Dataset Information

Expression of a rK39 homologue from an Iranian Leishmania infantum isolate in Leishmania tarentolae for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Kinesin-related gene diversity among strains and species of Leishmania may impact the sensitivity and specificity of serodiagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis (VL). METHODS:In this study, we report on the recombinant expression of this novel Iranian Leishmania infantum (MCAN14/47) homologue of rK39 (Li-rK39), in L. tarentolae. The diagnostic potential of the Li-rK39 antigen was evaluated in an ELISA, using sera from 100 VL patients, 190 healthy endemic controls, 46 non-endemic healthy controls and 47 patients with other infections. RESULTS:The results showed a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 93.8%. A commercial rK39 immunochromatographic test (ICT) was 90% sensitive and 100% specific on the same cohort. CONCLUSIONS:Here, we show that the K39 gene from an Iranian L. infantum isolate is heterozygous as compared to the sequence of the Brazilian L. infantum (former L. chagasi), whose antigen is incorporated in most rK39-based immunochromatographic tests. Therefore, Li-rK39 has the potential to be used as an alternative for VL diagnosis in Iran.

SUBMITTER: Rezaei Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6921591 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Expression of a rK39 homologue from an Iranian Leishmania infantum isolate in Leishmania tarentolae for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

Rezaei Zahra Z Van Reet Nick N Pouladfar Gholamreza G Kühne Vera V Ramezani Amin A Sarkari Bahador B Pourabbas Bahman B Büscher Philippe P

Parasites & vectors 20191218 1

<h4>Background</h4>Kinesin-related gene diversity among strains and species of Leishmania may impact the sensitivity and specificity of serodiagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis (VL).<h4>Methods</h4>In this study, we report on the recombinant expression of this novel Iranian Leishmania infantum (MCAN14/47) homologue of rK39 (Li-rK39), in L. tarentolae. The diagnostic potential of the Li-rK39 antigen was evaluated in an ELISA, using sera from 100 VL patients, 190 healthy endemic controls, 4 ...[more]

PMID: 31852505

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Project description:Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar, the most severe form of leishmaniasis, can lead to death if not properly diagnosed and treated. Correct identification of infected patients and reservoirs is vital for controlling the spread of leishmaniasis. Current diagnostic kits for leishmaniasis show high sensitivity and specificity, but can also result in false negatives and cross reactions with related parasitic infections. New diagnostic methods with greater accuracy are urgently needed for diagnosis of leishmaniasis. In this study, we aimed to uncover a new highly effective antigen for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in dogs and humans, aiming to improve the accuracy compared with those of current methods of diagnosis. Initially, in-silico epitope prediction analyses identified several potential B-cell epitopes in the repetitive region of Leishmania infantum kinesin, which co-localized with predicted structural disordered regions, suggesting high potential for antigenicity. Based on this analysis, 8.5 genomic motifs, which encode the repetitive sequence of 39 degenerate amino acids, were selected for recombinant expression. BLASTn analysis of this repetitive region indicated that it is absent in the T. cruzi parasite, which is closely related to Leishmania, indicating the specificity of this region. This potentially antigenic protein, named recombinant kinesin degenerated derived repeat (rKDDR), was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli BL21-Star using the pET28a-TEV expression vector. We then evaluated the performance of rKDDR in correctly diagnosing Leishmania infection and compared this new assay with currently used diagnostic tests for leishmaniasis. rKDDR showed greater sensitivity and specificity in correctly diagnosing leishmaniasis both in human (sensitivity 92.86% and specificity 100%) and canine (sensitivity 88.54% and specificity 97.30%) sera compared with those of rK39 (human: sensitivity 90.48% and specificity 97.92%; canine: sensitivity 78.13% and specificity 90.09%). In addition, the rKDDR-ELISA outperformed the EIE-LVC kit, which is the serologic kit recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Health for the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis. These results indicate that rKDDR is a highly promising candidate for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, and is more accurate than the currently used gold-standard antigens.

