Changes in cyst's nuclear chromatin resulting after experimental manipulation of Taenia crassiceps mice infections: biological implications.

Abstract

During some estimations of the nuclear DNA content, based on determinations propidium iodide (PI) binding through fluorocytometry for Taenia crassiceps cysticerci, significant variation in the results were found. This initial observation led to a series of experiments designed to explain the variation. These changes could be induced by the diameter of the needles in the syringes used for the mouse to mouse transfer of the cysts. Nuclei from cysts transferred through 27-gauge needles showed 30% less PI staining than those transferred through 21 gauge needles, after 2 months infections. Reduction in PI capture induced by 27-gauge needle was reversible when the cysts were maintained in their mice hosts during 5 months. Moreover, variation in PI binding to cysticercal DNA was also found when comparing parasites grown in male versus female mice. The use of agents that homogenize the chromatin structure during PI staining, allowed demonstrating that variation were entirely due to differences in the chromatin relaxation/compaction. Additional experiments demonstrated that the higher compaction is accompanied by a reduced ability of cysts to grow in the peritoneal cavity of BALB/cAnN mice. Furthermore, proteomic analysis also showed that these changes in chromatin relaxation/compaction resulted in different levels and patterns of protein expression. Our results strongly suggest that chromatin is involved in several well characterized phenomena of the T. crassiceps murine model, and open new avenues for a detailed approach to understand such a complex host-parasite relationship.

• Authors: Gladis Fragoso, Raul J Bobes, Bertha Espinoza, María Luisa Martínez, Deyanira Pérez-Morales, Gabriela Rosas, Edda Sciutto, Juan Pedro Laclette
• Journal: Experimental parasitology (Exp Parasitol) Vol. 130 Issue 4 Pg. 423-9 (Apr 2012) ISSN: 1090-2449 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 22343043 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Chromatin
• DNA, Helminth
• Helminth Proteins
• Proteome

Topics

• Animals
• Chromatin (metabolism)
• Cysticercosis (parasitology)
• Cysticercus (genetics, physiology)
• DNA, Helminth (metabolism)
• Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
• Female
• Flow Cytometry
• Helminth Proteins (analysis, chemistry)
• Isoelectric Point
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Molecular Weight
• Proteome (analysis)