genética , Peptídeo Hidrolases/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Trichomonas vaginalis/genética , Adolescente , DNA de Protozoário/genética , Feminino , Humanos , Filogenia , Polimorfismo de Fragmento de Restrição , Tricomoníase/parasitologia , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologiaRESUMO
Trichomonas vaginalis induces cellular damage to the host cells (cytotoxicity) through the proteolytic activity of multiple proteinases of the cysteine type (CPs). Some CPs are modulated by environmental factors such as iron, zinc, polyamines, etc. Thus, the goal of this study was to assess the effect of glucose on T. vaginalis cytotoxicity, proteolytic activity and the particular role of TvCP2 (TVAG_057000) during cellular damage. Cytotoxicity assays showed that glucose-restriction (GR) promotes the highest HeLa cell monolayers destruction (~95%) by trichomonads compared to those grown under high glucose (~44%) condition. Zymography and Western blot using different primary antibodies showed that GR increased the proteolytic activity, amount and secretion of certain CPs, including TvCP2. We further characterized the effect of glucose on TvCP2. TvCP2 increases in GR, localized in vesicles close to the plasma membrane and on the surface of T. vaginalis. Furthermore, pretreatment of GR-trichomonads with an anti-TvCP2r polyclonal antibody specifically reduced the levels of cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction to HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, our data show that GR, as a nutritional stress condition, promotes trichomonal cytotoxicity to the host cells, increases trichomonad proteolytic activity and amount of CPs, such as TvCP2 involved in cellular damage.
Assuntos
Apoptose , Cisteína Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Glucose/metabolismo , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , Trichomonas vaginalis/patogenicidade , Membrana Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Membrana Celular/metabolismo , Glucose/farmacologia , Células HeLa , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Humanos , Fenômenos Fisiológicos da Nutrição , Proteólise , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismoRESUMO
Previously, metalloproteinase was isolated and identified from Trichomonas vaginalis, belonging to the aminopeptidase P-like metalloproteinase subfamily A/B, family M24 of clan MG, named TvMP50. The native and recombinant TvMP50 showed proteolytic activity, determined by gelatin zymogram, and a 50 kDa band, suggesting that TvMP50 is a monomeric active enzyme. This was an unexpected finding since other Xaa-Pro aminopeptidases/prolidases are active as a biological unit formed by dimers/tetramers. In this study, the evolutionary history of TvMP50 and the preliminary crystal structure of the recombinant enzyme determined at 3.4 Å resolution is reported. TvMP50 was shown to be a type of putative, eukaryotic, monomeric aminopeptidase P, and the crystallographic coordinates showed a monomer on a "pseudo-homodimer" array on the asymmetric unit that resembles the quaternary structure of the M24B dimeric family and suggests a homodimeric aminopeptidase P-like enzyme as a likely ancestor. Interestingly, TvMP50 had a modified N-terminal region compared with other Xaa-Pro aminopeptidases/prolidases with three-dimensional structures; however, the formation of the standard dimer is structurally unstable in aqueous solution, and a comparably reduced number of hydrogen bridges and lack of saline bridges were found between subunits A/B, which could explain why TvMP50 portrays monomeric functionality. Additionally, we found that the Parabasalia group contains two protein lineages with a "pita bread" fold; the ancestral monomeric group 1 was probably derived from an ancestral dimeric aminopeptidase P-type enzyme, and group 2 has a probable dimeric kind of ancestral eukaryotic prolidase lineage. The implications of such hypotheses are also presented.
Assuntos
Aminopeptidases/metabolismo , Metaloproteases/metabolismo , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Aminopeptidases/química , Aminopeptidases/genética , Cristalografia por Raios X , Dipeptidases/química , Dipeptidases/genética , Dipeptidases/metabolismo , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Metaloproteases/química , Metaloproteases/genética , Peso Molecular , Filogenia , Conformação Proteica , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Homologia de Sequência de Aminoácidos , Especificidade por Substrato , Trichomonas vaginalis/classificação , Trichomonas vaginalis/genéticaRESUMO
Trichomonas vaginalis genome encodes â¼440 proteases, six of which are aspartic proteases (APs). However, only one belongs to a clan AA (EC 3.4.23.5), family A1 (pepsin A), cathepsin D-like protease. This AP is encoded by an 1113-bp gene (tv-catd), which translates into a 370-aa residues zymogen of 40.7-kDa and a theoretical pI of 4.6, generating a â¼35â¯kDa active enzyme after maturation (Tv-CatD). The goal of this study was to identify and analyze the effect of glucose on the expression of Tv-CatD at the transcript and protein levels, subcellular localization, and proteolytic activity. The qRT-PCR assays showed a â¼2-fold increase in tv-catd mRNA under high-glucose (HG) conditions compared to glucose-restriction (GR) conditions. We amplified, cloned, and expressed the tv-catd gene, and purified the recombinant precursor enzyme (Tv-CatDr) to generate a polyclonal antibody (anti-Tv-CatDr). Western blot (WB) and immunolocalization assays showed that glucose increases the amount of Tv-CatD in different subcellular localizations and in in vitro secretions. Additionally, Tv-CatD proteolytic activity was detected in protease-resistant extracts (PREs) using a synthetic fluorogenic peptide specific for cathepsin D/E APs at different pHs and in the presence of AP inhibitors. In a two-dimensional (2-DE) WB analysis of a PRE from parasites grown under GR and HG conditions, an anti-Tv-CatDr antibody detected a 35-kDa protein spot at pI 5.0 identified as the mature Tv-CatD form by mass spectrometry that showed proteolytic activity in 2-DE zymograms copolymerized with hemoglobin under both glucose conditions. Thus, Tv-CatD could be involved in trichomonal hemolysis.
