Extracellular protease profile of Acanthamoeba after prolonged axenic culture and after interaction with MDCK cells

Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are causative agents of Acanthamoeba keratitis and amoebic encephalitis in humans, both of which are serious infections. The ability to produce proteases is one of the factors involved in the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the secreted proteases of six Acanthamoeba strains from distinct genotypes (T1, T2, T4 and T11) maintained in prolonged axenic culture and following three successive passages in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells. Conditioned medium was obtained from cultures before and after interaction with the MDCK monolayers, resolved in SDS-PAGE containing gelatine, then subjected to quantitative azocasein assays. Zymography profiles varied between the strains, with the predominant proteases found to be serine-type proteases from 49 to 128 kDa. A T1 genotype strain isolated from dust showed quantitatively higher protease secretion compared to the other strains. No changes were detected in the zymography profiles of MDCK-interacted cultures compared to long-term axenic cultures. Two strains presented lower proteolytic activity post-MDCK interaction, while the remaining strains presented similar values before and after MDCK passages. In conclusion, this study confirms the predominance of serine-type protease secretion by Acanthamoeba, with distinct profiles presented by the different strains and genotypes studied. Also, interaction of trophozoites with MDCK cells did not alter the zymography pattern.