Gene_locus Report for: boomi-ACHE3

The organophosphate (OP) resistance status in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks collected from seventeen districts located in the northwestern Indian state, Punjab were characterized using three data sets (bioassay, biochemical and molecular assays). Adult immersion test (AIT) was adopted and the resistance factors (RF) for the field isolates were determined. Resistance to malathion was detected in 12 isolates among which 11 showed level I resistance status while level II status was recorded in one isolate (RF of 5.35). To understand the possible mechanism of resistance development, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and gene sequences of the AChE3 were analyzed. A significantly (P<0.001) higher level of percent uninhibited AChE activity was recorded in all field isolates (36.36+/-0.46-43.77+/-1.21) in comparison to the susceptible population (29.39+/-0.40). The AChE activity was positively correlated with RF against malathion with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.359. Analysis of nucleotides and their deduced amino acids sequences of partial AChE3 gene revealed the presence of six amino acid substitutions (I48L, I54V, V71A, I77M, S79P and R86Q). Three novel amino acid substitutions (V71A, I77M and S79P) in partial AChE3 gene were also identified in some of the isolates which may possibly have a role in OP resistance development. The PCR-RFLP assay with HaeIII revealed the presence of restriction site corresponding to R86Q mutation in all the field isolates along with an additional restriction site in seven field isolates corresponding to V71A mutation. The results of the study indicate the involvement of both insensitive AChE and higher percent uninhibited AChE activity as the possible mechanism in these field isolates.

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus cDNAs, BmAChE1, BmAChE2, and BmAChE3, were previously identified as presumptively encoding acetylcholinesterases (AChEs), but biochemical identity was confirmed only for recombinant BmAChE3. In the present study, four recombinant BmAChE1 constructs and single recombinant constructs of BmAChE2 and BmAChE3 were expressed in baculovirus. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant proteins supports classification of rBmAChE1, rBmAChE2, and rBmAChE3 as AChEs (E.C.3.1.1.7), as evidenced by (i) substrate preference for acetylthiocholine, (ii) inhibition by eserine, BW284c51, and the organophosphates (OPs) malaoxon and paraoxon, (iii) insensitivity to iso-OMPA, and (iv) rapid hydrolysis of acetyl-beta-methyl-thiocholine. Unlike reports for insect AChEs, we did not observe substrate inhibition of activity at acetylthiocholine concentrations as high as 40 mM, however, product inhibition was apparent at 10-100 microM choline in agreement with properties reported for the catalytic domain of Anopheles gambiae acetylcholinesterase-1. Substrate affinity and V(max) values were highest for rBmAChE1 proteins, and one rBmAChE1 enzyme (Tx11, derived from the OP-resistant strain Tuxpan), was insensitive to paraoxon and exhibited a greatly reduced V(max) near that of rBmAChE2. To date, recombinant BmAChE1 and BmAChE3 enzymes with reduced sensitivity to OP-inhibition have been cloned and expressed from OP-resistant strains. The presence of at least three genes expressing AChEs in R. (B.) microplus, at least two of which contain mutations expressed as OP-insensitive enzymes, strongly suggests that phenotypic resistance to OPs may be complex and multigenic in character.

