Toxoplasma gondii: genetic crosses reveal phenotypic suppression of hydroxyurea resistance by fluorodeoxyuridine resistance

Mutants resistant to sinefungin (SF) and hydroxyurea (HU) were isolated from an oocyst-producing strain of Toxoplasma gondii with the aid of mutagenesis with ethylnitrosourea. These mutants were used with previously described mutants resistant to adenine arabinoside (araA) and fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR) in genetic crosses in cats. In order to interpret the data from crosses in which all four mutants were used to infect the same cat, it was necessary to devise a mathematical expression to predict the recombination frequency for unlinked markers. This frequency was shown in theory to be half of the product of the two parental phenotype frequencies. A series of crosses in which the parental frequencies were systematically varied yielded frequencies of recombination that were in accord with this calculation. The four-way crosses in the same cat showed unlinked recombination between all markers except HU and FUDR. This pair of markers yielded no doubly resistant recombinants, suggesting complete linkage. However, linkage was excluded when a binary cross between the HU- and FUDR-resistant mutants resulted in the normal number of doubly sensitive recombinants. The lack of doubly resistant recombinants was shown to be a consequence of phenotypic suppression of HU resistance by FUDR resistance. This suppression was first demonstrated by showing that an FUDR-resistant mutant selected from an HU-resistant parasite lost the HU resistance. The phenotypically suppressed HU-resistant gene was revealed by genetic crosses with wild type T. gondii. Although both parental stains were sensitive to HU, some of the progeny parasites were resistant.     

Toxoplasma gondii: genetic recombination between drug resistant mutants

Mutants resistant to adenine arabinoside (ara-A) or to 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR) were isolated from a newly isolated oocyst producing strain of Toxoplasma gondii. The selection and characterization of these mutants were carried out in human fibroblast cultures. The ara-A-resistant mutant lacked the enzyme adenosine kinase. The biochemical basis of FUDR resistance remains unknown. Both mutants were used to infect mice to produce brain cysts that contained bradyzoites. Mouse brains that contained cysts were fed to kittens to complete the sexual cycle of T. gondii. Those kittens fed cysts of only one drug-resistant mutant excreted oocysts that yielded no detectable recombinant doubly resistant parasites that could make plaques in the presence of both ara-A and FUDR. Kittens fed a mixture of cysts that contained both mutants excreted oocysts that contained approximately 12% doubly resistant parasites. The reciprocal recombinant, sensitive to both drugs, was also isolated. The doubly resistant recombinant was totally deficient in adenosine kinase activity. This pattern of inheritance is consistant only with a haploid genome for all stages of T. gondii except the zygote formed by fusion of gametes and the unsporulated oocyst. Two FUDR-resistant mutants were also defective in the production of oocysts. These mutants failed to recombine with an ara-A-resistant mutant of proven fertility and thus their inability to make oocysts must result from a defect in the production of both microgametes and macrogametes.     

Selection of biochemical mutants of Aspergillus niger with enhanced catalase production

 The production of extracellular catalase in a submerged culture by a number of biochemical mutants has been evaluated. Eight of these mutants showed increased extracellular catalase, the level of which ranged widely in individual cases from 44% to over 94% in comparison with the parental strain. Studies of the relationship between a criterion of selection and the frequency of mutation showed that the highest frequency of positive mutations (15.8% and 24.2%) was obtained with respect to mutants resistant to ethidium bromide (1 mmol/l) and sodium gluconate (45%) respectively. The time course of growth and enzyme production by the most active mutant, AM-20, showed extra- and intracellular catalase activities increasing about 2- and 2.6-fold respectively, compared with the parental strain. Received: 4 September 1996 / Received revision: 29 October 1996 / Accepted: 2 November 1996     

Genomic data reveal Toxoplasma gondii differentiation mutants are also impaired with respect to switching into a novel extracellular tachyzoite state

