Review
Immunology
Kelli Monteiro da Costa, Leonardo Marques da Fonseca, Jhenifer Santos dos Reis, Marcos Andre Rodrigues da Costa Santos, Jose Osvaldo Previato, Lucia Mendonca-Previato, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima
Summary: Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, was described by Dr. Carlos Chagas in the early 20th century. One important discovery was trans-sialidase, an enzyme that masks the parasite's presence and dampens the immune response. Research into the disease has identified key events in the biochemical mechanism of T. cruzi-host cell interactions.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Francisco Callejas-Hernandez, Alfonso Herreros-Cabello, Javier del Moral-Salmoral, Manuel Fresno, Nuria Girones
Summary: This study analyzed the complete repertoire of maxicircle and minicircle sequences of different T. cruzi strains, revealing structural differences in minicircles and maxicircles among strains. Understanding the mitochondrial genome of Trypanosomatids is crucial for coordinating the expression of nuclear and mitochondrial genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, and the heterogeneity observed in minicircles and maxicircles suggests a more complex organization than previously described.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cristina Di Carluccio, Rosa Ester Forgione, Marco Montefiori, Monica Civera, Sara Sattin, Giovanni Smaldone, K. Fukase, Y. Manabe, Paul R. Crocker, Antonio Molinaro, Roberta Marchetti, Alba Silipo
Summary: Siglecs are a group of cell-surface receptors belonging to the I-type lectin family, mostly expressed on innate immune cells, among which CD22 plays a key role in maintaining tolerance and preventing autoimmune responses. This study focused on the interaction of CD22 with sialoglycans, specifically exploring the role of N-glycolyl neuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) in this process. Findings suggested a comparable molecular recognition profile between human and murine forms of CD22, providing insights for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic methodologies in immune response modulation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yutaka Tamada, Hiroyuki Nomura, Daisuke Aoki, Tatsuro Irimura
Summary: The role of sialic acids linked to MUC1 in peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer cells was investigated. The presence of sialic acid affected cell adhesion to mesothelial cells and influenced the outcomes of implantation and dissemination.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Luca Unione, Maria J. Moure, Maria Pia Lenza, Iker Oyenarte, June Ereno-Orbea, Ana Arda, Jesus Jimenez-Barbero
Summary: The interaction between the SARS CoV2 spike glycoprotein and two sialic acid-containing trisaccharides has been demonstrated, with the sialic acid binding site located at the N-terminal domain.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Breno Luiz Pimenta, Tatiana Prata Menezes, Vitoria Louise, Fernanda Carolina Ribeiro Dias, Bianca Alves Almeida Machado, Lais Ribeiro, Kelerson Mauro de Castro Pinto, Andre Talvani
Summary: Chagas' disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in South and Central Americas. Theracurmin, a derived formulation of curcumin, shows anti-inflammatory properties that can mitigate the pathological effects of an overwhelming inflammatory response. In this study, Theracurmin was found to reduce testicular inflammation in infected mice and protect testicular function.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Vivian Paulino Figueiredo, Maria Claudia Silva, Debora Maria Soares de Souza, Diogenes Coelho Jr, Lais Roquete Lopes, Maira de Araujo Azevedo, Ana Paula de Jesus Menezes, Wanderson Geraldo de Lima, Maria do Carmo Gouveia Peluzio, Andre Talvani
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of different strains of T. cruzi infection on atherosclerotic lesions in aged ApoE-/- mice, and found that infection with the Col strain caused increased parasite growth and worsened aortic root lesions.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Alicia Majeau, Laura Murphy, Claudia Herrera, Eric Dumonteil
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important vector-borne neglected tropical disease with diverse genetic strains that may contribute to poor diagnostic performance. Most markers are suitable for estimating parasite diversity at the DTU level, while some are particularly useful for assessing intra-DTU diversity. Antigenic diversity is likely a key factor in the limited diagnostic performance in Central and North America.
