Trypanosoma cruzi: Attachment to perimicrovillar membrane glycoproteins of Rhodnius prolixus

• Published in: Experimental parasitology Vol. 116; no. 1; pp. 44 - 52
• Main Authors: Alves, C.R., Albuquerque-Cunha, J.M., Mello, C.B., Garcia, E.S., Nogueira, N.F., Bourguingnon, S.C., de Souza, W., Azambuja, P., Gonzalez, M.S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-05-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; BHI; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; brain heart infusion culture medium; carbohydrate-binding proteins; carbohydrates; Carbohydrates - pharmacology; CBPs; cell adhesion; Cell Adhesion - physiology; Chagas disease; Con A; concanavalin A; d-Gal; d-galactose; d-Man; d-mannose; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; epimastigotes; epithelial cells; FCS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GalNAc; GlcNAc; HCP; head critical period; heat-inactivated fetal calf serum 20; host-parasite relationships; Humans; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Hydrophobic proteins; insect vectors; Insect Vectors - parasitology; Insecticides - pharmacology; Intestinal Mucosa - parasitology; Lectins; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Limonins - pharmacology; Male; ManNAc; membrane glycoproteins; Membrane Glycoproteins - metabolism; Microscopy, Video; Microvilli - chemistry; Microvilli - parasitology; midgut; N-acetylgalactosamine; N-acetylglucosamine; N-acetylmannosamine; NANA; parasite attachment; PBS; peanut agglutinin; perimicrovillar membranes; Peritrophic membranes; phosphate-buffered saline; PMM; PNA; protein binding; protoracicotropic hormone; Protozoa; PTTH; relative mobility; Rhodnius - parasitology; Rhodnius prolixus; Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera:Reduviidae); sialic acid; Triatomine vector; Triton X-114; Trypanosoma cruzi; Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanossomatidae); Trypanosoma cruzi - physiology; TX-114; WGA; wheat germ agglutinin; NANA; PNA; BHI; Hydrophobic proteins; d-Man; Chagas disease; Peritrophic membranes; Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanossomatidae); TX-114; Rf; GlcNAc; PTTH; CBPs; d-Gal; PBS; Triatomine vector; Con A; GalNAc; WGA; PMM; HCP; Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera:Reduviidae); FCS; Lectins; ManNAc; Heteroptera; Kinetoplastida; Protozoa; Arthropoda; Insecta; Glycoprotein; Parasite; Rhodnius prolixus; Invertebrata; Reduviidae; Trypanosoma cruzi
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2006.11.012

Studies were carried out to identify proteins involved in the interface of
Trypanosoma cruzi with the perimicrovillar membranes (PMM) of
Rhodnius prolixus. Video microscopy experiments demonstrated high level of adhesion of
T. cruzi Dm 28c epimastigotes to the surface of posterior midgut cells of non-treated
R. prolixus. The parasites however were unable to attach to gut cells obtained from decapitated or azadirachtin-treated insects. The influence of carbohydrates on the adhesion to insect midgut was confirmed by inhibition of parasite attachment after midgut incubation with
N-acetylgalactosamine,
N-acetylmannosamine,
N-acetylglucosamine,
d-galactose,
d-mannose or sialic acid. We observed that hydrophobic proteins in the surface of epimastigotes bind to polypeptides with 47.7, 45.5, 44, 43, 40.5, 36, 31 and 13
kDa from
R. prolixus PMM and that pre-incubation of lectins specifically inhibited binding to 31, 40.5, 44 and 45.5
kDa proteins. We suggest that glycoproteins from PMM and hydrophobic proteins from epimastigotes are important for the adhesion of the parasite to the posterior midgut cells of the vector.