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Matteucci F, Ferrati M, Spinozzi E, Piergentili A, Del Bello F, Giorgioni G, Sorci L, Petrelli R, Cappellacci L. Synthesis, Biological, and Computational Evaluations of Conformationally Restricted NAD-Mimics as Discriminant Inhibitors of Human NMN-Adenylyltransferase Isozymes. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:739. [PMID: 38931406 PMCID: PMC11207052 DOI: 10.3390/ph17060739] [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: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) cofactor metabolism plays a significant role in cancer development. Tumor cells have an increased demand for NAD and ATP to support rapid growth and proliferation. Limiting the amount of available NAD by targeting critical NAD biosynthesis enzymes has emerged as a promising anticancer therapeutic approach. In mammals, the enzyme nicotinamide/nicotinic acid adenylyltransferase (NMNAT) catalyzes a crucial downstream reaction for all known NAD synthesis routes. Novel nicotinamide/nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NAD/NaAD) analogues 1-4, containing a methyl group at the ribose 2'-C and 3'-C-position of the adenosine moiety, were synthesized as inhibitors of the three isoforms of human NMN-adenylyltransferase, named hNMNAT-1, hNMNAT-2, and hNMNAT-3. An NMR-based conformational analysis suggests that individual NAD-analogues (1-4) have distinct conformational preferences. Biological evaluation of dinucleotides 1-4 as inhibitors of hNMNAT isoforms revealed structural relationships between different conformations (North-anti and South-syn) and enzyme-inhibitory activity. Among the new series of NAD analogues synthesized and tested, the 2'-C-methyl-NAD analogue 1 (Ki = 15 and 21 µM towards NMN and ATP, respectively) emerged as the most potent and selective inhibitor of hNMNAT-2 reported so far. Finally, we rationalized the in vitro bioactivity and selectivity of methylated NAD analogues with in silico studies, helping to lay the groundwork for rational scaffold optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Matteucci
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Marta Ferrati
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Eleonora Spinozzi
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Alessia Piergentili
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Fabio Del Bello
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Gianfabio Giorgioni
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Leonardo Sorci
- Division of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Department of Science and Engineering of Matter, Environment and Urban Planning (SIMAU), Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Riccardo Petrelli
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Loredana Cappellacci
- Medicinal Chemistry Unit, School of Pharmacy, Chemistry Interdisciplinary Project (ChIP), University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (F.M.); (M.F.); (E.S.); (A.P.); (F.D.B.); (G.G.); (L.C.)
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2
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Jeje O, Otun S, Aloke C, Achilonu I. Exploring NAD + metabolism and NNAT: Insights from structure, function, and computational modeling. Biochimie 2024; 220:84-98. [PMID: 38182101 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme, is ubiquitously distributed and serves crucial functions in diverse biological processes, encompassing redox reactions, energy metabolism, and cellular signalling. This review article explores the intricate realm of NAD + metabolism, with a particular emphasis on the complex relationship between its structure, function, and the pivotal enzyme, Nicotinate Nucleotide Adenylyltransferase (NNAT), also known as nicotinate mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NaMNAT), in the process of its biosynthesis. Our findings indicate that NAD + biosynthesis in humans and bacteria occurs via the same de novo synthesis route and the pyridine ring salvage pathway. Maintaining NAD homeostasis in bacteria is imperative, as most bacterial species cannot get NAD+ from their surroundings. However, due to lower sequence identity and structurally distant relationship of bacteria, including E. faecium and K. pneumonia, to its human counterpart, inhibiting NNAT, an indispensable enzyme implicated in NAD + biosynthesis, is a viable alternative in curtailing infections orchestrated by E. faecium and K. pneumonia. By merging empirical and computational discoveries and connecting the intricate NAD + metabolism network with NNAT's crucial role, it becomes clear that the synergistic effect of these insights may lead to a more profound understanding of the coenzyme's function and its potential applications in the fields of therapeutics and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olamide Jeje
- Protein Structure-Function and Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Sarah Otun
- Protein Structure-Function and Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
| | - Chinyere Aloke
- Protein Structure-Function and Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa; Department of Medical Biochemistry, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
| | - Ikechukwu Achilonu
- Protein Structure-Function and Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
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3
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Jankowski G, Sawicki R, Truszkiewicz W, Wolan N, Ziomek M, Hryć B, Sieniawska E. Molecular insight into thymoquinone mechanism of action against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1353875. [PMID: 38414774 PMCID: PMC10896893 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1353875] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural products are promising antimicrobials, usually having multiple and different cellular targets than synthetic antibiotics. Their influence on bacteria at various metabolic and functional levels contributes to higher efficacy even against drug-resistant strains. One such compound is a naturally occurring p-benzoquinone - thymoquinone. It is effective against different bacteria, including multidrug-resistant and extremely drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its antibacterial mechanism of action was studied in several bacterial species except mycobacteria. To get an insight into the antimycobacterial activity of thymoquinone at the molecular level, we performed metabolomic and transcriptomic analyzes of bacteria exposed to this compound. The expression of genes coding stress-responsive sigma factors revealed that thymoquinone rapidly induces the production of sigE transcripts. At the same time, prolonged influence results in the overexpression of all sigma factor genes and significantly upregulates sigF. The metabolomic analysis confirmed that the antimycobacterial activity of thymoquinone was related to the depletion of NAD and ATP pools and the downregulation of plasma membrane lipids. This state was observed after 24 h and was persistent the next day, suggesting that bacteria could not activate catabolic mechanisms and produce energy. Additionally, the presence of a thymoquinone nitrogen derivative in the bacterial broth and the culture was reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz Jankowski
- Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Rafał Sawicki
- Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Wiesław Truszkiewicz
- Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Natalia Wolan
- Student Research Group, Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plants Garden, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Marcin Ziomek
- Student Research Group, Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plants Garden, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Benita Hryć
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Elwira Sieniawska
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
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4
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Chen Y, Ying Y, Lalsiamthara J, Zhao Y, Imani S, Li X, Liu S, Wang Q. From bacteria to biomedicine: Developing therapies exploiting NAD + metabolism. Bioorg Chem 2024; 142:106974. [PMID: 37984103 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) serves as a critical cofactor in cellular metabolism and redox reactions. Bacterial pathways rely on NAD+ participation, where its stability and concentration govern essential homeostasis and functions. This review delves into the role and metabolic regulation of NAD+ in bacteria, highlighting its influence on physiology and virulence. Notably, we explore enzymes linked to NAD+ metabolism as antibacterial drug targets and vaccine candidates. Moreover, we scrutinize NAD+'s medical potential, offering insights for its application in biomedicine. This comprehensive assessment informs future research directions in the dynamic realm of NAD+ and its biomedical significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuanyuan Ying
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jonathan Lalsiamthara
- Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Yuheng Zhao
- College of Biology and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310015, China
| | - Saber Imani
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Li
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China
| | - Sijing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qingjing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Exposure and Health Intervention of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang, China.
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5
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Moon CW, Porges E, Taylor SC, Bacon J. A Microtiter Plate Assay at Acidic pH to Identify Potentiators that Enhance Pyrazinamide Activity Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2833:65-77. [PMID: 38949702 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3981-8_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a key component of chemotherapy for the treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB) and is likely to continue to be included in new drug combinations. Potentiation of PZA could be used to reduce the emergence of resistance, shorten treatment times, and lead to a reduction in the quantity of PZA consumed by patients, thereby reducing the toxic effects. Acidified medium is required for the activity of PZA against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In vitro assessments of pyrazinamide activity are often avoided because of the lack of standardization, which has led to a lack of effective in vitro tools for assessing and/or enhancing PZA activity.We have developed and optimized a novel, robust, and reproducible, microtiter plate assay, that centers around acidity levels that are low enough for PZA activity. The assay can be applied to the evaluation of novel compounds for the identification of potentiators that enhance PZA activity. In this assay, potentiation of PZA is demonstrated to be statistically significant with the addition of rifampicin (RIF), which can, therefore, be used as a positive control. Conversely, norfloxacin demonstrates no potentiating activity with PZA and can be used as a negative control. The method, and the associated considerations, described here, can be adapted in the search for potentiators of other antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eleanor Porges
- Discovery Group, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK
| | | | - Joanna Bacon
- Discovery Group, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
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Jeje O, Pandian R, Sayed Y, Achilonu I. Obtaining high yield recombinant Enterococcus faecium nicotinate nucleotide adenylyltransferase for X-ray crystallography and biophysical studies. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 250:126066. [PMID: 37544558 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Nicotinate nucleotide adenylyltransferase (NNAT) has been a significant research focus on druggable targets, given its indispensability in the biosynthesis of NAD+, which is crucial to the survival of bacterial pathogens. However, no information is available on the structure-function of Enterococcus faecium NNAT (EfNNAT). This study established the expression and purification protocol for obtaining a high-yield recombinant EfNNAT using the E. coli expression system and a single-step IMAC purification method. Approximately 101 mg of EfNNAT was obtained per 7.8 g of wet E. coli cells, estimated to be over 98 % pure. We further characterized the biophysical structure and determined the three-dimensional structure of the EfNNAT. Biophysical studies revealed a dimeric protein with a higher α-helical composition. The highly stable protein crystalizes in multiple conditions, yielding high-quality crystals diffracting between 1.78 and 2.80 Å. Two high-resolution crystal structures of EfNNAT in its native and adenine-bound forms were determined at 1.90 Å and 1.82 Å, respectively. The X-ray structures of the EfNNAT revealed the presence of phosphate and sulfate ions occupying and interacting with conserved amino acid residues within the putative substrate binding site, hence providing insight into the probable substrate preference of EfNNAT and, consequently, why EfNNAT may not prefer β-nicotinamide mononucleotide as a substrate. With the accessibility to high-resolution structures of EfNNAT, further structural evaluation and drug-based screening can be achieved. Hence, we anticipate that this study will provide the basis for the discovery of structure-based inhibitors against this enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olamide Jeje
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa.
| | - Ramesh Pandian
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa.
| | - Yasien Sayed
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa.
| | - Ikechukwu Achilonu
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa.
