scholarly journals Solanesyl Diphosphate Synthase, an Enzyme of the Ubiquinone Synthetic Pathway, Is Required throughout the Life Cycle of Trypanosoma brucei

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
De-Hua Lai ◽  
Estefanía Poropat ◽  
Carlos Pravia ◽  
Malena Landoni ◽  
Alicia S. Couto ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTUbiquinone 9 (UQ9), the expected product of the long-chain solanesyl diphosphate synthase ofTrypanosoma brucei(TbSPPS), has a central role in reoxidation of reducing equivalents in the mitochondrion ofT. brucei. The ablation of TbSPPS gene expression by RNA interference increased the generation of reactive oxygen species and reduced cell growth and oxygen consumption. The addition of glycerol to the culture medium exacerbated the phenotype by blocking its endogenous generation and excretion. The participation of TbSPPS in UQ synthesis was further confirmed by growth rescue using UQ with 10 isoprenyl subunits (UQ10). Furthermore, the survival of infected mice was prolonged upon the downregulation of TbSPPS and/or the addition of glycerol to drinking water. TbSPPS is inhibited by 1-[(n-oct-1-ylamino)ethyl] 1,1-bisphosphonic acid, and treatment with this compound was lethal for the cells. The findings that both UQ9 and ATP pools were severely depleted by the drug and that exogenous UQ10 was able to fully rescue growth of the inhibited parasites strongly suggest that TbSPPS and UQ synthesis are the main targets of the drug. These two strategies highlight the importance of TbSPPS forT. brucei, justifying further efforts to validate it as a new drug target.

2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Schmelzer ◽  
Mitsuaki Kitano ◽  
Gerald Rimbach ◽  
Petra Niklowitz ◽  
Thomas Menke ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRs) are involved in key biological processes via suppression of gene expression at posttranscriptional levels. According to their superior functions, subtle modulation of miR expression by certain compounds or nutrients is desirable under particular conditions. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces a reactive oxygen species-/NF-κB-dependent pathway which increases the expression of the anti-inflammatory miR-146a. We hypothesized that this induction could be modulated by the antioxidant ubiquinol-10. Preincubation of human monocytic THP-1 cells with ubiquinol-10 reduced the LPS-induced expression level of miR-146a to 78.9±13.22%. In liver samples of mice injected with LPS, supplementation with ubiquinol-10 leads to a reduction of LPS-induced miR-146a expression to 78.12±21.25%. From these consistent in vitro and in vivo data, we conclude that ubiquinol-10 may fine-tune the inflammatory response via moderate reduction of miR-146a expression.


Parasitology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 827-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. T. MacLEOD ◽  
I. MAUDLIN ◽  
A. C. DARBY ◽  
S. C. WELBURN

SUMMARYEfficient, cyclical transmission of trypanosomes through tsetse flies is central to maintenance of human sleeping sickness and nagana across sub-Saharan Africa. Infection rates in tsetse are normally very low as most parasites ingested with the fly bloodmeal die in the fly gut, displaying the characteristics of apoptotic cells. Here we show that a range of antioxidants (glutathione, cysteine, N-acetyl-cysteine, ascorbic acid and uric acid), when added to the insect bloodmeal, can dramatically inhibit cell death of Trypanosoma brucei brucei in tsetse. Both L- and D-cysteine invoked similar effects suggesting that inhibition of trypanosome death is not dependent on protein synthesis. The present work suggests that antioxidants reduce the midgut environment protecting trypanosomes from cell death induced by reactive oxygen species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew De Furio ◽  
Sang Joon Ahn ◽  
Robert A. Burne ◽  
Stephen J. Hagen

ABSTRACTThe dental caries pathogenStreptococcus mutansis continually exposed to several types of stress in the oral biofilm environment. Oxidative stress generated by reactive oxygen species has a major impact on the establishment, persistence, and virulence ofS. mutans. Here, we combined fluorescent reporter-promoter fusions with single-cell imaging to study the effects of reactive oxygen species on activation of genetic competence inS. mutans. Exposure to paraquat, which generates superoxide anion, produced a qualitatively different effect on activation of expression of the gene for the master competence regulator, ComX, than did treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which can yield hydroxyl radical. Paraquat suppressed peptide-mediated induction ofcomXin a progressive and cumulative fashion, whereas the response to H2O2displayed a strong threshold behavior. Low concentrations of H2O2had little effect on induction ofcomXor the bacteriocin genecipB, but expression of these genes declined sharply if extracellular H2O2exceeded a threshold concentration. These effects were not due to decreased reporter gene fluorescence. Two different threshold concentrations were observed in the response to H2O2, depending on the gene promoter that was analyzed and the pathway by which the competence regulon was stimulated. The results show that paraquat and H2O2affect theS. mutanscompetence signaling pathway differently, and that some portions of the competence signaling pathway are more sensitive to oxidative stress than others.IMPORTANCEStreptococcus mutansinhabits the oral biofilm, where it plays an important role in the development of dental caries. Environmental stresses such as oxidative stress influence the growth ofS. mutansand its important virulence-associated behaviors, such as genetic competence.S. mutanscompetence development is a complex behavior that involves two different signaling peptides and can exhibit cell-to-cell heterogeneity. Although oxidative stress is known to influenceS. mutanscompetence, it is not understood how oxidative stress interacts with the peptide signaling or affects heterogeneity. In this study, we used fluorescent reporters to probe the effect of reactive oxygen species on competence signaling at the single-cell level. Our data show that different reactive oxygen species have different effects onS. mutanscompetence, and that some portions of the signaling pathway are more acutely sensitive to oxidative stress than others.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee Hyung Sohn ◽  
Yul Ji ◽  
Chang-Yun Cho ◽  
Hahn Nahmgoong ◽  
Sangsoo Lim ◽  
...  

