Antifungal azoxybacilin exhibits activity by inhibiting gene expression of sulfite reductase

Bacillus cereus sensu lato antimicrobial arsenal: An overview

The Bacillus cereus group contains genetically closed bacteria displaying a variety of phenotypic features and lifestyles. The group is mainly known through the properties of three major species: the entomopathogen Bacillus thuringiensis, the animal and human pathogen Bacillus anthracis and the foodborne opportunistic strains of B. cereus sensu stricto. Yet, the actual diversity of the group is far broader and includes multiple lifestyles. Another less-appreciated aspect of B. cereus members lies within their antimicrobial potential which deserves consideration in the context of growing emergence of resistance to antibiotics and pesticides, and makes it crucial to find new sources of antimicrobial molecules. This review presents the state of knowledge on the known antimicrobial compounds of the B. cereus group members, which are grouped according to their chemical features and biosynthetic pathways. The objective is to provide a comprehensive review of the antimicrobial range exhibited by this group of bacteria, underscoring the interest in its potent biocontrol arsenal and encouraging further research in this regard.

Azoxy Compounds-From Synthesis to Reagents for Azoxy Group Transfer Reactions

The azoxy functional group is an important structural motif and represents the formally oxidized counterpart of the azo group. Azoxy compounds find numerous applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to functional materials, yet their synthesis remains underdeveloped with a main focus on the formation symmetric azoxy compounds. To overcome challenges in the synthesis of such unsymmetric azoxy compounds, we designed a process employing readily accessible nitroso compounds and iminoiodinanes. This method builds on the use of visible light irradiation to generate a triplet nitrene from iminoiodinanes, which is trapped by nitroso arenes to give access to sulfonyl-protected azoxy compounds with a good substrate scope and functional group tolerance. We further describe two applications of these sulfonyl-protected azoxy compounds as radical precursors in synthesis, where the whole azoxy group can be transferred and employed in C(sp3 )-H functionalization of ethers or 1,2-difunctionalization of vinyl ethers. All of the reactions occurred at room temperature under visible light irradiation without the addition of any photoredox catalysts and additives. Control experiments, mechanism investigations, and DFT studies well explained the observed reactivity.

Base-Mediated Tandem [3 + 2] Cycloaddition/Ring Openning Reaction of Arylhydrazonoyl Chlorides with Arylnitroso Compounds for Synthesis of Substituted Diazene Oxides

A base-mediated tandem [3 + 2] cycloaddition/ring opening reaction of nitrilimines generated from arylhydrazonoyl chlorides with arylnitroso compounds has been developed. This protocol provides a novel and rapid approach for the synthesis of substituted azoxy compounds under mild conditions with moderate to good yields and a broad substrate scope.

Antimicrobial Bacillus: Metabolites and Their Mode of Action

The agricultural industry utilizes antibiotic growth promoters to promote livestock growth and health. However, the World Health Organization has raised concerns over the ongoing spread of antibiotic resistance transmission in the populace, leading to its subsequent ban in several countries, especially in the European Union. These restrictions have translated into an increase in pathogenic outbreaks in the agricultural industry, highlighting the need for an economically viable, non-toxic, and renewable alternative to antibiotics in livestock. Probiotics inhibit pathogen growth, promote a beneficial microbiota, regulate the immune response of its host, enhance feed conversion to nutrients, and form biofilms that block further infection. Commonly used lactic acid bacteria probiotics are vulnerable to the harsh conditions of the upper gastrointestinal system, leading to novel research using spore-forming bacteria from the genus Bacillus. However, the exact mechanisms behind Bacillus probiotics remain unexplored. This review tackles this issue, by reporting antimicrobial compounds produced from Bacillus strains, their proposed mechanisms of action, and any gaps in the mechanism studies of these compounds. Lastly, this paper explores omics approaches to clarify the mechanisms behind Bacillus probiotics.

