bims-toxgon Biomed News
on Toxoplasma gondii metabolism
Issue of 2022–10–23
six papers selected by
Lakesh Kumar, BITS Pilani
  1. A positive feedback loop mediates crosstalk between calcium, cyclic nucleotide and lipid signalling in calcium-induced Toxoplasma gondii egress.
  2. Study on the antagonistic effects of koumiss on Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice.
  3. Comprehensive analysis of mRNA-lncRNA co-expression profiles in mouse brain during infection with Toxoplasma gondii.
  4. Role of AMPK in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury-Induced Cell Death in the Presence and Absence of Diabetes.
  5. Greater Phosphorylation of AMPK and Multiple AMPK Substrates in the Skeletal Muscle of 24 Month-old Calorie Restricted Compared to Ad Libitum Fed Male Rats.
  6. An apical membrane complex for triggering rhoptry exocytosis and invasion in Toxoplasma.
  1. PLoS Pathog. 2022 Oct 20. 18(10): e1010901
    A positive feedback loop mediates crosstalk between calcium, cyclic nucleotide and lipid signalling in calcium-induced Toxoplasma gondii egress.
    Stephanie D Nofal, Caia Dominicus, Malgorzata Broncel, Nicholas J Katris, Helen R Flynn, Gustavo Arrizabalaga, Cyrille Y Botté, Brandon M Invergo, Moritz Treeck.
      Fundamental processes that govern the lytic cycle of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii are regulated by several signalling pathways. However, how these pathways are connected remains largely unknown. Here, we compare the phospho-signalling networks during Toxoplasma egress from its host cell by artificially raising cGMP or calcium levels. We show that both egress inducers trigger indistinguishable signalling responses and provide evidence for a positive feedback loop linking calcium and cyclic nucleotide signalling. Using WT and conditional knockout parasites of the non-essential calcium-dependent protein kinase 3 (CDPK3), which display a delay in calcium inonophore-mediated egress, we explore changes in phosphorylation and lipid signalling in sub-minute timecourses after inducing Ca2+ release. These studies indicate that cAMP and lipid metabolism are central to the feedback loop, which is partly dependent on CDPK3 and allows the parasite to respond faster to inducers of egress. Biochemical analysis of 4 phosphodiesterases (PDEs) identified in our phosphoproteomes establishes PDE2 as a cAMP-specific PDE which regulates Ca2+ induced egress in a CDPK3-independent manner. The other PDEs display dual hydrolytic activity and play no role in Ca2+ induced egress. In summary, we uncover a positive feedback loop that enhances signalling during egress, thereby linking several signalling pathways.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1010901
  2. Front Nutr. 2022 ;9 1014344
    Study on the antagonistic effects of koumiss on Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice.
    Xinlei Yan, Yufei Sun, Guangzhi Zhang, Wenying Han, Jialu Gao, Xiuli Yu, Xindong Jin.
      Toxoplasma gondii is an important food-borne zoonotic parasite, and approximately one-third of people worldwide are positive for T. gondii antibodies. To date, there are no specific drugs or vaccines against T. gondii. Therefore, developing a new safe and effective method has become a new trend in treating toxoplasmosis. Koumiss is rich in probiotics and many components that can alleviate the clinical symptoms of many diseases via the functional characteristics of koumiss and its regulation of intestinal flora. To investigate the antagonistic effect of koumiss on T. gondii infection, the model of acute and chronic T. gondii infection was established in this study. The survival rate, SHIRPA score, serum cytokine levels, brain cyst counts, β-amyloid deposition and intestinal flora changes were measured after koumiss feeding. The results showed that the clinical symptoms of mice were improved at 6 dpi and that the SHIRPA score decreased after koumiss feeding (P < 0.05). At the same time, the levels of IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α decreased (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference of survival rate between koumiss treatment and the other groups. Surprisingly, the results of chronic infection models showed that koumiss could significantly reduce the number of brain cysts in mice (P < 0.05), improve β-amyloid deposition in the hippocampus (P < 0.01) and decrease the levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Moreover, koumiss could influence the gut microbiota function in resisting T. gondii infection. In conclusion, koumiss had a significant effect on chronic T. gondii infection in mice and could improve the relevant indicators of acute T. gondii infection in mice. The research provides new evidence for the development of safe and effective anti-T. gondii methods, as well as a theoretical basis and data support for the use of probiotics against T. gondii infection and broadened thoughts for the development and utilization of koumiss.
