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Parkhill SL, Johnson EO. Integrating bacterial molecular genetics with chemical biology for renewed antibacterial drug discovery. Biochem J 2024; 481:839-864. [PMID: 38958473 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20220062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
The application of dyes to understanding the aetiology of infection inspired antimicrobial chemotherapy and the first wave of antibacterial drugs. The second wave of antibacterial drug discovery was driven by rapid discovery of natural products, now making up 69% of current antibacterial drugs. But now with the most prevalent natural products already discovered, ∼107 new soil-dwelling bacterial species must be screened to discover one new class of natural product. Therefore, instead of a third wave of antibacterial drug discovery, there is now a discovery bottleneck. Unlike natural products which are curated by billions of years of microbial antagonism, the vast synthetic chemical space still requires artificial curation through the therapeutics science of antibacterial drugs - a systematic understanding of how small molecules interact with bacterial physiology, effect desired phenotypes, and benefit the host. Bacterial molecular genetics can elucidate pathogen biology relevant to therapeutics development, but it can also be applied directly to understanding mechanisms and liabilities of new chemical agents with new mechanisms of action. Therefore, the next phase of antibacterial drug discovery could be enabled by integrating chemical expertise with systematic dissection of bacterial infection biology. Facing the ambitious endeavour to find new molecules from nature or new-to-nature which cure bacterial infections, the capabilities furnished by modern chemical biology and molecular genetics can be applied to prospecting for chemical modulators of new targets which circumvent prevalent resistance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah L Parkhill
- Systems Chemical Biology of Infection and Resistance Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, U.K
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, U.K
| | - Eachan O Johnson
- Systems Chemical Biology of Infection and Resistance Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, U.K
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, U.K
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College, London, U.K
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London, London, U.K
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Miller AH, Marks F, Chan L, Botella H, Schnappinger D, Ehrt S. Interruption of mycothiol synthesis and intracellular redox status impact iron-regulated reporter activation in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0048724. [PMID: 38860795 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00487-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Iron scavenging is required for full virulence of mycobacterial pathogens. During infection, the host immune response restricts mycobacterial access to iron, which is essential for bacterial respiration and DNA synthesis. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis iron-dependent regulator (IdeR) responds to changes in iron accessibility by repressing iron-uptake genes when iron is available. In contrast, iron-uptake gene transcription is induced when iron is depleted. The ideR gene is essential in M. tuberculosis and is required for bacterial growth. To further study how iron regulates transcription, wee developed an iron responsive reporter system that relies on an IdeR-regulated promoter to drive Cre and loxP mediated recombination in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Recombination leads to the expression of an antibiotic resistance gene so that mutations that activate the IdeR-regulated promoter can be selected. A transposon library in the background of this reporter system was exposed to media containing iron and hemin, and this resulted in the selection of mutants in the antioxidant mycothiol synthesis pathway. We validated that inactivation of the mycothiol synthesis gene mshA results in increased recombination and increased IdeR-regulated promoter activity in the reporter system. Further, we show that vitamin C, which has been shown to oxidize iron through the Fenton reaction, can decrease promoter activity in the mshA mutant. We conclude that the intracellular redox state balanced by mycothiol can alter IdeR activity in the presence of iron.IMPORTANCEMycobacterium smegmatis is a tractable organism to study mycobacterial gene regulation. We used M. smegmatis to construct a novel recombination-based reporter system that allows for the selection of mutations that deregulate a promoter of interest. Transposon mutagenesis and insertion sequencing (TnSeq) in the recombination reporter strain identified genes that impact iron regulated promoter activity in mycobacteria. We found that the mycothiol synthesis gene mshA is required for IdeR mediated transcriptional regulation by maintaining intracellular redox balance. By affecting the oxidative state of the intracellular environment, mycothiol can modulate iron-dependent transcriptional activity. Taken more broadly, this novel reporter system can be used in combination with transposon mutagenesis to identify genes that are required by Mycobacterium tuberculosis to overcome temporary or local changes in iron availability during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra H Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Frances Marks
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Molecular Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Luming Chan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Helene Botella
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dirk Schnappinger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sabine Ehrt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
- Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
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3
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Habjan E, Lepioshkin A, Charitou V, Egorova A, Kazakova E, Ho VQT, Bitter W, Makarov V, Speer A. Modulating mycobacterial envelope integrity for antibiotic synergy with benzothiazoles. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302509. [PMID: 38744470 PMCID: PMC11094368 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Developing effective tuberculosis drugs is hindered by mycobacteria's intrinsic antibiotic resistance because of their impermeable cell envelope. Using benzothiazole compounds, we aimed to increase mycobacterial cell envelope permeability and weaken the defenses of Mycobacterium marinum, serving as a model for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Initial hit, BT-08, significantly boosted ethidium bromide uptake, indicating enhanced membrane permeability. It also demonstrated efficacy in the M. marinum-zebrafish embryo infection model and M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages. Notably, BT-08 synergized with established antibiotics, including vancomycin and rifampicin. Subsequent medicinal chemistry optimization led to BT-37, a non-toxic and more potent derivative, also enhancing ethidium bromide uptake and maintaining synergy with rifampicin in infected zebrafish embryos. Mutants of M. marinum resistant to BT-37 revealed that MMAR_0407 (Rv0164) is the molecular target and that this target plays a role in the observed synergy and permeability. This study introduces novel compounds targeting a new mycobacterial vulnerability and highlights their cooperative and synergistic interactions with existing antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Habjan
- https://ror.org/00q6h8f30 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Alexander Lepioshkin
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Research Centre of Biotechnology RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Vicky Charitou
- https://ror.org/00q6h8f30 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anna Egorova
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Research Centre of Biotechnology RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Kazakova
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Research Centre of Biotechnology RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Vien QT Ho
- https://ror.org/00q6h8f30 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wilbert Bitter
- https://ror.org/00q6h8f30 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vadim Makarov
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Research Centre of Biotechnology RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Speer
- https://ror.org/00q6h8f30 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, Location VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Enright AL, Heelan WJ, Ward RD, Peters JM. CRISPRi functional genomics in bacteria and its application to medical and industrial research. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2024; 88:e0017022. [PMID: 38809084 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00170-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYFunctional genomics is the use of systematic gene perturbation approaches to determine the contributions of genes under conditions of interest. Although functional genomic strategies have been used in bacteria for decades, recent studies have taken advantage of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technologies, such as CRISPRi (CRISPR interference), that are capable of precisely modulating expression of all genes in the genome. Here, we discuss and review the use of CRISPRi and related technologies for bacterial functional genomics. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of CRISPRi as well as design considerations for CRISPRi genetic screens. We also review examples of how CRISPRi screens have defined relevant genetic targets for medical and industrial applications. Finally, we outline a few of the many possible directions that could be pursued using CRISPR-based functional genomics in bacteria. Our view is that the most exciting screens and discoveries are yet to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Enright
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - William J Heelan
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ryan D Ward
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jason M Peters
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Romano KP, Bagnall J, Warrier T, Sullivan J, Ferrara K, Orzechowski M, Nguyen P, Raines K, Livny J, Shoresh N, Hung D. Perturbation-Specific Transcriptional Mapping for unbiased target elucidation of antibiotics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.25.590978. [PMID: 38712067 PMCID: PMC11071498 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.25.590978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The rising prevalence of antibiotic resistance threatens human health. While more sophisticated strategies for antibiotic discovery are being developed, target elucidation of new chemical entities remains challenging. In the post-genomic era, expression profiling can play an important role in mechanism-of-action (MOA) prediction by reporting on the cellular response to perturbation. However, the broad application of transcriptomics has yet to fulfill its promise of transforming target elucidation due to challenges in identifying the most relevant, direct responses to target inhibition. We developed an unbiased strategy for MOA prediction, called Perturbation-Specific Transcriptional Mapping (PerSpecTM), in which large-throughput expression profiling of wildtype or hypomorphic mutants, depleted for essential targets, enables a computational strategy to address this challenge. We applied PerSpecTM to perform reference-based MOA prediction based on the principle that similar perturbations, whether chemical or genetic, will elicit similar transcriptional responses. Using this approach, we elucidated the MOAs of three new molecules with activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by comparing their expression profiles to those of a reference set of antimicrobial compounds with known MOAs. We also show that transcriptional responses to small molecule inhibition resemble those resulting from genetic depletion of essential targets by CRISPRi by PerSpecTM, demonstrating proof-of-concept that correlations between expression profiles of small molecule and genetic perturbations can facilitate MOA prediction when no chemical entities exist to serve as a reference. Empowered by PerSpecTM, this work lays the foundation for an unbiased, readily scalable, systematic reference-based strategy for MOA elucidation that could transform antibiotic discovery efforts.
