[Leish-l] Articles found by RefScout 2007 02

[Jeffrey Shaw]

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Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:43:46
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  REQUEST: [ leishmania ]
(26 articles match this request. 1 article matching other requests removed)

PMID: 17186402<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17186402>
TITLE: Occurrence of *leishmania* DNA in urines of dogs naturally infected
with leishmaniasis.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17186402>
AUTHORS: A Franceschi, V Merildi, G Guidi, F Mancianti
AFFILIATION: Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Profilassi ed Igiene degli
Alimenti, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, alberto.franceschi at vet.unipi.it.
REFERENCE: Vet Res Commun 2007 Apr 31(3):335-41


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PMID: 17204342<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17204342>
TITLE: Analysis of the *Leishmania* donovani transcriptome reveals an
ordered progression of transient and permanent changes in gene expression
during differentiation.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17204342>
AUTHORS: A Saxena, T Lahav, N Holland, G Aggarwal, A Anupama, Y Huang, H
Volpin, P J Myler, D Zilberstein
AFFILIATION: Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 307 Westlake Avenue N,
Seattle, WA 98109-5219, USA.
REFERENCE: Mol Biochem Parasitol 2007 Mar 152(1):53-65
*Leishmania* donovani is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes
kala-azar in humans. During infection the extracellular insect forms (
promastigotes) undergo rapid differentiation to intracellular amastigotes
that proliferates in phagolysosomes of mammalian macrophages . We used
microarray-based expression profiling to investigate the time- course of
changes in RNA abundance during promastigote-to-amastigote differentiation
in a host-free system that mimics this process. These studies revealed that
several hundred genes underwent an ordered progression of transient or
permanent up- and down-regulation during differentiation. Genes that were
permanently up-regulated in amastigotes were enriched for transporters and
surface proteins, but under- represented in genes involved in protein and
other metabolism. Most of these changes occurred late in the differentiation
process, when morphological differentiation was essentially complete.
Down-regulated genes were over-represented in those involved in cell
motility, growth and/or maintenance, and these changes generally occurred
earlier in the process. Genes that were transiently up- or down-regulated
during differentiation included those encoding heat shock proteins,
ubiquitin hydrolases, RNA binding proteins, protein kinases, a protein
phosphatase , and a histone deacetylase. These results suggest that changes
in mRNA abundance may be important in signal transduction, as well as
protein and mRNA turnover, during differentiation. In addition to these mRNA
changes, other transcripts including one or more rRNAs and snoRNAs, and
non-coding RNAs from several telomeres, also showed substantial changes in
abundance during the differentiation process. This paper provides the first
genome-scale quantitative analysis of gene expression during the transition
from promastigotes to amastigotes and demonstrates the utility of the
host-free differentiation system.


PMID: 17169445<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17169445>
TITLE: Kinetoplastid PPEF phosphatases: Dual acylated proteins expressed in
the endomembrane system of
*Leishmania*.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17169445>
AUTHORS: Elena Mills, Helen P Price, Andrea Johner, Jenny E Emerson, Deborah
F Smith
AFFILIATION: Wellcome Trust Laboratories for Molecular Parasitology, Centre
for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London
SW7 2AZ, UK.
REFERENCE: Mol Biochem Parasitol 2007 Mar 152(1):22-34
Bioinformatic analyses have been used to identify potential downstream
targets of the essential enzyme N-myristoyl transferase in the TriTryp
species, *Leishmania* major, Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi. These
database searches predict approximately 60 putative N- myristoylated
proteins with high confidence, including both previously characterised and
novel molecules. One of the latter is an N- myristoylated protein
phosphatase which has high sequence similarity to the Protein Phosphatase
with EF-Hand (PPEF) proteins identified in sensory cells of higher
eukaryotes. In L. major and T. brucei, the PPEF- like phosphatases are
encoded by single-copy genes and are constitutively expressed in all
parasite life cycle stages. The N- terminus of LmPPEF is a substrate for
N-myristoyl transferase and is also palmitoylated in vivo. The wild type
protein has been localised to the endocytic system by immunofluorescence.
The catalytic and fused C- terminal domains of the kinetoplastid and other
eukaryotic PPEFs share high sequence similarity, but unlike their higher
eukaryotic relatives, the C-terminal parasite EF-hand domains are degenerate
and do not bind calcium.


PMID: 17173987<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17173987>
TITLE: Kinetic characterization of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase of *
Leishmania* donovani.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17173987>
AUTHORS: Fredrick Dobie, Amanda Berg, Jan M Boitz, Armando Jardim
AFFILIATION: Institute of Parasitology, Macdonald Campus of McGill
University, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
H9X 3V9.
REFERENCE: Mol Biochem Parasitol 2007 Mar 152(1):11-21
Trypanosomatid protozoan pathogens are purine auxotrophs that are highly
dependent on the enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) for the
synthesis of guanylate nucleotides. Enzymatic characterization of the *
Leishmania* donovani IMPDH (LdIMPDH) overexpressed in E. coli revealed that
this enzyme was highly specific for the substrates IMP and NAD(+) with
K(m)(app) values of 33 and 390muM, respectively. In contrast to other
IMPDHs, LdIMPDH exhibits no substrate inhibition in high concentrations of
NAD(+). Kinetic studies revealed that XMP and GMP were inhibitors with K(i)
values of approximately 26 and 210muM, respectively, suggesting that these
nucleotides may regulate LdIMPDH activity. Mycophenolic acid was also a
potent inhibitor of L. donovani IMPDH with a K(i) value of approximately
25nM. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and subcellular fractionation
localized LdIMPDH to the glycosome. Protein-protein interaction assays
revealed that LdIMPDH associated tightly with glycosomal protein sorting
receptor LdPEX5.


