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Debowski AW, Bzdyl NM, Thomas DR, Scott NE, Jenkins CH, Iwasaki J, Kibble EA, Khoo CA, Scheuplein NJ, Seibel PM, Lohr T, Metters G, Bond CS, Norville IH, Stubbs KA, Harmer NJ, Holzgrabe U, Newton HJ, Sarkar-Tyson M. Macrophage infectivity potentiator protein, a peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase, essential for Coxiella burnetii growth and pathogenesis. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011491. [PMID: 37399210 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen that causes the debilitating disease Q fever, which affects both animals and humans. The only available human vaccine, Q-Vax, is effective but has a high risk of severe adverse reactions, limiting its use as a countermeasure to contain outbreaks. Therefore, it is essential to identify new drug targets to treat this infection. Macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) proteins catalyse the folding of proline-containing proteins through their peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity and have been shown to play an important role in the virulence of several pathogenic bacteria. To date the role of the Mip protein in C. burnetii pathogenesis has not been investigated. This study demonstrates that CbMip is likely to be an essential protein in C. burnetii. The pipecolic acid derived compounds, SF235 and AN296, which have shown utility in targeting other Mip proteins from pathogenic bacteria, demonstrate inhibitory activities against CbMip. These compounds were found to significantly inhibit intracellular replication of C. burnetii in both HeLa and THP-1 cells. Furthermore, SF235 and AN296 were also found to exhibit antibiotic properties against both the virulent (Phase I) and avirulent (Phase II) forms of C. burnetii Nine Mile Strain in axenic culture. Comparative proteomics, in the presence of AN296, revealed alterations in stress responses with H2O2 sensitivity assays validating that Mip inhibition increases the sensitivity of C. burnetii to oxidative stress. In addition, SF235 and AN296 were effective in vivo and significantly improved the survival of Galleria mellonella infected with C. burnetii. These results suggest that unlike in other bacteria, Mip in C. burnetii is required for replication and that the development of more potent inhibitors against CbMip is warranted and offer potential as novel therapeutics against this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra W Debowski
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Nicole M Bzdyl
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - David R Thomas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Microbiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Nichollas E Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Jua Iwasaki
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- Wesfarmers Centre for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Emily A Kibble
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
- DMTC Limited, Level 1, Kew, Australia
| | - Chen Ai Khoo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nicolas J Scheuplein
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Pamela M Seibel
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Theresa Lohr
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Georgie Metters
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Charles S Bond
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Isobel H Norville
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Keith A Stubbs
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Harmer
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, United Kingdom
- Living Systems Institute, Stocker Road Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Ulrike Holzgrabe
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Hayley J Newton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Infection and Immunity Program, Department of Microbiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Mitali Sarkar-Tyson
- Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
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Clay KA, Hartley MG, Whelan AO, Bailey MS, Norville IH. Evaluation of Alternative Doxycycline Antibiotic Regimes in an Inhalational Murine Model of Q Fever. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12050914. [PMID: 37237817 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12050914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The timing of the initiation of antibiotic treatment has been shown to impact the clinical outcome of many bacterial infections, including Q fever. Delayed, suboptimal or incorrect antibiotic treatment has been shown to result in poor prognosis, resulting in the progression of acute disease to long-term chronic sequalae. Therefore, there is a requirement to identify an optimal, effective therapeutic regimen to treat acute Q fever. In the study, the efficacies of different doxycycline monohydrate regimens (pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis or treatment at symptom onset or resolution) were evaluated in an inhalational murine model of Q fever. Different treatment lengths (7 or 14 days) were also evaluated. Clinical signs and weight loss were monitored during infection and mice were euthanized at different time points to characterize bacterial colonization in the lungs and the dissemination of bacteria to other tissues including the spleen, brain, testes, bone marrow and adipose. Post-exposure prophylaxis or doxycycline treatment starting at symptoms onset reduced clinical signs, and also delayed the systemic clearance of viable bacteria from key tissues. Effective clearance was dependent on the development of an adaptive immune response, but also driven by sufficient bacterial activity to maintain an active immune response. Pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure treatment at the resolution of clinical signs did not improve outcomes. These are the first studies to experimentally evaluate different doxycycline treatment regimens for Q fever and illustrate the need to explore the efficacy of other novel antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate A Clay
