Biochemistry

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Enzymatic and crystallisation studies of CATL-like trypanosomal cysteine peptidases.
(2011) Jackson, Laurelle.; Coetzer, Theresa Helen Taillefer.
African animal trypanosomosis or nagana is a disease in livestock caused by various species of protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Trypanosoma particularly T. congolense, T. vivax and T. b. brucei. Nagana is the most important constraint to livestock and mixed crop-livestock farming in tropical Africa. Trypanosomes undergo part of their developmental life in their insect vector, the tsetse fly and part in their mammalian host. Measures for eradicating the continent of the tsetse fly vector include insecticidal spraying, targeting and trapping. Vaccine development has been hampered by the generation of an inexhaustible collection of variant surface glycoproteins that trypanosomes possess and allow for evasion of the host immune system. Anti-disease vaccines aimed at reducing the symptoms of the disease rather than killing the parasite itself have been demonstrated as an alternative approach. Trypanotolerant cattle are able to protect themselves from the disease-associated symptoms. They are able to mount a better antibody response to the CATL-like cysteine peptidase, TcoCATL, compared to trypanosusceptible breeds. Bovine trypanosomosis, however, continues to be controlled primarily by trypanocidal compounds such as isometamidium chloride, homidium and diaminazene that have been developed more than 50 years ago and consequently drug resistance is widespread. Trypanosomal cysteine peptidases have also been proven to be effective targets for chemotherapeutics. TcrCATL, inhibited by the vinyl sulfone pseudopeptide inhibitor K11777, was effective in curing or alleviating T. cruzi infection in preclinical proof-of-concept studies and has now entered formal preclinical drug development investigation. Understanding enzymatic as well as structural characteristics of pathogenic peptidases is the first step towards successful control of the disease. To date no such characterisation of the major cysteine peptidases from T. vivax has been conducted. Although the major cysteine peptidase from T. vivax, TviCATL, has not been proven as a pathogenic factor yet, its high sequence identity with the pathogenic counterparts such as TcrCATL and TcoCATL hold much speculation for TviCATLs role in pathogenocity. In the present study, native TviCATL was isolated from T. vivax Y486, purified and characterised. TviCATL showed to have a general sensitivity to E-64 and cystatin and has a substrate specificity defined by the S2 pocket. TviCATL exhibited no activity towards the CATB-like substrate, Z-Arg-Arg-AMC but was able to hydrolyse Z-Phe-Arg-AMC, the CATL-like substrate. Leu was preferred in the P2 position and basic and non-bulky hydrophobic residues were accepted in the P1 and P3 positions respectively. Similar findings were reported for TcoCATL. The substrate specificity of TviCATL and TcoCATL does argue for a more restricted specificity compared to TcrCATL. This was based on the Glu333 in TcrCATL substituted with Leu333 in TviCATL and TcoCATL. In the case of TcrCATL, the Glu333 allows for the accommodation of Arg in the P2 position. Like other trypanosomal cysteine peptidases, TviCATL was inhibited by both chloromethyl ketones, Z-Gly-Leu-Phe-CMK and H-D-Val-Phe-Lys-CMK. Determining further structural and functional characteristics as well as whether TviCATL, like the T. congolense homolog, TcoCATL, acts as a pathogenic factor, would be important information to the designing of specific chemotherapeutic agents. To date, TcrCATL and TbrCATL (from T. b. rhodesiense) are the only trypanosomal CATL-like cysteine peptidases been crystallised and their tructures solved. This advantage has allowed for the directed design of synthetic peptidase inhibitors. The crystal structure of TcoCATL will be of major significance to the design of specific chemotherapeutic agents. Furtherrmore, understanding the dimeric conformation of TcoCATL is important for vaccine design as immune responses are likely to recognise the dimer specific epitopes. In the current study, the catalytic domain of TcoCATL and TviCATL, were recombinantly expressed in Pichia pastoris and purified to homogeneity. The T. congolense cysteine peptidase pyroglutamyl peptidase (PGP), also proven to be pathogenic in T. b. brucei, was recombinantly expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells and also purified to homogeneity. Purified cysteine peptidases along with previously purified TcoCATL dimerisation mutants, TcoCATL (H43W) and TcoCATL (K39F; E44P), possessing mutated residues involved in TcoCATL dimerisation, as well as the mutant proenzyme TcoCATL (C25A), were screened for crystallisation conditions using the Rigaku robotic crystallisation suite. One-dimensional needle-like crystals were found for TcoCATL (K39F; E44P). Optimisation of the TcoCATL (K39F; E44P) crystals were analysed for X-ray diffraction. The poor diffraction pattern prompted further optimisations for better crystal quality, which is presently underway. The crystal structure of TcoCATL, with some of the residues involved in dimerisation mutated, will be pivotal in understanding the dimerisation model. Furthermore, the information about the structure will be valuable for vaccine design and chemotherapeutics development.