PMID: 17188763<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17188763>
TITLE: Genomic and proteomic expression analysis of
*Leishmania*promastigote and amastigote life stages: The
*Leishmania* genome is constitutively
expressed.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17188763>
AUTHORS: Kirk Leifso, Gabriela Cohen-Freue, Nisha Dogra, Angus Murray, W
Robert McMaster
AFFILIATION: Immunity and Infection Research Centre, Vancouver Coastal
Health Research Institute, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, 451-2660
Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3Z6.
REFERENCE: Mol Biochem Parasitol 2007 Mar 152(1):35-46
*Leishmania* are protozoan parasites that cause a wide spectrum of clinical
diseases in humans and are a major public health risk in several countries.
*Leishmania* life cycle consists of an extracellular flagellated
promastigote stage within the midgut of a sandfly vector, and a
morphological distinct intracellular amastigote stage within macrophages of
a mammalian host. This study reports the use of DNA oligonucleotide genome
microarrays representing 8160 genes to analyze the mRNA expression profiles
of L. major promastigotes and lesion derived amastigotes. Over 94% of the
genes were expressed in both life stages. Advanced statistical analysis
identified a surprisingly low degree of differential mRNA expression:
1.4%of the total genes in amastigotes and
1.5% in promastigotes. These microarray results demonstrate that the L.
major genome is essentially constitutively expressed in both life stages and
suggest that *Leishmania* is constitutively adapted for survival and
replication in either the sandfly vector or macrophage host utilizing an
appropriate set of genes for each vastly different environment. Quantitative
proteomics, using the isotope coded affinity tag (ICAT) technology and mass
spectrometry, was used to identify L. infantum promastigote and axenic
amastigote differentially expressed proteins. Of the 91 distinct proteins
identified, 8% were differentially expressed in the amastigote stage, 20 %
were differentially expressed in the promastigote stage, and the remaining
72% were considered constitutively expressed. The differential expression
was validated by the identification of previously reported stage specific
proteins and identified several amastigote and promastigote novel stage
specific proteins.


PMID: 17047999<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17047999>
TITLE: Translation of open reading frame in kinetoplast DNA minicircles of
clinical isolates of L.
donovani.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17047999>
AUTHORS: Hema Kothari, Pranav Kumar, Rohit Saluja, Shyam Sundar, Neeloo
Singh
AFFILIATION: Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India,
neeloo888 at yahoo.com.
REFERENCE: Parasitol Res 2007 Mar 100(4):893-7
Till today, it remains an enigma whether the open reading frames said to be
transcribed in minicircle sequences are indeed translated into protein
products or not. We establish a protein-coding gene in minicircle variable
region of kinetoplast DNA from clinical isolates of *Leishmania* donovani.
The protein was expressed as an N-tagged green fluorescent protein (GFP)
fusion protein in leishmanial expression system. Fluorescence microscopy of
the transfectants carrying recombinant GFP construct showed the protein to
be localized on the plasmalemma of the parasite. This shows that the
minicircle transcript is indeed translated into a protein product in the
parasite cell and further points toward probable biological function of
minicircles in kinetoplastids.


PMID: 17061112<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17061112>
TITLE: Purification and characterization of hexokinase from
*Leishmania*mexicana.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17061112>
AUTHORS: Miguel A Pabón, Ana J Cáceres, Melisa Gualdrón, Wilfredo
Quiñones, Luisana Avilán, Juan L Concepción
AFFILIATION: Laboratorio de Enzimología de Parásitos, Centro de
Ingeniería GenÃ(c)tica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, La
Hechicera, MÃ(c)rida, 5101, Venezuela, concepci at ula.ve.
REFERENCE: Parasitol Res 2007 Mar 100(4):803-10
Hexokinase from *Leishmania* mexicana was purified to homogeneity from a
glycosome-enriched fraction obtained after a differential centrifugation of
promastigote form. The kinetic properties of the pure enzyme were determined
and the Km values for glucose (Km = 66 muM) and ATP (Km = 303 muM) were
comparable to those from hexokinase of Trypanosoma cruzi. L. mexicana
hexokinase was able to use fructose (Km = 142 muM), which reflects the
condition found in the insect host. In contrast with hexokinases from other
trypanosomatids, the enzyme exhibited a moderate sensitivity to inhibition
by glucose 6-phosphate. This inhibition was competitive with respect to both
ATP and glucose, indicating that an allosteric site for glucose 6-phosphate
does not exist in this enzyme. The enzyme was also inhibited by inorganic
pyrophosphate, the inhibition being higher than that observed for T. cruzi
enzyme. As expected, the enzyme was localized, by immunofluorescence
analysis, in glycosomes and is present in both promastigotes and true
amastigotes obtained from hamster lesion. Hexokinase specific activity
increased with the aging of promastigote culture, and this increment was
related to glucose consumption. However, the level of the hexokinase protein
remains constant as determined by Western blotting. Several hypotheses are
discussed to explain this result.


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PMID: 17096142<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17096142>
TITLE: Proof of interaction between *Leishmania* SIR2RP1 deacetylase and
chaperone HSP83.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17096142>
AUTHORS: Monte-Alegre Adriano, Baptiste Vergnes, Joel Poncet, Françoise
Mathieu-Daude, Anabela Cordeiro da Silva, Ali Ouaissi, Denis Sereno
AFFILIATION: UR008 "PathogÃ(c)nie des TrypanosomatidÃ(c)s", Centre IRD de
Montpellier, 911 Avenue Agropolis, Montpellier, 34394, France,
sereno at mpl.ird.fr.
REFERENCE: Parasitol Res 2007 Mar 100(4):811-8
The cytoplasmic *Leishmania* silent information regulator 2 (SIR2)RP1
protein is essential for parasite growth and survival and constitutes an
attractive therapeutic target. Little information is available on putative
substrate(s) and/or partner(s) that could shed light on the pathways in
which this enzyme plays a role. We carried out co- immunoprecipitation
experiments on the soluble fractions of wild-type and parasites
overexpressing LmSIR2RP1 and found that the essential chaperone heat shock
protein (HSP) 83, the *Leishmania* ortholog of the mammalian HSP90,
constantly co-immunoprecipitated with LmSIR2RP1. We found that
*Leishmania*HSP83 is among the lysine acetylated protein, but the
intracellular level of
SIR2RP1 does not influence the acetylation status of HSP83. Finally, the
modified Geldanamycin susceptibility (an inhibitor of HSP83) exhibited by
SIR2RP1 mutant parasites support an in vivo relationship between the
chaperone activity of HSP83 and LmSIR2RP1 . An insight on the nature of the
interaction in *Leishmania* is required to understand its role in the cell
fate control during cytodifferentiation.