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Sharma R, Hartman TE, Beites T, Kim JH, Eoh H, Engelhart CA, Zhu L, Wilson DJ, Aldrich CC, Ehrt S, Rhee KY, Schnappinger D. Metabolically distinct roles of NAD synthetase and NAD kinase define the essentiality of NAD and NADP in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. mBio 2023; 14:e0034023. [PMID: 37350592 PMCID: PMC10470730 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00340-23] [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: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and its phosphorylated derivative (NADP) are essential cofactors that participate in hundreds of biochemical reactions and have emerged as therapeutic targets in cancer, metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and infections, including tuberculosis. The biological basis for the essentiality of NAD(P) in most settings, however, remains experimentally unexplained. Here, we report that inactivation of the terminal enzyme of NAD synthesis, NAD synthetase (NadE), elicits markedly different metabolic and microbiologic effects than those of the terminal enzyme of NADP biosynthesis, NAD kinase (PpnK), in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Inactivation of NadE led to parallel reductions of both NAD and NADP pools and Mtb viability, while inactivation of PpnK selectively depleted NADP pools but only arrested growth. Inactivation of each enzyme was accompanied by metabolic changes that were specific for the affected enzyme and associated microbiological phenotype. Bacteriostatic levels of NAD depletion caused a compensatory remodeling of NAD-dependent metabolic pathways in the absence of an impact on NADH/NAD ratios, while bactericidal levels of NAD depletion resulted in a disruption of NADH/NAD ratios and inhibition of oxygen respiration. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized physiologic specificity associated with the essentiality of two evolutionarily ubiquitous cofactors. IMPORTANCE The current course for cure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-the etiologic agent of tuberculosis (TB)-infections is lengthy and requires multiple antibiotics. The development of shorter, simpler treatment regimens is, therefore, critical to the goal of eradicating TB. NadE, an enzyme required for the synthesis of the ubiquitous cofactor NAD, is essential for survival of Mtb and regarded as a promising drug target. However, the basis of this essentiality was not clear due to its role in the synthesis of both NAD and NADP. Here, we resolve this ambiguity through a combination of gene silencing and metabolomics. We specifically show that NADP deficiency is bacteriostatic, while NAD deficiency is bactericidal due to its role in Mtb's respiratory capacity. These results argue for a prioritization of NAD biosynthesis inhibitors in anti-TB drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritu Sharma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Travis E. Hartman
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Tiago Beites
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jee-Hyun Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hyungjin Eoh
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Curtis A. Engelhart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Linnan Zhu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Daniel J. Wilson
- Center for Drug Design, Nils Hasselmo Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Sabine Ehrt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kyu Young Rhee
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dirk Schnappinger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
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8
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Levendosky K, Janisch N, Quadri LEN. Comprehensive essentiality analysis of the Mycobacterium kansasii genome by saturation transposon mutagenesis and deep sequencing. mBio 2023; 14:e0057323. [PMID: 37350613 PMCID: PMC10470612 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00573-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium kansasii (Mk) is an opportunistic pathogen that is frequently isolated from urban water systems, posing a health risk to susceptible individuals. Despite its ability to cause tuberculosis-like pulmonary disease, very few studies have probed the genetics of this opportunistic pathogen. Here, we report a comprehensive essentiality analysis of the Mk genome. Deep sequencing of a high-density library of Mk Himar1 transposon mutants revealed that 86.8% of the chromosomal thymine-adenine (TA) dinucleotide target sites were permissive to insertion, leaving 13.2% TA sites unoccupied. Our analysis identified 394 of the 5,350 annotated open reading frames (ORFs) as essential. The majority of these essential ORFs (84.8%) share essential mutual orthologs with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). A comparative genomics analysis identified 139 Mk essential ORFs that share essential orthologs in four other species of mycobacteria. Thirteen Mk essential ORFs share orthologs in all four species that were identified as being not essential, while only two Mk essential ORFs are absent in all species compared. We used the essentiality data and a comparative genomics analysis reported here to highlight differences in essentiality between candidate Mtb drug targets and the corresponding Mk orthologs. Our findings suggest that the Mk genome encodes redundant or additional pathways that may confound validation of potential Mtb drugs and drug target candidates against the opportunistic pathogen. Additionally, we identified 57 intergenic regions containing four or more consecutive unoccupied TA sites. A disproportionally large number of these regions were located upstream of pe/ppe genes. Finally, we present an essentiality and orthology analysis of the Mk pRAW-like plasmid, pMK1248. IMPORTANCE Mk is one of the most common nontuberculous mycobacterial pathogens associated with tuberculosis-like pulmonary disease. Drug resistance emergence is a threat to the control of Mk infections, which already requires long-term, multidrug courses. A comprehensive understanding of Mk biology is critical to facilitate the development of new and more efficacious therapeutics against Mk. We combined transposon-based mutagenesis with analysis of insertion site identification data to uncover genes and other genomic regions required for Mk growth. We also compared the gene essentiality data set of Mk to those available for several other mycobacteria. This analysis highlighted key similarities and differences in the biology of Mk compared to these other species. Altogether, the genome-wide essentiality information generated and the results of the cross-species comparative genomics analysis represent valuable resources to assist the process of identifying and prioritizing potential Mk drug target candidates and to guide future studies on Mk biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith Levendosky
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Biology Program, Graduate Center, Biology Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Niklas Janisch