Mutations were identified in the cDNA sequence encoding the acetylcholinesterase BmAChE3 in strains of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) resistant or susceptible to organophosphate (OP) acaricide. The mutation that occurred most frequently in the OP-resistant San Roman strain resulted in a substitution of glutamine (Q) for arginine (R) at position 86 in BmAChE3 (position 66 in mature BmAChE). Clones containing the mutant and wild-type cDNA sequences were expressed in the baculovirus system. Enzyme kinetics of recombinant BmAChE3 containing or lacking the R86Q mutation demonstrated that the R86Q mutation increased substrate affinity and conferred insensitivity to paraoxon inhibition. This is the first demonstration of a mutation in a gene encoding an ixodid acetylcholinesterase resulting in OP insensitivity. A restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was developed and used to diagnose the frequency of the R86Q mutation in BmAChE3 genomic DNA from seven laboratory-colonized strains. Use of the R86Q diagnostic assay detected an increased frequency of the R86Q mutation in OP-resistant tick strains compared with that of OP-susceptible strains; however, the R86Q mutation was also present in OP-susceptible strains at unexpectedly high frequency. Because the R86Q mutation generates an OP-resistant enzyme in vitro and it is present at an elevated frequency in laboratory strains selected for OP resistance, we conclude that the data are consistent with a potential role for BmAChE3 in development of OP resistance; however, because the R86Q mutation has a high frequency in susceptible strains, the R86Q mutation alone is insufficient to generate the OP-resistant phenotype at the organismal level. There are likely to be additional mutations in BmAChE3, mutations in additional acetylcholinesterase genes, or additional resistance mechanisms (e.g., oxidative metabolism) that contribute to expression of the OP-resistant phenotype.

Ticks vector many pathogens with major health and economic impacts and have developed resistance to most acaricides used for tick control. Organophosphate (OP) acaricides target acetylcholinesterase (AChE) critical to tick central nervous system function. Mutations producing tick AChEs resistant to OPs were characterized; but tick OP-resistance is not fully elucidated, due to remarkable complexity of tick cholinergic systems. Three paralogous tick AChEs exhibiting differences in primary structure and biochemical kinetics are encoded by amplified genes with developmentally regulated expression. Gene silencing data suggest tick AChEs are functional complements in vivo, and transcriptomic and genomic data suggest existence of additional tick AChEs. Cholinergic systems are crucial in neural transmission and are also regulators of vertebrate immune function. Ticks exhibit prolonged intimate host contact, suggesting adaptive functions for tick cholinergic system complexity. AChE was recently reported in tick saliva and a role in manipulation of host immune responses was hypothesized. Physiological roles and genetic control of multiple tick AChEs requires further elucidation and may provide unique opportunities to understand and manipulate cholinergic involvement in biological systems.

The organophosphate (OP) resistance status in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks collected from seventeen districts located in the northwestern Indian state, Punjab were characterized using three data sets (bioassay, biochemical and molecular assays). Adult immersion test (AIT) was adopted and the resistance factors (RF) for the field isolates were determined. Resistance to malathion was detected in 12 isolates among which 11 showed level I resistance status while level II status was recorded in one isolate (RF of 5.35). To understand the possible mechanism of resistance development, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and gene sequences of the AChE3 were analyzed. A significantly (P<0.001) higher level of percent uninhibited AChE activity was recorded in all field isolates (36.36+/-0.46-43.77+/-1.21) in comparison to the susceptible population (29.39+/-0.40). The AChE activity was positively correlated with RF against malathion with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.359. Analysis of nucleotides and their deduced amino acids sequences of partial AChE3 gene revealed the presence of six amino acid substitutions (I48L, I54V, V71A, I77M, S79P and R86Q). Three novel amino acid substitutions (V71A, I77M and S79P) in partial AChE3 gene were also identified in some of the isolates which may possibly have a role in OP resistance development. The PCR-RFLP assay with HaeIII revealed the presence of restriction site corresponding to R86Q mutation in all the field isolates along with an additional restriction site in seven field isolates corresponding to V71A mutation. The results of the study indicate the involvement of both insensitive AChE and higher percent uninhibited AChE activity as the possible mechanism in these field isolates.

