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Intra-strain clonal phenotypic variation of Tritrichomonas foetus is related to the cytotoxicity exerted by the parasite to cultured cells

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Abstract

As observed in most of the investigated trichomonads, a strain of Tritrichomonas foetus includes different parasite subpopulations. Such population diversity might account for important properties such as the ability of the parasite to destroy host cells. The aim of this study was to characterize the cytotoxicity exerted by subpopulations (named as K1, K2, K3, K4 and K5) of an isolate of T. foetus on epithelial cultured cells. The five populations studied here destroyed epithelial monolayers at different rates (from 25% to 55%), even though the cytoadhesion level and whole-cell protease activity were closely related among them. We were also able to detect differences in contact-dependent and contact-independent cytotoxicity mechanisms among the five populations. An extracellular parasite protease had varying activity among the parasite populations. The intensity of contact-independent cytotoxicity was strictly related to the degree of enzyme activation, suggesting that such a protease might be involved in the cytotoxicity mediated by T. foetus.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by the following Brazilian agencies: CNPq, MCT-PRONEX, FUJB-UFRJ, and FAPERJ. The experiments related in this manuscript are in agreement with the current laws of Brazil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Biologia da Superfície Celular, Programa de Bioengenharia e Biotecnologia Animal, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Bruno da Rocha-Azevedo, Mariane B. de Melo-Braga & Fernando C. e Silva-Filho

  2. UFRJ-CCS, Cidade Universitária, bloco G, sala G0-044, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21949-900, Brazil

    Fernando C. e Silva-Filho

Authors
  1. Bruno da Rocha-Azevedo
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  2. Mariane B. de Melo-Braga
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  3. Fernando C. e Silva-Filho
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Correspondence to Fernando C. e Silva-Filho.

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da Rocha-Azevedo, B., de Melo-Braga, M.B. & e Silva-Filho, F.C. Intra-strain clonal phenotypic variation of Tritrichomonas foetus is related to the cytotoxicity exerted by the parasite to cultured cells. Parasitol Res 95, 106–112 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-004-1251-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-004-1251-0

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