1
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Niu H, Gu J, Zhang Y. Bacterial persisters: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic development. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:174. [PMID: 39013893 PMCID: PMC11252167 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01866-5] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Persisters refer to genetically drug susceptible quiescent (non-growing or slow growing) bacteria that survive in stress environments such as antibiotic exposure, acidic and starvation conditions. These cells can regrow after stress removal and remain susceptible to the same stress. Persisters are underlying the problems of treating chronic and persistent infections and relapse infections after treatment, drug resistance development, and biofilm infections, and pose significant challenges for effective treatments. Understanding the characteristics and the exact mechanisms of persister formation, especially the key molecules that affect the formation and survival of the persisters is critical to more effective treatment of chronic and persistent infections. Currently, genes related to persister formation and survival are being discovered and confirmed, but the mechanisms by which bacteria form persisters are very complex, and there are still many unanswered questions. This article comprehensively summarizes the historical background of bacterial persisters, details their complex characteristics and their relationship with antibiotic tolerant and resistant bacteria, systematically elucidates the interplay between various bacterial biological processes and the formation of persister cells, as well as consolidates the diverse anti-persister compounds and treatments. We hope to provide theoretical background for in-depth research on mechanisms of persisters and suggest new ideas for choosing strategies for more effective treatment of persistent infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Niu
- School of Basic Medical Science and Key Laboratory of Blood-stasis-toxin Syndrome of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiaying Gu
- School of Basic Medical Science and Key Laboratory of Blood-stasis-toxin Syndrome of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, 250022, Shandong, China.
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2
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Venkataraman P, Nagendra P, Ahlawat N, Brajesh RG, Saini S. Convergent genetic adaptation of Escherichia coli in minimal media leads to pleiotropic divergence. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1286824. [PMID: 38660375 PMCID: PMC11039892 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1286824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Adaptation in an environment can either be beneficial, neutral or disadvantageous in another. To test the genetic basis of pleiotropic behaviour, we evolved six lines of E. coli independently in environments where glucose and galactose were the sole carbon sources, for 300 generations. All six lines in each environment exhibit convergent adaptation in the environment in which they were evolved. However, pleiotropic behaviour was observed in several environmental contexts, including other carbon environments. Genome sequencing reveals that mutations in global regulators rpoB and rpoC cause this pleiotropy. We report three new alleles of the rpoB gene, and one new allele of the rpoC gene. The novel rpoB alleles confer resistance to Rifampicin, and alter motility. Our results show how single nucleotide changes in the process of adaptation in minimal media can lead to wide-scale pleiotropy, resulting in changes in traits that are not under direct selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Supreet Saini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
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3
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Vázquez-Hernández M, Leedom SL, Keiler KC, Bandow JE. Physiology of trans-translation deficiency in Bacillus subtilis - a comparative proteomics study. Proteomics 2023; 23:e2200474. [PMID: 37496314 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202200474] [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: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
trans-Translation is the most effective ribosome rescue system known in bacteria. While it is essential in some bacteria, Bacillus subtilis possesses two additional alternative ribosome rescue mechanisms that require the proteins BrfA or RqcH. To investigate the physiology of trans-translation deficiency in the model organism B. subtilis, we compared the proteomes of B. subtilis 168 and a ΔssrA mutant in the mid-log phase using gel-free label-free quantitative proteomics. In chemically defined medium, the growth rate of the ssrA deletion mutant was 20% lower than that of B. subtilis 168. An 35 S-methionine incorporation assay demonstrated that protein synthesis rates were also lower in the ΔssrA strain. Alternative rescue factors were not detected. Among the 34 proteins overrepresented in the mutant strain were eight chemotaxis proteins. Indeed, both on LB agar and minimal medium the ΔssrA strain showed an altered motility and chemotaxis phenotype. Despite the lower growth rate, in the mutant proteome ribosomal proteins were more abundant while proteins related to amino acid biosynthesis were less abundant than in the parental strain. This overrepresentation of ribosomal proteins coupled with a lower protein synthesis rate and down-regulation of precursor supply reflects the slow ribosome recycling in the trans-translation-deficient mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie L Leedom
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kenneth C Keiler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Julia Elisabeth Bandow
- Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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4
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Ji L, Jiang T, Zhao X, Cai D, Hua K, Du P, Chen Y, Xie J. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv0494 Protein Contributes to Mycobacterial Persistence. Infect Drug Resist 2023; 16:4755-4762. [PMID: 37501888 PMCID: PMC10370413 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s419914] [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: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Fatty acid metabolism plays an important role in the survival and pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. During dormancy, lipids are considered to be the main source of energy. A previous study found that Rv0494 is a starvation-inducible, lipid-responsive transcriptional regulator. However, the role of Rv0494 in bacterial persister survival has not been studied. Methods We constructed a Rv0494 deletion mutant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and evaluated the susceptibility of the mutant strain to antibiotics using a persistence test. Results We found that mutations in Rv0494 lead to survival defects of persisters, which reflected in increased sensitivity to isoniazid. Conclusion We conclude that Rv0494 is important for persister survival and may serve as a good target for developing new antibiotics that kill persister bacteria for improved treatment of persistent bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Ji
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tingting Jiang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Department of International Registration, Ustar Biotechnologies (Hangzhou) Ltd, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Damin Cai
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kouzhen Hua
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Peng Du
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Chen
- Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianping Xie
- Institute of Modern Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Eco-Environment and Bio-Resource of the Three Gorges Area, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education Eco-Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Karst Environment, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
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5
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Niu H, Li T, Du Y, Lv Z, Cao Q, Zhang Y. Glutamate Transporters GltS, GltP and GltI Are Involved in Escherichia coli Tolerance In Vitro and Pathogenicity in Mouse Urinary Tract Infections. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1173. [PMID: 37317147 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051173] [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: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
To verify the roles of GltS, GltP, and GltI in E. coli tolerance and pathogenicity, we quantified and compared the relative abundance of gltS, gltP, and gltI in log-phase and stationary-phase E. coli and constructed their knockout mutant strains in E. coli BW25113 and uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) separately, followed by analysis of their abilities to tolerate antibiotics and stressors, their capacity for adhesion to and invasion of human bladder epithelial cells, and their survival ability in mouse urinary tracts. Our results showed that gltS, gltP, and gltI transcripts were higher in stationary phase E. coli than in log-phase incubation. Furthermore, deletion of gltS, gltP, and gltI genes in E. coli BW25113 results in decreased tolerance to antibiotics (levofloxacin and ofloxacin) and stressors (acid pH, hyperosmosis, and heat), and loss of gltS, gltP, and gltI in uropathogenic E. coli UTI89 caused attenuated adhesion and invasion in human bladder epithelial cells and markedly reduced survival in mice. The results showed the important roles of the glutamate transporter genes gltI, gltP, and gltS in E. coli tolerance to antibiotics (levofloxacin and ofloxacin) and stressors (acid pH, hyperosmosis, and heat) in vitro and in pathogenicity in mouse urinary tracts and human bladder epithelial cells, as shown by reduced survival and colonization, which improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of bacterial tolerance and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Niu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Tuodi Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yunjie Du
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhuoxuan Lv
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Qianqian Cao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310053, China
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Ma X, Hu K, Xiong Y, Li H, Li J, Tang Y, Liu Z. Local Regulator AcrR Regulates Persister Formation by Repression of AcrAB Efflux Pump during Exponential Growth in Aeromonas veronii. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0096922. [PMID: 36853030 PMCID: PMC10019292 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00969-22] [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] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial persisters refer to a small fraction of dormant variants that survive treatment with high concentrations of antibiotics. Increasing research indicates that multidrug efflux pumps play a major role in persister formation in many Gram-negative organisms. In the present study, the roles of the repressor of the AcrAB efflux pump, AcrR, in the regulation of the activity and function of the efflux, as well as in the production of persisters, were investigated in the pathogen Aeromonas veronii, which causes huge economic losses in the aquatic industry and threatens human health. We observed that exclusively in exponential-phase cells, not in stationary-phase cells, the deletion of the acrR gene significantly (P < 0.05) promoted the expression of the acrA and acrB genes and reduced the intracellular accumulation of the efflux substrate Hoechst 33342. Moreover, overexpression of acrR triggered decreased transcription of the promoter of the acrAB operon. The persister assay indicated that the loss of the AcrAB pump decreased the formation of persisters under challenge with all tested antibiotic types of chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolone, tetracycline, and β-lactam, while deletion of acrR caused an exponential-phase-specific increase in persister formation against chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and β-lactam. Our results provide molecular insights into the mechanism of bacterial persistence by demonstrating for the first time that the local regulator AcrR is involved in the modulation of persister formation in A. veronii through its repressive activity on the function of the AcrAB efflux pump during the exponential growth period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Kang Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yuesheng Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hong Li
