Open Access
Toxoplasma gondii Chitinase Induces Macrophage Activation
Author(s) -
Fausto Almeida,
Aline Sardinha-Silva,
Thiago Aparecido da Silva,
André Moreira Pessoni,
Camila Figueiredo Pinzan,
Ana Cláudia Paiva Alegre-Maller,
Nerry T. Cecílio,
Nilmar Silvio Moretti,
André R.L. Damásio,
Wellington Ramos Pedersoli,
José Roberto Mineo,
Roberto do Nascimento Silva,
Maria Cristina Roque-Barreira
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0144507
Subject(s) - chitinase , toxoplasma gondii , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , intracellular parasite , virulence , parasite hosting , macrophage , enzyme , obligate , intracellular , gene , biochemistry , immunology , in vitro , antibody , ecology , world wide web , computer science
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite found worldwide that is able to chronically infect almost all vertebrate species, especially birds and mammalians. Chitinases are essential to various biological processes, and some pathogens rely on chitinases for successful parasitization. Here, we purified and characterized a chitinase from T . gondii . The enzyme, provisionally named Tg_chitinase, has a molecular mass of 13.7 kDa and exhibits a Km of 0.34 mM and a Vmax of 2.64. The optimal environmental conditions for enzymatic function were at pH 4.0 and 50°C. Tg_chitinase was immunolocalized in the cytoplasm of highly virulent T . gondii RH strain tachyzoites, mainly at the apical extremity. Tg_chitinase induced macrophage activation as manifested by the production of high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, a pathogenic hallmark of T . gondii infection. In conclusion, to our knowledge, we describe for the first time a chitinase of T . gondii tachyzoites and provide evidence that this enzyme might influence the pathogenesis of T . gondii infection.