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Quantitative assessment of the proliferation of the protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus using a bioluminescence assay for ATP content.

ABSTRACT: Perkinsus marinus is a protozoan parasite that causes "Dermo" disease in the eastern oyster Crasssostrea virginica in coastal areas of the USA. Until now, intervention strategies against the parasite have found limited success, and Dermo still remains one of the main hurdles for the restoration of oyster populations. We adapted a commercial adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) content-based assay to assess the in vitro proliferation of P. marinus in a 96-well plate format, and validated the method by measuring the effects of potential anti-proliferative compounds. The sensitivity (1.5-3.1 × 10(4) cells/well), linearity (R (2) = 0.983), and signal stability (60 min) support the reliability of the assay for assessing cell proliferation. Validation of the assay by culturing P. marinus in the presence of increasing concentrations of triclosan showed a dose-response profile. The IC50 value obtained was higher than that reported earlier, possibly due to the use of different viability assay methods and a different P. marinus strain. The antibiotics G418 and tetracycline and the herbicide fluridone were active against P. marinus proliferation; the IC50 of chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and atrazine was relatively high suggesting either off-target effects or inability to reach the targets. The validation of the ATP-based assay, together with significant advantages of the Perkinsus culture methodology (homogeneity, reproducibility, and high cell densities), underscores the value of this assay for developing high-throughput screens for the identification of novel leader compounds against Perkinsus species, and most importantly, for the closely-related apicomplexan parasites.

SUBMITTER: Shridhar S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3862420 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Quantitative assessment of the proliferation of the protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus using a bioluminescence assay for ATP content.

Shridhar Surekha S Hassan Kolaleh K Sullivan David J DJ Vasta Gerardo R GR Fernández Robledo José A JA

International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance 20130413

Perkinsus marinus is a protozoan parasite that causes "Dermo" disease in the eastern oyster Crasssostrea virginica in coastal areas of the USA. Until now, intervention strategies against the parasite have found limited success, and Dermo still remains one of the main hurdles for the restoration of oyster populations. We adapted a commercial adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) content-based assay to assess the in vitro proliferation of P. marinus in a 96-well plate format, and validated the method by m ...[more]

PMID: 24533297

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Project description:Perkinsus marinus is a protozoan parasite of molluscs that can be propagated in vitro in a defined culture medium, in the absence of host cells. We previously reported that P. marinus trophozoites can be transfected with high efficiency by electroporation using a plasmid based on MOE, a highly expressed gene, and proposed its potential use as a "pseudoparasite." This is a novel gene expression platform for parasites of medical relevance for which the choice of the surrogate organism is based on phylogenetic affinity to the parasite of interest, while taking advantage of the whole engineered surrogate organism as a vaccination adjuvant. Here we improved the original transfection plasmid by incorporating a multicloning site, an enterokinase recognition sequence upstream of GFP, and a His-tag and demonstrate its potential suitability for the heterologous expression of Plasmodium sp. genes relevant to the development of anti-malarial vaccines. Plasmodium berghei HAP2 and MSP8, currently considered candidate genes for a malaria vaccine, were cloned into p[MOE]:GFP, and the constructs were used to transfect P. marinus trophozoites. Within 48 hr of transfection we observed fluorescent cells indicating that the P. berghei genes fused to GFP were expressed. The expression appeared to be transient for both P. berghei genes, as florescence of the transfectants diminished gradually over time. Although this heterologous expression system will require optimization for integration and constitutive expression of Plasmodium genes, our results represent attainment of proof for the "pseudoparasite" concept we previously proposed, as we show that the engineered P. marinus system has the potential to become a surrogate system suitable for expression of Plasmodium spp. genes of interest, which could eventually be used as a malaria vaccine delivery platform. The aim of the present study was to test the ability of marine protozoan parasite P. marinus to express genes of P. berghei .

Project description:BackgroundChanges in climate are predicted to influence parasite and pathogen infection patterns in terrestrial and marine environments. Increases in temperature in particular may greatly alter biological processes, such as host-parasite interactions. For example, parasites could differentially benefit from increased reproduction and transmission or hosts could benefit from elevated immune responses that may mediate or even eliminate infections. In the southeastern United States, the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is infected by the lethal protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus. Under field conditions, intertidal (air-exposed) oysters have been found to have significantly higher P. marinus infection intensity and marginally higher infection prevalence than subtidal (submerged) oysters. During summer, air temperatures are much warmer than water and this exposure of intertidal oysters to higher temperatures is a suggested mechanism for increased infection intensity.MethodsWe simulated intertidal exposure using controlled laboratory experiments to determine how host traits (survival and immune response) and parasite infection intensity will respond to elevated air temperature ranging from 27 °C to 53 °C during emersion at low tide. In Georgia, where our work was conducted, the average summer water temperature is 29 °C and the average maximum high air temperature in July is 33 °C (though oysters have been shown to survive at much higher air temperatures).ResultsHost survival declined as temperature increased, with a definitive drop-off between 39-43 °C. Negative effects of air temperature on host immune response (phagocytic activity) were detectable only at extremely high temperatures (47-50 °C) when hosts were suffering acute mortality. Parasite infection intensity peaked at 35 °C.DiscussionOur results suggest that an increase in average summer air temperature to 35 °C or higher could affect oyster survival directly through temperature-related impacts in the short-term and indirectly through increased P. marinus infection intensity over the long-term.

Dataset Information

Quantitative assessment of the proliferation of the protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus using a bioluminescence assay for ATP content.

Publications

Quantitative assessment of the proliferation of the protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus using a bioluminescence assay for ATP content.

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