BackgroundBovine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by several species of Babesia which produce acute and fatal disease in cattle and affect livestock industry worldwide. Babesia ovata is a benign species widespread in east Asian countries and causes anemia, particularly in cattle which are co-infected with Theileria orientalis. The development of genetic manipulation methods is necessary to improve our understanding of the basic biology of protozoan pathogens toward a better control of disease. Such tools have not been developed for B. ovata, and are the aim of this study.MethodsIn this study we transfected constructs that were designed to evaluate the ability of several B. ovata promoter candidates to drive expression of a reporter luciferase. We found that the elongation factor-1 alpha intergenic region (ef-1α IG) and the actin 5’ non-coding region (NR) had highest promoter activities. To establish a stable transfection system, we generated a plasmid construct in which the ef-1α IG promoter drives gfp expression, and the actin 5’ NR mediates expression of the selectable marker hdhfr. The plasmid was designed for episomal transfection, as well as to integrate by double cross-over homologous recombination into the ef-1α locus. Circular or linearized plasmid was transfected by electroporation into in vitro cultured B. ovata and retention of the plasmid was facilitated by drug selection with 5 nM WR99210 initiated 48 h after transfection.ResultsAfter one-week cultivation with WR99210, GFP-expressing parasites were observed by fluorescence microscopy. Integration of the plasmid construct into the ef-1α locus was confirmed by PCR, Southern blot analysis, and sequencing of recombination sites. These results confirm successful development of a stable transfection system for B. ovata.ConclusionThe current study provides a fundamental molecular tool to aid in molecular and cellular studies of B. ovata.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1439-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Babesia bovis, the most virulent causative agent of bovine babesiosis, is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Although the whole-genome sequence was released more than a decade ago, functional analysis of the genomics of this parasite is hampered by the limited breadth of genetic engineering tools. In this study, we implemented the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 system for B. bovis and demonstrated its potential for genome editing. Cas9 and human dihydrofolate reductase (hDHFR) were simultaneously expressed by the B. bovis elongation factor-1α bidirectional promoter, and a single guide RNA was expressed via the B. bovis U6 spliceosomal RNA promoter. Using a single plasmid construct, we were able to add an epitope tag to spherical body protein 3 (SBP3), introduce a point mutation into thioredoxin peroxidase 1 (tpx-1) to impair the function of the product, and replace the tpx-1 open reading frame with the other protein. Epitope tagging of SBP3 was efficient using this system, with a negligible number of remaining wild-type parasites and a pure transgenic population produced by allelic replacement of tpx-1. This advancement in genetic engineering tools for B. bovis will aid functional analysis of the genome and underpin characterization of candidate drug and vaccine targets. IMPORTANCE Babesia bovis is the most virulent cause of bovine babesiosis worldwide. The disease consequences are death, abortion, and economical loss due to reduced milk and meat production. Available vaccines are not effective, treatment options are limited, and emergence of drug and acaricide resistance has been reported from different regions. There is an urgent need to identify new drug and vaccine targets. Greater than half of the genes in B. bovis genome, including several expanded gene families which are unique for Babesia spp., have no predicted function. The available genetic engineering tools are based on conventional homologous recombination, which is time-consuming and inefficient. In this study, we adapted the CRISPR/Cas9 system as a robust genetic engineering tool for B. bovis. This advancement will aid future functional studies of uncharacterized genes.
PIEZO1 is a cation specific mechanoreceptor channel implicated in red blood cell (RBC) volume homeostasis. Several PIEZO1 gain of function (GoF) variants demonstrate delayed channel inactivation and can cause hereditary xerocytosis (HX), a disease characterized by hemolytic anemia, RBC dehydration, and shape distortion. The milder PIEZO1E756del GoF variant, prevalent in populations of African descent, protects carriers from severe malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and ameliorate disease in a rodent malaria model. To explore the mechanism of this malaria protection, P. falciparum infection of human PIEZO1E756del RBC was analyzed in shear-stressed and static cultures with and without Yoda1, a PIEZO1 agonist. RBC dehydration was a common pathophysiological factor affecting parasite replication in both culture conditions. PIEZO1 channel opening by either Yoda1 or shear stress produced dehydration-dependent cell hemolysis, inhibiting P. falciparum infection. Since the physiological activator of PIEZO1 in circulating RBC is shear stress, we propose that shear stress-induced dehydration, disproportionally affecting RBC of GoF PIEZO1 E756del carriers, makes erythrocytes less habitable for P. falciparum to the point of hemolysis, and thus ameliorates malaria in GoF PIEZO1E756del carriers. More generally, RBC dehydration processes may be a pathway for protection from the severe form of malaria common to several hematological disorders, including sickle cell trait.
Plasmodium malaria parasites multiply within erythrocytes and possess a repertoire of proteins whose function is to recognize and invade these vertebrate host cells. One such protein involved in erythrocyte invasion is the micronemal protein, Erythrocyte Binding-Like (EBL), which has been studied as a potential target of vaccine development in Plasmodium vivax (PvDBP) and Plasmodium falciparum (EBA-175). In the rodent malaria parasite model Plasmodium yoelii, specific substitutions in the EBL regions responsible for intracellular trafficking (17XL parasite line) or receptor recognition (17X1.1pp. parasite line), paradoxically increase invasion ability and virulence rather than abolish EBL function. Attempts to disrupt the ebl gene locus in the 17XL and 17XNL lines were unsuccessful, suggesting EBL essentiality. To understand the mechanisms behind these potentially conflicting outcomes, we generated 17XL-based transfectants in which ebl expression is suppressed with anhydrotetracycline (ATc) and investigated merozoite behavior during erythrocyte invasion. In the absence of ATc, EBL was secreted to the merozoite surface, whereas following ATc administration parasitemia was negligible in vivo. Merozoites lacking EBL were unable to invade erythrocytes in vitro, indicating that EBL has a critical role for erythrocyte invasion. Quantitative time-lapse imaging revealed that with ATc administration a significant number of merozoites were detached from the erythrocyte after the erythrocyte deformation event and no echinocytosis was observed, indicating that EBL is required for merozoites to establish an irreversible connection with erythrocytes during invasion.
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