Article
Immunology
Maria Cristina Vanrell, Santiago Jose Martinez, Lucila Ibel Munoz, Betiana Nebai Salassa, Julian Gambarte Tudela, Patricia Silvia Romano
Summary: In this study, ursolic acid (UA) was found to reduce Trypanosoma cruzi infection in vitro by decreasing the number of intracellular amastigotes through the induction of autophagy. UA also induced autophagy response in both macrophages and cardiac cells, and inhibition of this pathway restored the level of infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria F. Beer, Guillermo F. Reta, Adrian Puerta, Augusto E. Bivona, Andres Sanchez Alberti, Natacha Cerny, Emilio L. Malchiodi, Carlos E. Tonn, Jose M. Padron, Valeria P. Sulsen, Osvaldo J. Donadel
Summary: This study evaluated the antiproliferative activity of natural compounds and their derivatives against different cancer cell lines and their effect on a parasite. The results showed that some derivatives exhibited promising antitumor and antiparasitic activities.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Helena Quintero-Pertuz, Ruben Veas-Albornoz, Ileana Carrillo, Fabiola Gonzalez-Herrera, Michel Lapier, Eduino Carbono-Delahoz, Esther del Olmo, Arturo San Feliciano, Ulrike Kemmerling, Claudio Olea-Azar, Carla Delporte, Juan D. Maya
Summary: Research on the Castanedia santamartensis plant in Colombia has identified several compounds with activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that causes Chagas disease. Kaurenoic acid was found to be a major component in the plant's extracts, and it may act by disrupting the mitochondrial membrane potential in the parasite. This discovery opens up new avenues for potential treatments for Chagas disease.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2022)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
S. A. Raev, J. O. Amimo, L. J. Saif, A. N. Vlasova
Summary: Rotavirus (RV) causes severe diarrhea in young children and animals worldwide. Several glycans on intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) surface act as attachment sites for RV. The composition of the intestinal mucus is regulated by complex interactions among the gut microbiota, RV, and the host. Understanding the role of mucus is essential for developing alternative therapeutic tools to control RV infection, such as pre- and probiotics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Albany Resendiz-Mora, Giovanna Barrera-Aveleida, Anahi Sotelo-Rodriguez, Ivan Galarce-Sosa, Irene Nevarez-Lechuga, Juan Carlos Santiago-Hernandez, Benjamin Nogueda-Torres, Sergio Meza-Toledo, Saul Gomez-Manzo, Isabel Wong-Baeza, Isabel Baeza, Carlos Wong-Baeza
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a major public health problem endemic in Latin America and emerging globally. Current treatments, Benznidazole and Nifurtimox, have limited efficacy in the chronic phase. This study synthesized a non-polar molecule, B-NIPOx, which was shown to have higher trypanocidal activity than the reference drugs, reduced blood parasitemia and amastigote nests in infected mice, and prevented the development of Chagasic enteropathy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Ruben Martin-Escolano, Maria Jose Rosales, Clotilde Marin
Summary: The T. cruzi Arequipa strain is characterized and evaluated as a model for drug discovery in Chagas disease. The study provides insights into the infection characteristics and benznidazole susceptibility of this strain, suggesting its potential for screening new compounds with anti-parasitic properties.
Article
Microbiology
Salvatore G. De-Simone, Saulo C. Bourguignon, Priscila S. Goncalves, Guilherme C. Lechuga, David W. Provance Jr
Summary: This study investigated the energetic metabolism of T. cruzi during metacyclogenesis and provided insights into its differential metabolic modifications. It improved the understanding of T. cruzi metabolism by measuring enzymatic activities and organic acid concentrations.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Christopher Jones
Summary: Algorithms for objectively comparing circular dichroism spectra of biopharmaceuticals as a measure of consistent higher order structure are sensitive to errors in spectropolarimeter wavelength calibration. Analysis of a public database revealed significant differences in mean peak wavelength positions between instruments, as well as changes in peak positions and height ratios within individual instruments over time. The difference in wavelength maxima was found to be instrument-dependent.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2021)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Christopher Jones
Summary: There is a growing interest in using algorithms to objectively compare near-UV spectra of protein biopharmaceuticals in a regulated environment. The validation of these methods is crucial, and understanding the robustness of the algorithms to experimental variation is key. Different algorithms were assessed for their robustness to imperfect data, with sensitivity compared against statistical variation between replicate spectra.
APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kelli Monteiro da Costa, Eduardo J. Salustiano, Raphael do Carmo Valente, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima, Lucia Mendonca-Previato, Jose Osvaldo Previato
Summary: This research reveals the participation of glutathione and ceramides in ABCC-like transport, both of which are associated with stress. Hemin modulated the ABCC-like efflux, suggesting its involvement in cellular detoxification. All evaluated strains exhibited ABCC-like activity, while no ABCB1-like activity was detected. Results suggest that ABCC-like efflux is not linked to natural resistance to benznidazole, as sensitive strains showed higher activity than resistant ones.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thais Meira Menezes, Yarima Sanchez Garcia, Caio Rodrigo Dias de Assis, Gustavo Tavares Ventura, Rafaela Muniz de Queiroz, Wagner Barbosa Dias, Adriane Regina Todeschini, Jorge Luiz Neves
Summary: Water-dispersible europium-based carbon nano composites (EuCQD) with excellent optical properties have been synthesized and characterized, showing low toxicity in biological media and potential for bi-functional bioimaging applications.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ronan C. M. Santos, Daniela M. S. Lucena, Hector F. B. R. Loponte, Frederico Alisson-Silva, Wagner B. Dias, Roberto D. Lins, Adriane R. Todeschini
Summary: At the cell surface, gangliosides interact with signal transducers proteins, grown factor receptors, integrins, small G-proteins, and tetraspanins to establish microdomains that play important roles in cell adhesion, activation, motility, and growth. This study demonstrates that the intracellular levels of Ca2+ mediate the formation of GM2/GM3 complex through electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds, and the presence of the complex alters the localization of CD82 on the cell surface, affecting downstream signal transduction.
GLYCOCONJUGATE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
H. F. Loponte, I. A. Oliveira, B. C. Rodrigues, R. Nunes-da-Fonseca, R. Mohana-Borges, F. Alisson-Silva, W. B. Dias, A. R. Todeschini
Summary: Diabetes Mellitus is correlated with colorectal cancer, with hyperglycemia leading to aberrant glycosylation of CRC cells. Mass spectrometry identified 67 N-glycans in MC38 cells, with a greater abundance in hyperglycemic conditions. Differential expression of 16 N-glycans, mostly mannosylated and fucosylated, was observed.
GLYCOCONJUGATE JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Israel Diniz-Lima, Leonardo Marques da Fonseca, Elias Barbosa da Silva-Junior, Joyce Cristina Guimaraes-de-Oliveira, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima, Danielle Oliveira Nascimento, Alexandre Morrot, Jose Osvaldo Previato, Lucia Mendonca-Previato, Debora Decote-Ricardo, Celio Geraldo Freire-de-Lima
Summary: Cryptococcosis is caused by pathogenic fungi, including Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. The latter causes severe undiscriminating infections in immunocompetent individuals and is becoming more prevalent due to climatic factors. The immunopathology of cryptococcosis caused by C. gattii is still poorly understood, but research has helped to uncover its different variants.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Benisio Ferreira Silva Filho, Francisco Filipak Neto, Micheli de Marchi, Erick Laurent Moggio, Izadora Volpato Rossi, Bruna Sabatke, Marcel Ivan Ramirez, Miguel Clodomiro dos Santos Lucena, Adriane Regina Todeschini, Ciro Alberto de Oliveira Ribeiro
Summary: This study investigated the effects of BDE-209 and TCDD on melanoma cells and found that these two pollutants can alter the cell phenotype, leading to increased aggressiveness, including increased cell proliferation and regulation of genes related to metastasis.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Christopher Jones
Summary: The article discusses the use of circular dichroism in quality-regulated analysis of biopharmaceutical and vaccine products. It covers various aspects such as sources of error, sample preparation, instrument calibration, performance monitoring, validated algorithms, and compliance criteria.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOMEDICAL ANALYSIS