Toxoplasma gondii pathogenesis includes the invasion of host cells by extracellular parasites, replication of intracellular tachyzoites, and differentiation to a latent bradyzoite stage. We present the analysis of seven novel T. gondii insertional mutants that do not undergo normal differentiation to bradyzoites. Microarray quantification of the variation in genome-wide RNA levels for each parasite line and times after induction allowed us to describe states in the normal differentiation process, to analyze mutant lines in the context of these states, and to identify genes that may have roles in initiating the transition from tachyzoite to bradyzoite. Gene expression patterns in wild-type parasites undergoing differentiation suggest a novel extracellular state within the tachyzoite stage. All mutant lines exhibit aberrant regulation of bradyzoite gene expression and notably some of the mutant lines appear to exhibit high proportions of the intracellular tachyzoite state regardless of whether they are intracellular or extracellular. In addition to the genes identified by the insertional mutagenesis screen, mixture model analysis allowed us to identify a small number of genes, in mutants, for which expression patterns could not be accounted for using the three parasite states--genes that may play a mechanistic role in switching from the tachyzoite to bradyzoite stage.     

Ionophore-resistant mutants of Toxoplasma gondii reveal host cell permeabilization as an early event in egress

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular pathogen within the phylum Apicomplexa. Invasion and egress by this protozoan parasite are rapid events that are dependent upon parasite motility and appear to be directed by fluctuations in intracellular [Ca(2+)]. Treatment of infected host cells with the calcium ionophore A23187 causes the parasites to undergo rapid egress in a process termed ionophore-induced egress (IIE). In contrast, when extracellular parasites are exposed to this ionophore, they quickly lose infectivity (termed ionophore-induced death [IID]). From among several Iie(-) mutants described here, two were identified that differ in several attributes, most notably in their resistance to IID. The association between the Iie(-) and Iid(-) phenotypes is supported by the observation that two-thirds of mutants selected as Iid(-) are also Iie(-). Characterization of three distinct classes of IIE and IID mutants revealed that the Iie(-) phenotype is due to a defect in a parasite-dependent activity that normally causes infected host cells to be permeabilized just prior to egress. Iie(-) parasites underwent rapid egress when infected cells were artificially permeabilized by a mild saponin treatment, confirming that this step is deficient in the Iie(-) mutants. A model is proposed that includes host cell permeabilization as a critical part of the signaling pathway leading to parasite egress. The fact that Iie(-) mutants are also defective in early stages of the lytic cycle indicates some commonality between these normal processes and IIE.     

Selective isolation of Aspergillus niger mutants with enhanced glucose oxidase production

After mutagenization and selection, mutant Aspergillus niger strains resistant to certain agents were obtained. Seven of the mutants showed increased extracellular glucose oxidase (GOD), the level for individual cases ranged widely from 8.8 to over 138.5% in comparison with the parental strain. Studies of the relationship between method of selection and frequency of mutation showed that the highest frequency of positive mutations (15.8% and 17.3%) was obtained from mutants resistant to ethidium bromide (1 mmol 1^-1) and sodium gluconate (45%), respectively. The time course of growth and enzyme production by the most active mutant AM-11 showed intra- and extracellular GOD activities to have increased about 2.2- and 2.4-fold, respectively, compared with the parental strain.     

