Brian Suárez Mantilla

Proline Dehydrogenase Regulates Redox State and Respiratory Metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi

Over the past three decades, L-proline has become recognized as an important metabolite for trypanosomatids. It is involved in a number of key processes, including energy metabolism, resistance to oxidative and nutritional stress and osmoregulation. In addition, this amino acid supports critical parasite life cycle processes by acting as an energy source, thus enabling host-cell invasion by the parasite and subsequent parasite differentiation. In this paper, we demonstrate that L-proline is oxidized to Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) by the enzyme proline dehydrogenase (TcPRODH, E.C. 1.5.99.8) localized in Trypanosoma cruzi mitochondria. When expressed in its active form in Escherichia coli, TcPRODH exhibits a Km of 16.58±1.69 µM and a Vmax of 66±2 nmol/min mg. Furthermore, we demonstrate that TcPRODH is a FAD-dependent dimeric state protein. TcPRODH mRNA and protein expression are strongly upregulated in the intracellular epimastigote, a stage which requires an external supply of proline. In addition, when Saccharomyces cerevisiae null mutants for this gene (PUT1) were complemented with the TcPRODH gene, diminished free intracellular proline levels and an enhanced sensitivity to oxidative stress in comparison to the null mutant were observed, supporting the hypothesis that free proline accumulation constitutes a defense against oxidative imbalance. Finally, we show that proline oxidation increases cytochrome c oxidase activity in mitochondrial vesicles. Overall, these results demonstrate that TcPRODH is involved in proline-dependant cytoprotection during periods of oxidative imbalance and also shed light on the participation of proline in energy metabolism, which drives critical processes of the T. cruzi life cycle.

The Uniqueness of the Trypanosoma cruzi Mitochondrion: Opportunities to Target New Drugs Against Chagas Disease

Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, which affects some 8 - 10 million people in the Americas. The only two drugs approved for the etiological treatment of the disease in humans were launched more than 40 years ago and have serious drawbacks. In the present work, we revisit the unique characteristics of T. cruzi mitochondria and mitochondrial metabolism. The possibility of taking advantage of these peculiarities to target new drugs against this parasite is also discussed.

Role of Δ1-Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Dehydrogenase Supports Mitochondrial Metabolism and Host-Cell Invasion of Trypanosoma cruzi

Background: The enzyme, Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH), is a key enzyme involved in proline catabolism. Results: The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi up-regulates P5CDH during host infection. Conclusion: T. cruzi uses P5C to produce energy, resist metabolic stress, and invade host cells through this mitochondrion-bound enzyme. Significance: The oxidation of P5C is sufficient to supply energy and enhance the pathogenicity of T. cruzi. Proline is crucial for energizing critical events throughout the life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. The proline breakdown pathway consists of two oxidation steps, both of which produce reducing equivalents as follows: the conversion of proline to Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C), and the subsequent conversion of P5C to glutamate. We have identified and characterized the Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase from T. cruzi (TcP5CDH) and report here on how this enzyme contributes to a central metabolic pathway in this parasite. Size-exclusion chromatography, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and small angle x-ray scattering analysis of TcP5CDH revealed an oligomeric state composed of two subunits of six protomers. TcP5CDH was found to complement a yeast strain deficient in PUT2 activity, confirming the enzymes functional role; and the biochemical parameters (Km, kcat, and kcat/Km) of the recombinant TcP5CDH were determined, exhibiting values comparable with those from T. cruzi lysates. In addition, TcP5CDH exhibited mitochondrial staining during the main stages of the T. cruzi life cycle. mRNA and enzymatic activity levels indicated the up-regulation (6-fold change) of TcP5CDH during the infective stages of the parasite. The participation of P5C as an energy source was also demonstrated. Overall, we propose that this enzymatic step is crucial for the viability of both replicative and infective forms of T. cruzi.

Proline Metabolism is Essential for Trypanosoma brucei brucei Survival in the Tsetse Vector

Adaptation to different nutritional environments is essential for life cycle completion by all Trypanosoma brucei sub-species. In the tsetse fly vector, L-proline is among the most abundant amino acids and is mainly used by the fly for lactation and to fuel flight muscle. The procyclic (insect) stage of T. b. brucei uses L-proline as its main carbon source, relying on an efficient catabolic pathway to convert it to glutamate, and then to succinate, acetate and alanine as the main secreted end products. Here we investigated the essentiality of an undisrupted proline catabolic pathway in T. b. brucei by studying mitochondrial Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (TbP5CDH), which catalyzes the irreversible conversion of gamma-glutamate semialdehyde (γGS) into L-glutamate and NADH. In addition, we provided evidence for the absence of a functional proline biosynthetic pathway. TbP5CDH expression is developmentally regulated in the insect stages of the parasite, but absent in bloodstream forms grown in vitro. RNAi down-regulation of TbP5CDH severely affected the growth of procyclic trypanosomes in vitro in the absence of glucose, and altered the metabolic flux when proline was the sole carbon source. Furthermore, TbP5CDH knocked-down cells exhibited alterations in the mitochondrial inner membrane potential (ΔΨm), respiratory control ratio and ATP production. Also, changes in the proline-glutamate oxidative capacity slightly affected the surface expression of the major surface glycoprotein EP-procyclin. In the tsetse, TbP5CDH knocked-down cells were impaired and thus unable to colonize the fly’s midgut, probably due to the lack of glucose between bloodmeals. Altogether, our data show that the regulated expression of the proline metabolism pathway in T. b. brucei allows this parasite to adapt to the nutritional environment of the tsetse midgut.

