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Plasmodium falciparum phospholipase C hydrolyzing sphingomyelin and lysocholinephospholipids is a possible target for malaria chemotherapy.

ABSTRACT: Sphingomyelinase (SMase) is one of the principal enzymes in sphingomyelin (SM) metabolism. Here, we identified a Plasmodium falciparum gene (PfNSM) encoding a 46-kD protein, the amino acid sequence of which is approximately 25% identical to that of bacteria SMases. Biochemical analyses of the recombinant protein GST-PfNSM, a fusion protein of the PfNSM product with glutathione-S-transferase, reveal that this enzyme retained similar characteristics in various aspects to SMase detected in P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes and isolated parasites. In addition, the recombinant protein retains hydrolyzing activity not only of SM but also of lysocholinephospholipids (LCPL) including lysophosphatidylcholine and lysoplatelet-activating factor, indicating that PfNSM encodes SM/LCPL-phospholipase C (PLC). Scyphostatin inhibited SM/LCPL-PLC activities of the PfNSM product as well as the intraerythrocytic proliferation of P. falciparum in a dose-dependent manner with ID(50) values for SM/LCPL-PLC activities and the parasite growth at 3-5 microM and approximately 7 microM, respectively. Morphological analysis demonstrated most severe impairment in the intraerythrocytic development with the addition of scyphostatin at trophozoite stage than at ring or schizont stages, suggesting its effect specifically on the stage progression from trophozoite to schizont, coinciding with the active transcription of PfNSM gene.

SUBMITTER: Hanada K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2196011 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Plasmodium falciparum phospholipase C hydrolyzing sphingomyelin and lysocholinephospholipids is a possible target for malaria chemotherapy.

Hanada Kentaro K Palacpac Nirianne Marie Q NM Magistrado Pamela A PA Kurokawa Ken K Rai Ganesh G Sakata Daiji D Hara Tomoko T Horii Toshihiro T Nishijima Masahiro M Mitamura Toshihide T

The Journal of experimental medicine 20020101 1

Sphingomyelinase (SMase) is one of the principal enzymes in sphingomyelin (SM) metabolism. Here, we identified a Plasmodium falciparum gene (PfNSM) encoding a 46-kD protein, the amino acid sequence of which is approximately 25% identical to that of bacteria SMases. Biochemical analyses of the recombinant protein GST-PfNSM, a fusion protein of the PfNSM product with glutathione-S-transferase, reveal that this enzyme retained similar characteristics in various aspects to SMase detected in P. falci ...[more]

PMID: 11781362

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Plasmodium falciparum exports proteins that remodel the erythrocyte membrane. One such protein, called Pf155/RESA (RESA1) contributes to parasite fitness, optimizing parasite survival during febrile episodes. Resa1 gene is a member of a small family comprising three highly related genes. Preliminary evidence led to a search for clues indicating the involvement of RESA2 protein in the pathophysiology of malaria. In the present study, cDNA sequence of resa2 gene was obtained from two different strains. The proportion of P. falciparum isolates having a non-stop T1526C mutation in resa2 gene was evaluated and the association of this genotype with severity of malaria was investigated. METHODS: Resa2 cDNAs of two different strains (a patient isolate and K1 culture adapted strain) was obtained by RT-PCR and DNA sequencing was performed to confirm its gene structure. The proportion of isolates having a T1526C mutation was evaluated using a PCR-RFLP methodology on groups of severe malaria and uncomplicated patients recruited in 1991-1994 in Senegal and in 2009 in Benin. RESULTS: A unique ORF with an internal translation stop was found in the patient isolate (Genbank access number : JN183870), while the K1 strain harboured the T1526C mutation (Genbank access number : JN183869) which affects the internal stop codon and restores a full length coding sequence. About 14% of isolates obtained from Senegal and Benin harboured mutant T1526C parasites. Some isolates had both wild and mutant resa alleles. The analysis excluding those mixed isolates showed that the resa2 T1526C mutation was found more frequently in severe malaria cases than in uncomplicated cases (p?=?0.008). The association of the presence of the mutant allele and parasitaemia >4% was shown in multivariate analysis (p?=?0.03) in the group of Beninese children. CONCLUSIONS: All T1526C mutant parasites theoretically have the ability to give rise to a full-length RESA2 protein. This study raises the hypothesis that the RESA2 protein could favour high-density infections. Other studies in various geographic settings and probably including more patients are now required to replicate these results and to answer the questions raised by these results.

Project description:BackgroundArtemisinin-based combination therapies are the recommended first-line treatments of falciparum malaria in all countries with endemic disease. There are recent concerns that the efficacy of such therapies has declined on the Thai-Cambodian border, historically a site of emerging antimalarial-drug resistance.MethodsIn two open-label, randomized trials, we compared the efficacies of two treatments for uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Pailin, western Cambodia, and Wang Pha, northwestern Thailand: oral artesunate given at a dose of 2 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, for 7 days, and artesunate given at a dose of 4 mg per kilogram per day, for 3 days, followed by mefloquine at two doses totaling 25 mg per kilogram. We assessed in vitro and in vivo Plasmodium falciparum susceptibility, artesunate pharmacokinetics, and molecular markers of resistance.ResultsWe studied 40 patients in each of the two locations. The overall median parasite clearance times were 84 hours (interquartile range, 60 to 96) in Pailin and 48 hours (interquartile range, 36 to 66) in Wang Pha (P<0.001). Recrudescence confirmed by means of polymerase-chain-reaction assay occurred in 6 of 20 patients (30%) receiving artesunate monotherapy and 1 of 20 (5%) receiving artesunate-mefloquine therapy in Pailin, as compared with 2 of 20 (10%) and 1 of 20 (5%), respectively, in Wang Pha (P=0.31). These markedly different parasitologic responses were not explained by differences in age, artesunate or dihydroartemisinin pharmacokinetics, results of isotopic in vitro sensitivity tests, or putative molecular correlates of P. falciparum drug resistance (mutations or amplifications of the gene encoding a multidrug resistance protein [PfMDR1] or mutations in the gene encoding sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase6 [PfSERCA]). Adverse events were mild and did not differ significantly between the two treatment groups.ConclusionsP. falciparum has reduced in vivo susceptibility to artesunate in western Cambodia as compared with northwestern Thailand. Resistance is characterized by slow parasite clearance in vivo without corresponding reductions on conventional in vitro susceptibility testing. Containment measures are urgently needed. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00493363, and Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN64835265.)

Dataset Information

Plasmodium falciparum phospholipase C hydrolyzing sphingomyelin and lysocholinephospholipids is a possible target for malaria chemotherapy.

Publications

Plasmodium falciparum phospholipase C hydrolyzing sphingomyelin and lysocholinephospholipids is a possible target for malaria chemotherapy.

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