The Trypanosoma cruzi kinetoplast DNA minicircle sequences transfer biomarker of the multidrug treatment of Chagas disease
Authors: Sousa Alessandro O , Gomes Clever , Sá Adriana A , Nascimento Rubens J , Pires Liana L , Castro Ana M , Moreno Francisco , Teixeira Antonio RL 
Published: December 2021

Background

The Trypanosoma cruzi infection renders the transfer of the mitochondrion kinetoplast DNA minicircle sequences into the host’s genome. The Aves are refractory to the infection, but chicks hatched from the T. cruzi inoculated eggs integrate the DNA minicircle sequences into the germ line cells. Rabbits, mice and chickens with the minicircle sequences mutations develop the Chagas cardiomyopathy and the DNA transfer underpins the heart disease.

Methodology

The PCR with the specific primer sets revealed the Protist nuclear DNA and the kinetoplast DNA in the agarose gels bands probed with the radiolabel specific sequences from tissues of the T. cruzi-infected rabbits and of the mice. A target- primer TAIL-PCR amplification employing primer sets from the chickens, rabbits and mice, in combination with primer sets from the the T. cruzi kinetoplast minicircle sequences was used. This approach led us to disclose the integration sites of the kinetoplast DNA biomarker, then, used to monitor the effect of multidrug treatment of the T. cruzi infected mice.

Principal findings

The Southern hybridization, clone and sequence of the amplification products revealed the DNA minicircle sequences integrations sites in the LINE transposable elements. An array of inhibitors of eukaryote cells division was used to arrest the DNA transfer. It was shown that nine out of 12 inhibitors prevented the kinetoplast DNA integration into the macrophage genome. The multidrug treatment of the acutely T. cruzi-infected mice with Benznidazole, Azidothymidine and Ofloxacin lessened circa 2.5-fold the rate of the minicircle sequences integrations in the mouse genome and inhibited the rejection of the target heart cells.

Conclusion and significance

The T. cruzi mitochondrion kinetoplast minicircle sequences transfer driven pathogenesis of Chagas disease is an ancient Cross-Kingdom DNA phenomenon of evolution and, therefore, paradigm research with effective purposing inhibitors is needed.

Authors summary

Chagas disease is considered the main cause of human heart failure in the Western Hemisphere. The treatment of the clinically manifested Chagas heart disease is considered unsatisfactory. Perhaps the most important problem in the field of Chagas disease is determination of the pathogenesis of the target heart cells lysis. We showed the transfer of the T. cruzi kDNA minicircle sequences into the genome of rabbits and mice, and to Bird refractory to the infections. The inoculation of a few T. cruzi in the fertile chicken eggs renders the kDNA sequences integration in the stem cells. Interestingly, the chicks that hatched retain the kDNA and develop the Chagas-like cardiomyopathy indistinguishable to that in the rabbits and mice. This result prompted the multidrug treatment of the Chagas heart disease with inhibitors of the eukaryotic cells division. We showed that nine out of 12 inhibitors prevented the transfer of the kDNA mutations into the macrophage genome, and that the treatment of the acutely T. cruzi-infected mice with Benznidazole + Ofloxacin + Azidothymidine lowered circa 2.5-fold the rate of the mutations in the chromosomes. These findings translated to the pathology showing inhibition of the heart lesions in the treated T. cruzi-infected mice. We suggest purposing new inhibitors should be tested to overturning the Chagas heart disease.