Project description:Trichomonas vaginalis, a common sexually transmitted parasite that colonizes the human urogenital tract, secretes extracellular vesicles (TvEVs) that are taken up by human cells and are speculated to be taken up by parasites as well. While the crosstalk between TvEVs and human cells has led to insight into host:parasite interactions, the role of TvEVs in infection have largely been one-sided, with little known about the effect of TvEV uptake by T. vaginalis. Approximately 11% of infections are found to be co-infections of multiple T. vaginalis strains. Clinical isolates often differ in their adherence to and cytolysis of host cells, underscoring the importance of understanding the effects of TvEV uptake within the parasite population. To address this question our lab observed the effects of EV uptake by T. vaginalis on parasite gene expression. Using RNA-seq, we showed that TvEVs upregulate expression of predicted parasite membrane proteins and identified a novel adherence factor, heteropolysaccharide binding protein (HPB2).
Project description:Trichomonas vaginalis is a sexually transmitted infection that causes vaginitis and increases the risk of HIV transmission. We are interested in the secreted and membrane glycoproteins of Trichomonas because they are likely involved in pathogenesis and may include novel vaccine targets. Four mass spectrometric methods (identification of all parasite proteins, glycoprotein enrichment with the plant lectin Concanavalin A, peptide:N-glycanase treatment to identify occupied N-glycans sites, and analysis of N-terminal peptides) were used to identify >300 Trichomonas secreted and membrane proteins. The first group of these proteins, which were present in multiple genome copies and had homologs in diverse eukaryotes, included 1) those involved in the N-glycan-dependent quality control protein folding in the ER lumen, 2) metalloproteases, serine proteases, cysteine proteases, and other lysosomal enzymes, and 3) transporters and membrane-associated cyclases. The second group of secreted and membrane proteins were, for the most part, encoded by single copy genes, unique to Trichomonas, and missing N-terminal signal peptides. The latter observation is despite evidence that the signal peptide peptidase functions normally in Trichomonas. As the unique secreted and membrane proteins of Trichomonas were often large and lacked features that make it easy to choose vaccine candidates, alternative strategies for vaccination and/or therapy are discussed.
Project description:Recent advances in tests for the sexually transmitted protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis have increased opportunities for diagnosis and treatment of this important sexually transmitted infection. This review summarises currently available tests, highlighting their performance characteristics, advantages and limitations. The recent development of molecular tests for the detection of T vaginalis, including rapid antigen detection and nucleic acid amplification tests, has significantly improved the quality of diagnostics for trichomoniasis, particularly in women. In light of the expanded menu of testing options now available, improved recognition and better control of trichomoniasis are in sight, which should enable the eventual reduction of adverse reproductive consequences associated with T vaginalis infection.
Project description:BackgroundThe human protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is an organism of interest for understanding eukaryotic evolution. Despite having an unusually large genome and a rich gene repertoire among protists, spliceosomal introns in T. vaginalis appear rare: only 62 putative introns have been annotated in this genome, and little or no experimental evidence exists to back up these predictions.ResultsThis study revisited the 62 annotated introns of T. vaginalis derived from the genome sequencing plus previous publications. After experimental validation and a new genome-wide search, we confirmed the presence of introns in 32 genes and 18 others were concluded to be intronless. Sequence analyses classified the validated introns into two types, based on distinctive features such as length and conservation of splice site motifs.ConclusionsOur study provides an updated list of intron-containing genes in the genome of T. vaginalis. Our findings suggests the existence of two intron 'families' spread among T. vaginalis protein-coding genes. Additional studies are needed to understand the functional separation of these two classes of introns and to assess the existence of further introns in the T. vaginalis genome.