Proteomic analysis of calcium-dependent secretion in Toxoplasma gondii

Proteomics. 2007 Oct;7(20):3718-25. doi: 10.1002/pmic.200700362.

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that invades a wide range of nucleated cells. In the course of intracellular parasitism, the parasite releases a large variety of proteins from three secretory organelles, namely, micronemes, rhoptries and dense granules. Elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) in the parasite causes microneme discharge, and microneme secretion is essential for the invasion. In this study, we performed a proteomic analysis of the Ca(2+)-dependent secretion to evaluate the protein repertoire. We found that Ca(2+)-mobilising agents, such as thapsigargin, NH(4)Cl, ethanol and a Ca(2+) ionophore, A23187, promoted the secretion of the parasite proteins. The proteins, artificially secreted by A23187, were used in a comparative proteomic analysis by 2-DE followed by PMF analysis and/or N-terminal sequencing. Major known microneme proteins (MICs), such as MIC2, MIC4, MIC6 and MIC10 and apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1), were identified, indicating that the proteomic analysis worked accurately. Interestingly, new members of secretory proteins, namely rhoptry protein 9 (ROP9) and Toxoplasma SPATR (TgSPATR), which was a homologue of a Plasmodium secreted protein with an altered thrombospondin repeat (SPATR), were detected in Ca(2+)-dependent secretion. Thus, we succeeded in detecting Ca(2+)-dependent secretory proteins in T. gondii, which contained novel secretory proteins.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Calcium / physiology*
  • Cations, Divalent / metabolism
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Fragments / analysis
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism
  • Proteome / analysis*
  • Proteome / metabolism*
  • Protozoan Proteins / analysis*
  • Protozoan Proteins / metabolism*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
  • Toxoplasma / chemistry
  • Toxoplasma / metabolism*
  • Vero Cells

Substances

  • Cations, Divalent
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Proteome
  • Protozoan Proteins
  • Calcium