Prolonged Laboratory Maintenance of Toxoplasma gondii Tachyzoites in Co-cultivation with the Bovine Theileria annulata-Infected Lymphoblastoids

Author(s):  
Vahid Nasiri

Background and Aims: In most of the studies, Toxoplasma gondii is maintained in laboratory mice or studied in vitro using non-lymphoid cell lines or primary mouse macrophages. The target of our research was to design a new axenic culture of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites to providing a sufficient quantity of them. Material and Methods: Theileria annulata-infected lymphoblastoids, which had been maintained up to 260 sub-cultures to attenuate the Theileria annulata, were evaluated for their suitability to the cultivation of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites. This cultivation process was carried out continuously for up to 10 passages, and after each 5 sub-culture, 0.1 ml of culture suspension (1×106 tachyzoites) was inoculated to each BALB/c mouse. Results: It was observed that the tachyzoites have attacked the lympho blastoids, multiplied inside them, and many fresh tachyzoites with typical shape and gliding movement were present in the culture suspension. In all processes of cultivation, the pathogenesis of parasites remained stable, and they were able to proliferate in mice and eventually lead to the death of the animals. Conclusions: We describe here a new protocol for prolonged maintenance of tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii, which is more efficient (both in terms of yield and cost (it does not need fetal calf serum)) than other traditional methods for maintenance of the parasite.

1971 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas C. Jones ◽  
James G. Hirsch

Methods have been devised for establishing infection in vitro of mouse macrophages and fibroblasts with Mycoplasma pulmonis. The mycoplasmas attached to the cells and under appropriate cultural conditions grew into a lawn of microorganisms covering most of the cell surface. The mycoplasmas grew abundantly on fibroblasts cultured in minimal essential medium containing 20% fetal calf serum; supplementation of this medium with heart infusion broth was necessary to obtain similar growth on macrophages. The infection of these cells appeared to be essentially an extracellular process; only rarely were partially degraded mycoplasmas seen with phagocytic vacuoles. The addition to heavily infected macrophage cultures of low concentrations of anti-mycoplasma antibody stimulated rapid, massive phagocytosis of the surface microorganisms. In sharp contrast, the same antiserum had no discernable effect on the mycoplasma-fibroblast relationship. The antibody effect in the macrophage system was apparently a direct opsonic one rather than an indirect result of microbial killing, since the mycoplasmas in macrophage or fibroblast cultures incorporated labelled thymidine into DNA after the addition of antiserum to the medium. The phagocytic event and the subsequent fate of the mycoplasmas were studied in detail after the addition of antibody to the macrophage cultures. Phase-contrast cinemicrophotography revealed membrane ruffles surrounding the surface mycoplasmas and disappearance from view of the organisms; 10–30 min later translucent grapelike clusters were seen in large phagocytic vacuoles. On electronmicroscopic study the surface mycoplasmas were surrounded by pincers-like projections of the macrophage. Numerous mycoplasmas were seen in phagocytic vacuoles; in the early minutes after the addition of antibody the intracellular mycoplasmas appeared normal, but within 2 hr they appeared partially degraded with a central electron-lucent area and electron-opaque deposits at the microbial cell margin. 24 hr after the addition of antiserum, digestion of the mycoplasmas was nearly complete; the cells appeared normal except for large residual bodies composed of amorphous moderately dense material and increased lipid deposits. Degradation of mycoplasmas within macrophages was also studied using infected cultures in which the mycoplasmas, but not the macrophages, had incorporated tritiated thymidine into DNA. The appearance of large amounts of acid-soluble radiolabel after phagocytosis stimulated by antibody confirmed the degradation of the intracellular mycoplasmas.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. VRT.S527
Author(s):  
William A. Cafruny ◽  
Richard G. Duman ◽  
Raymond R. Rowland ◽  
Eric A. Nelson ◽  
Grace H. Wong

