scholarly journals Transgenic mice expressing human sickle hemoglobin are partially resistant to rodent malaria

Blood ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
HL Shear ◽  
EF Jr Roth ◽  
ME Fabry ◽  
FD Costantini ◽  
A Pachnis ◽  
...  

Abstract The polymorphic frequency of the gene for beta s-globin involved in the generation of sickle trait and sickle cell anemia in the human population is caused by the enhanced resistance of sickle trait individuals to Plasmodium falciparum malaria, as supported by epidemiologic and in vitro studies. However, the mechanism for the protective effect of sickle hemoglobin in vivo has not been fully defined. The generation of transgenic mice expressing high levels of human beta s- and alpha-chains has allowed us to study this phenomenon in vivo in an experimental model. We infected the transgenic beta s mice with two species of rodent malaria and found a diminished and delayed increase in parasitemia as compared with controls. This is in contrast to our previous studies involving the introduction of a beta A transgene, which does not alter the infection. The use of this model allowed us to address the question of the mechanism of protection against malaria in mice expressing sickle hemoglobin. We find that splenectomy of transgenic mice completely reverses the protection against Plasmodium chabaudi adami infection. The results reported have shown a relationship between the presence of the beta s gene product and partial resistance to malaria in an experimental model in vivo and shows that the spleen plays an important role in this protection.

Blood ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
HL Shear ◽  
EF Jr Roth ◽  
ME Fabry ◽  
FD Costantini ◽  
A Pachnis ◽  
...  

The polymorphic frequency of the gene for beta s-globin involved in the generation of sickle trait and sickle cell anemia in the human population is caused by the enhanced resistance of sickle trait individuals to Plasmodium falciparum malaria, as supported by epidemiologic and in vitro studies. However, the mechanism for the protective effect of sickle hemoglobin in vivo has not been fully defined. The generation of transgenic mice expressing high levels of human beta s- and alpha-chains has allowed us to study this phenomenon in vivo in an experimental model. We infected the transgenic beta s mice with two species of rodent malaria and found a diminished and delayed increase in parasitemia as compared with controls. This is in contrast to our previous studies involving the introduction of a beta A transgene, which does not alter the infection. The use of this model allowed us to address the question of the mechanism of protection against malaria in mice expressing sickle hemoglobin. We find that splenectomy of transgenic mice completely reverses the protection against Plasmodium chabaudi adami infection. The results reported have shown a relationship between the presence of the beta s gene product and partial resistance to malaria in an experimental model in vivo and shows that the spleen plays an important role in this protection.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (7) ◽  
pp. 2520-2526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Shear ◽  
Leonid Grinberg ◽  
John Gilman ◽  
Mary E. Fabry ◽  
George Stamatoyannopoulos ◽  
...  