Assuntos
Ácido Aspártico Endopeptidases/química , Glucose/química , Hemoglobinas/química , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , Ácido Aspártico Endopeptidases/genética , Ácido Aspártico Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Glucose/metabolismo , Hemoglobinas/metabolismo , Humanos , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Especificidade por Substrato/fisiologia , Trichomonas vaginalis/genéticaRESUMO
Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that can adapt to the trichomonicidal Zn2+ concentrations of the male urogenital tract microenvironment. This adaptation is mediated by molecular mechanisms, including proteinase expression, that are regulated by cations such as Zn2+. Herein, we characterized the previously identified 50kDa metalloproteinase aminopeptidase P (M24 family) member TvMP50 as a new Zn2+-mediated parasite virulence factor. Quantitative RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assays corroborated the positive regulation of both mp50 gene expression and native TvMP50 protein overexpression in the cytoplasm and secretion products of parasites grown in the presence of Zn2+. Furthermore, this active metalloproteinase was characterized as a new virulence factor by assaying cytotoxicity toward prostatic DU145 cell monolayers as well as the inhibition of parasite and secreted soluble protein proteolytic activity in the 50kDa proteolytic region by the specific metalloproteinase inhibitor 1,10-phenanthroline and the chelating agents EDTA and EGTA. Parasite and secreted soluble protein cytotoxicity toward DU145 cells were reduced by treatment with an α-rTvMP50 polyclonal antibody. Our results show that the metalloproteinase TvMP50 is a new virulence factor modulated by Zn2+, which is present during male trichomoniasis, possibly explaining T. vaginalis survival even within the adverse conditions of the male urogenital microenvironment.
Assuntos
Metaloproteases/metabolismo , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , Fatores de Virulência/metabolismo , Zinco/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular , Células Cultivadas , Cromatografia Líquida , Feminino , Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Masculino , Metaloproteases/química , Metaloproteases/genética , Transporte Proteico , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem , Vaginite por Trichomonas/parasitologia , Trichomonas vaginalis/genética , Trichomonas vaginalis/patogenicidade , Fatores de Virulência/química , Fatores de Virulência/genéticaRESUMO
The protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis contains two nearly identical triosephosphate isomerases (TvTIMs) that dissociate into stable monomers and dimerize upon substrate binding. Herein, we compare the role of the "ball and socket" and loop 3 interactions in substrate assisted dimer assembly in both TvTIMs. We found that point mutants at the "ball" are only 39 and 29-fold less catalytically active than their corresponding wild-type counterparts, whereas Δloop 3 deletions are 1502 and 9400-fold less active. Point and deletion mutants dissociate into stable monomers. However, point mutants assemble as catalytic competent dimers upon binding of the transition state substrate analog PGH, whereas loop 3 deletions remain monomeric. A comparison between crystal structures of point and loop 3 deletion monomeric mutants illustrates that the catalytic residues in point mutants and wild-type TvTIMs are maintained in the same orientation, whereas the catalytic residues in deletion mutants show an increase in thermal mobility and present structural disorder that may hamper their catalytic role. The high enzymatic activity present in monomeric point mutants correlates with the formation of dimeric TvTIMs upon substrate binding. In contrast, the low activity and lack of dimer assembly in deletion mutants suggests a role of loop 3 in promoting the formation of the active site as well as dimer assembly. Our results suggest that in TvTIMs the active site is assembled during dimerization and that the integrity of loop 3 and ball and socket residues is crucial to stabilize the dimer.
Assuntos
Sequência de Bases , Ácidos Hidroxâmicos/química , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Deleção de Sequência , Trichomonas vaginalis/enzimologia , Triose-Fosfato Isomerase/química , Motivos de Aminoácidos , Domínio Catalítico , Cristalografia por Raios X , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Teste de Complementação Genética , Ácidos Hidroxâmicos/metabolismo , Cinética , Modelos Moleculares , Mutação Puntual , Ligação Proteica , Domínios e Motivos de Interação entre Proteínas , Multimerização Proteica , Estrutura Secundária de Proteína , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Especificidade por Substrato , Termodinâmica , Trichomonas vaginalis/química , Triose-Fosfato Isomerase/genética , Triose-Fosfato Isomerase/metabolismoRESUMO
The legumain-like cysteine proteinase TvLEGU-1 from Trichomonas vaginalis plays a major role in trichomonal cytoadherence. However, its structure-function characterization has been limited by the lack of a reliable recombinant expression platform to produce this protein in its native folded conformation. TvLEGU-1 has been expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies and all efforts to refold it have failed. Here, we describe the expression of the synthetic codon-optimized tvlegu-1 (tvlegu-1-opt) gene in Pichia pastoris strain X-33 (Mut+) under the inducible AOX1 promoter. The active TvLEGU-1 recombinant protein (rTvLEGU-1) was secreted into the medium when tvlegu-1-opt was fused to the Aspergillus niger alpha-amylase signal peptide. The rTvLEGU-1 secretion was influenced by the gene copy number and induction temperature. Data indicate that increasing tvlegu-1-opt gene copy number was detrimental for heterologous expression of the enzymatically active TvLEGU-1. Indeed, expression of TvLEGU-1 had a greater impact on cell viability for those clones with 26 or 29 gene copy number, and cell lysis was observed when the induction was carried out at 30 °C. The enzyme activity in the medium was higher when the induction was carried out at 16 °C and in P. pastoris clones with lower gene copy number. The results presented here suggest that both copy number and induction temperature affect the rTvLEGU-1 expression in its native-like and active conformation.