The salicylate-derived mycobactin siderophores of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are essential for growth in macrophages

The role of iron in pulmonary pathology

Respiratory disease accounts for a large proportion of emergency admissions to hospital and diseaseassociated mortality. Genetic association studies demonstrate a link between iron metabolism and pulmonary disease phenotypes. IREB2 is a gene that produces iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2), which has a key role in iron homeostasis. This review addresses pathways involved in iron metabolism, particularly focusing on the role of IREB2. In addition to this, environmental factors also influence phenotypic variation in respiratory disease, for example inhaled iron from cigarette smoke is deposited in the lung and causes tissue damage by altering iron homeostasis. The effects of cigarette smoke are detailed in this article, particularly in relation to lung conditions that favour the upper lobes, such as emphysema and lung cancer. Clinical applications of iron homeostasis are also discussed in this review, especially looking at the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pulmonary infections and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Promising new treatments involving iron are also covered.

Mycobacteria, metals, and the macrophage

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a facultative intracellular pathogen that thrives inside host macrophages. A key trait of M. tuberculosis is to exploit and manipulate metal cation trafficking inside infected macrophages to ensure survival and replication inside the phagosome. Here, we describe the recent fascinating discoveries that the mammalian immune system responds to infections with M. tuberculosis by overloading the phagosome with copper and zinc, two metals which are essential nutrients in small quantities but are toxic in excess. M. tuberculosis has developed multi-faceted resistance mechanisms to protect itself from metal toxicity including control of uptake, sequestration inside the cell, oxidation, and efflux. The host response to infections combines this metal poisoning strategy with nutritional immunity mechanisms that deprive M. tuberculosis from metals such as iron and manganese to prevent bacterial replication. Both immune mechanisms rely on the translocation of metal transporter proteins to the phagosomal membrane during the maturation process of the phagosome. This review summarizes these recent findings and discusses how metal-targeted approaches might complement existing TB chemotherapeutic regimens with novel anti-infective therapies.

The Complete Genome Sequence of the Emerging Pathogen Mycobacterium haemophilum Explains Its Unique Culture Requirements

Mycobacterium haemophilum is an emerging pathogen associated with a variety of clinical syndromes, most commonly skin infections in immunocompromised individuals. M. haemophilum exhibits a unique requirement for iron supplementation to support its growth in culture, but the basis for this property and how it may shape pathogenesis is unclear. Using a combination of Illumina, PacBio, and Sanger sequencing, the complete genome sequence of M. haemophilum was determined. Guided by this sequence, experiments were performed to define the basis for the unique growth requirements of M. haemophilum. We found that M. haemophilum, unlike many other mycobacteria, is unable to synthesize iron-binding siderophores known as mycobactins or to utilize ferri-mycobactins to support growth. These differences correlate with the absence of genes associated with mycobactin synthesis, secretion, and uptake. In agreement with the ability of heme to promote growth, we identified genes encoding heme uptake machinery. Consistent with its propensity to infect the skin, we show at the whole-genome level the genetic closeness of M. haemophilum with Mycobacterium leprae, an organism which cannot be cultivated in vitro, and we identify genes uniquely shared by these organisms. Finally, we identify means to express foreign genes in M. haemophilum. These data explain the unique culture requirements for this important pathogen, provide a foundation upon which the genome sequence can be exploited to improve diagnostics and therapeutics, and suggest use of M. haemophilum as a tool to elucidate functions of genes shared with M. leprae.

IMPORTANCE

Mycobacterium haemophilum is an emerging pathogen with an unknown natural reservoir that exhibits unique requirements for iron supplementation to grow in vitro. Understanding the basis for this iron requirement is important because it is fundamental to isolation of the organism from clinical samples and environmental sources. Defining the molecular basis for M. haemophilium's growth requirements will also shed new light on mycobacterial strategies to acquire iron and can be exploited to define how differences in such strategies influence pathogenesis. Here, through a combination of sequencing and experimental approaches, we explain the basis for the iron requirement. We further demonstrate the genetic closeness of M. haemophilum and Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy which cannot be cultured in vitro, and we demonstrate methods to genetically manipulate M. haemophilum. These findings pave the way for the use of M. haemophilum as a model to elucidate functions of genes shared with M. leprae.

Aminopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines as potential inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Structure activity relationships and ADME characterization

Whole-cell high-throughput screening of a diverse SoftFocus library against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) generated a novel aminopyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine hit series. The synthesis and structure activity relationship studies identified compounds with potent antimycobacterial activity. The SAR of over 140 compounds shows that the 2-pyridylmethylamine moiety at the C-7 position of the pyrazolopyrimidine scaffold was important for Mtb activity, whereas the C-3 position offered a higher degree of flexibility. The series was also profiled for in vitro cytotoxicity and microsomal metabolic stability as well as physicochemical properties. Consequently liabilities to be addressed in a future lead optimization campaign have been identified.

Syntheses and Biological Evaluations of Highly Functionalized Hydroxamate Containing and N-Methylthio Monobactams as Anti-Tuberculosis and β-Lactamase Inhibitory Agents

Both the resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) and antibiotic resistance continue to threaten modern healthcare and new means of combating pathogenic bacterial infections are needed. The syntheses of monobactams possessing hydroxamate and N-methylthio functionality are described, as well as their anti-TB, in vitro β-lactamase inhibitory, and general antimicrobial evaluations. A number of compounds exhibited significant anti-TB and β-lactamase inhibitory activity, with MIC values in the range of 25 to < 0.19 μM against Mycobacteria tuberculosis (M.tb), and K_i values in the range of 25-0.03 μM against purified NDM-1 and VIM-1 lystate metallo β-lactamases. This work suggests that these scaffolds may serve as promising leads in developing new antibiotics and/or β-lactamase inhibitors.

Comparative genomics between human and animal associated subspecies of the Mycobacterium avium complex: a basis for pathogenicity

Background

A human isolate of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (M. paratuberculosis 43525) was sequenced and compared genomically to other mycobacterial pathogens. M. paratuberculosis 43525 was recently isolated from a patient with ulcerative colitis and belongs to the M. avium complex, a group known to infect both humans and animals. While M. paratuberculosis is a known pathogen of livestock, there are only 20 human isolates from the last 20 years, therefore we took the opportunity to perform a whole genome comparison between human and animal mycobacterial pathogens. We also compared virulence determinants such as the mycobactin cluster, PE/PPE genes and mammalian cell entry (mce) operons between MAC subspecies that infect animals and those that infect humans. M. tuberculosis was also included in these analyses given its predominant role as a human pathogen.