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Juanjuan Li
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- One Health Institute, Hainan University, Haikou, China
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7
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Tao H, Meng F, Zhou Y, Fan J, Liu J, Han Y, Sun BB, Wang G. Transcriptomic and Functional Approaches Unveil the Role of tmRNA in Zinc Acetate Mediated Levofloxacin Sensitivity in Helicobacter pylori. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0115222. [PMID: 36354329 PMCID: PMC9769675 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01152-22] [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: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid increase in resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has hindered antibiotics-based eradication efforts worldwide and raises the need for additional approaches. Here, we investigate the role of zinc-based compounds in inhibiting H. pylori growth and modulating antibiotic sensitivities, interrogate their downstream transcriptomic changes, and highlight the potential mechanism driving the observed effects. We showed that zinc acetate inhibited H. pylori growth and increased H. pylori sensitivity to levofloxacin. Transcriptomic profiling showed distinct gene expression patterns between zinc acetate treated groups versus controls. In particular, we independently replicated the association between zinc acetate treatment and increased ssrA expression. Knockdown of ssrA restored levofloxacin resistance to levels of the control group. In this study, we first demonstrated the role of zinc acetate in H. pylori growth and antibiotic sensitivities. Additionally, we explored the transcriptomic perturbations of zinc acetate followed by functional knockdown follow-up of differentially expressed ssrA, highlighting the role of tmRNA and trans-translation in H. pylori levofloxacin resistance. Our results provide alternative and complementary strategies for H. pylori treatment and shed light on the underlying mechanisms driving these effects. IMPORTANCE Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication plays an important role in gastric cancer prevention, but the antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori is fast becoming a growing concern. In this study, we investigated the role of zinc acetate in inhibiting H. pylori growth and modulating antibiotic sensitivities in vitro. Additionally, we explored the transcriptomic perturbations of zinc acetate followed by functional knockdown follow-up of differentially expressed ssrA, highlighting the role of tmRNA and trans-translation in H. pylori levofloxacin resistance. Our results open up a new horizon for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant H. pylori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjin Tao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center & National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fansen Meng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center & National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Second Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiao Fan
- Institute of Geriatrics, National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics Disease, Second Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute of Geriatrics, National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics Disease, Second Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yingjie Han
- Department of Oncology, Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Benjamin B. Sun
- MRC/BHF Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gangshi Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center & National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
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8
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PurN Is Involved in Antibiotic Tolerance and Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11121702. [PMID: 36551359 PMCID: PMC9774800 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11121702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus can cause chronic infections which are closely related to persister formation. Purine metabolism is involved in S. aureus persister formation, and purN, encoding phosphoribosylglycinamide formyltransferase, is an important gene in the purine metabolism process. In this study, we generated a ΔpurN mutant of the S. aureus Newman strain and assessed its roles in antibiotic tolerance and virulence. The ΔpurN in the late exponential phase had a significant defect in persistence to antibiotics. Complementation of the ΔpurN restored its tolerance to different antibiotics. PurN significantly affected virulence gene expression, hemolytic ability, and biofilm formation in S. aureus. Moreover, the LD50 (3.28 × 1010 CFU/mL) of the ΔpurN for BALB/c mice was significantly higher than that of the parental strain (2.81 × 109 CFU/mL). Transcriptome analysis revealed that 58 genes that were involved in purine metabolism, alanine, aspartate, glutamate metabolism, and 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism, etc., were downregulated, while 24 genes involved in ABC transporter and transferase activity were upregulated in ΔpurN vs. parental strain. Protein-protein interaction network showed that there was a close relationship between PurN and GltB, and SaeRS. The study demonstrated that PurN participates in the formation of the late exponential phase S. aureus persisters via GltB and regulates its virulence by activating the SaeRS two-component system.
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9
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Moreno S, Muriel-Millán LF, Rodríguez-Martínez K, Ortíz-Vasco C, Bedoya-Pérez LP, Espín G. The ribosome rescue pathways SsrA-SmpB, ArfA, and ArfB mediate tolerance to heat and antibiotic stresses in Azotobacter vinelandii. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2022; 369:6824435. [PMID: 36368695 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnac104] [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: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria have a mechanism to rescue stalled ribosomes known as trans-translation consisting of SsrA, a transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA), and the small protein SmpB. Other alternative rescue mechanisms mediated by ArfA and ArfB proteins are present only in some species. Ribosome rescue mechanisms also play a role in tolerance to antibiotics and various stresses such as heat. This study shows that the genome of the soil bacterium A. vinelandii harbours genes encoding for tmRNA, SmpB, two paralogs of ArfA (arfA1 and arfA2), and ArfB. A number of mutant strains carrying mutations in the ssrA, arfA1, arfA2, and arfB genes were constructed and tested for their growth and susceptibility to heat and the antibiotic tetracycline. We found that the inactivation of both ssrA and one or the two arfA genes was detrimental to growth and caused a higher susceptibility to heat and to the antibiotic tetracycline. Interestingly, the arfB mutant strain was unable to grow after 2 h of incubation at 45°C. Inactivation of arfB in the ssrA-arfA1-arfA2 strain caused a lethal phenotype since the quadruple mutant could not be isolated. Taken together, our data suggest that both arfA1 and arfA2, as well as arfB, are functional as back up mechanisms, and that the ArfB pathway has an essential role that confers A. vinelandii resistance to high temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Moreno
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, México
| | - Luis Felipe Muriel-Millán
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Ciudad Universitaria, CDMX, México
| | - Karen Rodríguez-Martínez
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, México
| | - Cristian Ortíz-Vasco
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, México
| | - Leidy Patricia Bedoya-Pérez
- Programa de Biología Sintética, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, México
| | - Guadalupe Espín
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Col. Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, México
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10
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Xu S, Cao Q, Liu Z, Chen J, Yan P, Li B, Xu Y. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Role of tmRNA on Biofilm Formation in Bacillus subtilis. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10071338. [PMID: 35889057 PMCID: PMC9319509 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10071338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus strains are widely distributed in terrestrial and marine environments, and some of them are used as biocontrol organisms for their biofilm-formation ability. In Bacillus subtilis, biofilm formation is fine-tuned by a complex network, a clear understanding of which still requires study. In bacteria, tmRNA, encoded by the ssrA gene, catalyzes trans-translation that can rescue ribosomes stalled on mRNA transcripts lacking a functional stop codon. tmRNA also affects physiological bioprocesses in some bacteria. In this study, we constructed a ssrA mutant in B. subtilis and found that the biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant was largely impaired. Moreover, we isolated a biofilm-formation suppressor of ssrA, in which the biofilm formation was restored to a level even stronger than that in the wild type. We further performed RNAseq assays with the wild type, ssrA mutant, and suppressor of ssrA for comparisons of their transcriptomes. By analyzing the transcriptomic data, we predicted the possible functions of some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the tmRNA regulation of biofilm formation in B. subtilis. Finally, we found that the overexpression of two DEGs, acoA and yhjR, could restore the biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant, indicating that AcoA and YhjR were immediate regulators involved in the tmRNA regulatory web controlling biofilm formation in B. subtilis. Our data can improve the knowledge about the molecular network involved in Bacillus biofilm formation and provide new targets for manipulation of Bacillus biofilms for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Xu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Qianqian Cao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Zengzhi Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Junpeng Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Peiguang Yan
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Bingyu Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Genome Stability and Disease Prevention, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Correspondence: (B.L.); (Y.X.)
| | - Ying Xu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
- Correspondence: (B.L.); (Y.X.)
