The C-terminal tail of tetraspanin proteins regulates their intracellular distribution in the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

COCERES V.M; ALONSO A.M; NIEVAS Y. R; MIDLEJ V.; FRONTERA L.; BENCHIMOL M.; JOHNSON P.J; DE MIGUEL N

CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY (PRINT)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2015

1462-5814

The parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of trichomoniasis, a prevalentsexually transmitted infection. Here, we report the cellular analysis of T. vaginalistetraspanin family (TvTSPs). This family of membrane proteins has been implicated incell adhesion, migration and proliferation in vertebrates. We found that the expressionof several members of the family is up-regulated upon contact with vaginal ectocervicalcells (VECs). We demonstrate that most TvTSPs are localized on the surface and intracellular vesicles and that the C-terminal intracellular tails of surface TvTSPs arenecessary for proper localization. Analyses of full length TvTSP8 and a mutant thatlacks the C-terminal tail indicates that surface localized TvTSP8 is involved in parasiteaggregation, suggesting a role for this protein in parasite: parasite interaction.