Interactions between host biogenic amines and sand fly salivary yellow-related proteins

Abstract

Background: During blood feeding, sand flies inoculate salivary proteins that interact with the host haemostatic system. The blocking of biogenic amines such as serotonin and histamine helps to limit vasodilatation and clot formation, and thus enables the insect to finish the blood-feeding process. In sand flies, an amine-binding ability is known only for the yellow-related proteins of Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia vectors, but not yet for members of the genus Sergentomyia. Methods: The ability of Phlebotomus argentipes and Sergentomyia schwetzi recombinant yellow-related salivary proteins to bind histamine and serotonin was measured by microscale thermophoresis. Both sand fly species were also fed through a chicken-skin membrane on blood mixed with histamine or serotonin in order to check the effects of biogenic amines on sand fly fitness. Additionally, fecundity and mortality were compared in two groups of P. argentipes females fed on repeatedly-bitten and naive hamsters, respectively. Results: The P. argentipes recombinant yellow-related protein PagSP04 showed high binding affinity to serotonin and low affinity to histamine. No binding activity was detected for two yellow-related proteins of S. schwetzi. Elevated concentrations of serotonin significantly reduced the amount of eggs laid by P. argentipes when compared to the control. The fecundity of S. schwetzi and the mortality of both sand fly species were not impaired after the experimental membrane feeding. Additionally, there were no differences in oviposition or mortality between P. argentipes females fed on immunized or naive hamsters. Conclusions: Our results suggest that in natural conditions sand flies are able to cope with biogenic amines or antisaliva antibodies without any influence on their fitness. The serotonin binding by salivary yellow-related proteins may play an important role in Phlebotomus species feeding on mammalian hosts, but not in S. schwetzi, which is adapted to reptiles.

RNA-sequencing of the Nyssomyia neivai sialome: a sand fly-vector from a Brazilian endemic area for tegumentary leishmaniasis and pemphigus foliaceus

“…Lu. longipalpis proteins, LJM11, LJM111 and LJM17, act as high affinity binders of pro-inflammatory biogenic amines such as serotonin, catecholamines, and histamine, suggesting that the proteins play a role for the reduction of inflammation during sand fly blood-feeding 3 , 70 , this activity has also been confirmed in salivary yellows from Old World P. orientalis and P. perniciosus 71 , 72 .…”

Impact of anti-sandfly saliva antibodies on biological aspects of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae), vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis

“…Taken together, the effects of anti-saliva antibodies on sand fly physiology are not clear. The production of high levels of specific antibodies in hosts repeatedly exposed to P. argentipes did not lead to a deterioration of sand fly fitness, suggesting a minor effect of anti-saliva antibodies on sand fly feeding processes ( Spitzova et al, 2020 ). A more promising approach to altering vector fecundity and mortality might be the immunization of hosts with body tissues, such as whole gut extracts or midgut chitinase ( Robles-Murguia et al, 2014 ).…”

PpSP32-like protein as a marker of human exposure to Phlebotomus argentipes in Leishmania donovani foci in Bangladesh

“…Proteins expressed using this plasmid contain additional ITG- and -GTHHHHHHHHG amino sequences at their N- and C-termini, respectively. Proteins were then transiently expressed in the human embryonic kidney 293S (HEK293S) GnTI- cell line (ATCC CRL-3022) as previously described ( Bláha et al, 2015 , Willen et al, 2019 , Spitzova et al, 2020 ). Recombinant proteins were then purified by IMAC chromatography using HiTrap Talon Crude columns (GE Healthcare, USA) followed by size exclusion chromatography using a Superdex 200 Increase 10/300 GL column (GE Healthcare).…”

“…The antibody response against P. argentipes saliva was first described in a hamster model ( Ghosh and Mukhopadhyay, 1998 ) and high levels of specific anti-saliva IgG in bitten hamsters were recently demonstrated by Spitzova et al (2020) . Furthermore, the use of anti-salivary antibodies to estimate human exposure to P. argentipes bites, and consequently the risk of transmitting L. donovani, was demonstrated in two studies in India and Nepal ( Clements et al, 2010 , Gidwani et al, 2011 ).…”