Amino Acid Based Antimicrobial Agents - Synthesis and Properties

Structures of several dozen of known antibacterial, antifungal or antiprotozoal agents are based on the amino acid scaffold. In most of them, the amino acid skeleton is of a crucial importance for their antimicrobial activity, since very often they are structural analogs of amino acid intermediates of different microbial biosynthetic pathways. Particularly, some aminophosphonate or aminoboronate analogs of protein amino acids are effective enzyme inhibitors, as structural mimics of tetrahedral transition state intermediates. Synthesis of amino acid antimicrobials is a particular challenge, especially in terms of the need for enantioselective methods, including the asymmetric synthesis. All these issues are addressed in this review, summing up the current state‐of‐the‐art and presenting perspectives fur further progress.

Chemistry and Biology of Natural Azoxy Compounds

Azoxy compounds belong to a small yet intriguing group of natural products sharing a common functional group with the general structure RN═N⁺(O^-)R. Their intriguing chemical structures, diverse biological activities, and important industrial applications have received attention from researchers in natural product chemistry, total synthesis, and biosynthesis. This review presents current updates about the structural diversity of natural azoxy compounds isolated from different organisms and highlights the enzymes and biological logic involved in their construction. We assume that the identification of key enzymes will provide efficient tools in biocatalysis to generate new azoxy compounds, while genome mining may result in novel natural azoxy compounds of medical and industrial interest.

A Multifaceted Role of Tryptophan Metabolism and Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Activity in Aspergillus fumigatus-Host Interactions

Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent filamentous fungal pathogen of humans, causing either severe allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis or often fatal invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in individuals with hyper- or hypo-immune deficiencies, respectively. Disease is primarily initiated upon the inhalation of the ubiquitous airborne conidia—the initial inoculum produced by A. fumigatus—which are complete developmental units with an ability to exploit diverse environments, ranging from agricultural composts to animal lungs. Upon infection, conidia initially rely on their own metabolic processes for survival in the host’s lungs, a nutritionally limiting environment. One such nutritional limitation is the availability of aromatic amino acids (AAAs) as animals lack the enzymes to synthesize tryptophan (Trp) and phenylalanine and only produce tyrosine from dietary phenylalanine. However, A. fumigatus produces all three AAAs through the shikimate–chorismate pathway, where they play a critical role in fungal growth and development and in yielding many downstream metabolites. The downstream metabolites of Trp in A. fumigatus include the immunomodulatory kynurenine derived from indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and toxins such as fumiquinazolines, gliotoxin, and fumitremorgins. Host IDO activity and/or host/microbe-derived kynurenines are increasingly correlated with many Aspergillus diseases including IPA and infections of chronic granulomatous disease patients. In this review, we will describe the potential metabolic cross talk between the host and the pathogen, specifically focusing on Trp metabolism, the implications for therapeutics, and the recent studies on the coevolution of host and microbe IDO activation in regulating inflammation, while controlling infection.

Versatility of putative aromatic aminotransferases from Candida albicans

Amino acids constitute the key sources of nitrogen for growth of Candida albicans. In order to survive inside the host in different and rapidly changing environments, this fungus must be able to adapt via its expression of genes for amino acid metabolism. We analysed the ARO8, ARO9, YER152C, and BNA3 genes with regards to their role in the nutritional flexibility of C. albicans. CaAro8p is undoubtedly the most versatile enzyme among the aminotransferases investigated. It is involved in the catabolism of histidine, lysine, and aromatic amino acids as well as in l-Lys, Phe and Tyr biosynthesis. CaAro9p participates in the catabolism of aromatic amino acids and lysine at high concentrations of these compounds, with no biosynthetic role. Conversely, the CaYer152Cp catalytic potential for aromatic amino acid catabolism observed in vitro appears to be of little importance in vivo. Neither biosynthetic nor catabolic roles of CaBan3p were observed for any proteinogenic amino acid. Finally, none of the analysed aminotransferases was solely responsible for the catabolism of a single particular amino acid or its biosynthesis.

Inhibitors of amino acids biosynthesis as antifungal agents

Fungal microorganisms, including the human pathogenic yeast and filamentous fungi, are able to synthesize all proteinogenic amino acids, including nine that are essential for humans. A number of enzymes catalyzing particular steps of human-essential amino acid biosynthesis are fungi specific. Numerous studies have shown that auxotrophic mutants of human pathogenic fungi impaired in biosynthesis of particular amino acids exhibit growth defect or at least reduced virulence under in vivo conditions. Several chemical compounds inhibiting activity of one of these enzymes exhibit good antifungal in vitro activity in minimal growth media, which is not always confirmed under in vivo conditions. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the present knowledge on pathways of amino acids biosynthesis in fungi, with a special emphasis put on enzymes catalyzing particular steps of these pathways as potential targets for antifungal chemotherapy.