The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Bm), and the sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi (Pp), are disease vectors to cattle and humans, respectively. The purpose of this study was to characterize the inhibitor profile of acetylcholinesterases from Bm (BmAChE1) and Pp (PpAChE) compared to human and bovine AChE, in order to identify divergent pharmacology that might lead to selective inhibitors. Results indicate that BmAChE has low sensitivity (IC50 = 200 muM) toward tacrine, a monovalent catalytic site inhibitor with sub micromolar blocking potency in all previous species tested. Similarly, a series of bis(n)-tacrine dimer series, bivalent inhibitors and peripheral site AChE inhibitors possess poor potency toward BmAChE. Molecular homology models suggest the rBmAChE enzyme possesses a W384F orthologous substitution near the catalytic site, where the larger tryptophan side chain obstructs the access of larger ligands to the active site, but functional analysis of this mutation suggests it only partially explains the low sensitivity to tacrine. In addition, BmAChE1 and PpAChE have low nanomolar sensitivity to some experimental carbamate anticholinesterases originally designed for control of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. One experimental compound, 2-((2-ethylbutyl)thio)phenyl methylcarbamate, possesses >300-fold selectivity for BmAChE1 and PpAChE over human AChE, and a mouse oral LD50 of >1500 mg/kg, thus providing an excellent new lead for vector control.

The southern cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Bm) is a vector of bovine babesiosis and anaplasmosis. Tick resistance to organophosphate (OP) acaricide involves acetylcholinesterase (AChE) insensitivity to OP and metabolic detoxification. Sequencing and in vitro expression of Bm genes encoding AChE allowed biochemical characterization of three BmAChEs expressed in tick synganglion. rBmAChE1, rBmAChE2 and rBmAChE3 exhibited substrate preference for acetylthiocholine, high substrate inhibition and sensitivity to AChE-specific inhibitors. OP-insensitivity mutations were demonstrated in rBmAChE1 and rBmAChE3. Gene silencing suggested functional complementation of BmAChEs in vivo. BmAChE genes were amplified in copy number and multiple transcript polymorphisms were expressed in individual tick synganglia for each of the BmAChEs, suggesting allelic diversity within individuals. Studies also identified a gene encoding AChE of the sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi, a vector of leishmaniasis in humans and animals. Expression of recombinant P. papatasi AChE (rPpAChE) enabled biochemical characterization and identification of effective inhibitors that selectively target rPpAChE.

ABSTRACT Acetylcholinesterase cDNAs, BmAChE1, BmAChE2, and BmAChE3 of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) were sequenced and found to exhibit significant polymorphism. A portion of the predicted amino acid substitutions in BmAChE1, BmAChE2, and BmAChE3 were found predominantly in organophosphate-resistant strains, but most did not correlate with resistant status. Multiple transcripts were observed from individual ticks, suggesting possible gene duplication or alternative splicing to produce more than two transcripts per individual. BmAChE1 transcript polymorphisms associating with organophosphate-resistant status in laboratory strains were surveyed in laboratory and Mexican strains of R. microplus by sequencing BmAChE1 genomic DNA. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine copy numbers of BmAChE1 (eight copies/haploid genome), BmAChE2 (16 copies/haploid genome), and BmAChE3 (four copies/haploid genome). Presence of at least three highly polymorphic amplified genes expressing AChE in tick synganglion suggested that ticks maintain a large and diverse assortment of AChE alleles available for rapid recombination and selection, which potentially reduces fitness costs associated with individual mutations. Elevated copy numbers for each of the BmAChEs may also explain previous failures to identify mutations resulting in insensitivity to organophosphates. It is clear that development of phenotypic resistance to organophosphates is highly complex and may be multigenic in character.

