Infestin 1R, an intestinal subtilisin inhibitor from Triatoma infestans able to impair mammalian cell invasion by Trypanosoma cruzi

Author(s)

Lovato, Diogo V. ^[1] ; Amino, Rogerio ^[1] ; Gonzalez, Yamile ^[2] ; Miranda, Antonio ^[3] ; Schenkman, Sergio ^[4] ; Tanaka, Aparecida S. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Bioquim, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ La Habana, Fac Biol, Ctr Estudio Prot, Havana - Cuba

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Biofis, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Experimental Parasitology; v. 129, n. 4, p. 362-367, DEC 2011.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Infestins are Kazal-type serine protease inhibitors described in the midgut of Triatoma infestans, Chagas disease vector. Of all infestins, only infestin 1R (INF1R) does not control host blood coagulation, due to its inhibitory specificity for chymotrypsin-like proteases. We further investigated the effect of INF1R on cell infection by Trypanosoma cruzi. The importance of INF1R reactive site to inhibit T. cruzi cell invasion was confirmed using 1RSFTI, a synthetic cyclic peptide containing the inhibitor reactive site region hybridized to the Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1). Our results suggest that INF1R efficiently inhibited parasite cell invasion. For the first time, a serine protease inhibitor, derived from T. infestans, was shown to impair cell invasion by T. cruzi, representing possible new target in parasite cell invasion. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 05/03514-9 - Studies of the physiological function and biotechnological potential of protease inhibitors and anti-hemostatics in hematophagous arthropods
• Grantee: Aparecida Sadae Tanaka
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants