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Schistosoma mansoni (Trematoda): Differences in the biology of geographical strains
Žirovnická, Tereza ; Macháček, Tomáš (advisor) ; Peterková, Kristýna (referee)
This bachelor thesis discusses the geographical strains of the fluke Schistosoma mansoni and summarizes the knowledge of their differences. The thesis aims to conduct literature research of comparative studies mentioning descriptions of specific strains of S. mansoni and then to identify differences across those geographic strains. Among the relevant data subjected to comparisons, besides morphological and anatomical differences, the prepatent period, the distribution of eggs in the host and the caused pathology, including the granuloma formation, were mentioned too. The results of this work confirm that the specific geographical isolates differ from each other in various aspects, often even within the same strain. Geographic strains are unevenly represented in studies, and this may bias our view of selected aspects of schistosome biology through the results of dominant strains. It is therefore important to encourage further, diversified research that considers all experimental factors. The obtained knowledge about the characteristics of geographic strains can provide important information for the development of strategies to control schistosomiasis and benefit negatively affected populations worldwide. Keywords: Schistosoma mansoni, schistosomiasis, geographical strain, comparative analysis,...
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Features and functions of glycocalyx of trematode cercariae
Chaloupecká, Jana ; Mikeš, Libor (advisor) ; Kašný, Martin (referee)
Trematodes are parasites from phylum Platyhelminthes which have compex life cycles involving two to four hosts. This work focuses especially on trematodes of the family Schistosomatidae. Their cercariae which leave the snail intermediate host, actively penetrate the skin of definitive hosts and transform into schistosomula. This is accompanied by detachment of cercarial tail and emptying of penetration glands. During transformation, cercarial bodies undergo extensive ultrastructural and molecular changes. One of these changes is the loss of surface glycocalyx which represents a protective coat in the aquatic environment. In glycocalyx shedding, participation of proteolytic enzymes from cercarial penetration glands is expected during invasion of the host. Glycocalyx has specific composition of saccharide molecules which are bound to lipids or proteins on the membrane of cercarial tegument. This work describes the origin, ultrastructure, saccharide composition, function and shedding mechanism of cercarial glycocalyx.
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Production of recombinant cathepsin C from human blood fluke
Illichová, Hana ; Konvalinka, Jan (advisor) ; Martínková, Markéta (referee)
Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma cause schistosomiasis, a serious parasitic disease occurring in tropical and subtropical areas. Cathepsin C (EC 3.4.14.1) is a digestive enzyme of the blood flukes which participates in the degradation of hemoglobin through its dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity. This enzyme is critical for metabolism of the parasite and represents a potential target for the development of antischistosomal drugs. Cathepsin C has not yet been studied in detail. This bachelor thesis is focused on the development of expression systems for production of recombinant cathepsin C of Schistosoma mansoni (SmCC). The yeast Pichia pastoris system was used for the expression of an inactive SmCC precursor (zymogen) whose proteolytic stability was analysed. Furthermore, the expression system for SmCC in the protozoan Leishmania tarentolae was employed, and four different SmCC constructs were prepared to optimize production.
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Recombinant aspartic proteases of blood-feeding parasites
Váchová, Jana ; Konvalinka, Jan (advisor) ; Entlicher, Gustav (referee)
The blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni and the hard tick Ixodes ricinus produce an aspartic protease cathepsin D which initiates degradation of hemoglobin, their key nutrient. First, in the presented work, the protocol for refolding and activation of the zymogen of cathepsin D from I. ricinus (IrCatD) was developed and optimized. In acidic pH the propeptide of IrCatD zymogen was removed by an auto-activation mechanism. Further, a kinetic assay with fluorogenic substrates was employed to study functional properties of IrCatD including pH optimum, substrate and inhibition specificities. Second, two isoforms of cathepsin D from S. mansoni (SmCatD) were produced using recombinant expression in E. coli. These recombinant proteases were isolated from inclusion bodies using affinity chromatography under denaturating conditions, and protocol for their refolding was developed and optimized. The studied aspartic proteases are pharmacological targets: inhibitors of SmCatD represent potential chemotherapeutics for the treatment of schistosomiasis, and IrCatD is a candidate antigen for the development of novel anti-tick vaccines.
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Proteolytic enzymes of the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni: pathobiochemistry and their use in biomedicine
Leontovyč, Adrian ; Mareš, Michael (advisor) ; Kašný, Martin (referee) ; Mikeš, Libor (referee)
Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma are causative agents of the disease schistosomiasis, which affects more than 250 million people worldwide and together with malaria represents the most important parasitic infection. There is a high risk of resistance development against the only drug in use, therefore novel therapeutic approaches for schistosomiasis are intensively researched. Proteolytic enzymes of schistosomes are crucial for their survival in the host and thus are promising drug and vaccine targets. This thesis is focused on two proteases of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni, which were produced as recombinant proteins and functionally characterized. The first one is serine protease SmSP2, which is localized at the surface of the adult worms and secreted into the blood of the host. It was identified as a vasodilatory and fibrinolytic agent, and its modulatory role in host-parasite interactions was proposed. The second one is cysteine cathepsin SmCL3, which is involved in the digestion of host blood proteins serving schistosomes as nutrients. Potent peptidomimetic inhibitors of SmCL3 were identified, and their antischistosomal activity was demonstrated in an assay with live parasites. The thesis provides new important information about S. mansoni proteases, their pathobiochemistry...
