scholarly journals Extracellular release of two peptidases dominates generation of the trypanosome quorum-sensing signal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabel Dedalem Tettey ◽  
Federico Rojas ◽  
Keith R Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Oligopeptidase B ◽  
Pathway Gene ◽  
Extracellular Release ◽  
Signal Production

Trypanosomes causing African sleeping sickness use quorum-sensing (QS) to generate transmission-competent stumpy forms in their mammalian hosts. This density-dependent process is signalled by oligopeptides that stimulate the signal transduction pathway leading to stumpy formation. Using mass spectrometry analysis, peptidases released by trypanosomes were identified and, for 12 peptidases, their extracellular delivery was confirmed. Thereafter, the contribution of each peptidase to QS signal production was determined using systematic inducible overexpression in vivo, activity being confirmed to operate through the physiological QS signalling pathway. Gene knockout of the QS-active peptidases identified two enzymes, oligopeptidase B and metallocarboxypeptidase I, that significantly reduced QS when ablated individually. Further, a combinatorial gene knockout of both peptidases confirmed their dominance in the generation of the QS signal, with peptidase release of oligopeptidase B mediated via an unconventional protein secretion pathway. This identifies how the QS signal driving trypanosome virulence and transmission is generated in mammalian hosts.

Role of quorum sensing in the pathogenicity of Burkholderia pseudomallei

2004 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 1053-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricky L Ulrich ◽  
David DeShazer ◽  
Ernst E Brueggemann ◽  
Harry B Hines ◽  
Petra C Oyston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Burkholderia Pseudomallei ◽  
Homoserine Lactone ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Syrian Hamsters ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Signalling Molecules

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of human and animal melioidosis. The role of quorum sensing (QS) in the in vivo pathogenicity of B. pseudomallei via inhalational exposure of BALB/c mice and intraperitoneal challenge of Syrian hamsters has not been reported. This investigation demonstrates that B. pseudomallei encodes a minimum of three luxI and five luxR homologues that are involved in animal pathogenicity. Mass spectrometry analysis of culture supernatants revealed that wild-type B. pseudomallei and the luxI mutants synthesized numerous signalling molecules, including N-octanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-decanoyl-homoserine lactone, N-(3-hydroxyoctanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone, N-(3-hydroxydecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone and N-(3-oxotetradecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone, which was further confirmed by heterologous expression of the B. pseudomallei luxI alleles in Escherichia coli. Mutagenesis of the B. pseudomallei QS system increased the time to death and reduced organ colonization of aerosolized BALB/c mice. Further, intraperitoneal challenge of Syrian hamsters with the B. pseudomallei QS mutants resulted in a significant increase in the LD50. Using semi-quantitative plate assays, preliminary analysis suggests that QS does not affect lipase, protease and phospholipase C biosynthesis/secretion in B. pseudomallei. The findings of the investigation demonstrate that B. pseudomallei encodes multiple luxIR genes, and disruption of the QS alleles reduces animal pathogenicity, but does not affect exoproduct secretion.

scholarly journals N-Terminomics Strategies for Protease Substrates Profiling

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4699
Author(s):  
Mubashir Mintoo ◽  
Amritangshu Chakravarty ◽  
Ronak Tilvawala
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Protease Activity ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Physiological Conditions ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Biological Mixtures

Proteases play a central role in various biochemical pathways catalyzing and regulating key biological events. Proteases catalyze an irreversible post-translational modification called proteolysis by hydrolyzing peptide bonds in proteins. Given the destructive potential of proteolysis, protease activity is tightly regulated. Dysregulation of protease activity has been reported in numerous disease conditions, including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and viral infections. The proteolytic profile of a cell, tissue, or organ is governed by protease activation, activity, and substrate specificity. Thus, identifying protease substrates and proteolytic events under physiological conditions can provide crucial information about how the change in protease regulation can alter the cellular proteolytic landscape. In recent years, mass spectrometry-based techniques called N-terminomics have become instrumental in identifying protease substrates from complex biological mixtures. N-terminomics employs the labeling and enrichment of native and neo-N-termini peptides, generated upon proteolysis followed by mass spectrometry analysis allowing protease substrate profiling directly from biological samples. In this review, we provide a brief overview of N-terminomics techniques, focusing on their strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and providing specific examples where they were successfully employed to identify protease substrates in vivo and under physiological conditions. In addition, we explore the current trends in the protease field and the potential for future developments.

