Acanthamoeba alternative oxidase genes: Identification, characterisation and potential as antimicrobial targets

Henriquez, Fiona L.; McBride, James; Campbell, Samantha A; Ramos, Tânia Regina Oliveira; Ingram, Paul R.; Roberts, Fiona; Tinney, Sinead; Roberts, Craig W.

doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.04.011

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Mycological peptone-maltose media (MPM): MPM media was prepared by mixing 10 g mycological peptone and 5 g maltose, 100 mL distilled water, and supplemented with 0.5 mg/mL penicillin (Sigma-Aldrich, Chemical, France), 0.5 mg/mL streptomycin (Sigma-Aldrich, Chemical, France) (Henriquez et al, 2009). Peptone yeast extract glucose media (PYG): 2 g peptone, 1 g yeast extract, and 1 g glucose, pH 7.2 in 100 mL distilled water and autoclaved at 121ºC for 15 min.…”

Section: Axenic Media Encystation Media (Em)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The cultivation of Acanthamoeba using with different axenic and monoxenic media

Eroglu¹,

Evyapan²,

Koltas³

2015

Mid. Black Sea J of Health Sci.

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Objective: Acanthamoeba species are the ubiquities free-living amoebae and can infect humans, causing diseases such as keratitis and encephalitis. Acanthamoeba species are often grown on non-nutrient agar spread with Escherichia coli or peptone-yeast extract-glucose. We investigated the amount of growth of Acanthamoeba in different axenic and monoxenic media.Methods: The non-nutrient agar with Pseudomonas aeuroginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aeurous, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were used as monoxenic media. The encystation, mycological peptone-maltose, peptone yeast extract glucose, roswell park memorial institute 1640 and trypticase beef hemoglobine media were used as axenic media.Results: We compared the growth of Acanthamoeba species in different axenic and monoxenic media in this study. In relation to the growth rate, the non-nutrient agar with Pseudomonas aeuroginosa had the highest values achieved among monoxenic media and roswell park memorial institute 1640 media was the highest value among axenic media.Conclusion: In view of the results, we can affirm that these monoxenic media are adequate to grow of Acanthamoeba species. In addition, a classic and basic medium that supports the growth of Acanthamoeba species consists of peptone yeast extract glucose. However, the roswell park memorial institute 1640 media was an excellent commercially available media for the growth of Acanthamoeba and it was able to keep Acanthamoeba by long periods of time.

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Section: Axenic Media Encystation Media (Em)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The cultivation of Acanthamoeba using with different axenic and monoxenic media

Eroglu¹,

Evyapan²,

Koltas³

2015

Mid. Black Sea J of Health Sci.

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“…AOX is also expressed in Acanthamoeba [ 50 ] which can cause a rare granulomatous amebic encephalitis involving the central nervous system that characteristically occurs in immunocompromised patients and nearly always causes death, or a painful keratitis resulting in blindness [ 51 , 52 ]. Acanthamoeba co-expresses two fully functional and competing quinol-oxidizing pathways, the phosphorylating canonical ETC and the cyanide-resistant AOX pathway [ 53 , 54 ].…”

Section: Human Pathogens That Utilize Aox For Pathogenicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the role of AOX in pathogenicity has not been fully elucidated, data suggests that AOX is induced in response to stress, e.g. during the encystment process [ 50 ], to buffer mitochondrial ROS generation [ 58 ] or to generate the heat needed to allow growth at low temperatures [ 59 ].…”

Section: Human Pathogens That Utilize Aox For Pathogenicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeting the alternative oxidase (AOX) for human health and food security, a pharmaceutical and agrochemical target or a rescue mechanism?

Szibor

Schenkl

Barsottini

et al. 2022

Biochemical Journal

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Some of the most threatening human diseases are due to a blockage of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC). In a variety of plants, fungi, and prokaryotes, there is a naturally evolved mechanism for such threats to viability, namely a bypassing of the blocked portion of the ETC by alternative enzymes of the respiratory chain. One such enzyme is the alternative oxidase (AOX). When AOX is expressed, it enables its host to survive life-threatening conditions or, as in parasites, to evade host defenses. In vertebrates, this mechanism has been lost during evolution. However, we and others have shown that transfer of AOX into the genome of the fruit fly and mouse results in a catalytically engaged AOX. This implies that not only is the AOX a promising target for combating human or agricultural pathogens but also a novel approach to elucidate disease mechanisms or, in several cases, potentially a therapeutic cure for human diseases. In this review, we highlight the varying functions of AOX in their natural hosts and upon xenotopic expression, and discuss the resulting need to develop species-specific AOX inhibitors.

