Leishmania major: Identification of developmentally regulated proteins in procyclic and metacyclic promastigotes

• Published in: Experimental parasitology Vol. 119; no. 3; pp. 422 - 429
• Main Authors: Mojtahedi, Zahra, Clos, Joachim, Kamali-Sarvestani, Eskandar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-07-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: 2D-PAGE; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; dithiothreitol; DTT; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; IEF; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Isoelectric Focusing; Leishmania major; Leishmania major - chemistry; Leishmania major - growth & development; Leishmania major - physiology; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - parasitology; Life Cycle Stages - physiology; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; MALDI-TOF-MS; matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry; Metacyclic; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; molecular weight search; Movement - physiology; MOWSE; peanut agglutinin; PNA; Procyclic; Promastigotes; Proteome - chemistry; Proteomics; Protozoa; Protozoan Proteins - analysis; Protozoan Proteins - metabolism; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Trypanosomatid parasitic protozoa; two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; MALDI-TOF-MS; PNA; Promastigotes; Procyclic; MOWSE; DTT; Proteomics; 2D-PAGE; IEF; Trypanosomatid parasitic protozoa; Metacyclic; Kinetoplastida; Parasite; Protozoa; Protein; Leishmania major; Promastigote
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2008.04.008

The differentiation from procyclic to metacyclic promastigotes (metacyclogenesis) has been correlated with an increased infectivity in a number of
Leishmania species. We compared the proteomes of procyclic and metacyclic promastigotes of
L. major. Lysates from either life cycle stage were resolved by 2D-PAGE, followed by Coomassie brilliant blue staining. Spots were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. 25 protein spots were found to be differentially expressed during metacyclogenesis. We found that proteins involved in protein synthesis were less abundant in metacyclic promastigotes, while proteins involved in motility, including paraflagellar rod protein 1D, α-tubulin and β-tubulin were more abundant. Also, two mitochondrial enzymes (succinyl-CoA synthetase β subunit and cytochrome
c oxidase subunit IV) were differentially expressed in both life cycle stages. Down-regulation of proteins related to synthetic pathway in metacyclic promastigotes is consistent with the arrested growth in this life cycle stage, while up-regulation of proteins related to motility in metacyclic promastigotes is in agreement with the high motility observed in this stage.