Leishmania major possesses, apparently uniquely, four families of ATG8-like genes, designated ATG8, ATG8A, ATG8B and ATG8C, and 25 genes in total. L. major ATG8 and examples from the ATG8A, ATG8B and ATG8C families are able to complement a Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATG8-deficient strain, indicating functional conservation. Whereas ATG8 has been shown to form putative autophagosomes during differentiation and starvation of L. major, ATG8A primarily form puncta in response to starvation-suggesting a role for ATG8A in starvation-induced autophagy. Recombinant ATG8A was processed at the scissile glycine by recombinant ATG4.2 but not ATG4.1 cysteine peptidases of L. major and, consistent with this, ATG4.2-deficient L. major mutants were unable to process ATG8A and were less able to withstand starvation than wild-type cells. GFP-ATG8-containing puncta were less abundant in ATG4.2 overexpression lines, in which unlipidated ATG8 predominated, which is consistent with ATG4.2 being an ATG8-deconjugating enzyme as well as an ATG8A-processing enzyme. In contrast, recombinant ATG8, ATG8B and ATG8C were all processed by ATG4.1, but not by ATG4.2. ATG8B and ATG8C both have a distinct subcellular location close to the flagellar pocket, but the occurrence of the GFP-labeled puncta suggest that they do not have a role in autophagy. L. major genes encoding possible ATG5, ATG10 and ATG12 homologues were found to complement their respective S. cerevisiae mutants, and ATG12 localized in part to ATG8-containing puncta, suggestive of a functional ATG5-ATG12 conjugation pathway in the parasite. L. major ATG12 is unusual as it requires C-terminal processing by an as yet unidentified peptidase.

The morphological events involved in the Leishmania major promastigote cell cycle have been investigated in order to provide a detailed description of the chronological processes by which the parasite replicates its set of single-copy organelles and generates a daughter cell. Immunofluorescence labeling of ␤-tubulin was used to follow the dynamics of the subcellular cytoskeleton and to monitor the division of the nucleus via visualization of the mitotic spindle, while RAB11 was found to be a useful marker to track flagellar pocket division and to follow mitochondrial DNA (kinetoplast) segregation. Classification and quantification of these morphological events were used to determine the durations of phases of the cell cycle. Our results demonstrate that in L. major promastigotes, the extrusion of the daughter flagellum precedes the onset of mitosis, which in turn ends after kinetoplast segregation, and that significant remodelling of cell shape accompanies mitosis and cytokinesis. These findings contribute to a more complete foundation for future studies of cell cycle control in Leishmania.Leishmania spp. are protozoan parasites that are the causative agents of the leishmaniases, a spectrum of vector-borne diseases endemic in tropical and subtropical countries. The cutaneous form of leishmaniasis is the most common form, and it is estimated that it afflicts about 10 million people. In Africa and Asia, this disease is caused mainly by Leishmania tropica and L. major. The two major replicative developmental stages in the life cycle of Leishmania are the procyclic promastigote, which occurs in the sand fly insect vector, and the amastigote, which resides in the phagolysosome of mammalian macrophages. Leishmania procyclic promastigotes are highly polarized cells that possess a number of single-copy organelles with defined subcellular locations. These include the nucleus, the Golgi apparatus, the basal body, the mitochondrion (which incorporates the kinetoplast), and the flagellum, which protrudes from the cell body via the flagellar pocket. The generation of viable progeny relies upon precise control of the duplication and segregation of these organelles (11,17,29,32).The cell cycle of procyclic form Trypanosoma brucei has been characterized extensively and forms a basis for comparison with other trypanosomatids, including Leishmania. Notably, in T. brucei, replication of the nuclear and kinetoplast DNAs (S phase) starts almost synchronously, whereas the division and segregation periods for the nucleus (M and C phases, respectively) and kinetoplast (D and A phases, respectively) are separated in time. In procyclic form T. brucei as well as in L. tarentolae (28), kinetoplast division is completed before the onset of nuclear mitosis, while in L. mexicana and L. donovani these events appear to occur in the reverse order (11,17,32). The chromosomes of T. brucei do not visibly condense, the nuclear envelope remains intact during mitosis, and no structural equivalents of the mammalian spindle pole bodies (centrosomes) hav...

The transforming protozoan Theileria recruits Plk1, a host kinase that regulates mitosis, to its surface and engages spindle microtubules to secure its division and inheritance into both daughter cells.

The apicomplexan parasite Theileria annulata transforms infected host cells, inducing uncontrolled proliferation and clonal expansion of the parasitized cell population. Shortly after sporozoite entry into the target cell, the surrounding host cell membrane is dissolved and an array of host cell microtubules (MTs) surrounds the parasite, which develops into the transforming schizont. The latter does not egress to invade and transform other cells. Instead, it remains tethered to host cell MTs and, during mitosis and cytokinesis, engages the cell's astral and central spindle MTs to secure its distribution between the two daughter cells. The molecular mechanism by which the schizont recruits and stabilizes host cell MTs is not known. MT minus ends are mostly anchored in the MT organizing center, while the plus ends explore the cellular space, switching constantly between phases of growth and shrinkage (called dynamic instability). Assuming the plus ends of growing MTs provide the first point of contact with the parasite, we focused on the complex protein machinery associated with these structures. We now report how the schizont recruits end-binding protein 1 (EB1), a central component of the MT plus end protein interaction network and key regulator of host cell MT dynamics. Using a range of in vitro experiments, we demonstrate that T. annulata p104, a polymorphic antigen expressed on the schizont surface, functions as a genuine EB1-binding protein and can recruit EB1 in the absence of any other parasite proteins. Binding strictly depends on a consensus SxIP motif located in a highly disordered C-terminal region of p104. We further show that parasite interaction with host cell EB1 is cell cycle regulated. This is the first description of a pathogen-encoded protein to interact with EB1 via a bona-fide SxIP motif. Our findings provide important new insight into the mode of interaction between Theileria and the host cell cytoskeleton.

