A reticulocyte-binding protein complex of Plasmodium vivax merozoites.

Plasmodium vivax merozoites primarily invade reticulocytes. The basis of this restricted host cell preference has been debated. Here we introduce two novel P. vivax proteins that comigrate on reducing SDS-polyacrylamide gels, colocalize at the apical pole of merozoites, and adhere specifically to reticulocytes. The genes encoding these proteins, P. vivax reticulocyte-binding proteins 1 and 2 (PvRBP-1 and PvRBP-2), have been cloned and analyzed. Homologous genes are evident in the closely related simian malaria parasite, P. cynomolgi, which also prefers to invade reticulocytes, but are not evident in the genome of another related simian malaria parasite, P. knowlesi, which invades all red blood cell subpopulations. Native PvRBP-1 is likely a transmembrane-anchored disulfide-linked protein, and along with PvRBP-2 may function as an adhesive protein complex. We propose that the RBPs of P. vivax, and homologous proteins of P. cynomolgi, function to target the reticulocyte subpopulation of red blood cells for invasion.     

Production of erythropoietic cells in vitro for continuous culture of Plasmodium vivax

Plasmodium vivax cannot be maintained in a continuous culture. To overcome this major obstacle to P. vivax research, we have developed an in vitro method to produce susceptible red blood cell (RBC) precursors from freshly isolated human cord hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which were activated with erythropoietin to differentiate into erythroid cells. Differentiation and maturation of erythroid cells were monitored using cell surface markers (CD71, CD36, GPA and Fy6). Duffy⁺ reticulocytes appeared after 10 days of erythroid cell culture and exponentially increased to high numbers on days 14–16. Beginning on day 10 these erythroid cells, referred to as growing RBCs (gRBCs), were co-cultured with P. vivax-infected blood directly isolated from patients. Parasite-infected gRBCs were detected by Giemsa staining and a P. vivax-specific immunofluorescence assay in 11 out of 14 P. vivax isolates. These P. vivax cultures were continuously maintained for more than 2 weeks by supplying fresh gRBCs; one was maintained for 85 days before discontinuing the culture. Our results demonstrate that gRBCs derived in vitro from HSCs can provide susceptible Duffy⁺ reticulocytes for continuous culture of P. vivax. Of particular interest, we discovered that parasites were able to invade nucleated erythroid cells or erythroblasts that are normally in the bone marrow. The possibility that P. vivax causes erythroblast destruction and hence inflammation in the bone marrow needs to be addressed.     

Cloning and characterization of Plasmodium vivax serine hydroxymethyltransferase

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), which catalyzes the reversible reaction of serine and tetrahydrofolate to glycine and methylenetetrahydrofolate, is one of the three enzymes in dTMP synthesis pathway that is highly active during cell division and has been proposed as a potential chemotherapeutic target in infectious diseases and cancer. This is the first study to describe nucleotide and amino acid sequences of SHMT from the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax. Sequencing of 12 P. vivax isolates revealed limited polymorphisms in 3 noncoding regions. Its biological function is also reported.     

Structure of C-terminal fragment of merozoite surface protein-1 from Plasmodium vivax determined by homology modeling and molecular dynamics refinement

One current vaccine candidate against Plasmodium vivax targeting asexual blood stage is the major merozoite surface protein-1 of P. vivax (PvMSP-1). Vaccine trials with PvMSP-1₁₉ and PvMSP-1₃₃ have succeeded in protecting monkeys and a large proportion of individuals, naturally exposed to P. vivax transmission, develop specific antibodies to PvMSP-1₁₉. This study presents a model for the three-dimensional structure of the C-terminal 19 kDa fragment of P. vivax MSP-1 determined by means of homology modeling and molecular dynamics refinement. The structure proved to be consistent with MSP-1₁₉ of known crystal or solution structures. The presence of a main binding pocket, well suited for protein–protein interactions, was determined by CASTp. Corrections reported to the sequence of PvMSP-1₁₉ Belem strain were also inspected. Our model is currently used as a basis to understand antibody interactions with PvMSP-1₁₉.     

Studies on Trypanosoma vivax: The infectivity of cyclically and mechanically transmitted ruminant infections for mice and rats

The infection of laboratory rodents by cyclically established Trypanosoma vivax infections in ruminants was only successful for a period up to 4 weeks after the first fly feed on the ruminants; rats and mice were equally susceptible. Similar results were obtained when ruminants were inoculated by syringe with infected blood from the early stage of a cyclically transmitted T. vivax infection. The development of antibodies, as measured by fluorescence, in the ruminants had no influence on the outcome of the rodent-inoculations.