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11
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Liu P, Chang H, Xu Q, Wang D, Tang Y, Hu X, Lin M, Liu Z. Peptide Aptamer PA3 Attenuates the Viability of Aeromonas veronii by Hindering of Small Protein B-Outer Membrane Protein A Signal Pathway. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:900234. [PMID: 35663889 PMCID: PMC9159911 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.900234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The small protein B (SmpB), previously acting as a ribosome rescue factor for translation quality control, is required for cell viability in bacteria. Here, our study reveals that SmpB possesses new function which regulates the expression of outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene as a transcription factor in Aeromonas veronii. The deletion of SmpB caused the lower transcription expression of ompA by Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and DNase I Footprinting verified that the SmpB bound at the regions of −46 to −28 bp, −18 to +4 bp, +21 to +31 bp, and +48 to +59 bp of the predicted ompA promoter (PompA). The key sites C52AT was further identified to interact with SmpB when PompA was fused with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and co-transformed with SmpB expression vector for the fluorescence detection, and the result was further confirmed in microscale thermophoresis (MST) assays. Besides, the amino acid sites G11S, F26I, and K152 in SmpB were the key sites for binding to PompA. In order to further develop peptide antimicrobial agents, the peptide aptamer PA3 was screened from the peptide aptamer (PA) library by bacterial two-hybrid method. The drug sensitivity test showed that PA3 effectively inhibited the growth of A. veronii. In summary, these results demonstrated that OmpA was a good drug target for A. veronii, which was regulated by the SmpB protein and the selected peptide aptamer PA3 interacted with OmpA protein to disable SmpB-OmpA signal pathway and inhibited A. veronii, suggesting that it could be used as an antimicrobial agent for the prevention and treatment of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- Center for Medical Innovation, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Huimin Chang
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Qi Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Dan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- One Health Institute, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Xinwen Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Min Lin
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- One Health Institute, Hainan University, Haikou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhu Liu,
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12
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Wan Y, Wang M, Chan EWC, Chen S. Membrane Transporters of the Major Facilitator Superfamily Are Essential for Long-Term Maintenance of Phenotypic Tolerance to Multiple Antibiotics in E. coli. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0184621. [PMID: 34787438 PMCID: PMC8597633 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01846-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic tolerance is not only the key underlying the cause of recurrent and chronic bacterial infections but it is also a factor linked to exacerbation of diseases, such as tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis-associated lung infection, and candidiasis. This phenomenon was previously attributed to a switch to physiological dormancy in a bacterial subpopulation triggered by environmental signals. However, we recently showed that expression of phenotypic antibiotic tolerance during nutrient starvation is highly dependent on robust production of proteins that actively maintain the bacterial transmembrane proton motive force (PMF), even under a nutrient-deficient environment. To investigate why PMF needs to be maintained for expression of phenotypic antibiotic tolerance, we tested the relative functional role of known transporters and efflux pumps in tolerance development by assessing the effect of deletion of specific efflux pump and transporter-encoding genes on long-term maintenance of antibiotic tolerance in an Escherichia coli population under starvation. We identified eight specific efflux pumps and transporters and two known efflux pump components, namely, ChaA, EmrK, EmrY, SsuA, NhaA, GadC, YdjK, YphD, TolC, and ChaB, that play a key role in tolerance development and maintenance. In particular, deletion of each of the nhaA and chaB genes is sufficient to totally abolish the tolerance phenotypes during prolonged antimicrobial treatment. These findings therefore depict active, efflux-mediated bacterial tolerance mechanisms and facilitate design of intervention strategies to prevent and treat chronic and recurrent infections due to persistence of antibiotic-tolerant subpopulations in the human body. IMPORTANCE We recently showed that the antibiotic-tolerant subpopulation of bacteria or persisters actively maintain the transmembrane proton motive force (PMF) to survive starvation stress for a prolonged period. This work further shows that the reason why antibiotic persisters need to maintain PMF is that PMF is required to support a range of efflux or transportation functions. Intriguingly, we found that tolerance-maintaining efflux activities were mainly encoded by 10 efflux or transporter genes. Because our study showed that deletion of even one of these genes could cause a significant reduction in tolerance level, we conclude that the products of these genes play an essential role in enhancing the survival fitness of bacteria during starvation or under other adverse environmental conditions. These gene products are therefore excellent targets for future design of antimicrobial agents that eradicate antibiotic tolerant persisters and prevent occurrence of chronic and recurrent human infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingkun Wan
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Miaomiao Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Edward Wai Chi Chan
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- State Key Lab of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Sheng Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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13
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Campos-Silva R, D’Urso G, Delalande O, Giudice E, Macedo AJ, Gillet R. Trans-Translation Is an Appealing Target for the Development of New Antimicrobial Compounds. Microorganisms 2021; 10:3. [PMID: 35056452 PMCID: PMC8778911 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Because of the ever-increasing multidrug resistance in microorganisms, it is crucial that we find and develop new antibiotics, especially molecules with different targets and mechanisms of action than those of the antibiotics in use today. Translation is a fundamental process that uses a large portion of the cell's energy, and the ribosome is already the target of more than half of the antibiotics in clinical use. However, this process is highly regulated, and its quality control machinery is actively studied as a possible target for new inhibitors. In bacteria, ribosomal stalling is a frequent event that jeopardizes bacterial wellness, and the most severe form occurs when ribosomes stall at the 3'-end of mRNA molecules devoid of a stop codon. Trans-translation is the principal and most sophisticated quality control mechanism for solving this problem, which would otherwise result in inefficient or even toxic protein synthesis. It is based on the complex made by tmRNA and SmpB, and because trans-translation is absent in eukaryotes, but necessary for bacterial fitness or survival, it is an exciting and realistic target for new antibiotics. Here, we describe the current and future prospects for developing what we hope will be a novel generation of trans-translation inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Campos-Silva
- CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France; (R.C.-S.); (G.D.); (O.D.); (E.G.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia and Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90610-000, Brazil;
| | - Gaetano D’Urso
- CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France; (R.C.-S.); (G.D.); (O.D.); (E.G.)
| | - Olivier Delalande
- CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France; (R.C.-S.); (G.D.); (O.D.); (E.G.)
| | - Emmanuel Giudice
- CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France; (R.C.-S.); (G.D.); (O.D.); (E.G.)
| | - Alexandre José Macedo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia and Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90610-000, Brazil;
| | - Reynald Gillet
- CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France; (R.C.-S.); (G.D.); (O.D.); (E.G.)
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14
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Iannetta AA, Minton NE, Uitenbroek AA, Little JL, Stanton CR, Kristich CJ, Hicks LM. IreK-Mediated, Cell Wall-Protective Phosphorylation in Enterococcus faecalis. J Proteome Res 2021; 20:5131-5144. [PMID: 34672600 PMCID: PMC10037947 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive bacterium that is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections due, in part, to its intrinsic resistance to cell wall-active antimicrobials. One critical determinant of this resistance is the transmembrane kinase IreK, which belongs to the penicillin-binding protein and serine/threonine kinase-associated kinase family of bacterial signaling proteins involved with the regulation of cell wall homeostasis. The activity of IreK is enhanced in response to cell wall stress, but direct substrates of IreK phosphorylation, leading to antimicrobial resistance, are largely unknown. To better understand stress-modulated phosphorylation events contributing to antimicrobial resistance, wild type E. faecalis cells treated with cell wall-active antimicrobials, chlorhexidine or ceftriaxone, were examined via phosphoproteomics. Among the most prominent changes was increased phosphorylation of divisome components after both treatments, suggesting that E. faecalis modulates cell division in response to cell wall stress. Phosphorylation mediated by IreK was then determined via a similar analysis with a E. faecalis ΔireK mutant strain, revealing potential IreK substrates involved with the regulation of peptidoglycan biosynthesis and within the E. faecalis CroS/R two-component system, another signal transduction pathway that promotes antimicrobial resistance. These results reveal critical insights into the biological functions of IreK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony A. Iannetta
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Nicole E. Minton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Alexis A. Uitenbroek
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Jaime L. Little
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Caroline R. Stanton
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Christopher J. Kristich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Leslie M. Hicks
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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15
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Thépaut M, Campos-Silva R, Renard E, Barloy-Hubler F, Ennifar E, Boujard D, Gillet R. Safe and easy in vitro evaluation of tmRNA-SmpB-mediated trans-translation from ESKAPE pathogenic bacteria. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 27:1390-1399. [PMID: 34353925 PMCID: PMC8522692 DOI: 10.1261/rna.078773.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In bacteria, trans-translation is the major quality control system for rescuing stalled ribosomes. It is mediated by tmRNA, a hybrid RNA with properties of both a tRNA and a mRNA, and the small protein SmpB. Because trans-translation is absent in eukaryotes but necessary for bacterial fitness or survival, it is a promising target for the development of novel antibiotics. To facilitate screening of chemical libraries, various reliable in vitro and in vivo systems have been created for assessing trans-translational activity. However, the aim of the current work was to permit the safe and easy in vitro evaluation of trans-translation from pathogenic bacteria, which are obviously the ones we should be targeting. Based on green fluorescent protein (GFP) reassembly during active trans-translation, we have created a cell-free assay adapted to the rapid evaluation of trans-translation in ESKAPE bacteria, with 24 different possible combinations. It can be used for easy high-throughput screening of chemical compounds as well as for exploring the mechanism of trans-translation in these pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Thépaut
- Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
- SATT Ouest-Valorisation, 35750 Rennes, France
| | - Rodrigo Campos-Silva
- Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90610-000, Brazil
| | - Eva Renard
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN-CNRS UPR 9002, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Frédérique Barloy-Hubler
- Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Eric Ennifar
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN-CNRS UPR 9002, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Daniel Boujard
- Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Reynald Gillet
- Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
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16
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Li H, Ming X, Xu D, Mo H, Liu Z, Hu L, Zhou X. Transcriptome Analysis and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Reveal Multitarget-Directed Antibacterial Mechanisms of Benzyl Isothiocyanate against Staphylococcus aureus. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:11733-11741. [PMID: 34558287 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c03979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus can cause many diseases and has a strong tendency to develop resistance to multiple antibiotics. In this study, benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) was shown to have an excellent inhibitory effect on S. aureus ATCC25923 and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 10 μg/mL. Under a scanning electron microscope, shrinkage and lysis of the cellular envelope were observed when exposed to BITC, and a bactericidal mode of BITC against S. aureus was further confirmed through flow cytometry. Additionally, the RNA profiles of S. aureus cells exposed to BITC indicated a violent transcriptional response to BITC. Through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, it was found that many pathways involving bacterial survival were significantly affected, such as RNA degradation, oxidative phosphorylation, arginine biosynthesis, and so forth. A gene co-expression network was constructed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and six biologically meaningful co-expression modules and 125 hub genes were identified from the network. Among them, EfeB, GroES, SmpB, and Lsp were possibly targeted by BITC, leading to the death of S. aureus. Our results indicated a great potential of BITC to be applied in food safety and pharmaceuticals, highlighting its multitarget-directed bactericidal effects on S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbo Li
- Department of Food and Bioengineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi 710021, China
| | - Xujia Ming
- Department of Food and Bioengineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi 710021, China
| | - Dan Xu
- Department of Food and Bioengineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi 710021, China
| | - Haizhen Mo
- Department of Food and Bioengineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi 710021, China
| | - Zhenbin Liu
- Department of Food and Bioengineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi 710021, China
| | - Liangbin Hu
- Department of Food and Bioengineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Shaanxi 710021, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhou
- Department of Pathobiology & Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, 61 North Eagleville Road, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States
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17