Characterization of C-S Lyase from C. diphtheriae: a possible target for new antimicrobial drugs

The emergence of antibiotic resistance in microbial pathogens requires the identification of new antibacterial drugs. The biosynthesis of methionine is an attractive target because of its central importance in cellular metabolism. Moreover, most of the steps in methionine biosynthesis pathway are absent in mammals, lowering the probability of unwanted side effects. Herein, detailed biochemical characterization of one enzyme required for methionine biosynthesis, a pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP-) dependent C-S lyase from Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a pathogenic bacterium that causes diphtheria, has been performed. We overexpressed the protein in E. coli and analyzed substrate specificity, pH dependence of steady state kinetic parameters, and ligand-induced spectral transitions of the protein. Structural comparison of the enzyme with cystalysin from Treponema denticola indicates a similarity in overall folding. We used site-directed mutagenesis to highlight the importance of active site residues Tyr55, Tyr114, and Arg351, analyzing the effects of amino acid replacement on catalytic properties of enzyme. Better understanding of the active site of C. diphtheriae C-S lyase and the determinants of substrate and reaction specificity from this work will facilitate the design of novel inhibitors as antibacterial therapeutics.

Dual organocatalytic activation of isatins and formaldehyde tert-butyl hydrazone: asymmetric synthesis of functionalized 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles

Two is better than one! Dual activation of isatins and formaldehyde tert-butyl hydrazone by 2,2'-diamino-1,1'-binaphthalene (BINAM)-derived bis(ureas) is the key to achieve high reactivity and excellent enantioselectivities in the synthesis of azo- and azoxy-functionalized 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles (see scheme).

Natural products containing a nitrogen-nitrogen bond

As of early 2013, over 200 natural products are known to contain a nitrogen-nitrogen (N-N) bond. This report categorizes these compounds by structural class and details their isolation and biological activity.

New targets and inhibitors of mycobacterial sulfur metabolism

The identification of new antibacterial targets is urgently needed to address multidrug resistant and latent tuberculosis infection. Sulfur metabolic pathways are essential for survival and the expression of virulence in many pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition, microbial sulfur metabolic pathways are largely absent in humans and therefore, represent unique targets for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the enzymes associated with the production of sulfated and reduced sulfur-containing metabolites in Mycobacteria. Small molecule inhibitors of these catalysts represent valuable chemical tools that can be used to investigate the role of sulfur metabolism throughout the Mycobacterial lifecycle and may also represent new leads for drug development. In this light, we also summarize recent progress made in the development of inhibitors of sulfur metabolism enzymes.

Non-peptide metabolites from the genus Bacillus

Bacillus species produce a number of non-peptide metabolites that display a broad spectrum of activity and structurally diverse bioactive chemical structures. Biosynthetic, biological, and structural studies of these metabolites isolated from Bacillus species are reviewed. This contribution also includes a detailed study of the activity of the metabolites described, especially their role in biological control mechanisms.

Role of homoserine transacetylase as a new target for antifungal agents

Microbial amino acid biosynthesis is a proven yet underexploited target of antibiotics. The biosynthesis of methionine in particular has been shown to be susceptible to small-molecule inhibition in fungi. The first committed step in Met biosynthesis is the acylation of homoserine (Hse) by the enzyme homoserine transacetylase (HTA). We have identified the MET2 gene of Cryptococcus neoformans H99 that encodes HTA (CnHTA) by complementation of an Escherichia coli metA mutant that lacks the gene encoding homoserine transsuccinylase (HTS). We cloned, expressed, and purified CnHTA and determined its steady-state kinetic parameters for the acetylation of L-Hse by acetyl coenzyme A. We next constructed a MET2 mutant in C. neoformans H99 and tested its growth behavior in Met-deficient media, confirming the expected Met auxotrophy. Furthermore, we used this mutant in a mouse inhalation model of infection and determined that MET2 is required for virulence. This makes fungal HTA a viable target for new antibiotic discovery. We screened a 1,000-compound library of small molecules for HTA inhibitors and report the identification of the first inhibitor of fungal HTA. This work validates HTA as an attractive drug-susceptible target for new antifungal agent design.