When blood was inoculated into susceptible oxen from the later chronic stage of a cyclically and from a mechanically established bovine infection, subsequent rodent infections were achieved only occasionally; parasitaemia in the rodents was low and the patent period short. It was concluded that the infectivity of T. vivax for rodents was predominantly a characteristic of the isolate and not of the donor or recipient mammalian species. The value of blood inoculation of rodents in epidemiological studies for detecting early infections of T. vivax is emphasized.     

滨海滩涂地带乌哺鸡竹和淡竹离子含量变化及其与生长及光合作用的关系

在沿海滩涂防护林带低盐区(0.1%)、中盐区(0.2%)和重盐区(0.4%) 3个盐分梯度下,研究了栽植10年的乌哺鸡竹和淡竹Na⁺、K⁺、Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺含量变化及其与生长和光合作用的相关关系.结果表明: 从低盐区到重盐区,乌哺鸡竹的立竹密度和地径分别下降30.4%和28.8%,降幅低于淡竹的44.1%和31.2%;两竹种单株生物量下降,地上器官生物量降幅均显著高于地下器官;乌哺鸡竹和淡竹净光合速率(P_n)和PSⅡ最大光化学效率(F_v/F_m)分别下降57.6%和67.7%、6.1%和7.4%,乌哺鸡竹耐盐能力比淡竹强.随着土壤含盐量的增大,乌哺鸡竹和淡竹各器官Na⁺含量逐渐增加,K⁺、Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺含量逐渐降低.两竹种根Na⁺积累较多,而地上部分K⁺含量较高.盐胁迫环境导致乌哺鸡竹根Ca²⁺含量与淡竹叶片Mg²⁺含量明显下降.两竹种的生物量、P_n、F_v/F_m与Na⁺含量呈显著负相关,与K⁺、Ca²⁺含量呈显著正相关.     

Plasmodium vivax: Merozoites, invasion of reticulocytes and considerations for malaria vaccine development

Several Plasmodium vivax merozoite proteins have been characterized over the past few years, including two that bind specifically to reticulocytes. Here, Mare Galinski and John Barnwell examine P. vivax merozoites and constituent molecules that are involved in host cell selection and invasion, and that also are viewed as malaria vaccine candidates. They also discuss how knowledge of the reticulocyte-binding proteins furthers the development of a conceptual framework for malaria merozoite invasion at the molecular level, not only for P. vivax, but for all species of the parasite.     

Receptor–ligand and parasite protein–protein interactions in Plasmodium vivax: Analysing rhoptry neck proteins 2 and 4

Elucidating receptor–ligand and protein–protein interactions represents an attractive alternative for designing effective Plasmodium vivax control methods. This article describes the ability of P. vivax rhoptry neck proteins 2 and 4 (RON2 and RON4) to bind to human reticulocytes. Biochemical and cellular studies have shown that two PvRON2‐ and PvRON4‐derived conserved regions specifically interact with protein receptors on reticulocytes marked by the CD71 surface transferrin receptor. Mapping each protein fragment's binding region led to defining the specific participation of two 20 amino acid‐long regions selectively competing for PvRON2 and PvRON4 binding to reticulocytes. Binary interactions between PvRON2 (ligand) and other parasite proteins, such as PvRON4, PvRON5, and apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1), were evaluated and characterised by surface plasmon resonance. The results revealed that both PvRON2 cysteine‐rich regions strongly interact with PvAMA1 Domains II and III (equilibrium constants in the nanomolar range) and at a lower extent with the complete PvAMA1 ectodomain and Domains I and II. These results strongly support that these proteins participate in P. vivax's complex invasion process, thus providing new pertinent targets for blocking P. vivax merozoites' specific entry to their target cells.     