A Genetic Screen to Isolate Toxoplasma gondii Host-cell Egress Mutants

The widespread, obligate intracellular, protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes opportunistic disease in immuno-compromised patients and causes birth defects upon congenital infection. The lytic replication cycle is characterized by three stages: 1. active invasion of a nucleated host cell; 2. replication inside the host cell; 3. active egress from the host cell. The mechanism of egress is increasingly being appreciated as a unique, highly regulated process, which is still poorly understood at the molecular level. The signaling pathways underlying egress have been characterized through the use of pharmacological agents acting on different aspects of the pathways^1-5. As such, several independent triggers of egress have been identified which all converge on the release of intracellular Ca²⁺, a signal that is also critical for host cell invasion^6-8. This insight informed a candidate gene approach which led to the identification of plant like calcium dependent protein kinase (CDPK) involved in egress⁹. In addition, several recent breakthroughs in understanding egress have been made using (chemical) genetic approaches^10-12. To combine the wealth of pharmacological information with the increasing genetic accessibility of Toxoplasma we recently established a screen permitting the enrichment for parasite mutants with a defect in host cell egress¹³. Although chemical mutagenesis using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) or ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) has been used for decades in the study of Toxoplasma biology^11,14,15, only recently has genetic mapping of mutations underlying the phenotypes become routine^16-18. Furthermore, by generating temperature-sensitive mutants, essential processes can be dissected and the underlying genes directly identified. These mutants behave as wild-type under the permissive temperature (35 °C), but fail to proliferate at the restrictive temperature (40 °C) as a result of the mutation in question. Here we illustrate a new phenotypic screening method to isolate mutants with a temperature-sensitive egress phenotype¹³. The challenge for egress screens is to separate egressed from non-egressed parasites, which is complicated by fast re-invasion and general stickiness of the parasites to host cells. A previously established egress screen was based on a cumbersome series of biotinylation steps to separate intracellular from extracellular parasites¹¹. This method also did not generate conditional mutants resulting in weak phenotypes. The method described here overcomes the strong attachment of egressing parasites by including a glycan competitor, dextran sulfate (DS), that prevents parasites from sticking to the host cell¹⁹. Moreover, extracellular parasites are specifically killed off by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), which leaves intracellular parasites unharmed²⁰. Therefore, with a new phenotypic screen to specifically isolate parasite mutants with defects in induced egress, the power of genetics can now be fully deployed to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying host cell egress.     

Biochemical characterization of N-methyl N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced cadmium resistant mutants ofAspergillus niger

Two cadmium resistant mutants (Cd₁ and Cd₂) ofAspergillus niger, among the six isolated by mutagenization with N-methyl N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) at pH 6.4 were selected for the study. Analysis of lipid composition of the mutants and the wildtype indicated that total lipid as well as individual lipids of the cadmium resistant mutants were changed as compared with that of the wildtype. The increased activities of metal-lothionein and reduced activities of D-xylose isomerase and L-phenylalanine ammonia lyase in cell free extract of the cadmium resistant mutants suggested that mutants could allow high concentration of cadmium salt as compared with that of the wildtype. The respiratory activity and intracellular as well as extracellular Cd²⁺ concentration of the mutants reflected the high tolerance of the Cd mutants to cadmium ion.     

Plasmodium berghei: Osmotic fragility of malaria parasites and mouse host erythrocytes

The osmotic properties of intraerythrocytic and ultrasonically liberated malaria parasites (Plasmodium berghei) were analyzed and compared with those of mouse host erythrocytes utilizing a multiple tube fragility test. Cells were incubated in phosphate buffered saline solutions of varying osmolalities ranging from 20–4000 mOsm. Changes in cell ultrastructure and parasite infectivity were used as indicators of osmotic damage. Intraerythrocytic and host cell-free plasmodia showed similar patterns of cell alteration and changes in infectivity following osmotic stress. The various developmental forms within each of the preparations responded somewhat differently to hypo-osmotic stress, however. The majority of merozoites seemed to be more sensitive than many trophozoites, schizonts, and segmenters. Small trophozoites were, on the average, more resistant than other developmental forms. Incubation of parasite populations in hypotonic salt solutions with osmolalities slightly greater than the infectivity threshold of 100 mOsm lysed the majority of the merozoites, whereas many small trophozoites were still intact. While normal erythrocytes were more resistant to hypo-osmotic stress than were either intracellular or free parasites, the majority of parasitized erythrocytes was less resistant than normal erythrocytes. The predominant alteration induced by hyperosmotic stress appears in the parasite's nuclear region with myelination of the nuclear membranes and chromatin clumping. The infectivity threshold in the hypertonic range was found to be approximately 2500 mOsm. Results indicate that these obligate intracellular parasites have a wide range of osmotic sensitivities and that they are capable of existing for short periods in various osmotic environments ranging from 100–2500 mOsm without complete loss of infectivity. This suggests that these parasites have osmotic regulatory capabilities at least comparable to those of host cells.     

