The immunosuppressive drug azathioprine inhibits biosynthesis of the bacterial signal molecule cyclic-di-GMP by interfering with intracellular nucleotide pool availability

Synthesis of Triazole-Linked Analogues of c-di-GMP and Their Interactions with Diguanylate Cyclase

Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a widespread second messenger that plays a key role in bacterial biofilm formation. The compound's ability to assume multiple conformations allows it to interact with a diverse set of target macromolecules. Here, we analyzed the binding mode of c-di-GMP to the allosteric inhibitory site (I-site) of diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) and compared it to the conformation adopted in the catalytic site of the EAL phosphodiesterases (PDEs). An array of novel molecules has been designed and synthesized by simplifying the native c-di-GMP structure and replacing the charged phosphodiester backbone with an isosteric nonhydrolyzable 1,2,3-triazole moiety. We developed the first neutral small molecule able to selectively target DGCs discriminating between the I-site of DGCs and the active site of PDEs; this molecule represents a novel tool for mechanistic studies, particularly on those proteins bearing both DGC and PDE modules, and for future optimization studies to target DGCs in vivo.

In Silico Discovery and In Vitro Validation of Catechol-Containing Sulfonohydrazide Compounds as Potent Inhibitors of the Diguanylate Cyclase PleD

Biofilm formation is responsible for increased antibiotic tolerance in pathogenic bacteria. Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a widely used second-messenger signal that plays a key role in bacterial biofilm formation. c-di-GMP is synthesized by diguanylate cyclases (DGCs), a conserved class of enzymes absent in mammals and hence considered attractive molecular targets for the development of antibiofilm agents. Here, the results of a virtual screening approach aimed at identifying small-molecule inhibitors of the DGC PleD from Caulobacter crescentus are described. A three-dimensional (3D) pharmacophore model, derived from the mode of binding of GTP to the active site of PleD, was exploited to screen the ZINC database of compounds. Seven virtual hits were tested in vitro for their ability to inhibit the activity of purified PleD by using circular dichroism spectroscopy. Two drug-like molecules with a catechol moiety and a sulfonohydrazide scaffold were shown to competitively inhibit PleD at the low-micromolar range (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50] of ∼11 μM). Their predicted binding mode highlighted key structural features presumably responsible for the efficient inhibition of PleD by both hits. These molecules represent the most potent in vitro inhibitors of PleD identified so far and could therefore result in useful leads for the development of novel classes of antimicrobials able to hamper biofilm formation.

IMPORTANCE

Biofilm-mediated infections are difficult to eradicate, posing a threatening health issue worldwide. The capability of bacteria to form biofilms is almost universally stimulated by the second messenger c-di-GMP. This evidence has boosted research in the last decade for the development of new antibiofilm strategies interfering with c-di-GMP metabolism. Here, two potent inhibitors of c-di-GMP synthesis have been identified in silico and characterized in vitro by using the well-characterized DGC enzyme PleD from C. crescentus as a structural template and molecular target. Given that the protein residues implied as crucial for enzyme inhibition are found to be highly conserved among DGCs, the outcome of this study could pave the way for the future development of broad-spectrum antibiofilm compounds.

Genetic control of bacterial biofilms

Nearly all bacterial species, including pathogens, have the ability to form biofilms. Biofilms are defined as structured ecosystems in which microbes are attached to surfaces and embedded in a matrix composed of polysaccharides, eDNA, and proteins, and their development is a multistep process. Bacterial biofilms constitute a large medical problem due to their extremely high resistance to various types of therapeutics, including conventional antibiotics. Several environmental and genetic signals control every step of biofilm development and dispersal. From among the latter, quorum sensing, cyclic diguanosine-5'-monophosphate, and small RNAs are considered as the main regulators. The present review describes the control role of these three regulators in the life cycles of biofilms built by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Vibrio cholerae. The interconnections between their activities are shown. Compounds and strategies which target the activity of these regulators, mainly quorum sensing inhibitors, and their potential role in therapy are also assessed.