Synthetic peptides from two Pf sporozoite invasion-associated proteins specifically interact with HeLa and HepG2 cells

Two recently described molecules have been associated with sporozoite traversal ability and hepatocyte entry: sporozoite invasion-associated proteins (SIAP)-1 and -2. The HeLa and HepG2 cell binding ability of synthetic peptides spanning the whole SIAP-1 and -2 sequences has been studied in the search for identifying these proteins’ functionally active specific regions. Twelve HepG-2 and seventeen HeLa cell high-activity binding peptides (HABPs) have been identified in SIAP-1, 8 of them having high specific binding affinity for both cell lines. Four HepG2 HABPs and two HeLa HABPs have been identified in SIAP-2, one of them interacting with both HeLa and HepG2 cells. SIAP-1 and SIAP-2 HABPs bound specifically and saturably to heparin sulfate and chondroitin sulfate-type membrane receptors on host cells. Circular dichroism assays have shown high α-helix content in SIAP-1 and SIAP-2 HABP secondary structure. Immunofluorescence analysis has revealed that specific peptides against SIAP proteins are highly immunogenic in mice and that anti-SIAP-1 and -2 antibodies recognize the native protein in Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites. Polymorphism studies have shown that a most SIAP-1 and -2 HABPs are conserved among P. falciparum strains. Our results have suggested that SIAP-1 and -2 participate in host-pathogen interactions during cell-traversal and hepatocyte invasion and highlighted the relevance of the ongoing identification and study of potentially new molecules when designing a fully protective antimalarial vaccine.     

Five disulfide bridges stabilize a hevein-type antimicrobial peptide from the bark of spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus L.)

A small 45 amino acid residue antifungal polypeptide was isolated from the bark of spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus L.). Though the primary structure of this so-called E. europaeus chitin-binding protein or Ee-CBP is highly similar to the hevein domain, it distinguishes itself from most previously identified hevein-type antimicrobial peptides (AMP) by the presence of two extra cysteine residues that form an extra disulfide bond. Due to these five disulfide bonds Ee-CBP is a remarkably stable protein. Agar diffusion and microtiterplate assays demonstrated that Ee-CBP is a potent antimicrobial protein. IC₅₀-values as low as 1 μg/ml were observed for the fungus Botrytis cinerea. Comparative assays further demonstrated that Ee-CBP is a stronger inhibitor of fungal growth than Ac-AMP2 from Amaranthus caudatus seeds, which is considered one of the most potent antifungal hevein-type plant proteins.     

The African trypanosome cyclophilin A homologue contains unusual conserved central and N-terminal domains and is developmentally regulated

We have cloned and characterized the homologue of cyclophilin A (CypA) from Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosoma congolense, Trypanosoma evansi and Trypanosoma vivax. The 1-kilobase African trypanosome CypA complementary DNA contains an open reading frame of 531 base pairs, corresponding to 177 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 18,700. The CypA gene is present at one copy/haploid genome in T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax and is located on large chromosomes (>3 Mb) in T. brucei. CypA is differentially transcribed in African trypanosomes and is localized in the cytosol as well as in the flagellum. It is also detected in the supernatant of in vitro cultivated parasites. The African trypanosome CypA is unique due to a ten amino acid residue N-terminus extension and a block that includes a three amino acid insertion around position 100 that might result in a differently structured surface. Wild-type recombinant CypA and several mutants were over-expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to >98% homogeneity. Antisera from cattle immunized with a trypanosome fraction containing immunosuppressive activity react strongly against CypA. These data indicate that trypanosome CypA might play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of infections in susceptible animals.     

Structural basis of the chromodomain of Cbx3 bound to methylated peptides from histone h1 and G9a

Background

HP1 proteins are highly conserved heterochromatin proteins, which have been identified to be structural adapters assembling a variety of macromolecular complexes involved in regulation of gene expression, chromatin remodeling and heterochromatin formation. Much evidence shows that HP1 proteins interact with numerous proteins including methylated histones, histone methyltransferases and so on. Cbx3 is one of the paralogues of HP1 proteins, which has been reported to specifically recognize trimethylated histone H3K9 mark, and a consensus binding motif has been defined for the Cbx3 chromodomain.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we found that the Cbx3 chromodomain can bind to H1K26me2 and G9aK185me3 with comparable binding affinities compared to H3K9me3. We also determined the crystal structures of the human Cbx3 chromodomain in complex with dimethylated histone H1K26 and trimethylated G9aK185 peptides, respectively. The complex structures unveil that the Cbx3 chromodomain specifically bind methylated histone H1K26 and G9aK185 through a conserved mechanism.

Conclusions/Significance

The Cbx3 chromodomain binds with comparable affinities to all of the methylated H3K9, H1K26 and G9aK185 peptides. It is suggested that Cbx3 may regulate gene expression via recognizing both histones and non-histone proteins.     

Presence of corazonin in three insect species, and isolation and identification of [His7]corazonin from Schistocerca americana.