Genome-wide transcription profiling of the early phase of biofilm formation by Candida albicans

The ability to adhere to surfaces and develop as a multicellular community is an adaptation used by most microorganisms to survive in changing environments. Biofilm formation proceeds through distinct developmental phases and impacts not only medicine but also industry and evolution. In organisms such as the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans, the ability to grow as biofilms is also an important mechanism for persistence, facilitating its growth on different tissues and a broad range of abiotic surfaces used in medical devices. The early stage of C. albicans biofilm is characterized by the adhesion of single cells to the substratum, followed by the formation of an intricate network of hyphae and the beginning of a dense structure. Changes in the transcriptome begin within 30 min of contact with the substrate and include expression of genes related to sulfur metabolism, in particular MET3, and the equivalent gene homologues of the Ribi regulon in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of these changes are initiated early and maintained throughout the process; others are restricted to the earliest stages of biofilm formation. We identify here a potential alternative pathway for cysteine metabolism and the biofilm-associated expression of genes involved in glutathione production in C. albicans.

Cystathionine beta-lyase is important for virulence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

The biosynthesis of methionine in bacteria requires the mobilization of sulfur from Cys by the formation and degradation of cystathionine. Cystathionine beta-lyase, encoded by metC in bacteria and STR3 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, catalyzes the breakdown of cystathionine to homocysteine, the penultimate step in methionine biosynthesis. This enzyme has been suggested to be the target for pyridinamine antimicrobial agents. We have demonstrated, by using purified enzymes from bacteria and yeast, that cystathionine beta-lyase is not the likely target of these agents. Nonetheless, an insertional inactivation of metC in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium resulted in the attenuation of virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. This result confirms a previous chemical validation of the Met biosynthetic pathway as a target for the development of antibacterial agents and demonstrates that cystathionine beta-lyase is important for bacterial virulence.

Antifungal therapy--state of the art at the beginning of the 21st century

The most relevant information on the present state of the art of antifungal chemotherapy is reviewed in this chapter. For dermatomycoses a variety of topical antifungals are available, and safe and efficacious systemic treatment, especially with the fungicidal drug terbinafine, is possible. The duration of treatment can be drastically reduced. Substantial progress in the armamentarium of drugs for invasive fungal infections has been made, and a new class of antifungals, echinocandins, is now in clinical use. The following drugs in oral and/or intravenous formulations are available: the broad spectrum polyene amphotericin B with its new "clothes"; the sterol biosynthesis inhibitors fluconazole, itraconazole, and voriconazole; the glucan synthase inhibitor caspofungin; and the combination partner flucytosine. New therapy schedules have been studied; combination therapy has found a significant place in the treatment of severely compromised patients, and the field of prevention and empiric therapy is fast moving. Guidelines exist nowadays for the treatment of various fungal diseases and maintenance therapy. New approaches interfering with host defenses or pathogenicity of fungal cells are being investigated, and molecular biologists are looking for new targets studying the genomics of pathogenic fungi.

Molecular characterization and analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster for the azoxy antibiotic valanimycin

Streptomyces viridifaciens MG456-hF10 produces the antibiotic valanimycin, a naturally occurring azoxy compound. Valanimycin is known to be derived from valine and serine with the intermediacy of isobutylamine and isobutylhydroxylamine, but little is known about the stages in the pathway leading to the formation of the azoxy group. In previous studies, a cosmid containing S. viridifaciens DNA was isolated that conferred valanimycin production upon Strepto-myces lividans TK24. Subcloning of DNA from the valanimycin-producing cosmid has led to the identi-fication of a 22 kb segment of DNA sufficient to allow valanimycin production in S. lividans TK24. Sequencing of this DNA segment and the surrounding DNA revealed the presence of 20 genes. Gene disruption experiments defined the boundaries of the valanimycin gene cluster, which appears to contain 14 genes. The cluster includes an amino acid decar-boxylase gene (vlmD), a valanimycin resistance gene (vlmF ), at least two regulatory genes (vlmE, vlmI ), two genes encoding a flavin monooxygenase (vlmH, vlmR), a seryl tRNA synthetase gene (vlmL ) and seven genes of unknown function. Overproduction and characterization of VlmD demonstrated that it catalyses the decarboxylation of l-valine. An unusual feature of the valanimycin gene cluster is that four genes involved in branched amino acid biosynthesis are located near its 5' end.

