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Rudzite M, O’Toole GA. An energy coupling factor transporter of Streptococcus sanguinis impacts antibiotic susceptibility as well as metal and membrane homeostasis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.12.603315. [PMID: 39026867 PMCID: PMC11257530 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.12.603315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Streptococcus sanguinis is a prevalent member of human microbiome capable of acting as a causative agent of oral and respiratory infections. S. sanguinis competitive success within the infection niche is dependent on acquisition of metal ions and vitamins. Among the systems that bacteria use for micronutrient uptake is the energy coupling factor (ECF) transporter system EcfAAT. Here we describe physiological changes arising from EcfAAT transporter disruption. We found that EcfAAT contributes to S. sanguinis antibiotic sensitivity as well as metal and membrane homeostasis. Specifically, our work found that disruption of EcfAAT results in increased polymyxin susceptibility. We performed assessment of cell-associated metal content and found depletion of iron, magnesium, and manganese. Furthermore, membrane composition analysis revealed significant enrichment in unsaturated fatty acid species resulting in increased membrane fluidity. Our results demonstrate how disruption of a single EcfAAT transporter can have broad consequences on bacterial cell homeostasis. ECF transporters are of interest within the context of infection biology in bacterial species other than streptococci, hence work described here will further the understanding of how micronutrient uptake systems contribute to bacterial pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rudzite
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - G. A. O’Toole
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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2
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Tajer L, Paillart JC, Dib H, Sabatier JM, Fajloun Z, Abi Khattar Z. Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobial Peptides in the Modern Era: An Updated Review. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1259. [PMID: 39065030 PMCID: PMC11279074 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12071259] [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: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious global health concern, resulting in a significant number of deaths annually due to infections that are resistant to treatment. Amidst this crisis, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics (ATBs). These cationic peptides, naturally produced by all kingdoms of life, play a crucial role in the innate immune system of multicellular organisms and in bacterial interspecies competition by exhibiting broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. AMPs target bacterial pathogens through multiple mechanisms, most importantly by disrupting their membranes, leading to cell lysis. However, bacterial resistance to host AMPs has emerged due to a slow co-evolutionary process between microorganisms and their hosts. Alarmingly, the development of resistance to last-resort AMPs in the treatment of MDR infections, such as colistin, is attributed to the misuse of this peptide and the high rate of horizontal genetic transfer of the corresponding resistance genes. AMP-resistant bacteria employ diverse mechanisms, including but not limited to proteolytic degradation, extracellular trapping and inactivation, active efflux, as well as complex modifications in bacterial cell wall and membrane structures. This review comprehensively examines all constitutive and inducible molecular resistance mechanisms to AMPs supported by experimental evidence described to date in bacterial pathogens. We also explore the specificity of these mechanisms toward structurally diverse AMPs to broaden and enhance their potential in developing and applying them as therapeutics for MDR bacteria. Additionally, we provide insights into the significance of AMP resistance within the context of host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Tajer
- Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology (LBA3B), Azm Center for Research in Biotechnology and Its Applications, Department of Cell Culture, EDST, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon; (L.T.); (Z.F.)
| | - Jean-Christophe Paillart
- CNRS, Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, UPR 9002, Université de Strasbourg, 2 Allée Konrad Roentgen, F-67000 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Hanna Dib
- College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila 54200, Kuwait;
| | - Jean-Marc Sabatier
- CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, Aix-Marseille Université, 13385 Marseille, France
| | - Ziad Fajloun
- Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology (LBA3B), Azm Center for Research in Biotechnology and Its Applications, Department of Cell Culture, EDST, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon; (L.T.); (Z.F.)