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Mulholland CV, Wiggins TJ, Cui J, Vilchèze C, Rajagopalan S, Shultis MW, Reyes-Fernández EZ, Jacobs WR, Berney M. Propionate prevents loss of the PDIM virulence lipid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:1607-1618. [PMID: 38740932 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01697-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM) is an essential virulence lipid of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In vitro culturing rapidly selects for spontaneous PDIM-negative mutants that have attenuated virulence and increased cell wall permeability, thus impacting the relevance of experimental findings. PDIM loss can also reduce the efficacy of the BCG Pasteur vaccine. Here we show that vancomycin susceptibility can rapidly screen for M. tuberculosis PDIM production. We find that metabolic deficiency of methylmalonyl-CoA impedes the growth of PDIM-producing bacilli, selecting for PDIM-negative variants. Supplementation with odd-chain fatty acids, cholesterol or vitamin B12 restores PDIM-positive bacterial growth. Specifically, we show that propionate supplementation enhances PDIM-producing bacterial growth and selects against PDIM-negative mutants, analogous to in vivo conditions. Our study provides a simple approach to screen for and maintain PDIM production, and reveals how discrepancies between the host and in vitro nutrient environments can attenuate bacterial pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire V Mulholland
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thomas J Wiggins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jinhua Cui
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Catherine Vilchèze
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Saranathan Rajagopalan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael W Shultis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - William R Jacobs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Berney
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Stanley S, Spaulding CN, Liu Q, Chase MR, Ha DTM, Thai PVK, Lan NH, Thu DDA, Quang NL, Brown J, Hicks ND, Wang X, Marin M, Howard NC, Vickers AJ, Karpinski WM, Chao MC, Farhat MR, Caws M, Dunstan SJ, Thuong NTT, Fortune SM. Identification of bacterial determinants of tuberculosis infection and treatment outcomes: a phenogenomic analysis of clinical strains. THE LANCET. MICROBE 2024; 5:e570-e580. [PMID: 38734030 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-5247(24)00022-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacterial diversity could contribute to the diversity of tuberculosis infection and treatment outcomes observed clinically, but the biological basis of this association is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify associations between phenogenomic variation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and tuberculosis clinical features. METHODS We developed a high-throughput platform to define phenotype-genotype relationships in M tuberculosis clinical isolates, which we tested on a set of 158 drug-sensitive M tuberculosis strains sampled from a large tuberculosis clinical study in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. We tagged the strains with unique genetic barcodes in multiplicate, allowing us to pool the strains for in-vitro competitive fitness assays across 16 host-relevant antibiotic and metabolic conditions. Relative fitness was quantified by deep sequencing, enumerating output barcode read counts relative to input normalised values. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify phylogenetically linked and monogenic mutations associated with the in-vitro fitness phenotypes. These genetic determinants were further associated with relevant clinical outcomes (cavitary disease and treatment failure) by calculating odds ratios (ORs) with binomial logistic regressions. We also assessed the population-level transmission of strains associated with cavitary disease and treatment failure using terminal branch length analysis of the phylogenetic data. FINDINGS M tuberculosis clinical strains had diverse growth characteristics in host-like metabolic and drug conditions. These fitness phenotypes were highly heritable, and we identified monogenic and phylogenetically linked variants associated with the fitness phenotypes. These data enabled us to define two genetic features that were associated with clinical outcomes. First, mutations in Rv1339, a phosphodiesterase, which were associated with slow growth in glycerol, were further associated with treatment failure (OR 5·34, 95% CI 1·21-23·58, p=0·027). Second, we identified a phenotypically distinct slow-growing subclade of lineage 1 strains (L1.1.1.1) that was associated with cavitary disease (OR 2·49, 1·11-5·59, p=0·027) and treatment failure (OR 4·76, 1·53-14·78, p=0·0069), and which had shorter terminal branch lengths on the phylogenetic tree, suggesting increased transmission. INTERPRETATION Slow growth under various antibiotic and metabolic conditions served as in-vitro intermediate phenotypes underlying the association between M tuberculosis monogenic and phylogenetically linked mutations and outcomes such as cavitary disease, treatment failure, and transmission potential. These data suggest that M tuberculosis growth regulation is an adaptive advantage for bacterial success in human populations, at least in some circumstances. These data further suggest markers for the underlying bacterial processes that contribute to these clinical outcomes. FUNDING National Health and Medical Research Council/A∗STAR, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Wellcome Trust Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Stanley
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caitlin N Spaulding
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qingyun Liu
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael R Chase
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Do Dang Anh Thu
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Nguyen Le Quang
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
| | - Jessica Brown
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathan D Hicks
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maximillian Marin
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicole C Howard
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew J Vickers
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wiktor M Karpinski
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael C Chao
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maha R Farhat
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxine Caws
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK; Birat Nepal Medical Trust, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Sarah J Dunstan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Nguyen Thuy Thuong Thuong
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah M Fortune
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Jowsey WJ, Cook GM, McNeil MB. Antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis alters tolerance to cell wall-targeting inhibitors. JAC Antimicrob Resist 2024; 6:dlae086. [PMID: 38836195 PMCID: PMC11148391 DOI: 10.1093/jacamr/dlae086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background A limited ability to eliminate drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major contributor to the morbidity of TB. Complicating this problem, little is known about how drug resistance-conferring mutations alter the ability of M. tuberculosis to tolerate antibiotic killing. Here, we investigated if drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis have an altered ability to tolerate killing by cell wall-targeting inhibitors. Methods Bacterial killing and MIC assays were used to test for antibiotic tolerance and synergy against a panel of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Results Our results demonstrate that vancomycin and thioacetazone exhibit increased killing of diverse drug-resistant strains. Mutations in mmaA4 and mmpL3 increased vancomycin killing, which was consistent with vancomycin synergizing with thioacetazone and MmpL3-targeting inhibitors. In contrast, mutations in the mce1 operon conferred tolerance to vancomycin. Conclusions Overall, this work demonstrates how drug-resistant strains experience perturbations in cell-wall production that alters their tolerance to killing by cell wall-targeting inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Jowsey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Gregory M Cook
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Matthew B McNeil
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Singh M, Dhanwal A, Verma A, Augustin L, Kumari N, Chakraborti S, Agarwal N, Sriram D, Dey RJ. Discovery of potent antimycobacterial agents targeting lumazine synthase (RibH) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12170. [PMID: 38806590 PMCID: PMC11133327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63051-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a global health crisis, necessitating urgent interventions to address drug resistance and improve treatment efficacy. In this study, we validate lumazine synthase (RibH), a vital enzyme in the riboflavin biosynthetic pathway, as a potential drug target against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) using a CRISPRi-based conditional gene knockdown strategy. We employ a high-throughput molecular docking approach to screen ~ 600,000 compounds targeting RibH. Through in vitro screening of 55 shortlisted compounds, we discover 3 compounds that exhibit potent antimycobacterial activity. These compounds also reduce intracellular burden of M. tb during macrophage infection and prevent the resuscitation of the nutrient-starved persister bacteria. Moreover, these three compounds enhance the bactericidal effect of first-line anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. Corroborating with the in silico predicted high docking scores along with favourable ADME and toxicity profiles, all three compounds demonstrate binding affinity towards purified lumazine synthase enzyme in vitro, in addition these compounds exhibit riboflavin displacement in an in vitro assay with purified lumazine synthase indicative of specificity of these compounds to the active site. Further, treatment of M. tb with these compounds indicate reduced production of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), the ultimate end product of the riboflavin biosynthetic pathway suggesting the action of these drugs on riboflavin biosynthesis. These compounds also show acceptable safety profile in mammalian cells, with a high selective index. Hence, our study validates RibH as an important drug target against M. tb and identifies potent antimycobacterial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500078, India
| | - Anannya Dhanwal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500078, India
| | - Arpita Verma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500078, India
| | - Linus Augustin
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Niti Kumari
- National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, Telangana, 500032, India
| | - Soumyananda Chakraborti
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500078, India
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Nisheeth Agarwal
- Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Dharmarajan Sriram
- Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500078, India
| | - Ruchi Jain Dey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500078, India.
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Islam T, Josephs EA. Genome editing outcomes reveal mycobacterial NucS participates in a short-patch repair of DNA mismatches. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae402. [PMID: 38747340 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In the canonical DNA mismatch repair (MMR) mechanism in bacteria, if a nucleotide is incorrectly mis-paired with the template strand during replication, the resulting repair of this mis-pair can result in the degradation and re-synthesis of hundreds or thousands of nucleotides on the newly-replicated strand (long-patch repair). While mycobacteria, which include important pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, lack the otherwise highly-conserved enzymes required for the canonical MMR reaction, it was found that disruption of a mycobacterial mismatch-sensitive endonuclease NucS results in a hyper-mutative phenotype, leading to the idea that NucS might be involved in a cryptic, independently-evolved DNA MMR mechanism, perhaps mediated by homologous recombination (HR) with a sister chromatid. Using oligonucleotide recombination, which allows us to introduce mismatches specifically into the genomes of a model for M. tuberculosis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, we find that NucS participates in a direct repair of DNA mismatches where the patch of excised nucleotides is largely confined to within ∼5-6 bp of the mis-paired nucleotides, which is inconsistent with mechanistic models of canonical mycobacterial HR or other double-strand break (DSB) repair reactions. The results presented provide evidence of a novel NucS-associated mycobacterial MMR mechanism occurring in vivo to regulate genetic mutations in mycobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanjina Islam
- Department of Nanoscience, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27401, USA
| | - Eric A Josephs
- Department of Nanoscience, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27401, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27401, USA
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11
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Won HI, Zinga S, Kandror O, Akopian T, Wolf ID, Schweber JTP, Schmid EW, Chao MC, Waldor M, Rubin EJ, Zhu J. Targeted protein degradation in mycobacteria uncovers antibacterial effects and potentiates antibiotic efficacy. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4065. [PMID: 38744895 PMCID: PMC11094019 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48506-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) represent a new therapeutic modality involving selectively directing disease-causing proteins for degradation through proteolytic systems. Our ability to exploit targeted protein degradation (TPD) for antibiotic development remains nascent due to our limited understanding of which bacterial proteins are amenable to a TPD strategy. Here, we use a genetic system to model chemically-induced proximity and degradation to screen essential proteins in Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msm), a model for the human pathogen M. tuberculosis (Mtb). By integrating experimental screening of 72 protein candidates and machine learning, we find that drug-induced proximity to the bacterial ClpC1P1P2 proteolytic complex leads to the degradation of many endogenous proteins, especially those with disordered termini. Additionally, TPD of essential Msm proteins inhibits bacterial growth and potentiates the effects of existing antimicrobial compounds. Together, our results provide biological principles to select and evaluate attractive targets for future Mtb PROTAC development, as both standalone antibiotics and potentiators of existing antibiotic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harim I Won
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Samuel Zinga
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Olga Kandror
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Tatos Akopian
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ian D Wolf
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jessica T P Schweber
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ernst W Schmid
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Blavatnik Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Michael C Chao
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Maya Waldor
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Eric J Rubin
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Junhao Zhu
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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12
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Boshoff HIM, Young K, Ahn YM, Yadav VD, Crowley BM, Yang L, Su J, Oh S, Arora K, Andrews J, Manikkam M, Sutphin M, Smith AJ, Weiner DM, Piazza MK, Fleegle JD, Gomez F, Dayao EK, Prideaux B, Zimmerman M, Kaya F, Sarathy J, Tan VY, Via LE, Tschirret-Guth R, Lenaerts AJ, Robertson GT, Dartois V, Olsen DB, Barry CE. Mtb-Selective 5-Aminomethyl Oxazolidinone Prodrugs: Robust Potency and Potential Liabilities. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1679-1695. [PMID: 38581700 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Linezolid is a drug with proven human antitubercular activity whose use is limited to highly drug-resistant patients because of its toxicity. This toxicity is related to its mechanism of action─linezolid inhibits protein synthesis in both bacteria and eukaryotic mitochondria. A highly selective and potent series of oxazolidinones, bearing a 5-aminomethyl moiety (in place of the typical 5-acetamidomethyl moiety of linezolid), was identified. Linezolid-resistant mutants were cross-resistant to these molecules but not vice versa. Resistance to the 5-aminomethyl molecules mapped to an N-acetyl transferase (Rv0133) and these mutants remained fully linezolid susceptible. Purified Rv0133 was shown to catalyze the transformation of the 5-aminomethyl oxazolidinones to their corresponding N-acetylated metabolites, and this transformation was also observed in live cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mammalian mitochondria, which lack an appropriate N-acetyltransferase to activate these prodrugs, were not susceptible to inhibition with the 5-aminomethyl analogues. Several compounds that were more potent than linezolid were taken into C3HeB/FeJ mice and were shown to be highly efficacious, and one of these (9) was additionally taken into marmosets and found to be highly active. Penetration of these 5-aminomethyl oxazolidinone prodrugs into caseum was excellent. Unfortunately, these compounds were rapidly converted into the corresponding 5-alcohols by mammalian metabolism which retained antimycobacterial activity but resulted in substantial mitotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena I M Boshoff
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Katherine Young
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Yong-Mo Ahn
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Veena D Yadav
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | | | - Lihu Yang
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jing Su
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Sangmi Oh
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Kriti Arora
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Jenna Andrews