Results

This genome comparison showed the PE/PPE profile of M. paratuberculosis 43525 to be largely the same as other M. paratuberculosis isolates, except that it had one PPE and one PE_PGRS protein that are only present in human MAC strains and M. tuberculosis. PE/PPE proteins that were unique to M. paratuberculosis 43525, M. avium subsp. hominissuis and a caprine M. paratuberculosis isolate, were also identified. In addition, the mycobactin cluster differed between human and animal isolates and a unique mce operon flanked by two mycobactin genes, mbtA and mbtJ, was identified in all available M. paratuberculosis genomes.

Conclusions

Despite the whole genome comparison placing M. paratuberculosis 43525 as closely related to bovine M. paratuberculosis, key virulence factors were similar to human mycobacterial pathogens. This study highlights key factors of mycobacterial pathogenesis in humans and forms the basis for future functional studies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1889-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

MavN is a Legionella pneumophila vacuole-associated protein required for efficient iron acquisition during intracellular growth

Iron is essential for the growth and virulence of most intravacuolar pathogens. The mechanisms by which microbes bypass host iron restriction to gain access to this metal across the host vacuolar membrane are poorly characterized. In this work, we identify a unique intracellular iron acquisition strategy used by Legionella pneumophila. The bacterial Icm/Dot (intracellular multiplication/defect in organelle trafficking) type IV secretion system targets the bacterial-derived MavN (more regions allowing vacuolar colocalization N) protein to the surface of the Legionella-containing vacuole where this putative transmembrane protein facilitates intravacuolar iron acquisition. The ΔmavN mutant exhibits a transcriptional iron-starvation signature before its growth is arrested during the very early stages of macrophage infection. This intracellular growth defect is rescued only by the addition of excess exogenous iron to the culture medium and not a variety of other metals. Consistent with MavN being a translocated substrate that plays an exclusive role during intracellular growth, the mutant shows no defect for growth in broth culture, even under severe iron-limiting conditions. Putative iron-binding residues within the MavN protein were identified, and point mutations in these residues resulted in defects specific for intracellular growth that are indistinguishable from the ΔmavN mutant. This model of a bacterial protein inserting into host membranes to mediate iron transport provides a paradigm for how intravacuolar pathogens can use virulence-associated secretion systems to manipulate and acquire host iron.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis folate metabolism and the mechanistic basis for para-aminosalicylic acid susceptibility and resistance

para-Aminosalicylic acid (PAS) entered clinical use in 1946 as the second exclusive drug for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). While PAS was initially a first-line TB drug, the introduction of more potent antitubercular agents relegated PAS to the second-line tier of agents used for the treatment of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. Despite the long history of PAS usage, an understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms governing the susceptibility and resistance of M. tuberculosis to this drug has lagged behind that of most other TB drugs. Herein, we discuss previous studies that demonstrate PAS-mediated disruption of iron acquisition, as well as recent genetic, biochemical, and metabolomic studies that have revealed that PAS is a prodrug that ultimately corrupts one-carbon metabolism through inhibition of the formation of reduced folate species. We also discuss findings from laboratory and clinical isolates that link alterations in folate metabolism to PAS resistance. These advancements in our understanding of the basis of the susceptibility and resistance of M. tuberculosis to PAS will enable the development of novel strategies to revitalize this and other antimicrobial agents for use in the global effort to eradicate TB.

Iron Acquisition Mechanisms: Promising Target Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Continuous deployment of antitubercular drugs in treating Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has led to the emergence of drug resistance resulting in cross-resistance to many unrelated drugs, a phenomenon termed as Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR-TB). Despite reasonable documentation of major factors which contribute to MDR mechanisms, it appears unavoidable to consider novel mechanisms combating MDR. The ability of pathogenic MTB, to sense and become accustomed to changes in the host environment is essential for its survival and confers the basis of their success as dreadful pathogen. One such significant environmental factor that MTB must surmount is iron limitation, since they encounter diverse anatomical sites during the establishment of infection within the host. Considering the importance of MTB, being the second most common cause of mortality, this review focuses on gaining insights of iron acquisition mechanisms in MTB and how it can be exploited as efficient anti-mycobacterial drug target.

Synthesis and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Siderophore Biosynthesis Inhibitors for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

MbtA catalyzes the first committed biosynthetic step of the mycobactins, which are important virulence factors associated with iron acquisition in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. MbtA is a validated therapeutic target for antitubercular drug development. 5'-O-[N-(Salicyl)sulfamoyl]adenosine (1) is a bisubstrate inhibitor of MbtA and exhibits exceptionally potent biochemical and antitubercular activity. However, 1 suffers from suboptimal drug disposition properties resulting in a short half-life (t(1/2)), low exposure (AUC), and low bioavailability (F). Four strategies were pursued to address these liabilities including the synthesis of prodrugs, increasing the pK(a) of the acyl-sulfonyl moiety, modulation of the lipophilicity, and strategic introduction of fluorine into 1. Complete pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis of all compounds was performed. The most successful modifications involved fluorination of the nucleoside that provided substantial improvements in t(1/2) and AUC. Increasing the pK(a) of the acyl-sulfonyl linker yielded incremental enhancements, while modulation of the lipophilicity and prodrug approaches led to substantially poorer PK parameters.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of a Potential Transition-State Inhibitor of the Salicylate Synthase MbtI from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobactins are small-molecule iron chelators (siderophores) produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) for iron mobilization. The bifunctional salicylate synthase MbtI catalyzes the first step of mycobactin biosynthesis through the conversion of the primary metabolite chorismate into salicylic acid via isochorismate. We report the design, synthesis, and biochemical evaluation of an inhibitor based on the putative transition state (TS) for the isochorismatase partial reaction of MbtI. The inhibitor mimics the hypothesized charge buildup at C-4 of chorismate in the TS as well as C-O bond formation at C-6. Another important design element of the inhibitor is replacement of the labile pyruvate side chain in chorismate with a stable C-linked propionate isostere. We developed a stereocontrolled synthesis of the highly functionalized cyclohexene inhibitor that features an asymmetric aldol reaction using a titanium enolate, diastereoselective Grignard addition to a tert-butanesulfinyl aldimine, and ring closing olefin metathesis as key steps.

Syntheses and evaluation of substituted aromatic hydroxamates and hydroxamic acids that target Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to remain one of the most threatening diseases in the world. With the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains, the need to develop new therapies is dire. The syntheses of a focused library of hydroxamates and hydroxamic acids is described, as well as anti-TB activity in the microplate alamar blue assay (MABA). A number of compounds exhibited good activity against Mtb, with notable compounds exhibiting MIC values in the range of 20-0.71 μM. This work suggests that both hydroxamates and their free acids may be incorporated into more complex scaffolds and serve as potential leads for the development of anti-TB agents.