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Biology Program, Graduate Center, Biology Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Luis E. N. Quadri
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Biology Program, Graduate Center, Biology Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
- Biochemistry Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
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9
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Verma AK, Dubey S, Srivastava SK. "Identification of alkaloid compounds as potent inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis NadD using computational strategies". Comput Biol Med 2023; 158:106863. [PMID: 37030267 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is leading cause of death worldwide. NAD participates in a host of redox reactions in energy landscape of organisms. Several studies implicate surrogate energy pathways involving NAD pools as important in survival of active as well as dormant mycobacteria. One of the NAD metabolic pathway enzyme, nicotinate mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NadD) is indispensable in mycobacterial NAD metabolism and is perceived as an attractive drug target in pathogen. In this study, we have employed in silico screening, simulation and MM-PBSA strategies to identify potentially important alkaloid compounds against mycobacterial NadD for structure-based inhibitor development. We have performed an exhaustive structure-based virtual screening of an alkaloid library, ADMET, DFT profiling followed by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation, and Molecular Mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) calculation to identify 10 compounds which exhibit favourable drug like properties and interactions. Interaction energies of these 10 alkaloid molecules range between -190 kJ/mol and -250 kJ/mol. These compounds could be promising starting point in the development of selective inhibitors against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Kumar Verma
- Structural Biology & Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India
| | - Saumya Dubey
- Structural Biology & Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India
| | - Sandeep Kumar Srivastava
- Structural Biology & Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India.
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10
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Im H, Pearson ML, Martinez E, Cichos KH, Song X, Kruckow KL, Andrews RM, Ghanem ES, Orihuela CJ. Targeting NAD+ regeneration enhances antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae during invasive disease. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002020. [PMID: 36928033 PMCID: PMC10019625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Anaerobic bacteria are responsible for half of all pulmonary infections. One such pathogen is Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn), a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia, bacteremia/sepsis, and meningitis. Using a panel of isogenic mutants deficient in lactate, acetyl-CoA, and ethanol fermentation, as well as pharmacological inhibition, we observed that NAD(H) redox balance during fermentation was vital for Spn energy generation, capsule production, and in vivo fitness. Redox balance disruption in fermentation pathway-specific fashion substantially enhanced susceptibility to killing in antimicrobial class-specific manner. Blocking of alcohol dehydrogenase activity with 4-methylpyrazole (fomepizole), an FDA-approved drug used as an antidote for toxic alcohol ingestion, enhanced susceptibility of multidrug-resistant Spn to erythromycin and reduced bacterial burden in the lungs of mice with pneumonia and prevented the development of invasive disease. Our results indicate fermentation enzymes are de novo targets for antibiotic development and a novel strategy to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hansol Im
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Madison L. Pearson
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Eriel Martinez
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Kyle H. Cichos
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Arthroplasty Section, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Xiuhong Song
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Katherine L. Kruckow
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Rachel M. Andrews
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Elie S. Ghanem
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Arthroplasty Section, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Carlos J. Orihuela
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
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11
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Udoakang AJ, Djomkam Zune AL, Tapela K, Nganyewo NN, Olisaka FN, Anyigba CA, Tawiah-Eshun S, Owusu IA, Paemka L, Awandare GA, Quashie PK. The COVID-19, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS: Ménage à Trois. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1104828. [PMID: 36776887 PMCID: PMC9911459 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1104828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In December 2019, a novel pneumonic condition, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), broke out in China and spread globally. The presentation of COVID-19 is more severe in persons with underlying medical conditions such as Tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and other pneumonic conditions. All three diseases are of global concern and can significantly affect the lungs with characteristic cytokine storm, immunosuppression, and respiratory failure. Co-infections of SARS-CoV-2 with HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) have been reported, which may influence their pathogenesis and disease progression. Pulmonary TB and HIV/AIDS patients could be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection leading to lethal synergy and disease severity. Therefore, the biological and epidemiological interactions of COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and TB need to be understood holistically. While data is needed to predict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these existing diseases, it is necessary to review the implications of the evolving COVID-19 management on HIV/AIDS and TB control, including therapy and funding. Also, the impact of long COVID on patients, who may have this co-infection. Thus, this review highlights the implications of COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and TB co-infection compares disease mechanisms, addresses growing concerns, and suggests a direction for improved diagnosis and general management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniefiok John Udoakang
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria
| | - Alexandra Lindsey Djomkam Zune
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kesego Tapela
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Nora Nghochuzie Nganyewo