    Keywords:  Toxoplasma gondii; cyst counting; cytokines; intestinal microbiota; koumiss; β-amyloid deposition
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1014344
  3. Acta Trop. 2022 Oct 15. pii: S0001-706X(22)00414-4. [Epub ahead of print]237 106722
    Comprehensive analysis of mRNA-lncRNA co-expression profiles in mouse brain during infection with Toxoplasma gondii.
    Xu-Dong Guo, Chun-Xue Zhou, Ling-Yu Li, Kang Ai, Yong-Liang Wang, Dong-Hui Zhou.
      Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite which seriously threatens the health of domestic animals and humans. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts greater than 200 nucleotides, which are widely involved in transcriptional and epigenetic regulations. However, little is known about the roles of host lncRNAs in the response to T. gondii infections. In this study, using Illumina sequencing technology, we analyzed the expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs in BALB/c mouse brain following infection by T. gondii PRU strain (type II genotype) cysts. The identified differentially expressed (DE) RNAs were subjected to bioinformatics analysis. A total of 2,090 annotated lncRNAs along with 3,577 novel lncRNAs were identified. In the acutely infected mouse brain, a total of 330 mRNAs and 19 lncRNAs were dys-regulated, whereas 136 DE mRNAs and 9 DE lncRNAs were identified in chronically infected mouse brain. GO analysis revealed that these DE mRNAs identified at acute infection stage were involved in immune response, whereas DE mRNAs found at chronic infection stage were mostly enriched in response to protozoan. KEGG analysis showed that DE mRNAs were significantly enriched in disease related pathways. In addition, the putative mRNA-lncRNA co-expression network was constructed, and several hub regulatory RNAs were identified based on the transcriptome data. This study firstly characterized the co-expression profile of mRNAs and lncRNAs in mouse brain infected with T. gondii and provided a framework for further studies of the roles of lncRNAs in host neuropathology during toxoplasmosis progression.
    Keywords:  Brain; Co-expression; Toxoplasma gondii; lncRNAs; mRNA
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106722
  4. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022 ;2022 7346699
    Role of AMPK in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury-Induced Cell Death in the Presence and Absence of Diabetes.
    Nirupama Kandula, Saurabh Kumar, Venkata Kiran Kumar Mandlem, Aneela Siddabathuni, Sanjay Singh, Ramoji Kosuru.
      Recent studies indicate cell death is the hallmark of cardiac pathology in myocardial infarction and diabetes. The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signalling pathway is considered a putative salvaging phenomenon, plays a decisive role in almost all cellular, metabolic, and survival functions, and therefore entails precise regulation of its activity. AMPK regulates various programmed cell death depending on the stimuli and context, including autophagy, apoptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis. There is substantial evidence suggesting that AMPK is down-regulated in cardiac tissues of animals and humans with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome compared to non-diabetic control and that stimulation of AMPK (physiological or pharmacological) can ameliorate diabetes-associated cardiovascular complications, such as myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Furthermore, AMPK is an exciting therapeutic target for developing novel drug candidates to treat cell death in diabetes-associated myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Therefore, in this review, we summarized how AMPK regulates autophagic, apoptotic, necroptotic, and ferroptosis pathways in the context of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in the presence and absence of diabetes.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7346699
  5. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Oct 21. pii: glac218. [Epub ahead of print]
    Greater Phosphorylation of AMPK and Multiple AMPK Substrates in the Skeletal Muscle of 24 Month-old Calorie Restricted Compared to Ad Libitum Fed Male Rats.