scholarly journals Phytotoxicity of Essential Oils on Selected Weeds: Potential Hazard on Food Crops

Plants ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Ibáñez ◽  
María Blázquez
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Essential Oils ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis

The chemical composition of winter savory, peppermint, and anise essential oils, and in vitro and in vivo phytotoxic activity against weeds (Portulaca oleracea, Lolium multiflorum, and Echinochloa crus-galli) and food crops (maize, rice, and tomato), have been studied. Sixty-four compounds accounting for between 97.67–99.66% of the total essential oils were identified by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis. Winter savory with carvacrol (43.34%) and thymol (23.20%) as the main compounds produced a total inhibitory effect against the seed germination of tested weed. Menthol (48.23%), menthone (23.33%), and iso-menthone (16.33%) from peppermint only showed total seed germination inhibition on L. multiflorum, whereas no significant effects were observed with trans-anethole (99.46%) from anise at all concentrations (0.125–1 µL/mL). Low doses of peppermint essential oil could be used as a sustainable alternative to synthetic agrochemicals to control L. multiflorum. The results corroborate that in vivo assays with a commercial emulsifiable concentrate need higher doses of the essential oils to reproduce previous in vitro trials. The higher in vivo phytotoxicity of winter savory essential oil constitutes an eco-friendly and less pernicious alternative to weed control. It is possible to achieve a greater in vivo phytotoxicity if less active essential oil like peppermint is included with other active excipients.

scholarly journals The Endopolygalacturonase 1 from Botrytis cinerea Activates Grapevine Defense Reactions Unrelated to Its Enzymatic Activity

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 553-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoît Poinssot ◽  
Elodie Vandelle ◽  
Marc Bentéjac ◽  
Marielle Adrian ◽  
Caroline Levis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Botrytis Cinerea ◽  
Calcium Influx ◽  
Active Oxygen Species ◽  
Degree Of Polymerization ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Gene Transcript ◽  
Transcript Accumulation ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Defense Reactions

A purified glycoprotein from Botrytis cinerea(strain T4), identified as endopolygalacturonase 1 (T4BcPG1) by mass spectrometry analysis, has been shown to activate defense reactions in grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. Gamay). These reactions include calcium influx, production of active oxygen species, activation of two mitogen-activated protein kinases, defense gene transcript accumulation, and phytoalexin production. Most of these defense reactions were also activated in grapevine in response to purified oligogalacturonides (OGA) with a degree of polymerization of 9 to 20. In vivo, these active OGA might be a part of the released products resulting from endopolygalacturonase activity on plant cell walls. Nevertheless, the intensity and kinetics of events triggered by OGA were very different when compared with T4BcPG1 effects. Moreover, chemical treatments of T4BcPG1 and desensitization assays have allowed us to discriminate enzymatic and elicitor activities, indicating that elicitor activity was not due to released oligogalacturonides. Thus, BcPG1 should be considered as both an avirulence and a virulence factor. The role of the secreted BcPG1 in the pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea is discussed.