Abstract Studies in vitro by Pasvol et al (Nature, 270:171, 1977) have indicated that the growth of Plasmodium falciparum in cells containing fetal hemoglobin (HbF = α2γ2) is retarded, but invasion is increased, at least in newborn cells. Normal neonates switch from about 80% HbF at birth to a few percent at the end of the first year of life. Carriers of β-thalassemia trait exhibit a delay in the normal HbF switch-off, which might partially explain the protection observed in populations with this gene. To study this hypothesis in vivo, we used transgenic (γ) mice expressing human Aγ and Gγ chains resulting in 40% to 60% α2Mγ2 hemoglobin, infected with rodent malaria. Two species of rodent malaria were studied.P chabaudi adami causes a nonlethal infection, mainly in mature red blood cells (RBC). P yoelii 17XNL is a nonlethal infection, invading primarily reticulocytes, whereas P yoelii 17XL is a lethal variant of P yoelii 17XNL and causes death of mice in approximately 1 to 2 weeks. Data indicate that this strain may cause a syndrome resembling cerebral malaria caused by P falciparum (Am J Trop Med Hyg, 50:512, 1994). In γ transgenic mice infected with P chabaudi adami, the parasitemia rose more quickly (in agreement with Pasvol) than in control mice, but was cleared more rapidly. In mice infected with P yoelii 17XNL, a clear reduction in parasitemia was observed. Interestingly, splenectomy before this infection, did not reverse protection. The most striking effect was in lethal P yoelii17XL infection. Control mice died between 11 to 13 days, whereas γ mice cleared the infection by day 22 and survived, a phenomenon also observed in splenectomized animals. These results suggest that HbF does indeed have a protective effect in vivo, which is not mediated by the spleen. In terms of mechanisms, light microscopy showed that intraerythrocytic parasites develop slowly in HbF erythrocytes, and electron microscopy showed that hemozoin formation was defective in transgenic mice. Finally, digestion studies of HbF by recombinant plasmepsin II demonstrated that HbF is digested only half as well as hemoglobin A (HbA). We conclude that HbF provides protection from P falciparum malaria by the retardation of parasite growth. The mechanism involves resistance to digestion by malarial hemoglobinases based on the data presented and with the well-known properties of HbF as a super stable tetramer. In addition, the resistance of normal neonates for malaria can now be explained by a double mechanism: increased malaria invasion rates, reported in neonatal RBC, will direct parasites to fetal cells, as well as F cells, and less to the ≈20% of HbA containing RBC, amplifying the antimalarial effects of HbF.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (7) ◽  
pp. 2520-2526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Shear ◽  
Leonid Grinberg ◽  
John Gilman ◽  
Mary E. Fabry ◽  
George Stamatoyannopoulos ◽  
...  

Studies in vitro by Pasvol et al (Nature, 270:171, 1977) have indicated that the growth of Plasmodium falciparum in cells containing fetal hemoglobin (HbF = α2γ2) is retarded, but invasion is increased, at least in newborn cells. Normal neonates switch from about 80% HbF at birth to a few percent at the end of the first year of life. Carriers of β-thalassemia trait exhibit a delay in the normal HbF switch-off, which might partially explain the protection observed in populations with this gene. To study this hypothesis in vivo, we used transgenic (γ) mice expressing human Aγ and Gγ chains resulting in 40% to 60% α2Mγ2 hemoglobin, infected with rodent malaria. Two species of rodent malaria were studied.P chabaudi adami causes a nonlethal infection, mainly in mature red blood cells (RBC). P yoelii 17XNL is a nonlethal infection, invading primarily reticulocytes, whereas P yoelii 17XL is a lethal variant of P yoelii 17XNL and causes death of mice in approximately 1 to 2 weeks. Data indicate that this strain may cause a syndrome resembling cerebral malaria caused by P falciparum (Am J Trop Med Hyg, 50:512, 1994). In γ transgenic mice infected with P chabaudi adami, the parasitemia rose more quickly (in agreement with Pasvol) than in control mice, but was cleared more rapidly. In mice infected with P yoelii 17XNL, a clear reduction in parasitemia was observed. Interestingly, splenectomy before this infection, did not reverse protection. The most striking effect was in lethal P yoelii17XL infection. Control mice died between 11 to 13 days, whereas γ mice cleared the infection by day 22 and survived, a phenomenon also observed in splenectomized animals. These results suggest that HbF does indeed have a protective effect in vivo, which is not mediated by the spleen. In terms of mechanisms, light microscopy showed that intraerythrocytic parasites develop slowly in HbF erythrocytes, and electron microscopy showed that hemozoin formation was defective in transgenic mice. Finally, digestion studies of HbF by recombinant plasmepsin II demonstrated that HbF is digested only half as well as hemoglobin A (HbA). We conclude that HbF provides protection from P falciparum malaria by the retardation of parasite growth. The mechanism involves resistance to digestion by malarial hemoglobinases based on the data presented and with the well-known properties of HbF as a super stable tetramer. In addition, the resistance of normal neonates for malaria can now be explained by a double mechanism: increased malaria invasion rates, reported in neonatal RBC, will direct parasites to fetal cells, as well as F cells, and less to the ≈20% of HbA containing RBC, amplifying the antimalarial effects of HbF.