Investigation and conformational analysis of fluorinated nucleoside antibiotics targeting siderophore biosynthesis

Antibiotic resistance represents one of the greatest threats to public health. The adenylation inhibitor 5'-O-[N-(salicyl)sulfamoyl]adenosine (SAL-AMS) is the archetype for a new class of nucleoside antibiotics that target iron acquisition in pathogenic microorganisms and is especially effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Strategic incorporation of fluorine at the 2' and 3' positions of the nucleoside was performed by direct fluorination to enhance activity and improve drug disposition properties. The resulting SAL-AMS analogues were comprehensively assessed for biochemical potency, whole-cell antitubercular activity, and in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters. Conformational analysis suggested a strong preference of fluorinated sugar rings for either a 2'-endo, 3'-exo (South), or a 3'-endo,2'-exo (North) conformation. The structure-activity relationships revealed a strong conformational bias for the C3'-endo conformation to maintain potent biochemical and whole-cell activity, whereas improved pharmacokinetic properties were associated with the C2'-endo conformation.

Lipidomic analysis links mycobactin synthase K to iron uptake and virulence in M. tuberculosis

The prolonged survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) in the host fundamentally depends on scavenging essential nutrients from host sources. M. tb scavenges non-heme iron using mycobactin and carboxymycobactin siderophores, synthesized by mycobactin synthases (Mbt). Although a general mechanism for mycobactin biosynthesis has been proposed, the biological functions of individual mbt genes remain largely untested. Through targeted gene deletion and global lipidomic profiling of intact bacteria, we identify the essential biochemical functions of two mycobactin synthases, MbtK and MbtN, in siderophore biosynthesis and their effects on bacterial growth in vitro and in vivo. The deletion mutant, ΔmbtN, produces only saturated mycobactin and carboxymycobactin, demonstrating an essential function of MbtN as the mycobactin dehydrogenase, which affects antigenicity but not iron uptake or M. tb growth. In contrast, deletion of mbtK ablated all known forms of mycobactin and its deoxy precursors, defining MbtK as the essential acyl transferase. The mbtK mutant showed markedly reduced iron scavenging and growth in vitro. Further, ΔmbtK was attenuated for growth in mice, demonstrating a non-redundant role of hydroxamate siderophores in virulence, even when other M. tb iron scavenging mechanisms are operative. The unbiased lipidomic approach also revealed unexpected consequences of perturbing mycobactin biosynthesis, including extreme depletion of mycobacterial phospholipids. Thus, lipidomic profiling highlights connections among iron acquisition, phospholipid homeostasis, and virulence, and identifies MbtK as a lynchpin at the crossroads of these phenotypes.

A covalent adduct of MbtN, an acyl-ACP dehydrogenase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, reveals an unusual acyl-binding pocket

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis. Access to iron in host macrophages depends on iron-chelating siderophores called mycobactins and is strongly correlated with Mtb virulence. Here, the crystal structure of an Mtb enzyme involved in mycobactin biosynthesis, MbtN, in complex with its FAD cofactor is presented at 2.30 Å resolution. The polypeptide fold of MbtN conforms to that of the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACAD) family, consistent with its predicted role of introducing a double bond into the acyl chain of mycobactin. Structural comparisons and the presence of an acyl carrier protein, MbtL, in the same gene locus suggest that MbtN acts on an acyl-(acyl carrier protein) rather than an acyl-CoA. A notable feature of the crystal structure is the tubular density projecting from N(5) of FAD. This was interpreted as a covalently bound polyethylene glycol (PEG) fragment and resides in a hydrophobic pocket where the substrate acyl group is likely to bind. The pocket could accommodate an acyl chain of 14-21 C atoms, consistent with the expected length of the mycobactin acyl chain. Supporting this, steady-state kinetics show that MbtN has ACAD activity, preferring acyl chains of at least 16 C atoms. The acyl-binding pocket adopts a different orientation (relative to the FAD) to other structurally characterized ACADs. This difference may be correlated with the apparent ability of MbtN to catalyse the formation of an unusual cis double bond in the mycobactin acyl chain.

Insight into the evolution and origin of leprosy bacilli from the genome sequence of Mycobacterium lepromatosis

Mycobacterium lepromatosis is an uncultured human pathogen associated with diffuse lepromatous leprosy and a reactional state known as Lucio's phenomenon. By using deep sequencing with and without DNA enrichment, we obtained the near-complete genome sequence of M. lepromatosis present in a skin biopsy from a Mexican patient, and compared it with that of Mycobacterium leprae, which has undergone extensive reductive evolution. The genomes display extensive synteny and are similar in size (∼3.27 Mb). Protein-coding genes share 93% nucleotide sequence identity, whereas pseudogenes are only 82% identical. The events that led to pseudogenization of 50% of the genome likely occurred before divergence from their most recent common ancestor (MRCA), and both M. lepromatosis and M. leprae have since accumulated new pseudogenes or acquired specific deletions. Functional comparisons suggest that M. lepromatosis has lost several enzymes required for amino acid synthesis whereas M. leprae has a defective heme pathway. M. lepromatosis has retained all functions required to infect the Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system and therefore may also be neuropathogenic. A phylogeographic survey of 227 leprosy biopsies by differential PCR revealed that 221 contained M. leprae whereas only six, all from Mexico, harbored M. lepromatosis. Phylogenetic comparisons indicate that M. lepromatosis is closer than M. leprae to the MRCA, and a Bayesian dating analysis suggests that they diverged from their MRCA approximately 13.9 Mya. Thus, despite their ancient separation, the two leprosy bacilli are remarkably conserved and still cause similar pathologic conditions.

An unprecedented NADPH domain conformation in lysine monooxygenase NbtG provides insights into uncoupling of oxygen consumption from substrate hydroxylation

N-Hydroxylating monooxygenases are involved in the biosynthesis of iron-chelating hydroxamate-containing siderophores that play a role in microbial virulence. These flavoenzymes catalyze the NADPH- and oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of amines such as those found on the side chains of lysine and ornithine. In this work we report the biochemical and structural characterization of Nocardia farcinica Lys monooxygenase (NbtG), which has similar biochemical properties to mycobacterial homologs. NbtG is also active on d-Lys, although it binds l-Lys with a higher affinity. Differently from the ornithine monooxygenases PvdA, SidA, and KtzI, NbtG can use both NADH and NADPH and is highly uncoupled, producing more superoxide and hydrogen peroxide than hydroxylated Lys. The crystal structure of NbtG solved at 2.4 Å resolution revealed an unexpected protein conformation with a 30° rotation of the NAD(P)H domain with respect to the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) domain that precludes binding of the nicotinamide cofactor. This "occluded" structure may explain the biochemical properties of NbtG, specifically with regard to the substantial uncoupling and limited stabilization of the C4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate. Biological implications of these findings are discussed.