The Involvement of Glutamate Metabolism in the Resistance to Thermal, Nutritional, and Oxidative Stress in Trypanosoma cruzi

The inhibition of some glutamate metabolic pathways could lead to diminished parasite survival. In this study, the effects of L-methionine sulfoximine (MS), DL-methionine sulfone (MSO), and DL-methionine sulfoxide (MSE), three glutamate analogs, on several biological processes were evaluated. We found that these analogs inhibited the growth of epimastigotes cells and showed a synergistic effect with stress conditions such as temperature, nutritional starvation, and oxidative stress. The specific activity for the reductive amination of α-ketoglutaric acid, catalyzed by the NADP+-linked glutamate dehydrogenase, showed an increase in the NADP+ levels, when MS, MSE, and MSO were added. It suggests an eventual conversion of the compounds tested by the T. cruzi cells. The fact that trypomastigote bursting was not significantly inhibited when infected cells were treated with these compounds, remarks the existence of relevant metabolic differences among the different life-cycle stages. It must be considered when proposing a new therapeutic drug.

Metabolomic profiling reveals a finely tuned, starvation-induced metabolic switch in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is a protozoan parasite with a complex life cycle involving a triatomine insect and mammals. Throughout its life cycle, the T. cruzi parasite faces several alternating events of cell division and cell differentiation in which exponential and stationary growth phases play key biological roles. It is well accepted that arrest of the cell division in the epimastigote stage, both in the midgut of the triatomine insect and in vitro, is required for metacyclogenesis, and it has been previously shown that the parasites change the expression profile of several proteins when entering this quiescent stage. However, little is known about the metabolic changes that epimastigotes undergo before they develop into the metacyclic trypomastigote stage. We applied targeted metabolomics to measure the metabolic intermediates in the most relevant pathways for energy metabolism and oxidative imbalance in exponentially growing and stationary growth-arrested epimastigote parasites. We show for the first time that T. cruzi epimastigotes transitioning from the exponential to the stationary phase exhibit a finely tuned adaptive metabolic mechanism that enables switching from glucose to amino acid consumption, which is more abundant in the stationary phase. This metabolic plasticity appears to be crucial for survival of the T. cruzi parasite in the myriad different environmental conditions to which it is exposed during its life cycle.

The active transport of histidine and its role in ATP production in Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas’s disease, metabolizes glucose, and after its exhaustion, degrades amino acids as energy source. Here, we investigate histidine uptake and its participation in energy metabolism. No putative genes for the histidine biosynthetic pathway have been identified in genome databases of T. cruzi, suggesting that its uptake from extracellular medium is a requirement for the viability of the parasite. From this assumption, we characterized the uptake of histidine in T. cruzi, showing that this amino acid is incorporated through a single and saturable active system. We also show that histidine can be completely oxidised to CO2. This finding, together with the fact that genes encoding the putative enzymes for the histidine - glutamate degradation pathway were annotated, led us to infer its participation in the energy metabolism of the parasite. Here, we show that His is capable of restoring cell viability after long-term starvation. We confirm that as an energy source, His provides electrons to the electron transport chain, maintaining mitochondrial inner membrane potential and O2 consumption in a very efficient manner. Additionally, ATP biosynthesis from oxidative phosphorylation was found when His was the only oxidisable metabolite present, showing that this amino acid is involved in bioenergetics and parasite persistence within its invertebrate host.

Biochemical characterization of serine acetyltransferase and cysteine desulfhydrase from Leishmania major.

Cysteine metabolism exhibits atypical features in Leishmania parasites. The nucleotide sequence annotated as LmjF32.2640 encodes a cysteine desulfhydrase, which specifically catalyzes the breakdown of cysteine into pyruvate, NH(3) and H(2)S. Like in other pathogens, this capacity might be associated with regulatory mechanisms to control the intracellular level of cysteine, a highly toxic albeit essential amino acid, in addition to generate pyruvate for energy production. Besides, our results provide the first insight into the biochemical properties of Leishmania major serine acetyltransferase (SAT), which is likely involved in the two routes for de novo synthesis of cysteine in this pathogen. When compared with other members of SAT family, the N-terminal region of L. major homologue is uniquely extended, and seems to be essential for proper protein folding. Furthermore, unlike plant and bacterial enzymes, the carboxy-terminal-C(10) sequence stretch of L. major SAT appears not to be implicated in forming a tight bi-enzyme complex with cysteine synthase.

Cystathionine γ-lyase, an Enzyme Related to the Reverse Transsulfuration Pathway, is Functional in Leishmania spp.

Leishmania parasites seem capable of producing cysteine by de novo biosynthesis, similarly to bacteria, some pathogenic protists, and plants. In Leishmania spp., cysteine synthase (CS) and cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) are expected to participate in this metabolic process. Moreover, the reverse transsulfuration pathway (RTP) is also predicted to be operative in this trypanosomatid because CBS also catalyzes the condensation of serine with homocysteine, and a gene encoding a putative cystathionine γ‐lyase (CGL) is present in all the sequenced genomes. Our results show that indeed, Leishmania major CGL is able to rescue the wild‐type phenotype of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae CGL‐null mutant and is susceptible to inhibition by an irreversible CGL inhibitor, DL‐propargylglycine (PAG). In Leishmania promastigotes, CGL and CS are cytosolic enzymes. The coexistence of de novo synthesis with the RTP is extremely rare in most living organisms; however, despite this potentially high redundancy in cysteine production, PAG arrests the proliferation of L. major promastigotes with an IC50 of approximately 65 μM. These findings raise new questions regarding the biological role of CGL in these pathogens and indicate the need for understanding the molecular mechanism of PAG action in vivo to identify the potential targets affected by this drug.