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences 3, Lebanese University, Campus Michel Slayman Ras Maska, Tripoli 1352, Lebanon
| | - Ziad Abi Khattar
- Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Balamand, Kalhat, P.O. Box 100, Tripoli, Lebanon
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Kaur M, Mingeot-Leclercq MP. Maintenance of bacterial outer membrane lipid asymmetry: insight into MlaA. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:186. [PMID: 38802775 PMCID: PMC11131202 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-03138-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria acts as an effective barrier to protect against toxic compounds. By nature, the OM is asymmetric with the highly packed lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at the outer leaflet and glycerophospholipids at the inner leaflet. OM asymmetry is maintained by the Mla system, in which is responsible for the retrograde transport of glycerophospholipids from the OM to the inner membrane. This system is comprised of six Mla proteins, including MlaA, an OM lipoprotein involved in the removal of glycerophospholipids that are mis-localized at the outer leaflet of the OM. Interestingly, MlaA was initially identified - and called VacJ - based on its role in the intracellular spreading of Shigella flexneri.Many open questions remain with respect to the Mla system and the mechanism involved in the translocation of mislocated glycerophospholipids at the outer leaflet of the OM, by MlaA. After summarizing the current knowledge on MlaA, we focus on the impact of mlaA deletion on OM lipid composition and biophysical properties of the OM. How changes in OM lipid composition and biophysical properties can impact the generation of membrane vesicles and membrane permeability is discussed. Finally, we explore whether and how MlaA might be a candidate for improving the activity of antibiotics and as a vaccine candidate.Efforts dedicated to understanding the relationship between the OM lipid composition and the mechanical strength of the bacterial envelope and, in turn, how such properties act against external stress, are needed for the design of new targets or drugs for Gram-negative infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kaur
- Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Unité de Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, B1.73.05; 73 Av E. Mounier, Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - M-P Mingeot-Leclercq
- Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Unité de Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, B1.73.05; 73 Av E. Mounier, Brussels, 1200, Belgium.
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Janssens A, Nguyen VS, Cecil AJ, Van der Verren SE, Timmerman E, Deghelt M, Pak AJ, Collet JF, Impens F, Remaut H. SlyB encapsulates outer membrane proteins in stress-induced lipid nanodomains. Nature 2024; 626:617-625. [PMID: 38081298 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06925-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria consists of an asymmetric phospholipid-lipopolysaccharide bilayer that is densely packed with outer-membrane β-barrel proteins (OMPs) and lipoproteins1. The architecture and composition of this bilayer is closely monitored and is essential to cell integrity and survival2-4. Here we find that SlyB, a lipoprotein in the PhoPQ stress regulon, forms stable stress-induced complexes with the outer-membrane proteome. SlyB comprises a 10 kDa periplasmic β-sandwich domain and a glycine zipper domain that forms a transmembrane α-helical hairpin with discrete phospholipid- and lipopolysaccharide-binding sites. After loss in lipid asymmetry, SlyB oligomerizes into ring-shaped transmembrane complexes that encapsulate β-barrel proteins into lipid nanodomains of variable size. We find that the formation of SlyB nanodomains is essential during lipopolysaccharide destabilization by antimicrobial peptides or acute cation shortage, conditions that result in a loss of OMPs and compromised outer-membrane barrier function in the absence of a functional SlyB. Our data reveal that SlyB is a compartmentalizing transmembrane guard protein that is involved in cell-envelope proteostasis and integrity, and suggest that SlyB represents a larger family of broadly conserved lipoproteins with 2TM glycine zipper domains with the ability to form lipid nanodomains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Janssens
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Van Son Nguyen
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Adam J Cecil
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
| | - Sander E Van der Verren
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Evy Timmerman
- VIB Proteomics Core, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Michaël Deghelt
- Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, WELBIO, Brussels, Belgium
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alexander J Pak
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
| | - Jean-François Collet
- Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, WELBIO, Brussels, Belgium
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Francis Impens
- VIB Proteomics Core, Ghent, Belgium
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Han Remaut
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Brussels, Belgium.
- Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
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Mitchison-Field LM, Belin BJ. Bacterial lipid biophysics and membrane organization. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 74:102315. [PMID: 37058914 PMCID: PMC10523990 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The formation of lateral microdomains is emerging as a central organizing principle in bacterial membranes. These microdomains are targets of antibiotic development and have the potential to enhance natural product synthesis, but the rules governing their assembly are unclear. Previous studies have suggested that microdomain formation is promoted by lipid phase separation, particularly by cardiolipin (CL) and isoprenoid lipids, and there is strong evidence that CL biosynthesis is required for recruitment of membrane proteins to cell poles and division sites. New work demonstrates that additional bacterial lipids may mediate membrane protein localization and function, opening the field for mechanistic evaluation of lipid-driven membrane organization in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorna My Mitchison-Field
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brittany J Belin
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Constitutive Phenotypic Modification of Lipid A in Clinical Acinetobacter baumannii Isolates. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0129522. [PMID: 35861511 PMCID: PMC9431647 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01295-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The degree of polymyxin B (PMB) resistance was measured in 40 clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates obtained from health care facilities. All of the tested isolates possessed a multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype against four classes of antibiotics (meropenem, doxycycline, gentamicin, and erythromycin), except for PMB. The blaOXA-23 gene was detected throughout the genetic analysis and experimental assay, indicating that all of the MDR strains were carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains. Multilocus sequence typing-based genotyping revealed that nine selected strains belonged to the international clone II lineage. When matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry was performed, intrinsic lipid A modification by phosphoethanolamine (PEtN) incorporation was noticeable only in the PMB-resistant (PMBR) strains. However, the presence of hexa- and penta-acylated lipid A due to the loss of the laurate (C12) acyl chain was noted in all PMB-susceptible strains but not in the PMBR strains. The reduction of negative surface charges in the PMBR strains was assessed by zeta potential analysis. Fluorescence imaging using dansyl-PMB revealed that, in the PMBR strains, PMB was less likely to bind to the cell surface. IMPORTANCE The widespread presence of MDR pathogens, including A. baumannii, is causing serious hospital-acquired infections worldwide. Extensive surveillance of MDR clinical A. baumannii isolates has been conducted, but the underlying mechanisms for their development of MDR phenotypes are often neglected. Either lipid A modification or loss of lipopolysaccharide in Gram-negative bacteria leads to PMBR phenotypes. The prevalence of intrinsic lipid A modification in PMBR clinical strains was attributed to high levels of basal expression of pmrC and eptA-1. Our findings suggest that new therapeutic strategies are warranted to combat MDR pathogens due to the emergence of many PMBR clinical strains.
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Lakey JH, Paracini N, Clifton LA. Exploiting neutron scattering contrast variation in biological membrane studies. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2022; 3:021307. [PMID: 38505417 PMCID: PMC10903484 DOI: 10.1063/5.0091372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Biological membranes composed of lipids and proteins are central for the function of all cells and individual components, such as proteins, that are readily studied by a range of structural approaches, including x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. However, the study of complex molecular mixtures within the biological membrane structure and dynamics requires techniques that can study nanometer thick molecular bilayers in an aqueous environment at ambient temperature and pressure. Neutron methods, including scattering and spectroscopic approaches, are useful since they can measure structure and dynamics while also being able to penetrate sample holders and cuvettes. The structural approaches, such as small angle neutron scattering and neutron reflectometry, detect scattering caused by the difference in neutron contrast (scattering length) between different molecular components such as lipids or proteins. Usually, the bigger the contrast, the clearer the structural data, and this review uses examples from our research to illustrate how contrast can be increased to allow the structures of individual membrane components to be resolved. Most often this relies upon the use of deuterium in place of hydrogen, but we also discuss the use of magnetic contrast and other elements with useful scattering length values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy H. Lakey
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Bioscience, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolò Paracini
- Biofilms Research Center for Biointerfaces, Malmö University, Per Albin Hanssons väg 35, 21432 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Luke A. Clifton
- ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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