Iron homeostasis and progression to pulmonary tuberculosis disease among household contacts

Early identification of individuals at risk for progressing to active tuberculosis (TB) disease may limit new transmission and improve clinical outcomes. Evidence indicates altered iron homeostasis may identify those at greater risk of disease progression in HIV co-infection. We aimed to investigate iron homeostasis biomarkers as risk factors for progression to TB. Archived plasma samples were analyzed from household contacts of pulmonary TB index cases in The Gambia. Contacts were classified as asymptomatic non-progressors (n = 17) or TB-progressors (n = 10), which included two HIV-infected participants. Iron homeostasis (hemoglobin, ferritin, hepcidin, soluble transferrin receptor, transferrin) was assessed in all contacts at study recruitment. Plasma was collected a median of 910 days prior to TB diagnosis. Low transferrin around the time of known exposure to infectious TB was a disease progression risk factor among all TB-progressors (Poisson incidence rate ratio: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.35-0.89). Iron homeostasis also differed between early and delayed TB-progressors, with higher ferritin and hepcidin concentrations observed among early TB-progressors (mean ferritin 50.2 vs. 26.2 ng/ml; P = 0.027; mean hepcidin 37.7 vs. 5.6 ng/ml; P = 0.036). Iron homeostasis is associated with progression to TB among household contacts. Further studies are needed to elucidate mechanisms and determine the clinical utility of monitoring iron homeostasis biomarkers.

Putting Tuberculosis (TB) To Rest: Transformation of the Sleep Aid, Ambien, and "Anagrams" Generated Potent Antituberculosis Agents

Zolpidem (Ambien, 1) is an imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-acetamide and an approved drug for the treatment of insomnia. As medicinal chemists enamored by how structure imparts biological function, we found it to have strikingly similar structure to the antitubercular imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carboxyamides. Zolpidem was found to have antituberculosis activity (MIC of 10–50 μM) when screened against replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H₃₇Rv. Manipulation of the Zolpidem structure, notably, to structural isomers (“anagrams”), attains remarkably improved potency (5, MIC of 0.004 μM) and impressive potency against clinically relevant drug-sensitive, multi- and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains (MIC < 0.03 μM). Zolpidem anagrams and analogues were synthesized and evaluated for their antitubercular potency, toxicity, and spectrum of activity against nontubercular mycobacteria and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. These efforts toward the rational design of isomeric anagrams of a well-known sleep aid underscore the possibility that further optimization of the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine core may well “put TB to rest”.

Characterization of a novel plasmid, pMAH135, from Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) causes mainly two types of disease. The first is disseminated disease in immunocompromised hosts, such as individuals infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The second is pulmonary disease in individuals without systemic immunosuppression, and the incidence of this type is increasing worldwide. M. avium subsp. hominissuis, a component of MAC, causes infection in pigs as well as in humans. Many aspects of the different modes of M. avium infection and its host specificity remain unclear. Here, we report the characteristics and complete sequence of a novel plasmid, designated pMAH135, derived from M. avium strain TH135 in an HIV-negative patient with pulmonary MAC disease. The pMAH135 plasmid consists of 194,711 nucleotides with an average G + C content of 66.5% and encodes 164 coding sequences (CDSs). This plasmid was unique in terms of its homology to other mycobacterial plasmids. Interestingly, it contains CDSs with sequence homology to mycobactin biosynthesis proteins and type VII secretion system-related proteins, which are involved in the pathogenicity of mycobacteria. It also contains putative conserved domains of the multidrug efflux transporter. Screening of isolates from humans and pigs for genes located on pMAH135 revealed that the detection rate of these genes was higher in clinical isolates from pulmonary MAC disease patients than in those from HIV-positive patients, whereas the genes were almost entirely absent in isolates from pigs. Moreover, variable number tandem repeats typing analysis showed that isolates carrying pMAH135 genes are grouped in a specific cluster. Collectively, the pMAH135 plasmid contains genes associated with M. avium's pathogenicity and resistance to antimicrobial agents. The results of this study suggest that pMAH135 influence not only the pathological manifestations of MAC disease, but also the host specificity of MAC infection.

Iron acquisition strategies in mycobacteria

Iron is an essential element to most life forms including mycobacterial species. However, in the oxidative atmosphere iron exists as insoluble salts. Free and soluble iron ions are scarce in both the extracellular and intracellular environment which makes iron assimilation very challenging to mycobacteria. Tuberculosis, caused by the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is one of the most infectious and deadly diseases in the world. Extensive studies regarding iron acquisition strategies have been documented in mycobacteria, including work on the mycobacterial iron chelators (siderophores), the iron-responsive regulon, and iron transport and utilization pathways. Under low iron conditions, expression of the genes encoding iron importers, exporters and siderophore biosynthetic enzymes is up-regulated significantly increasing the ability of the bacteria to acquire limited host iron. Disabling these proteins impairs the growth of mycobacteria under low iron conditions both in vitro and in vivo, and that of pathogenic mycobacteria in animal models. Drugs targeting siderophore-mediated iron transport could offer promising therapeutic options. However, the discovery and characterization of an alternative iron acquisition mechanism, the heme transport and utilization pathway, questions the effectiveness of the siderophore-centered therapeutic strategy. Links have been found between these two distinct iron acquisition mechanisms, thus, targeting a few candidate proteins or mechanisms may influence both pathways, leading to effective elimination of the bacteria in the host.

Antimycobacterial activity of rhodamine 3,4-HPO iron chelators against Mycobacterium avium: analysis of the contribution of functional groups and of chelator's combination with ethambutol

ChelatorMRH7(thiourea linkage; ethyl substituents) and its co-administration with ethambutol are the best choices for a higher antimycobacterial effect.

The exochelins of pathogenic mycobacteria: unique, highly potent, lipid- and water-soluble hexadentate iron chelators with multiple potential therapeutic uses

SIGNIFICANCE

Exochelins are lipid- and water-soluble siderophores of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with unique properties that endow them with exceptional pharmacologic utility. Exochelins can be utilized as probes to decipher the role of iron in normal and pathological states, and, since they rapidly cross cell membranes and chelate intracellular iron with little or no toxicity, exochelins are potentially useful for the treatment of a number of iron-dependent pathological phenomena.

