Jesús Serrano-Luna

A Biochemical Comparison of Proteases from Pathogenic Naegleria fowleri and Non-Pathogenic Naegleria gruberi

ABSTRACT. Naegleria fowleri is the etiologic agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Proteases have been suggested to be involved in tissue invasion and destruction during infection. We analyzed and compared the complete protease profiles of total crude extract and conditioned medium of both pathogenic N. fowleri and non‐pathogenic Naegleria gruberi trophozoites. Using SDS‐PAGE, we found differences in the number and molecular weight of proteolytic bands between the two strains. The proteases showed optimal activity at pH 7.0 and 35 °C for both strains. Inhibition assays showed that the main proteolytic activity in both strains is due to cysteine proteases although serine proteases were also detected. Both N. fowleri and N. gruberi have a variety of different protease activities at different pH levels and temperatures. These proteases may allow the amoebae to acquire nutrients from different sources, including those from the host. Although, the role of the amoebic proteases in the pathogenesis of PAM is not clearly defined, it seems that proteases and other molecules of the parasite as well as those from the host, could be participating in the damage to the human central nervous system.

Host-Parasite Interaction: Parasite-Derived and -Induced Proteases That Degrade Human Extracellular Matrix

Parasitic protozoa are among the most important pathogens worldwide. Diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis, amoebiasis, giardiasis, trichomoniasis, and trypanosomiasis affect millions of people. Humans are constantly threatened by infections caused by these pathogens. Parasites engage a plethora of surface and secreted molecules to attach to and enter mammalian cells. The secretion of lytic enzymes by parasites into host organs mediates critical interactions because of the invasion and destruction of interstitial tissues, enabling parasite migration to other sites within the hosts. Extracellular matrix is a complex, cross-linked structure that holds cells together in an organized assembly and that forms the basement membrane lining (basal lamina). The extracellular matrix represents a major barrier to parasites. Therefore, the evolution of mechanisms for connective-tissue degradation may be of great importance for parasite survival. Recent advances have been achieved in our understanding of the biochemistry and molecular biology of proteases from parasitic protozoa. The focus of this paper is to discuss the role of protozoan parasitic proteases in the degradation of host ECM proteins and the participation of these molecules as virulence factors. We divide the paper into two sections, extracellular and intracellular protozoa.

Proteases from Entamoeba spp. and Pathogenic Free-Living Amoebae as Virulence Factors

The standard reference for pathogenic and nonpathogenic amoebae is the human parasite Entamoeba histolytica; a direct correlation between virulence and protease expression has been demonstrated for this amoeba. Traditionally, proteases are considered virulence factors, including those that produce cytopathic effects in the host or that have been implicated in manipulating the immune response. Here, we expand the scope to other amoebae, including less-pathogenic Entamoeba species and highly pathogenic free-living amoebae. In this paper, proteases that affect mucin, extracellular matrix, immune system components, and diverse tissues and cells are included, based on studies in amoebic cultures and animal models. We also include proteases used by amoebae to degrade iron-containing proteins because iron scavenger capacity is currently considered a virulence factor for pathogens. In addition, proteases that have a role in adhesion and encystation, which are essential for establishing and transmitting infection, are discussed. The study of proteases and their specific inhibitors is relevant to the search for new therapeutic targets and to increase the power of drugs used to treat the diseases caused by these complex microorganisms.

Iron-saturated lactoferrin and pathogenic protozoa: could this protein be an iron source for their parasitic style of life?

Iron is an essential nutrient for the survival of pathogens inside a host. As a general strategy against microbes, mammals have evolved complex iron-withholding systems for efficiently decreasing the iron accessible to invaders. Pathogens that inhabit the respiratory, intestinal and genitourinary tracts encounter an iron-deficient environment on the mucosal surface, where ferric iron is chelated by lactoferrin, an extracellular glycoprotein of the innate immune system. However, parasitic protozoa have developed several mechanisms to obtain iron from host holo-lactoferrin. Tritrichomonas fetus, Trichomonas vaginalis, Toxoplasma gondii and Entamoeba histolytica express lactoferrin-binding proteins and use holo-lactoferrin as an iron source for growth in vitro; in some species, these binding proteins are immunogenic and, therefore, may serve as potential vaccine targets. Another mechanism to acquire lactoferrin iron has been reported in Leishmania spp. promastigotes, which use a surface reductase to recognize and reduce ferric iron to the accessible ferrous form. Cysteine proteases that cleave lactoferrin have been reported in E. histolytica. This review summarizes the available information on how parasites uptake and use the iron from lactoferrin to survive in hostile host environments.