Gene disruption of TcoCATL (Congopain) and oligopeptidase B, pathogenic factors of African trypanosomes.
(2011) Kangethe, Richard Thiga.; Coetzer, Theresa Helen Taillefer.
African trypanosomosis is a parasitic disease in man and animals caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma. T. congolense, T. vivax and T. brucei brucei cause nagana in cattle. The variable nature of the parasite surface coat has hindered the development of an effective vaccine. An option for developing vaccines and chemotherapeutic agents against trypanosomosis is to target pathogenic factors released by the parasite during infection, namely an “anti-disease” approach. Two pathogenic factors released during infection are oligopeptidase B (OPB) and TcoCATL (congopain). TcoCATL, a major lysosomal cysteine peptidase, is a member of the papain family C1 cysteine peptidases. RNA interference (RNAi) was used to down-regulate the expression of TcoCATL in T. congolense IL3000 TRUM183:29-13 parasites in vivo during mouse infections. TcoCATL RNAi was monitored in infected mouse blood by comparing the hydrolysis of Z-Phe-Arg-AMC and parasitaemia between mice in which RNAi was induced and control mice. Mice infected with parasites induced for TcoCATL RNAi had lower parasitaemia when compared to control mice. An attempt was also made at deleting the entire CATL gene array in both T. congolense IL3000 and T. brucei 427 Lister strains. The second pathogenic factor studied, OPB, is a cytosolic trypanosomal peptidase that hydrolyses peptides smaller than 30 amino acid residues, C-terminal to basic residues. In order to evaluate the role that OPB play during disease, RNAi was also applied to knock-down the expression levels of OPB in T. brucei T7T and T. congolense IL3000 TRUM183:29-13 strains (TbOPB and TcoOPB respectively). Oligopeptidase B null mutant strains (Δopb) were also generated in T. brucei brucei Lister 427. An attempt was also made to generate OPB null mutants in T. congolense IL3000 parasites. Western blot analysis of the knock-down experiments using chicken anti-TcoOPB peptide IgY showed that only TbOPB levels were reduced in T. brucei T7T parasites induced for RNAi when compared to TcoOPB RNAi induced cultures. Quantitative assessment of a fourteen day induction experiment for OPB RNAi in T. brucei showed an 87% reduction in TbOPB levels when compared to levels on day one. There was no growth effect observed in T. brucei parasites cultured in vitro and induced for TbOPB RNAi. It was concluded that TbOPB is not necessary for the in vitro survival of T. brucei parasites, thus making the generation of OPB null mutants possible. Δopb T. brucei parasites were successfully generated and grew normally in vitro and were as virulent as wild type strains during infection in mice. Immunohistopatholgy of infected mouse testes revealed Δopb parasites in extra vascular regions showing that T. brucei OPB (TbOPB) is not involved in assisting T. brucei parasites to cross microvascular endothelial cells. Gelatin gel analysis of Δopb null mutants and wild type strains showed an increase in cysteine peptidase activity. Enzymatic activity assays were carried out to identify how closely related oligopeptidases are affected by knocking out TbOPB, and a significant increase of T. brucei prolyl oligopeptidase (TbPOP) activity was observed. However, western blot analysis did not show any increase of TbPOP protein levels in Δopb parasites, suggesting that either TbOPB is responsible for generating an endogenous inhibitor for TbPOP or that another POP-like enzyme might compensate for a loss in OPB activity in Δopb null mutants. This study made a significant contribution to an understanding of the interplay between different trypanosomal peptidases that are important pathogenic factors in trypanosomosis. It highlights the need to simultaneously target several trypanosomal peptidases to develop an effective vaccine or chemotherapeutic agents for African animal trypanosomosis.