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Michelle Manikkam
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Michelle Sutphin
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Anthony J Smith
- Mycobacterial Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Ft Collins, Colorado 80521, United States
| | - Danielle M Weiner
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Michaela K Piazza
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Joel D Fleegle
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Felipe Gomez
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Emmannual K Dayao
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Brendan Prideaux
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Matthew Zimmerman
- Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery & Innovation, Nutley, New Jersey 07110, United States
| | - Firat Kaya
- Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery & Innovation, Nutley, New Jersey 07110, United States
| | - Jansy Sarathy
- Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery & Innovation, Nutley, New Jersey 07110, United States
| | - Vee Yang Tan
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Laura E Via
- Tuberculosis Imaging Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Insititute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Insititutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | | | - Anne J Lenaerts
- Mycobacterial Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Ft Collins, Colorado 80521, United States
| | - Gregory T Robertson
- Mycobacterial Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Ft Collins, Colorado 80521, United States
| | - Véronique Dartois
- Mycobacterial Research Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Ft Collins, Colorado 80521, United States
| | - David B Olsen
- Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Clifton E Barry
- Tuberculosis Research Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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13
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Negatu DA, Aragaw WW, Dartois V, Dick T. A pairwise approach to revitalize β-lactams for the treatment of TB. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024:e0003424. [PMID: 38690896 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00034-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The dual β-lactam approach has been successfully applied to overcome target redundancy in nontuberculous mycobacteria. Surprisingly, this approach has not been leveraged for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, despite the high conservation of peptidoglycan synthesis. Through a comprehensive screen of oral β-lactam pairs, we have discovered that cefuroxime strongly potentiates the bactericidal activity of tebipenem and sulopenem-advanced clinical candidates-and amoxicillin, at concentrations achieved clinically. β-lactam pairs thus have the potential to reduce TB treatment duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dereje A Negatu
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Wassihun Wedajo Aragaw
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Véronique Dartois
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
| | - Thomas Dick
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
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14
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Choudhery S, DeJesus MA, Srinivasan A, Rock J, Schnappinger D, Ioerger TR. A dose-response model for statistical analysis of chemical genetic interactions in CRISPRi screens. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011408. [PMID: 38768228 PMCID: PMC11104602 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
An important application of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) technology is for identifying chemical-genetic interactions (CGIs). Discovery of genes that interact with exposure to antibiotics can yield insights to drug targets and mechanisms of action or resistance. The objective is to identify CRISPRi mutants whose relative abundance is suppressed (or enriched) in the presence of a drug when the target protein is depleted, reflecting synergistic behavior. Different sgRNAs for a given target can induce a wide range of protein depletion and differential effects on growth rate. The effect of sgRNA strength can be partially predicted based on sequence features. However, the actual growth phenotype depends on the sensitivity of cells to depletion of the target protein. For essential genes, sgRNA efficiency can be empirically measured by quantifying effects on growth rate. We observe that the most efficient sgRNAs are not always optimal for detecting synergies with drugs. sgRNA efficiency interacts in a non-linear way with drug sensitivity, producing an effect where the concentration-dependence is maximized for sgRNAs of intermediate strength (and less so for sgRNAs that induce too much or too little target depletion). To capture this interaction, we propose a novel statistical method called CRISPRi-DR (for Dose-Response model) that incorporates both sgRNA efficiencies and drug concentrations in a modified dose-response equation. We use CRISPRi-DR to re-analyze data from a recent CGI experiment in Mycobacterium tuberculosis to identify genes that interact with antibiotics. This approach can be generalized to non-CGI datasets, which we show via an CRISPRi dataset for E. coli growth on different carbon sources. The performance is competitive with the best of several related analytical methods. However, for noisier datasets, some of these methods generate far more significant interactions, likely including many false positives, whereas CRISPRi-DR maintains higher precision, which we observed in both empirical and simulated data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeevani Choudhery
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Michael A. DeJesus
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Aarthi Srinivasan
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeremy Rock
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Dirk Schnappinger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Thomas R. Ioerger
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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15
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Dartois V, Dick T. Therapeutic developments for tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2024; 23:381-403. [PMID: 38418662 PMCID: PMC11078618 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-024-00897-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery and development has undergone nothing short of a revolution over the past 20 years. Successful public-private partnerships and sustained funding have delivered a much-improved understanding of mycobacterial disease biology and pharmacology and a healthy pipeline that can tolerate inevitable attrition. Preclinical and clinical development has evolved from decade-old concepts to adaptive designs that permit rapid evaluation of regimens that might greatly shorten treatment duration over the next decade. But the past 20 years also saw the rise of a fatal and difficult-to-cure lung disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), for which the drug development pipeline is nearly empty. Here, we discuss the similarities and differences between TB and NTM lung diseases, compare the preclinical and clinical advances, and identify major knowledge gaps and areas of cross-fertilization. We argue that applying paradigms and networks that have proved successful for TB, from basic research to clinical trials, will help to populate the pipeline and accelerate curative regimen development for NTM disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Dartois
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, NJ, USA.
- Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA.
| | - Thomas Dick
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health, Nutley, NJ, USA
- Department of Medical Sciences, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
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16
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Gager C, Flores-Mireles AL. Blunted blades: new CRISPR-derived technologies to dissect microbial multi-drug resistance and biofilm formation. mSphere 2024; 9:e0064223. [PMID: 38511958 PMCID: PMC11036814 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00642-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The spread of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens has rapidly outpaced the development of effective treatments. Diverse resistance mechanisms further limit the effectiveness of our best treatments, including multi-drug regimens and last line-of-defense antimicrobials. Biofilm formation is a powerful component of microbial pathogenesis, providing a scaffold for efficient colonization and shielding against anti-microbials, which further complicates drug resistance studies. Early genetic knockout tools didn't allow the study of essential genes, but clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat inference (CRISPRi) technologies have overcome this challenge via genetic silencing. These tools rapidly evolved to meet new demands and exploit native CRISPR systems. Modern tools range from the creation of massive CRISPRi libraries to tunable modulation of gene expression with CRISPR activation (CRISPRa). This review discusses the rapid expansion of CRISPRi/a-based technologies, their use in investigating MDR and biofilm formation, and how this drives further development of a potent tool to comprehensively examine multi-drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Gager
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Ana L. Flores-Mireles
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
- W. M. Keck Center for Transgene Research, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
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17
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Poulton NC, DeJesus MA, Munsamy-Govender V, Kanai M, Roberts CG, Azadian ZA, Bosch B, Lin KM, Li S, Rock JM. Beyond antibiotic resistance: The whiB7 transcription factor coordinates an adaptive response to alanine starvation in mycobacteria. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:669-682.e7. [PMID: 38266648 PMCID: PMC11031301 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Pathogenic mycobacteria are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The conserved whiB7 stress response reduces the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy by activating several intrinsic antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Despite our comprehensive biochemical understanding of WhiB7, the complex set of signals that induce whiB7 expression remain less clear. We employed a reporter-based, genome-wide CRISPRi epistasis screen to identify a diverse set of 150 mycobacterial genes whose inhibition results in constitutive whiB7 expression. We show that whiB7 expression is determined by the amino acid composition of the 5' regulatory uORF, thereby allowing whiB7 to sense amino acid starvation. Although deprivation of many amino acids can induce whiB7, whiB7 specifically coordinates an adaptive response to alanine starvation by engaging in a feedback loop with the alanine biosynthetic enzyme, aspC. These findings describe a metabolic function for whiB7 and help explain its evolutionary conservation across mycobacterial species occupying diverse ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas C Poulton
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael A DeJesus
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Mariko Kanai
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Cameron G Roberts
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zachary A Azadian
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Barbara Bosch
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karl Matthew Lin
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shuqi Li
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeremy M Rock
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
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18
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Xiong XS, Zhang XD, Yan JW, Huang TT, Liu ZZ, Li ZK, Wang L, Li F. Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resistance to Common Antibiotics: An Overview of Current Methods and Techniques. Infect Drug Resist 2024; 17:1491-1506. [PMID: 38628245 PMCID: PMC11020249 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s457308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is an essential cause of tuberculosis treatment failure and death of tuberculosis patients. The rapid and reliable profiling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) drug resistance in the early stage is a critical research area for public health. Then, most traditional approaches for detecting MTB are time-consuming and costly, leading to the inappropriate therapeutic schedule resting on the ambiguous information of MTB drug resistance, increasing patient economic burden, morbidity, and mortality. Therefore, novel diagnosis methods are frequently required to meet the emerging challenges of MTB drug resistance distinguish. Considering the difficulty in treating MDR-TB, it is urgently required for the development of rapid and accurate methods in the identification of drug resistance profiles of MTB in clinical diagnosis. This review discussed recent advances in MTB drug resistance detection, focusing on developing emerging approaches and their applications in tangled clinical situations. In particular, a brief overview of antibiotic resistance to MTB was present, referred to as intrinsic bacterial resistance, consisting of cell wall barriers and efflux pumping action and acquired resistance caused by genetic mutations. Then, different drug susceptibility test (DST) methods were described, including phenotype DST, genotype DST and novel DST methods. The phenotype DST includes nitrate reductase assay, RocheTM solid ratio method, and liquid culture method and genotype DST includes fluorescent PCR, GeneXpert, PCR reverse dot hybridization, ddPCR, next-generation sequencing and gene chips. Then, novel DST methods were described, including metabolism testing, cell-free DNA probe, CRISPR assay, and spectral analysis technique. The limitations, challenges, and perspectives of different techniques for drug resistance are also discussed. These methods significantly improve the detection sensitivity and accuracy of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MRT) and can effectively curb the incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and accelerate the process of tuberculosis eradication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Song Xiong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Huai’an Hospital of Yangzhou University, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Huai’an, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xue-Di Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xuzhou Infectious Diseases Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jia-Wei Yan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Xuzhou Infectious Diseases Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ting-Ting Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Huai’an Hospital of Yangzhou University, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Huai’an, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhan-Zhong Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xuzhou Infectious Diseases Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zheng-Kang Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Liang Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fen Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Huai’an Hospital of Yangzhou University, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Huai’an, Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China
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19
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He P, Zhao B, He W, Song Z, Pei S, Liu D, Xia H, Wang S, Ou X, Zheng Y, Zhou Y, Song Y, Wang Y, Cao X, Xing R, Zhao Y. Impact of MSMEG5257 Deletion on Mycolicibacterium smegmatis Growth. Microorganisms 2024; 12:770. [PMID: 38674714 PMCID: PMC11052289 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterial membrane proteins play a pivotal role in the bacterial invasion of host cells; however, the precise mechanisms underlying certain membrane proteins remain elusive. Mycolicibacterium smegmatis (Ms) msmeg5257 is a hemolysin III family protein that is homologous to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) Rv1085c, but it has an unclear function in growth. To address this issue, we utilized the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editor to construct Δmsmeg5257 strains and combined RNA transcription and LC-MS/MS protein profiling to determine the functional role of msmeg5257 in Ms growth. The correlative analysis showed that the deletion of msmeg5257 inhibits ABC transporters in the cytomembrane and inhibits the biosynthesis of amino acids in the cell wall. Corresponding to these results, we confirmed that MSMEG5257 localizes in the cytomembrane via subcellular fractionation and also plays a role in facilitating the transport of iron ions in environments with low iron levels. Our data provide insights that msmeg5257 plays a role in maintaining Ms metabolic homeostasis, and the deletion of msmeg5257 significantly impacts the growth rate of Ms. Furthermore, msmeg5257, a promising drug target, offers a direction for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against mycobacterial diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping He
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Bing Zhao
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Wencong He
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Zexuan Song
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Shaojun Pei
- School of Public Health, Peking University, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China;
| | - Dongxin Liu
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Hui Xia
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Shengfen Wang
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Xichao Ou
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Yang Zheng
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Yang Zhou
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Yuanyuan Song
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Yiting Wang
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Xiaolong Cao
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Ruida Xing
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
| | - Yanlin Zhao
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping District, Beijing 102206, China; (P.H.); (B.Z.); (W.H.); (Z.S.); (D.L.); (H.X.); (S.W.); (X.O.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Z.); (Y.S.); (Y.W.); (X.C.); (R.X.)