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Ren H, Zhang J, Zhou J, Xu C, Fan Z, Pan X, Li S, Liang Y, Chen S, Xu J, Wang P, Zhang Y, Zhu G, Liu H, Jin Y, Bai F, Cheng Z, Pletzer D, Wu W. Synergistic bactericidal activities of tobramycin with ciprofloxacin and azithromycin against Klebsiella pneumoniae. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 2021; 74:528-537. [PMID: 34050325 DOI: 10.1038/s41429-021-00427-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Trans-translation is a unique bacterial ribosome rescue system that plays important roles in the tolerance to environmental stresses. It is composed of an ssrA-encoded tmRNA and a protein SmpB. In this study, we examined the role of trans-translation in antibiotic tolerance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and explored whether the inhibition of this mechanism could enhance the bactericidal activities of antibiotics. We found that deletion of the ssrA gene reduced the survival of K. pneumoniae after treatment with kanamycin, tobramycin, azithromycin, and ciprofloxacin, indicating an important role of the trans-translation in bacterial antibiotic tolerance. By using a modified ssrA gene with a 6×His tag we demonstrated that tobramycin suppressed the azithromycin and ciprofloxacin-elicited activation of trans-translation. The results were further confirmed with a trans-translation reporter system that is composed of a normal mCherry gene and a gfp gene without the stop codon. Compared to each individual antibiotic, combination of tobramycin with azithromycin or ciprofloxacin synergistically enhanced the killing activities against planktonic K. pneumoniae cells and improved bacterial clearance in a murine cutaneous abscess infection model. In addition, the combination of tobramycin and ciprofloxacin increased the bactericidal activities against biofilm-associated cells. Overall, our results suggest that the combination of tobramycin with azithromycin or ciprofloxacin is a promising strategy in combating K. pneumoniae infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Jingyi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Jingyi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Congjuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Zheng Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Xiaolei Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Shouyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Yuying Liang
- Department of laboratory medicine, 5th medical center of PLA general hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Shuiping Chen
- Department of laboratory medicine, 5th medical center of PLA general hospital, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Jun Xu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Hormones and Development (Tianjin Medical University), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Diabetic foot Department, Tianjin Medical University Metabolic Disease Hospital & Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Penghua Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Hormones and Development (Tianjin Medical University), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Diabetic foot Department, Tianjin Medical University Metabolic Disease Hospital & Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital, Tianjin, 300070, China
| | - Yanhong Zhang
- Nankai University Affiliated Hospital (Tianjin Forth Hospital), Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Guangbo Zhu
- Tianjin Union Medical Center, Nankai University Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, 300121, China
| | - Huimin Liu
- Tianjin Union Medical Center, Nankai University Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, 300121, China
| | - Yongxin Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Fang Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Zhihui Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Daniel Pletzer
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Weihui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
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18
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Müller C, Crowe-McAuliffe C, Wilson DN. Ribosome Rescue Pathways in Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:652980. [PMID: 33815344 PMCID: PMC8012679 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.652980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosomes that become stalled on truncated or damaged mRNAs during protein synthesis must be rescued for the cell to survive. Bacteria have evolved a diverse array of rescue pathways to remove the stalled ribosomes from the aberrant mRNA and return them to the free pool of actively translating ribosomes. In addition, some of these pathways target the damaged mRNA and the incomplete nascent polypeptide chain for degradation. This review highlights the recent developments in our mechanistic understanding of bacterial ribosomal rescue systems, including drop-off, trans-translation mediated by transfer-messenger RNA and small protein B, ribosome rescue by the alternative rescue factors ArfA and ArfB, as well as Bacillus ribosome rescue factor A, an additional rescue system found in some Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus subtilis. Finally, we discuss the recent findings of ribosome-associated quality control in particular bacterial lineages mediated by RqcH and RqcP. The importance of rescue pathways for bacterial survival suggests they may represent novel targets for the development of new antimicrobial agents against multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Daniel N. Wilson
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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19
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Yeom J, Groisman EA. Reduced ATP-dependent proteolysis of functional proteins during nutrient limitation speeds the return of microbes to a growth state. Sci Signal 2021; 14:14/667/eabc4235. [PMID: 33500334 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abc4235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
When cells run out of nutrients, the growth rate greatly decreases. Here, we report that microorganisms, such as the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, speed up the return to a rapid growth state by preventing the proteolysis of functional proteins by ATP-dependent proteases while in the slow-growth state or stationary phase. This reduction in functional protein degradation resulted from a decrease in the intracellular concentration of ATP that was nonetheless sufficient to allow the continued degradation of nonfunctional proteins by the same proteases. Protein preservation occurred under limiting magnesium, carbon, or nitrogen conditions, indicating that this response was not specific to low availability of a particular nutrient. Nevertheless, the return to rapid growth required proteins that mediate responses to the specific nutrient limitation conditions, because the transcriptional regulator PhoP was necessary for rapid recovery only after magnesium starvation. Reductions in intracellular ATP and in ATP-dependent proteolysis also enabled the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to recover faster from stationary phase. Our findings suggest that protein preservation during a slow-growth state is a conserved microbial strategy that facilitates the return to a growth state once nutrients become available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinki Yeom
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, 295 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.,Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea
| | - Eduardo A Groisman
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale School of Medicine, 295 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06536, USA. .,Yale Microbial Sciences Institute, P.O. Box 27389, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
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20
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Salcedo-Sora JE, Kell DB. A Quantitative Survey of Bacterial Persistence in the Presence of Antibiotics: Towards Antipersister Antimicrobial Discovery. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:E508. [PMID: 32823501 PMCID: PMC7460088 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9080508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Bacterial persistence to antibiotics relates to the phenotypic ability to survive lethal concentrations of otherwise bactericidal antibiotics. The quantitative nature of the time-kill assay, which is the sector's standard for the study of antibiotic bacterial persistence, is an invaluable asset for global, unbiased, and cross-species analyses. Methods: We compiled the results of antibiotic persistence from antibiotic-sensitive bacteria during planktonic growth. The data were extracted from a sample of 187 publications over the last 50 years. The antibiotics used in this compilation were also compared in terms of structural similarity to fluorescent molecules known to accumulate in Escherichia coli. Results: We reviewed in detail data from 54 antibiotics and 36 bacterial species. Persistence varies widely as a function of the type of antibiotic (membrane-active antibiotics admit the fewest), the nature of the growth phase and medium (persistence is less common in exponential phase and rich media), and the Gram staining of the target organism (persistence is more common in Gram positives). Some antibiotics bear strong structural similarity to fluorophores known to be taken up by E. coli, potentially allowing competitive assays. Some antibiotics also, paradoxically, seem to allow more persisters at higher antibiotic concentrations. Conclusions: We consolidated an actionable knowledge base to support a rational development of antipersister antimicrobials. Persistence is seen as a step on the pathway to antimicrobial resistance, and we found no organisms that failed to exhibit it. Novel antibiotics need to have antipersister activity. Discovery strategies should include persister-specific approaches that could find antibiotics that preferably target the membrane structure and permeability of slow-growing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Enrique Salcedo-Sora
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK;
| | - Douglas B. Kell
- Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK;
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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21
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Peng M, Cao X, Tang Y, Li H, Ma X, Liu Z. Large-scale identification of trans-translation substrates targeted by tmRNA in Aeromonas veronii. Microb Pathog 2020; 145:104226. [PMID: 32353577 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) is ubiquitous in bacteria, acting as the core component for the trans-translation system that contributes to label the aberrantly synthesized peptides for degradation and to release the stalled ribosomes. Deletion of tmRNA causes a variety of phenotypes related to important physiological processes in bacteria. To illustrate the molecular mechanism of the versatility of tmRNA in aquatic pathogen Aeromonas veronii, we mutated the C-terminal nucleotides of tmRNA (MutmRNA) for encoding a tag containing six histidine residues (His6tag), so as to capture and enrich the trans-translation substrates from the cell lysates through a Ni2+-NTA affinity chromatograph. The results showed that the concentrated substrates were detected as distinct and specific bands in western blotting using anti-His antibody, demonstrating that specific defective mRNAs were frequently and intensively rescued by trans-translation during the translation process in A. veronii. The substrates were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and further identified by searching a theoretically constructed database specific for A. veronii. Total of 24 potential substrates were identified, with various functions involved in metabolism, as well as structure and signal-based cellular events. Among the identified substrates, PspA and AsmA were labeled by Flag, and expressed in the presence of the modified trans-translation system in E. coli. Their labelings with MutmRNA were validated by purification through Ni2+-NTA column followed by western blotting using anti-Flag antibody. This study provided the most abundant set of endogenous targets for tmRNA in A. veronii, and facilitated further investigations about the molecular mechanism and signal pathway of tmRNA-mediated trans-translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muzhi Peng
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China
| | - Xin Cao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China
| | - Hong Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China
| | - Xiang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
| | - Zhu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
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22
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Yu W, Li D, Li H, Tang Y, Tang H, Ma X, Liu Z. Absence of tmRNA Increases the Persistence to Cefotaxime and the Intercellular Accumulation of Metabolite GlcNAc in Aeromonas veronii. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:44. [PMID: 32185140 PMCID: PMC7058587 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial persisters are a small proportion of phenotypically heterogeneous variants with the transient capability to survive in high concentrations of antibiotics, causing recurrent infections in both human and aquatic animals. Transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA), which was encoded by the ssrA gene, was identified as a determinant regulator mediating the persistence to β-lactams in the pathogenic Aeromonas veronii C4. The deletion of tmRNA exhibited the increased ability of persister formation most probably due to the reduction of protein synthesis. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that the absence of tmRNA not only significantly elevated the intercellular levels of metabolite GlcNAc and promoted NaCl osmotic tolerance, but also upregulated the expression of metabolic genes in both the upstream biosynthesis pathway and the downstream metabolic flux of peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthesis. Finally, exogenous GlcNAc stimulated significant bacterial growth, enhanced content of GlcNAc in the cell wall, higher resistance to osmotic response, and higher persistence to cefotaxime in a concentration-dependent manner, implying its potential role in promoting the multiple phenotypes observed in tmRNA deletion strains. Taken together, these results hint at a potential mechanism of persister formation mediated by tmRNA against the β-lactam challenges in A. veronii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China.,School of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Daiyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hong Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hongqian Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Xiang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
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23
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Yamasaki R, Song S, Benedik MJ, Wood TK. Persister Cells Resuscitate Using Membrane Sensors that Activate Chemotaxis, Lower cAMP Levels, and Revive Ribosomes. iScience 2020; 23:100792. [PMID: 31926430 PMCID: PMC6957856 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.100792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistence, the stress-tolerant state, is arguably the most vital phenotype since nearly all cells experience nutrient stress, which causes a sub-population to become dormant. However, how persister cells wake to reconstitute infections is not understood well. Here, using single-cell observations, we determined that Escherichia coli persister cells resuscitate primarily when presented with specific carbon sources, rather than spontaneously. In addition, we found that the mechanism of persister cell waking is through sensing nutrients by chemotaxis and phosphotransferase membrane proteins. Furthermore, nutrient transport reduces the level of secondary messenger cAMP through enzyme IIA; this reduction in cAMP levels leads to ribosome resuscitation and rescue. Resuscitating cells also immediately commence chemotaxis toward nutrients, although flagellar motion is not required for waking. Hence, persister cells wake by perceiving nutrients via membrane receptors that relay the signal to ribosomes via the secondary messenger cAMP, and persisters wake and utilize chemotaxis to acquire nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Yamasaki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-4400, USA
| | - Sooyeon Song
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-4400, USA
| | - Michael J Benedik
- Department of Biology, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843-3122, USA
| | - Thomas K Wood
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-4400, USA; The Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-4400, USA.
