Identification of Mycobacterial Genes Involved in Antibiotic Sensitivity: Implications for the Treatment of Tuberculosis with β-Lactam-Containing Regimens

Early Drug Development and Evaluation of Putative Antitubercular Compounds in the -Omics Era

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to the WHO, the disease is one of the top 10 causes of death of people worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an intracellular pathogen with an unusually thick, waxy cell wall and a complex life cycle. These factors, combined with M. tuberculosis ability to enter prolonged periods of latency, make the bacterium very difficult to eradicate. The standard treatment of TB requires 6-20months, depending on the drug susceptibility of the infecting strain. The need to take cocktails of antibiotics to treat tuberculosis effectively and the emergence of drug-resistant strains prompts the need to search for new antitubercular compounds. This review provides a perspective on how modern -omic technologies facilitate the drug discovery process for tuberculosis treatment. We discuss how methods of DNA and RNA sequencing, proteomics, and genetic manipulation of organisms increase our understanding of mechanisms of action of antibiotics and allow the evaluation of drugs. We explore the utility of mathematical modeling and modern computational analysis for the drug discovery process. Finally, we summarize how -omic technologies contribute to our understanding of the emergence of drug resistance.

Disrupting coupling within mycobacterial F-ATP synthases subunit ε causes dysregulated energy production and cell wall biosynthesis

The dynamic interaction of the N- and C-terminal domains of mycobacterial F-ATP synthase subunit ε is proposed to contribute to efficient coupling of H⁺-translocation and ATP synthesis. Here, we investigate crosstalk between both subunit ε domains by introducing chromosomal atpC missense mutations in the C-terminal helix 2 of ε predicted to disrupt inter domain and subunit ε-α crosstalk and therefore coupling. The ε mutant εR105A,R111A,R113A,R115A (ε^4A) showed decreased intracellular ATP, slower growth rates and lower molar growth yields on non-fermentable carbon sources. Cellular respiration and metabolism were all accelerated in the mutant strain indicative of dysregulated oxidative phosphorylation. The ε^4A mutant exhibited an altered colony morphology and was hypersusceptible to cell wall-acting antimicrobials suggesting defective cell wall biosynthesis. In silico screening identified a novel mycobacterial F-ATP synthase inhibitor disrupting ε’s coupling activity demonstrating the potential to advance this regulation as a new area for mycobacterial F-ATP synthase inhibitor development.