T. annulata, the only eukaryote known to be capable of transforming another eukaryote, is a widespread parasite of veterinary importance that puts 250 million cattle at risk worldwide and limits livestock development for some of the poorest people in the world. Crucial to the pathology of Theileria is its ability to interact with host microtubules and the mitotic spindle of the infected cell. This study builds on our previous work in investigating the host and parasite molecules involved in mediating this interaction. Because it is not possible to genetically manipulate Theileria schizonts, identifying protein interaction partners is critical to understanding the function of parasite proteins. By identifying two Theileria surface proteins that are involved in the interaction between CLASP1 and the parasite, we provide important insights into the molecular basis of Theileria persistence within a dividing cell.

Theileria annulata is an apicomplexan parasite that modifies the phenotype of its host cell completely, inducing uncontrolled proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, and increased invasiveness. The infected cell thus resembles a cancer cell, and changes to various host cell signalling pathways accompany transformation. Most of the molecular mechanisms leading to Theileria‐induced immortalization of leukocytes remain unknown. The parasite dissolves the surrounding host cell membrane soon after invasion and starts interacting with host proteins, ensuring its propagation by stably associating with the host cell microtubule network. By using BioID technology together with fluorescence microscopy and co‐immunoprecipitation, we identified a CLASP1/CD2AP/EB1‐containing protein complex that surrounds the schizont throughout the host cell cycle and integrates bovine adaptor proteins (CIN85, 14‐3‐3 epsilon, and ASAP1). This complex also includes the schizont membrane protein Ta‐p104 together with a novel secreted T. annulata protein (encoded by TA20980), which we term microtubule and SH3 domain‐interacting protein (TaMISHIP). TaMISHIP localises to the schizont surface and contains a functional EB1‐binding SxIP motif, as well as functional SH3 domain‐binding Px(P/A)xPR motifs that mediate its interaction with CD2AP. Upon overexpression in non‐infected bovine macrophages, TaMISHIP causes binucleation, potentially indicative of a role in cytokinesis.

The invasion of Theileria sporozoites into bovine leukocytes is rapidly followed by the destruction of the surrounding host cell membrane, allowing the parasite to establish its niche within the host cell cytoplasm. Theileria infection induces host cell transformation, characterised by increased host cell proliferation and invasiveness, and the activation of anti-apoptotic genes. This process is strictly dependent on the presence of a viable parasite. Several host cell kinases, including PI3-K, JNK, CK2 and Src-family kinases, are constitutively activated in Theileria-infected cells and contribute to the transformed phenotype. Although a number of host cell molecules, including IkB kinase and polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), are recruited to the schizont surface, very little is known about the schizont molecules involved in host-parasite interactions. In this study we used immunofluorescence to detect phosphorylated threonine (p-Thr), serine (p-Ser) and threonine-proline (p-Thr-Pro) epitopes on the schizont during host cell cycle progression, revealing extensive schizont phosphorylation during host cell interphase. Furthermore, we established a quick protocol to isolate schizonts from infected macrophages following synchronisation in S-phase or mitosis, and used mass spectrometry to detect phosphorylated schizont proteins. In total, 65 phosphorylated Theileria proteins were detected, 15 of which are potentially secreted or expressed on the surface of the schizont and thus may be targets for host cell kinases. In particular, we describe the cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of two T. annulata surface proteins, TaSP and p104, both of which are highly phosphorylated during host cell S-phase. TaSP and p104 are involved in mediating interactions between the parasite and the host cell cytoskeleton, which is crucial for the persistence of the parasite within the dividing host cell and the maintenance of the transformed state.

As part of an international effort to develop vaccines for Theileria lestoquardi, we undertook a limited screen to test T. lestoquardi orthologues of antigens recognised by CD8+ T lymphocyte responses against T. annulata and T. parva in cattle. Five MHC defined sheep were immunized by live T. lestoquardi infection and their CD8+ T lymphocyte responses determined. Thirteen T. lestoquardi orthologues of T. parva and T. annulata genes, previously shown to be targets of CD8+ T lymphocyte responses of immune cattle, were expressed in autologous fibroblasts and screened for T cell recognition using an IFNγ assay. Genes encoding T. lestoquardi antigens Tl8 (putative cysteine proteinase, 349 aa) or Tl9 (hypothetical secreted protein, 293 aa) were recognise by T cells from one animal that displayed a unique MHC class I genotype. Antigenic 9-mer peptide epitopes of Tl8 and Tl9 were identified through peptide scans using CD8+ T cells from the responding animal. These experiments identify the first T. lestoquardi antigens recognised by CD8+ T cell responses linked to specific MHC class I alleles.