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20
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Bei C, Zhu J, Culviner PH, Gan M, Rubin EJ, Fortune SM, Gao Q, Liu Q. Genetically encoded transcriptional plasticity underlies stress adaptation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3088. [PMID: 38600064 PMCID: PMC11006872 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47410-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation is a critical adaptive mechanism that allows bacteria to respond to changing environments, yet the concept of transcriptional plasticity (TP) - the variability of gene expression in response to environmental changes - remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigate the genome-wide TP profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genes by analyzing 894 RNA sequencing samples derived from 73 different environmental conditions. Our data reveal that Mtb genes exhibit significant TP variation that correlates with gene function and gene essentiality. We also find that critical genetic features, such as gene length, GC content, and operon size independently impose constraints on TP, beyond trans-regulation. By extending our analysis to include two other Mycobacterium species -- M. smegmatis and M. abscessus -- we demonstrate a striking conservation of the TP landscape. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the TP exhibited by mycobacteria genes, shedding light on this significant, yet understudied, genetic feature encoded in bacterial genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Bei
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Science, Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junhao Zhu
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peter H Culviner
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mingyu Gan
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, 201102, Shanghai, China
| | - Eric J Rubin
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sarah M Fortune
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qian Gao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), School of Basic Medical Science, Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Qingyun Liu
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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21
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Eckartt KA, Delbeau M, Munsamy-Govender V, DeJesus MA, Azadian ZA, Reddy AK, Chandanani J, Poulton NC, Quiñones-Garcia S, Bosch B, Landick R, Campbell EA, Rock JM. Compensatory evolution in NusG improves fitness of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis. Nature 2024; 628:186-194. [PMID: 38509362 PMCID: PMC10990936 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07206-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Drug-resistant bacteria are emerging as a global threat, despite frequently being less fit than their drug-susceptible ancestors1-8. Here we sought to define the mechanisms that drive or buffer the fitness cost of rifampicin resistance (RifR) in the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Rifampicin inhibits RNA polymerase (RNAP) and is a cornerstone of modern short-course tuberculosis therapy9,10. However, RifR Mtb accounts for one-quarter of all deaths due to drug-resistant bacteria11,12. We took a comparative functional genomics approach to define processes that are differentially vulnerable to CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) inhibition in RifR Mtb. Among other hits, we found that the universally conserved transcription factor NusG is crucial for the fitness of RifR Mtb. In contrast to its role in Escherichia coli, Mtb NusG has an essential RNAP pro-pausing function mediated by distinct contacts with RNAP and the DNA13. We find this pro-pausing NusG-RNAP interface to be under positive selection in clinical RifR Mtb isolates. Mutations in the NusG-RNAP interface reduce pro-pausing activity and increase fitness of RifR Mtb. Collectively, these results define excessive RNAP pausing as a molecular mechanism that drives the fitness cost of RifR in Mtb, identify a new mechanism of compensation to overcome this cost, suggest rational approaches to exacerbate the fitness cost, and, more broadly, could inform new therapeutic approaches to develop drug combinations to slow the evolution of RifR in Mtb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A Eckartt
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Madeleine Delbeau
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Michael A DeJesus
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zachary A Azadian
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Abhijna K Reddy
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joshua Chandanani
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicholas C Poulton
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Barbara Bosch
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert Landick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Campbell
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Jeremy M Rock
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
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22
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Shi L, Gu R, Long J, Duan G, Yang H. Application of CRISPR-cas-based technology for the identification of tuberculosis, drug discovery and vaccine development. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:466. [PMID: 38551745 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09424-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), which caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and continues to be a major public health burden for the global community. Despite being the only globally licenced prophylactic vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has multiple deficiencies, and effective diagnostic and therapeutic options are limited. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas (CRISPR-associated proteins) is an adaptive immune system that is found in bacteria and has great potential for the development of novel antituberculosis drugs and vaccines. In addition, CRISPR-Cas is currently recognized as a prospective tool for the development of therapies for TB infection with potential diagnostic and therapeutic value, and CRISPR-Cas may become a viable tool for eliminating TB in the future. Herein, we systematically summarize the current applications of CRISPR-Cas-based technology for TB detection and its potential roles in drug discovery and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqin Shi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 of Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Ruiqi Gu
- School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jinzhao Long
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 of Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Guangcai Duan
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 of Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Haiyan Yang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 of Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
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23
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Nijland M, Lefebvre SN, Thangaratnarajah C, Slotboom DJ. Bidirectional ATP-driven transport of cobalamin by the mycobacterial ABC transporter BacA. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2626. [PMID: 38521790 PMCID: PMC10960864 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46917-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BacA is a mycobacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter involved in the translocation of water-soluble compounds across the lipid bilayer. Whole-cell-based assays have shown that BacA imports cobalamin as well as unrelated hydrophilic compounds such as the antibiotic bleomycin and the antimicrobial peptide Bac7 into the cytoplasm. Surprisingly, there are indications that BacA also mediates the export of different antibacterial compounds, which is difficult to reconcile with the notion that ABC transporters generally operate in a strictly unidirectional manner. Here we resolve this conundrum by developing a fluorescence-based transport assay to monitor the transport of cobalamin across liposomal membranes. We find that BacA transports cobalamin in both the import and export direction. This highly unusual bidirectionality suggests that BacA is mechanistically distinct from other ABC transporters and facilitates ATP-driven diffusion, a function that may be important for the evolvability of specific transporters, and may bring competitive advantages to microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Nijland
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Groningen, Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Membrane Enzymology Group, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Solène N Lefebvre
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Groningen, Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Membrane Enzymology Group, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Chancievan Thangaratnarajah
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Groningen, Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Membrane Enzymology Group, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Sosei Heptares, Steinmetz Building, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6DG, UK
| | - Dirk J Slotboom
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Groningen, Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, Membrane Enzymology Group, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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24
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Farhat M, Cox H, Ghanem M, Denkinger CM, Rodrigues C, Abd El Aziz MS, Enkh-Amgalan H, Vambe D, Ugarte-Gil C, Furin J, Pai M. Drug-resistant tuberculosis: a persistent global health concern. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024:10.1038/s41579-024-01025-1. [PMID: 38519618 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01025-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is estimated to cause 13% of all antimicrobial resistance-attributable deaths worldwide and is driven by both ongoing resistance acquisition and person-to-person transmission. Poor outcomes are exacerbated by late diagnosis and inadequate access to effective treatment. Advances in rapid molecular testing have recently improved the diagnosis of TB and drug resistance. Next-generation sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has increased our understanding of genetic resistance mechanisms and can now detect mutations associated with resistance phenotypes. All-oral, shorter drug regimens that can achieve high cure rates of drug-resistant TB within 6-9 months are now available and recommended but have yet to be scaled to global clinical use. Promising regimens for the prevention of drug-resistant TB among high-risk contacts are supported by early clinical trial data but final results are pending. A person-centred approach is crucial in managing drug-resistant TB to reduce the risk of poor treatment outcomes, side effects, stigma and mental health burden associated with the diagnosis. In this Review, we describe current surveillance of drug-resistant TB and the causes, risk factors and determinants of drug resistance as well as the stigma and mental health considerations associated with it. We discuss recent advances in diagnostics and drug-susceptibility testing and outline the progress in developing better treatment and preventive therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha Farhat
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Helen Cox
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Division of Medical Microbiology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Marwan Ghanem
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claudia M Denkinger
- Division of Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Mirna S Abd El Aziz
- Division of Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Debrah Vambe
- National TB Control Programme, Manzini, Eswatini
| | - Cesar Ugarte-Gil
- School of Public and Population Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jennifer Furin
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Madhukar Pai
- McGill International TB Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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25
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Harrison GA, Wang ER, Cho K, Mreyoud Y, Sarkar S, Almqvist F, Patti GJ, Stallings CL. Inducing vulnerability to InhA inhibition restores isoniazid susceptibility in drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. mBio 2024; 15:e0296823. [PMID: 38294237 PMCID: PMC10936210 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02968-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Of the approximately 10 million cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections each year, over 10% are resistant to the frontline antibiotic isoniazid (INH). INH resistance is predominantly caused by mutations that decrease the activity of the bacterial enzyme KatG, which mediates the conversion of the pro-drug INH to its active form INH-NAD. We previously discovered an inhibitor of Mtb respiration, C10, that enhances the bactericidal activity of INH, prevents the emergence of INH-resistant mutants, and re-sensitizes a collection of INH-resistant mutants to INH through an unknown mechanism. To investigate the mechanism of action of C10, we exploited the toxicity of high concentrations of C10 to select for resistant mutants. We discovered two mutations that confer resistance to the disruption of energy metabolism and allow for the growth of Mtb in high C10 concentrations, indicating that growth inhibition by C10 is associated with inhibition of respiration. Using these mutants as well as direct inhibitors of the Mtb electron transport chain, we provide evidence that inhibition of energy metabolism by C10 is neither sufficient nor necessary to potentiate killing by INH. Instead, we find that C10 acts downstream of INH-NAD synthesis, causing Mtb to become particularly sensitive to inhibition of the INH-NAD target, InhA, without changing the concentration of INH-NAD or the activity of InhA, the two predominant mechanisms of potentiating INH. Our studies revealed that there exists a vulnerability in Mtb that can be exploited to render Mtb sensitive to otherwise subinhibitory concentrations of InhA inhibitor.IMPORTANCEIsoniazid (INH) is a critical frontline antibiotic to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections. INH efficacy is limited by its suboptimal penetration of the Mtb-containing lesion and by the prevalence of clinical INH resistance. We previously discovered a compound, C10, that enhances the bactericidal activity of INH, prevents the emergence of INH-resistant mutants, and re-sensitizes a set of INH-resistant mutants to INH. Resistance is typically mediated by katG mutations that decrease the activation of INH, which is required for INH to inhibit the essential enzyme InhA. Our current work demonstrates that C10 re-sensitizes INH-resistant katG-hypomorphs without enhancing the activation of INH. We furthermore show that C10 causes Mtb to become particularly vulnerable to InhA inhibition without compromising InhA activity on its own. Therefore, C10 represents a novel strategy to curtail the development of INH resistance and to sensitize Mtb to sub-lethal doses of INH, such as those achieved at the infection site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A. Harrison