Recombinant expression of, and characterisation of antibodies against variable surface glycoproteins : LiTat 1.3 and LiTat 1.5 of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense.
(2013) Mnkandla, Sanele Michelle.; Coetzer, Theresa Helen Taillefer.; Vukea, Phillia Rixongile.
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness is one of the many life threatening tropical diseases posing a serious risk to livelihoods in Africa. The disease is restricted to the rural poor across sub–Saharan Africa, where tsetse flies that transmit the disease, are endemic. Sleeping sickness is known to be caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma brucei, with the two sub-species: T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense, responsible for causing infection in humans. The disease develops in two stages, firstly, the infection is found in the blood and secondly, when the parasites cross the blood-brain barrier entering the nervous system. To date, no vaccines have been developed, however, there is a range of drugs and treatments available which depend on the type of infection (T. b. gambiense or T. b. rhodesiense) as well as disease stage. The trypanosome parasites have a two-host life cycle i.e. in the mammalian host as well as the tsetse fly vector. Throughout the cycle, the parasite undergoes changes, one of them being the acquisition of a variable surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat prior to entry into the human host bloodstream. Once in the host, the infection progresses and through a phenomenon known as antigenic variation, the parasite expresses a different VSG coat periodically, enabling the parasites to constantly evade the host’s immune response, facilitating their survival. The VSG genes coding for the proteins are activated by an intricate process involving the encoding of a gene which is kept silent, until activated in one of several expression sites. Despite the constant switching of VSG surface coats, there are VSG forms that are predominantly expressed in T. b. gambiense namely VSGs LiTat 1.3, LiTat 1.5 and LiTat 1.6 which are used in diagnostic tests, as antigens to detect antibodies in infected sera of HAT patients. The acquisition of these VSG antigens is, however, of high risk to staff handling the parasites, and so the first part of the study was aimed at cloning, recombinantly expressing and purifying the two VSGs known to be recognised by all gambiense HAT patients: LiTat 1.3 and LiTat 1.5, for possible use as alternative antigens in diagnostic tests. The genes encoding both VSGs, LiTat 1.3 and LiTat 1.5, were first amplified from either genomic or complementary DNA (gDNA or cDNA), cloned into a pTZ57R/T-vector and sub-cloned into pGEX or pET expression vectors prior to recombinant expression in E. coli BL21 DE3 and purification by Ni-affinity chromatography. Amplification and subsequent cloning yielded the expected 1.4 kb and 1.5 kb for the LiTat 1.3 and LiTat 1.5 genes respectively. Recombinant expression in E. coli was only successful with the constructs cloned from cDNA, i.e. the pGEX4T-1-cLiTat 1.3 and pET-28a-cLiTat 1.3 clones. Purification of the 63 kDa cLiTat 1.3His protein following solubilising and refolding did not yield pure protein and there were also signs of protein degradation. For comparison, expression was also carried out in P. pastoris and similar to the bacterial system, expression was only successful with the LiTat 1.3-SUMO construct yielding a 62.7 kDa protein. Purification of LiTat 1.3SUMO also surpassed that of cLiTat 1.3His with no degradation. The diagnostic tests based on VSGs LiTat 1.3 and LiTat 1.5 as antigens operate by binding with antibodies in infected sera, to confirm infection. These antibody detection tests have their limitations, hence an alternative would be antigen detection tests, which use antibodies to detect the respective antigens in infected sera. The second part of the study therefore involved antibody production, where chickens were immunised with the native VSGs LiTat 1.3, LiTat 1.5 as well as recombinant RhoTat 1.2 (a VSG expressed in T. evansi). Antibody production was analysed by ELISA and characterised by western blotting, prior to immunolabelling of T. b. brucei Lister 427 parasites. The chicken IgY showed a response to the immunogens, and were able to detect their respective proteins in the western blot. Interestingly, the anti-nLiTat 1.3, anti-nLiTat 1.5 and anti-rRhoTat 1.2 antibodies were able to detect their respective VSGs on the T. b. brucei trypanosome parasites in the immunofluorescence assay, thus demonstrating cross reactivity. As the antibodies showed specificity, they could potentially detect antigens in infected sera of HAT patients in an antigen detection based test.

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Browsing Biochemistry by Subject "African trypanosomiasis."