Posted by Kasra
In this paper, the authors have studied peptides that are found secreted by helminths Schistosoma mansonai and Fasciola hepatica and closely resemble mammalian antimicrobial peptides, cathelidins to be precise.
First, the backgrounds: S. mansonai and F. hepatica are both trematodes or flukes. Their cyst form can be ingested via contaminated food or water and in the gut they hatch and can migrate to the liver. Like many other parasites, they don’t kill but cause morbidity. They are categorized as neglected tropical diseases and their infections are treatable and obviously preventable.
Anti-microbial peptides are very diverse in sequence and functions among different organisms, but there are similarities in their secondary and tertiary structures. They are produced by many multicellular organisms and their activities can range from bacteriocidal to immune modulatory. Some peptides can have both functions simultaneously,
Thivierge et al. start their paper by an interesting notion: the similarity of the innate immune response to helminths with the immune response to wounds and tissue injury. They are both anti-inflammatory and pro-Th2. Skewing the immune response from Th1 to Th2 and thus leading to less pathology as well as parasite chronicity is a recurring theme in parasite immunology. Read a full review here.
The peptides studied in this paper have similar secondary structure to alpha helical mammalian antimicrobial peptides (Cathelicidins) such as LL-37 and BMAP-28. A feature of these peptides is presence of amphi-pathic helices (hydrophobic on one side and hydrophilic on another side). This was also seen in the predicted secondary structures of peptides that were found to be secreted from S. mansonai and F. hepatica.
Following this, the authors studied the peptides for a variety of anti-microbial and toxicity activities that are seen with mammalian peptides and found none to be present even at high doses (things such as pore formation, . However, what they did find was the peptides’ ability to modulate functions of immune cells. In this particular case they report inhibition of TNF secretion by macrophages and alteration of antibody secretion by B cells.
Similar secondary structure among mammalian and helminth peptides. (A) shows mammalian peptides with hydrophilic areas marked green and hydrophobic areas marked red. The dotted line and arrows in (B) show hydrophobic patches in the helmnith peptides. From Thivierge et al. 2013. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 7(7): e2307. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002307
What the authors argue from their results is that the similar structure of these peptides to mammalian peptides and yet lack of toxicity allows them to effectively manipulate the immune response in their favor. These modulations could help in blunting of a strong Th1 response with lots of damage to the parasite as well as the host tissue and a milder response leading to parasite chronicity. Knocked-out parasites will better show the extent of importance of these peptides. Nontheless, longterm co-evolution of host and parasites has given rise to these peptides: they are nontoxic and modulatory at least in vitro. This means plenty of potential in biotech and pharmaceutics!
Thivierge K, Cotton S, Schaefer DA, Riggs MW, To J, Lund ME, Robinson MW, Dalton JP, & Donnelly SM (2013). Cathelicidin-like Helminth Defence Molecules (HDMs): Absence of Cytotoxic, Anti-microbial and Anti-protozoan Activities Imply a Specific Adaptation to Immune Modulation. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 7 (7) PMID: 23875042
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