Searching for virulence factors in the non-pathogenic parasite to humans Leishmania tarentolae

Parasitology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (7) ◽  
pp. 723-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. AZIZI ◽  
K. HASSANI ◽  
Y. TASLIMI ◽  
H. SHATERI NAJAFABADI ◽  
B. PAPADOPOULOU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Pathogenic Species ◽  
Protein Alignment ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Leishmania Tarentolae ◽  
New Horizons ◽  
Intracellular Parasites ◽  
Pathogenic Parasite ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

SUMMARYLeishmania protozoa are obligate intracellular parasites that reside in the phagolysosome of host macrophages and cause a large spectrum of pathologies to humans known as leishmaniases. The outcome of the disease is highly dependent on the parasite species and on its ascribed virulence factors and the immune status of the host. Characterization of the genome composition of non-pathogenic species could ultimately open new horizons in Leishmania developmental biology and also the disease monitoring. Here, we provide evidence that the lizard non-pathogenic to humans Leishmania tarentolae species expresses an Amastin-like gene, cysteine protease B (CPB), lipophosphoglycan LPG3 and the leishmanolysin GP63, genes well-known for their potential role in the parasite virulence. These genes were expressed at levels comparable to those in L. major and L. infantum both at the level of mRNA and protein. Alignment of the L. tarentolae proteins with their counterparts in the pathogenic species demonstrated that the degree of similarity varied from 59% and 60% for Amastin, 89% for LPG3 and 71% and 68% for CPB, in L. major and L. infantum, respectively. Interestingly, the A2 gene, expressed specifically by the L. donovani complex which promotes visceralization, was absent in L. tarentolae. These findings suggest that the lack of pathogenicity in L. tarentolae is not associated with known virulence genes such as LPG3, CPB, GP63 and Amastin, and that other factors either unique to L. tarentolae or missing from this species may be responsible for the non-pathogenic potential of this lizard parasite.

scholarly journals Genes, Pathways, and Mechanisms Involved in the Virulence of Mucorales

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Lax ◽  
Carlos Pérez-Arques ◽  
María Isabel Navarro-Mendoza ◽  
José Tomás Cánovas-Márquez ◽  
Ghizlane Tahiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Infection ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
High Mortality ◽  
Genetic Study ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Gene Manipulation ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Limited Knowledge ◽  
New Genes

The order Mucorales is a group of ancient fungi with limited tools for gene manipulation. The main consequence of this manipulation unwillingness is the limited knowledge about its biology compared to other fungal groups. However, the emerging of mucormycosis, a fungal infection caused by Mucorales, is attracting the medical spotlight in recent years because the treatments available are not efficient in reducing the high mortality associated with this disease. The result of this renewed interest in Mucorales and mucormycosis is an extraordinarily productive effort to unveil their secrets during the last decade. In this review, we describe the most compelling advances related to the genetic study of virulence factors, pathways, and molecular mechanisms developed in these years. The use of a few genetic study models has allowed the characterization of virulence factors in Mucorales that were previously described in other pathogens, such as the uptake iron systems, the mechanisms of dimorphism, and azole resistances. More importantly, recent studies are identifying new genes and mechanisms controlling the pathogenic potential of Mucorales and their interactions with the host, offering new alternatives to develop specific strategies against mucormycosis.

New horizons for the structural characterization of stainless steel slags by X-ray powder diffraction

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 (suppl_26) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Peplinski ◽  
B. Adamczyk ◽  
G. Kley ◽  
K. Adam ◽  
F. Emmerling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Powder Diffraction ◽  
Structural Characterization ◽  
X Ray ◽  
New Horizons

Conventional Versus Natural Alternative Treatments for Leishmaniasis: A Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 1275-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Felipe Domingues Passero ◽  
Lucas Antal Cruz ◽  
Gabriela Santos-Gomes ◽  
Eliana Rodrigues ◽  
Márcia Dalastra Laurenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Visceral Leishmaniasis ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Conventional Therapy ◽  
Pathogenic Species ◽  
Action Mechanism ◽  
In Vivo Assays ◽  
Clinical Forms

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease caused by protozoan belonging to the Leishmania genus. There are at least 16 pathogenic species for humans that are able to cause different clinical forms, such as cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis. In spite of the different species and clinical forms, the treatment is performed with few drug options that, in most cases, are considered outdated. In addition, patients under classical treatment show serious side effects during drug administration, moreover parasites are able to become resistant to medicines. Thus, it is believed and well accepted that is urgent and necessary to develop new therapeutic options to overpass these concerns about conventional therapy of leishmaniasis. The present review will focus on the efficacy, side effects and action mechanism of classic drugs used in the treatment of leishmaniasis, as well as the importance of traditional knowledge for directing a rational search toward the discovery and characterization of new and effective molecules (in vivo assays) from plants to be used against leishmaniasis.