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24
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Penesyan A, Nagy SS, Kjelleberg S, Gillings MR, Paulsen IT. Rapid microevolution of biofilm cells in response to antibiotics. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2019; 5:34. [PMID: 31728201 PMCID: PMC6834608 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-019-0108-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii are increasingly antibiotic resistant, generating a significant public health problem. Like many bacteria, A. baumannii adopts a biofilm lifestyle that enhances its antibiotic resistance and environmental resilience. Biofilms represent the predominant mode of microbial life, but research into antibiotic resistance has mainly focused on planktonic cells. We investigated the dynamics of A. baumannii biofilms in the presence of antibiotics. A 3-day exposure of A. baumannii biofilms to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics had a profound effect, increasing biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in the majority of biofilm dispersal isolates. Cells dispersing from biofilms were genome sequenced to identify mutations accumulating in their genomes, and network analysis linked these mutations to their phenotypes. Transcriptomics of biofilms confirmed the network analysis results, revealing novel gene functions of relevance to both resistance and biofilm formation. This approach is a rapid and objective tool for investigating resistance dynamics of biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anahit Penesyan
- 1Department of Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia.,2School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Stephanie S Nagy
- 1Department of Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia
| | - Staffan Kjelleberg
- 3Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, 60 Nanyang Drive, SBS-01N-27, Singapore, 637551 Singapore.,4School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551 Singapore.,5School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Michael R Gillings
- 6Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia
| | - Ian T Paulsen
- 1Department of Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia
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25
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Tresse C, Radigue R, Gomes Von Borowski R, Thepaut M, Hanh Le H, Demay F, Georgeault S, Dhalluin A, Trautwetter A, Ermel G, Blanco C, van de Weghe P, Jean M, Giard JC, Gillet R. Synthesis and evaluation of 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives for development as broad-spectrum antibiotics. Bioorg Med Chem 2019; 27:115097. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2019.115097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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26
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General Mechanisms Leading to Persister Formation and Awakening. Trends Genet 2019; 35:401-411. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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27
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Wang D, Li H, Ma X, Tang Y, Tang H, Hu X, Liu Z. Small RNA AvrA Regulates IscR to Increase the Stress Tolerances in SmpB Deficiency of Aeromonas veronii. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:142. [PMID: 31192158 PMCID: PMC6517841 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The superbacteria Aeromonas veronii displays not only a strong pathogenicity but also the resistance to nine kinds of antibiotics, resulting in the economic losses and health hazards. Small Protein B (SmpB) plays an important role in protein quality control, virulence, and stress reactions. Transcriptomic data revealed that expressions of the type IV pilus assembly and type VI secretion system (T6SS) proteins were downregulated in SmpB deficiency, indicating that the virulence of A. veronii might be attenuated. Although SmpB deletion decreased colonization in the mouse spleen and liver, LD50 of the smpB mutant was not altered as expected, compared with the wild type. Further, the transcriptomic and quantitative RT-PCR analyses showed that the combination of the downregulated AvrA and the upregulated iron-sulfur protein activator IscR, mediated the oxidative tolerance in smpB deletion. Next a reporter plasmid was constructed in which the promoter of iscR was applied to control the expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene. When the reporter plasmid was co-expressed with the AvrA expression into E. coli, the relative fluorescence intensity was decreased significantly, suggesting that AvrA bound to iscR mRNA by base pairing, which in turn relieved the inhibition of iscR and intensified the downstream iron-sulfur proteins. Collectively, the smpB mutant exhibited an attenuated virulence in mice and enhanced tolerances to oxidative stress. This study demonstrates the complexity of gene regulation networks mediated by sRNA in systems biology, and also reflects the strong adaptability of superbacteria A. veronii in the process of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hong Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Xiang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Hongqian Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Xinwen Hu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, China
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28
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Zhang L, Yu W, Tang Y, Li H, Ma X, Liu Z. RNA chaperone hfq mediates persistence to multiple antibiotics in Aeromonas veronii. Microb Pathog 2019; 132:124-128. [PMID: 31054368 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Pathogenic Aeromonas veronii results in great healthy and economic losses in fishes and human. The multiple drug tolerance of bacterial persister is the major cause for recurrent infections. Ubiquitous RNA-binding protein Hfq is liable for antibiotic tolerance and persisiter production. We showed that the hfq deletion in A. veronii retarded the growth, reduced the tolerances to diverse antibiotics, and lowered the persistence. Such effects might be mediated by the downregulations of RelE, CspD, ClpB, RpoS, OxyR, and upregulation of OppB. Our study supports the role of Hfq in persister formation and provides clues for the avoidance of recalcitrant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Pharmacy, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
| | - Wenjing Yu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Pharmacy, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Pharmacy, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
| | - Hong Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Pharmacy, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
| | - Xiang Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Pharmacy, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
| | - Zhu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Biological Resources of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Pharmacy, Hainan University, 570228, Haikou, China.
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29
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Huang Y, Alumasa JN, Callaghan LT, Baugh RS, Rae CD, Keiler KC, McGillivray SM. A Small-Molecule Inhibitor of trans-Translation Synergistically Interacts with Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptides To Impair Survival of Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:e02362-18. [PMID: 30917982 PMCID: PMC6437501 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02362-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of infection in the United States, and due to the rapid development of resistance, new antibiotics are constantly needed. trans-Translation is a particularly promising antibiotic target because it is conserved in many bacterial species, is critical for bacterial survival, and is unique among prokaryotes. We have investigated the potential of KKL-40, a small-molecule inhibitor of trans-translation, and find that it inhibits both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus KKL-40 is also effective against Gram-positive pathogens, including a vancomycin-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, and Streptococcus pyogenes, although its performance with Gram-negative pathogens is mixed. KKL-40 synergistically interacts with the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37, a member of the cathelicidin family, to inhibit S. aureus but not other antibiotics tested, including daptomycin, kanamycin, or erythromycin. KKL-40 is not cytotoxic to HeLa cells at concentrations that are 100-fold higher than the effective MIC. We also find that S. aureus develops minimal resistance to KKL-40 even after multiday passage at sublethal concentrations. Therefore, trans-translation inhibitors could be a particularly promising drug target against S. aureus, not only because of their ability to inhibit bacterial growth but also because of their potential to simultaneously render S. aureus more susceptible to host antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyang Huang
- Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - John N Alumasa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lauren T Callaghan
- Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - R Samuel Baugh
- Department of Biology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Christopher D Rae
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kenneth C Keiler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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30
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Sulaiman JE, Lam H. Application of proteomics in studying bacterial persistence. Expert Rev Proteomics 2019; 16:227-239. [DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2019.1575207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jordy Evan Sulaiman
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Henry Lam
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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31
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SmpB down-regulates proton-motive force for the persister tolerance to aminoglycosides in Aeromonas veronii. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 507:407-413. [PMID: 30449596 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.11.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial persisters comprise a small fraction of phenotypically heterogeneous variants with transient capability for survival when exposed to high concentrations of antibiotic. In aquatic pathogenic bacteria Aeromonas veronii, Small Protein B (SmpB), the core factor of trans-translation system, was identified as a new persistence-related gene. The SmpB deletion exhibited a higher susceptibility and lower persister cell formation under aminoglycosides antibiotics pressure compared with wild type. The transcriptional and translational activities of smpB gene were significantly enhanced by the gentamicin challenge in exponential phase, but not changed in stationary phase. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that the smpB deletion stimulated the production of proton-motive force (PMF). The cell survival induced by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) further verified that SmpB variation affected the quantities of PMF. Taken together, these results uncovered a novel mechanism of persister formation mediated by SmpB under aminoglycosides treatments.