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Frances Ngozi Olisaka
- Environmental and Public Health Microbiology, Department of Biological Science, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
| | - Claudia Adzo Anyigba
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Irene Amoakoh Owusu
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Lily Paemka
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Gordon A. Awandare
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Peter Kojo Quashie
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Virology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
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12
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Barik K, Arya PK, Singh AK, Kumar A. Potential therapeutic targets for combating Mycoplasma genitalium. 3 Biotech 2023; 13:9. [PMID: 36532859 PMCID: PMC9755450 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03423-9] [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: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) has emerged as a sexually transmitted infection (STI) all over the world in the last three decades. It has been identified as a cause of male urethritis, and there is now evidence that it also causes cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease in women. However, the precise role of M. genitalium in diseases such as pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility is unknown, and more research is required. It is a slow-growing organism, and with the advent of the nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), more studies are being conducted and knowledge about the pathogenicity of this organism is being elucidated. The accumulation of data has improved our understanding of the pathogen and its role in disease transmission. Despite the widespread use of single-dose azithromycin in the sexual health field, M. genitalium is known to rapidly develop antibiotic resistance. As a result, the media frequently refer to this pathogen as the "new STI superbug." Despite their rarity, antibiotics available today have serious side effects. As the cure rates for first-line antimicrobials have decreased, it is now a challenge to determine the effective antimicrobial therapy. In this review, we summarise recent M. genitalium research and investigate potential therapeutic targets for combating this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishnendu Barik
- Department of Bioinformatics, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236 India
| | - Praffulla Kumar Arya
- Department of Bioinformatics, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236 India
| | - Ajay Kumar Singh
- Department of Bioinformatics, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236 India
| | - Anil Kumar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Central University of South Bihar, Gaya, 824236 India
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13
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Jadhav P, Chen Y, Butzin N, Buceta J, Urchueguía A. Bacterial degrons in synthetic circuits. Open Biol 2022; 12:220180. [PMID: 35975648 PMCID: PMC9382460 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220180] [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: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial proteases are a promising post-translational regulation strategy in synthetic circuits because they recognize specific amino acid degradation tags (degrons) that can be fine-tuned to modulate the degradation levels of tagged proteins. For this reason, recent efforts have been made in the search for new degrons. Here we review the up-to-date applications of degradation tags for circuit engineering in bacteria. In particular, we pay special attention to the effects of degradation bottlenecks in synthetic oscillators and introduce mathematical approaches to study queueing that enable the quantitative modelling of proteolytic queues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prajakta Jadhav
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
| | - Yanyan Chen
- Program for Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nicholas Butzin
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
| | - Javier Buceta
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, CSIC-UV), Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
| | - Arantxa Urchueguía
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA.,Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, CSIC-UV), Paterna, Valencia 46980, Spain
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14
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Ajunwa OM, Odeniyi OA, Garuba EO, Nair M, Marsili E, Onilude AA. Evaluation of extracellular electron transfer in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by co-expression of intermediate genes in NAD synthetase production pathway. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:90. [PMID: 35426517 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03274-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is an electrogenic bacterium, in which extracellular electron transfer (EET) is mediated by microbially-produced phenazines, especially pyocyanin. Increasing EET rate in electrogenic bacteria is key for the development of biosensors and bioelectrofermentation processes. In this work, the production of pyocyanin, Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) and NAD synthetase by the electrogenic strain PA-A4 is determined using a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). Effects of metabolic inhibition and enhancement of pyocyanin and NAD synthetase on NAD/NADH levels and electrogenicity was demonstrated by short chronoamperometry measurements (0-48 h). Combined overexpression of two intermediate NAD synthetase production genes-nicotinic acid mononucleotide adenyltransferase (nadD) and quinolic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (nadC) genes, which are distant on the PA genomic map, enabled co-transcription and increased NAD synthetase activity. The resulting PA-A4 nadD + nadC shows increases in pyocyanin concentration, NAD synthetase activity, NAD/NADH levels, and MFC potential, all significantly higher than its wild type. Extracellular respiratory mechanisms in PA are linked with NAD metabolism, and targeted increased yield of NAD could directly lead to enhanced EET. A previous attempt at enhancing NAD synthetase for electrogenicity by targeting the terminal NAD synthetase gene (nadE) in standard P. aeruginosa PA01 had earlier been reported. Our work however, poses another route to electrogenicity enhancement in PA using; a combination of nadD and nadC. Further experiments are needed to understand specific intracellular mechanisms governing how over-expression of nadD and nadC induced activity of NadE protein. These findings significantly advance the knowledge of the versatility of NAD biosynthetic genes in PA electrogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obinna Markraphael Ajunwa
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. .,Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Nigeria.
