ATP difosfohidrolase em formas promastigotas de Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis: caracterização e análise de domínios compartilhados com a apirase de Solanum tuberosum

Abstract

ATP diphosphohydrolase was identified in Leishmania braziliensis promastigote, and similar result was found in other Leishmania strain, typified as belonging to the Leishmania braziliensis Complex. The significant hydrolysis of di- or triphosphate nucleosides upon bivalent metal ion stimulus, associated to the inhibition promoted by sodium azide, suggested strongly that ATP diphosphohydrolase activity is present in promastigote preparations. Western blots developed with rabbit polyclonal anti-potato apyrase revealed bands of 48 and 43 kDa, possibly subunits of the same protein. These antibodies immobilized on Protein A-Sepharose depleted about 85% of the ATPase or ADPase activity from C12E9-solubilized ATP diphosphohydrolase. The immunoprecipitated resin-rabbit antibody-antigen complex was separated by SDS-PAGE, and Western blots developed with mouse polyclonal anti-potato apyrase antibodies identify the same 48 kDa band in the two promastigote strains, confirming that parasite and vegetable proteins share epitopes. Furthermore, the coincident molecular weigh suggested that this active ATP diphosphohydrolase corresponds to the putative nucleoside diphosphatase identified in L. braziliensis genome as belonging to NTPDase family, whose amino acid sequence was recently deposited in GeneBank database from NCBI. Evolutionary and closer structural relationships were then demonstrated between potato apyrase and Leishmania braziliensis NDPase by phylogenetic analysis, alignment of amino acid sequences, peptides prediction and molecular modeling. Specific protein domains are suggested to be potentially involved in the immune response. They also seem to be conserved during host and parasites co-evolution. Due to this cross-immunoreactivity between potato apyrase and ATP diphosphohydrolase from Leishmania (V.) braziliensis promastigotes, also suggested by in silico analyses, Western blots were developed with antibody present in sera from patients with American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), and the results suggested that these shared epitopes are antigenic for host human. The antibody levels against the vegetable protein or against Leishmania braziliensis promastigote antigens preparation were then analyzed in 21 serum samples from patients with ACL. About 84% of them have IgG seropositivity for L. braziliensis promastigote antigens (Lb) or potato apyrase. Positive correlation was observed between IgG and the elevated IgG1 or IgG3 subtypes levels against Lb, both subtypes com 76% seropositivity in ACL patients. Interestingly, significant elevations of the IgG1 (71% seropositivity) and IgG3 (43% seropositivity) levels against potato apyrase were also observed. High IgG4 seropositivity for both Lb (62%) and potato apyrase (48%), but not of IgG2 (<24%), evidenced that parasite ATP diphosphohydrolase is also capable to stimulate this IgG subtype. IgA seropositivity for Lb or potato apyrase was 62% and 14%, respectively, while IgM or IgE antibody seropositivity was low for both preparations (<14%). These results suggest that the domains shared between potato apyrase and Leishmania braziliensis ATP diphosphohydrolase contribute with IgG antibody level elevation against promastigote antigens, associated to higher IgG1, IgG3 and IgG4 subtype production. It is the first demonstration of an active ATP diphosphohydrolase in Leishmania braziliensis promastigote form, of its cross-immunoreactivity with anti-potato apyrase antibody, and antigenic properties of conserved domains in ACL patients. Further studies of these shared domains could lead to the development of new drugs targets, molecular markers or implementation of vaccines.