Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 16, Issue 13, 2016

In recent years, cyanobacterial blooms have dramatically increased and become an ecological disaster worldwide. Cyanobacteria are also known to produce a wide variety of toxic secondary metabolites, i.e. cyanotoxins. Microcystins (MCs), a group of cyclic heptapeptides, are considered to be one of the most common and dangerous cyanobacterial toxins. MCs can be incorporated into the cells via organic anion transporting polypeptides (Oatps). It’s widely accepted that inhibition of protein phosphatases (PPs) and induction of oxidative stress are the main toxic mechanisms of MCs. MCs are able to induce a variety of toxic cellular effects, including DNA damage, cytoskeleton disruption, mitochondria dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) disturbance and cell cycle deregulation, all of which can contribute to apoptosis/programmed cell death. This review aimed to summarize the increasing data regarding the intracellular biochemical and molecular mechanisms of MC-induced toxicity and cell death.

Microcystins (MCs) are the most commonly occurring hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria. The inhibition of PP2A is widely assumed as the principal mechanism of toxicity of MCs, however recently it has been found that MC modulates PP2A activity not only by direct inhibition of its activity, but also by regulating its expression. Nevertheless the mechanisms of toxicity of MCs seem to be more complex to interpret than expected. The induction of some cellularmolecular mechanisms appears to be biphasic in time and concentration of MC and in most cases related with the intracellular ROS generation. These intracellular ROS levels cause oxidative stress which leads to changes in several markers of MC-LR-induced oxidative stress ultimately resulting in apoptosis or cell damage and also genotoxicity. MCs can also induce severe changes in the cytoskeleton elements: microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubules, which results in changes in the cytoskeleton architecture and cell viability. There are also indications that there are second messengers involved in MC-LR mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Different congeners of these toxins induce different degrees of responses in the cell, assumed to be related with the capacity of toxin internalization, affinity towards PP1 and PP2A, and the ability to cause oxidative stress. MCs have also been implicated in neurotoxicity and in damages in reproductive organs. The regulation of transcription factors and proto-oncogenes by MC is the mode of action of MCs tumor promotion. This review summarizes mainly the findings from the last five years about the molecular mechanisms behind MC toxicity in animal cells.

Microcystins (MCs) are hepatotoxic cyclic peptides, and microcystin-LR (MCLR) is one of the most abundant and toxic congeners. MCLR-induced hepatotoxicity occurs through specific inhibition of serine/threonine protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, which leads to hyperphosphorylation of many cellular proteins. This eventually results in cytoskeletal damage, loss of cell morphology, and the consequent cell death. It is generally accepted that inhibition of protein phosphatases is the main mechanism associated with the potential tumor-promoting activities of MCs. MCs can induce excessive formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which results in DNA damage. Although MCLR is not a bacterial mutagen, in mammalian cells it can induce mutations, as predominantly large deletions, and it has clastogenic actions. Although MCLR disrupts the mitotic spindle, its aneugenic activity has not been studied in detail. MCLR interferes with DNA damage repair processes, which contribute to genetic instability. Furthermore, MCLR increases expression of early response genes, including proto-oncogenes, and genes involved in responses to DNA damage and repair, cell-cycle arrest, and apoptosis. However, published data on the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of MCs have been contradictory; therefore, the aim of this review is to provide current overview of the genotoxic and potential carcionogenic activities of MCs in bacteria and mammalian cells, with a focus on MCLR. The mechanisms of MC acute toxicity, their biochemical and morphological effects, and their effects on the cell cytoskeleton are covered in detail elsewhere in the literature, including in this Special Issue on “Cellular and biochemical effects of microcystins (cyanobacterial toxins) and their potential medical consequences”.

Microcystins (MCYs) are cyanobacterial heptapeptides known for their high toxicity in eukaryotic cells and for their potential human health hazards. They are potent and specific inhibitors of type 1 and 2A, serine-threonine protein phosphatases (PP1 and PP2A) and as such, interfere with key cellular and metabolic events. Moreover, they induce oxidative stress involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Their cytoskeletal effects involve both mitotic and differentiated eukaryotic cells. The main objective of the present review is to summarize the most important cytoskeletal effects of MCY on human, animal and plant cells known to date and to give an insight into the cellular and molecular background of these alterations. Disruptions of microtubule (MTs), microfilament (MF) and intermediate filament (IF) organization have all been described, having consequences on cell shape, tissue integrity and functionality and mitotic division. Most of these subcellular changes are closely related to PP1 and PP2A inhibition and involve misfunctioning of cytoskeleton associated proteins. However, several cytoskeletal alterations are likely to be related to the induction of oxidative stress. MCY induced changes in MT, MF and IF assembly may have severe human health consequences. The main target of cyanotoxin in human/ animal cells is liver and cytoskeletal disruption alters structure and functioning of hepatocytes. However, many other cell types undergo alterations similar to those observed in hepatocytes. Both PP1/PP2A inhibition and ROS generation are involved and the activation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) seems to play a crucial role in the molecular events leading to cytoskeletal disruption.

Due to eutrophication processes in our water bodies, cyanobacterial blooms can develop worldwide. Most of these blooms are toxic. The most prominent cyanobacterial toxins are the group of the microcystins, which are cyclic heptapeptides, currently with more than 100 congeners known. The biotransformation of microcystins starts with the conjugation to the cell internal tripeptide glutathione, catalysed by glutathione S-transferase enzymes. This conjugate is further broken down to a cysteine conjugate, enhancing the cell internal transport and excretion of the conjugated toxin from the organisms. Still many questions remain open, thinking on an obviously good working detoxification system on the one side and the often seen negative effects up to the death of humans on the other sides.

Chagas’ disease is still a worldwide threat, with estimated from 6 to 7 million infected people, mainly in Latin America. Despite all efforts, especially from international consortia (DNDi, NMTrypI), to develop an innovative therapeutic strategy against this disease, no candidate has achieved full requirements for clinical use yet. In this review, we point out the general molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in T. cruzi cell invasion and elucidate the roles of specific parasite and host targets in the progress of Chagas’ disease. Among these molecular targets are Gp85/transsialidase, mucins, cruzipain and oligopeptidase B, found in parasite cell surface, and Galectin-3 and Toll-like receptors present in host cells. Thus, the deep understanding of their interplay and involvement on T. cruzi host cell adhesion, invasion and evasion from host immune may expand the chances for discovering new therapeutic agents against this neglected disease. Additionally, these targets may represent a remarkable strategy to block parasite invasion in the early stages of infection.