| | - Olubusola Ayoola Odeniyi
- Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Emmanuel Oluwaseun Garuba
- Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Mrinalini Nair
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology Center, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat, India
| | - Enrico Marsili
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
| | - Abiodun Anthony Onilude
- Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
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15
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Baquero F, del Campo R, Martínez JL. Interventions in Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Metabolism, the Intestinal Microbiota and Microcin Peptide Antimicrobials. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:861603. [PMID: 35372517 PMCID: PMC8967132 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.861603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A proper NADH/NAD + balance allows for the flow of metabolic and catabolic activities determining cellular growth. In Escherichia coli, more than 80 NAD + dependent enzymes are involved in all major metabolic pathways, including the post-transcriptional build-up of thiazole and oxazole rings from small linear peptides, which is a critical step for the antibiotic activity of some microcins. In recent years, NAD metabolism boosting drugs have been explored, mostly precursors of NAD + synthesis in human cells, with beneficial effects on the aging process and in preventing oncological and neurological diseases. These compounds also enhance NAD + metabolism in the human microbiota, which contributes to these beneficial effects. On the other hand, inhibition of NAD + metabolism has been proposed as a therapeutic approach to reduce the growth and propagation of tumor cells and mitigating inflammatory bowel diseases; in this case, the activity of the microbiota might mitigate therapeutic efficacy. Antibiotics, which reduce the effect of microbiota, should synergize with NAD + metabolism inhibitors, but these drugs might increase the proportion of antibiotic persistent populations. Conversely, antibiotics might have a stronger killing effect on bacteria with active NAD + production and reduce the cooperation of NAD + producing bacteria with tumoral cells. The use of NADH/NAD + modulators should take into consideration the use of antibiotics and the population structure of the microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Baquero
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Network Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER-ESP), Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Fernando Baquero,
| | - Rosa del Campo
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital and Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
- Network Center for Research in Infectious Diseases (CIBER-INFEC), Madrid, Spain
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16
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Jeje O, Maake R, van Deventer R, Esau V, Iwuchukwu EA, Meyer V, Khoza T, Achilonu I. Effect of Divalent Metal Ion on the Structure, Stability and Function of Klebsiella pneumoniae Nicotinate-Nucleotide Adenylyltransferase: Empirical and Computational Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:116. [PMID: 35008542 PMCID: PMC8745210 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010116] [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: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The continuous threat of drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae justifies identifying novel targets and developing effective antibacterial agents. A potential target is nicotinate nucleotide adenylyltransferase (NNAT), an indispensable enzyme in the biosynthesis of the cell-dependent metabolite, NAD+. NNAT catalyses the adenylation of nicotinamide/nicotinate mononucleotide (NMN/NaMN), using ATP to form nicotinamide/nicotinate adenine dinucleotide (NAD+/NaAD). In addition, it employs divalent cations for co-substrate binding and catalysis and has a preference for different divalent cations. Here, the biophysical structure of NNAT from K. pneumoniae (KpNNAT) and the impact of divalent cations on its activity, conformational stability and substrate-binding are described using experimental and computational approaches. The experimental study was executed using an enzyme-coupled assay, far-UV circular dichroism, extrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, and thermal shift assays, alongside homology modelling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic simulation. The structure of KpNNAT revealed a predominately α-helical secondary structure content and a binding site that is partially hydrophobic. Its substrates ATP and NMN share the same binding pocket with similar affinity and exhibit an energetically favourable binding. KpNNAT showed maximum activity and minimal conformational changes with Mg2+ as a cofactor compared to Zn2+, Cu2+ and Ni2+. Overall, ATP binding affects KpNNAT dynamics, and the dynamics of ATP binding depend on the presence and type of divalent cation. The data obtained from this study would serve as a basis for further evaluation towards designing structure-based inhibitors with therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olamide Jeje
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Reabetswe Maake
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Ruan van Deventer
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Veruschka Esau
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Emmanuel Amarachi Iwuchukwu
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Vanessa Meyer
- Functional Genomics and Immunogenetics Laboratory, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Thandeka Khoza
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Pietermaritzburg Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
| | - Ikechukwu Achilonu
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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17
