Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shota Shimizu, Kazuaki Yoshioka, Sho Aki, Yoh Takuwa
Summary: PI3K-C2 alpha is essential for clathrin-mediated endocytosis of the gamma-secretase complex, facilitating the cleavage of endocytosed Notch1 by the gamma-secretase complex to generate NICD1 in ECs.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ava Safaroghli-Azar, Mohammad-Javad Sanaei, Atieh Pourbagheri-Sigaroodi, Davood Bashash
Summary: Lipid signaling refers to the biological process in which a lipid messenger binds to a protein target, converting its effects to specific cellular responses. The family of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) plays a crucial role in this pathway, affecting various aspects of cellular biology such as cell survival, proliferation, migration, endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, metabolism, and autophagy. Different classes of PI3Ks have been identified in yeast and mammals, with class I PI3Ks being extensively studied in cancer biology. Abnormal activation of class I PI3Ks has been implicated in human tumors, particularly through activating mutations in the PIK3CA gene. Class II and III PI3Ks are involved in regulating vesicle trafficking and autophagy processes. This review aims to discuss the latest research findings on PI3Ks-mediated cell biological processes and explore the mechanisms by which different types of phosphoinositides derived from PI3Ks act.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Brian S. Mantilla, Cristina Azevedo, Paul W. Denny, Adolfo Saiardi, Roberto Docampo
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of histidine ammonia lyase (HAL) in the alkalinization of acidocalcisomes by binding to polyphosphate and regulating its function through lysine residues in the C-terminal region. HAL localization and inhibition by polyP demonstrate a mechanism for acidocalcisome alkalinization linked to amino acid metabolism.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guan-Ting Liu, Gaga Kochlamazashvili, Dmytro Puchkov, Rainer Mueller, Carsten Schultz, Albert Mackintosh, Dennis Vollweiter, Volker Haucke, Tolga Soykan
Summary: This study reveals the regulatory role of neuronal endosomes in synaptic activity and identifies the importance of endosomal lipid PI(3)P in presynaptic vesicle cycling and neurotransmission.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zuleima Blanco, Esteban Fernandez-Moreira, Michael R. Mijares, Carmen Celis, Gricelis Martinez, Juan B. De Sanctis, Sona Gurska, Petr Dzubak, Marian Hajduch, Ali Mijoba, Yael Garcia, Xenon Serrano, Nahum Herrera, Jhonny Correa-Abril, Yonathan Parra, Jorge Angel, Hegira Ramirez, Jaime E. Charris
Summary: This research reports 16 synthetic chalcone derivatives with potential therapeutic activities against parasites and cancer cells.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Edio Maldonado, Diego A. Rojas, Fabiola Urbina, Aldo Solari
Summary: This study identified three protein kinases (CK1, CK2, and TcAUK1) involved in the in vitro phosphorylation of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA polymerase beta (Tcpol beta), which increased the DNA polymerase activity of Tcpol beta. These phosphorylation events may play a crucial role in regulating Tcpol beta's function in vivo.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Philipp Alexander Koch, Gillian Leigh Dornan, Manuel Hessenberger, Volker Haucke
Summary: The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) family plays crucial roles in cell signaling and membrane trafficking by producing 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides. While class I and class III PI3Ks have been extensively studied, class II enzymes remain relatively understudied. Recent research has started uncovering their roles in development, endocytosis, signal transduction, and cell migration, but the mechanisms controlling their localization and enzymatic activity are still largely unknown.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guilherme Rodrigo R. M. Dos Santos, Ana Catarina Rezende Leite, Noelia Lander, Miguel Angel Chiurillo, Anibal Eugenio Vercesi, Roberto Docampo
Summary: Letm1 is crucial for mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and release in Trypanosoma cruzi, affecting growth, metabolism, and cell viability.
Article
Immunology
Kristyn A. Hoffman, Maria Jose Villar, Cristina Poveda, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Peter J. Hotez, David J. Tweardy, Kathryn M. Jones
Summary: The study investigated the role of STAT3 in cardiac pathology during CCC, finding that its inhibition eliminated cardiac fibrosis but increased inflammation. This suggests that STAT3 plays a critical role in the cardiac inflammatory-fibrotic axis in CCC.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Claudia F. Dick, Nathalia Rocco-Machado, Andre L. A. Dos-Santos, Luiz F. Carvalho-Kelly, Carolina L. Alcantara, Narcisa L. Cunha-E-Silva, Jose R. Meyer-Fernandes, Adalberto Vieyra
Summary: TcIT, a putative 39-kDa Fe transporter in T. cruzi, plays a crucial role in iron metabolism and cellular differentiation. Under iron-depleted conditions, epimastigotes exhibit lower intracellular iron concentration and reduced oxygen consumption, while overexpressing TcIT leads to increased iron content, higher oxygen consumption, elevated ATP levels, enhanced H2O2 production, and stimulated transition to trypomastigotes. Understanding the mechanisms of iron transport at the cellular and molecular levels will provide insights into iron metabolism in T. cruzi and its impact on virulence and infection progression.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Veronica Jimenez, Kildare Miranda, Ingrid Augusto
Summary: Osmoregulation is a crucial cellular process for the survival of all organisms, and it holds even more significance for protists whose life cycles occur in various environments. This article summarizes the current understanding of the osmoregulatory mechanisms in the contractile vacuole and explores its newly discovered functions in cell trafficking and signaling.
