Dataset Information

Autophagy during proliferation and encystation in the protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens.

ABSTRACT: Autophagy is one of the three systems responsible for the degradation of cytosolic proteins and organelles. Autophagy has been implicated in the stress response to starvation, antigen cross-presentation, the defense against invading bacteria and viruses, differentiation, and development. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Atg8 and its mammalian ortholog, LC3, play an essential role in autophagy. The intestinal protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica and a related reptilian species, Entamoeba invadens, possess the Atg8 conjugation system, consisting of Atg8, Atg4, Atg3, and Atg7, but lack the Atg5-to-Atg12 conjugation system. Immunofluorescence imaging revealed that polymorphic Atg8-associated structures emerged in the logarithmic growth phase and decreased in the stationary phase and also increased in the early phase of encystation in E. invadens. Immunoblot analysis showed that the increase in phosphatidylethanolamine-conjugated membrane-associated Atg8 was also accompanied by the emergence of Atg8-associated structures during the proliferation and differentiation mentioned above. Specific inhibitors of class I and III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases simultaneously inhibited both the growth of trophozoites and autophagy and also both encystation and autophagy in E. invadens. These results suggest that the core machinery for autophagy is conserved and plays an important role during proliferation and differentiation in Entamoeba.

SUBMITTER: Picazarri K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2223641 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Autophagy during proliferation and encystation in the protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens.

Picazarri Karina K Nakada-Tsukui Kumiko K Nozaki Tomoyoshi T

Infection and immunity 20071008 1

Autophagy is one of the three systems responsible for the degradation of cytosolic proteins and organelles. Autophagy has been implicated in the stress response to starvation, antigen cross-presentation, the defense against invading bacteria and viruses, differentiation, and development. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Atg8 and its mammalian ortholog, LC3, play an essential role in autophagy. The intestinal protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica and a related reptilian species, Entamoeba invadens, po ...[more]

PMID: 17923513

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Project description:Developmental switching between life-cycle stages is a common feature among many pathogenic organisms. Entamoeba histolytica is an important human pathogen and is a leading parasitic cause of death globally. During its life cycle, Entamoeba converts between cysts (essential for disease transmission) and trophozoites (responsible for tissue invasion). Despite being central to its biology, the triggers that are involved in the developmental pathways of this parasite are not well understood. In order to define the transcriptional network associated with stage conversion we used Entamoeba invadens which serves as a model system for Entamoeba developmental biology, and performed RNA sequencing at different developmental time points. In this study RNA-Seq data was utilised to define basal transcriptional control elements as well as to identify promoters which regulate stage-specific gene expression patterns. We discovered that the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of E. invadens genes are short, a median of 20 nucleotides (nt) and 26 nt respectively. Bioinformatics analysis of DNA sequences proximate to the start and stop codons identified two conserved motifs: (i) E. invadens Core Promoter Motif - GAAC-Like (EiCPM-GL) (GAACTACAAA), and (ii) E. invadens 3'-U-Rich Motif (Ei3'-URM) (TTTGTT) in the 5' and 3' flanking regions, respectively. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that both motifs specifically bind nuclear protein(s) from E. invadens trophozoites. Additionally, we identified select genes with stage-specific expression patterns and analysed the ability of each gene promoter to drive a luciferase reporter gene during the developmental cycle. This approach confirmed three trophozoite-specific, four encystation-specific and two excystation-specific promoters. This work lays the framework for use of stage-specific promoters to express proteins of interest in a particular life-cycle stage, adding to the molecular toolbox for genetic manipulation of E. invadens and allowing further dissection of factors controlling Entamoeba developmental biology.

Project description:PTEN is a lipid phosphatase that is highly conserved and involved in a broad range of biological processes including cytoskeletal reorganization, endocytosis, signal transduction, and cell migration in all eukaryotes. Although regulation of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3] signaling via PTEN has been well established in model organisms and mammals, it remains elusive in the parasitic protist E. histolytica, which heavily relies on PtdIns phosphate(s)-dependent membrane traffic, migration, and phago- and trogocytosis for its pathogenesis. In this study, we characterized the major PTEN from E. histolytica, EhPTEN1, which shows the highest expression at the transcript level in the trophozoite stage among 6 possible PTENs, to understand the significance of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 signaling in this parasite. Live imaging of GFP-EhPTEN1 expressing amebic trophozoites showed localization mainly in the cytosol with a higher concentration at pseudopods and the extending edge of the phago- and trogocytic cups. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of phago- and trogocytosis using a confocal image cytometer showed that overexpression of EhPTEN1 caused reduction in trogo- and phagocytosis while transcriptional gene silencing of EhPTEN1 gene caused opposite phenotypes. These data suggest that EhPTEN1 has an inhibitory role in these biological processes. Conversely, EhPTEN1 acts as a positive regulator for fluid-phase and receptor-mediated endocytosis in E. histolytica trophozoites. Moreover, we showed that EhPTEN1 was required for optimal growth and migration of this parasite. Finally, the phosphatase activity of EhPTEN1 towards PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 was demonstrated, suggesting that the biological roles of EhPTEN1 are likely linked to its catalytic function. Taken together, these results indicate that EhPTEN1 differentially regulates multiple cellular activities essential for proliferation and pathogenesis of the organism, via PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 signaling. Elucidation of biological roles of PTEN and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 signaling at the molecular levels promotes our understanding of the pathogenesis of this parasite.

Dataset Information

Autophagy during proliferation and encystation in the protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens.

Publications

Autophagy during proliferation and encystation in the protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens.

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