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Nazarshodeh E, Marashi SA, Gharaghani S. Structural systems pharmacology: A framework for integrating metabolic network and structure-based virtual screening for drug discovery against bacteria. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261267. [PMID: 34905555 PMCID: PMC8670682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) and computational drug discovery have caused the identification of drug targets at the system-level and inhibitors to combat bacterial infection and drug resistance. Here we report a structural systems pharmacology framework that integrates the GEM and structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) method to identify drugs effective for Escherichia coli infection. The most complete genome-scale metabolic reconstruction integrated with protein structures (GEM-PRO) of E. coli, iML1515_GP, and FDA-approved drugs have been used. FBA was performed to predict drug targets in silico. The 195 essential genes were predicted in the rich medium. The subsystems in which a significant number of these genes are involved are cofactor, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis that are necessary for cell growth. Therefore, some proteins encoded by these genes are responsible for the biosynthesis and transport of LPS which is the first line of defense against threats. So, these proteins can be potential drug targets. The enzymes with experimental structure and cognate ligands were selected as final drug targets for performing the SBVS method. Finally, we have suggested those drugs that have good interaction with the selected proteins as drug repositioning cases. Also, the suggested molecules could be promising lead compounds. This framework may be helpful to fill the gap between genomics and drug discovery. Results show this framework suggests novel antibacterials that can be subjected to experimental testing soon and it can be suitable for other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmira Nazarshodeh
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Drug Design (LBD), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sayed-Amir Marashi
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sajjad Gharaghani
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Drug Design (LBD), Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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18
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Joshi H, Kandari D, Bhatnagar R. Insights into the molecular determinants involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis persistence and their therapeutic implications. Virulence 2021; 12:2721-2749. [PMID: 34637683 PMCID: PMC8565819 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1990660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The establishment of persistent infections and the reactivation of persistent bacteria to active bacilli are the two hurdles in effective tuberculosis treatment. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an etiologic tuberculosis agent, adapts to numerous antibiotics and resists the host immune system causing a disease of public health concern. Extensive research has been employed to combat this disease due to its sheer ability to persist in the host system, undetected, waiting for the opportunity to declare itself. Persisters are a bacterial subpopulation that possesses transient tolerance to high doses of antibiotics. There are certain inherent mechanisms that facilitate the persister cell formation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, some of those had been characterized in the past namely, stringent response, transcriptional regulators, energy production pathways, lipid metabolism, cell wall remodeling enzymes, phosphate metabolism, and proteasome protein degradation. This article reviews the recent advancements made in various in vitro persistence models that assist to unravel the mechanisms involved in the persister cell formation and to hunt for the possible preventive or treatment measures. To tackle the persister population the immunodominant proteins that express specifically at the latent phase of infection can be used for diagnosis to distinguish between the active and latent tuberculosis, as well as to select potential drug or vaccine candidates. In addition, we discuss the genes engaged in the persistence to get more insights into resuscitation and persister cell formation. The in-depth understanding of persistent cells of mycobacteria can certainly unravel novel ways to target the pathogen and tackle its persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemant Joshi
- Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Divya Kandari
- Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Rakesh Bhatnagar
- Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- Amity University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
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19
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Bosch B, DeJesus MA, Poulton NC, Zhang W, Engelhart CA, Zaveri A, Lavalette S, Ruecker N, Trujillo C, Wallach JB, Li S, Ehrt S, Chait BT, Schnappinger D, Rock JM. Genome-wide gene expression tuning reveals diverse vulnerabilities of M. tuberculosis. Cell 2021; 184:4579-4592.e24. [PMID: 34297925 PMCID: PMC8382161 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Antibacterial agents target the products of essential genes but rarely achieve complete target inhibition. Thus, the all-or-none definition of essentiality afforded by traditional genetic approaches fails to discern the most attractive bacterial targets: those whose incomplete inhibition results in major fitness costs. In contrast, gene "vulnerability" is a continuous, quantifiable trait that relates the magnitude of gene inhibition to the effect on bacterial fitness. We developed a CRISPR interference-based functional genomics method to systematically titrate gene expression in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and monitor fitness outcomes. We identified highly vulnerable genes in various processes, including novel targets unexplored for drug discovery. Equally important, we identified invulnerable essential genes, potentially explaining failed drug discovery efforts. Comparison of vulnerability between the reference and a hypervirulent Mtb isolate revealed incomplete conservation of vulnerability and that differential vulnerability can predict differential antibacterial susceptibility. Our results quantitatively redefine essential bacterial processes and identify high-value targets for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Bosch
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Michael A DeJesus
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Nicholas C Poulton
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Wenzhu Zhang
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Curtis A Engelhart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anisha Zaveri
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sophie Lavalette
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Nadine Ruecker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Carolina Trujillo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joshua B Wallach