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Erin R. Wang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Kevin Cho
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Metabolomics and Isotope Tracing, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yassin Mreyoud
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Souvik Sarkar
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Almqvist
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, UCMR, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Gary J. Patti
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Metabolomics and Isotope Tracing, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Christina L. Stallings
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Center for Women’s Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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26
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Sodani M, Misra CS, Nigam G, Fatima Z, Kulkarni S, Rath D. MSMEG_0311 is a conserved essential polar protein involved in mycobacterium cell wall metabolism. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 260:129583. [PMID: 38242409 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Cell wall synthesis and cell division are two closely linked pathways in a bacterial cell which distinctly influence the growth and survival of a bacterium. This requires an appreciable coordination between the two processes, more so, in case of mycobacteria with an intricate multi-layered cell wall structure. In this study, we investigated a conserved gene cluster using CRISPR-Cas12 based gene silencing technology to show that knockdown of most of the genes in this cluster leads to growth defects. Investigating conserved genes is important as they likely perform vital cellular functions and the functional insights on such genes can be extended to other mycobacterial species. We characterised one of the genes in the locus, MSMEG_0311. The repression of this gene not only imparts severe growth defect but also changes colony morphology. We demonstrate that the protein preferentially localises to the polar region and investigate its influence on the polar growth of the bacillus. A combination of permeability and drug susceptibility assay strongly suggests a cell wall associated function of this gene which is also corroborated by transcriptomic analysis of the knockdown where a number of cell wall associated genes, particularly iniA and sigF regulon get altered. Considering the gene is highly conserved across mycobacterial species and appears to be essential for growth, it may serve as a potential drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Sodani
- Radiation Medicine Centre, Medical Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, Maharashtra, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, Maharashtra, India
| | - Chitra S Misra
- Applied Genomics Section, Bio-Science Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, Maharashtra, India
| | - Gaurav Nigam
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram, India
| | - Zeeshan Fatima
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram, India; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Savita Kulkarni
- Radiation Medicine Centre, Medical Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, Maharashtra, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Devashish Rath
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, Maharashtra, India; Applied Genomics Section, Bio-Science Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, Maharashtra, India.
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27
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Ward RD, Tran JS, Banta AB, Bacon EE, Rose WE, Peters JM. Essential gene knockdowns reveal genetic vulnerabilities and antibiotic sensitivities in Acinetobacter baumannii. mBio 2024; 15:e0205123. [PMID: 38126769 PMCID: PMC10865783 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02051-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria underscores the need to define genetic vulnerabilities that can be therapeutically exploited. The Gram-negative pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, is considered an urgent threat due to its propensity to evade antibiotic treatments. Essential cellular processes are the target of existing antibiotics and a likely source of new vulnerabilities. Although A. baumannii essential genes have been identified by transposon sequencing, they have not been prioritized by sensitivity to knockdown or antibiotics. Here, we take a systems biology approach to comprehensively characterize A. baumannii essential genes using CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). We show that certain essential genes and pathways are acutely sensitive to knockdown, providing a set of vulnerable targets for future therapeutic investigation. Screening our CRISPRi library against last-resort antibiotics uncovered genes and pathways that modulate beta-lactam sensitivity, an unexpected link between NADH dehydrogenase activity and growth inhibition by polymyxins, and anticorrelated phenotypes that may explain synergy between polymyxins and rifamycins. Our study demonstrates the power of systematic genetic approaches to identify vulnerabilities in Gram-negative pathogens and uncovers antibiotic-essential gene interactions that better inform combination therapies.IMPORTANCEAcinetobacter baumannii is a hospital-acquired pathogen that is resistant to many common antibiotic treatments. To combat resistant A. baumannii infections, we need to identify promising therapeutic targets and effective antibiotic combinations. In this study, we comprehensively characterize the genes and pathways that are critical for A. baumannii viability. We show that genes involved in aerobic metabolism are central to A. baumannii physiology and may represent appealing drug targets. We also find antibiotic-gene interactions that may impact the efficacy of carbapenems, rifamycins, and polymyxins, providing a new window into how these antibiotics function in mono- and combination therapies. Our studies offer a useful approach for characterizing interactions between drugs and essential genes in pathogens to inform future therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D. Ward
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jennifer S. Tran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Amy B. Banta
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Emily E. Bacon
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Warren E. Rose
- Pharmacy Practice Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jason M. Peters
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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28
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Geslewitz WE, Cardenas A, Zhou X, Zhang Y, Criss AK, Seifert HS. Development and implementation of a Type I-C CRISPR-based programmable repression system for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. mBio 2024; 15:e0302523. [PMID: 38126782 PMCID: PMC10865793 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03025-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are prokaryotic adaptive immune systems regularly utilized as DNA-editing tools. While Neisseria gonorrhoeae does not have an endogenous CRISPR, the commensal species Neisseria lactamica encodes a functional Type I-C CRISPR-Cas system. We have established an isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside added (IPTG)-inducible, CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) platform based on the N. lactamica Type I-C CRISPR missing the Cas3 nuclease to allow locus-specific transcriptional repression. As proof of principle, we targeted a non-phase-variable version of the opaD gene. We show that CRISPRi can downregulate opaD gene and protein expression, resulting in bacterial inability to stimulate neutrophil oxidative responses and to bind to an N-terminal fragment of CEACAM1. Importantly, we used CRISPRi to effectively knockdown all the transcripts of all 11 opa genes using a five-spacer CRISPR array, allowing control of the entire phase-variable opa family in strain FA1090. We also report that repression is reversible following IPTG removal. Finally, we showed that the Type I-C CRISPRi system can conditionally reduce the expression of two essential genes. This CRISPRi system will allow the interrogation of every Gc gene, essential and non-essential, to study physiology and pathogenesis and aid in antimicrobial development.IMPORTANCEClustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas systems have proven instrumental in genetically manipulating many eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Despite its usefulness, a CRISPR system had yet to be developed for use in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gc), a bacterium that is the main etiological agent of gonorrhea infection. Here, we developed a programmable and IPTG-inducible Type I-C CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system derived from the commensal species Neisseria lactamica as a gene repression system in Gc. As opposed to generating genetic knockouts, the Type I-C CRISPRi system allows us to block transcription of specific genes without generating deletions in the DNA. We explored the properties of this system and found that a minimal spacer array is sufficient for gene repression while also facilitating efficient spacer reprogramming. Importantly, we also show that we can use CRISPRi to knockdown genes that are essential to Gc that cannot normally be knocked out under laboratory settings. Gc encodes ~800 essential genes, many of which have no predicted function. We predict that this Type I-C CRISPRi system can be used to help categorize gene functions and perhaps contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for gonorrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy E. Geslewitz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Amaris Cardenas
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Xufei Zhou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Alison K. Criss
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - H Steven Seifert
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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29
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Choudhery S, DeJesus MA, Srinivasan A, Rock J, Schnappinger D, Ioerger TR. A dose-response model for statistical analysis of chemical genetic interactions in CRISPRi screens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.03.551759. [PMID: 37577548 PMCID: PMC10418283 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.03.551759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
An important application of CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) technology is for identifying chemical-genetic interactions (CGIs). Discovery of genes that interact with exposure to antibiotics can yield insights to drug targets and mechanisms of action or resistance. The objective is to identify CRISPRi mutants whose relative abundance is suppressed (or enriched) in the presence of a drug when the target protein is depleted, reflecting synergistic behavior. Different sgRNAs for a given target can induce a wide range of protein depletion and differential effects on growth rate. The effect of sgRNA strength can be partially predicted based on sequence features. However, the actual growth phenotype depends on the sensitivity of cells to depletion of the target protein. For essential genes, sgRNA efficiency can be empirically measured by quantifying effects on growth rate. We observe that the most efficient sgRNAs are not always optimal for detecting synergies with drugs. sgRNA efficiency interacts in a non-linear way with drug sensitivity, producing an effect where the concentration-dependence is maximized for sgRNAs of intermediate strength (and less so for sgRNAs that induce too much or too little target depletion). To capture this interaction, we propose a novel statistical method called CRISPRi-DR (for Dose-Response model) that incorporates both sgRNA efficiencies and drug concentrations in a modified dose-response equation. We use CRISPRi-DR to re-analyze data from a recent CGI experiment in Mycobacterium tuberculosis to identify genes that interact with antibiotics. This approach can be generalized to non-CGI datasets, which we show via an CRISPRi dataset for E. coli growth on different carbon sources. The performance is competitive with the best of several related analytical methods. However, for noisier datasets, some of these methods generate far more significant interactions, likely including many false positives, whereas CRISPRi-DR maintains higher precision, which we observed in both empirical and simulated data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeevani Choudhery
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Michael A. DeJesus
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Aarthi Srinivasan