A role for adenine nucleotides in the sensing mechanism to purine starvation in Leishmania donovani

Purine salvage by Leishmania is an obligatory nutritional process that impacts both cell viability and growth. Previously, we have demonstrated that the removal of purines in culture provokes significant metabolic changes that enable Leishmania to survive prolonged periods of purine starvation. In order to understand how Leishmania sense and respond to changes in their purine environment, we have exploited several purine pathway mutants, some in which adenine and guanine nucleotide metabolism is uncoupled. While wild type parasites grow in any one of a variety of naturally occurring purines, the proliferation of these purine pathway mutants requires specific types or combinations of exogenous purines. By culturing purine pathway mutants in high levels of extracellular purines that are either permissive or non‐permissive for growth and monitoring for previously defined markers of the adaptive response to purine starvation, we determined that adaptation arises from a surveillance of intracellular purine nucleotide pools rather than from a direct sensing of the extracellular purine content of the environment. Specifically, our data suggest that perturbation of intracellular adenine‐containing nucleotide pools provides a crucial signal for inducing the metabolic changes necessary for the long‐term survival of Leishmania in a purine‐scarce environment.     

Toxoplasma gondii: the biochemical basis of resistance to emimycin

Emimycin was a potent and selective inhibitor of the growth and nucleic acid synthesis of Toxoplasma gondii in human fibroblasts. An emimycin-resistant mutant of T. gondii lost the pyrimidine salvage enzyme uracil phosphoribosyltransferase, the same enzyme absent in parasites resistant to fluorodeoxyuridine. The mutant resistant to emimycin was completely cross-resistant to fluorodeoxyuridine. Emimycin was as good a substrate as uracil for the uracil phosphoribosyltransferase of T. gondii. [3H]Emimycin supplied in the medium of cultures with actively growing intracellular parasites was converted to emimycin riboside-5'-phosphate in the soluble pool of T. gondii. All other emimycin analogs of uracil-containing nucleotides were also formed but little emimycin riboside diphosphate-N-acetylhexosamine was found. [3H]Emimycin was not converted to analogs of the cytidine nucleotides. When intracellular T. gondii were treated with a concentration of [3H]emimycin that partially inhibited parasite RNA synthesis, much less [3H]emimycin was incorporated into RNA than would be predicted by the amount of intracellular [3H]emimycin riboside triphosphate.     

Synthesis of Analogs of Pestalotin

Starch-utilizing mutants of Escherichia coli which can grow well on starch or amylose as the sole carbon source were isolated. The maximal viable cell number of the starch-utilizing mutants on the polysaccharide media reached the same level (4 × 10⁹ cells/ml) as that with glucose medium after incubation for 24 hours at 37°C. The isolated mutants could produce more intracellular α-amylase than the wild-type strain, and the enzyme activity was detected in the extracellular fluid. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the intracellular and extracellular enzymes had similar electrophoretic mobilities. These observations suggested that the ability of growth on the polysaccharide media was due to the excreted α-amylase, which appeared to be identical with the intracellular enzyme.     

Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) dionisii: effect of various agents on attachment and entry to macrophages in vitro and on morphogenesis

The attachment and entry of Trypanosoma dionisii to mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro were studied. Both occurred to a similar extent whether parasites were alive or heat-killed, and whether macrophages were obtained from normal or immunized mice. Attachment occurred equally at 4 and 37 degrees C, but entry only occurred at the higher temperature. Neither was affected by pretreatment of parasites with active or inactivated complement. Entry, but not attachment, was inhibited by cytochalasin B; both were inhibited by trypsin. Immune mouse plasma (if inactivated) stimulated attachment but not entry (within 24 h). It also stimulated intracellular replication of T. dionisii by multiple fission and subsequent differentiation (probably within macrophages) to small extracellular trypomastigotes. No extracellular parasite and only scanty intracellular forms survived 120 h in cultures containing non-inactivated immune mouse plasma. It was concluded that attachment (in the absence of antibody) occurred to non-specific receptors in the macrophage membrane and was followed by phagocytosis of the parasites rather than their active penetration of the cell.     