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Kelli Monteiro da Costa, Raphael do Carmo Valente, Leonardo Marques da Fonseca, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima, Jose Osvaldo Previato, Lucia Mendonca-Previato
Summary: Human trypanosomiasis has a significant impact on the global population, affecting around 8 million people, particularly in endemic areas. Resistance to chemotherapy has been observed in protozoan parasites, including the T. cruzi and T. brucei species. ABC transporters, which reduce drug accumulation and mitigate toxic effects, have been identified as important factors in multidrug resistance. This review provides an overview of the history and function of ABC transporters in Trypanosoma species, highlighting their significance in parasite physiology and chemotherapy resistance.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Paulo Pitasse-Santos, Eduardo Salustiano, Raynna Bittencourt Pena, Otavio Augusto Chaves, Leonardo Marques da Fonseca, Kelli Monteiro da Costa, Carlos Antonio do Nascimento Santos, Jhenifer Santos Dos Reis, Marcos Andre Rodrigues da Costa Santos, Jose Osvaldo Previato, Lucia Mendonca Previato, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima, Nelilma Correia Romeiro, Lucia Helena Pinto-da-Silva, Celio G. Freire-de-Lima, Debora Decote-Ricardo, Marco Edilson Freire-de-Lima
Summary: Cancer and parasitic diseases share similarities, and a new strategy of developing antiproliferative agents is proposed. A series of 1,2,4-oxadiazole compounds were designed and a fast and efficient synthesis strategy was developed. Compound 23 exhibited antiproliferative activity against cancer and parasites, and interacted with tubulin. In silico predictions showed that these compounds have high druggability potential, and compound 23 can bind with human serum albumin.
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yarima Sanchez Garcia, Thais Meira Menezes, Marcela Rodrigues Barros, Elizabeth Martins da Silva, Gustavo Tavares Ventura, Susana Frases, Adriane Regina Todeschini, Jorge Luiz Neves
Summary: Metal encapsulation provides a direct strategy to enhance nanoparticle properties, making the resulting nanocomposite suitable for applications in bioimaging, drug release, and theranostic development. Investigating the impact of nanocomposites on biological media is important from a pharmacological perspective. This study examines manganese-encapsulated carbonaceous nanocomposite (MnCQD) and its interaction with plasma proteins, revealing its potential in diverse bioapplications.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Isadora de Araujo Oliveira, Daniela Maria dos Santos Lucena, Bruno da Costa Rodrigues, Victoria Trindade Maller, Rodrigo Nunes da Fonseca, Diego Allonso, Adriane Regina Todeschini
Summary: Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) is a key enzyme in the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP), which is important for the synthesis of amino sugars. GFAT also plays a significant role in cancer and diabetes. Over the past 60 years, there has been a significant increase in understanding the mechanisms and biological relevance of GFAT. This article explores the role of GFAT in health and disease and its potential as a target for antimicrobial and anticancer chemotherapy.
PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
B. Rodrigues, L. Ribeiro, A. Todeschini, W. Dias, R. Nunes-da-Fonseca
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Isadora A. Oliveira, Diego Allonso, Tacio V. A. Fernandes, Daniela M. S. Lucena, Gustavo T. Ventura, Wagner Barbosa Dias, Ronaldo S. Mohana-Borges, Pedro G. Pascutti, Adriane R. Todeschini
Summary: Glycoconjugates play a key role in cellular processes and changes in their composition are linked to various human pathologies. This study successfully expressed and purified catalytically active recombinant hGFAT2, revealing unique enzymatic properties and structural features.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