Corona protein impacts on alternating current biosusceptometry signal and circulation times of differently coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles

Nanomedicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Gonçalves Prospero ◽  
Lais Pereira Buranello ◽  
Carlos AH Fernandes ◽  
Lucilene Delazari dos Santos ◽  
Guilherme Soares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Serum Albumin ◽  
Serum Albumin ◽  
Bovine Serum ◽  
Signal Intensity ◽  
Alternating Current ◽  
Circulation Time ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis

Background: We evaluated the impacts of corona protein (CP) formation on the alternating current biosusceptometry (ACB) signal intensity and in vivo circulation times of three differently coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNP): bare, citrate-coated and bovine serum albumin-coated MNPs. Methods: We employed the ACB system, gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry analysis. Results: Higher CP formation led to a greater reduction in the in vitro ACB signal intensity and circulation time. We found fewer proteins forming the CP for the bovine serum albumin-coated MNPs, which presented the highest circulation time in vivo among the MNPs studied. Conclusion: These data showed better biocompatibility, stability and magnetic signal uniformity in biological media for bovine serum albumin-coated MNPs than for citrate-coated MNPs and bare MNPs.

Abstract 54: ML355 in Prevention of Thrombosis in vivo with Minimal Effects on Hemostasis

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reheman Adili ◽  
Katherine Mast ◽  
Michael Holinstat
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Platelet Reactivity ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Flow Chamber ◽  
Human Platelets ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Vessel Occlusion ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Thrombosis Model

12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) has been demonstrated to regulate platelet function, hemostasis, and thrombosis ex vivo , supporting a key role for 12-LOX in regulation of in vivo thrombosis. While pharmacologically targeting 12-LOX in vivo has been a challenge to date, the recent development of the 12-LOX selective inhibitor, ML355, as an effective antiplatelet therapeutic in vivo was assessed. ML355 potently inhibited thrombin and other agonist-induced platelet aggregation ex vivo in washed human platelets and inhibited downstream oxylipin production of platelet 12-LOX as confirmed by Mass spectrometry analysis. Ex vivo flow chamber assays confirmed that human platelet adhesion and thrombus formation at arterial shear over collagen was attenuated in human whole blood treated with ML355 to a greater extent compared to aspirin. In vivo , PK assessment of ML355 showed reasonable 12-LOX plasma levels 12 hours following administration of ML355. FeCl 3 -induced injury of the mesenteric arterioles resulted in less stable thrombi in 12-LOX -/- mice and ML355-treated WT mice resulting in impairment of vessel occlusion. Additionally, ML355 dose-dependently inhibited laser-induced thrombus formation in the cremaster arteriole thrombosis model in WT, but not in 12-LOX -/- mice. Importantly, hemostatic plug formation and bleeding following treatment with ML355 were not affected in response to laser ablation on the saphenous vein or in a cremaster microvasculature laser-induced rupture model. Our data strongly supports 12-LOX as a key determinant of platelet reactivity in vivo and inhibition of platelet 12-LOX with ML355 may represent a new class of antiplatelet therapeutics.

scholarly journals Thiol Peroxidase Is an Important Component of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Oxygenated Environments

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 4333-4343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barak Hajaj ◽  
Hasan Yesilkaya ◽  
Rachel Benisty ◽  
Maayan David ◽  
Peter W. Andrew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Thiol Peroxidase ◽  
Fine Tune

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaeis an aerotolerant Gram-positive bacterium that causes an array of diseases, including pneumonia, otitis media, and meningitis. During aerobic growth,S. pneumoniaeproduces high levels of H2O2. SinceS. pneumoniaelacks catalase, the question of how it controls H2O2levels is of critical importance. Thepsalocus encodes an ABC Mn2+-permease complex (psaBCA) and a putative thiol peroxidase,tpxD. This study shows thattpxDencodes a functional thiol peroxidase involved in the adjustment of H2O2homeostasis in the cell. Kinetic experiments showed that recombinant TpxD removed H2O2efficiently. However,in vivoexperiments revealed that TpxD detoxifies only a fraction of the H2O2generated by the pneumococcus. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that TpxD Cys58undergoes selective oxidationin vivo, under conditions where H2O2is formed, confirming the thiol peroxidase activity. Levels of TpxD expression and synthesisin vitrowere significantly increased in cells grown under aerobic versus anaerobic conditions. The challenge with D39 and TIGR4 with H2O2resulted intpxDupregulation, whilepsaBCAexpression was oppositely affected. However, the challenge of ΔtpxDmutants with H2O2did not affectpsaBCA, implying that TpxD is involved in the regulation of thepsaoperon, in addition to its scavenging activity. Virulence studies demonstrated a notable difference in the survival time of mice infected intranasally with D39 compared to that of mice infected intranasally with D39ΔtpxD. However, when bacteria were administered directly into the blood, this difference disappeared. The findings of this study suggest that TpxD constitutes a component of the organism's fundamental strategy to fine-tune cellular processes in response to H2O2.