Project description:Wild canids and domestic dogs are the main reservoir of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum (syn.: Leishmania chagasi). Serological diagnosis of VL is therefore important in both human and dog leishmaniasis from a clinical and epidemiological point of view. Routine diagnosis of VL is traditionally carried out by immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT), which is laborious and difficult to standardize and to interpret. In the last decade, however, several specific antigens of Leishmania infantum have been characterized, allowing the development of a recombinant-based immunoassay. Among them, the whole open reading frame encoding K9 antigen, the gene fragment encoding the repetitive sequence of K26, and the 3'-terminal gene fragment of the kinesin-related protein (K39sub) were previously evaluated as diagnostic markers for canine leishmaniasis and proved to be independent in their antibody reactivity. Since sensitivity of serological test is usually higher in multiple-epitope format, in this study the relevant epitopes of K9, K26, and K39 antigens were joined by PCR strategy to produce the chimeric recombinant protein. The resulting mosaic antigen was found highly expressed in Escherichia coli and efficiently purified by affinity chromatography. Antigenic properties of this recombinant antigen were evaluated by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a panel of human and dog sera previously characterized by parasitological and/or serological techniques. Chimeric ELISA showed 99% specificity in both human (n = 180) and canine (n = 343) control groups, while sensitivity was higher in canine VL (96%, n = 213) than in human VL (82%, n = 185). Accordingly, concordance between IFAT and canine chimeric ELISA (k = 0.95, 95% confidence interval = 0.93 to 0.98) was higher than between IFAT and human chimeric ELISA (k = 0.81, 95% confidence interval = 0.76 to 0.87). Results suggest the potential use of this new antigen for routine serodiagnosis of VL in both human and canine hosts.

Project description:Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is the major surface glycoconjugate of Leishmania protozoan and has an important biological role in host-parasite interactions both in the midgut epithelium of the sand fly vector and in the vertebrate macrophages. Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a chronic infectious disease predominantly caused by Leishmania infantum. An early and accurate immunodiagnosis of the disease is crucial for veterinary clinical practice and for disease control. In this work, we evaluated L. infantum LPG as an antigen in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for CanL immunodiagnosis (LPG-ELISA) by testing serum samples from 97 naturally infected dogs with diverse clinical presentations ranging from subclinical infection to severe disease, as evaluated by veterinarian infectologists. Serum samples from healthy dogs from non-endemic areas (n = 68) and from dogs with other infectious diseases (n = 64) were used as controls for assay validation. The performance of the LPG-ELISA was compared with that of an ELISA using the soluble fraction of L. infantum total lysate antigen (TLA). LPG-ELISA presented a superior performance in comparison to TLA-ELISA, with 91.5% sensitivity, 98.5% specificity and 99.7% accuracy. A distinguishing feature of the LPG-ELISA compared to the TLA-ELISA was its higher ability to identify subclinical infection in clinically healthy dogs, in addition to the absence of cross-reactivity with other canine infectious diseases. Finally, LPG-ELISA was compared to TR DPP visceral canine leishmaniasis test, the immunochromatographic test recommended by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. LPG-ELISA exhibited higher values of specificity (98.5% versus 93.1%) and sensitivity (91.5% versus 90.6%) compared to TR DPP. In conclusion, L. infantum-derived LPG was recognized by antibodies elicited during CanL in different infection stages and was shown to be a suitable antigen for specific clinical settings of veterinary diagnosis and for public health usage.

Project description:The genomic DNAs of strains JPCM5 and 263 of L. infantum, strains LV39 and Friedlin of L. major and strains Parrot-TarII and S125 of L. tarentolae were used in comparative genomic hybridizations to reveal the intra-species and inter-species gene content, and to validate L. tarentolae Parrot-TarII genome sequencing results. Leishmania (Sauroleishmania) tarentolae was first isolated in the lizard Tarentola mauritanica. This species is not known to be pathogenic to humans but is often used as a model organism for molecular analyses or protein overproduction. The Leishmania tarentolae Parrot-TarII strain genome sequence was resolved by high-throughput sequencing technologies. The L. tarentolae genome was first assembled de novo and then aligned against the reference L. major Friedlin genome to facilitate contig positioning and annotation, providing a 23-fold coverage of the genome. This is the first non-pathogenic to humans kinetoplastid protozoan genome to be described, and it provides an opportunity for comparison with the completed genomes of the pathogenic Leishmania species. A high synteny was observed in de novo assembled contigs between all sequenced Leishmania species. A number of limited chromosomal regions diverged between L. tarentolae and L. infantum, while remaining syntenic with L. major. Globally, over 90% of the L. tarentolae gene content was shared with the other Leishmania species. There were 250 L. major genes absent from L. tarentolae, and interestingly these missing genes were primarily expressed in the intracellular amastigote stage of the pathogenic parasites. This implies that L. tarentolae may have impaired ability to survive as an intracellular parasite. In contrast to other Leishmania genomes, two gene families were expanded in L. tarentolae, namely the leishmanolysin (GP63) and a gene related to the promastigote surface antigen (PSA31C). Overall, L. tarentolae appears to have a gene content more adapted to the insect stage rather than the mammalian one. This may partly explain its inability to replicate within mammalian macrophages and its suspected preferred life style as promastigote in the lizards.