Structural characterization of naphthalene sulfonamides and a sulfonate ester and their in vitro efficacy against Leishmania tarentolae promastigotes

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 4791-4801
Author(s):  
Edward W. Li ◽  
Jade Katinas ◽  
Marjorie A. Jones ◽  
Christopher G. Hamaker
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Structural Characterization ◽  
Leishmania Tarentolae ◽  
Sulfonate Ester

Structural and biological activity analyses of two naphthalene sulfonamides and a naphthalene sulfonate ester.

scholarly journals Genetic and phenotypic analysis of the pathogenic potential of two novel Chlamydia gallinacea strains compared to Chlamydia psittaci

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marloes Heijne ◽  
Martina Jelocnik ◽  
Alexander Umanets ◽  
Michael S. M. Brouwer ◽  
Annemieke Dinkla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Chlamydia Psittaci ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
The Family ◽  
Chicken Eggs ◽  
Sequence Types ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Embryonated Chicken

AbstractChlamydia gallinacea is an obligate intracellular bacterium that has recently been added to the family of Chlamydiaceae. C. gallinacea is genetically diverse, widespread in poultry and a suspected cause of pneumonia in slaughterhouse workers. In poultry, C. gallinacea infections appear asymptomatic, but studies about the pathogenic potential are limited. In this study two novel sequence types of C. gallinacea were isolated from apparently healthy chickens. Both isolates (NL_G47 and NL_F725) were closely related to each other and have at least 99.5% DNA sequence identity to C. gallinacea Type strain 08-1274/3. To gain further insight into the pathogenic potential, infection experiments in embryonated chicken eggs and comparative genomics with Chlamydia psittaci were performed. C. psittaci is a ubiquitous zoonotic pathogen of birds and mammals, and infection in poultry can result in severe systemic illness. In experiments with embryonated chicken eggs, C. gallinacea induced mortality was observed, potentially strain dependent, but lower compared to C. psittaci induced mortality. Comparative analyses confirmed all currently available C. gallinacea genomes possess the hallmark genes coding for known and potential virulence factors as found in C. psittaci albeit to a reduced number of orthologues or paralogs. The presence of potential virulence factors and the observed mortality in embryonated eggs indicates C. gallinacea should rather be considered as an opportunistic pathogen than an innocuous commensal.

scholarly journals Identification and complete genome characterization of a novel picornavirus in turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (10) ◽  
pp. 2171-2182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ákos Boros ◽  
Csaba Nemes ◽  
Péter Pankovics ◽  
Beatrix Kapusinszky ◽  
Eric Delwart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Complete Genome ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Entry Site ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Genome Characterization ◽  
Genome Region ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
The Usa

Members of the family Picornaviridae are important pathogens of humans and animals, although compared with the thousands of known bird species (>10 000), only a few (n = 11) picornaviruses have been identified from avian sources. This study reports the metagenomic detection and complete genome characterization of a novel turkey picornavirus from faecal samples collected from eight turkey farms in Hungary. Using RT-PCR, both healthy (two of three) and affected (seven of eight) commercial turkeys with enteric and/or stunting syndrome were shown to be shedding viruses in seven (88 %) of the eight farms. The viral genome sequence (turkey/M176/2011/HUN; GenBank accession no. JQ691613) shows a high degree of amino acid sequence identity (96 %) to the partial P3 genome region of a picornavirus reported recently in turkey and chickens from the USA and probably belongs to the same species. In the P1 and P2 regions, turkey/M176/2011/HUN is related most closely to, but distinct from, the kobuviruses and turdivirus 1. Complete genome analysis revealed the presence of characteristic picornaviral amino acid motifs, a potential type II-like 5′ UTR internal ribosome entry site (first identified among avian-origin picornaviruses) and a conserved, 48 nt long ‘barbell-like’ structure found at the 3′ UTR of turkey/M176/2011/HUN and members of the picornavirus genera Avihepatovirus and Kobuvirus. The general presence of turkey picornavirus – a novel picornavirus species – in faecal samples from healthy and affected turkeys in Hungary and in the USA suggests the worldwide occurrence and endemic circulation of this virus in turkey farms. Further studies are needed to investigate the aetiological role and pathogenic potential of this picornavirus in food animals.

