An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules.
BACKGROUND: Scabies is a disease of worldwide significance, causing considerable morbidity in both humans and other animals. The scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrows into the skin of its host, obtaining nutrition from host skin and blood. Aspartic proteases mediate a range of diverse and essential...
Published in: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 https://doaj.org/article/f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 2023-05-15T15:08:57+02:00 An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. Wajahat Mahmood Linda T Viberg Katja Fischer Shelley F Walton Deborah C Holt 2013-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 https://doaj.org/article/f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3820722?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 https://doaj.org/article/f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 7, Iss 11, p e2525 (2013) Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2013 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 2022-12-31T13:27:19Z BACKGROUND: Scabies is a disease of worldwide significance, causing considerable morbidity in both humans and other animals. The scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrows into the skin of its host, obtaining nutrition from host skin and blood. Aspartic proteases mediate a range of diverse and essential physiological functions such as tissue invasion and migration, digestion, moulting and reproduction in a number of parasitic organisms. We investigated whether aspartic proteases may play role in scabies mite digestive processes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: We demonstrated the presence of aspartic protease activity in whole scabies mite extract. We then identified a scabies mite aspartic protease gene sequence and produced recombinant active enzyme. The recombinant scabies mite aspartic protease was capable of digesting human haemoglobin, serum albumin, fibrinogen and fibronectin, but not collagen III or laminin. This is consistent with the location of the scabies mites in the upper epidermis of human skin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The development of novel therapeutics for scabies is of increasing importance given the evidence of emerging resistance to current treatments. We have shown that a scabies mite aspartic protease plays a role in the digestion of host skin and serum molecules, raising the possibility that interference with the function of the enzyme may impact on mite survival. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Mite Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Burrows ENVELOPE(163.650,163.650,-74.300,-74.300) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 7 11 e2525 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
spellingShingle |
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Wajahat Mahmood Linda T Viberg Katja Fischer Shelley F Walton Deborah C Holt An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
topic_facet |
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
BACKGROUND: Scabies is a disease of worldwide significance, causing considerable morbidity in both humans and other animals. The scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei burrows into the skin of its host, obtaining nutrition from host skin and blood. Aspartic proteases mediate a range of diverse and essential physiological functions such as tissue invasion and migration, digestion, moulting and reproduction in a number of parasitic organisms. We investigated whether aspartic proteases may play role in scabies mite digestive processes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: We demonstrated the presence of aspartic protease activity in whole scabies mite extract. We then identified a scabies mite aspartic protease gene sequence and produced recombinant active enzyme. The recombinant scabies mite aspartic protease was capable of digesting human haemoglobin, serum albumin, fibrinogen and fibronectin, but not collagen III or laminin. This is consistent with the location of the scabies mites in the upper epidermis of human skin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The development of novel therapeutics for scabies is of increasing importance given the evidence of emerging resistance to current treatments. We have shown that a scabies mite aspartic protease plays a role in the digestion of host skin and serum molecules, raising the possibility that interference with the function of the enzyme may impact on mite survival. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wajahat Mahmood Linda T Viberg Katja Fischer Shelley F Walton Deborah C Holt |
author_facet |
Wajahat Mahmood Linda T Viberg Katja Fischer Shelley F Walton Deborah C Holt |
author_sort |
Wajahat Mahmood |
title |
An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
title_short |
An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
title_full |
An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
title_fullStr |
An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
title_full_unstemmed |
An aspartic protease of the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
title_sort |
aspartic protease of the scabies mite sarcoptes scabiei is involved in the digestion of host skin and blood macromolecules. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 https://doaj.org/article/f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(163.650,163.650,-74.300,-74.300) |
geographic |
Arctic Burrows |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Burrows |
genre |
Arctic Mite |
genre_facet |
Arctic Mite |
op_source |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 7, Iss 11, p e2525 (2013) |
op_relation |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3820722?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 https://doaj.org/article/f81b6c3ce3cc4584a68973e92f4a4f45 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002525 |
container_title |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
container_volume |
7 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
e2525 |
_version_ |
1766340217563774976 |