Project description:BackgroundThe development of rK39-based immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic tests represents an important advance for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis, being cheap and easy to use at the point of care (POC). Although the use of rK39 have considerably improved the sensitivity and specificity of serological tests compared with total antigens, great variability in sensitivity and specificity was reported. This study aimed at the evaluation of "Kalazar Detect™ Rapid Test, Whole Blood" (Kalazar Detect RDT) for Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) diagnosis using oral fluid, whole blood and serum specimens collected at different endemic areas of VL of Brazil.MethodologyTo evaluate Kalazar Detect RDT, oral fluid, whole blood and serum specimens from 128 VL patients, 85 healthy individuals, 22 patients with possible cross-reactivity diseases and 20 VL/aids coinfected patients were collected and assayed at the POC.Principal findings and conclusionsThe performance of Kalazar Detect RDT in whole blood and serum was similar; however, using oral fluid, the sensitivity was low. Particularly in samples from the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state in Northeastern Brazil, we observed low sensitivity, 80.0% (95% CI: 62.7-90.5), using whole blood and serum, and poor sensitivity, 43.3% (95% CI: 27.4-60.8) with oral fluid. Those values were much lower than in the other regions, where sensitivity ranged from 92.7-96.3% in whole blood and serum, and 80.0-88.9% in oral fluid. Besides, in VL/aids coinfected patients, lower sensitivity was achieved compared with VL patients. In samples from Natal, the sensitivity was 0.0% (95% CI: 0.0-49.0) and 25.0% (95% CI: 4.6-69.9), using oral fluid and serum/whole blood, respectively; in samples from the other regions, the sensitivity ranged from 40.0-63.6% and 80.0-81.8%, respectively. As for specificity, high values were observed across the fluids, 100.0% (95% CI: 96.5-100.0) in whole blood, 96.3% (95% CI: 90.8-98.5) in serum, and 95.3% (95% CI: 89.5-98.0) in oral fluid; across localities, specificity ranged from 85.7-100.0%. Serum samples sent by the collaborating centers to Instituto de Medicina Tropical (n = 250) were tested by Kalazar Detect RDT, Direct Agglutination Test, Indirect immunofluorescence assay, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and IT-Leish® RDT. The regional difference in the performance of rK39-based RDT and lower sensitivity in Leishmania/HIV coinfected patients raise concern on the routine use of these products for the diagnosis of VL.

Project description:BACKGROUND: The development of cost-effective prophylactic strategies to prevent leishmaniasis has become a high-priority. The present study has used the phage display technology to identify new immunogens, which were evaluated as vaccines in the murine model of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Epitope-based immunogens, represented by phage-fused peptides that mimic Leishmania infantum antigens, were selected according to their affinity to antibodies from asymptomatic and symptomatic VL dogs' sera. METHODOLOGY/MAIN FINDINGS: Twenty phage clones were selected after three selection cycles, and were evaluated by means of in vitro assays of the immune stimulation of spleen cells derived from naive and chronically infected with L. infantum BALB/c mice. Clones that were able to induce specific Th1 immune response, represented by high levels of IFN-? and low levels of IL-4 were selected, and based on their selectivity and specificity, two clones, namely B10 and C01, were further employed in the vaccination protocols. BALB/c mice vaccinated with clones plus saponin showed both a high and specific production of IFN-?, IL-12, and GM-CSF after in vitro stimulation with individual clones or L. infantum extracts. Additionally, these animals, when compared to control groups (saline, saponin, wild-type phage plus saponin, or non-relevant phage clone plus saponin), showed significant reductions in the parasite burden in the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and paws' draining lymph nodes. Protection was associated with an IL-12-dependent production of IFN-?, mainly by CD8+ T cells, against parasite proteins. These animals also presented decreased parasite-mediated IL-4 and IL-10 responses, and increased levels of parasite-specific IgG2a antibodies. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study describes two phage clones that mimic L. infantum antigens, which were directly used as immunogens in vaccines and presented Th1-type immune responses, and that significantly reduced the parasite burden. This is the first study that describes phage-displayed peptides as successful immunogens in vaccine formulations against VL.

Dataset Information

Expression of a rK39 homologue from an Iranian Leishmania infantum isolate in Leishmania tarentolae for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

Publications

Expression of a rK39 homologue from an Iranian Leishmania infantum isolate in Leishmania tarentolae for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis.

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