PMID: 17111176<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17111176>
TITLE: A cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinase gene from the protozoan
parasite, Cryptobia
salmositica.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17111176>
AUTHORS: Palmy R R Jesudhasan, Chung-Wei Tan, Nikos Hontzeas, Patrick T K
Woo
AFFILIATION: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph,
Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada, jesudhasan at poultry.tamu.edu.
REFERENCE: Parasitol Res 2007 Mar 100(4):881-6
The present study describes the identification of a cathepsin L-like
cysteine proteinase gene (CYS) from the hemoflagellate Cryptobia
salmositica. Genomic DNA sequence of cysteine proteinase was obtained by
genome walking using degenerate primers. Specific primers were designed to
amplify the cDNA of cysteine proteinase from mRNA by rapid amplification of
cDNA ends-PCR. The open reading frame of CYS is 1,329 bp, with 443 deduced
amino acids. Based on the sequence analysis, cysteine proteinase of C.
salmositica is similar to the cathepsin L-like cysteine proteinase of
kinetoplastid parasites such as *Leishmania* spp. and Trypanosoma spp. The
identification of CYS proteinase gene could help to design cysteine
proteinase specific inhibitors. Further studies are required to characterize
the complete genomic organization of the cysteine proteinase.


PMID: 17101647<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17101647>
TITLE: Heterologous Priming-Boosting with DNA and Modified Vaccinia Virus
Ankara Expressing Tryparedoxin Peroxidase Promotes Long-Term Memory against
*Leishmania* major in Susceptible BALB/c
Mice.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17101647>
AUTHORS: Carmel B Stober, Uta G Lange, Mark T M Roberts, Antonio Alcami,
Jenefer M Blackwell
AFFILIATION: Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Wellcome Trust/MRC
Building, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Rd., Cambridge, CB2 2XY, United
Kingdom. jennie.blackwell at cimr.cam.ac.uk.
REFERENCE: Infect Immun 2007 Feb 75(2):852-60
Leishmaniasis affects 12 million people, but there are no vaccines in
routine clinical use. Th1 polarizing vaccines that elicit long-term
protection are required to prevent disease in susceptible populations. We
recently showed that heterologous priming-boosting with tryparedoxin
peroxidase (TRYP) DNA followed by TRYP-modified vaccinia virus Ankara ( TRYP
MVA) protected susceptible BALB/c mice from *Leishmania* major. Here we
compared treatment with TRYP DNA with treatment with TRYP DNA/TRYP MVA. We
found that equivalent levels of protection during the postvaccination
effector phase correlated with equivalent levels of serum immunoglobulin G2a
and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in draining lymph nodes. In contrast,
challenge infection during the memory phase revealed that there was enhanced
clinical efficacy with TRYP DNA/TRYP MVA. This correlated with higher levels
of effector phase splenic IFN- gamma, sustained prechallenge levels of
memory phase IFN-gamma, and a more polarized post-L. major challenge Th1
response compared to the Th2/ T(reg) response. Thus, TRYP DNA/TRYP MVA, but
not TRYP DNA alone, provides long-term protection against murine
leishmaniasis.


PMID: 17118986<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17118986>
TITLE: Oxidant generation by single infected monocytes after short-term
fluorescence labeling of a protozoan
parasite.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17118986>
AUTHORS: Haeok K Chang, Colin Thalhofer, Breck A Duerkop, Joanna S Mehling,
Shilpi Verma, Kenneth J Gollob, Roque Almeida, Mary E Wilson
AFFILIATION: Department of Internal Medicine, SW34-GH, 200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa
City, IA 52242. mary-wilson at uiowa.edu.
REFERENCE: Infect Immun 2007 Feb 75(2):1017-24
*Leishmania* spp. are intracellular protozoa residing in mononuclear
phagocytes. *Leishmania* organisms are susceptible to microbicidal responses
generated in response to phagocytosis. Assuming that both phagocyte and
parasite populations are heterogeneous, it is advantageous to examine the
response of individual cells phagocytosing living parasites. Because *
Leishmania* spp. lose virulence during the raising of transfectants, we
developed a method to label live *Leishmania* chagasi short-term with
fluorescent dyes. Up to six parasite divisions were detected by flow
cytometry after labeling with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl
ester (CFSE), dioctadecyl-tetramethylindo carbocyanine perchlorate, or
chloromethyl tetramethylrhodamine. Labeled parasites entered mononuclear
phagocytes as determined by confocal and time-lapse microscopy.
Dihydroethidium (DHE) was used to detect macrophage-derived oxidants
generated during phagocytosis. Presumably *Leishmania* organisms are
opsonized with host serum/tissue components such as complement prior to
phagocytosis. Therefore, we investigated the effects of opsonization and
found that this increased the efficiency of CFSE-labeled parasite entry into
monocytes (84.6% +/- 8.8% versus 20.2 % +/- 3.8% monocytes infected; P <
0.001). Opsonization also increased the percentage of phagocytes undergoing
a respiratory burst ( 66.0% +/- 6.3% versus 41.0% +/- 8.3% of monocytes
containing CFSE- labeled parasites; P < 0.001) and the magnitude of oxidant
generation by each infected monocyte. Inhibitor data indicated that DHE was
oxidized by products of the NADPH oxidase. These data suggest that opsonized
serum components such as complement lead to more efficient entry of *
Leishmania* into their target cells but at the same time activate the
phagocyte oxidase to generate microbicidal products in infected cells. The
parasite must balance these positive and negative survival effects in order
to initiate a viable infection.