RECENT ADVANCES

In animal models, exochelins have been demonstrated to have promise for the treatment of transfusion-related iron overload, restenosis after coronary artery angioplasty, cancer, and oxidative injury associated with acute myocardial infarction and transplantation.

CRITICAL ISSUES

To be clinically effective, iron chelators should be able to rapidly enter cells and chelate iron at key intracellular sites. Desferri-exochelins, and other lipid-soluble chelators, can readily cross cell membranes and remove intracellular free iron; whereas deferoxamine, which is lipid insoluble, cannot do so. Clinical utility also requires that the chelators be nontoxic, which, we hypothesize, includes the capability to prevent iron from catalyzing free radical reactions which produce •OH or other reactive oxygen species. Lipid-soluble iron chelators currently available for clinical application are bidentate (deferiprone) or tridentate (desferasirox) molecules that do not block all six sites on the iron molecule capable of catalyzing free radical reactions. In contrast, desferri-exochelins are hexadentate molecules, and by forming a one-to-one binding relationship with iron, they prevent free radical reactions.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Clinical studies are needed to assess the utility of desferri-exochelins in the treatment of iron-dependent pathological disorders.

Curation, integration and visualization of bacterial virulence factors in PATRIC

Motivation: We’ve developed a highly curated bacterial virulence factor (VF) library in PATRIC (Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, www.patricbrc.org) to support infectious disease research. Although several VF databases are available, there is still a need to incorporate new knowledge found in published experimental evidence and integrate these data with other information known for these specific VF genes, including genomic and other omics data. This integration supports the identification of VFs, comparative studies and hypothesis generation, which facilitates the understanding of virulence and pathogenicity.

Results: We have manually curated VFs from six prioritized NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) category A–C bacterial pathogen genera, Mycobacterium, Salmonella, Escherichia, Shigella, Listeria and Bartonella, using published literature. This curated information on virulence has been integrated with data from genomic functional annotations, trancriptomic experiments, protein–protein interactions and disease information already present in PATRIC. Such integration gives researchers access to a broad array of information about these individual genes, and also to a suite of tools to perform comparative genomic and transcriptomics analysis that are available at PATRIC.

Availability and implementation: All tools and data are freely available at PATRIC (http://patricbrc.org).

Contact:cmao@vbi.vt.edu.

Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Structure, biochemistry, and inhibition of essential 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferases from two species of Mycobacteria

4′-Phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTase) post-translationally modify carrier proteins with a phosphopantetheine moiety, an essential reaction in all three domains of life. In the bacterial genus Mycobacteria, the Sfp-type PPTase activates pathways necessary for the biosynthesis of cell wall components and small molecule virulence factors. We solved the X-ray crystal structures and biochemically characterized the Sfp-type PPTases from two of the most prevalent Mycobacterial pathogens, PptT of M. tuberculosis and MuPPT of M. ulcerans. Structural analyses reveal significant differences in cofactor binding and active site composition when compared to previously characterized Sfp-type PPTases. Functional analyses including the efficacy of Sfp-type PPTase-specific inhibitors also suggest that the Mycobacterial Sfp-type PPTases can serve as therapeutic targets against Mycobacterial infections.

Expanding the results of a high throughput screen against an isochorismate-pyruvate lyase to enzymes of a similar scaffold or mechanism

Antibiotic resistance is a growing health concern, and new avenues of antimicrobial drug design are being actively sought. One suggested pathway to be targeted for inhibitor design is that of iron scavenging through siderophores. Here we present a high throughput screen to the isochorismate-pyruvate lyase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an enzyme required for the production of the siderophore pyochelin. Compounds identified in the screen are high nanomolar to low micromolar inhibitors of the enzyme and produce growth inhibition in PAO1 P. aeruginosa in the millimolar range under iron-limiting conditions. The identified compounds were also tested for enzymatic inhibition of Escherichia coli chorismate mutase, a protein of similar fold and similar chemistry, and of Yersinia enterocolitica salicylate synthase, a protein of differing fold but catalyzing the same lyase reaction. In both cases, subsets of the inhibitors from the screen were found to be inhibitory to enzymatic activity (mutase or synthase) in the micromolar range and capable of growth inhibition in their respective organisms (E. coli or Y. enterocolitica).

Mycobacterium tuberculosis DosR is required for activity of the PmbtB and PmbtI promoters under hypoxia

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has the ability to survive for extended periods of time under conditions of low oxygen, low pH, low iron and low nutrients. The mycobactins (M. tuberculosis siderophores) play a key role in scavenging iron from the environment and are induced in response to low iron in an IdeR-regulated manner. We demonstrate that the promoters of two mycobactin gene (mbt) operons are also expressed during adaptation to low oxygen, and that this expression is dependent on the DosR regulator. Up-regulation of mbt operons induced by low iron was not DosR-dependent. DosR is a member of a two component regulatory system which responds to oxygen availability. Deletion of the DosR regulator led to increased expression of bacterioferritin and increased capacity to grow under iron depletion. These data provide a link between the mycobacterial response to two conditions likely to be encountered in vivo, low iron and low oxygen.

Novel insights into the mechanism of inhibition of MmpL3, a target of multiple pharmacophores in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

MmpL3, a resistance-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily transporter, has been implicated in the formation of the outer membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis; specifically, MmpL3 is required for the export of mycolic acids in the form of trehalose monomycolates (TMM) to the periplasmic space or outer membrane of M. tuberculosis. Recently, seven series of inhibitors identified by whole-cell screening against M. tuberculosis, including the antituberculosis drug candidate SQ109, were shown to abolish MmpL3-mediated TMM export. However, this mode of action was brought into question by the broad-spectrum activities of some of these inhibitors against a variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens that do not synthesize mycolic acids. This observation, coupled with the ability of three of these classes of inhibitors to kill nonreplicating M. tuberculosis bacilli, led us to investigate alternative mechanisms of action. Our results indicate that the inhibitory effects of adamantyl ureas, indolecarboxamides, tetrahydropyrazolopyrimidines, and the 1,5-diarylpyrrole BM212 on the transport activity of MmpL3 in actively replicating M. tuberculosis bacilli are, like that of SQ109, most likely due to their ability to dissipate the transmembrane electrochemical proton gradient. In addition to providing novel insights into the modes of action of compounds reported to inhibit MmpL3, our results provide the first explanation for the large number of pharmacophores that apparently target this essential inner membrane transporter.

