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Evidence for Novel Pharmacological Sensitivities of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in Schistosoma mansoni.

ABSTRACT: Schistosomiasis, caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, is a neglected tropical disease affecting hundreds of millions globally. Praziquantel (PZQ), the only drug currently available for treatment and control, is largely ineffective against juvenile worms, and reports of PZQ resistance lend added urgency to the need for development of new therapeutics. Ion channels, which underlie electrical excitability in cells, are validated targets for many current anthelmintics. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a large family of non-selective cation channels. TRP channels play key roles in sensory transduction and other critical functions, yet the properties of these channels have remained essentially unexplored in parasitic helminths. TRP channels fall into several (7-8) subfamilies, including TRPA and TRPV. Though schistosomes contain genes predicted to encode representatives of most of the TRP channel subfamilies, they do not appear to have genes for any TRPV channels. Nonetheless, we find that the TRPV1-selective activators capsaicin and resiniferatoxin (RTX) induce dramatic hyperactivity in adult worms; capsaicin also increases motility in schistosomula. SB 366719, a highly-selective TRPV1 antagonist, blocks the capsaicin-induced hyperactivity in adults. Mammalian TRPA1 is not activated by capsaicin, yet knockdown of the single predicted TRPA1-like gene (SmTRPA) in S. mansoni effectively abolishes capsaicin-induced responses in adult worms, suggesting that SmTRPA is required for capsaicin sensitivity in these parasites. Based on these results, we hypothesize that some schistosome TRP channels have novel pharmacological sensitivities that can be targeted to disrupt normal parasite neuromuscular function. These results also have implications for understanding the phylogeny of metazoan TRP channels and may help identify novel targets for new or repurposed therapeutics.

SUBMITTER: Bais S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4676680 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evidence for Novel Pharmacological Sensitivities of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in Schistosoma mansoni.

Bais Swarna S Churgin Matthew A MA Fang-Yen Christopher C Greenberg Robert M RM

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20151211 12

Schistosomiasis, caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma, is a neglected tropical disease affecting hundreds of millions globally. Praziquantel (PZQ), the only drug currently available for treatment and control, is largely ineffective against juvenile worms, and reports of PZQ resistance lend added urgency to the need for development of new therapeutics. Ion channels, which underlie electrical excitability in cells, are validated targets for many current anthelmintics. Transient r ...[more]

PMID: 26655809

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Project description:In response to noxious stimuli, planarians cease their typical ciliary gliding and exhibit an oscillatory type of locomotion called scrunching. We have previously characterized the biomechanics of scrunching and shown that it is induced by specific stimuli, such as amputation, noxious heat, and extreme pH. Because these specific inducers are known to activate Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels in other systems, we hypothesized that TRP channels control scrunching. We found that chemicals known to activate TRPA1 (allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and hydrogen peroxide) and TRPV (capsaicin and anandamide) in other systems induce scrunching in the planarian species Dugesia japonica and, except for anandamide, in Schmidtea mediterranea. To confirm that these responses were specific to either TRPA1 or TRPV, respectively, we tried to block scrunching using selective TRPA1 or TRPV antagonists and RNA interference (RNAi) mediated knockdown. Unexpectedly, co-treatment with a mammalian TRPA1 antagonist, HC-030031, enhanced AITC-induced scrunching by decreasing the latency time, suggesting an agonistic relationship in planarians. We further confirmed that TRPA1 in both planarian species is necessary for AITC-induced scrunching using RNAi. Conversely, while co-treatment of a mammalian TRPV antagonist, SB-366791, also enhanced capsaicin-induced reactions in D. japonica, combined knockdown of two previously identified D. japonica TRPV genes (DjTRPVa and DjTRPVb) did not inhibit capsaicin-induced scrunching. RNAi of DjTRPVa/DjTRPVb attenuated scrunching induced by the endocannabinoid and TRPV agonist, anandamide. Overall, our results show that although scrunching induction can involve different initial pathways for sensing stimuli, this behavior's signature dynamical features are independent of the inducer, implying that scrunching is a stereotypical planarian escape behavior in response to various noxious stimuli that converge on a single downstream pathway. Understanding which aspects of nociception are conserved or not across different organisms can provide insight into the underlying regulatory mechanisms to better understand pain sensation.

Dataset Information

Evidence for Novel Pharmacological Sensitivities of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in Schistosoma mansoni.

Publications

Evidence for Novel Pharmacological Sensitivities of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in Schistosoma mansoni.

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