Fitness of Leishmania donovani Parasites Resistant to Drug Combinations

Drug resistance represents one of the main problems for the use of chemotherapy to treat leishmaniasis. Additionally, it could provide some advantages to Leishmania parasites, such as a higher capacity to survive in stress conditions. In this work, in mixed populations of Leishmania donovani parasites, we have analyzed whether experimentally resistant lines to one or two combined anti-leishmanial drugs better support the stress conditions than a susceptible line expressing luciferase (Luc line). In the absence of stress, none of the Leishmania lines showed growth advantage relative to the other when mixed at a 1:1 parasite ratio. However, when promastigotes from resistant lines and the Luc line were mixed and exposed to different stresses, we observed that the resistant lines are more tolerant of different stress conditions: nutrient starvation and heat shock-pH stress. Further to this, we observed that intracellular amastigotes from resistant lines present a higher capacity to survive inside the macrophages than those of the control line. These results suggest that resistant parasites acquire an overall fitness increase and that resistance to drug combinations presents significant differences in their fitness capacity versus single-drug resistant parasites, particularly in intracellular amastigotes. These results contribute to the assessment of the possible impact of drug resistance on leishmaniasis control programs.     

Babesia bovis: subcellular localization of host erythrocyte membrane components during their asexual growth

In the present study, the subcellular localization of the host red blood cell (RBC) membrane components, the alpha2-3-linked sialic acid (SA) residues and the lipid bilayer, was observed during the asexual growth of Babesia bovis using two erythrocyte probes, the SA-specific lectin (MALII) and the lipophilic fluorescent (PKH2) probes, respectively. In confocal laser scanning microscopy with MALII, the SA residues on the surface of parasitized RBCs appeared to accumulate into the intracellular parasites as the parasites matured as well as to remain on the surface of extracellular parasites. Furthermore, when PKH2-labeled RBCs were infected with B. bovis, PKH2 signals were also observed around both the intracellular and the extracellular parasites, similarly to the results of MALII. These results indicated that the components derived from the host erythrocyte membrane are incorporated into the intracellular parasites during their asexual growth within the parasitized RBC, suggesting the possible formation of a parasitophorous vacuole-based network or a parasite surface coat.     

Regulation of the Pool Size of Valine in Escherichia coli K-12

Three mutations (ilvH611, ilvH612, and ilvH613) are described which make Escherichia coli K-12 resistant to valine inhibition and are located near leu. The expression of the ilv genes appears to be normal in these mutants since the isoleucine-valine biosynthetic enzymes are not derepressed relative to the wild type. The intracellular concentration of valine is, however, higher in the mutants than in the isogenic ilvH(+) strain. These mutants also excrete valine, probably because of the high intracellular concentration of this amino acid. The pool size of valine is regulated independently from that of isoleucine and leucine. The increased intracellular concentration of valine is due to a decreased feedback inhibition that valine exerts on its own biosynthetic pathway. In fact, acetolactate synthase activity assayed in extracts of ilvH612 and ilvH613 mutants is more resistant to valine inhibition than the activity assayed in the ilvH(+) isogenic strain. Two forms of acetolactate synthase activity can be separated from these extracts by adsorption and elution on hydroxylapatite. One of them is as sensitive to valine inhibition as that of the wild type, the other is more resistant to valine inhibition.     