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with various roles of brown adipocytes. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) controls cellular redox potentials by producing NADPH. Although G6PD upregulates cellular ROS levels in white adipocytes, the roles of G6PD in brown adipocytes remain elusive. Here, we found that G6PD defect in brown adipocytes impaired thermogenic function through excessive cytosolic ROS accumulation. Upon cold exposure, G6PD-deficient mutant (G6PD<sup>mut</sup>) mice exhibited cold intolerance and downregulated thermogenic gene expression in brown adipose tissue (BAT). In addition, G6PD-deficient brown adipocytes had increased cytosolic ROS levels, leading to ERK activation. In BAT of G6PD<sup>mut</sup> mice, administration of antioxidant restored the thermogenic activity by potentiating thermogenic gene expression and relieving ERK activation. Consistently, body temperature and thermogenic execution were rescued by ERK inhibition in cold-exposed G6PD<sup>mut</sup> mice. Taken together, these data suggest that G6PD in brown adipocytes would protect against cytosolic oxidative stress, leading to cold-induced thermogenesis.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelath Murali Manoj

Cyanide is conventionally perceived as a binder of heme-Fe centers, disrupting oxygen transport by blood hemoglobin and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase function. This explanation of toxicity would require millimolar (g/Kg dosage) concentration of cyanide, whereas it is lethal even at micromolar (mg/Kg dosage) ranges. It is long known that oxygen consumption by cells leads to the production of diffusible reactive oxygen species (DROS). Recently, DROS mediated catalytic/metabolic roles were proposed as a physiological source of heat and phosphorylation of ADP within mitochondria. In this purview, it is hypothesized herein that cyanide uses the catalytic DROS via futile cycles, stopping ATP-synthesis and thus killing cells. A quantitative mechanistic perspective delineating the old and new explanations is provided herein. Further, experimental modalities and predictable outcomes are detailed to test the new hypothesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Zhang ◽  
Chaomin Sun

ABSTRACTRice blast caused by the phytopathogenMagnaporthe griseaposes a serious threat to global food security and is difficult to control.Bacillusspecies have been extensively explored for the biological control of many fungal diseases. In the present study, the marine bacteriumBacillus subtilisBS155 showed a strong antifungal activity againstM. grisea. The active metabolites were isolated and identified as cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) of the fengycin family, named fengycin BS155, by the combination of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Analyses using scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that fengycin BS155 caused morphological changes in the plasma membrane and cell wall ofM. griseahyphae. Using comparative proteomic and biochemical assays, fengycin BS155 was demonstrated to reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), induce bursts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and downregulate the expression level of ROS-scavenging enzymes. Simultaneously, fengycin BS155 caused chromatin condensation in fungal hyphal cells, which led to the upregulation of DNA repair-related protein expression and the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Altogether, our results indicate that fengycin BS155 acts by inducing membrane damage and dysfunction of organelles, disrupting MMP, oxidative stress, and chromatin condensation, resulting inM. griseahyphal cell death. Therefore, fengycin BS155 and its parent bacterium are very promising candidates for the biological control ofM. griseaand the associated rice blast and should be further investigated as such.IMPORTANCERice (Oryza sativaL.) is the most important crop and a primary food source for more than half of the world's population. Notably, scientists in China have developed several types of rice that can be grown in seawater, avoiding the use of precious freshwater resources and potentially creating enough food for 200 million people. The plant-affecting fungusMagnaporthe griseais the causal agent of rice blast disease, and biological rather than chemical control of this threatening disease is highly desirable. In this work, we discovered fengycin BS155, a cyclic lipopeptide material produced by the marine bacteriumBacillus subtilisBS155, which showed strong activity againstM. grisea. Our results elucidate the mechanism of fengycin BS155-mediatedM. griseagrowth inhibition and highlight the potential ofB. subtilisBS155 as a biocontrol agent againstM. griseain rice cultivation under both fresh- and saltwater conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangbei Yuan ◽  
Zihan Zheng ◽  
Liting Wang ◽  
Haiying Ran ◽  
Xiangyu Tang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cellular membrane proteins are a critical part of the host defense mechanisms against infection and intracellular survival of Listeria monocytogenes. The complex spatiotemporal regulation of bacterial infection by various membrane proteins has been challenging to study. Here, using mass spectrometry analyses, we depicted the dynamic expression landscape of membrane proteins upon L. monocytogenes infection in dendritic cells. We showed that Dynein light chain 1 (Dynll1) formed a persistent complex with the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase Cox4i1, which is disturbed by pathogen insult. We discovered that the dissociation of the Dynll1-Cox4i1 complex is required for the release of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and serves as a regulator of intracellular proliferation of Listeria monocytogenes. Our study shows that Dynll1 is an inhibitor of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and can serve as a potential molecular drug target for antibacterial treatment.


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