Chemical Biology Strategies for Biofilm Control

Microbes live as densely populated multicellular surface-attached biofilm communities embedded in self-generated, extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). EPSs serve as a scaffold for cross-linking biofilm cells and support development of biofilm architecture and functions. Biofilms can have a clear negative impact on humans, where biofilms are a common denominator in many chronic diseases in which they prime development of destructive inflammatory conditions and the failure of our immune system to efficiently cope with them. Our current assortment of antimicrobial agents cannot efficiently eradicate biofilms. For industrial applications, the removal of biofilms within production machinery in the paper and hygienic food packaging industry, cooling water circuits, and drinking water manufacturing systems can be critical for the safety and efficacy of those processes. Biofilm formation is a dynamic process that involves microbial cell migration, cell-to-cell signaling and interactions, EPS synthesis, and cell-EPS interactions. Recent progress of fundamental biofilm research has shed light on novel chemical biology strategies for biofilm control. In this article, chemical biology strategies targeting the bacterial intercellular and intracellular signaling pathways will be discussed.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm infections: from molecular biofilm biology to new treatment possibilities

Bacteria in natural, industrial and clinical settings predominantly live in biofilms, i.e., sessile structured microbial communities encased in self-produced extracellular matrix material. One of the most important characteristics of microbial biofilms is that the resident bacteria display a remarkable increased tolerance toward antimicrobial attack. Biofilms formed by opportunistic pathogenic bacteria are involved in devastating persistent medical device-associated infections, and chronic infections in individuals who are immune-compromised or otherwise impaired in the host defense. Because the use of conventional antimicrobial compounds in many cases cannot eradicate biofilms, there is an urgent need to develop alternative measures to combat biofilm infections. The present review is focussed on the important opportunistic pathogen and biofilm model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Initially, biofilm infections where P. aeruginosa plays an important role are described. Subsequently, current insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and the associated antimicrobial tolerance are reviewed. And finally, based on our knowledge about molecular biofilm biology, a number of therapeutic strategies for combat of P. aeruginosa biofilm infections are presented.

Symbiotic factors in Burkholderia essential for establishing an association with the bean bug, Riptortus pedestris

Symbiotic bacteria are common in insects and intimately affect the various aspects of insect host biology. In a number of insect symbiosis models, it has been possible to elucidate the effects of the symbiont on host biology, whereas there is a limited understanding of the impact of the association on the bacterial symbiont, mainly due to the difficulty of cultivating insect symbionts in vitro. Furthermore, the molecular features that determine the establishment and persistence of the symbionts in their host (i.e., symbiotic factors) have remained elusive. However, the recently established model, the bean bug Riptortus pedestris, provides a good opportunity to study bacterial symbiotic factors at a molecular level through their cultivable symbionts. Bean bugs acquire genus Burkholderia cells from the environment and harbor them as gut symbionts in the specialized posterior midgut. The genome of the Burkholderia symbiont was sequenced, and the genomic information was used to generate genetically manipulated Burkholderia symbiont strains. Using mutant symbionts, we identified several novel symbiotic factors necessary for establishing a successful association with the host gut. In this review, these symbiotic factors are classified into three categories based on the colonization dynamics of the mutant symbiont strains: initiation, accommodation, and persistence factors. In addition, the molecular characteristics of the symbiotic factors are described. These newly identified symbiotic factors and on-going studies of the Riptortus-Burkholderia symbiosis are expected to contribute to the understanding of the molecular cross-talk between insects and bacterial symbionts that are of ecological and evolutionary importance.

Novel approaches to combat bacterial biofilms

Biofilms formed by pathogenic bacteria and fungi are associated with a wide range of diseases, from device-related infections (such as catheters or prosthetic joints) to chronic infections occurring on native tissues (such as lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients). Biofilms are therefore responsible for an important medical and economic burden. Currently used antibiotics have mostly been developed to target exponentially growing microorganisms and are poorly effective against biofilms. In particular, even high concentrations of bactericidal antibiotics are inactive against a subset of persistent biofilm bacteria, which can cause infection recurrence despite prolonged treatments. While the search for a magic bullet antibiotic effective against both planktonic and biofilm bacteria is still active, alternative preventive and curative approaches are currently being developed either limiting adhesion or biofilm formation or targeting biofilm tolerance by killing persister bacteria. Most of these approaches are adjunctive using new molecules in combination with antibiotics. This review presents promising approaches or strategies that could improve our ability to prevent or eradicate bacterial biofilms in medical settings.