    Amy Zheng, Seong Eun Kwak, Jesper B Birk, Edward B Arias, Dominic Thorley, Jørgen F P Wojtaszewski, Gregory D Cartee.
      AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a highly conserved, heterotrimeric serine/threonine kinase with critical sensory and regulatory functions, is proposed to induce anti-aging actions of caloric restriction (CR). Although earlier studies assessed CR's effects on AMPK in rodent skeletal muscle, the scope of these studies was narrow with limited focus on older animals. This study's purpose was to fill important knowledge gaps related to CR's influence on AMPK in skeletal muscle of older animals. Therefore, using epitrochlearis muscles from 24 month-old ad libitum fed (AL) and CR (consuming 65% of AL intake for 8 weeks), male Fischer-344 x Brown Norway F1 rats, we determined: 1) AMPK Thr172 phosphorylation (a key regulatory site) by immunoblot; 2) AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 activity (representing the two catalytic α-subunits of AMPK), and AMPKγ3 activity (representing AMPK complexes that include the skeletal muscle-selective regulatory γ3 subunit) using enzymatic assays; 3) phosphorylation of multiple protein substrates that are linked to CR-related effects (acetyl CoA carboxylase, ACC, that regulates lipid oxidation; Beclin-1 and ULK1 that are autophagy regulatory proteins; Raptor, mTORC1 complex protein that regulates autophagy; TBC1D1 and TBC1D4 that regulate glucose uptake) by immunoblot; and 4) ATP and AMP concentrations (key AMPK regulators) by mass spectrometry. The results revealed significant CR-associated increases in the phosphorylation of AMPK Thr172 and four AMPK substrates (ACC, Beclin-1, TBC1D1, TBC1D4), without significant diet-related differences in ATP or AMP concentration or AMPKα1-, AMPKα2-, or AMPKγ3-associated activity. The enhanced phosphorylation of multiple AMPK substrates provides novel mechanistic insights linking AMPK to functionally important consequences of CR.
    Keywords:  Beclin-1; TBC1D1; TBC1D4; ULK1; acetyl-CoA carboxylase
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glac218
  6. EMBO J. 2022 Oct 17. e111158
    An apical membrane complex for triggering rhoptry exocytosis and invasion in Toxoplasma.
    Daniela Sparvoli, Jason Delabre, Diana Marcela Penarete-Vargas, Shrawan Kumar Mageswaran, Lev M Tsypin, Justine Heckendorn, Liam Theveny, Marjorie Maynadier, Marta Mendonça Cova, Laurence Berry-Sterkers, Amandine Guérin, Jean-François Dubremetz, Serge Urbach, Boris Striepen, Aaron P Turkewitz, Yi-Wei Chang, Maryse Lebrun.
      Apicomplexan parasites possess secretory organelles called rhoptries that undergo regulated exocytosis upon contact with the host. This process is essential for the parasitic lifestyle of these pathogens and relies on an exocytic machinery sharing structural features and molecular components with free-living ciliates. However, how the parasites coordinate exocytosis with host interaction is unknown. Here, we performed a Tetrahymena-based transcriptomic screen to uncover novel exocytic factors in Ciliata and conserved in Apicomplexa. We identified membrane-bound proteins, named CRMPs, forming part of a large complex essential for rhoptry secretion and invasion in Toxoplasma. Using cutting-edge imaging tools, including expansion microscopy and cryo-electron tomography, we show that, unlike previously described rhoptry exocytic factors, TgCRMPs are not required for the assembly of the rhoptry secretion machinery and only transiently associate with the exocytic site-prior to the invasion. CRMPs and their partners contain putative host cell-binding domains, and CRMPa shares similarities with GPCR proteins. Collectively our data imply that the CRMP complex acts as a host-molecular sensor to ensure that rhoptry exocytosis occurs when the parasite contacts the host cell.
    Keywords:  CRMP; apicomplexa; ciliates; rhoptry; secretion
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2022111158
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