Ribose 5-phosphate isomerase is an enzyme involved in the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, and catalyzes the inter-conversion of D-ribose 5-phosphate and D-ribulose 5-phosphate. Trypanosomatids, including the agent of African sleeping sickness namely Trypanosoma brucei, have a type B ribose-5-phosphate isomerase. This enzyme is absent from humans, which have a structurally unrelated ribose 5-phosphate isomerase type A, and therefore has been proposed as an attractive drug target waiting further characterization. In this study, Trypanosoma brucei ribose 5-phosphate isomerase B showed in vitro isomerase activity. RNAi against this enzyme reduced parasites' in vitro growth, and more importantly, bloodstream forms infectivity. Mice infected with induced RNAi clones exhibited lower parasitaemia and a prolonged survival compared to control mice. Phenotypic reversion was achieved by complementing induced RNAi clones with an ectopic copy of Trypanosoma cruzi gene. Our results present the first functional characterization of Trypanosoma brucei ribose 5-phosphate isomerase B, and show the relevance of an enzyme belonging to the non-oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway in the context of Trypanosoma brucei infection.

Asparagine synthetase (AS) catalyzes the ATP-dependent conversion of aspartate into asparagine using ammonia or glutamine as nitrogen source. There are two distinct types of AS, asparagine synthetase A (AS-A), known as strictly ammonia-dependent, and asparagine synthetase B (AS-B), which can use either ammonia or glutamine. The absence of AS-A in humans, and its presence in trypanosomes, suggested AS-A as a potential drug target that deserved further investigation. We report the presence of functional AS-A in Trypanosoma cruzi (TcAS-A) and Trypanosoma brucei (TbAS-A): the purified enzymes convert L-aspartate into L-asparagine in the presence of ATP, ammonia and Mg2+. TcAS-A and TbAS-A use preferentially ammonia as a nitrogen donor, but surprisingly, can also use glutamine, a characteristic so far never described for any AS-A. TbAS-A knockdown by RNAi didn't affect in vitro growth of bloodstream forms of the parasite. However, growth was significantly impaired when TbAS-A knockdown parasites were cultured in medium with reduced levels of asparagine. As expected, mice infections with induced and non-induced T. brucei RNAi clones were similar to those from wild-type parasites. However, when induced T. brucei RNAi clones were injected in mice undergoing asparaginase treatment, which depletes blood asparagine, the mice exhibited lower parasitemia and a prolonged survival in comparison to similarly-treated mice infected with control parasites. Our results show that TbAS-A can be important under in vivo conditions when asparagine is limiting, but is unlikely to be suitable as a drug target.

Adenovirus type 12 (Ad12) induces gaps at chromosomal bands 1p36, 1q21, 1q42-43 and 17q21 after infection of human embryonic kidney cells. Three of these bands harbour small nuclear RNA genes or pseudogenes, but the study of a possible relationship has been hampered by the lytic character of adenovirus infection. A non-lytic Ad5/SV40 hybrid virus preferentially integrates at 1p36 and the integration site has been cloned. Chromosomal band 1p36 encodes genes for small nuclear RNA U1 (RNU-1) and for the tRNAs of glutamic acid (TRE) and asparagine (TRN). Each of these genes is encoded by 15-30 copies. We studied the organization of these genes and of the viral integration site by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and analysis of yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs). We show that RNU-1, TRE and TRN genes are scattered over a region of probably more than 2 Mb with intergenic distances of up to 125 kb. The Ad5/SV40 integration site maps to identical chromosomal NotI fragments as RNU-1 and TRE. Fine mapping of a YAC shows that the integration site is within 40-70 kb of genes for RNU-1, TRN and TRE.

The Apicomplexa parasite Plasmodium is a major cause of death in developing countries which are less equipped to bring new medicines to the market. Currently available drugs used for treatment of malaria are limited either by inadequate efficacy, toxicity and/or increased resistance. Availability of the genome sequence, microarray data and metabolic profile of Plasmodium parasite offers an opportunity for the identification of stage-specific genes important to the organism's lifecycle. In this study, microarray data were analysed for differential expression and overlapped onto metabolic pathways to identify differentially regulated pathways essential for transition to successive erythrocytic stages. The results obtained indicate that S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase/ornithine decarboxylase, a bifunctional enzyme required for polyamine synthesis, is important for the Plasmodium cell growth in the absence of exogenous polyamines. S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase/ornithine decarboxylase is a valuable target for designing therapeutically useful inhibitors. One such inhibitor, [Formula: see text]-difluoromethyl ornithine, is currently in use for the treatment of African sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei. Structural studies of ornithine decarboxylase along with known inhibitors and their analogues were carried out to screen drug databases for more effective and less toxic compounds.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> COVID-19 patients are at increased risk of coagulopathy. This coagulopathy may be due to a severe pro-inflammatory state (cytokine storm) and/or by viral sepsis. This can sometimes lead to consumption coagulopathy and decreased platelet count, leading to increased risk of bleeding and may manifest like hematomas in atypical locations. These bleeding manifestations may be spontaneous or can be induced by even minor trauma. <b><i>Cases:</i></b> It is a single-center retrospective analysis. Four patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 depicting increased risk of bleeding manifestations were included. Patients in our study were managed as per guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India. <b><i>Results:</i></b> All patients were male. The mean age was 56 ± 18.64 years. One patient was managed conservatively with discontinuation of anticoagulants, volume resuscitation, and transfusion of blood products. Drainage with incision was done for 2 patients. One was managed with pigtail drainage. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The effect of anticoagulants given in therapy and their varied presentations are discussed in this article. The article concludes that we need vigilant observation to identify this complication in the early period, resulting in successful management.