Journal article
Metabolic responses in blood-stage malaria parasites associated with increased and decreased sensitivity to PfATP4 inhibitors
MALARIA JOURNAL, v 22(1), 56
14 Feb 2023
PMID: 36788578
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
BackgroundSpiroindolone and pyrazoleamide antimalarial compounds target Plasmodium falciparum P-type ATPase (PfATP4) and induce disruption of intracellular Na+ homeostasis. Recently, a PfATP4 mutation was discovered that confers resistance to a pyrazoleamide while increasing sensitivity to a spiroindolone. Transcriptomic and metabolic adaptations that underlie this seemingly contradictory response of P. falciparum to sublethal concentrations of each compound were examined to understand the different cellular accommodation to PfATP4 disruptions.MethodsA genetically engineered P. falciparum Dd2 strain (Dd2(A211V)) carrying an Ala211Val (A211V) mutation in PfATP4 was used to identify metabolic adaptations associated with the mutation that results in decreased sensitivity to PA21A092 (a pyrazoleamide) and increased sensitivity to KAE609 (a spiroindolone). First, sublethal doses of PA21A092 and KAE609 causing substantial reduction (30-70%) in Dd2(A211V) parasite replication were identified. Then, at this sublethal dose of PA21A092 (or KAE609), metabolomic and transcriptomic data were collected during the first intraerythrocytic developmental cycle. Finally, the time-resolved data were integrated with a whole-genome metabolic network model of P. falciparum to characterize antimalarial-induced physiological adaptations.ResultsSublethal treatment with PA21A092 caused significant (p < 0.001) alterations in the abundances of 91 Plasmodium gene transcripts, whereas only 21 transcripts were significantly altered due to sublethal treatment with KAE609. In the metabolomic data, a substantial alteration (>= fourfold) in the abundances of carbohydrate metabolites in the presence of either compound was found. The estimated rates of macromolecule syntheses between the two antimalarial-treated conditions were also comparable, except for the rate of lipid synthesis. A closer examination of parasite metabolism in the presence of either compound indicated statistically significant differences in enzymatic activities associated with synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol.ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that malaria parasites activate protein kinases via phospholipid-dependent signalling in response to the ionic perturbation induced by the Na+ homeostasis disruptor PA21A092. Therefore, targeted disruption of phospholipid signalling in PA21A092-resistant parasites could be a means to block the emergence of resistance to PA21A092.
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Details
- Title
- Metabolic responses in blood-stage malaria parasites associated with increased and decreased sensitivity to PfATP4 inhibitors
- Publication Details
- MALARIA JOURNAL, v 22(1), 56
- Publisher
- BMC; LONDON
- Grant note
- This research was primarily funded by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Network Science Initiative, Fort Detrick, MD, under Awards W81XWH-14-2-0134 and W81XWH-20-C-0031. This work was also supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command under Contract No. W81XWH-15-C-0061 (STP), National Institutes of Health Grant R01 AI125534 (STP), the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, and the Bloomberg Philanthropies.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000935528600002
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85148055477
- Other Identifier
- 991021860734304721
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- Collaboration types
- Industry collaboration
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Infectious Diseases
- Parasitology
- Tropical Medicine