Acaricidal activity of organophosphate (OP) and carbamate acaricides is believed to result from inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Previous studies in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus demonstrated the presence of three presumptive AChE genes (BmAChEs). Biochemical characterization of recombinant BmAChE proteins expressed in the baculovirus system demonstrated that each of the three R. (B.) microplus rBmAChEs have enzymatic properties consistent with designation as functional acetylcholinesterases. Complementary DNAs (cDNAs) for each of the three BmAChEs were cloned and sequenced from individual adult tick synganglia excised from OP-susceptible and OPresistant strains. The data revealed the presence of multiple transcript sequences within individual ticks for each of the BmAChEs, suggesting alternative mRNA splicing or expression of multiple alleles for each of the BmAChE genes. Quantitative real-time PCR provided evidence of possible gene duplication or amplification for each of the BmAChE genes, and direct sequencing of genomic DNA provided evidence of structural BmAChE gene diversity with respect to presence or absence of introns, as well as the presence or absence of sequence polymorphisms. Baculovirus expression of rBmAChE1 and rBmAChE3 proteins containing some of the predicted amino acid sequence polymorphisms resulted in production of OP-insensitive AChE, demonstrating that at least some OP-resistant individuals contain mutations that reduce OP-inhibition for at least two of the three known BmAChEs. RNA interference was utilized to silence in vivo expression of the BmAChE genes in adult ticks, resulting in tick mortality if all three BmAChEs were silenced simultaneously, strongly suggesting that the BmAChE proteins functionally complement one another in vivo. Together, the results presented provide strong evidence that OP-resistance in R. microplus is at least partially mediated by a combination of the expression of multiple genes encoding acetylcholinesterase, mutations in BmAChEs resulting in OP-insensitivity, gene duplication, and maintenance of allelic diversity, including both OP-sensitive and OPinsensitive alleles within individual ticks. The authors propose that these factors may mitigate fitness costs that might otherwise result from BmAChE mutations, and demonstrate the extreme complexity of OP-resistance in R. (B.) microplus. It is hoped that elucidation of the complex interactions among the multiple BmAChEs and their physiological roles may enable development of new opportunities for tick control.

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus cDNAs, BmAChE1, BmAChE2, and BmAChE3, were previously identified as presumptively encoding acetylcholinesterases (AChEs), but biochemical identity was confirmed only for recombinant BmAChE3. In the present study, four recombinant BmAChE1 constructs and single recombinant constructs of BmAChE2 and BmAChE3 were expressed in baculovirus. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant proteins supports classification of rBmAChE1, rBmAChE2, and rBmAChE3 as AChEs (E.C.3.1.1.7), as evidenced by (i) substrate preference for acetylthiocholine, (ii) inhibition by eserine, BW284c51, and the organophosphates (OPs) malaoxon and paraoxon, (iii) insensitivity to iso-OMPA, and (iv) rapid hydrolysis of acetyl-beta-methyl-thiocholine. Unlike reports for insect AChEs, we did not observe substrate inhibition of activity at acetylthiocholine concentrations as high as 40 mM, however, product inhibition was apparent at 10-100 microM choline in agreement with properties reported for the catalytic domain of Anopheles gambiae acetylcholinesterase-1. Substrate affinity and V(max) values were highest for rBmAChE1 proteins, and one rBmAChE1 enzyme (Tx11, derived from the OP-resistant strain Tuxpan), was insensitive to paraoxon and exhibited a greatly reduced V(max) near that of rBmAChE2. To date, recombinant BmAChE1 and BmAChE3 enzymes with reduced sensitivity to OP-inhibition have been cloned and expressed from OP-resistant strains. The presence of at least three genes expressing AChEs in R. (B.) microplus, at least two of which contain mutations expressed as OP-insensitive enzymes, strongly suggests that phenotypic resistance to OPs may be complex and multigenic in character.

Mutations I48L, I54V, R86Q, V137I, I492M, and T548A were identified previously in BmAChE3, a gene encoding acetylcholinesterase, from the organophosphate (OP) acaricide-resistant San Rommn strain of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. Recombinant BmAChE3 acetylcholinesterase containing the R86Q mutation was shown to exhibit nearly 20-fold reduction in the rate of phosphorylation by paraoxon relative to the wild-type sequence. In addition, the R86Q mutation was present in resistant laboratory strains at elevated frequency compared with OP-susceptible strains but was insufficient to alone generate the OP-resistant phenotype (J. Med. Entomol. 44: 1013-1018). Here, we developed assays to genotype the remaining five mutations and evaluated frequency of all six BmAChE3 mutations in individual R. microplus ticks from laboratory and Mexican field-collected strains. We found a substantial number of individuals in known OP-susceptible strains that seemed to be homozygous for each of the mutations surveyed, the exception being I48L, which was infrequent in all strains, leading us to conclude that none of the mutations alone were responsible for generation of phenotypic resistance to OP acaricide.