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an economically significant agent for which there currently are no effective treatments. Development of antiviral agents for PRRSV as well as many other viruses has been limited by toxicity of known antiviral compounds. In contrast, antibiotics for non-virus microbial infections have been widely useful, in part because of their acceptable toxicity in animals. We report here the discovery that the quinolone-containing compound Plasmocin™, as well as the quinolones nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, have potent anti-PRRSV activity in vitro. PRRSV replication was inhibited by these antibiotics in both cultured MARC-145 cells and cultured primary alveolar porcine macrophages (PAMs). Furthermore, sub-optimal concentrations of nalidixic acid synergized with antiviral cytokines (AK-2 or IFN-γ) to quantitatively and qualitatively inhibit PRRSV replication in MARC-145 cells or PAMs. The antiviral activity of Plasmocin and nalidixic acid correlated with reduced actin expression in MARC-145 cells. Replication of the related lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) was also inhibited in primary mouse macrophages by Plasmocin. These results are significant to the development of antiviral strategies with potentially reduced toxicity, and provide a model system to better understand regulation of arterivirus replication.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (20) ◽  
pp. 3751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler K. T. Smith ◽  
Zaina Kahiel ◽  
Nicholas D. LeBlond ◽  
Peyman Ghorbani ◽  
Eliya Farah ◽  
...  

Activation of the transcription factor liver X receptor (LXR) has beneficial effects on macrophage lipid metabolism and inflammation, making it a potential candidate for therapeutic targeting in cardiometabolic disease. While small molecule delivery via nanomedicine has promising applications for a number of chronic diseases, questions remain as to how nanoparticle formulation might be tailored to suit different tissue microenvironments and aid in drug delivery. In the current study, we aimed to compare the in vitro drug delivering capability of three nanoparticle (NP) formulations encapsulating the LXR activator, GW-3965. We observed little difference in the base characteristics of standard PLGA-PEG NP when compared to two redox-active polymeric NP formulations, which we called redox-responsive (RR)1 and RR2. Moreover, we also observed similar uptake of these NP into primary mouse macrophages. We used the transcript and protein expression of the cholesterol efflux protein and LXR target ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) as a readout of GW-3956-induced LXR activation. Following an initial acute uptake period that was meant to mimic circulating exposure in vivo, we determined that although the induction of transcript expression was similar between NPs, treatment with the redox-sensitive RR1 NPs resulted in a higher level of ABCA1 protein. Our results suggest that NP formulations responsive to cellular cues may be an effective tool for targeted and disease-specific drug release.


eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Laval ◽  
Laura Pedró-Cos ◽  
Wladimir Malaga ◽  
Laure Guenin-Macé ◽  
Alexandre Pawlik ◽  
...  

Successful control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection by macrophages relies on immunometabolic reprogramming, where the role of fatty acids (FAs) remains poorly understood. Recent studies unraveled Mtb's capacity to acquire saturated and monounsaturated FAs via the Mce1 importer. However upon activation, macrophages produce polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), mammal-specific FAs mediating the generation of immunomodulatory eicosanoids. Here, we asked how Mtb modulates de novo synthesis of PUFAs in primary mouse macrophages and whether this benefits host or pathogen. Quantitative lipidomics revealed that Mtb infection selectively activates the biosynthesis of w6 PUFAs upstream of the eicosanoid precursor arachidonic acid (AA), via transcriptional activation of Fads2. Inhibiting FADS2 in infected macrophages impaired their inflammatory and antimicrobial responses but had no effect on Mtb growth in mice. Using a click-chemistry approach, we found that Mtb efficiently imports w6 PUFAs via Mce1 in axenic culture, including AA. Further, Mtb preferentially internalized AA over all other FAs within infected macrophages, by mechanisms partially depending on Mce1 and supporting intracellular persistence. Notably, IFNγ repressed de novo synthesis of AA by infected mouse macrophages and restricted AA import by intracellular Mtb. Together, these findings identify AA as a major FA substrate for intracellular Mtb, whose mobilization by innate immune responses is opportunistically hijacked by the pathogen and downregulated by IFNγ.