Nonclassical T cells and their antigens in tuberculosis

T cells that recognize nonpeptidic antigens, and thereby are identified as nonclassical, represent important yet poorly characterized effectors of the immune response. They are present in large numbers in circulating blood and tissues and are as abundant as T cells recognizing peptide antigens. Nonclassical T cells exert multiple functions including immunoregulation, tumor control, and protection against infections. They recognize complexes of nonpeptidic antigens such as lipid and glycolipid molecules, vitamin B2 precursors, and phosphorylated metabolites of the mevalonate pathway. Each of these antigens is presented by antigen-presenting molecules other than major histocompatibility complex (MHC), including CD1, MHC class I-related molecule 1 (MR1), and butyrophilin 3A1 (BTN3A1) molecules. Here, we discuss how nonclassical T cells participate in the recognition of mycobacterial antigens and in the mycobacterial-specific immune response.

Highly immunoreactive antibodies against the rHup-F2 fragment (aa 63-161) of the iron-regulated HupB protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its potential for the serodiagnosis of extrapulmonary and recurrent tuberculosis

HupB is an iron-regulated protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that functions as a positive regulator of mycobactin biosynthesis. It is essential for the growth and survival of the pathogen inside macrophages. Previously, using the full-length rHupB of M. tuberculosis, we demonstrated high levels of anti-HupB antibodies in the serum of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and, interestingly, extrapulmonary TB patients with negligible levels in household contacts and healthy controls. Here, we used three antigenic fragments of HupB, namely the recombinant HupB-F1 (aa 1-71), HupB-F2 (aa 63-161) and HupB-F3 (aa 164-214), as antigens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to screen serum from TB patients. HupB-F2 showed enhanced immunoreactivity with serum from patients with pulmonary TB (three groups consisting of new cases, defaulters and recurrent cases) and extrapulmonary TB, with negligible levels in normal healthy controls. The negative correlation of the anti-(HupB-F2) antibodies with serum iron was maximal, with a Pearson's correlation coefficient value of -0.415. The study, in addition to strengthening the diagnostic potential of HupB, reflected the superior performance of HupB-F2 as an antigen in screening pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB.

Scaffold-switching: an exploration of 5,6-fused bicyclic heteroaromatics systems to afford antituberculosis activity akin to the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-carboxylates

A set of 5,6-fused bicyclic heteroaromatic scaffolds were investigated for their in vitro anti-tubercular activity versus replicating and non-replicating strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in an attempt to find an alternative scaffold to the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines that were previously shown to have potent activity against replicating and drug resistant Mtb. The five new bicyclic heteroaromatic scaffolds explored in this study include a 2,6-dimethylimidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine-3-carboxamide (7), a 2,6-dimethyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamide (8), a 6-methyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (9), a 7-methyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]pyridine-3-carboxamide (10), and a 5,7-dimethyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-2-carboxamide (11). Additionally, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines isomers (2 and 12) and a homologous imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidine isomer (6) were prepared and compared. Compounds 2 and 6 were found to be the most potent against H37Rv Mtb (MIC's of 0.1 μM and 1.3 μM) and were inactive (MIC >128 μM) against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Against other non-tubercular mycobacteria strains, compounds 2 and 6 had activity against Mycobacterium avium (16 and 122 μM, respectively), Mycobacterium kansasii (4 and 19 μM, respectively), Mycobacterium bovis BCG (1 and 8 μM, respectively) while all the other scaffolds were inactive (>128 μM).

Transcriptional regulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis hupB gene expression

The influence of iron levels on the transcription of the hupB gene in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the focus of this study. Studies in our laboratory showed HupB to be co-expressed with the two siderophores in low-iron organisms. Mycobactin biosynthesis is repressed by the IdeR-Fe(2+) complex that binds the IdeR box in the mbtB promoter. Recently, we demonstrated the positive regulatory effect of HupB on mycobactin biosynthesis by demonstrating its binding to a 10 bp HupB box in the mbtB promoter. Earlier, we observed that HupB, expressed maximally in low-iron media (0.02 µg Fe ml(-1); 0.36 µM Fe) was still detectable at 8 µg Fe ml(-1) (144 µM Fe) when the siderophores were absent and complete repression was seen only at 12 µg Fe ml(-1) (216 µM Fe). In this study, we observed elevated levels of hupB transcripts in iron-limited organisms. IdeR, and not FurA, functioned as the iron regulator, by binding to two IdeR boxes in the hupB promoter. Interestingly, the 10 bp HupB box, first reported in the mbtB promoter, was identified in the hupB promoter. Using DNA footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated the functionality of the HupB box and the two IdeR boxes. The high hupB transcript levels expressed by the organism and the in vitro protein-DNA interaction studies led us to hypothesize the sequence of events occurring in response to changes in the intracellular iron concentration, emphasizing the roles played by IdeR and HupB in iron homeostasis.

Design and Syntheses of Anti-Tuberculosis Agents Inspired by BTZ043 Using a Scaffold Simplification Strategy

Tuberculosis (TB), a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is a global public health concern because of the emergence of various resistant strains. Benzothiazin-4-ones (BTZs), represented by BTZ043, are a promising new class of agents for the treatment of tuberculosis and have been shown to kill Mtb in vitro, ex vivo, and in mouse models of TB. Herein we report the design and syntheses of nitroaromatic sulfonamide, reverse-amide, and ester classes of anti-TB agents using a scaffold simplification strategy based on BTZ043. The presented work explores the effect of functional groups such as sulfonamides, reverse-amides, and esters that are attached to the nitroaromatic rings on their anti-TB activity. The in vitro activity of the compounds evaluated against the H37Rv strain of Mtb show that nitroaromatic sulfonamides and nitrobenzoic acid esters with two nitro substituents were most active and highlights the importance of the electronic character (electron deficient aromatic ring) of the nitroaromatic ring as a central theme in these types of nitroaromatic anti-TB agents.