An ELISA for corazonin, a cardioactive neuropeptide from the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, was developed. It was used to isolate corazonin from the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea, the locust Schistocerca americana, and the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. The peptides from Nauphoeta and Manduca had the same retention times as Periplaneta corazonin, and their amino acid compositions also suggested that these peptides are identical with corazonin. The corazonin-immunoreactive peptide from Schistocerca eluted slightly earlier on HPLC than corazonin, and its structure was determined to be [His⁷]corazonin, or pGlu-Thr-Phe-Gln-Tyr-Ser-His-Gly-Trp-Thr-Asn-amide. These results indicate that corazonin is generally present in insects and that its structure has been well conserved.     

The expression pattern of a mouse doublesex-related gene is consistent with a role in gonadal differentiation

The signal for somatic sex determination in mammals, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster is chromosomal, but the overall mechanisms do not appear to be conserved between the phyla. However it has been found quite recently that the C. elegans sex-determining gene Mab-3 contains a domain highly homologous to the Drosophila sex-determining gene doublesex (dsx) and shares a similar role. These data suggest that at least some aspects of the regulation of sex determination might be conserved. In humans, a doublesex-related gene (DMRT1) was identified at less than 30 kb from the critical region for sex reversal on chromosome 9p24 (TD9). In order to get insights into the role of DMRT1 in sex determination/differentiation, we have isolated DMRT1 mouse homologue (Dmrt1) and analysed its expression pattern. The gene is expressed in the genital ridges of both sexes during the sex-determining switch and it shows male/female dimorphism at late stages of sex differentiation.     

Isolation of a potentially functional HPRT processed pseudogene from the hill kangaroo Macropus robustus

A highly conserved hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase processed pseudogene (KPH) has been isolated from a female kangaroo (Macropus robustus) λEMBL3 genomic library. The pseudogene contains only transcribed material with all of the introns precisely removed and has possible direct repeats at either end of the message. It has a 654-nucleotide open reading frame (ORF) from the Met start codon to the stop codon that contains no additions, deletions or premature stops relative to expressed HPRT genes and, therefore, the possibility exists that it is expressed in vivo. Possible CAAT and GC boxes are present in the region 5' to the ORF and a polyadenylation signal is present in the region 3' to the ORF. If not expressed, the age of the pseudogene is estimated to be 10.7 million years. We propose that integration into the genome occurred specifically in a homocopolymeric region within a highly repeated region unique to the kangaroo genome.     

Increased sensitivity of malaria detection by nested polymerase chain reaction using simple sampling and DNA extraction

Malaria remains a disease of underdeveloped and remote regions of the world. The application of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to malaria epidemiology has the potential for increasing our knowledge and understanding of this disease. In order to study malaria in all geographical locations it is important that specimen collection and DNA extraction for PCR be kept simple. Here we report a method for extracting DNA from dried blood spots on filter paper which is capable of detecting one Plasmodium falciparum and two Plasmodium vivax parasites/μl of whole blood by nested PCR without compromising the simplicity of specimen collection or DNA extraction.     

Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein peptides specifically bind to reticulocytes

Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (Pv-DBP) is essential during merozoite invasion of reticulocytes. Reticulocyte binding region identification is important for understanding Pv-DBP reticulocyte recognition.Fifty 20 mer non-overlapping peptides, spanning Pv-DBP sequences, were tested in erythrocyte and reticulocyte binding assays. Ten HARBPs, mainly located in region II (Kd 50-130 nM), were High Activity Reticulocyte Binding Peptides (HARBPs); one bound to erythrocytes. Reticulocyte trypsin-, chymotrypsin- or neuraminidase- treatment affects HARBP binding differently, suggesting that these peptides have different reticulocyte-binding-sites. Some peptides bound to a Coomasie non-stainable 40 Kda band. Some HARBPs were able to block recombinant PvRII binding (Pv-DBP region II) to Duffy positive reticulocytes.     

