Reassessment of the role of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and the effect of infection by Toxoplasma gondii on host dopamine

ZT Wang, S Harmon, KL O'Malley… - Infection and …, 2015 - Am Soc Microbiol
ZT Wang, S Harmon, KL O'Malley, LD Sibley
Infection and immunity, 2015Am Soc Microbiol
Toxoplasma gondii infection has been described previously to cause infected mice to lose
their fear of cat urine. This behavioral manipulation has been proposed to involve alterations
of host dopamine pathways due to parasite-encoded aromatic amino acid hydroxylases.
Here, we report successful knockout and complementation of the aromatic amino acid
hydroxylase AAH2 gene, with no observable phenotype in parasite growth or differentiation
in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, expression levels of the two aromatic amino acid …
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infection has been described previously to cause infected mice to lose their fear of cat urine. This behavioral manipulation has been proposed to involve alterations of host dopamine pathways due to parasite-encoded aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Here, we report successful knockout and complementation of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylase AAH2 gene, with no observable phenotype in parasite growth or differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, expression levels of the two aromatic amino acid hydroxylases were negligible both in tachyzoites and in bradyzoites. Finally, we were unable to confirm previously described effects of parasite infection on host dopamine either in vitro or in vivo, even when AAH2 was overexpressed using the BAG1 promoter. Together, these data indicate that AAH enzymes in the parasite do not cause global or regional alterations of dopamine in the host brain, although they may affect this pathway locally. Additionally, our findings suggest alternative roles for the AHH enzymes in T. gondii, since AAH1 is essential for growth in nondopaminergic cells.
American Society for Microbiology