Interaction between Trypanosoma rangeli and the Rhodnius prolixus salivary gland depends on the phosphotyrosine ecto-phosphatase activity of the parasite

Trypanosoma rangeli is the trypanosomatid that colonizes the salivary gland of its insect vector, with a profound impact on the feeding capacity of the insect. In this study we investigated the role of the phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr) ecto-phosphatase activity of T. rangeli in its interaction with Rhodnius prolixus salivary glands. Long but not short epimastigotes adhered to the gland cells and the strength of interaction correlated with the enzyme activity levels in different strains. Differential interference contrast microscopy demonstrated that clusters of parasites are formed in most cases, suggesting cooperative interaction in the adhesion process. The tightness of the correlation was evidenced by modulating the P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase activity with various concentrations of inhibitors. Sodium orthovanadate, ammonium molybdate and zinc chloride decreased the interaction between T. rangeli and R. prolixus salivary glands in parallel. Levamisole, an inhibitor of alkaline phosphatases, affected neither process. EDTA strongly inhibited adhesion and P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase activity to the same extent, an effect that was no longer seen if the parasites were pre-incubated with the chelator and then washed. When the P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase of living T. rangeli epimastigotes was irreversibly inactivated with sodium orthovanadate and the parasite cells were then injected into the insect thorax, colonization of the salivary glands was greatly depressed for several days after blood feeding. Addition of P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase substrates such as p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) and P-Tyr inhibited the adhesion of T. rangeli to salivary glands, but P-Ser, P-Thr and β-glycerophosphate were completely ineffective. Immunoassays using anti-P-Tyr-residues revealed a large number of P-Tyr-proteins in extracts of R. prolixus salivary glands, which could be potentially targeted by T. rangeli during adhesion. These results indicate that dephosphorylation of structural P-Tyr residues on the gland cell surfaces, mediated by a P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase of the parasite, is a key event in the interaction between T. rangeli and R. prolixus salivary glands.

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► Trypanosoma rangeli long epimastigotes have a high phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr) ecto-phosphatase activity.
► P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase is related to its interaction with the vector salivary gland.
► Na3VO4 irreversibly inhibits the P-Tyr ecto-phosphatase activity.
► Inhibition with Na3VO4 impairs parasite–salivary gland interactions in vivo.