Selection of aphidicolin-resistant CHO cells with altered levels of ribonucleotide reductase

Chinese hamster ovary cells were initially selected for resistance to aphidicolin at 0.3 microgram/ml. Serial cultivation with aphidicolin at concentrations up to 5.0 micrograms/ml yielded a series of mutants with increasing resistance. The most resistant mutant isolated was 44 times more resistant to aphidicolin than the parental CHO. The alpha-polymerases, assayed in the cytoplasmic extracts of the mutants, did not increase in specific activity or differ from the parental CHO in their sensitivity to aphidicolin. When cultured in the presence of deoxythymidine, deoxyadenosine, and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl cytosine (araC) the mutants showed considerably more resistance to these inhibitors than did the parental CHO. The intracellular pools of all four deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) in the mutants increased with increasing resistance to aphidicolin. The elevated dNTP pools in the mutant most resistant to aphidicolin appear to be the result of a 4- to 8-fold increase in the level of ribonucleotide reductase (2'-deoxyribonucleoside diphosphate:oxidized thioredoxin 2'-oxidoreductase, EC 1.17.4.1).     

Choline uptake into the malaria parasite is energized by the membrane potential

The uptake by the intraerythrocytic malaria parasite of the phospholipid precursor choline was investigated in parasites 'isolated' from their host cells by saponin permeabilization of the erythrocyte membrane. Choline is transported across the parasite plasma membrane then phosphorylated and thereby trapped within the parasite. Choline influx was inhibited competitively by quinine. It increased with increasing extracellular pH, decreased on depolarization of the parasite plasma membrane with a protonophore or by increasing extracellular [K+], and increased in response to hyperpolarization of the membrane by decreasing extracellular [K+] or by addition of the K+ channel blocker Cs+. In ATP-depleted parasites choline was taken up but not phosphorylated. Under these conditions, imposition of an inwardly negative membrane potential using the K+ ionophore valinomycin resulted in the accumulation of choline to an intracellular concentration more than 15-fold higher than the extracellular concentration. Choline influx is therefore an electrogenic process, energized by the parasite plasma membrane potential.     

Dissemination of extracellular and intracellular Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in the blood flow

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite. It has been thought that T. gondii can disseminate throughout the body by circulation of tachyzoite-infected leukocytes (intracellular parasite) in the blood flow. However, a small number of parasites exist as free extracellular tachyzoites in the blood flow (extracellular parasite). It is still controversial whether the extracellular parasites in the blood flow disseminate into the peripheral tissues. In this study, we evaluated the dissemination efficiency of the extracellular and intracellular parasites in the blood flow using GFP-expressing transgenic parasite (PLK/GFP) and DsRed Express-expressing transgenic parasite (PLK/RED). When PLK/GFP and PLK/RED tachyzoites were injected, as intracellular and extracellular forms respectively, at the same time into the tail vein of a mouse, many disseminated green fluorescent PLK/GFP tachyzoites were observed in the lung, the spleen, the liver and the brain. However, only a few red fluorescent PLK/RED tachyzoites were detected in these organs. When PLK/GFP and PLK/RED tachyzoites were injected in the opposite manner, that is, as extracellular and intracellular forms respectively, the majority of tachyzoites in these tissues were PLK/RED tachyzoites. Collectively, these results indicate that intracellular tachyzoites mainly disseminate throughout the body and that extracellular tachyzoites hardly contribute to parasite dissemination.     

Cell cycle-dependent, intercellular transmission of Toxoplasma gondii is accompanied by marked changes in parasite gene expression

Intracellular microbes have evolved efficient strategies for transitioning from one cell to another in a process termed intercellular transmission. Here we show that host cell transmission of the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii is closely tied to specific cell cycle distributions, with egress and reinvasion occurring most proficiently by parasites in the G1 phase. We also reveal that Toxoplasma undergoes marked changes in mRNA expression when transitioning from the extracellular environment to its intracellular niche. These mRNA level changes reflect a modal switch from expression of proteins involved in invasion, motility and signal transduction in extracellular parasites to expression of metabolic and DNA replication proteins in intracellular parasites. Host cell binding and signalling associated with the discharge of parasite secretory proteins was not sufficient to induce this switch in gene expression, suggesting that the regulatory mechanisms responsible are tied to the establishment of the intracellular environment. The genes whose expression increased after parasite invasion belong to a progressive cascade known to underlie the parasite division cycle indicating that the unique relationship between the G1 phase and invasion effectively synchronizes short-term population growth. This work provides new insight into how this highly successful parasite competently transits from cell to cell.