Copper in parasitic protists – a hitherto neglected virulence factor

Grechnikova, Maria; Füssy, Zoltán; Sutak, Robert

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2023.10.003

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

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Copper trafficking inTrypanosoma cruzi: the transcriptional response of candidates to balance toxicity and recruitment

Merli,

Mediavilla,

Zhu

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease) depends on acquiring nutrients and cofactors, like copper (Cu), from its hosts. Cu is essential for aerobic organisms, but it can also be toxic, so its transport and storage must be regulated. In the present study, we characterized the effects of changes in Cu availability on growth, intracellular ion content, and oxygen consumption. Our results show that Cu is essential for epimastigote proliferation and for metacyclogenesis, while intracellular amastigotes suffered from Cu stress during infection. We identify several genes potentially involved in Cu metabolism among which orthologs of the conserved P-type Cu ATPases involved in Cu export and loading of secreted enzymes were found and named TcCuATPase. TcCuATPase transcription is regulated during infective stages and by Cu availability in epimastigotes. No homologs were identified for the high affinity importer CTR1 instead we propose that the iron transport TcIT a ZIP family transporter is involved in Cu uptake based on its transcriptional response to Cu. Further canonical Cu targets (based on homology to yeast and mammals) such as the iron reductase TcFR and the cupro-oxidase TcFet3 are up regulated during infective stages and under intracellular Cu stress. We also demonstrated that Cu, iron, and heme metabolisms are related. In sum, Cu metabolism is essential in T. cruzi life cycle. Even though cytosolic Cu-chaperons are still missing, we propose a model for Cu transport and intracellular distribution in T. cruzi including conserved factors such as TcCuATPase and others such as TcFR and TcIT playing novel functions.

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Copper trafficking inTrypanosoma cruzi: the transcriptional response of candidates to balance toxicity and recruitment

Merli,

Mediavilla,

Zhu

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Metabolomic changes in Cryptocaryon irritans from Larimichthys crocea after exposure to copper plate

Guo,

Huang,

et al. 2024

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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Cryptocaryon irritans is a highly detrimental parasite in mariculture, causing significant economic losses to the aquaculture industry of Larimichthys crocea. In recent years, copper and copper alloy materials have been used to kill parasites. In this study, the effect of copper plates on the tomont period of C. irritans was explored. The findings indicated that copper plates effectively eradicated tomonts, resulting in a hatching rate of 0. The metabolomic analysis revealed that a total of 2,663 differentially expressed metabolites (1,032 up-regulated and 1,631 down-regulated) were screened in the positive ion mode, and 2,199 differentially expressed metabolites (840 up-regulated and 1,359 down-regulated) were screened in the negative ion mode. L-arginine and L-aspartic acid could be used as potential biomarkers. Copper plate treatment affected 25 metabolic pathways in the tomont, most notably influencing histidine metabolism, retinol metabolism, the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, as well as arginine and proline metabolism. It was shown that high concentrations of copper ions caused a certain degree of disruption to the metabolome of tomonts in C. irritans, thereby impacting their metabolic processes. Consequently, this disturbance ultimately leads to the rapid demise of tomonts upon exposure to copper plates. The metabolomic changes observed in this study elucidate the lethal impact of copper on C. irritans tomonts, providing valuable reference data for the prevention and control of C. irritans in aquaculture.

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Copper in parasitic protists – a hitherto neglected virulence factor

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

Copper trafficking inTrypanosoma cruzi: the transcriptional response of candidates to balance toxicity and recruitment

Copper trafficking inTrypanosoma cruzi: the transcriptional response of candidates to balance toxicity and recruitment

Metabolomic changes in Cryptocaryon irritans from Larimichthys crocea after exposure to copper plate

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