Experimental infection of Leishmania (L.) chagasi in a cell line derived from Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera:Psychodidae)

Abstract

The present work describes the in vitro infection of a cell line Lulo, derived fromLeishmania chagasi is a causative protozoan parasite of American visceral leishmaniasis (Grimaldi & Tesh 1993). The disease is endemic in some regions of Colombia (Corredor et al. 1989(Corredor et al. , 1990 and throughout all the South and Central America (Grimaldi & Tesh 1993, Tanner 1996; the parasite has been isolated from hosts, reservoirs and sand fly vectors. This species, as well as other species belonging to the Leishmania genus, develops through a digenetic life cycle consisting of an extracellular promastigote form that develops and multiplies in the alimentary tract of the sand fly vector and an intracellular amastigote form that resides and multiplies inside the infected mammal host's macrophages. Clinical and experimental evidence indicates that vector, parasite, and host factors influence the evolution and outcome of the infection caused by Leishmania parasites (Grimaldi &Tesh 1993).Promastigotes are routinely cultured in vitro using cell free medium; such easily obtained media have also been used to induce promastigote transformation to amastigotelike forms in response to elevated temperature and acid pH (Hendrick et al. 1978, Hunter et al. 1982, Pan 1984, Zilberstein et al. 1991, Bates et al. 1992, Bates & Tetley 1993, Zilberstein & Sahapira 1994, Bates 1994 , Hodgkinson 1996, Saar et al. 1998. It has been shown that these axenic amastigotes closely resemble animal-derived amastigotes. Leishmania in vitro differentiation, maturation, and replication has also been achieved in both macrophage cell cultures (Chang & Dwyer 1978, Chang 1979, Pearson et al. 1981, Aikawa et al. 1982 and non-macrophage cell lines, mainly in fibroblast cultures (Mattock & Petters 1975, Chang 1978, Dedet et al. 1983, Schwartzman & Pearson 1985, Corte-Real et al. 1995, Hervás Rodrigues et al. 1996, Pessotti et al. 2004. However, in spite of current support, cell lines and cell free media being available for transforming the life cycle of diferent Leishmania species, there is no information available regarding this process in cell cultures obtained from phlebotomine sand fly vectors.The present study describes the in vitro infection of Lulo cell line (Rey et al. 2000) by L. chagasi promastigotes and some ultrastructural characteristics regarding the parasite's interaction with these cells were determined. This cell line was derived from L. longipalpis embryonic tissue, which is the main vector of L. chagasi in its natural environment. The experimental infection of Lulo cell line was compared to infection of J774 cell (Ralph et al. 1975). MATERIALS AND METHODSParasites -The strain of L. chagasi, MH/CO/84/ Cl-044B, was isolated from a human case of visceral leishmaniasis in Quipile, Cundinamarca, Colombia. This strain has been maintained by periodic inoculations of promastigotes in Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) in the parasitology laboratory at the National Institute of Health in Colombia. L. chagasi amastigotes were recovered...

Participation of heparin binding proteins from the surface of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis promastigotes in the adhesion of parasites to Lutzomyia longipalpis cells (Lulo) in vitro

“…longipalpis adult insects, a species which is commonly used in studies of interaction between parasite and insect [36]. Although Lulo cells have already been described as interacting more avidly with L. (L.) chagasi promastigotes of [14,37], we provide, in the present study, additional evidence that L. (V.) braziliensis has the ability to interact with Lulo cells. This is an interesting finding, as Lu.…”

Comparative assessment of the replication efficiency of dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya arboviruses in some insect and mammalian cell lines

“…Lulo is a cell line derived from Lutzomyia longipalpis neonate larvae. Although Lulo has been used and validated for studying parasites from the Leishmania genera [25][26][27] , it has been established that this cell line is susceptible to infection by arboviruses such as Mayaro (MAYV), Ilheus, Changuinola, phlebo-, and vesicular stomatitis viruses 28 . Karyological analysis has revealed the presence of haploid, aneuploid, and tetraploid cells.…”

Lulo cell line derived from Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae): a novel model to assay Leishmania spp. and vector interaction

“…These studies, demonstrated the susceptibility of this cell line to infections with arboviruses and Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi [18,20]. The Lulo cell line is composed of epitheloid cells, originated from Lu.…”