Purine biosynthesis, biofilm formation, and persistence of an insect-microbe gut symbiosis

The Riptortus-Burkholderia symbiotic system is an experimental model system for studying the molecular mechanisms of an insect-microbe gut symbiosis. When the symbiotic midgut of Riptortus pedestris was investigated by light and transmission electron microscopy, the lumens of the midgut crypts that harbor colonizing Burkholderia symbionts were occupied by an extracellular matrix consisting of polysaccharides. This observation prompted us to search for symbiont genes involved in the induction of biofilm formation and to examine whether the biofilms are necessary for the symbiont to establish a successful symbiotic association with the host. To answer these questions, we focused on purN and purT, which independently catalyze the same step of bacterial purine biosynthesis. When we disrupted purN and purT in the Burkholderia symbiont, the ΔpurN and ΔpurT mutants grew normally, and only the ΔpurT mutant failed to form biofilms. Notably, the ΔpurT mutant exhibited a significantly lower level of cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP) than the wild type and the ΔpurN mutant, suggesting involvement of the secondary messenger c-di-GMP in the defect of biofilm formation in the ΔpurT mutant, which might operate via impaired purine biosynthesis. The host insects infected with the ΔpurT mutant exhibited a lower infection density, slower growth, and lighter body weight than the host insects infected with the wild type and the ΔpurN mutant. These results show that the function of purT of the gut symbiont is important for the persistence of the insect gut symbiont, suggesting the intricate biological relevance of purine biosynthesis, biofilm formation, and symbiosis.

Pseudomonas biofilms: possibilities of their control

Genus Pseudomonas includes a large number of species that can be encountered in biotechnological processes as well as in the role of serious human or plant pathogens. Pseudomonads easily form biofilms on various types of surfaces. The biofilm phenotype is characterized by an increased resistance to environmental influences including resistance to antibiotics and other disinfectants, causing a number of problems in health care, food industry, and other areas. Considerable attention is therefore paid to the possibilities of eradication/destruction of pseudomonads biofilms both in terms of understanding the mechanisms of biofilm formation and at the level of finding suitable antibiofilm tools applicable in practice. The first part of this review is devoted to an overview of the regulatory mechanisms that are directly or indirectly involved in the formation of biofilm. The most effective approaches to suppressing the formation of biofilm that do not cause the development of resistance are based on the application of substances that interfere with the regulatory molecules or block the appropriate regulatory mechanisms involved in biofilm development by the cells. Pseudomonads biofilm formation is, similar to other microorganisms, a sophisticated process with many regulatory elements. The suppression of this process therefore also requires multiple antibiofilm tools.

C-di-GMP hydrolysis by Pseudomonas aeruginosa HD-GYP phosphodiesterases: analysis of the reaction mechanism and novel roles for pGpG

In biofilms, the bacterial community optimizes the strategies to sense the environment and to communicate from cell to cell. A key player in the development of a bacterial biofilm is the second messenger c-di-GMP, whose intracellular levels are modulated by the opposite activity of diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases. Given the huge impact of bacterial biofilms on human health, understanding the molecular details of c-di-GMP metabolism represents a critical step in the development of novel therapeutic approaches against biofilms. In this study, we present a detailed biochemical characterization of two c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases of the HD-GYP subtype from the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, namely PA4781 and PA4108. Upstream of the catalytic HD-GYP domain, PA4781 contains a REC domain typical of two-component systems, while PA4108 contains an uncharacterized domain of unknown function. Our findings shed light on the activity and catalytic mechanism of these phosphodiesterases. We show that both enzymes hydrolyse c-di-GMP in a two-step reaction via the linear intermediate pGpG and that they produce GMP in vitro at a surprisingly low rate. In addition, our data indicate that the non-phosphorylated REC domain of PA4781 prevents accessibility of c-di-GMP to the active site. Both PA4108 and phosphorylated PA4781 are also capable to use pGpG as an alternative substrate and to hydrolyse it into GMP; the affinity of PA4781 for pGpG is one order of magnitude higher than that for c-di-GMP. These results suggest that these enzymes may not work (primarily) as genuine phosphodiesterases. Moreover, the unexpected affinity of PA4781 for pGpG may indicate that pGpG could also act as a signal molecule in its own right, thus further widening the c-di-GMP-related signalling scenario.