Molecular and genetic analysis of the Cryptococcus neoformans MET3 gene and a met3 mutant

The Cryptococcus neoformans MET3 cDNA (encoding ATP sulfurylase) was cloned by complementation of the corresponding met3 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequence analysis showed high similarity between the deduced amino acid sequence of the C. neoformans Met3p and other fungal ATP sulfurylases. A C. neoformans met3 mutant was made by targeted insertional mutagenesis, which had the expected auxotrophic phenotype, and reconstituted the met3 mutant to Met(+). In vitro, the C. neoformans met3 mutant had a substantial defect in melanin formation, significantly reduced growth rate, and greatly increased thermotolerance. In the murine inhalation infection model, the met3 mutant was avirulent and was deficient in its ability to survive in mice. It is concluded that, in contrast to the yeast form of Histoplasma capsulatum, in C. neoformans the sulfate-assimilation arm of the methionine biosynthetic pathway plays an important role in vitro, even in the presence of abundant exogenous methionine, and is critical for virulence, and indeed for survival, in vivo.

Ultradian metabolic oscillation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae during aerobic continuous culture: hydrogen sulphide, a population synchronizer, is produced by sulphite reductase

We have reported that the consecutive cyclic production of H(2)S resulted in population synchrony of ultradian metabolic oscillation (Sohn et al., 2000). In order to understand the origin of H(2)S and its nature of periodic production, changes of sulphur compounds concentration and responsible enzymes were investigated. The concentrations of extracellular sulphate, intracellular glutathione and cysteine oscillated during metabolic oscillation but only the oscillation of sulphate concentration was out of phase with H(2)S production. The sulphate concentration in culture directly affected the amplitude and the period of metabolic oscillation: (a) the period of metabolic oscillation shortened from 50 min to 30 min when sulphate concentration in the medium was reduced from 46 mM to 2.5 mM; (b) the metabolic oscillation disappeared under sulphate-depletion conditions and arose again by the addition of sulphate. Pulse injection of sulphite (10 microM) perturbed metabolic oscillation with a burst production of H(2)S, while thiosulphate (up to 500 microM) was without apparent effect. Furthermore, addition of S-adenosyl methionine (100 microM) or azoxybacilin (3 mg/kg) decreased H(2)S production with perturbation of metabolic oscillation. The results presented here suggest that H(2)S, a population synchronizer, is produced by sulphite reductase in the sulphate assimilation pathway, and dynamic regulation of sulphate uptake plays an important role in ultradian metabolic oscillation.

Emerging novel antifungal agents

Promising new compounds have recently been identified in an effort to supplement the relatively sparse portfolio of antifungal drugs. Many of these compounds have defined mechanisms of action against fungal cells and have, in some cases, aided the identification of new selective targets in fungi. For most of these compounds, however, factors such as a narrow spectrum of activity, susceptibility to efflux pumps, protein binding, serum inactivation and poor pharmaceutical properties prevent their use in the clinic. Even so, these compounds are novel substrates for synthetic modifications that could lead to the discovery of future antifungal drugs.

Emerging targets for the development of novel antifungal therapeutics

Invasive mycoses have become important causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. New approaches for antifungal therapy are required to meet the challenges imposed by these life-threatening infections. Such approaches are being developed through identification of novel biochemical and molecular targets of pathogenic fungi.

Fungal virulence genes as targets for antifungal chemotherapy

Fungal virulence genes have now met the age of molecular pathogenesis. The definition of virulence genes needs to be broad so that it encompasses the focus on molecular antifungal targets and vaccine epitopes. However, in the broad but simple definition of a virulence gene, there will be many complex genetic and host interactions which investigators will need to carefully define. Nevertheless, with the increasing numbers of serious fungal infections produced by old and newly reported organisms, the paucity of present antifungal drugs, and the likelihood of increasing drug resistance, the need for investigations into understanding fungal virulence at the molecular level has never been more important.