PMID: 16979825<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=16979825>
TITLE: Evaluation of transformation growth factor beta(1), interleukin-10,
and interferon-gamma in male symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs naturally
infected by *Leishmania* (*Leishmania*)
chagasi.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16979825>
AUTHORS: Ana Paula Ferreira Lopes Corrêa, Ana Cláudia Silva Dossi,
Rosemeri de Oliveira Vasconcelos, Danísio Prado Munari, ValÃ(c)ria Marçal
Felix de Lima
AFFILIATION: Mestre, Microbiologia Agropecuária, FCAV, UNESP, Jaboticabal,
S.P, Brasil.
REFERENCE: Vet Parasitol 2007 Feb 143(3-4):267-74
The aims of this study were to evaluate the immunomodulatory role of TGF
-beta(1), IL-10, and INF-gamma in spleen and liver extracts and supernatant
cultures of white spleen cells from male symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs,
naturally infected by *Leishmania* (*Leishmania*) chagasi . Thirty dogs from
Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, an endemic leishmaniosis area, were selected
by positive ELISA serological reaction for *Leishmania* sp. and divided into
two groups: asymptomatic (n=15) and symptomatic (n=15) consisting of animals
with at least three characteristic signs (fever, dermatitis,
lymphoadenopathy, onychogryphosis, weight loss, cachexia, locomotion
problems, conjunctivitis, epistaxis, hepatosplenomegaly, edema, and apathy).
After euthanasia, spleen and liver fragments were collected for ex vivo
quantification of TGF-beta(1), IL-10, and INF-gamma. Naturally active in
vitro produced TGF-beta(1) was also evaluated in spleen cell culture
supernatant. Spleen and liver extract of asymptomatic dogs had higher mean
TGF-beta(1) levels than symptomatic dogs. High concentrations of IL -10 were
found in spleen, and mainly in liver extract of both groups. Higher
INF-gamma concentrations were found in spleen extracts of symptomatic dogs,
and in liver extracts of asymptomatic dogs. Extract of this cytokine was
lower in spleen extract. Although INF-gamma is being produced in canine
infection, mean levels of TGF-beta(1) and IL-10 from spleen and liver
extracts were quantitatively much higher; suggesting that immune response in
both asymptomatic and symptomatic dogs was predominantly type Th2.


PMID: 16996214<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=16996214>
TITLE: Clinical and parasitological evaluation of dogs naturally infected by
*Leishmania* (*Leishmania*) chagasi submitted to treatment with meglumine
antimoniate.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16996214>
AUTHORS: Fabiana Augusta Ikeda-Garcia, Raimundo Souza Lopes, Fábia Judice
Marques, ValÃ(c)ria Marçal FÃ(c)lix de Lima, Celina Kazue Morinishi, Fábio
Luís Bonello, Maurício Franco Zanette, Sílvia Helena Venturoli Perri,
Mary Marcondes Feitosa
AFFILIATION: Department of Clinics, Surgery and Animal Reproduction, School
of Veterinary Medicine, UNESP, São Paulo State University, Rua: Clóvis
Pestana n. 793, CEP 16050-680, Araçatuba, São Paulo, Brazil.
REFERENCE: Vet Parasitol 2007 Feb 143(3-4):254-9
Aiming to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment of canine visceral
leishmaniasis, to verify the occurrence of a possible disease relapse, and
to search for the presence of the parasites after the end of the treatment,
seven dogs naturally infected by *Leishmania* (*Leishmania*) chagasi were
used. The dogs were subjected to a treatment with 75mg/kg meglumine
antimoniate subcutaneously every 12h for 21 days, and followed -up for a
period of 6 months. During the whole experimental period the animals wore
deltamethrin collars and were kept in a screened kennel to avoid
reinfection. Lymph node and bone marrow aspiration biopsy was carried out to
search for the parasite at seven moments: before the treatment, 30, 60, 90,
120, 150 and 180 days after the start of the treatment. After the end of the
experiment all dogs were humanely euthanized. Then, spleen and liver
"imprints" and in vitro cultures were carried out to search for amastigote
forms of the parasite . During the treatment all animals presented remission
of symptoms. However, two dogs were observed to present new symptoms in the
course of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the presence of
amastigote forms of the parasite was evidenced in five of the seven dogs .
This enabled us to conclude that the treatment promoted clinical cure but
did not eliminate the parasites completely.


PMID: 17045743<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17045743>
TITLE: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell supernatants from asymptomatic dogs
immunized and experimentally challenged with *Leishmania* chagasi can
stimulate canine macrophages to reduce infection in
vitro.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17045743>
AUTHORS: Cleusa Alves Theodoro Rodrigues, Luís Fábio da Silva Batista,
Márcia Cristina Aquino Teixeira, AndrÃ(c)a Mendes Pereira, Patrícia Oliveira
Meira Santos, Geraldo Gileno de Sá Oliveira, Luiz Antônio Rodrigues de
Freitas, Patrícia Sampaio Tavares Veras
AFFILIATION: Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção, CPqGM,
FIOCRUZ/BA, Brazil; Depto. de Morfofisiologia da Universidade Federal de
Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
REFERENCE: Vet Parasitol 2007 Feb 143(3-4):197-205
*Leishmania* chagasi is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in
both humans and dogs in the New World. The dog is the main domestic
reservoir and its infection displays different clinical presentations, from
asymptomatic to severe disease. Macrophages play an important role in the
control of *Leishmania* infection. Although it is not an area of intense
study, some data suggest a role for canine macrophages in parasite killing
by a NO-dependent mechanism. It has been proposed that control of human
disease could be possible with the development of an effective vaccine
against canine visceral leishmaniasis. Development of a rapid in vitro test
to predict animal responses to *Leishmania* infection or vaccination should
be helpful. In this study, an in vitro model was established to test whether
peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) supernatants from dogs immunized
with promastigote lysates and infected with L. chagasi promastigotes could
stimulate macrophages from healthy dogs in order to control parasite
infection. PBMC from a majority of the immunized and experimentally infected
dogs expressed IFN -gamma mRNA and secreted IFN-gamma when stimulated with
soluble L. chagasi antigen (SLA) in vitro. Additionally, the supernatants
from stimulated PBMC were able to reduce the percentage of infected donor
macrophages. The results also indicate that parasite killing in this system
is dependent on NO, since aminoguanidine (AMG) reversed this effect. This in
vitro test appears to be useful for screening animal responses to parasite
inoculation as well as studying the lymphocyte effector mechanisms involved
in pathogen killing by canine macrophages.