scholarly journals Genomic characterization of 99 viruses from the bunyavirus families Nairoviridae, Peribunyaviridae, and Phenuiviridae, including 35 previously unsequenced viruses

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. e1009315
Author(s):  
Marylee L. Kapuscinski ◽  
Nicholas A. Bergren ◽  
Brandy J. Russell ◽  
Justin S. Lee ◽  
Erin M. Borland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pathogens ◽  
Reference Sequence ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Emerging Pathogens ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Genomic Characterization ◽  
Response Decisions ◽  
Rapid Characterization

Bunyaviruses (Negarnaviricota: Bunyavirales) are a large and diverse group of viruses that include important human, veterinary, and plant pathogens. The rapid characterization of known and new emerging pathogens depends on the availability of comprehensive reference sequence databases that can be used to match unknowns, infer evolutionary and pathogenic potential, and make response decisions in an evidence-based manner. In this study, we determined the coding-complete genome sequences of 99 bunyaviruses in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Arbovirus Reference Collection, focusing on orthonairoviruses (family Nairoviridae), orthobunyaviruses (Peribunyaviridae), and phleboviruses (Phenuiviridae) that either completely or partially lacked genome sequences. These viruses had been collected over 66 years from 27 countries from vertebrates and arthropods representing 37 genera. Many of the viruses had been characterized serologically and through experimental infection of animals but were isolated in the pre-sequencing era. We took advantage of our unusually large sample size to systematically evaluate genomic characteristics of these viruses, including reassortment, and co-infection. We corroborated our findings using several independent molecular and virologic approaches, including Sanger sequencing of 197 genome segments, and plaque isolation of viruses from putative co-infected virus stocks. This study contributes to the described genetic diversity of bunyaviruses and will enhance the capacity to characterize emerging human pathogenic bunyaviruses.

scholarly journals Haemoglobin polymorphism in selected farm animals: A review

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.S.A. Egena ◽  
R.O. Alao
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Starch Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Gene Frequencies ◽  
Starch Gel ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Polypeptide Chains ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

Biochemical diversity or polymorphism is the occurrence of varieties attributed to biochemical differences which are under genetic control. It has created a leeway for the genetic improvement of farm animals. This is because it can be used as a useful tool for the characterization of livestock breeds and population. This way, the degree of similarity or differences within and between breeds can be ascertained and this differences or similarity are important raw materials for genetic improvement of animals. Data obtained on gene frequencies and genotypes through polymorphism study makes it not only possible to compare the gene stocks of animals, the possible effects of the genes on reproductive and performance traits, but also study genetic variability under different environmental conditions of selection. This study was carried out to review haemoglobin (Hb) polymorphism in selected farm animals with the view of finding out the type of polymorphism observed by starch gel electrophoresis due to variation in the amino acid sequence in the polypeptide chains of Hb. The review showed clearly that there is a gene-controlled diversity in the different farm animals considered. This could serve as a reference point for future studies earmarked for the improvement of the animals possibly via marker-assisted selection.

scholarly journals Molecular Characterization of S Locus Genes, SLG and SRK, in a Pollen-Recessive Self-Incompatibility Haplotype of Brassica rapa L

Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 149 (3) ◽  
pp. 1587-1597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsunori Hatakeyama ◽  
Takeshi Takasaki ◽  
Masao Watanabe ◽  
Kokichi Hinata
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Rapa ◽  
Genomic Dna ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Brassica Species ◽  
Self Incompatibility ◽  
S Locus ◽  
Intron Sequence ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

Abstract In Brassica species that exhibit self-incompatibility, two genes, SLG and SRK, at the S locus are involved in the recognition reaction with self and non-self pollen. From a pollen-recessive S29 haplotype of Brassica rapa, both cDNA and genomic DNA clones for these two genes were isolated and characterized. The nucleotide sequence for the S domain of SRK29 showed a high degree of similarity with that of SLG29, and they belong to Class II type. RNA gel blot analysis showed that the transcript of SLG29 consisted of the first and second exons, and no other transcript containing any part of the intron sequence was detected. Because no transmembrane domain was encoded by the second exon of SLG29, SLG29 was designated a secreted type glycoprotein. SLGs of two other pollen-recessive haplotypes, S40 and S44, of B. rapa also had a similar structure to that of SLG29. Previously, SLG2 from a pollen-recessive haplotype, S2, of Brassica oleracea was found to produce two different transcripts, one for the secreted type glycoprotein and the other for a putative membrane-anchored form of SLG. Therefore, the nature of these SLGs from pollen-recessive haplotypes of B. rapa is different from that of SLG2 of B. oleracea.

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