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“…In parasitic protists, it is particularly associated with metabolic adaptation to the host and pathogenicity 20 – 22 . AOX is present in the mitochondria of protists such as the amoebozoans Acanthamoeba castellani 23 , A. polyphaga 24 and Dictyostelium discoideum 25 , Trypanosoma brucei 26 , T. congolensi and T. evansi 27 , Plasmodium falciparum 28 , Cryptosporidium parvum 29 and Blastocystis hominis 16 , 22 . AOX has also been detected in the Euglenozoa Euglena gracilis 30 , in the ciliates Paramecium tetraurelia 31 , Tetrahymena pyriformis 32 and Ichthyophthirius multifiliis 33 ; and in the scuticociliate parasites Pseudocohnilembus persalinus 34 and Philasterides dicentrachi 13 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular characterization and gene expression modulation of the alternative oxidase in a scuticociliate parasite by hypoxia and mitochondrial respiration inhibitors

Folgueira

Lamas

Sueiro

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Philasterides dicentrarchi is a marine benthic microaerophilic scuticociliate and an opportunistic endoparasite that can infect and cause high mortalities in cultured turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). in addition to a cytochrome pathway (cp), the ciliate can use a cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway, which indicates the existence of an alternative oxidase (AoX) in the mitochondrion. Although AoX activity has been described in P. dicentrarchi, based on functional assay results, genetic evidence of the presence of AoX in the ciliate has not previously been reported. in this study, we conducted genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the ciliate and identified the AOX gene and its corresponding mRNA. The AOX gene (size 1,106 bp) contains four exons and three introns that generate an open reading frame of 915 bp and a protein with a predicted molecular weight of 35.6 kDa. The amino acid (aa) sequence of the AoX includes an import signal peptide targeting the mitochondria and the protein is associated with the inner membrane of the mitochondria. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that the peptide is a homodimeric glycoprotein, although monomeric forms may also appear under native conditions, with eXXH motifs associated with the diiron active centers. the aa sequences of the AOX of different P. dicentrarchi isolates are highly conserved and phylogenetically closely related to AOXs of other ciliate species, especially scuticociliates. AOX expression increased significantly during infection in the host and after the addition of CP inhibitors. This confirms the important physiological roles of AoX in respiration under conditions of low levels of o 2 and in protecting against oxidative stress generated during infection in the host. Alternative oxidase (AOX), also known as ubiquinol-oxidoreductase, is included within the diiron carboxylate superfamily. The enzyme is characterized by cyanide resistance and is associated with maintenance of metabolic homeostasis via mitochondrial electron transport in plants subjected to various stress conditions 1,2. In plants, AOX is considered a ubiquitous enzyme; however, in algae 3 , fungi 4-9 , protozoa 10-13 and several invertebrate species 14 it is quite sporadic. AOX is involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and provides an alternative pathway for the direct transfer of electrons from ubiquinone to oxygen, thus forming water 15. It facilitates mitochondrial respiratory activity and therefore the functioning of the Krebs cycle after inhibition of the cytochrome route due to the presence of nitric oxide, cyanide (both inhibitors of the complex IV) or antimycin A (complex III inhibitor) 1,12,16. However, AOX reduces the energy efficiency of respiration as only 1/3 of the ATP is produced

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Acanthamoeba alternative oxidase genes: Identification, characterisation and potential as antimicrobial targets

Cited by 13 publications

References 51 publications

The cultivation of Acanthamoeba using with different axenic and monoxenic media

The cultivation of Acanthamoeba using with different axenic and monoxenic media

Targeting the alternative oxidase (AOX) for human health and food security, a pharmaceutical and agrochemical target or a rescue mechanism?

Molecular characterization and gene expression modulation of the alternative oxidase in a scuticociliate parasite by hypoxia and mitochondrial respiration inhibitors

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