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PMID: 17056182<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17056182>
TITLE: Evaluation of the efficacy of a topically administered combination of
imidacloprid and permethrin against Phlebotomus perniciosus in
dog.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17056182>
AUTHORS: Guadalupe Miró, Rosa Gálvez, Marta Mateo, Ana Montoya, Miguel
Angel Descalzo, Ricardo Molina
AFFILIATION: Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria,
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid,
Spain.
REFERENCE: Vet Parasitol 2007 Feb 143(3-4):375-9
The phlebotomine sand fly Phlebotomus perniciosus is one of the main vectors
of *Leishmania* infantum, responsible for human and canine leishmaniasis in
the Mediterranean Basin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the
repellent and insecticidal efficacy of imidacloprid 10% (w/v)/permethrin 50%
(w/v) spot-on against sand flies (P. perniciosus) on dogs. The dogs used in
this trial were laboratory-bred beagles: eight were impregnated with the
solution (treated group), while the other eight were left untreated (control
group). On day 0 the animals in the treatment group received 0.1ml/kg body
weight of the combination imidacloprid/permethrin spot-on. Dogs were exposed
for 1h to about 100 female sand flies at weekly intervals for a period of 4
weeks , on day 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after applying the product. The
repellency criterion was based on the feeding rate of sand flies in the
treated compared to the untreated group. The insecticidal efficacy criterion
was based on comparison of the survival rate of sand flies between the two
groups. The product had an insecticidal efficacy on female sand flies of
53.2% (day 1), 49.4% (day 7), 15.1% (day 14), 13.2% (day 22), and 2.9 % (day
29). The product showed a repellent effect of 97.7% (day 1), 96.3 % (day 7),
96.5% (day 14), 92.7% (day 22), and 74.0% (day 29). Within the first week of
application the insecticidal effect was significant; however it did not
surpass 50%. On the other hand, the product showed a potent anti-feeding
effect of over 90% during the first 3 weeks of this trial. Therefore, the
application of this product every 3 weeks would be a good tool to
significantly reduce sand fly bites over the period of transmission of
vectorial diseases such as leishmaniasis and several arbovirosis such as
Toscana virus.


PMID: 17244793<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17244793>
TITLE: Molecular mechanisms of antimony resistance in
*Leishmania*.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17244793>
AUTHORS: Ashutosh, Shyam Sundar, Neena Goyal
AFFILIATION: 1Division of Biochemistry, Central Drug Research Institute,
Lucknow-226001 (UP) India.
REFERENCE: J Med Microbiol 2007 Feb 56(Pt 2):143-53
Leishmaniasis causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The
disease is endemic in developing countries of tropical regions, and in
recent years economic globalization and increased travel have extended its
reach to people in developed countries. In the absence of effective vaccines
and vector-control measures, the main line of defence against the disease is
chemotherapy. Organic pentavalent antimonials [Sb(V)] have been the
first-line drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis for the last six
decades, and clinical resistance to these drugs has emerged as a primary
obstacle to successful treatment and control. A multiplicity of resistance
mechanisms have been described in resistant *Leishmania* mutants developed
in vitro by stepwise increases of the concentration of either antimony
[Sb(III)] or the related metal arsenic [As(III)], the most prevalent
mechanism being upregulated Sb(III) detoxification and sequestration. With
the availability of resistant field isolates, it has now become possible to
elucidate mechanisms of clinical resistance. The present review describes
the mechanisms of antimony resistance in *Leishmania* and highlights the
links between previous hypotheses and current developments in field studies.
Unravelling the molecular mechanisms of clinical resistance could allow the
prevention and circumvention of resistance, as well as rational drug design
for the treatment of drug-resistant *Leishmania*.


PMID: 17101681<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17101681>
TITLE: Antileishmanial effect of 3-aminooxy-1-aminopropane is due to
polyamine depletion.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17101681>
AUTHORS: Sushma Singh, Angana Mukherjee, Alex R Khomutov, Lo Persson, Olle
Heby, Mitali Chatterjee, Rentala Madhubala
AFFILIATION: School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
110067, India. madhubala at mail.jnu.ac.in.
REFERENCE: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2007 Feb 51(2):528-34
The polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are organic cations that
are required for cell growth and differentiation. Ornithine decarboxylase
(ODC), the first and rate-limiting enzyme in the polyamine biosynthetic
pathway, catalyzes the conversion of ornithine to putrescine. As the
polyamine biosynthetic pathway is essential for the growth and survival of *
Leishmania* donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis,
inhibition of the pathway is an important leishmaniacidal strategy. In the
present study, we examined for the first time the effects of
3-aminooxy-1-aminopropane (APA), an ODC inhibitor, on the growth of L.
donovani. APA inhibited the growth of both promastigotes in vitro and
amastigotes in the macrophage model, with the 50% inhibitory concentrations
being 42 and 5 muM, respectively . However, concentrations of APA up to 200
muM did not affect the viability of macrophages. The effects of APA were
completely abolished by the addition of putrescine or spermidine. APA
induced a significant decrease in ODC activity and putrescine, spermidine,
and trypanothione levels in L. donovani promastigotes. Parasites were
transfected with an episomal ODC construct, and these ODC overexpressers
exhibited significant resistance to APA and were concomitantly resistant to
sodium antimony gluconate (Pentostam), indicating a role for ODC
overexpression in antimonial drug resistance. Clinical isolates with sodium
antimony gluconate resistance were also found to overexpress ODC and to have
significant increases in putrescine and spermidine levels. However, no
increase in trypanothione levels was observed. The ODC overexpression in
these clinical isolates alleviated the antiproliferative effects of APA.
Collectively, our results demonstrate that APA is a potent inhibitor of L.
donovani growth and that its leishmaniacidal effect is due to inhibition of
ODC.