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Proteolytic systems of the blood fluke (Schistosoma mansoni).
Fajtová, Pavla ; Horn, Martin (advisor) ; Bařinka, Cyril (referee) ; Sojka, Daniel (referee)
Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. It is a global health problem with more than 200 million people infected and 750 million people at risk. Current therapy relies on a single drug, praziquantel, for which there are concerns of emerging drug resistance. Proteases of schistosoma are promising target molecules for the development of new therapeutic strategies against schistosomiasis. This work focuses on the comprehensive characterization of proteolytic systems of Schistosoma mansoni and determination of their role in the interaction with the human host. First, the major proteolytic activities secreted by individual developmental stages of schistosoma that parasitize the human body were classified using functional proteomics. This analysis demonstrated their complex and specific distribution with predominant serine and cysteine proteases and metalloproteases. Second, tegumental and digestive proteases, namely prolyl oligopeptidase and cathepsins B, C and D, were identified by chemical genomics as suitable target molecules for therapeutic intervention. Prolyl oligopeptidase was biochemically characterized using a recombinant protein, its effective inhibitors were developed as templates for antischistosomal drugs, and a biological role of the...
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In vitro cultivation of the trematode species Trichobilharzia regenti
Vrbová, Kristýna ; Kašný, Martin (advisor) ; Skelly, Patrick (referee)
The class Trematoda includes many pathogenic representatives. Main subject of this thesis, avian schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti, is a close relative to the important human pathogen Schistosoma mansoni (family Schistosomatidae). In vitro cultivation of trematodes enables closer understanding of their biology and parasite- host interactions; however, no trematode species has been successfully kept in vitro from the egg stage to the adults producing eggs. Many studies are focused on the problematic of S. mansoni cultivation, but data concerning T. regenti cultivation remain scarce. Only the ability of T. regenti cercariae to transform into schistosomula in vitro was documented, with following survival in a culture medium for a few days. Comparison of eight transformation methods was performed with T. regenti cercariae. Based on the number of tailless cercarial bodies obtained, five transformation methods were selected for further evaluation of the early schistosomula characteristics (glycocalyx shedding, penetration glands emptying and survival in vitro). It was observed that the largest quantity of cercarial bodies can be obtained by using a syringe needle or the BeadBeater cell disrupter. The largest quantity of schistosomula meeting the criteria of early schistosomulum was recorded after...
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Serine protease SmSP2 of Schistosoma mansoni
Leontovyč, Adrian ; Konvalinka, Jan (advisor) ; Vaněk, Ondřej (referee)
Blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni is one of the most important human parasites. Proteolytic system of schistosoma is crucial for parasite - host interactions. Therefore some of the proteases became potential therapeutic targets. This work is focused on not yet characterized serine protease SmSP2. SmSP2 is newly discovered protease of S. mansoni, whose biological role is unknown. This protease is highly expressed in developmental stages parasitizing humans. SmSP2 was recombinantly expressed in prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression system (E. coli a P. pastoris) and purified using chromatographic methods. Recombinant SmSP2 was used for polyclonal antibody production. Conditions for refolding were optimized. Basic biochemical properties of the protease were detected and substrate amino acid preferences for P1 - P4 sites for single aminoacids were identified using synthetic fluorogenic peptides for positional scanning substrate combinatorial library (PS-SCL). (In Czech)
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Production of recombinant cathepsin C from human blood fluke
Illichová, Hana ; Konvalinka, Jan (advisor) ; Martínková, Markéta (referee)
Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma cause schistosomiasis, a serious parasitic disease occurring in tropical and subtropical areas. Cathepsin C (EC 3.4.14.1) is a digestive enzyme of the blood flukes which participates in the degradation of hemoglobin through its dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity. This enzyme is critical for metabolism of the parasite and represents a potential target for the development of antischistosomal drugs. Cathepsin C has not yet been studied in detail. This bachelor thesis is focused on the development of expression systems for production of recombinant cathepsin C of Schistosoma mansoni (SmCC). The yeast Pichia pastoris system was used for the expression of an inactive SmCC precursor (zymogen) whose proteolytic stability was analysed. Furthermore, the expression system for SmCC in the protozoan Leishmania tarentolae was employed, and four different SmCC constructs were prepared to optimize production.
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Features and functions of glycocalyx of trematode cercariae
Chaloupecká, Jana ; Mikeš, Libor (advisor) ; Kašný, Martin (referee)
Trematodes are parasites from phylum Platyhelminthes which have compex life cycles involving two to four hosts. This work focuses especially on trematodes of the family Schistosomatidae. Their cercariae which leave the snail intermediate host, actively penetrate the skin of definitive hosts and transform into schistosomula. This is accompanied by detachment of cercarial tail and emptying of penetration glands. During transformation, cercarial bodies undergo extensive ultrastructural and molecular changes. One of these changes is the loss of surface glycocalyx which represents a protective coat in the aquatic environment. In glycocalyx shedding, participation of proteolytic enzymes from cercarial penetration glands is expected during invasion of the host. Glycocalyx has specific composition of saccharide molecules which are bound to lipids or proteins on the membrane of cercarial tegument. This work describes the origin, ultrastructure, saccharide composition, function and shedding mechanism of cercarial glycocalyx.
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