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Cell death in trichomonads: new insights

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Abstract

Tritrichomonas foetus is an amitochondriate parasite that possesses hydrogenosomes, unusual anerobic energy-producing organelles. In these organisms the “mitochondrial cell death machinery” is supposed to be absent, and the mechanisms that lead to cell demise remain to be elucidated. The presence of a cell death program in trichomonads has already been reported, suggesting the existence of a caspase-like execution pathway in such organisms. Here we demonstrate the alterations provoked by the fungicide griseofulvin and raise the possibility that other cell death pathways may exist in T. foetus. Dramatic changes in trichomonads morphology are presented after griseofulvin treatment, such as intense plasma membrane and nuclear envelope blebbing, nucleus fragmentation, and an abnormal number of oversized vacuoles. One important finding was the exposition of phosphatidylserine (PS) in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane in cells after drug treatment, and also the presence of a high amount of misshapen flagella and tubulin precipitates as vacuolar contents, suggesting an autophagic process of abnormal cellular elements. Interestingly, immunoreactivity for activated caspase-3 was not detected during griseofulvin treatment, a finding distinct from the observed when this cell was treated with H2O2. The possibility of the existence of different pathways to cell death in trichomonads is discussed.

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Abbreviations

DMSO:

Dimethyl sulfoxide

DAPI:

4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride

AIF:

Apoptosis-inducing factor

CAD:

Caspase-activated DNase

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Programa de Apoio a Núcleos de Excelência (PRONEX), Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Associação Universitária Santa Úrsula (AUSU). The authors thank Dr. Keith Gull for the TAT-1 antibody and Dr. Anu Srinivasan for the CM1 antibody.

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  1. Rafael M. Mariante

    Present address: Laboratório de Neurogênese, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Ciências Morfológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

    Rafael M. Mariante & Ricardo G. Vancini

  2. Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular, Universidade Santa Úrsula, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

    Rafael M. Mariante, Ricardo G. Vancini & Marlene Benchimol

  3.  , Rua Jornalista Orlando Dantas 59, CEP 222-31-010, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Marlene Benchimol

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  1. Rafael M. Mariante
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Correspondence to Marlene Benchimol.

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Mariante, R.M., Vancini, R.G. & Benchimol, M. Cell death in trichomonads: new insights. Histochem Cell Biol 125, 545–556 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-005-0098-5

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