PMID: 17116678<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17116678>
TITLE: *Leishmania* donovani Polyamine Biosynthetic Enzyme Overproducers as
Tools To Investigate the Mode of Action of Cytotoxic Polyamine
Analogs.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17116678>
AUTHORS: Sigrid C Roberts, Yuqui Jiang, Judith Gasteier, Benjamin Frydman,
Laurence J Marton, Olle Heby, Buddy Ullman
AFFILIATION: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oregon Health
and Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098. ullmanb at ohsu.edu.
REFERENCE: Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2007 Feb 51(2):438-45
A number of anticancer and antiparasitic drugs are postulated to target the
polyamine biosynthetic pathway and polyamine function, but the exact mode of
action of these compounds is still being elucidated. To establish whether
polyamine analogs specifically target enzymes of the polyamine pathway, a
model was developed using strains of the protozoan parasite
*Leishmania*donovani that overproduce each of the polyamine
biosynthetic enzymes.
Promastigotes overexpressing episomal constructs encoding ornithine
decarboxylase (ODC), S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (ADOMETDC), or
spermidine synthase (SPDSYN) revealed robust overproduction of the
corresponding polyamine biosynthetic enzyme . Polyamine pools, however, were
either unchanged or only marginally affected, implying that regulatory
mechanisms must exist. The ODC, ADOMETDC, and SPDSYN overproducer strains
exhibited a high level of resistance to difluoromethylornithine,
5'-{[(Z)-4-amino-2-butenyl] methylamino}-5'-deoxyadenosine, and
n-butylamine, respectively, confirming previous observations that these
agents specifically target polyamine enzymes. Conversely, augmented levels
of polyamine biosynthetic enzymes did not affect the sensitivity of L.
donovani promastigotes to pentamidine, berenil, and mitoguazone, drugs that
were postulated to target the polyamine pathway, implying alternative and/or
additional targets for these agents. The sensitivities of wild-type and
overproducing parasites to a variety of polyamine analogs were also tested.
The polyamine enzyme-overproducing lines offer a rapid cell- based screen
for assessing whether synthetic polyamine analogs exert their mechanism of
action predominantly on the polyamine biosynthetic pathway in L. donovani.
Furthermore, the drug resistance engendered by the amplification of target
genes and the overproduction of the encoded protein offers a general
strategy for evaluating and developing therapeutic agents that target
specific proteins in *Leishmania*.


PMID: 17088347<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17088347>
TITLE: *Leishmania*-Derived Murine Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1
Enhances the Recruitment of a Restrictive Population of CC Chemokine
Receptor 2-Positive
Macrophages.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17088347>
AUTHORS: Sean M Conrad, Dalit Strauss-Ayali, Ann E Field, Matthias Mack,
David M Mosser
AFFILIATION: Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, Rm. 1103
Microbiology Bldg., University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
dmosser at umd.edu.
REFERENCE: Infect Immun 2007 Feb 75(2):653-65
Transgenic *Leishmania* parasites that encode the murine chemokine monocyte
chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) were generated. These parasites
transcribed MCP-1 mRNA and secreted MCP-1 protein. Infection of BALB/c,
C57BL/6, or MCP-1 knockout (KO) mice with these parasites resulted in
minimal lesion development with fewer parasites in the infected foot, lymph
node, and spleen compared to wild-type-infected mice. In contrast,
transgenic parasites caused substantial lesions with relatively high numbers
of parasites in CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) KO mice, indicating that the
parasites are viable and healthy and that the lack of lesion development is
CCR2 dependent. Prior infection of mice with transgenic parasites offered no
protection to subsequent wild- type L. major challenge, suggesting that the
transgenic parasites are controlled by an early innate immune response.
Consistent with innate immunity, flow cytometry of cells from the ears of
mice infected with transgenic parasites revealed an increase in the number
of CCR2-positive macrophages by day 7 postinfection. The enumeration of
transgenic parasites in ear lesions demonstrated a significant reduction in
parasite numbers, which coincided with the increased CCR2-positive
macrophage migration. CCR2-positive macrophages isolated from ears of mice
infected with transgenic parasites contained virtually no parasites . In
vitro studies revealed that optimal parasite killing required the
recruitment of CCR2-positive macrophages, followed by stimulation with a
combination of both MCP-1 and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma). This work
suggests that the parasite-derived MCP-1 can recruit a restrictive
population of CCR2-positive macrophages into lesions that can be optimally
stimulated by MCP-1 and IFN-gamma to efficiently kill *Leishmania*parasites.


PMID: 17088350<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17088350>
TITLE: Bioinformatic Identification of Tandem Repeat Antigens of the *
Leishmania* donovani
Complex.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17088350>
AUTHORS: Yasuyuki Goto, Rhea N Coler, Steven G Reed
AFFILIATION: Infectious Disease Research Institute, 1124 Columbia St, Suite
400, Seattle, WA 98104. sreed at idri.org.
REFERENCE: Infect Immun 2007 Feb 75(2):846-51
With large amounts of parasite gene sequence available, additional
bioinformatic tools to screen these sequences for identifying genes encoding
antigens are needed. Proteins containing tandem repeat (TR) domains are
often B-cell antigens, and antibody responses toward TR domains of the
proteins are dominant in human infected with certain parasites. We
hypothesized that antigens of serological significance could be identified
with a search for TR domains. Here we show the result of bioinformatic
screening of the gene sequence database of the parasitic protozoan *
Leishmania* infantum. Of 8,191 genes scanned, 64 genes contained TR domains.
Of the 64 genes, 22 encoded previously characterized antigens; the remaining
42 genes were previously uncharacterized. By using sera from Sudanese
visceral leishmaniasis patients, we confirmed that the TR domains of
LinJ11.0070, LinJ25.1100, LinJ27.0400, and LinJ29.0110, which were from the
42 uncharacterized proteins, are also antigenic. The results suggest the
validity of this approach for identifying leishmanial antigens of
serological significance.