In vivo programmed cell death of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites in a hamster model of amoebic liver abscess.

Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites can induce host cell apoptosis, which correlates with the virulence of the parasite. This phenomenon has been seen during the resolution of an inflammatory response and the survival of the parasites. Other studies have shown that E. histolytica trophozoites undergo programmed cell death (PCD) in vitro, but how this process occurs within the mammalian host cell remains unclear. Here, we studied the PCD of E. histolytica trophozoites as part of an in vivo event related to the inflammatory reaction and the host-parasite interaction. Morphological study of amoebic liver abscesses showed only a few E. histolytica trophozoites with peroxidase-positive nuclei identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase enzyme-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL). To better understand PCD following the interaction between amoebae and inflammatory cells, we designed a novel in vivo model using a dialysis bag containing E. histolytica trophozoites, which was surgically placed inside the peritoneal cavity of a hamster and left to interact with the hosts exudate components. Amoebae collected from bags were then examined by TUNEL assay, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and transmission electron microscopy. Nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation of E. histolytica trophozoites were observed after exposure to peritoneal exudates, which were mainly composed of neutrophils and macrophages. Our results suggest that production of nitric oxide by inflammatory cells could be involved in PCD of trophozoites. In this modified in vivo system, PCD appears to play a prominent role in the host-parasite interaction and parasite cell death.

Disruption of MDCK cell tight junctions by the free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri

Naegleria fowleri is the aetiological agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. This parasite invades its host by penetrating the olfactory mucosa. However, the mechanism of epithelium penetration is not well understood. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of N. fowleri trophozoites and the non-pathogenic Naegleria gruberi on Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) tight junction proteins, including claudin-1, occludin and ZO-1, as well as on the actin cytoskeleton. Trophozoites from each of the free-living amoeba species were co-cultured with MDCK cells in a 1 : 1 ratio for 1, 3, 6 or 10 h. Light microscopy revealed that N. fowleri caused morphological changes as early as 3 h post-infection in an epithelial MDCK monolayer. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed that after 10 h of co-culture, N. fowleri trophozoites induced epithelial cell damage, which was characterized by changes in the actin apical ring and disruption of the ZO-1 and claudin-1 proteins but not occludin. Western blot assays revealed gradual degradation of ZO-1 and claudin-1 as early as 3 h post-infection. Likewise, there was a drop in transepithelial electrical resistance that resulted in increased epithelial permeability and facilitated the invasion of N. fowleri trophozoites by a paracellular route. In contrast, N. gruberi did not induce alterations in MDCK cells even at 10 h post-infection. Based on these results, we suggest that N. fowleri trophozoites disrupt epithelial monolayers, which could enable their penetration of the olfactory epithelium and subsequent invasion of the central nervous system.

Transferrin: Endocytosis and Cell Signaling in Parasitic Protozoa

Iron is the fourth most abundant element on Earth and the most abundant metal in the human body. This element is crucial for life because almost all organisms need iron for several biological activities. This is the case with pathogenic organisms, which are at the vanguard in the battle with the human host for iron. The latest regulates Fe concentration through several iron-containing proteins, such as transferrin. The transferrin receptor transports iron to each cell that needs it and maintains it away from pathogens. Parasites have developed several strategies to obtain iron as the expression of specific transferrin receptors localized on plasma membrane, internalized through endocytosis. Signal transduction pathways related to the activation of the receptor have functional importance in proliferation. The study of transferrin receptors and other proteins with action in the signaling networks is important because these proteins could be used as therapeutic targets due to their specificity or to differences with the human counterpart. In this work, we describe proteins that participate in signal transduction processes, especially those that involve transferrin endocytosis, and we compare these processes with those found in T. brucei, T. cruzi, Leishmania spp., and E. histolytica parasites.

