Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite which can cause toxoplasmosis. Surface and secreted proteins of T. gondii play important roles in infection and immunity, and also are antigen targets in immunological diagnosis and vaccine development. However, it is difficult to investigate identities and antigenicities of surface and secreted proteins due to limitation of surface protein extraction methods. In this study, a total of 785 potential surface and secreted proteins of T. gondii RH tachyzoites were identified using a method combination of biotin labeling, avidin chromatography isolation, and high flux proteomics (LC-MS/MS). Among the highly-expressed 65 proteins, 43 proteins (66%) were originally annotated as surface or secreted proteins in the released T. gondii genomes, which proved the method combination to be a credible strategy. Furthermore, the transcriptomic responses and cytokine secretions induced by the isolated proteins, the live T. gondii RH tachyzoites infection, and the live pathogenic E. coli infection, in the human peripheral blood monocyte THP-1 cell lines, were comparatively analyzed to reveal antigenicities and immunobiological properties of T. gondii surface and secreted proteins. The transciptomic profiles induced by the isolated proteins were similar to those induced by the live bacterium infection, but were different from those induced by the live parasite infection. Contrary to the low cytokine secretion induced by the live parasite infection, the isolated proteins induced significant cytokine and chemokines secretion. Especially, the secretions of several chemokines induced by the isolated proteins were even higher than those induced by the live bacterium infection. These data suggested that T. gondii surface and secreted proteins were effective antigens, while the live parasite could evade the host innate immunity. This study comprehensively revealed the identities and antigenicities of T. gondii surface and secreted proteins, which laid foundation for further screening new T. gondii antigens, developing immunological diagnosis methods, and studying host immune response to T. gondii infection.
Project description:Histone variant H2A.Z is a critical player in setting up the chromatin environment that mediates transcription and other activities on chromatin. However, how H2A.Z is incorporated to specific chromatin regions is not clear. To examine the potential role of sequence-specific transcription factors in targeting H2A.Z, we screened for genome-wide H2A.Z-interacting proteins in vivo using a novel technique called bait Protein-Protein Interaction-sequencing (bPPI-seq). Among the hundreds of H2A.Z-interacting proteins identified by bPPI-seq, we show that a zinc-finger transcription factor, Osr1 interacts with H2A.Z both in vitro and in vivo and co-localizes with H2A.Z on chromatin. Knockdown of Osr1 compromised H2A.Z deposition to hundreds of chromatin sites enriched with Osr1 binding motifs. Furthermore, Osr1 and H2A.Z co-regulate the expression of numerous target genes. These results indicate that Osr1 directly interacts with H2A.Z, mediates its incorporation to a large number of target sites and regulates gene expression. Our data indicate that bPPI-seq can be widely applied to identify unbiasedly interacting proteins under physiologic conditions.
Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite infecting human and animals, causing huge health concerns and economic losses. Calcium ion, a critical second messenger in cells, can regulate related vital activities, particularly in parasite invasion and escape processes. Calmodulin (CaM) is a short, highly conserved Ca2+ binding protein found in all eukaryotic cells, including apicomplexan parasites. After binding to Ca2+, CaM can be activated to interact with a variety of proteins (such as enzymes). Nevertheless, CaM-interacting proteins have not been identified in T. gondii. We report here the use of T. gondii strain RH△hxgprt expressing the proximity-labeling enzyme BirA* fused to CaM, in combination with LC-MS/MS to specifically identify CaM-interacting proteins. Our study revealed over three hundred of CaM’s proximal interacting proteins in T. gondii. These CaM partners were broadly dispersed throughout the parasite. The majority of their CRISPR fitness scores were below zero, indicating CaM's essential functions in parasites.
Project description:Toxoplasma gondii multiplies inside a parasitophorous vacuole in the host cell. Several parasite proteins have been described that hijack host signaling pathways, which mostly originate from the rhoptry organelles. We report here the identification and characterization of GRA16, the first dense granule protein shown to be exported through the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and to reach the host cell nucleus. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that GRA16 positively modulates the expression of host genes involved in cell-cycle progression and the p53 tumor suppressor pathway. We show that GRA16 directly binds two host enzymes, the deubiquitinase HAUSP and the phosphatase PP2A, and that GRA16 alters p53 protein levels in a HAUSP-dependent manner and induces the nuclear translocation of the PP2A holoenzyme. Therefore GRA16 is a novel regulator of the HAUSP/p53 pathway and together with GRA15, emerge as a subfamily of new dense granule proteins exported beyond the tachyzoites-hosting vacuole to subvert the host transcriptome. Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) or Human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) were infected with the following Toxoplasma gondii strains: - RHku80 WT versus RHku80(deltaGRA16) mutant (in BMDM) - Pruku80 WT versus Pruku80(deltaGRA16) mutant (in BMDM) - RHku80 WT versus RHku80(deltaGRA16) mutant (in HFF)