Author(s):  
Nurgozhin T. ◽  
Sergazy S. H. ◽  
Adilgozhina G. ◽  
Gulyayev A. ◽  
Shulgau Z. ◽  
...  

Objective:This study investigates the hepatoprotective effect and the antioxidant role of polyphenol concentrate in the experimental model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced toxicity. Methods: Antioxidant activity of Cabernet Sauvignon grape polyphenol were evaluated by radical scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH), 2,2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS.+). In addition, the effects of polyphenol concentrate on the survival of Wistar rats in the toxicity model, was also investigated. The polyphenol concentrate was administered for 5 five days prior to injection of carbon tetrachloride in a sub-lethal dose of 300 mg/kg of animal body weight in order to perform histological examinations of the liver and kidney, and detect the levels of AST, ALT and bilirubin. Results: Administration of polyphenol concentrate increased animal survival in the experimental model. Moreover, the intragastric administration of polyphenol concentrate prior to the initiation of the experimental model of toxicity, which was caused by a sub-lethal CCl4 dose, reduced morphological injuries in the liver and kidney, decreased the AST and ALT levels of the blood serum. Discussion and conclusion: Our data demonstrate that polyphenol concentrate possesses an antioxidant potential both in vitro and in vivo by reducing antioxidant stress that was caused by CCl4 administration into rats.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 6859-6866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zi Wei Chang ◽  
Benoit Malleret ◽  
Bruce Russell ◽  
Laurent Rénia ◽  
Carla Claser

ABSTRACTEx vivoassay systems provide a powerful approach to studying human malaria parasite biology and to testing antimalarials. For rodent malaria parasites, short-termin vitroculture andex vivoantimalarial susceptibility assays are relatively cumbersome, relying onin vivopassage for synchronization, since ring-stage parasites are an essential starting material. Here, we describe a new approach based on the enrichment of ring-stagePlasmodium berghei,P. yoelii, andP. vinckei vinckeiusing a single-step Percoll gradient. Importantly, we demonstrate that the enriched ring-stage parasites develop synchronously regardless of the parasite strain or species used. Using a flow cytometry assay with Hoechst and ethidium or MitoTracker dye, we show that parasite development is easily and rapidly monitored. Finally, we demonstrate that this approach can be used to screen antimalarial drugs.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 3211-3219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichi Kitada ◽  
Christina L. Kress ◽  
Maryla Krajewska ◽  
Lee Jia ◽  
Maurizio Pellecchia ◽  
...  

Abstract Altered expression of Bcl-2 family proteins plays central roles in apoptosis dysregulation in cancer and leukemia, promoting malignant cell expansion and contributing to chemoresistance. In this study, we compared the toxicity and efficacy in mice of natural product gossypol and its semisynthetic derivative apo-gossypol, compounds that bind and inhibit antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. Daily oral dosing studies showed that mice tolerate doses of apogossypol 2- to 4-times higher than gossypol. Hepatotoxicity and gastrointestinal toxicity represented the major adverse activities of gossypol, with apogossypol far less toxic. Efficacy was tested in transgenic mice in which Bcl-2 is overexpressed in B cells, resembling low-grade follicular lymphoma in humans. In vitro, Bcl-2–expressing B cells from transgenic mice were more sensitive to cytotoxicity induced by apogossypol than gossypol, with LD50 values of 3 to 5 μM and 7.5 to 10 μM, respectively. In vivo, using the maximum tolerated dose of gossypol for sequential daily dosing, apogossypol displayed superior activity to gossypol in terms of reducing splenomegaly and reducing B-cell counts in spleens of Bcl-2–transgenic mice. Taken together, these studies indicate that apogossypol is superior to parent compound gossypol with respect to toxicology and efficacy, suggesting that further development of this compound for cancer therapy is warranted.


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