- Academic Department, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (Academia and Research), Birmingham B15 2GW, UK
| | - M Gill Hartley
- CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
| | - Adam O Whelan
- CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
| | - Mark S Bailey
- Academic Department, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (Academia and Research), Birmingham B15 2GW, UK
| | - Isobel H Norville
- CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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Chamseddine D, Mahmud SA, Westfall AK, Castoe TA, Berg RE, Pellegrino MW. The mitochondrial UPR regulator ATF5 promotes intestinal barrier function via control of the satiety response. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111789. [PMID: 36516750 PMCID: PMC9805788 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms use several strategies to mitigate mitochondrial stress, including the activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). The UPRmt in Caenorhabditis elegans, regulated by the transcription factor ATFS-1, expands on this recovery program by inducing an antimicrobial response against pathogens that target mitochondrial function. Here, we show that the mammalian ortholog of ATFS-1, ATF5, protects the host during infection with enteric pathogens but, unexpectedly, by maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Intriguingly, ATF5 supports intestinal barrier function by promoting a satiety response that prevents obesity and associated hyperglycemia. This consequently averts dysregulated glucose metabolism that is detrimental to barrier function. Mechanistically, we show that intestinal ATF5 stimulates the satiety response by transcriptionally regulating the gastrointestinal peptide hormone cholecystokinin, which promotes the secretion of the hormone leptin. We propose that ATF5 protects the host from enteric pathogens by promoting intestinal barrier function through a satiety-response-mediated metabolic control mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douja Chamseddine
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Siraje A Mahmud
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Aundrea K Westfall
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Todd A Castoe
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Rance E Berg
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
| | - Mark W Pellegrino
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.
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Mode S, Ketterer M, Québatte M, Dehio C. Antibiotic persistence of intracellular Brucella abortus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010635. [PMID: 35881641 PMCID: PMC9355222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human brucellosis caused by the facultative intracellular pathogen Brucella spp. is an endemic bacterial zoonosis manifesting as acute or chronic infections with high morbidity. Treatment typically involves a combination therapy of two antibiotics for several weeks to months, but despite this harsh treatment relapses occur at a rate of 5–15%. Although poor compliance and reinfection may account for a fraction of the observed relapse cases, it is apparent that the properties of the infectious agent itself may play a decisive role in this phenomenon. Methodology/Principal findings We used B. abortus carrying a dual reporter in a macrophage infection model to gain a better understanding of the efficacy of recommended therapies in cellulo. For this we used automated fluorescent microscopy as a prime read-out and developed specific CellProfiler pipelines to score infected macrophages at the population and the single cell level. Combining microscopy of constitutive and induced reporters with classical CFU determination, we quantified the protective nature of the Brucella intracellular lifestyle to various antibiotics and the ability of B. abortus to persist in cellulo despite harsh antibiotic treatments. Conclusion/Significance We demonstrate that treatment of infected macrophages with antibiotics at recommended concentrations fails to fully prevent growth and persistence of B. abortus in cellulo, which may be explained by a protective nature of the intracellular niche(s). Moreover, we show the presence of bona fide intracellular persisters upon antibiotic treatment, which are metabolically active and retain the full infectious potential, therefore constituting a plausible reservoir for reinfection and relapse. In conclusion, our results highlight the need to extend the spectrum of models to test new antimicrobial therapies for brucellosis to better reflect the in vivo infection environment, and to develop therapeutic approaches targeting the persister subpopulation. Brucellosis is a zoonosis endemic to many low- and middle-income countries around the world. Therapies recommended by the WHO are comprised of at least two antibiotics for several weeks, sometimes months. Relapses are frequent despite these harsh treatments. The underlying reasons for these relapses, besides reinfection and non-compliance to treatment, are unknown. Our study shows that Brucella abortus can form so called “persisters” in rich broth but also inside macrophages. This small bacterial subpopulation survives antibiotic treatment and resumes growth after removal of the antibiotics and could therefore serve as a reservoir for relapses in human brucellosis. Furthermore, we show that the intracellular lifestyle of Brucella has protective properties against recommended antibiotics as observed for other intracellular pathogens, highlighting the necessity to develop new infection models to assess antibiotic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma Mode
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Maxime Québatte
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (MQ); (CD)
| | - Christoph Dehio
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (MQ); (CD)
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