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32
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Expression, purification and characterization of the full-length SmpB protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Protein Expr Purif 2018; 151:9-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2018.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Revised: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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33
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Cui P, Niu H, Shi W, Zhang S, Zhang W, Zhang Y. Identification of Genes Involved in Bacteriostatic Antibiotic-Induced Persister Formation. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:413. [PMID: 29559967 PMCID: PMC5845583 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Persister cells are metabolically quiescent multi-drug tolerant fraction of a genetically sensitive bacterial population and are thought to be responsible for relapse of many persistent infections. Persisters can be formed naturally in the stationary phase culture, and also can be induced by bacteriostatic antibiotics. However, the molecular basis of bacteriostatic antibiotic induced persister formation is unknown. Here, we established a bacteriostatic antibiotic induced persister model and screened the Escherichia coli single gene deletion mutant library for mutants with defect in rifampin or tetracycline induced persistence to ofloxacin. Thirsty-seven and nine genes were found with defects in rifampin- and tetracycline-induced persister formation, respectively. Six mutants were found to overlap in both rifampin and tetracycline induced persister screens: recA, recC, ruvA, uvrD, fis, and acrB. Interestingly, four of these mutants (recA, recC, ruvA, and uvrD) mapped to DNA repair pathway, one mutant mapped to global transcriptional regulator (fis) and one to efflux (acrB). The stationary phase culture of the identified mutants and parent strain BW25113 were subjected to different antibiotics including ofloxacin, ampicillin, gentamicin, and stress conditions including starvation and acid pH 4.0. All the six mutants showed less tolerance to ofloxacin, but only some of them were more sensitive to other specific stress conditions. Complementation of five of the six common mutants restored the persister level to that of the parent strain in both stationary phase and static antibiotic-induced conditions. In addition to the DNA repair pathways shared by both rifampin and tetracycline induced persisters, genes involved in rifampin-induced persisters map also to transporters, LPS biosynthesis, flagella biosynthesis, metabolism (folate and energy), and translation, etc. These findings suggest that persisters generated by different ways may share common mechanisms of survival, and also shed new insight into the molecular basis of static antibiotic induced antagonism of cidal antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Cui
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Hongxia Niu
- Lanzhou Center for Tuberculosis Research – Institute of Pathogenic Biology – Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Translation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wanliang Shi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shuo Zhang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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34
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KKL-35 Exhibits Potent Antibiotic Activity against Legionella Species Independently of trans-Translation Inhibition. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.01459-17. [PMID: 29158279 PMCID: PMC5786812 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01459-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
trans-Translation is a ribosome-rescue system that is ubiquitous in bacteria. Small molecules defining a new family of oxadiazole compounds that inhibit trans-translation have been found to have broad-spectrum antibiotic activity. We sought to determine the activity of KKL-35, a potent member of the oxadiazole family, against the human pathogen Legionella pneumophila and other related species that can also cause Legionnaires' disease (LD). Consistent with the essential nature of trans-translation in L. pneumophila, KKL-35 inhibited the growth of all tested strains at submicromolar concentrations. KKL-35 was also active against other LD-causing Legionella species. KKL-35 remained equally active against L. pneumophila mutants that have evolved resistance to macrolides. KKL-35 inhibited the multiplication of L. pneumophila in human macrophages at several stages of infection. No resistant mutants could be obtained, even during extended and chronic exposure. Surprisingly, KKL-35 was not synergistic with other ribosome-targeting antibiotics and did not induce the filamentation phenotype observed in cells defective for trans-translation. Importantly, KKL-35 remained active against L. pneumophila mutants expressing an alternate ribosome-rescue system and lacking transfer-messenger RNA, the essential component of trans-translation. These results indicate that the antibiotic activity of KKL-35 is not related to the specific inhibition of trans-translation and its mode of action remains to be identified. In conclusion, KKL-35 is an effective antibacterial agent against the intracellular pathogen L. pneumophila with no detectable resistance development. However, further studies are needed to better understand its mechanism of action and to assess further the potential of oxadiazoles in treatment.
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35
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Xu T, Wang XY, Cui P, Zhang YM, Zhang WH, Zhang Y. The Agr Quorum Sensing System Represses Persister Formation through Regulation of Phenol Soluble Modulins in Staphylococcus aureus. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2189. [PMID: 29163457 PMCID: PMC5681930 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus has become an increasing threat to public health. While the Agr quorum sensing (QS) system is a master regulator of S. aureus virulence, its dysfunction has been frequently reported to promote bacteremia and mortality in clinical infections. Here we show that the Agr system is involved in persister formation in S. aureus. Mutation of either agrCA or agrD but not RNAIII resulted in increased persister formation of stationary phase cultures. RNA-seq analysis showed that in stationary phase AgrCA/AgrD and RNAIII mutants showed consistent up-regulation of virulence associated genes (lip and splE, etc.) and down-regulation of metabolism genes (bioA and nanK, etc.). Meanwhile, though knockout of agrCA or agrD strongly repressed expression of phenol soluble modulin encoding genes psmα1-4, psmβ1-2 and phenol soluble modulins (PSM) transporter encoding genes in the pmt operon, mutation of RNAIII enhanced expression of the genes. We further found that knockout of psmα1-4 or psmβ1-2 augmented persister formation and that co-overexpression of PSMαs and PSMβs reversed the effects of AgrCA mutation on persister formation. We also detected the effects on persister formation by mutations of metabolism genes (arcA, hutU, narG, nanK, etc.) that are potentially regulated by Agr system. It was found that deletion of the ManNAc kinase encoding gene nanK decreased persister formation. Taken together, these results shed new light on the PSM dependent regulatory role of Agr system in persister formation and may have implications for clinical treatment of MRSA persistent infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu-Yang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Cui
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Meng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Hong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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36
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Shanmughapriya V, Richard S, Nagarajan T, Munavar MH. Ascribing a novel role for tmRNA of Escherichia coli in resistance to mitomycin C. Future Microbiol 2017; 12:1381-1395. [PMID: 29027471 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2016-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM The ssrA mutants were found to be more sensitive to mitomycin C (MMC) and our aim was to study this phenomenon in detail. MATERIALS & METHODS Strains were constructed by P1 transduction. pssrA+ plasmid was constructed by PCR-based cloning and transformation was done by CaCl2 method. Relative viability analyses were done to assess the extent of viability of strains in relevant conditions. Gram staining was used for microscopic analysis. RESULTS ssrA mutants become sensitive specifically to MMC, that too in a strain-specific manner. Precise tagging function of SsrA is necessary for conferring resistance to MMC. sulA::kan restored the viability of ssrA::cat mutants in a strain-specific manner. CONCLUSION This study for the first time implicates SsrA in progression of efficient cell division and resistance to MMC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Shanmughapriya
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Advanced Studies in Functional & Organismal Genomics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Stephen Richard
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Advanced Studies in Functional & Organismal Genomics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, Tamil Nadu, India.,Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Bat Galim, Haifa 31096, Israel
| | - Tamilmaran Nagarajan
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Advanced Studies in Functional & Organismal Genomics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - M Hussain Munavar
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Advanced Studies in Functional & Organismal Genomics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625021, Tamil Nadu, India
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Macé K, Demay F, Guyomar C, Georgeault S, Giudice E, Goude R, Trautwetter A, Ermel G, Blanco C, Gillet R. A Genetic Tool to Quantify trans-Translation Activity in Vivo. J Mol Biol 2017; 429:3617-3625. [PMID: 29031699 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In bacteria, trans-translation is the main quality control mechanism for rescuing ribosomes arrested during translation. This key process is universally conserved and plays a critical role in the viability and virulence of many pathogens. We developed a reliable in vivo double-fluorescence reporter system for the simultaneous quantification of both trans-translation and the associated proteolysis activities in bacteria. The assay was validated using mutant bacteria lacking tmRNA, SmpB, and the ClpP protease. Both antisense tmRNA-binding RNA and a peptide mimicking the SmpB C-terminal tail proved to be potent inhibitors of trans-translation in vivo. The double-fluorescent reporter was also tested with KKL-35, an oxadiazole derivative that is supposed to be a promising trans-translation inhibitor, and it surprisingly turns out that trans-translation is not the only target of KKL-35 in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Macé
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Fanny Demay
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Charlotte Guyomar
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Sylvie Georgeault
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Emmanuel Giudice
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Renan Goude
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Annie Trautwetter
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Gwennola Ermel
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Carlos Blanco
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Reynald Gillet
- Univ. Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR) UMR6290, 35000 Rennes, France.
