Department of Animal Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, India.
Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, India.
FEBS J. 2019 Sep;286(17):3488-3503. doi: 10.1111/febs.14923. Epub 2019 Jun 1.
The emergence of drug-resistant Leishmania is the major challenge to management of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in areas in which this parasite is endemic. Miltefosine has been widely used against VL, but the emergence of resistant strains could impose a significant threat in the near future. The present study used high-throughput proteomics to determine whether proteins are differentially expressed in miltefosine-resistant (BHU875) and -sensitive (DD8) Leishmania donovani strains. Comparative proteomic analysis revealed up-regulation of iron superoxide dismutase (FeSODA) in the resistant BHU875 strain compared to the drug-sensitive DD8 strain. In accordance with the proteomic data, BHU875 showed higher FeSODA enzymatic activity relative to the sensitive strain. Molecular characterization of BHU875 parasites in which the gene encoding FeSODA was silenced demonstrated that drug sensitivity was restored and the intracellular survival of the parasite was lowered. This suggests that FeSODA activity plays a part in miltefosine resistance. Our study provides a drug target that could be used to overcome miltefosine resistance or help in rational redesigning of miltefosine-based therapy to combat Leishmania infection.
抗药性利什曼原虫的出现是在这些寄生虫流行地区管理内脏利什曼病(VL)的主要挑战。米替福新已被广泛用于治疗 VL,但耐药株的出现可能在不久的将来构成重大威胁。本研究使用高通量蛋白质组学来确定米替福新耐药(BHU875)和敏感(DD8)利什曼原虫 Donovan 菌株中是否存在差异表达的蛋白质。比较蛋白质组学分析显示,耐药 BHU875 株中铁超氧化物歧化酶(FeSODA)的表达上调,与药物敏感的 DD8 株相比。与蛋白质组学数据一致,BHU875 显示出比敏感株更高的 FeSODA 酶活性。对沉默编码 FeSODA 的基因的 BHU875 寄生虫进行分子特征分析表明,药物敏感性得到恢复,寄生虫的细胞内存活能力降低。这表明 FeSODA 活性在米替福新耐药性中起作用。我们的研究提供了一个药物靶点,可用于克服米替福新耐药性或有助于合理重新设计基于米替福新的治疗方法以对抗利什曼原虫感染。