Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii, a ubiquitous protozoan, is responsible for significant diseases such as Acanthamoeba keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. A crucial survival strategy of A. castellanii involves the formation of highly resistant cysts during adverse conditions. This study delves into the cellular processes underpinning encystment, focusing on gene expression changes related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance, with a particular emphasis on mitochondrial processes. Our findings reveal a dynamic response within the mitochondria during encystment, with the downregulation of key enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation (COX, AOX, and NADHalt) during the initial 48 h, followed by their overexpression at 72 h. This orchestrated response likely creates a pro-oxidative environment, facilitating encystment. Analysis of other ROS processing enzymes across the cell reveals differential expression patterns. Notably, antioxidant enzymes, such as catalases, glutaredoxins, glutathione S-transferases, peroxiredoxins, and thioredoxins, mirror the mitochondrial trend of downregulation followed by upregulation. Additionally, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis are downregulated during the early stages in order to potentially balance the metabolic requirement of the cyst. Our study underscores the importance of ROS regulation in Acanthamoeba encystment. Understanding these mechanisms offers insights into infection control and identifies potential therapeutic targets. This work contributes to unraveling the complex biology of A. castellanii and may aid in combatting Acanthamoeba-related infections. Further research into ROS and oxidase enzymes is warranted, given the organism’s remarkable respiratory versatility.
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The information of the discussed genes can be found in the supplementary materials. Everything else can be provided upon request.
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The study was supported by Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) and a University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine PhD Studentship (to AdOFdV). Edinburgh Genomics is partly supported through core grants from NERC (R8/H10/56), MRC (MR/K001744/1), and BBSRC (BB/J004243/1).
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Conceptualization: CQS, SKM, and AdOFdV; methodology: CQS, RDM, and AdOFdV; formal analysis and investigation: CQS, RDM, JGM, and AdOFdV; writing—original draft preparation: CQS, JGM, and AdOFdV; writing—review and editing: CQS, SKM, and AdOFdV; funding acquisition: AdOFdV; resources: SKM and AdOFdV; supervision: SKM and AdOFdV.
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Sutherland K. Maciver is part of the editorial board of Parasitology Research.
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Scheckhuber, C.Q., Damián Ferrara, R., Gómez-Montalvo, J. et al. Oxidase enzyme genes are differentially expressed during Acanthamoeba castellanii encystment. Parasitol Res 123, 116 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-024-08138-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-024-08138-9