Two StAR-related lipid transfer proteins play specific roles in endocytosis, exocytosis, and motility in the parasitic protist Entamoeba histolytica

PLoS Pathog. 2021 Apr 28;17(4):e1009551. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009551. eCollection 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are the key contributor of organelle-specific lipid distribution and cellular lipid homeostasis. Here, we report a novel implication of LTPs in phagocytosis, trogocytosis, pinocytosis, biosynthetic secretion, recycling of pinosomes, and motility of the parasitic protist E. histolytica, the etiological agent of human amoebiasis. We show that two StAR-related lipid transfer (START) domain-containing LTPs (named as EhLTP1 and 3) are involved in these biological pathways in an LTP-specific manner. Our findings provide novel implications of LTPs, which are relevant to the elucidation of pathophysiology of the diseases caused by parasitic protists.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CHO Cells
  • Carrier Proteins / physiology*
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cricetulus
  • Endocytosis / genetics*
  • Entamoeba histolytica / genetics
  • Entamoeba histolytica / metabolism
  • Entamoeba histolytica / physiology*
  • Entamoebiasis / genetics
  • Entamoebiasis / metabolism
  • Entamoebiasis / parasitology
  • Exocytosis / genetics*
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / physiology
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways / genetics
  • Organisms, Genetically Modified
  • Phagocytosis / genetics
  • Phosphoproteins / chemistry

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • Phosphoproteins
  • lipid transfer protein
  • steroidogenic acute regulatory protein

Grants and funding

This work was supported partly by TBRF postdoctoral fellowship from The Tokyo Biochemical Research Foundation (TBRF) to K.D. (TBRF-RF17-105), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (JP18H0265, JP21H02723) to T.N. and Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (Start-up) and (B) (JP20K22758, JP21K15426) to N.W. from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and Grant for research on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED, JP19fk0108046 and JP20fk0108138) to T.N.), Grant for Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) from AMED and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (JP19jm0110009 and JP20jm0110022) to T.N.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.