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Liu S, Wu N, Zhang S, Yuan Y, Zhang W, Zhang Y. Variable Persister Gene Interactions with (p)ppGpp for Persister Formation in Escherichia coli. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1795. [PMID: 28979246 PMCID: PMC5611423 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Persisters comprise a group of phenotypically heterogeneous metabolically quiescent bacteria with multidrug tolerance and contribute to the recalcitrance of chronic infections. Although recent work has shown that toxin-antitoxin (TA) system HipAB depends on stringent response effector (p)ppGppin persister formation, whether other persister pathways are also dependent on stringent response has not been explored. Here we examined the relationship of (p)ppGpp with 15 common persister genes (dnaK, clpB, rpoS, pspF, tnaA, sucB, ssrA, smpB, recA, umuD, uvrA, hipA, mqsR, relE, dinJ) using Escherichia coli as a model. By comparing the persister levels of wild type with their single gene knockout and double knockout mutants with relA, we divided their interactions into five types, namely A "dependent" (dnaK, recA), B "positive reinforcement" (rpoS, pspF, ssrA, recA), C "antagonistic" (clpB, sucB, umuD, uvrA, hipA, mqsR, relE, dinJ), D "epistasis" (clpB, rpoS, tnaA, ssrA, smpB, hipA), and E "irrelevant" (dnaK, clpB, rpoS, tnaA, sucB, smpB, umuD, uvrA, hipA, mqsR, relE, dinJ). We found that the persister gene interactions are intimately dependent on bacterial culture age, cell concentrations (diluted versus undiluted culture), and drug classifications, where the same gene may belong to different groups with varying antibiotics, culture age or cell concentrations. Together, this study represents the first attempt to systematically characterize the intricate relationships among the different mechanisms of persistence and as such provide new insights into the complexity of the persistence phenomenon at the level of persister gene network interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Liu
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Nan Wu
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Shanshan Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Youhua Yuan
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, BaltimoreMD, United States
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Van den Bergh B, Fauvart M, Michiels J. Formation, physiology, ecology, evolution and clinical importance of bacterial persisters. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2017; 41:219-251. [DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fux001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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Mraheil MA, Frantz R, Teubner L, Wendt H, Linne U, Wingerath J, Wirth T, Chakraborty T. Requirement of the RNA-binding protein SmpB during intracellular growth of Listeria monocytogenes. Int J Med Microbiol 2017; 307:166-173. [PMID: 28202229 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial trans-translation is the main quality control mechanism employed to relieve stalled ribosomes. Trans-translation is mediated by the small protein B (SmpB) and transfer-mRNA (tmRNA) ribonucleoprotein complex, which interacts with translational complexes stalled at the 3' end of non-stop mRNAs to release the stalled ribosomes thereby targeting the nascent polypeptides and truncated mRNAs for degradation. The trans-translation system exists with a few exceptions in all bacteria. In the present study, we assessed the contribution of SmpB to the growth and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes, a human intracellular food-borne pathogen that colonizes host tissues to cause severe invasive infections. A smpB knockout significantly decreased the intracellular growth rate of L. monocytogenes during infection of murine macrophages. In addition, the mutant strain was attenuated for virulence when examined with the Galleria mellonella larvae killing assay and the organ colonisation model of mice following infection. Proteomic analysis of whole cell extracts of ΔsmpB deletion mutant revealed elevated protein levels of several proteins involved in ribosome assembly and interaction with tRNA substrates. These included the elongation factor Tu [EF-Tu] which promotes the GTP-dependent binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the A-site of ribosomes during protein biosynthesis as well as the CysK which is known to interact with bacterial toxins that cleave tRNA substrates. The data presented here shed light on the role of SmpB and trans-translation during intracellular growth of L. monocytogenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mobarak Abu Mraheil
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, German Center for Infection Giessen-Marburg-Langen Site, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
| | - Renate Frantz
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, German Center for Infection Giessen-Marburg-Langen Site, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Lisa Teubner
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, German Center for Infection Giessen-Marburg-Langen Site, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Heiko Wendt
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, German Center for Infection Giessen-Marburg-Langen Site, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Uwe Linne
- Department of Chemistry, and LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology Core Facility for Mass Spectrometry, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein-Strasse 4, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Wingerath
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medical School Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Wirth
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medical School Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Trinad Chakraborty
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, German Center for Infection Giessen-Marburg-Langen Site, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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Brito L, Wilton J, Ferrándiz MJ, Gómez-Sanz A, de la Campa AG, Amblar M. Absence of tmRNA Has a Protective Effect against Fluoroquinolones in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Front Microbiol 2017; 7:2164. [PMID: 28119681 PMCID: PMC5222879 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.02164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 12/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The transfer messenger RNA (tmRNA), encoded by the ssrA gene, is a small non-coding RNA involved in trans-translation that contributes to the recycling of ribosomes stalled on aberrant mRNAs. In most bacteria, its inactivation has been related to a decreased ability to respond to and recover from a variety of stress conditions. In this report, we investigated the role of tmRNA in stress adaptation in the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. We constructed a tmRNA deletion mutant and analyzed its response to several lethal stresses. The ΔssrA strain grew slower than the wild type, indicating that, although not essential, tmRNA is important for normal pneumococcal growth. Moreover, deletion of tmRNA increased susceptibility to UV irradiation, to exogenous hydrogen peroxide and to antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis and transcription. However, the ΔssrA strain was more resistant to fluoroquinolones, showing twofold higher MIC values and up to 1000-fold higher survival rates than the wild type. Deletion of SmpB, the other partner in trans-translation, also reduced survival to levofloxacin in a similar extent. Accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species associated to moxifloxacin and levofloxacin treatment was also highly reduced (∼100-fold). Nevertheless, the ΔssrA strain showed higher intracellular accumulation of ethidium bromide and levofloxacin than the wild type, suggesting that tmRNA deficiency protects pneumococcal cells from fluoroquinolone-mediated killing. In fact, analysis of chromosome integrity revealed that deletion of tmRNA prevented the fragmentation of the chromosome associated to levofloxacin treatment. Moreover, such protective effect appears to relay mainly on inhibition of protein synthesis, since a similar effect was observed with antibiotics that inhibit that process. The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pneumococci is a matter of concern and these results contribute to a better comprehension of the mechanisms underlying fluoroquinolones action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Brito
- Unidad de Patología Molecular del Neumococo, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain
| | - Joana Wilton
- Unidad de Patología Molecular del Neumococo, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain
| | - María J Ferrándiz
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain
| | - Alicia Gómez-Sanz
- Unidad de Patología Molecular del Neumococo, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain
| | - Adela G de la Campa
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadrid, Spain; Presidencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
| | - Mónica Amblar
- Unidad de Patología Molecular del Neumococo, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain
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Trans-translation is essential in the human pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37935. [PMID: 27892503 PMCID: PMC5124942 DOI: 10.1038/srep37935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Trans-translation is a ubiquitous bacterial mechanism for ribosome rescue in the event of translation stalling. Although trans-translation is not essential in several bacterial species, it has been found essential for viability or virulence in a wide range of pathogens. We describe here that trans-translation is essential in the human pathogen Legionella pneumophila, the etiologic agent of Legionnaire's disease (LD), a severe form of nosocomial and community-acquired pneumonia. The ssrA gene coding for tmRNA, the key component of trans-translation, could not be deleted in L. pneumophila. To circumvent this and analyse the consequences of impaired trans-translation, we placed ssrA under the control of a chemical inducer. Phenotypes associated with the inhibition of ssrA expression include growth arrest in rich medium, hampered cell division, and hindered ability to infect eukaryotic cells (amoebae and human macrophages). LD is often associated with failure of antibiotic treatment and death (>10% of clinical cases). Decreasing tmRNA levels led to significantly higher sensitivity to ribosome-targeting antibiotics, including to erythromycin. We also detected a higher sensitivity to the transcription inhibitor rifampicin. Both antibiotics are recommended treatments for LD. Thus, interfering with trans-translation may not only halt the infection, but could also potentiate the recommended therapeutic treatments of LD.
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Liu P, Chen Y, Wang D, Tang Y, Tang H, Song H, Sun Q, Zhang Y, Liu Z. Genetic Selection of Peptide Aptamers That Interact and Inhibit Both Small Protein B and Alternative Ribosome-Rescue Factor A of Aeromonas veronii C4. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1228. [PMID: 27588015 PMCID: PMC4988972 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Aeromonas veronii is a pathogenic gram-negative bacterium, which infects a variety of animals and results in mass mortality. The stalled-ribosome rescues are reported to ensure viability and virulence under stress conditions, of which primarily include trans-translation and alternative ribosome-rescue factor A (ArfA) in A. veronii. For identification of specific peptides that interact and inhibit the stalled-ribosome rescues, peptide aptamer library (pTRG-SN-peptides) was constructed using pTRG as vector and Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (SN) as scaffold protein, in which 16 random amino acids were introduced to form an exposed surface loop. In the meantime both Small Protein B (SmpB) which acts as one of the key components in trans-translation, and ArfA were inserted to pBT to constitute pBT-SmpB and pBT-ArfA, respectively. The peptide aptamer PA-2 was selected from pTRG-SN-peptides by bacterial two-hybrid system (B2H) employing pBT-SmpB or pBT-ArfA as baits. The conserved sites G133K134 and D138K139R140 of C-terminal SmpB were identified by interacting with N-terminal SN, and concurrently the residue K62 of ArfA was recognized by interacting with the surface loop of the specific peptide aptamer PA-2. The expression plasmids pN-SN or pN-PA-2, which combined the duplication origin of pRE112 with the neokanamycin promoter expressing SN or PA-2, were created and transformed into A. veronii C4, separately. The engineered A. veronii C4 which endowing SN or PA-2 expression impaired growth capabilities under stress conditions including temperatures, sucrose, glucose, potassium chloride (KCl) and antibiotics, and the stress-related genes rpoS and nhaP were down-regulated significantly by Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) when treating in 2.0% KCl. Thus, the engineered A. veronii C4 conferring PA-2 expression might be potentially attenuated vaccine, and also the peptide aptamer PA-2 could develop as anti-microbial drugs targeted to the ribosome rescued factors in A. veronii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shantou University Shantou, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Yanqiong Tang
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Hongqian Tang
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Haichao Song
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Qun Sun
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University Chengdu, China
| | - Yueling Zhang
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shantou University Shantou, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
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Pullan ST, Allnutt JC, Devine R, Hatch KA, Jeeves RE, Hendon-Dunn CL, Marsh PD, Bacon J. The effect of growth rate on pyrazinamide activity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis - insights for early bactericidal activity? BMC Infect Dis 2016; 16:205. [PMID: 27184366 PMCID: PMC4869200 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-016-1533-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pyrazinamide (PZA) plays an essential part in the shortened six-month tuberculosis (TB) treatment course due to its activity against slow-growing and non-replicating organisms. We tested whether PZA preferentially targets slow growing cells of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that could be representative of bacteria that remain after the initial kill with isoniazid (INH), by observing the response of either slow growing or fast growing bacilli to differing concentrations of PZA. Methods M. tuberculosis H37Rv was grown in continuous culture at either a constant fast growth rate (Mean Generation Time (MGT) of 23.1 h) or slow growth rate (69.3 h MGT) at a controlled dissolved oxygen tension of 10 % and a controlled acidity at pH 6.3 ± 0.1. Cultures were exposed to step-wise increases in the concentration of PZA (25 to 500 μgml−1) every two MGTs, and bacterial survival was measured. PZA-induced global gene expression was explored for each increase in PZA-concentration, using DNA microarray. Results At a constant pH 6.3, actively dividing mycobacteria were susceptible to PZA, with similar responses to increasing concentrations of PZA at both growth rates. Three distinct phases of drug response could be distingished for both slow growing (69.3 h MGT) and fast growing (23.1 h MGT) bacilli. A bacteriostatic phase at a low concentration of PZA was followed by a recovery period in which the culture adapted to the presence of PZA and bacteria were actively dividing in steady-state. In contrast, there was a rapid loss of viability at bactericidal concentrations. There was a notable delay in the onset of the recovery period in quickly dividing cells compared with those dividing more slowly. Fast growers and slow growers adapted to PZA-exposure via very similar mechanisms; through reduced gene expression of tRNA, 50S, and 30S ribosomal proteins. Conclusions PZA had an equivalent level of activity against fast growing and slow growing M. tuberculosis. At both growth rates drug-tolerance to sub-lethal concentrations may have been due to reduced expression of tRNA, 50S, and 30S ribosomal proteins. The findings from this study show that PZA has utility against more than one phenotypic sub-population of bacilli and could be re-assessed for its early bactericidal activity, in combination with other drugs, during TB treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1533-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven T Pullan
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Jon C Allnutt
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Rebecca Devine
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Kim A Hatch
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Rose E Jeeves
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Charlotte L Hendon-Dunn
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Philip D Marsh
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK
| | - Joanna Bacon
- Public Health England, National Infection Service, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JG, UK.