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeremy Rock
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Dirk Schnappinger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Thomas R. Ioerger
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
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30
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Singha B, Murmu S, Nair T, Rawat RS, Sharma AK, Soni V. Metabolic Rewiring of Mycobacterium tuberculosis upon Drug Treatment and Antibiotics Resistance. Metabolites 2024; 14:63. [PMID: 38248866 PMCID: PMC10820029 DOI: 10.3390/metabo14010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a significant global health challenge, further compounded by the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a result of several system-level molecular rearrangements enabling bacteria to evolve with better survival capacities: metabolic rewiring is one of them. In this review, we present a detailed analysis of the metabolic rewiring of Mtb in response to anti-TB drugs and elucidate the dynamic mechanisms of bacterial metabolism contributing to drug efficacy and resistance. We have discussed the current state of AMR, its role in the prevalence of the disease, and the limitations of current anti-TB drug regimens. Further, the concept of metabolic rewiring is defined, underscoring its relevance in understanding drug resistance and the biotransformation of drugs by Mtb. The review proceeds to discuss the metabolic adaptations of Mtb to drug treatment, and the pleiotropic effects of anti-TB drugs on Mtb metabolism. Next, the association between metabolic changes and antimycobacterial resistance, including intrinsic and acquired drug resistance, is discussed. The review concludes by summarizing the challenges of anti-TB treatment from a metabolic viewpoint, justifying the need for this discussion in the context of novel drug discovery, repositioning, and repurposing to control AMR in TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biplab Singha
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA;
| | - Sumit Murmu
- Regional Centre of Biotechnology, Faridabad 121001, India;
| | - Tripti Nair
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA;
| | - Rahul Singh Rawat
- Eukaryotic Gene Expression Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi 110067, India;
| | - Aditya Kumar Sharma
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Vijay Soni
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
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31
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Pandey S, Vilchèze C, Werngren J, Bainomugisa A, Mansjö M, Groenheit R, Miotto P, Cirillo DM, Coulter C, Baulard AR, Schön T, Jacobs WR, Djaout K, Köser CU. Loss-of-function mutations in ndh do not confer delamanid, ethionamide, isoniazid, or pretomanid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0109623. [PMID: 38038476 PMCID: PMC10777854 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01096-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Results from clinical strains and knockouts of the H37Rv and CDC1551 laboratory strains demonstrated that ndh (Rv1854c) is not a resistance-conferring gene for isoniazid, ethionamide, delamanid, or pretomanid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This difference in the susceptibility to NAD-adduct-forming drugs compared with other mycobacteria may be driven by differences in the absolute intrabacterial NADH concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushil Pandey
- Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, Pathology Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Catherine Vilchèze
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | - Arnold Bainomugisa
- Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, Pathology Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | | | - Paolo Miotto
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela M. Cirillo
- Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Christopher Coulter
- Queensland Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, Pathology Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alain R. Baulard
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017 - CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Thomas Schön
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
- Division of Infection and Inflammation, Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Region Östergötland and Kalmar County Hospital, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - William R. Jacobs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Kamel Djaout
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017 - CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Claudio U. Köser
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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32
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Daniel C, Willcocks S, Bhakta S. Rapid Gene Silencing Followed by Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for Target Validation in Antibiotic Discovery. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2833:23-33. [PMID: 38949697 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3981-8_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main causative agent of tuberculosis (TB)-an ancient yet widespread global infectious disease to which 1.6 million people lost their lives in 2021. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been an ongoing crisis for decades; 4.95 million deaths were associated with antibiotic resistance in 2019. While AMR is a multi-faceted problem, drug discovery is an urgent part of the solution and is at the forefront of modern research.The landscape of drug discovery for TB has undoubtedly been transformed by the development of high-throughput gene-silencing techniques that enable interrogation of every gene in the genome, and their relative contribution to fitness, virulence, and AMR. A recent advance in this area is CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). The application of this technique to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is the subject of ongoing research in basic science.CRISPRi technology can be used in conjunction with the high-throughput SPOT-culture growth inhibition assay (HT-SPOTi) to rapidly evaluate and assess gene essentiality including non-essential, conditionally essential (by using appropriate culture conditions), and essential genes. In addition, the HT-SPOTi method can develop drug susceptibility and drug resistance profiles.This technology is further useful for drug discovery groups who have designed target-based inhibitors rationally and wish to validate the primary mechanisms of their novel compounds' antibiotic action against the proposed target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Daniel
- Mycobacteria Research Laboratory, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Natural Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Sam Willcocks
- Mycobacteria Research Laboratory, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Natural Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
- Division of Biosciences, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
| | - Sanjib Bhakta
- Mycobacteria Research Laboratory, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Natural Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
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33
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Sanderson H, White AP. Methods for Genomic Epidemiology of Bacterial Pathogens: Example Salmonella. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2813:19-37. [PMID: 38888768 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3890-3_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Genomics has revolutionized how we characterize and monitor infectious diseases for public health. The surveillance and characterization of Salmonella has improved drastically within the past decade. In this chapter, we discuss the prerequisites for good bacterial genomics studies and make note of advantages and disadvantages of this research approach. We discuss methods for outbreak detection and the evolutionary and epidemiological characterization of Salmonella spp. We provide an outline for determining the sequence type and serotype of isolates, building a core genome phylogenetic tree, and detecting antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements. These methods can be used to study other pathogenic bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley Sanderson
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
- Biological Informatics Center of Excellence, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Aaron P White
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
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34
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Gupta R, Singh M, Pathania R. Chemical genetic approaches for the discovery of bacterial cell wall inhibitors. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:2125-2154. [PMID: 37974958 PMCID: PMC10650376 DOI: 10.1039/d3md00143a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens is a worldwide health issue. The innovation gap in discovering new antibiotics has remained a significant hurdle in combating the AMR problem. Currently, antibiotics target various vital components of the bacterial cell envelope, nucleic acid and protein biosynthesis machinery and metabolic pathways essential for bacterial survival. The critical role of the bacterial cell envelope in cell morphogenesis and integrity makes it an attractive drug target. While a significant number of in-clinic antibiotics target peptidoglycan biosynthesis, several components of the bacterial cell envelope have been overlooked. This review focuses on various antibacterial targets in the bacterial cell wall and the strategies employed to find their novel inhibitors. This review will further elaborate on combining forward and reverse chemical genetic approaches to discover antibacterials that target the bacterial cell envelope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinki Gupta
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Roorkee - 247 667 Uttarakhand India
| | - Mangal Singh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Roorkee - 247 667 Uttarakhand India
| | - Ranjana Pathania
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Roorkee - 247 667 Uttarakhand India
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35
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Islam T, Josephs EA. Genome Editing Outcomes Reveal Mycobacterial NucS Participates in a Short-Patch Repair of DNA Mismatches. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.23.563644. [PMID: 37961639 PMCID: PMC10634747 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.23.563644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
In the canonical DNA mismatch repair (MMR) mechanism in bacteria, if during replication a nucleotide is incorrectly mis-paired with the template strand, the resulting repair of this mis-pair can result in the degradation and re-synthesis of hundreds or thousands of nucleotides on the newly-replicated strand (long-patch repair). While mycobacteria, which include important pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, lack the otherwise highly-conserved enzymes required for the canonical MMR reaction, it was found that disruption of a mycobacterial mismatch-sensitive endonuclease NucS results in a hyper-mutative phenotype, which has led to the idea that NucS might be involved in a cryptic, independently-evolved DNA MMR mechanism. It has been proposed that nuclease activity at a mismatch might result in correction by homologous recombination (HR) with a sister chromatid. Using oligonucleotide recombination, which allows us to introduce mismatches during replication specifically into the genomes of a model for M. tuberculosis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, we find that NucS participates in a direct repair of DNA mismatches where the patch of excised nucleotides is largely confined to within ~5 - 6 bp of the mis-paired nucleotides, which is inconsistent with mechanistic models of canonical mycobacterial HR or other double-strand break (DSB) repair reactions. The results presented provide evidence of a novel NucS-associated mycobacterial MMR mechanism occurring in vivo to regulate genetic mutations in mycobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanjina Islam
- Department of Nanoscience, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27401, USA
| | - Eric A. Josephs
- Department of Nanoscience, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27401, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27401, USA
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36
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Ofori-Anyinam N, Hamblin M, Coldren ML, Li B, Mereddy G, Shaikh M, Shah A, Ranu N, Lu S, Blainey PC, Ma S, Collins JJ, Yang JH. KatG catalase deficiency confers bedaquiline hyper-susceptibility to isoniazid resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.17.562707. [PMID: 37905073 PMCID: PMC10614911 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.17.562707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a growing source of global mortality and threatens global control of tuberculosis (TB) disease. The diarylquinoline bedaquiline (BDQ) recently emerged as a highly efficacious drug against MDR-TB, defined as resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid (INH) and rifampin. INH resistance is primarily caused by loss-of-function mutations in the catalase KatG, but mechanisms underlying BDQ's efficacy against MDR-TB remain unknown. Here we employ a systems biology approach to investigate BDQ hyper-susceptibility in INH-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis . We found hyper-susceptibility to BDQ in INH-resistant cells is due to several physiological changes induced by KatG deficiency, including increased susceptibility to reactive oxygen species and DNA damage, remodeling of transcriptional programs, and metabolic repression of folate biosynthesis. We demonstrate BDQ hyper-susceptibility is common in INH-resistant clinical isolates. Collectively, these results highlight how altered bacterial physiology can impact drug efficacy in drug-resistant bacteria.
