ABSTRACT
Therapies to prevent transmission of malaria parasites to the mosquito vector are a vital part of the global malaria elimination agenda. Primaquine is currently the only drug with such activity; however, its use is limited by side effects. The development of transmission-blocking strategies requires an understanding of sexual stage malaria parasite (gametocyte) biology and the identification of new drug leads. Lysine acetylation is an important posttranslational modification involved in regulating eukaryotic gene expression and other essential processes. Interfering with this process with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors is a validated strategy for cancer and other diseases, including asexual stage malaria parasites. Here we confirm the expression of at least one HDAC protein in
Plasmodium falciparum
gametocytes and show that histone and nonhistone protein acetylation occurs in this life cycle stage. The activity of the canonical HDAC inhibitors trichostatin A (TSA) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA; Vorinostat) and a panel of novel HDAC inhibitors on early/late-stage gametocytes and on gamete formation was examined. Several compounds displayed early/late-stage gametocytocidal activity, with TSA being the most potent (50% inhibitory concentration, 70 to 90 nM). In contrast, no inhibitory activity was observed in
P. falciparum
gametocyte exflagellation experiments. Gametocytocidal HDAC inhibitors caused hyperacetylation of gametocyte histones, consistent with a mode of action targeting HDAC activity. Our data identify HDAC inhibitors as being among a limited number of compounds that target both asexual and sexual stage malaria parasites, making them a potential new starting point for gametocytocidal drug leads and valuable tools for dissecting gametocyte biology.
摘要
防止疟原虫向蚊媒传播的疗法是全球消除疟疾议程的重要组成部分。伯氨喹是目前唯一具有这种活性的药物,但其使用受到副作用的限制。要开发阻断传播的策略,就必须了解有性阶段疟原虫(配子体)的生物学特性,并找出新的药物线索。赖氨酸乙酰化是一种重要的翻译后修饰,参与调节真核基因表达和其他重要过程。用组蛋白去乙酰化酶(HDAC)抑制剂干扰这一过程是治疗癌症和其他疾病(包括无性阶段的疟原虫)的有效策略。在这里,我们证实了恶性疟原虫中至少有一种 HDAC 蛋白的表达。
恶性疟原虫
配子细胞中至少有一种 HDAC 蛋白的表达,并表明组蛋白和非组蛋白乙酰化发生在这一生命周期阶段。研究考察了典型 HDAC 抑制剂 trichostatin A (TSA) 和 suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA; Vorinostat) 以及一系列新型 HDAC 抑制剂对早期/晚期配子细胞和配子形成的活性。有几种化合物显示出早期/晚期配子细胞杀伤活性,其中 TSA 的杀伤活性最强(50% 抑制浓度,70 至 90 nM)。相比之下,在恶性疟原虫中没有观察到抑制活性。
恶性疟原虫
配子细胞外排实验中未观察到抑制活性。配子细胞杀伤性 HDAC 抑制剂会引起配子细胞组蛋白的高乙酰化,这与针对 HDAC 活性的作用模式是一致的。我们的数据表明,HDAC抑制剂是少数同时针对无性和有性阶段疟原虫的化合物之一,因此它们可能成为配子细胞杀灭药物的新起点,也是研究配子细胞生物学的宝贵工具。