Mechanistic studies on the flavin-dependent N⁶-lysine monooxygenase MbsG reveal an unusual control for catalysis

The mechanism of Mycobacterium smegmatis G (MbsG), a flavin-dependent l-lysine monooxygenase, was investigated under steady-state and rapid reaction conditions using primary and solvent kinetic isotope effects, substrate analogs, pH and solvent viscosity effects as mechanistic probes. The results suggest that l-lysine binds before NAD(P)H, which leads to a decrease in the rate constant for flavin reduction. l-lysine binding has no effect on the rate of flavin oxidation, which occurs in a one-step process without the observation of a C4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate. Similar effects were determined with several substrate analogs. Flavin oxidation is pH independent while the kcat/Km and kred/KD pH profiles for NAD(P)H exhibit single pKa values of ∼6.0, with increasing activity as the pH decreases. At lower pH, the enzyme becomes more uncoupled, producing more hydrogen peroxide and superoxide. Hydride transfer is partially rate-limiting at neutral pH and becomes more rate-limiting at low pH. An inverse solvent viscosity effect on kcat/Km for NAD(P)H was observed at neutral pH whereas a normal solvent viscosity effect was observed at lower pH. Together, the results indicate a unique mechanism where a rate-limiting and pH-sensitive conformational change occurs in the reductive half-reaction, which affects the efficiency of lysine hydroxylation.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv3402c enhances mycobacterial survival within macrophages and modulates the host pro-inflammatory cytokines production via NF-kappa B/ERK/p38 signaling

Intracellular survival plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a process which depends on an array of virulence factors to colonize and replicate within the host. The M. tuberculosis iron regulated open reading frame (ORF) rv3402c, encoding a conserved hypothetical protein, was shown to be up-regulated upon infection in both human and mice macrophages. To explore the function of this ORF, we heterologously expressed the rv3402c gene in the non-pathogenic fast-growing Mycobacterium smegmatis strain, and demonstrated that Rv3402c, a cell envelope-associated protein, was able to enhance the intracellular survival of recombinant M. smegmatis. Enhanced growth was not found to be the result of an increased resistance to intracellular stresses, as growth of the Rv3402c expressing strain was unaffected by iron depletion, H₂O₂ exposure, or acidic conditions. Colonization of macrophages by M. smegmatis expressing Rv3402c was associated with substantial cell death and significantly greater amount of TNF-α and IL-1β compared with controls. Rv3402c-induced TNF-α and IL-1β production was found to be mediated by NF-κB, ERK and p38 pathway in macrophages. In summary, our study suggests that Rv3402c delivered in a live M. smegmatis vehicle can modify the cytokines profile of macrophage, promote host cell death and enhance the persistence of mycobacterium within host cells.

The reduced genome of the Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) encodes two iron acquisition systems essential for optimal growth and virulence

Bacterial pathogens require multiple iron-specific acquisition systems for survival within the iron-limiting environment of the host. Francisella tularensis is a virulent intracellular pathogen that can replicate in multiple cell-types. To study the interrelationship of iron acquisition capability and virulence potential of this organism, we generated single and double deletion mutants within the ferrous iron (feo) and ferric-siderophore (fsl) uptake systems of the live vaccine strain (LVS). The Feo system was disrupted by a partial deletion of the feoB gene (ΔfeoB′), which led to a growth defect on iron-limited modified Muller Hinton agar plates. ⁵⁵Fe uptake assays verified that the ΔfeoB′ mutant had lost the capacity for ferrous iron uptake but was still competent for ⁵⁵Fe-siderophore-mediated ferric iron acquisition. Neither the ΔfeoB′ nor the siderophore-deficient ΔfslA mutant was defective for replication within J774A.1 murine macrophage-like cells, thus demonstrating the ability of LVS to survive using either ferrous or ferric sources of intracellular iron. A LVS ΔfslA ΔfeoB′ mutant defective for both ferrous iron uptake and siderophore production was isolated in the presence of exogenous F. tularensis siderophore. In contrast to the single deletion mutants, the ΔfslA ΔfeoB′ mutant was unable to replicate within J774A.1 cells and was attenuated in virulence following intraperitoneal infection of C57BL/6 mice. These studies demonstrate that the siderophore and feoB-mediated ferrous uptake systems are the only significant iron acquisition systems in LVS and that they operate independently. While one system can compensate for loss of the other, both are required for optimal growth and virulence.

Iron-regulated protein HupB of Mycobacterium tuberculosis positively regulates siderophore biosynthesis and is essential for growth in macrophages

Mycobacterium tuberculosis expresses the 28-kDa protein HupB (Rv2986c) and the Fe(3+)-specific high-affinity siderophores mycobactin and carboxymycobactin upon iron limitation. The objective of this study was to understand the functional role of HupB in iron acquisition. A hupB mutant strain of M. tuberculosis, subjected to growth in low-iron medium (0.02 μg Fe ml(-1)), showed a marked reduction of both siderophores with low transcript levels of the mbt genes encoding the MB biosynthetic machinery. Complementation of the mutant strain with hupB restored siderophore production to levels comparable to that of the wild type. We demonstrated the binding of HupB to the mbtB promoter by both electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNA footprinting. The latter revealed the HupB binding site to be a 10-bp AT-rich region. While negative regulation of the mbt machinery by IdeR is known, this is the first report of positive regulation of the mbt operon by HupB. Interestingly, the mutant strain failed to survive inside macrophages, suggesting that HupB plays an important role in vivo.

Self-poisoning of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by interrupting siderophore recycling

Siderophores are small iron-binding molecules secreted by bacteria to scavenge iron. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the etiologic agent of tuberculosis, produces the siderophores mycobactin and carboxymycobactin. Complexes of the mycobacterial membrane proteins MmpS4 and MmpS5 with the transporters MmpL4 and MmpL5 are required for siderophore export and virulence in Mtb. Here we show that, surprisingly, mycobactin or carboxymycobactin did not rescue the low-iron growth defect of the export mutant but severely impaired growth. Exogenous siderophores were taken up by the export mutant, and siderophore-delivered iron was used, but the deferrated siderophores accumulated intracellularly, indicating a blockade of siderophore recycling. This hypothesis was confirmed by the observation that radiolabeled carboxymycobactin was taken up and secreted again by Mtb. Addition of iron salts to an Mtb siderophore biosynthesis mutant stimulated more growth in the presence of a limiting amount of siderophores than iron-loaded siderophores alone. Thus, recycling enables Mtb to acquire iron at lower metabolic cost because Mtb cannot use iron salts without siderophores. Exogenous siderophores were bactericidal for the export mutant in submicromolar quantities. High-resolution mass spectrometry revealed that endogenous carboxymycobactin also accumulated in the export mutant. Toxic siderophore accumulation is prevented by a drug that inhibits siderophore biosynthesis. Intracellular accumulation of siderophores was toxic despite the use of an alternative iron source such as hemin, suggesting an additional inhibitory mechanism independent of iron availability. This study indicates that targeting siderophore export/recycling would deliver a one-two punch to Mtb: restricting access to iron and causing toxic intracellular siderophore accumulation.

