Dataset Information

Isolation of virulence genes directing surface glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol synthesis by functional complementation of Leishmania.

ABSTRACT: Trypanosomatid parasites of the genus Leishmania cause a spectrum of widespread tropical diseases. In the vertebrate host they reside within the macrophage phagolysosome; however, the mechanisms employed in this remarkable survival strategy are not well understood. Recent advances in the molecular genetics of these parasites prompted us to develop methods of functional genetic complementation in Leishmania and apply them to the isolation of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the virulence determinant lipophosphoglycan, an abundant glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored polysaccharide. LPG1, the gene product identified by complementation of the R2D2 mutant, appears to be a glycosyltransferase responsible for the addition of galactofuranosyl residues to the nascent lipophosphoglycan chain. As galactofuranose is not found in mammalian cells, inhibition of the addition of this sugar could be exploited for chemotherapy. Overall, the success of the functional complementation approach opens the way to the identification of a variety of genes involved in pathogenesis and parasitism.

SUBMITTER: Ryan KA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC47407 | biostudies-other | 1993 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Isolation of virulence genes directing surface glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol synthesis by functional complementation of Leishmania.

Ryan K A KA Garraway L A LA Descoteaux A A Turco S J SJ Beverley S M SM

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 19930901 18

Trypanosomatid parasites of the genus Leishmania cause a spectrum of widespread tropical diseases. In the vertebrate host they reside within the macrophage phagolysosome; however, the mechanisms employed in this remarkable survival strategy are not well understood. Recent advances in the molecular genetics of these parasites prompted us to develop methods of functional genetic complementation in Leishmania and apply them to the isolation of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the virulence det ...[more]

PMID: 8378337

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Project description:Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is a post-translational modification resulting in the attachment of modified proteins to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. Tissue culture experiments have shown GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) to be targeted to the apical membrane of epithelial cells. However, the in vivo importance of this targeting has not been investigated since null mutations in GPI biosynthesis enzymes in mice result in very early embryonic lethality. Missense mutations in the human GPI biosynthesis enzyme pigv are associated with a multiple congenital malformation syndrome with a high frequency of Hirschsprung disease and renal anomalies. However, it is currently unknown how these phenotypes are linked to PIGV function. Here, we identify a temperature-sensitive hypomorphic allele of PIGV in Caenorhabditis elegans, pigv-1(qm34), enabling us to study the role of GPI-APs in development. At the restrictive temperature we found a 75% reduction in GPI-APs at the surface of embryonic cells. Consequently, ~80% of pigv-1(qm34) embryos arrested development during the elongation phase of morphogenesis, exhibiting internal cysts and/or surface ruptures. Closer examination of the defects revealed them all to be the result of breaches in epithelial tissues: cysts formed in the intestine and excretory canal, and ruptures occurred through epidermal cells, suggesting weakening of the epithelial membrane or membrane-cortex connection. Knockdown of piga-1, another GPI biosynthesis enzymes resulted in similar phenotypes. Importantly, fortifying the link between the apical membrane and actin cortex by overexpression of the ezrin/radixin/moesin ortholog ERM-1, significantly rescued cyst formation and ruptures in the pigv-1(qm34) mutant. In conclusion, we discovered GPI-APs play a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the epithelial tissues, allowing them to withstand the pressure and stresses of morphogenesis. Our findings may help to explain some of the phenotypes observed in human syndromes associated with pigv mutations.

Dataset Information

Isolation of virulence genes directing surface glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol synthesis by functional complementation of Leishmania.

Publications

Isolation of virulence genes directing surface glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol synthesis by functional complementation of Leishmania.

Similar Datasets

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