The ChaC family of γ-glutamyl cyclotransferases is required for Leishmania to switch to a slow growth state and for long-term survival of the parasite.

The ChaC family of γ-glutamyl cyclotransferases is conserved throughout all Kingdoms and catalyzes the degradation of GSH. So far, the ChaC family proteins in trypanosomal parasites are missing in the literature. Here, we report two members of the ChaC family of γ-glutamyl cyclotransferases (LmChaC and LmChaC) in the unicellular pathogen Leishmania. Activity measurements suggest that these proteins catalyze degradation of GSH but no other γ-glutamyl peptides. Recombinant LmChaC protein shows ∼17-fold lower catalytic efficiency (k ∼ 0.9 s) than LmChaC (k ∼ 15 s), although they showed comparable K values (∼1.75 mM for LmChaC and ∼2.0 mM for LmChaC) toward GSH. qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses suggest that the LmChaC protein was found to be constitutively expressed, whereas LmChaC was regulated by sulfur stress. To investigate its precise physiological function in Leishmania, we generated overexpressed, knockout, and complement cell lines. Flow cytometric analyses show the presence of a higher intracellular GSH concentration and lower intracellular ROS level, indicative of a more reductive environment in null mutants. We found LmChaC2-expressing cells grow in GSH-containing sulfur-limited media, while the null mutants failed to grow, suggesting that LmChaC2 is crucial for cell growth with GSH as the only sulfur source. Null mutants, although reach the stationary phase rapidly, display impaired long-term survival, indicating that LmChaC2-mediated GSH degradation is necessary for prolonged survival. In vivo studies suggest that LmChaC2-dependent controlled GSH degradation promotes chronic infection by the parasite. Altogether, these data indicate that LmChaC2 plays an important role in GSH homeostasis in Leishmania.