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Wang W, Chen J, Chen G, Du X, Cui P, Wu J, Zhao J, Wu N, Zhang W, Li M, Zhang Y. Transposon Mutagenesis Identifies Novel Genes Associated with Staphylococcus aureus Persister Formation. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1437. [PMID: 26779120 PMCID: PMC4689057 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic bacterial persisters are responsible for the recalcitrance of chronic and persistent infections to antimicrobial therapy. Although the mechanisms of persister formation and survival have been widely studied in Escherichia coli, persistence mechanisms in Staphylococcus aureus remain largely unknown. Here, we screened a transposon mutant library of a clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)strain, USA500 (ST8), under antibiotic pressure and identified 13 genes whose insertion mutations resulted in a defect in persistence. These candidate genes were further confirmed by evaluating the survival of the mutants upon exposure to levofloxacin and several other stress conditions. We found 13 insertion mutants with significantly lower persister numbers under several stress conditions, including sdhA, sdhB, ureG, mnhG1, fbaA, ctaB, clpX, parE, HOU_0223, HOU_0587, HOU_2091, HOU_2315, and HOU_2346, which mapped into pathways of oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle, glycolysis, cell cycle, and ABC transporters, suggesting that these genes and pathways may play an important role in persister formation and survival. The newly constructed knockout strains of ureG, sdhA and sdhB and their complemented strains were also tested for defect in persisters following exposure to levofloxacin and several other stress conditions. The results from these experiments were consistent with the screening results, which indicated that deletion of these genes in MRSA USA500 leads to persister defect. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of persister formation and survival in S. aureus and offer new targets for the development of persister-directed antibiotics for the improved treatment of chronic and persistent infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Jiazhen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Cui
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan UniversityShanghai, China; Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA
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Wu N, He L, Cui P, Wang W, Yuan Y, Liu S, Xu T, Zhang S, Wu J, Zhang W, Zhang Y. Ranking of persister genes in the same Escherichia coli genetic background demonstrates varying importance of individual persister genes in tolerance to different antibiotics. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1003. [PMID: 26483762 PMCID: PMC4588708 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the identification of many genes and pathways involved in the persistence phenomenon of bacteria, the relative importance of these genes in a single organism remains unclear. Here, using Escherichia coli as a model, we generated mutants of 21 known candidate persister genes and compared the relative importance of these mutants in persistence to various antibiotics (ampicillin, gentamicin, norfloxacin, and trimethoprim) at different times. We found that oxyR, dnaK, sucB, relA, rpoS, clpB, mqsR, and recA were prominent persister genes involved in persistence to multiple antibiotics. These genes map to the following pathways: antioxidative defense pathway (oxyR), global regulators (dnaK, clpB, and rpoS), energy production (sucB), stringent response (relA), toxin-antitoxin (TA) module (mqsR), and SOS response (recA). Among the TA modules, the ranking order was mqsR, lon, relE, tisAB, hipA, and dinJ. Intriguingly, rpoS deletion caused a defect in persistence to gentamicin but increased persistence to ampicillin and norfloxacin. Mutants demonstrated dramatic differences in persistence to different antibiotics at different time points: some mutants (oxyR, dnaK, phoU, lon, recA, mqsR, and tisAB) displayed defect in persistence from early time points, while other mutants (relE, smpB, glpD, umuD, and tnaA) showed defect only at later time points. These results indicate that varying hierarchy and importance of persister genes exist and that persister genes can be divided into those involved in shallow persistence and those involved in deep persistence. Our findings suggest that the persistence phenomenon is a dynamic process with different persister genes playing roles of variable significance at different times. These findings have implications for improved understanding of persistence phenomenon and developing new drugs targeting persisters for more effective cure of persistent infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Wu
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Lei He
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Peng Cui
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Wang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Youhua Yuan
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Xu
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Shanshan Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Wenhong Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Lab of Molecular Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, China ; Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA
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Amato S, Brynildsen M. Persister Heterogeneity Arising from a Single Metabolic Stress. Curr Biol 2015; 25:2090-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Revised: 05/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Liu Z, Liu P, Liu S, Song H, Tang H, Hu X. Small protein B upregulates sensor kinase bvgS expression in Aeromonas veronii. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:579. [PMID: 26136727 PMCID: PMC4468919 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Earlier studies reveal that Small protein B (SmpB), a class of well-conserved tmRNA-binding proteins, is essential for the trans-translation process, which functions as a system for translation surveillance and ribosome rescue. Here, we report a previously unrecognized mechanism by which SmpB alone positively regulates the expression of a sensor kinase, BvgS, in Aeromonas veronii. A reporter plasmid was constructed in which the promoter of bvgS was used to control the expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene. When the reporter plasmid was co-transformed with a SmpB expression construct into E. coli, the relative fluorescence intensity increased about threefold. Transformation with a truncated form of smpB gene showed that the C-terminus had little effect, while N-terminus unexpectedly increased eGFP production. Next, a series of SmpB mutants were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. When the mutants SmpB (G11S) or SmpB (E32AG) was used in the experiment, eGFP expression dropped significantly compared with that of wild type SmpB. Further, purified SmpB was shown to bind the promoter regions of bvgS in the agarose gel retardation assay. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that eGFP transcript levels increased approximately 25-fold in the presence of SmpB. Likewise, smpB knockout decreased bvgS transcripts significantly in A. veronii, and also displayed a reduced capability in salt tolerance. Collectively, the data presented here will facilitate a deeper understanding of SmpB-mediated regulatory circuits as a transcriptional factor in A. veronii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhu Liu
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shantou University Shantou, China
| | - Shuanshuan Liu
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shantou University Shantou, China
| | - Haichao Song
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Hongqian Tang
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
| | - Xinwen Hu
- Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University Haikou, China
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Systematic review of mutations in pyrazinamidase associated with pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2015; 59:5267-77. [PMID: 26077261 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00204-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important first-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) and of significant interest to the HIV-infected community due to the prevalence of TB-HIV coinfection in some regions of the world. The mechanism of resistance to PZA is unlike that of any other anti-TB drug. The gene pncA, encoding pyrazinamidase (PZase), is associated with resistance to PZA. However, because single mutations in PZase have a low prevalence, the individual sensitivities are low. Hundreds of distinct mutations in the enzyme have been associated with resistance, while some only appear in susceptible isolates. This makes interpretation of molecular testing difficult and often leads to the simplification that any PZase mutation causes resistance. This systematic review reports a comprehensive global list of mutations observed in PZase and its promoter region in clinical strains, their phenotypic association, their global frequencies and diversity, the method of phenotypic determination, their MIC values when given, and the method of MIC determination and assesses the strength of the association between mutations and phenotypic resistance to PZA. In this systematic review, we report global statistics for 641 mutations in 171 (of 187) codons from 2,760 resistant strains and 96 mutations from 3,329 susceptible strains reported in 61 studies. For diagnostics, individual mutations (or any subset) were not sufficiently sensitive. Assuming similar error profiles of the 5 phenotyping platforms included in this study, the entire enzyme and its promoter provide a combined estimated sensitivity of 83%. This review highlights the need for identification of an alternative mechanism(s) of resistance, at least for the unexplained 17% of cases.
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Alumasa JN, Keiler KC. Clicking on trans-translation drug targets. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:498. [PMID: 26042115 PMCID: PMC4436901 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John N Alumasa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA, USA
| | - Kenneth C Keiler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA, USA
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