Proteome analysis of Phytomonas serpens, a phytoparasite of medical interest

PLoS One. 2018 Oct 10;13(10):e0204818. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204818. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The protozoan Phytomonas serpens (class Kinetoplastea) is an important phytoparasite that has gained medical importance due to its similarities to Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. The present work describes the first proteome analysis of P. serpens. The parasite was separated into cytosolic and high density organelle fractions, which, together with total cell extract, were subjected to LC-MS/MS analyses. Protein identification was conducted using a comprehensive database composed of genome sequences of other related kinetoplastids. A total of 1,540 protein groups were identified among the three sample fractions. Sequences from Phytomonas sp. in the database allowed the highest number of identifications, with T. cruzi and T. brucei the human pathogens providing the greatest contribution to the identifications. Based on the proteomics data obtained, we proposed a central metabolic map of P. serpens, which includes all enzymes of the citric acid cycle. Data also revealed a new range of proteins possibly responsible for immunological cross-reactivity between P. serpens and T. cruzi.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Gene Ontology
  • Proteomics / methods*
  • Protozoan Proteins / genetics
  • Protozoan Proteins / metabolism*
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Trypanosomatina / genetics
  • Trypanosomatina / metabolism*

Substances

  • Protozoan Proteins

Grants and funding

The work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, grants 423006/2016-9 and 407855/2013), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás (FAPEG) and Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP, grants 0439/11 and 0694/13 to M.V.S.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.