Disruption of multiple copies of the Prostaglandin F2alpha synthase gene affects oxidative stress response and infectivity in Trypanosoma cruzi

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Oct 19;16(10):e0010845. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010845. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a serious chronic parasitic disease, currently treated with Nifurtimox (NFX) and Benznidazole (BZ). In addition to high toxicity, these drugs have low healing efficacy, especially in the chronic phase of the disease. The existence of drug-resistant T. cruzi strains and the occurrence of cross-resistance between BZ and NFX have also been described. In this context, it is urgent to study the metabolism of these drugs in T. cruzi, to better understand the mechanisms of resistance. Prostaglandin F2α synthase (PGFS) is an enzyme that has been correlated with parasite resistance to BZ, but the mechanism by which resistance occurs is still unclear. Our results show that the genome of the CL Brener clone of T. cruzi, contains five PGFS sequences and three potential pseudogenes. Using CRISPR/Cas9 we generated knockout cell lines in which all PGFS sequences were disrupted, as shown by PCR and western blotting analyses. The PGFS deletion did not alter the growth of the parasites or their susceptibility to BZ and NFX when compared to wild-type (WT) parasites. Interestingly, NTR-1 transcripts were shown to be upregulated in ΔPGFS mutants. Furthermore, the ΔPGFS parasites were 1.6 to 1.7-fold less tolerant to oxidative stress generated by menadione, presented lower levels of lipid bodies than the control parasites during the stationary phase, and were less infective than control parasites.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chagas Disease* / parasitology
  • Dinoprost / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Nifurtimox / therapeutic use
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Trypanocidal Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Trypanosoma cruzi*
  • Vitamin K 3 / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Nifurtimox
  • Dinoprost
  • Trypanocidal Agents
  • Vitamin K 3
  • benzonidazole

Grants and funding

This investigation received financial support from the following agencies: Programa INOVA FIOCRUZ - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (VPPCB-007-FIO-18-2-94); Convênio Fiocruz-Institut Pasteur-USP (no grant number); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG – APQ 02816-21), Convênio UGA/FAPEMIG (APQ-04382-16 (D)), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq 304158/2019-4), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde do Instituto René Rachou/FIOCRUZ and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001. DBC, SMRT, SMFM are CNPq research fellows. AMMS, DMR and PAS are supported by CAPES and IFMS by FAPEMIG. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.