1990 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Y Choi ◽  
H W Nam ◽  
J H Youn ◽  
D J Kim ◽  
W K Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Tang ◽  
Mengchun Zhou ◽  
Rongrong Huang ◽  
Ling Shen ◽  
Li Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Astrocytes participate in innate inflammatory responses within the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). HECT domain E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (HECTD1) functions during microglial activation, suggesting a connection with neuroinflammation. However, the potential role of HECTD1 in astrocytes remains largely unknown. Results Here, we demonstrated that HECTD1 was upregulated in primary mouse astrocytes after 100 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Genetic knockdown of HECTD1 in vitro or astrocyte-specific knockdown of HECTD1 in vivo suppressed LPS-induced astrocyte activation, whereas overexpression of HECTD1 in vitro facilitated LPS-induced astrocyte activation. Mechanistically, we established that LPS activated σ-1R-JNK/p38 pathway, and σ-1R antagonist BD1047, JNK inhibitor SP600125, or p38 inhibitor SB203580 reversed LPS-induced expression of HECTD1, thus restored LPS-induced astrocyte activation. In addition, FOXJ2 functioned as a transcription factor of HECTD1, and pretreatment of primary mouse astrocytes with BD1047, SB203580, and SP600125 significantly inhibited LPS-mediated translocation of FOXJ2 into the nucleus. Conclusions Overall, our present findings suggest that HECTD1 participates in LPS-induced astrocyte activation by activation of σ-1R-JNK/p38-FOXJ2 pathway and provide a potential therapeutic strategy for neuroinflammation induced by LPS or any other neuroinflammatory disorders.


2004 ◽  
Vol 181 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
AA Fouladi Nashta ◽  
CV Andreu ◽  
N Nijjar ◽  
JK Heath ◽  
SJ Kimber

Decidualisation of uterine stromal cells is a prerequisite for implantation of the embryo in mice. Here we have used an in vitro culture system in which stromal cells decidualise as indicated by a number of markers, including an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The latter was used as a quantitative marker of decidualisation in the presence of low (2%) fetal calf serum. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), which is known to induce decidualisation, increased ALP activity, and this effect was blocked in a dose-dependent manner by indomethacin. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was then examined, but it had no effect on PGE(2) secretion. However, LIF suppressed ALP activity in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of 2% serum, while an inhibitor of LIF that competes for binding to its receptor reversed the effect of LIF and increased ALP activity above the control level. In serum-free cultures, stromal cells differentiated rapidly, and no differences were observed between LIF-treated and untreated cultures. Stromal cells produce LIF during in vitro culture, and this peaked at 48 h. Freshly collected stromal cells from both day-2 and -4 pregnant mice expressed mRNA for the LIF receptor, and the transcript level was higher in cells isolated on day 4. However, no differences were observed in the relative levels of transcripts in cells from day 2 and day 4 after culture, nor were there differences between the LIF-treated cultures and controls. Therefore, in this study, we have shown that LIF suppresses decidualisation of murine uterine stromal cells in the presence of serum, this is not due to the regulation of PGE(2) secretion by stromal cells.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Hani A. Alhadrami ◽  
Bathini Thissera ◽  
Marwa H. A. Hassan ◽  
Fathy A. Behery ◽  
Che Julius Ngwa ◽  
...  

Coculture is a productive technique to trigger microbes’ biosynthetic capacity by mimicking the natural habitats’ features principally by competition for food and space and interspecies cross-talks. Mixed cultivation of two Red Sea-derived actinobacteria, Actinokineospora spheciospongiae strain EG49 and Rhodococcus sp. UR59, resulted in the induction of several non-traced metabolites in their axenic cultures, which were detected using LC–HRMS metabolomics analysis. Antimalarial guided isolation of the cocultured fermentation led to the isolation of the angucyclines actinosporins E (1), H (2), G (3), tetragulol (5) and the anthraquinone capillasterquinone B (6), which were not reported under axenic conditions. Interestingly, actinosporins were previously induced when the axenic culture of the Actinokineospora spheciospongiae strain EG49 was treated with signalling molecule N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GluNAc); this finding confirmed the effectiveness of coculture in the discovery of microbial metabolites yet to be discovered in the axenic fermentation with the potential that could be comparable to adding chemical signalling molecules in the fermentation flask. The isolated angucycline and anthraquinone compounds exhibited in vitro antimalarial activity and good biding affinity against lysyl-tRNA synthetase (PfKRS1), highlighting their potential developability as new antimalarial structural motif.


Author(s):  
Diego A. Molina ◽  
Gerardo A. Ramos ◽  
Alejandro Zamora-Vélez ◽  
Gina M. Gallego-López ◽  
Cristian Rocha-Roa ◽  
...  

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