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Axel Dietschmann, Sebastian Schruefer, Stefanie Westermann, Fiona Henkel, Kirstin Castiglione, Ralf Willebrand, Jasmin Adam, Jurgen Ruland, Roland Lang, Donald C. Sheppard, Julia Esser-von-Bieren, Daniel Radtke, Sven Krappmann, David Voehringer
Summary: Eosinophilia is associated with various inflammatory diseases, such as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). It has been shown that direct interaction between eosinophils and Aspergillus fumigatus is essential for the activation of eosinophils, which then secrete multiple proinflammatory mediators. The PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway plays a crucial role in A. fumigatus-induced eosinophil activation.
Article
Parasitology
A. A. Alves, C. L. Alcantara, M. V. A. Dantas-Jr, J. D. Sunter, W. De Souza, N. L. Cunha-e-Silva
Summary: The study investigated the dynamics of the orphan myosin MyoF in Trypanosoma cruzi, finding changes in localization during the cell cycle and metacyclogenesis. Detergent fractionation and immunolocalization experiments indicated MyoF's presence in the SPC microtubules. The data suggest that MyoF may have a role throughout the endocytic pathway, not just at the cargo entry site.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Minami Orii, Takuma Tsuji, Yuta Ogasawara, Toyoshi Fujimoto
Summary: The study reveals that Atg9-mediated phospholipid transport plays a crucial role in the expansion of autophagosomes. Analyses of various phospholipids distribution in autophagosomes suggest that transbilayer phospholipid movement mediated by Atg9 is involved in the biogenesis of autophagosomes.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Yunpeng Cao, Tao Fang, Yongxin Du, Ranting Li, Mingli Fan, Fei Ma, Ping Jin
Summary: This study identified a new member of the PIP5K family, AmphiPIP5K, in Cephalochordata and found its involvement in the innate immune response of amphioxus. The study also demonstrated that miR-2013 negatively regulates the expression of AmphiPIP5K to modulate the immune response in amphioxus.
DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Maira Turiel-Silva, Camila Wendt, Edilene O. Silva, Ana Paula Drummond Rodrigues, Wanderley de Souza, Kildare Miranda, Jose A. P. Diniz
Summary: This study utilized electron microscopy and tomography to reconstruct the three-dimensional structure of C. lignieresi-infected red blood cells, revealing the remodeling of erythrocytes induced by the parasite and providing new insights into its parasitic mechanism.
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Juliana C. Vidal, Wanderley De Souza
Summary: In this study, we used FIB-SEM to analyze the three-dimensional organization of epimastigotes SPMT and found that certain microtubules end earlier than their neighboring ones. This suggests the presence of treadmill/catastrophe events that have not yet been described in trypanosomatids.
BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Luana P. Borba-Santos, Caroline Deckmann Nicoletti, Taissa Vila, Patricia Garcia Ferreira, Carlos Fernando Araujo-Lima, Barbara Verena Dias Galvao, Israel Felzenszwalb, Wanderley de Souza, Fernando de Carvalho da Silva, Vitor Francisco Ferreira, Debora Omena Futuro, Sonia Rozental
Summary: The silver salt of naphthoquinone 5 was found to possess potent antifungal activity against the main agents of sporotrichosis, inhibiting biofilm formation and causing mitochondrial and plasma membrane damage in fungal cells. Combination with itraconazole enhanced its inhibitory activity, and it showed a high selectivity towards fungal cells. These findings suggest that naphthoquinone 5 is a promising candidate for the development of new antifungal agents.
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Duclecio Mendonca Lopes, Aluizio Fonseca Provencano, Cicero Brasileiro Mello, Denise Feder, Jose Mauricio Albuquerque Albuquerque Cunha, Nadir Francisca Sant'Anna, Guilherme Curty Lechuga, Saulo Cabral Bourguignon, Wanderley de Souza, Eloi de Souza Garcia, Evelize Folly, Patricia Azambuja, Marcelo Salabert Gonzalez
Summary: This study investigated the effects of azadirachtin treatment, ecdysone supplementation, and ecdysone therapy on the ultrastructural organization of the rectum in Rhodnius prolixus nymphs and the attachment behavior of Trypanosoma cruzi. The results suggest that ecdysone may play a significant role in the modulation of rectal ultrastructural arrangement and parasite attachment.