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37
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Mulholland CV, Wiggins TJ, Cui J, Vilchèze C, Rajagopalan S, Shultis MW, Reyes-Fernández EZ, Jacobs WR, Berney M. The PDIM paradox of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: new solutions to a persistent problem. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.16.562559. [PMID: 37905120 PMCID: PMC10614861 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.16.562559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Phthiocerol dimycocerosate (PDIM) is an essential virulence lipid of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In vitro culturing rapidly selects for spontaneous mutations that cause PDIM loss leading to virulence attenuation and increased cell wall permeability. We discovered that PDIM loss is due to a metabolic deficiency of methylmalonyl-CoA that impedes the growth of PDIM-producing bacilli. This can be remedied by supplementation with odd-chain fatty acids, cholesterol, or vitamin B12. We developed a much-needed facile and scalable routine assay for PDIM production and show that propionate supplementation enhances the growth of PDIM-producing bacilli and selects against PDIM-negative mutants, analogous to in vivo conditions. Our results solve a major issue in tuberculosis research and exemplify how discrepancies between the host and in vitro nutrient environments can attenuate bacterial pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire V. Mulholland
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Catherine Vilchèze
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Saranathan Rajagopalan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Michael W. Shultis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York, USA
| | | | - William R. Jacobs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Michael Berney
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York, USA
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38
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Werman J, Chen YC, Yuan T, Yang X, Sampson NS. A Chemoproteomic Approach to Elucidate the Mechanism of Action of 6-Azasteroids with Unique Activity in Mycobacteria. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:1993-2004. [PMID: 37774412 PMCID: PMC10580313 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
By illuminating key 6-azasteroid-protein interactions in both Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and the closely related model organism Mycobacterium marinum (Mm), we sought to improve the antimycobacterial potency of 6-azasteroids and further our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for their potentiation of the antituberculosis drug bedaquiline. We selected a newly developed 6-azasteroid analog and an analog reported previously (ACS Infect. Dis. 2019, 5 (7), 1239-1251) to study their phenotypic effects on Mtb and Mm, both alone and in combination with bedaquiline. The 6-azasteroid analog, 17β-[N-(4-trifluoromethoxy-diphenylmethyl)carbamoyl]-6-propyl-azaandrostan-3-one, robustly potentiated bedaquiline-mediated antimycobacterial activity, with a nearly 8-fold reduction in Mm bedaquiline minimal inhibitory concentration (85 nM alone versus 11 nM with 20 μM 6-azasteroid). This analog displayed minimal inhibitory activity against recombinant mycobacterial 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, a previously identified target of several 6-azasteroids. Dose-dependent potentiation of bedaquiline by this analog reduced mycobacterial intracellular ATP levels and impeded the ability of Mtb to neutralize exogenous oxidative stress in culture. We developed two 6-azasteroid photoaffinity probes to investigate azasteroid-protein interactions in Mm whole cells. Using bottom-up mass spectrometric profiling of the cross-linked proteins, we identified eight potential Mm/Mtb protein targets for 6-azasteroids. The nature of these potential targets indicates that proteins related to oxidative stress resistance play a key role in the BDQ-potentiating activity of azasteroids and highlights the potential impact of inhibition of these targets on the generation of drug sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua
M. Werman
- Department
of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Yu-Ching Chen
- Program
in Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony
Brook, New York 11794-5215, United States
| | - Tianao Yuan
- Department
of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Xinxin Yang
- Department
of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Nicole S. Sampson
- Department
of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
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39
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Remm S, De Vecchis D, Schöppe J, Hutter CAJ, Gonda I, Hohl M, Newstead S, Schäfer LV, Seeger MA. Structural basis for triacylglyceride extraction from mycobacterial inner membrane by MFS transporter Rv1410. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6449. [PMID: 37833269 PMCID: PMC10576003 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42073-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is protected from antibiotic therapy by a multi-layered hydrophobic cell envelope. Major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporter Rv1410 and the periplasmic lipoprotein LprG are involved in transport of triacylglycerides (TAGs) that seal the mycomembrane. Here, we report a 2.7 Å structure of a mycobacterial Rv1410 homologue, which adopts an outward-facing conformation and exhibits unusual transmembrane helix 11 and 12 extensions that protrude ~20 Å into the periplasm. A small, very hydrophobic cavity suitable for lipid transport is constricted by a functionally important ion-lock likely involved in proton coupling. Combining mutational analyses and MD simulations, we propose that TAGs are extracted from the core of the inner membrane into the central cavity via lateral clefts present in the inward-facing conformation. The functional role of the periplasmic helix extensions is to channel the extracted TAG into the lipid binding pocket of LprG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sille Remm
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dario De Vecchis
- Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jendrik Schöppe
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Global Research Technologies, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Cedric A J Hutter
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Linkster Therapeutics, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Imre Gonda
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Hohl
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Newstead
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lars V Schäfer
- Center for Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Markus A Seeger
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- National Center for Mycobacteria, Zurich, Switzerland.
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40
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Koleske BN, Jacobs WR, Bishai WR. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome at 25 years: lessons and lingering questions. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e173156. [PMID: 37781921 PMCID: PMC10541200 DOI: 10.1172/jci173156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
First achieved in 1998 by Cole et al., the complete genome sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis continues to provide an invaluable resource to understand tuberculosis (TB), the leading cause of global infectious disease mortality. At the 25-year anniversary of this accomplishment, we describe how insights gleaned from the M. tuberculosis genome have led to vital tools for TB research, epidemiology, and clinical practice. The increasing accessibility of whole-genome sequencing across research and clinical settings has improved our ability to predict antibacterial susceptibility, to track epidemics at the level of individual outbreaks and wider historical trends, to query the efficacy of the bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, and to uncover targets for novel antitubercular therapeutics. Likewise, we discuss several recent efforts to extract further discoveries from this powerful resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin N. Koleske
- Center for Tuberculosis Research, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - William R. Jacobs
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - William R. Bishai
- Center for Tuberculosis Research, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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41
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Zheng M, Lupoli TJ. Counteracting antibiotic resistance enzymes and efflux pumps. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 75:102334. [PMID: 37329679 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens are constantly evolving new resistance mechanisms against antibiotics; hence, strategies to potentiate existing antibiotics or combat mechanisms of resistance using adjuvants are always in demand. Recently, inhibitors have been identified that counteract enzymatic modification of the drugs isoniazid and rifampin, which have implications in the study of multi-drug-resistant mycobacteria. A wealth of structural studies on efflux pumps from diverse bacteria has also fueled the design of new small-molecule and peptide-based agents to prevent the active transport of antibiotics. We envision that these findings will inspire microbiologists to apply existing adjuvants to clinically relevant resistant strains, or to use described platforms to discover novel antibiotic adjuvant scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Tania J Lupoli
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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42
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Economou Lundeberg E, Andersson V, Wijkander M, Groenheit R, Mansjö M, Werngren J, Cortes T, Barilar I, Niemann S, Merker M, Köser CU, Davies Forsman L. In vitro activity of new combinations of β-lactam and β-lactamase inhibitors against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0178123. [PMID: 37737628 PMCID: PMC10580993 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01781-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
As meropenem-clavulanic acid is recommended for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, the repurposing of new carbapenem combinations may provide new treatment options, including oral alternatives. Therefore, we studied the in vitro activities of meropenem-vaborbactam, meropenem-clavulanic acid, and tebipenem-clavulanic acid. One hundred nine Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) clinical isolates were tested, of which 69 were pan-susceptible and the remaining pyrazinamide- or multidrug-resistant. Broth microdilution MICs were determined using the EUCAST reference method. Meropenem and tebipenem were tested individually and in combination with vaborbactam 8 mg/L and clavulanic-acid 2 and 4 mg/L, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to explore resistance mechanisms. Clavulanic acid lowered the modal tebipenem MIC approximately 16-fold (from 16 to 1 mg/L). The modal meropenem MIC was reduced twofold by vaborbactam compared with an approximately eightfold decrease by clavulanic acid. The only previously described high-confidence carbapenem resistance mutation, crfA T62A, was shared by a subgroup of lineage 4.3.4.1 isolates and did not correlate with elevated MICs. The presence of a β-lactamase inhibitor reduced the MTBC MICs of tebipenem and meropenem. The resulting MIC distribution was lowest for the orally available drugs tebipenem-clavulanic acid. Whether this in vitro activity translates to similar or greater clinical efficacy of tebipenem-clavulanic acid compared with the currently WHO-endorsed meropenem-clavulanic acid requires clinical studies. IMPORTANCE Repurposing of already approved antibiotics, such as β-lactams in combination with β-lactamase inhibitors, may provide new treatment alternatives for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Meropenem-clavulanic acid was more active in vitro compared to meropenem-vaborbactam. Notably, tebipenem-clavulanic acid showed even better activity, raising the potential of an all-oral treatment option. Clinical data are needed to investigate whether the better in vitro activity of tebipenem-clavulanic acid correlates with greater clinical efficacy compared with the currently WHO-endorsed meropenem-clavulanic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Viktoria Andersson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria Wijkander
- Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ramona Groenheit
- Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikael Mansjö
- Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jim Werngren
- Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Teresa Cortes
- Pathogen Gene Regulation Unit, Biomedicine Institute of Valencia (IBV), CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ivan Barilar
- Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Borstel, Germany
| | - Stefan Niemann
- Molecular and Experimental Mycobacteriology, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Borstel, Germany
| | - Matthias Merker
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Borstel, Germany
- Evolution of the Resistome, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany
| | - Claudio U. Köser
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lina Davies Forsman
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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43
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Matern WM, Harris HT, Danchik C, McDonald M, Patel G, Srivastava A, Ioerger TR, Bader JS, Karakousis PC. Functional Whole Genome Screen of Nutrient-Starved Mycobacterium tuberculosis Identifies Genes Involved in Rifampin Tolerance. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2269. [PMID: 37764112 PMCID: PMC10534295 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), poses a global health challenge and is responsible for over a million deaths each year. Current treatment is lengthy and complex, and new, abbreviated regimens are urgently needed. Mtb adapts to nutrient starvation, a condition experienced during host infection, by shifting its metabolism and becoming tolerant to the killing activity of bactericidal antibiotics. An improved understanding of the mechanisms mediating antibiotic tolerance in Mtb can serve as the basis for developing more effective therapies. We performed a forward genetic screen to identify candidate Mtb genes involved in tolerance to the two key first-line antibiotics, rifampin and isoniazid, under nutrient-rich and nutrient-starved conditions. In nutrient-rich conditions, we found 220 mutants with differential antibiotic susceptibility (218 in the rifampin screen and 2 in the isoniazid screen). Following Mtb adaptation to nutrient starvation, 82 mutants showed differential antibiotic susceptibility (80 in the rifampin screen and 2 in the isoniazid screen). Using targeted mutagenesis, we validated the rifampin-hypersusceptible phenotype under nutrient starvation in Mtb mutants lacking the following genes: ercc3, moeA1, rv0049, and rv2179c. These findings shed light on potential therapeutic targets, which could help shorten the duration and complexity of antitubercular regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- William M. Matern
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Computational Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (W.M.M.)
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
- Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Harley T. Harris
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
- Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Carina Danchik
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
- Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Marissa McDonald
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
- Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Gopi Patel
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
- Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Aashish Srivastava
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA;
| | - Thomas R. Ioerger
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Joel S. Bader
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Computational Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (W.M.M.)
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
| | - Petros C. Karakousis
- Center for Systems Approaches to Infectious Diseases (C-SAID), School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; (H.T.H.)