The central nervous system of Bulla gouldiana: peptide localization

In the present study, we describe the structure of the central nervous system (CNS) of the marine gastropod Bulla gouldiana, and compare it with the structure of the CNS of the related mollusc, Aplysia californica. In addition, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of a series of peptides, and the synaptic vesicle protein, synapsin I, in the central nervous system of B. gouldiana. The most common peptide in the B. gouldiana nervous system is the molluscan cardioexcitatory peptide (FMRFamide), which is present in a significant proportion of B. gouldiana neurons. A smaller number of neurons exhibit immunoreactivity to antisera raised against the calcitonin gene related peptide, vasopressin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, cholecystokinin, galanin and enkephalin. In some instances there is colocalization of two or more peptides. Very few neurons or axons exhibit synapsin I-like immunoreactivity. The patterns of immunoreactivity to these antisera is quite similar to the patterns that have been described in other gastropods, including Lymnaea stagnalis and Aplysia californica. These observations emphasize the importance of FMRFamide-like compounds in phylogenetically old nervous systems and indicate that compounds similar to mammalian peptides are present in the gastropod. Thus, the production of a wide variety of peptide molecules and their use in neuronal function appears to be a highly conserved phylogenetic process.     

Genetic diversity in new members of the reticulocyte binding protein family in Thai Plasmodium vivax isolates

Background

Plasmodium vivax merozoites specifically invade reticulocytes. Until recently, two reticulocyte-binding proteins (Pvrbp1 and Pvrbp2) expressed at the apical pole of the P. vivax merozoite were considered to be involved in reticulocyte recognition. The genome sequence recently obtained for the Salvador I (Sal-I) strain of P. vivax revealed additional genes in this family, and in particular Pvrbp2a, Pvrbp2b (Pvrbp2 has been renamed as Pvrbp2c) and two pseudogenes Pvrbp2d and Pvrbp3. It had been previously found that Pvrbp2c is substantially more polymorphic than Pvrbp1. The primary goal of this study was to ascertain the level of polymorphism of these new genes.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The sequence of the Pvrbp2a, Pvrbp2b, Pvrbp2d and Pvrbp3 genes were obtained by amplification/cloning using DNA purified from four isolates collected from patients that acquired the infection in the four cardinal regions of Thailand (west, north, south and east). An additional seven isolates from western Thailand were analyzed for gene copy number variation. There were significant polymorphisms exhibited by these genes (compared to the reference Sal-I strain) with the ratio of mutations leading to a non-synonymous or synonymous amino acid change close to 3∶1 for Pvrbp2a and Pvrbp2b. Although the degree of polymorphism exhibited by these two genes was higher than that of Pvrbp1, it did not reach the exceptional diversity noted for Pvrbp2c. It was interesting to note that variations in the copy number of Pvrbp2a and Pvrbp2b occurred in some isolates.

Conclusions/Significance

The evolution of different members of the Pvrbp2 family and their relatively high degree of polymorphism suggests that the proteins encoded by these genes are important for parasite survival and are under immune selection. Our data also shows that there are highly conserved regions in rbp2a and rbp2b, which might provide suitable targets for future vaccine development against the blood stage of P. vivax.     

Engineering immunogenic consensus T helper epitopes for a cross-clade HIV vaccine

Developing a vaccine that will stimulate broad HIV-specific T cell responses is difficult because of the variability in HIV T cell epitope sequences, which is in turn due to the high mutation rate and consequent strain diversity of HIV-1. We used a new Class II version of the EpiMatrix T cell epitope-mapping tool and Conservatrix to select highly conserved and promiscuous Class II HLA-restricted T cell epitopes from a database of 18,313 HIV-1 env sequences. Criteria for selection were: (1) number of HIV-1 strains represented as measured by Conservatrix; (2) EpiMatrix score; and (3) promiscuity (number of unique MHC motifs contained in the peptide). Using another vaccine design tool called the EpiAssembler, a new set of overlapping, conserved and immunogenic HIV-1 peptides were engineered creating extended "immunogenic consensus" sequences. Each overlapping 9-mer of the 20-23 amino acid long immunogenic consensus peptides was conserved in a large number (range 893-2254) of individual HIV-1 strains, although the novel peptides were not representative of any single strain of HIV. We synthesized nine representative peptides. T helper cell responses to the peptides were evaluated by ELISpot (gamma-interferon) assay, using peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) obtained from 34 healthy long term non-progressor (LT) or moderate-progressor (MP) donors (median years infected = 8.88, median CD4 T cells = 595, median VL = 1044). Nine peptides were tested, of which eight were confirmed in ELISpot assays using PBMC from the LT/MP subjects. These epitopes were ranked by Conservation and EpiMatrix score 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 14 out of the set of 9 original peptides. Five of these peptides were selected for inclusion in an epitope-driven cross-clade HIV-1 vaccine (the GAIA vaccine). These data confirm the utility of bioinformatics tools to select and construct novel "immunogenic consensus sequence" T cell epitopes for a globally relevant vaccine against HIV.