PMID: 17244414<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17244414>
TITLE: Bio-available Zn(2+) in the growth medium as a cue for
*Leishmania*to express its protective surface
protease.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17244414>
AUTHORS: J Porter-Kelley, M Seay, P K Singh, G Chaudhuri
AFFILIATION: Division of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immune Response,
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Meharry Medical College, 1005 D. B. Todd
Jr Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37208, U.S.A.
REFERENCE: Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2007 Jan 101(1):89-93


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PMID: 17255229<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17255229>
TITLE: Asymptomatic colitis in naturally infected dogs with
*leishmania*infantum: a prospective
study.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17255229>
AUTHORS: Katerina K Adamama-Moraitou, Timoleon S Rallis, Alexander F
Koytinas, Dimitris Tontis, Katerina Plevraki, Maria Kritsepi
AFFILIATION: Companion Animal Clinic (Medicine), Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; Laboratory of Pathology, University of
Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece; Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
REFERENCE: Am J Trop Med Hyg 2007 Jan 76(1):53-7
A total of 31 dogs with naturally occurring and symptomatic leishmaniasis (*
Leishmania* infantum), but without historical or clinical evidence of overt
colitis, were included in this study. With owners' consent, a colonoscopy
was performed in all these dogs, revealing patches of hyperemic, edematous,
irregular, and mildly erosive colonic mucosa in 25.8% of the animals.
Biopsies were obtained from the colonic mucosa and stained with
hematoxylin-eosin (histopathology) and avidin- biotin-peroxidase technique
(immunohistochemical detection of parasites ). *Leishmania* amastigotes were
detected immunohistochemically in 32.3% of the dogs. The most common
inflammatory pattern in the colonic mucosa of these dogs was
pyogranulomatous (90%), whereas in the dogs without *Leishmania* amastigotes
immunohistochemically detected in the colonic mucosa (67.7%), there was no
evidence of gross and microscopic lesions. Also, in 2 of the 10 dogs in
which parasites were detected immunohistochemically in the colonic mucosa,
no lesions could be detected on colonoscopy. There was no correlation
between the dogs with or without parasites detected in the colonic mucosa
regarding the sex, age, or the type of diet of these animals. However, the
positive correlation (P < 0.001) found between colonic parasitism and gross
lesions detected on colonoscopy would justify the inclusion of canine
leishmaniasis in the list of differentials of canine chronic or recurrent
colitis.


PMID: 17253053<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17253053>
TITLE: Epidemiology of American tegumentary leishmaniasis in domestic dogs
in an endemic zone of western
Venezuela.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17253053>
AUTHORS: R Cardenas, C M Sandoval, A J Rodriguez-Morales, H Bendezu, A
Gonzalez, A Briceño, J De-La-Paz-Pineda, E M Rojas, J V Scorza
AFFILIATION: Experimental Institute Jose-Witremundo-Torrealba, Universidad
de Los Andes, Trujillo, Venezuela.
REFERENCE: Bull Soc Pathol Exot 2006 Dec 99(5):355-8
Domestic dogs are not only reservoir hosts of the American zoonotic visceral
leishmaniasis (ZVL) but of the American zoonotic tegumentary leishmaniasis
(ATL) as well, for different reasons. However it is still controversial to
state that dogs are incriminated as ATL reservoir hosts as there is evidence
that humans and dogs are likely to be exposed in the same way to sandfly
vector. In Venezuela this issue has not been completely addressed, for this
reason we selected a location inside Trujillo city to study
eco-epidemiological conditions as well as to survey a significant sample of
dogs by Montenegro Skin Test (MST). Antigen was prepared according to
standard procedure using *Leishmania* (V ) braziliensis promastigotes (80
microg/ml); response was read 48 hours post-inoculation with an induration
size > 5 mm being considered as positive. The study place is an endemic
mountainous semi-urban area located at 850-950 masl with an average rainfall
of 150 mm/year. We evaluated 61 dogs in 46 houses with 168 human beings.
Among the human population 27 cases of ATL were reported (16.1%). With the
MST we found 19 positive-reaction dogs (31%) (mean MST size of 9.58 mm, 95%
CI: 8.41- 10.75) in 13 houses (28%). Multivariate analysis did not reveal
significant association between domestic MST positive-dog ownership and
human ATL cases (RR = 1.48, p = 0.28). Although some studies have indicated
that dog ownership and dog infection rates are associated with an increased
risk of human disease in different evaluated places, this question has not
been completely answered in Venezuelan studied zones, further research is
necessary.


PMID: 17043012<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17043012>
TITLE: [Visceral leishmaniasis with cardiac affectation in an
immunocompetent
patient]<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17043012>
AUTHORS: JosÃ(c) Luis Puerto-Alonso, Francisco JosÃ(c) Molina-Ruano, Francisco
Gómez-Soto, Francisco Gómez-Rodríguez
REFERENCE: Med Clin (Barc) 2006 Oct 127(13):519


********************************************************************************************************************
The following references are revised files and are brought to you in
accordance to license agreement with the NLM.
********************************************************************************************************************

PMID: 12734193<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=12734193>
TITLE: Transforming growth factor-beta-Smad signaling pathway negatively
regulates nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae-induced MUC5AC mucin
transcription via mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)
phosphatase-1-dependent inhibition of p38
MAPK.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12734193>
AUTHORS: Hirofumi Jono, Haidong Xu, Hirofumi Kai, David J Lim, Young S Kim,
Xin-Hua Feng, Jian-Dong Li
AFFILIATION: Gonda Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, House Ear
Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90057,
USA.
REFERENCE: J Biol Chem 2003 Jul 278(30):27811-9
In contrast to the extensive studies on the role of transforming growth
factor-beta (TGF-beta) in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation ,
and apoptosis over the past decade, relatively little is known about the
exact role of TGF-beta signaling in regulating host response in infectious
diseases. Most of the recent studies have suggested that TGF- beta inhibits
macrophage activation during infections with pathogens such as Trypanosoma
cruzi and *Leishmania*, thereby favoring virulence. In certain situations,
however, there is also evidence that TGF-beta has been correlated with
enhanced resistance to microbes such as Candida albicans, thus benefiting
the host. Despite these distinct observations that mainly focused on
macrophages, little is known about how TGF-beta regulates host primary
innate defensive responses, such as up-regulation of mucin, in the airway
epithelial cells. Moreover, how the TGF-beta- Smad signaling pathway
negatively regulates p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), a key
pathway mediating host response to bacteria , still remains largely unknown.
Here we show that nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, a major human
bacterial pathogen of otitis media and chronic obstructive pulmonary
diseases, strongly induces up- regulation of MUC5AC mucin via activation of
the Toll-like receptor 2- MyD88-dependent p38 path-way. Activation of
TGF-beta-Smad signaling, however, leads to down-regulation of p38 by
inducing MAPK phophatase-1, thereby acting as a negative regulator for
MUC5AC induction. These studies may bring new insights into the novel role
of TGF-beta signaling in attenuating host primary innate defensive responses
and enhance our understanding of the signaling mechanism underlying the
cross-talk between TGF-beta-Smad signaling pathway and the p38 MAPK pathway.