EXPERIMENTAL PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jarlene A. Lopes, Federica Collino, Clara Rodrigues-Ferreira, Luzia da Silva Sampaio, Gloria Costa-Sarmento, Camila H. C. Wendt, Fernando P. Almeida, Kildare R. Miranda, Tais H. Kasai-Brunswick, Rafael S. Lindoso, Adalberto Vieyra
Summary: This study investigated whether extracellular vesicles secreted by adipose tissue mesenchymal cells (EVs) can suppress the excessive production of mitochondrial O-2(center dot-) caused by acute kidney injury (AKI). The results showed that administration of EVs can decrease mitochondrial O-2(center dot-) formation and promote the recovery of renal structures and functions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Tatiana Guinancio de Souza, Gustavo Benaim, Wanderley de Souza, Marlene Benchimol
Summary: Trichomonas vaginalis is a common sexually transmitted infection that affects millions of people worldwide. The current treatment, metronidazole, can have severe side effects and is not recommended for pregnant women. This study found that amiodarone and related compounds have anti-parasite activity against T. vaginalis, suggesting their potential as alternative drugs. The compounds induced cell death and morphological changes in the parasites.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edgleyson C. dos Santos, Leandro S. Silva, Alessandro S. Pinheiro, Douglas E. Teixeira, Diogo B. Peruchetti, Rodrigo P. Silva-Aguiar, Camila H. C. Wendt, Kildare R. Miranda, Andrelina N. Coelho-de-Souza, Jose Henrique Leal-Cardoso, Celso Caruso-Neves, Ana Acacia S. Pinheiro
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential anti-malarial effect of 1,8-cineole, which reduces parasitemia and has an impact on the erythrocytic cycle of the parasite.
Article
Parasitology
Roberta Verissimo F. Oliveira, Wanderley de Souza, Katharina Voegerl, Franz Bracher, Marlene Benchimol, Ana Paula R. Gadelha
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of a new KDAC inhibitor on G. intestinalis growth, cytoskeleton, and ultrastructure organization, showing that the compound decreased parasite proliferation and viability. The results suggest that the compound has potential as a new therapeutic option for treating giardiasis.
Review
Microbiology
Veronica Jimenez, Kildare Miranda, Ingrid Augusto
Summary: Osmoregulation is a crucial cellular process for the survival of all organisms, and it holds even more significance for protists whose life cycles occur in various environments. This article summarizes the current understanding of the osmoregulatory mechanisms in the contractile vacuole and explores its newly discovered functions in cell trafficking and signaling.
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juliana Maira Freitas Vieira, Laura Nicoleti Zamproni, Camila H. C. Wendt, Kildare Rocha de Miranda, Rafael Soares Lindoso, Sang Won Han
Summary: This study demonstrates that the therapeutic properties of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be improved by enriching them with specific miRNAs through lentiviral vector modification. The overexpression of miR-210-5p in EVs significantly promotes tubular structure formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), leading to increased expression of angiogenic proteins and genes. This highlights the potential of manipulating EV cargo to enhance specific angiogenic potential.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cassiano Cunha de Souza, Jose Aleixo de Azevedo-Franca, Emile Barrias, Stephany C. F. Cavalcante, Eduardo Guimaraes Vieira, Ana Maria Da Costa Ferreira, Wanderley de Souza, Maribel Navarro
Summary: Four novel metal-BZN complexes were synthesized and characterized in this study. The IC50 values of these complexes in inhibiting parasite proliferation stages are five to ten times lower than benznidazole itself. The cytotoxicity in human cells is lower for these complexes compared to BZN, indicating higher selectivity.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Roberto Docampo
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wendell Girard-Dias, Ingrid Augusto, Tacio V. A. Fernandes, Pedro G. Pascutti, Wanderley de Souza, Kildare Miranda
Summary: In this study, the three-dimensional distribution of diffusible elements within acidocalcisomes in Trypanosoma cruzi was mapped using advanced electron microscopy techniques. The existence of nanodomains with specific element distribution patterns was discovered. These findings have significant implications for understanding nanophysiology of organelles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Nuria W. Negrao, Logan P. Crowe, Brian S. Mantilla, Rodrigo P. Baptista, Sharon King-Keller, Guozhong Huang, Roberto Docampo
Summary: Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, and there is a need for new drugs due to limited treatment options and evidence of resistance. A phosphoinositide phospholipase C (TbPI-PLC-like) with an X and PDZ domain was discovered, similar to TbPI-PLC1. Recombinant TbPI-PLC-like does not hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and does not modulate TbPI-PLC1 activity, but its knockdown affects the proliferation of trypanosomes.
Review
Microbiology
Roberto Docampo, Corrella S. Detweiler
Summary: Acidocalcisomes are organelles with acidity and high content of polyphosphate and calcium, and they have various functions and interactions with other organelles.
MICROBIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)