Experimental Amebic Liver Abscess

Entamoeba histolytica is an enteric protozoan parasite of humans and the causative agent of amebiasis. Physiopathological mechanisms related to the production of liver damage during amebic infection are poorly understood. However, a deficient parasite-specific cell-mediated immunity has been reported in human amebiasis, which gradually recovers following antiamebic therapy. The potential contribution of cytokines for this suppression remains to be elucidated. Cytokine responses to infectious agents tend to segregate into two different patterns. Th-1 responses are characterized by interleukin (IL) 2, interferon-gamma (IFNg ), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa ) production; Th-2 responses are marked by the production of IL-4, 5, 6, 9, and 10. Protozoan infections tend to be susceptible to Th1 responses, while helminth infections are usually controlled by Th-2 responses. TNFa , a cytokine produced by macrophages and monocytes, is a potent mediator of inflammatory and immunological reactions. In combination with IFNg , TNFa has been shown to endow murine macrophages and human neutrophils with the capacity to kill E. histolytica in vitro , although large quantities of these cytokines are required to produce this effect (1). However, macrophages isolated from amebic liver abscess are functionally deficient, because they are unresponsive to IFNg and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activating signals for production of TNFa and cytotoxicity against amebas, and are also deficient in their ability to develop a respiratory burst (2). As macrophages are potent cells for amebicidal activity, a Th-1 cytokine response would be central in controlling invasive amebiasis, whereas production of macrophage downregulating cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-10, could inhibit the cellular immune response to E. histolytica (3). Although there are many in vitro studies, information on the production of cytokines during the in vivo amebic infection is lacking. The purpose of the present study was to identify TNFa in the amebic liver abscess in hamsters, because this cytokine may play an important role in the pathogenesis of this protozoan infection.

Double staining of β-galactosidase with fibrosis and cancer markers reveals the chronological appearance of senescence in liver carcinogenesis induced by diethylnitrosamine

Cellular senescence is characterized by irreversible cell arrest and is associated with the development of chronic diseases, including cancer. Here, we investigated the induction of cellular senescence during liver carcinogenesis. Liver cancer was induced in Fischer 344 rats with a weekly intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (50mg/kg body weight) for 16 weeks. Double-detection of β-galactosidase with Ki67 for cell proliferation; a-SMA and Pdgfrb for cell specificity; p53, p21, p16, and cyclin D1, CDK2, and CDK4 for senescence-associated molecular pathways and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) for hepatocarcinogenesis was assessed to determine the association of these markers with cellular senescence. DNA damage was measured through senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF) detection. Progressive cellular senescence was observed in both fibrotic septa and hepatocytes from week 10 to 18. The maximum peak of positive senescent and fibrotic cells was observed at week 16 and decreased at week 18, but cell proliferation remained high. Whereas the increased p16 expression and SAHF were concomitant with that of β-galactosidase, those of p53 and p21 were barely detected. Furthermore, β-galactosidase positive myofibroblast-like cells were mainly surrounding GGT-positive tumors. Our findings showed that in hepatocarcinogenesis by diethylnitrosamine, cellular senescence is associated with p16 pathway activation and is mainly localized in myofibroblast-like cells.

Acanthamoeba castellanii Proteases are Capable of Degrading Iron-Binding Proteins as a Possible Mechanism of Pathogenicity.

Acanthamoeba castellanii, a free‐living amoeba, is an amphizoic organism that can behave as an opportunistic pathogen, causing granulomatous amoebic encephalitis in immunocompromised patients or infecting immunocompetent individuals via cutaneous lesions, sinusoidal infections, or amoebic keratitis. Therefore, this amoeba could be in contact with different iron‐binding proteins, such as lactoferrin in tears and mucosa and transferrin and hemoglobin in blood. Iron is a vital and necessary element for host metabolism but also for parasite survival. Accordingly, parasites have developed iron uptake mechanisms, one of which is the utilization of proteases to degrade host iron‐binding proteins. In this work, we performed a partial biochemical characterization of A. castellanii proteases at different pHs and utilizing protease inhibitors with 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and copolymerized with different iron‐binding proteins. We describe for the first time the presence of several cysteine proteases in a total A. castellanii crude extract and in conditioned culture medium precipitated with ethanol. These amoebic peptidases degraded human holo‐lactoferrin, holo‐transferrin, hemoglobin, and horse spleen ferritin; some of these proteases were substrate specific, and others degraded multiple substrates. These proteases could be considered virulence factors that promote iron acquisition from the host.