REQUEST: [ sand fly NOT culicoides ]
(4 articles match this request. 1 article matching other requests removed)

PMID: 17249339<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17249339>
TITLE: A comparison of the intraspecific variability of Phlebotomus sergenti
Parrot, 1917 (Diptera:
Psychodidae).<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17249339>
AUTHORS: V Dvorak, A M Aytekin, B Alten, S Skarupova, J Votypka, P Volf
AFFILIATION: Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Vinicna 7,
Prague, 128 44, Czech Republic.
REFERENCE: J Vector Ecol 2006 Dec 31(2):229-38
Phlebotomus sergenti populations from different areas of the Mediterranean
basin are known to exhibit high intraspecific variability . Previous studies
of ITS2 revealed the presence of two branches that may represent sibling
species. To corroborate this finding by other tools, two colonies of P.
sergenti originating from Turkey and Israel, each belonging to a different
ITS2 branch, were compared by three different methods: geometric
morphometric analysis of wing shape, RAPD ( random amplified polymorphic
DNA), and cross-mating study. For geometric morphometric analysis,
two-dimensional Cartesian coordinates of 16 landmarks from the wings were
digitized and analyzed. Significant shape differences were found between
colonies but not between sexes within each colony. RAPD results formed two
distinctive clades corresponding to the origin of the colony but also showed
heterogenity among members of both colonies. In cross-mating studies, viable
hybrid F1 and F2 progeny were obtained when both Turkish males/Israeli
females and Israeli males/ Turkish females were crossed. F1 progeny was
included in RAPD analysis and these hybrids formed a distinctive clade with
an intermediate position between the two parental clades. No significant
differences were found in egg production of crossed sand flies. The
cross-mating study showed that there is no reproductive barrier between P.
sergenti from different geographical areas. On the other hand, RAPD and
geometric morphometric analysis revealed a significant difference between
colonies and confirmed the suitability of previous ITS2 analysis for
discrimination among *sand fly* populations. Further development of
molecular markers should resolve a possible existence of sibling species
within Phlebotomus sergenti.


PMID: 17249356<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17249356>
TITLE: Comparative demography of the *sand fly* Phlebotomus papatasi
(Diptera: Psychodidae) at constant
temperatures.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17249356>
AUTHORS: Ozge Erisoz Kasap, Bulent Alten
AFFILIATION: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ecology Section,
EBAL Laboratories, Hacettepe University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey.
REFERENCE: J Vector Ecol 2006 Dec 31(2):378-85
We measured reproductive and population parameters of adult sand flies,
Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli, 1786) (Diptera: Psychodidae), in
environmental chambers maintained at temperatures of 15, 18, 20, 25, 28 ,
and 32 degrees C. Based on cohorts of adults at each temperature regime,
horizontal life tables were constructed using established laboratory
colonies initiated from specimens collected in Sanliurfa Province,
southeastern Anatolia, Turkey. The fecundity and longevity of the insects
were both highly variable, depending on the temperature. At 15 degrees C,
all of the cohort females died before laying eggs, so the construction of a
life table for this temperature regime was not possible. Within a range of
18 to 32 degrees C, the longevity of adult P . papatasi increased as the
temperature decreased; at 15 degrees C, the mean survival times of females
and males were 19.04 +/- 6.94 days (9-35 ) and 17.84 +/- 7.11 days (9-33),
respectively. While the highest number of eggs was found in the cohort at 28
degrees C (44.08 +/- 7.79), this was only 3.60 +/- 1.55 in the cohort at 32
degrees C and 2.8 +/- 0.9 in the cohort at 18 degrees C. This result showed
that extreme temperatures negatively affect the fecundity of this species.
The cohort reared at 28 degrees C exhibited the highest intrinsic rates of
population increase (r(m)) for P. papatasi. The r(m) ranged from 0.098 at 28
degrees C to 0.007 at 18 degrees C. The cohort placed at 28 degrees C was
found to be significantly different (P < 0.01) from the other cohorts
producing the fewest progeny in terms of net reproductive rate, R(0), (15.87).
The values for mean generation time (T) were estimated to vary from 36 days
to 271 days depending on temperature. Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
confirmed results from the previous studies that the cohort at 28 degrees C
orientated and clustered as a distinct group along the first two PCs.


PMID: 17249362<http://refscout.com/cgi-bin/exportAbstract.pl?base=medline-2007-05.xml&id=17249362>
TITLE: The peridomiciliar *sand fly* fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in areas
of cutaneous leishmaniasis in AlÃ(c)m Paraíba, Minas Gerais,
Brazil.<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17249362>
AUTHORS: Reginaldo P Brazil, Wagner Lança Passos, Andressa A Fuzari, Alda L
Falcão, JosÃ(c) Dilermando Andrade Filho
AFFILIATION: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos
Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
Avenida Brasil, 4.365. Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21045-900, Brazil.
REFERENCE: J Vector Ecol 2006 Dec 31(2):418-20


REQUEST: [ sandfly NOT culicoides ]
(2 articles match this request. 2 articles matching other requests removed)

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