Mutations were identified in the cDNA sequence encoding the acetylcholinesterase BmAChE3 in strains of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) resistant or susceptible to organophosphate (OP) acaricide. The mutation that occurred most frequently in the OP-resistant San Roman strain resulted in a substitution of glutamine (Q) for arginine (R) at position 86 in BmAChE3 (position 66 in mature BmAChE). Clones containing the mutant and wild-type cDNA sequences were expressed in the baculovirus system. Enzyme kinetics of recombinant BmAChE3 containing or lacking the R86Q mutation demonstrated that the R86Q mutation increased substrate affinity and conferred insensitivity to paraoxon inhibition. This is the first demonstration of a mutation in a gene encoding an ixodid acetylcholinesterase resulting in OP insensitivity. A restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was developed and used to diagnose the frequency of the R86Q mutation in BmAChE3 genomic DNA from seven laboratory-colonized strains. Use of the R86Q diagnostic assay detected an increased frequency of the R86Q mutation in OP-resistant tick strains compared with that of OP-susceptible strains; however, the R86Q mutation was also present in OP-susceptible strains at unexpectedly high frequency. Because the R86Q mutation generates an OP-resistant enzyme in vitro and it is present at an elevated frequency in laboratory strains selected for OP resistance, we conclude that the data are consistent with a potential role for BmAChE3 in development of OP resistance; however, because the R86Q mutation has a high frequency in susceptible strains, the R86Q mutation alone is insufficient to generate the OP-resistant phenotype at the organismal level. There are likely to be additional mutations in BmAChE3, mutations in additional acetylcholinesterase genes, or additional resistance mechanisms (e.g., oxidative metabolism) that contribute to expression of the OP-resistant phenotype.

The complete cDNA sequence encoding a Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) (Acari: Ixodidae) acetylcholinesterase (AChE3) was expressed in the baculovirus system. The recombinant AChE3 protein (rBmAChE3) was secreted as a soluble form into the cell culture medium and was identified as a functional AChE by substrate specificity and by inhibition with the AChE-specific inhibitors eserine sulfate and BW284c51. Inhibition kinetics of rBmAChE3, in the presence of the organophosphate paraoxon, revealed sensitivity comparable with that of adult, organophosphate-susceptible neural AChE. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the cloning and successful expression of a functional ixodid AChE.

Oligodeoxynucleotide primers, based on amino acid sequences conserved in known acetylcholinesterases (AChEs), were used in reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with mRNA from Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) as the template. Primer walking and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) techniques were used to complete the cDNA sequence identified by RT-PCR. The complete B. microplus cDNA sequence contained an open reading frame encoding a 620 amino acid protein with a 20 amino acid signal peptide at the N-terminus targeting the protein for the secretion pathway. BLAST searches of GenBank using the presumptively encoded protein revealed highest sequence similarity to AChEs. The presumptively encoded protein was of similar size and structural properties to other identified AChEs, including the presence of the catalytic triad (Ser, Glu, His) and appropriate placement of internal cysteines to yield three internal disulfide bonds corresponding to those of known AChEs. Putative conserved domains identified the sequence as a member of the carboxylesterase family, pfam00135.8, of which AChE is a member. This cDNA therefore presumptively encodes a third transcribed AChE (AChE3) cDNA of B. microplus. Comparison of the three AChE eDNA sequences expressed in B. microplus demonstrated no discernible nucleotide sequence homology and relatively low amino acid sequence homology, strongly suggesting that they are not alleles of one another. The potential presence of multiple expressed AChEs in B. microplus suggests alternative mechanisms for development of resistance to pesticides that target AChE. The homology-based identification of a third expressed AChE in B. microplus is a surprising result and strongly implies the need for confirmation of gene identity for presumptive AChEs.