Dados do Trabalho

Título

Revisiting the proteome of Trypanosoma cruzi life forms using quantitative high-performance mass spectometry

Introdução

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, has a complex life cycle with distinct stages: replicative (epimastigotes and amastigotes) and non-replicative (metacyclics and trypomastigotes). Each stage has unique morphological and biochemical features crucial for the parasite's survival, proliferation, and pathogenicity within its insect vector and mammalian hosts. Proteomic profiling is key to understanding gene regulation and protein functions throughout the life cycle, revealing intricate signaling pathways and networks essential for T. cruzi's adaptation and virulence.

Objetivo (s)

This study aimed to analyze the proteome of T. cruzi life forms to identify stage-specific proteins.

Material e Métodos

We employed quantitative proteomic LC-MS/MS with TMT labeling for epimastigotes (E), metacyclic trypomastigotes (MT), and cell culture-derived trypomastigotes (TCT).

Resultados e Conclusão

We identified 4,199 proteins and 2,838 protein groups. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed significant differences among the samples, with the first principal component (PC1) explaining 60.3% of the variance and the second principal component (PC2) 39.7%. A total of 91 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified across the stages. Specifically, 40 proteins were significantly upregulated in E vs. MT, and 33 in E vs. TCT. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed notable enrichments in functional terms. In both comparisons, epimastigotes exhibited enrichment in GO terms related to ‘carbohydrate metabolic process’ and ‘protein-RNA complex,’ reflecting proliferation and higher transcription rates in replicative forms. Downregulated proteins in E vs. MT were enriched in GO terms related to post-translational modifications of proline residues, crucial for carbon metabolism in the insect midgut. Additionally, ‘phosphorylation’ terms were significantly enriched GO analysis in the E vs. TCT comparison, suggesting changes in enzymatic activities. New analyses are underway to further explore these proteomic data.Our findings can provide deeper insights into the replication, transcription, and metabolic processes of T. cruzi, advancing our understanding of its biology and informing future research and intervention strategies.

Palavras Chave

Trypanosoma cruzi; life forms; Proteome