scholarly journals The Oligopeptide Transport System Is Essential for the Development of Natural Competence in Streptococcus thermophilus Strain LMD-9

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (14) ◽  
pp. 4647-4655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rozenn Gardan ◽  
Colette Besset ◽  
Alain Guillot ◽  
Christophe Gitton ◽  
Véronique Monnet
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Streptococcus Thermophilus ◽  
Defined Medium ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Proteomic Approach ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Oligopeptide Transport

ABSTRACT In gram-positive bacteria, oligopeptide transport systems, called Opp or Ami, play a role in nutrition but are also involved in the internalization of signaling peptides that take part in the functioning of quorum-sensing pathways. Our objective was to reveal functions that are controlled by Ami via quorum-sensing mechanisms in Streptococcus thermophilus, a nonpathogenic bacterium widely used in dairy technology in association with other bacteria. Using a label-free proteomic approach combining one-dimensional electrophoresis with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, we compared the proteome of the S. thermophilus LMD-9 to that of a mutant deleted for the subunits C, D, and E of the ami operon. Both strains were grown in a chemically defined medium (CDM) without peptides. We focused our attention on proteins that were no more detected in the ami deletion mutant. In addition to the three subunits of the Ami transporter, 17 proteins fulfilled this criterion and, among them, 7 were similar to proteins that have been identified as essential for transformation in S. pneumoniae. These results led us to find a condition of growth, the early exponential state in CDM, that allows natural transformation in S. thermophilus LMD-9 to turn on spontaneously. Cells were not competent in M17 rich medium. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the Ami transporter controls the triggering of the competence state through the control of the transcription of comX, itself controlling the transcription of late competence genes. We also showed that one of the two oligopeptide-binding proteins of strain LMD-9 plays the predominant role in the control of competence.

scholarly journals Two Homologous Agr-Like Quorum-Sensing Systems Cooperatively Control Adherence, Cell Morphology, and Cell Viability Properties in Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (23) ◽  
pp. 7655-7665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshio Fujii ◽  
Colin Ingham ◽  
Jiro Nakayama ◽  
Marke Beerthuyzen ◽  
Ryoko Kunuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Lactobacillus Plantarum ◽  
Cell Morphology ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Cell Wall Polysaccharide ◽  
Transcription Analysis ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis

ABSTRACT A two-component regulatory system of Lactobacillus plantarum, encoded by genes designated lamK and lamR (hpk10 and rrp10), was studied. The lamK and lamR genes encode proteins which are highly homologous to the quorum-sensing histidine kinase LamC and the response regulator LamA, respectively. Transcription analysis of the lamKR operon and the lamBDCA operon and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of production of the LamD558 autoinducing peptide were performed for ΔlamA, ΔlamR, ΔlamA ΔlamR deletion mutants and a wild-type strain. The results suggested that lamA and lamR are cooperating genes. In addition, typical phenotypes of the ΔlamA mutant, such as reduced adherence to glass surfaces and filamentous cell morphology, were enhanced in the ΔlamA ΔlamR mutant. Microarray analysis suggested that the same cell wall polysaccharide synthesis genes, stress response-related genes, and cell wall protein-encoding genes were affected in the ΔlamA and ΔlamA ΔlamR mutants. However, the regulation ratio was more significant for the ΔlamA ΔlamR mutant, indicating the cooperative effect of LamA and LamR.

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