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Toxoplasma gondii Chitinase Induces Macrophage Activation
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, PLoS ONE, Vol 10, Iss 12, p e0144507 (2015), Repositório Institucional da USP (Biblioteca Digital da Produção Intelectual), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), instacron:USP
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science, 2015.
-
Abstract
- Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite found worldwide that is able to chronically infect almost all vertebrate species, especially birds and mammalians. Chitinases are essential to various biological processes, and some pathogens rely on chitinases for successful parasitization. Here, we purified and characterized a chitinase from T. gondii. The enzyme, provisionally named Tg_chitinase, has a molecular mass of 13.7 kDa and exhibits a Km of 0.34 mM and a Vmax of 2.64. The optimal environmental conditions for enzymatic function were at pH 4.0 and 50 °C. Tg_chitinase was immunolocalized in the cytoplasm of highly virulent T. gondii RH strain tachyzoites, mainly at the apical extremity. Tg_chitinase induced macrophage activation as manifested by the production of high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, a pathogenic hallmark of T. gondii infection. In conclusion, to our knowledge, we describe for the first time a chitinase of T. gondii tachyzoites and provide evidence that this enzyme might influence the pathogenesis of T. gondii infection.
- Subjects :
- Models, Molecular
Cytoplasm
Molecular Sequence Data
Protozoan Proteins
lcsh:Medicine
Virulence
Microbiology
Host-Parasite Interactions
Pathogenesis
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
parasitic diseases
Macrophage
Animals
Amino Acid Sequence
lcsh:Science
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
chemistry.chemical_classification
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Multidisciplinary
Microscopy, Confocal
biology
Molecular mass
lcsh:R
Chitinases
Temperature
Toxoplasma gondii
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Macrophage Activation
biology.organism_classification
Protein Structure, Tertiary
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Kinetics
Enzyme
chemistry
DOENÇAS PARASITÁRIAS
Chitinase
biology.protein
Macrophages, Peritoneal
Cytokines
lcsh:Q
Inflammation Mediators
Toxoplasma
Research Article
Chromatography, Liquid
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....0afddc95b7c30b3459e0610d7d5eab5d