- Tuberculosis Research Advancement Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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44
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Kado T, Akbary Z, Motooka D, Sparks IL, Melzer ES, Nakamura S, Rojas ER, Morita YS, Siegrist MS. A cell wall synthase accelerates plasma membrane partitioning in mycobacteria. eLife 2023; 12:e81924. [PMID: 37665120 PMCID: PMC10547480 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Lateral partitioning of proteins and lipids shapes membrane function. In model membranes, partitioning can be influenced both by bilayer-intrinsic factors like molecular composition and by bilayer-extrinsic factors such as interactions with other membranes and solid supports. While cellular membranes can departition in response to bilayer-intrinsic or -extrinsic disruptions, the mechanisms by which they partition de novo are largely unknown. The plasma membrane of Mycobacterium smegmatis spatially and biochemically departitions in response to the fluidizing agent benzyl alcohol, then repartitions upon fluidizer washout. By screening for mutants that are sensitive to benzyl alcohol, we show that the bifunctional cell wall synthase PonA2 promotes membrane partitioning and cell growth during recovery from benzyl alcohol exposure. PonA2's role in membrane repartitioning and regrowth depends solely on its conserved transglycosylase domain. Active cell wall polymerization promotes de novo membrane partitioning and the completed cell wall polymer helps to maintain membrane partitioning. Our work highlights the complexity of membrane-cell wall interactions and establishes a facile model system for departitioning and repartitioning cellular membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takehiro Kado
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Zarina Akbary
- Department of Biology, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Daisuke Motooka
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Ian L Sparks
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Emily S Melzer
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Shota Nakamura
- Department of Infection Metagenomics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Enrique R Rojas
- Department of Biology, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Yasu S Morita
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
- Molecular and Cellular Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - M Sloan Siegrist
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
- Molecular and Cellular Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
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45
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Peterson EJR, Brooks AN, Reiss DJ, Kaur A, Do J, Pan M, Wu WJ, Morrison R, Srinivas V, Carter W, Arrieta-Ortiz ML, Ruiz RA, Bhatt A, Baliga NS. MtrA modulates Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell division in host microenvironments to mediate intrinsic resistance and drug tolerance. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112875. [PMID: 37542718 PMCID: PMC10480492 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is largely attributed to its ability to physiologically adapt and withstand diverse localized stresses within host microenvironments. Here, we present a data-driven model (EGRIN 2.0) that captures the dynamic interplay of environmental cues and genome-encoded regulatory programs in Mtb. Analysis of EGRIN 2.0 shows how modulation of the MtrAB two-component signaling system tunes Mtb growth in response to related host microenvironmental cues. Disruption of MtrAB by tunable CRISPR interference confirms that the signaling system regulates multiple peptidoglycan hydrolases, among other targets, that are important for cell division. Further, MtrA decreases the effectiveness of antibiotics by mechanisms of both intrinsic resistance and drug tolerance. Together, the model-enabled dissection of complex MtrA regulation highlights its importance as a drug target and illustrates how EGRIN 2.0 facilitates discovery and mechanistic characterization of Mtb adaptation to specific host microenvironments within the host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David J Reiss
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Amardeep Kaur
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Julie Do
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Min Pan
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Wei-Ju Wu
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Robert Morrison
- Laboratory of Malaria, Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Warren Carter
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Rene A Ruiz
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Apoorva Bhatt
- School of Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Nitin S Baliga
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Departments of Biology and Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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46
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Davies-Bolorunduro OF, Jaemsai B, Ruangchai W, Phumiphanjarphak W, Aiewsakun P, Palittapongarnpim P. Analysis of whiB7 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals novel AT-hook deletion mutations. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13324. [PMID: 37587174 PMCID: PMC10432532 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40152-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in whiB7 have been associated with both hypersusceptibility and resistance to various antibiotics in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Unlocking the secrets of antibiotic resistance in the bacterium, we examined mutations in the coding sequences of whiB7 of over 40,000 diverse Mtb isolates. Our results unveil the dominant c.191delG (Gly64delG) mutation, present in all members of the lineage L1.2.2 and its impact on WhiB7's conserved GVWGG-motif, causing conformational changes and deletion of the C-terminal AT-hook. Excitingly, we discovered six unique mutations associated with partial or total deletion of the AT-hook, specific to certain sublineages. Our findings suggest the selective pressures driving these mutations, underlining the potential of genomics to advance our understanding of Mtb's antibiotic resistance. As tuberculosis remains a global health threat, our study offers valuable insights into the diverse nature and functional consequences of whiB7 mutations, paving the way for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olabisi Flora Davies-Bolorunduro
- Pornchai Matangkasombut Center for Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Center for Tuberculosis Research, Microbiology Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, 6 Edmund Crescent, P.M.B 2013, Yaba, 101012, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Bharkbhoom Jaemsai
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Wuthiwat Ruangchai
- Pornchai Matangkasombut Center for Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Worakorn Phumiphanjarphak
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Pakorn Aiewsakun
- Pornchai Matangkasombut Center for Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Prasit Palittapongarnpim
- Pornchai Matangkasombut Center for Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
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47
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Ward RD, Tran JS, Banta AB, Bacon EE, Rose WE, Peters JM. Essential Gene Knockdowns Reveal Genetic Vulnerabilities and Antibiotic Sensitivities in Acinetobacter baumannii. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.02.551708. [PMID: 37577569 PMCID: PMC10418195 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.02.551708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria underscores the need to define genetic vulnerabilities that can be therapeutically exploited. The Gram-negative pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, is considered an urgent threat due to its propensity to evade antibiotic treatments. Essential cellular processes are the target of existing antibiotics and a likely source of new vulnerabilities. Although A. baumannii essential genes have been identified by transposon sequencing (Tn-seq), they have not been prioritized by sensitivity to knockdown or antibiotics. Here, we take a systems biology approach to comprehensively characterize A. baumannii essential genes using CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). We show that certain essential genes and pathways are acutely sensitive to knockdown, providing a set of vulnerable targets for future therapeutic investigation. Screening our CRISPRi library against last-resort antibiotics uncovered genes and pathways that modulate beta-lactam sensitivity, an unexpected link between NADH dehydrogenase activity and growth inhibition by polymyxins, and anticorrelated phenotypes that underpin synergy between polymyxins and rifamycins. Our study demonstrates the power of systematic genetic approaches to identify vulnerabilities in Gram-negative pathogens and uncovers antibiotic-essential gene interactions that better inform combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Ward
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Jennifer S Tran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Amy B Banta
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53726
| | - Emily E Bacon
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705
- Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Warren E Rose
- Pharmacy Practice Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705
| | - Jason M Peters
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53726
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
- Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
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48
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Zhu H, Zhou X, Zhuang Z, Li L, Bi J, Mi K. Advances of new drugs bedaquiline and delamanid in the treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in children. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1183597. [PMID: 37384221 PMCID: PMC10293792 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1183597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem, with nearly 10 million new cases and millions of deaths each year. Around 10% of these cases are in children, but only a fraction receive proper diagnosis and treatment. The spread of drug-resistant (DR) strain of TB has made it difficult to control, with only 60% of patients responding to treatment. Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is often undiagnosed in children due to lack of awareness or under-diagnosis, and the target for children's DR-TB treatment has only been met in 15% of goals. New medications such as bedaquiline and delamanid have been approved for treating DR-TB. However, due to age and weight differences, adults and children require different dosages. The availability of child-friendly formulations is limited by a lack of clinical data in children. This paper reviews the development history of these drugs, their mechanism of action, efficacy, safety potential problems and current use in treating DR-TB in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanzhao Zhu
- Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xintong Zhou
- Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zengfang Zhuang
- Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lianju Li
- Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Basic Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Jing Bi
- Baoding Hospital of Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, Baoding Key Laboratory for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases in Children, Baoding, China
| | - Kaixia Mi
- Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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49
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Poulton NC, DeJesus MA, Munsamy-Govender V, Roberts CG, Azadian ZA, Bosch B, Lin KM, Li S, Rock JM. Beyond antibiotic resistance: the whiB7 transcription factor coordinates an adaptive response to alanine starvation in mycobacteria. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.02.543512. [PMID: 37333137 PMCID: PMC10274678 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.02.543512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic mycobacteria are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These bacteria are highly intrinsically drug resistant, making infections challenging to treat. The conserved whiB7 stress response is a key contributor to mycobacterial intrinsic drug resistance. Although we have a comprehensive structural and biochemical understanding of WhiB7, the complex set of signals that activate whiB7 expression remain less clear. It is believed that whiB7 expression is triggered by translational stalling in an upstream open reading frame (uORF) within the whiB7 5' leader, leading to antitermination and transcription into the downstream whiB7 ORF. To define the signals that activate whiB7, we employed a genome-wide CRISPRi epistasis screen and identified a diverse set of 150 mycobacterial genes whose inhibition results in constitutive whiB7 activation. Many of these genes encode amino acid biosynthetic enzymes, tRNAs, and tRNA synthetases, consistent with the proposed mechanism for whiB7 activation by translational stalling in the uORF. We show that the ability of the whiB7 5' regulatory region to sense amino acid starvation is determined by the coding sequence of the uORF. The uORF shows considerable sequence variation among different mycobacterial species, but it is universally and specifically enriched for alanine. Providing a potential rationalization for this enrichment, we find that while deprivation of many amino acids can activate whiB7 expression, whiB7 specifically coordinates an adaptive response to alanine starvation by engaging in a feedback loop with the alanine biosynthetic enzyme, aspC. Our results provide a holistic understanding of the biological pathways that influence whiB7 activation and reveal an extended role for the whiB7 pathway in mycobacterial physiology, beyond its canonical function in antibiotic resistance. These results have important implications for the design of combination drug treatments to avoid whiB7 activation, as well as help explain the conservation of this stress response across a wide range of pathogenic and environmental mycobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas C Poulton
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael A DeJesus
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Vanisha Munsamy-Govender
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Cameron G Roberts
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Zachary A Azadian
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Barbara Bosch
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Karl Matthew Lin
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Shuqi Li
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jeremy M Rock
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
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Gan WC, Ng HF, Ngeow YF. Mechanisms of Linezolid Resistance in Mycobacteria. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:784. [PMID: 37375732 DOI: 10.3390/ph16060784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacteria form some of the most notorious and difficult-to-treat bacterial pathogens. As a group, they are intrinsically resistant to many commonly used antibiotics, such as tetracyclines and beta-lactams. In addition to intrinsic resistances, acquired multidrug resistance has also been observed and documented in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), Mycobacterium leprae and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). To combat multidrug resistant infections by these pathogens, innovative antimicrobials and treatment regimens are required. In this regard, linezolid, an oxazolidinone introduced for clinical use just two decades ago, was added to the therapeutic armamentarium for drug-resistant mycobacteria. It exhibits antibacterial activity by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit and inhibiting protein synthesis. Unfortunately, linezolid resistance has now been documented in MTB and NTM, in many parts of the world. Most linezolid-resistant mycobacterial strains show mutations in the ribosome or related genes, such as in the rplC, rrl and tsnR genes. Non-ribosomal mechanisms appear to be rare. One such mechanism was associated with a mutation in fadD32, which encodes a protein that plays an important role in mycolic acid synthesis. Mycobacterial efflux proteins have also been implicated in linezolid resistance. This review summarises current knowledge of genetic determinants of linezolid resistance in mycobacteria, with the aim of contributing information that could facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic approaches to overcome, delay or avoid further developments of drug resistance among these important pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chong Gan
- Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Centre for Research in Communicable Diseases, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hien Fuh Ng
- Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Centre for Research in Communicable Diseases, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yun Fong Ngeow
- Dr. Wu Lien-Teh Centre for Research in Communicable Diseases, M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
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