Role for Mycobacterium tuberculosis membrane vesicles in iron acquisition

Mycobacterium tuberculosis releases membrane vesicles packed with molecules that can modulate the immune response. Because environmental conditions often influence the production and content of bacterial vesicles, this study examined M. tuberculosis microvesicles released under iron limitation, a common condition faced by pathogens inside the host. The findings indicate that M. tuberculosis increases microvesicle production in response to iron restriction and that these microvesicles contain mycobactin, which can serve as an iron donor and supports replication of iron-starved mycobacteria. Consequently, the results revealed a role of microvesicles in iron acquisition in M. tuberculosis, which can be critical for survival in the host.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv3402c enhances mycobacterial survival within macrophages and modulates the host pro-inflammatory cytokines production via NF-kappa B/ERK/p38 signaling

Intracellular survival plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a process which depends on an array of virulence factors to colonize and replicate within the host. The M. tuberculosis iron regulated open reading frame (ORF) rv3402c, encoding a conserved hypothetical protein, was shown to be up-regulated upon infection in both human and mice macrophages. To explore the function of this ORF, we heterologously expressed the rv3402c gene in the non-pathogenic fast-growing Mycobacterium smegmatis strain, and demonstrated that Rv3402c, a cell envelope-associated protein, was able to enhance the intracellular survival of recombinant M. smegmatis. Enhanced growth was not found to be the result of an increased resistance to intracellular stresses, as growth of the Rv3402c expressing strain was unaffected by iron depletion, H2O2 exposure, or acidic conditions. Colonization of macrophages by M. smegmatis expressing Rv3402c was associated with substantial cell death and significantly greater amount of TNF-α and IL-1β compared with controls. Rv3402c-induced TNF-α and IL-1β production was found to be mediated by NF-κB, ERK and p38 pathway in macrophages. In summary, our study suggests that Rv3402c delivered in a live M. smegmatis vehicle can modify the cytokines profile of macrophage, promote host cell death and enhance the persistence of mycobacterium within host cells.

Iron in intracellular infection: to provide or to deprive?

Due to their chemical versatility, transition metals were incorporated as cofactors for several basic metabolic pathways in living organisms. This same characteristic makes them potentially harmful, since they can be engaged in deleterious reactions like Fenton chemistry. As such, organisms have evolved highly specialized mechanisms to supply their own metal needs while keeping their toxic potential in check. This dual character comes into play in host-pathogen interactions, given that the host can either deprive the pathogen of these key nutrients or exploit them to induce toxicity toward the invading agent. Iron stands as the prototypic example of how a metal can be used to limit the growth of pathogens by nutrient deprivation, a mechanism widely studied in Mycobacterium infections. However, the host can also take advantage of iron-induced toxicity to control pathogen proliferation, as observed in infections caused by Leishmania. Whether we may harness either of the two pathways for therapeutical purposes is still ill-defined. In this review, we discuss how modulation of the host iron availability impacts the course of infections, focusing on those caused by two relevant intracellular pathogens, Mycobacterium and Leishmania.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies of MbtN (Rv1346) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the protein MbtN (Rv1346) catalyzes the formation of a double bond in the fatty-acyl moiety of the siderophore mycobactin, which is used by this organism to acquire essential iron. MbtN is homologous to acyl-CoA dehydrogenases, whose general role is to catalyze the α,β-dehydrogenation of fatty-acyl-CoA conjugates. Mycobactins, however, contain a long unsaturated fatty-acid chain with an unusual cis double bond conjugated to the carbonyl group of the mycobactin core. To characterize the role of MbtN in the dehydrogenation of this fatty-acyl moiety, the enzyme has been expressed, purified and crystallized. The crystals diffracted to 2.3 Å resolution at a synchrotron source and were found to belong to the hexagonal space group H32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 139.10, c = 253.09 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°.

Iron in infection and immunity

Iron is an essential nutrient for both humans and pathogenic microbes. Because of its ability to exist in one of two oxidation states, iron is an ideal redox catalyst for diverse cellular processes including respiration and DNA replication. However, the redox potential of iron also contributes to its toxicity; thus, iron concentration and distribution must be carefully controlled. Given the absolute requirement for iron by virtually all human pathogens, an important facet of the innate immune system is to limit iron availability to invading microbes in a process termed nutritional immunity. Successful human pathogens must therefore possess mechanisms to circumvent nutritional immunity in order to cause disease. In this review, we discuss regulation of iron metabolism in the setting of infection and delineate strategies used by human pathogens to overcome iron-withholding defenses.

IdeR is required for iron homeostasis and virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Iron is an essential but potentially harmful nutrient, poorly soluble in aerobic conditions, and not freely available in the human host. To acquire iron, bacteria have evolved high affinity iron acquisition systems that are expressed under iron limitation often in conjunction with virulence determinants. Because excess iron can be dangerous, intracellular iron must be tightly controlled. In mycobacteria, IdeR functions as a global iron dependent transcriptional regulator, but because inactivation of ideR is lethal for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it has not been possible to use genetics to fully characterize this protein's function or examine the requirement of iron regulation during tuberculosis infection. In this work, a conditional M. tuberculosis ideR mutant was generated and used to study the basis of IdeR's essentiality. This investigation uncovered positive regulation of iron storage as a critical aspect of IdeR's function in regular culture and a prominent factor for survival under stresses associated with life in macrophages. Moreover, this study demonstrates that IdeR is indispensable in the mouse model of tuberculosis, thereby linking iron homeostasis to virulence in M. tuberculosis.

A Hidden Markov Model for identifying essential and growth-defect regions in bacterial genomes from transposon insertion sequencing data

Background

Knowledge of which genes are essential to the survival of an organism is critical to understanding the function of genes, and for the identification of potential drug targets for antimicrobial treatment. Previous statistical methods for assessing essentiality based on sequencing of tranposon libraries have usually limited their assessment to strict 'essential’ or 'non-essential’ categories. However, this binary view of essentiality does not accurately represent the more nuanced ways the growth of an organism might be affected by the disruption of its genes. In addition, these methods often limit their analysis to open-reading frames. We propose a novel method for analyzing sequence data from transposon mutant libraries using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), along with formulas to adapt the parameters of the model to different datasets for robustness. This approach allows for the clustering of insertion sites into distinct regions of essentiality across the entire genome in a statistically rigorous manner, while also allowing for the detection of growth-defect and growth-advantage regions.

Results

We evaluate the performance of a 4-state HMM on a sequence dataset of M. tuberculosis transposon mutants. We also test the HMM on several synthetic datasets representing different levels of transposon insertion density and sequence coverage. We show that the HMM produces results that are highly correlated with previous assignments of essentiality for this organism. We also show that it detects growth-defect and growth-advantage genes previously shown to impair or enhance growth when disrupted.

Conclusions

A 4-state HMM provides an improved way of analyzing Tn-seq data and assessing different levels of essentiality that enables not only the characterization of essential and non-essential genes, but also genes whose disruption leads to impairment (or enhancement) of growth.