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Shuqi Li
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sabine Ehrt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Brian T Chait
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dirk Schnappinger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Jeremy M Rock
- Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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20
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Roussin M, Salcedo SP. NAD+-targeting by bacteria: an emerging weapon in pathogenesis. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:6315328. [PMID: 34223888 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a major cofactor in redox reactions in all lifeforms. A stable level of NAD+ is vital to ensure cellular homeostasis. Some pathogens can modulate NAD+ metabolism to their advantage and even utilize or cleave NAD+ from the host using specialized effectors known as ADP-ribosyltransferase toxins and NADases, leading to energy store depletion, immune evasion, or even cell death. This review explores recent advances in the field of bacterial NAD+-targeting toxins, highlighting the relevance of NAD+ modulation as an emerging pathogenesis strategy. In addition, we discuss the role of specific NAD+-targeting toxins in niche colonization and bacterial lifestyle as components of Toxin/Antitoxin systems and key players in inter-bacterial competition. Understanding the mechanisms of toxicity, regulation, and secretion of these toxins will provide interesting leads in the search for new antimicrobial treatments in the fight against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Roussin
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5086, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Suzana P Salcedo
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5086, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
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21
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Genome-Wide Essentiality Analysis of Mycobacterium abscessus by Saturated Transposon Mutagenesis and Deep Sequencing. mBio 2021; 12:e0104921. [PMID: 34126767 PMCID: PMC8262987 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01049-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium abscessus is an emerging opportunistic human pathogen that naturally resists most major classes of antibiotics, making infections difficult to treat. Thus far, little is known about M. abscessus physiology, pathogenesis, and drug resistance. Genome-wide analyses have comprehensively catalogued genes with essential functions in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (here, M. avium) but not in M. abscessus. By optimizing transduction conditions, we achieved full saturation of TA insertion sites with Himar1 transposon mutagenesis in the M. abscessus ATCC 19977T genome, as confirmed by deep sequencing prior to essentiality analyses of annotated genes and other genomic features. The overall densities of inserted TA sites (85.7%), unoccupied TA sites (14.3%), and nonpermissive TA sites (8.1%) were similar to results in M. tuberculosis and M. avium. Of the 4,920 annotated genes, 326 were identified as essential, 269 (83%) of which have mutual homology with essential M. tuberculosis genes, while 39 (12%) are homologous to genes that are not essential in M. tuberculosis and M. avium, and 11 (3.4%) only have homologs in M. avium. Interestingly, 7 (2.1%) essential M. abscessus genes have no homologs in either M. tuberculosis or M. avium, two of which were found in phage-like elements. Most essential genes are involved in DNA replication, RNA transcription and translation, and posttranslational events to synthesize important macromolecules. Some essential genes may be involved in M. abscessus pathogenesis and antibiotics response, including certain essential tRNAs and new short open reading frames. Our findings will help to pave the way for better understanding of M. abscessus and benefit development of novel bactericidal drugs against M. abscessus. IMPORTANCE Limited knowledge regarding Mycobacterium abscessus pathogenesis and intrinsic resistance to most classes of antibiotics is a major obstacle to developing more effective strategies to prevent and mitigate disease. Using optimized procedures for Himar1 transposon mutagenesis and deep sequencing, we performed a comprehensive analysis to identify M. abscessus genetic elements essential for in vitro growth and compare them to similar data sets for M. tuberculosis and M. avium subsp. hominissuis. Most essential M. abscessus genes have mutual homology with essential M. tuberculosis genes, providing a foundation for leveraging available knowledge from M. tuberculosis to develop more effective drugs and other interventions against M. abscessus. A small number of essential genes unique to M. abscessus deserve further attention to gain insights into what makes M. abscessus different from other mycobacteria. The essential genes and other genomic features such as short open reading frames and noncoding RNA identified here will provide useful information for future study of M. abscessus pathogenicity and new drug development.
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Knoll KE, Lindeque Z, Adeniji AA, Oosthuizen CB, Lall N, Loots DT. Elucidating the Antimycobacterial Mechanism of Action of Ciprofloxacin Using Metabolomics. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9061158. [PMID: 34071153 PMCID: PMC8228629 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9061158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the interest of developing more effective and safer anti-tuberculosis drugs, we used a GCxGC-TOF-MS metabolomics research approach to investigate and compare the metabolic profiles of Mtb in the presence and absence of ciprofloxacin. The metabolites that best describe the differences between the compared groups were identified as markers characterizing the changes induced by ciprofloxacin. Malic acid was ranked as the most significantly altered metabolite marker induced by ciprofloxacin, indicative of an inhibition of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and glyoxylate cycle of Mtb. The altered fatty acid, myo-inositol, and triacylglycerol metabolism seen in this group supports previous observations of ciprofloxacin action on the Mtb cell wall. Furthermore, the altered pentose phosphate intermediates, glycerol metabolism markers, glucose accumulation, as well as the reduction in the glucogenic amino acids specifically, indicate a flux toward DNA (as well as cell wall) repair, also supporting previous findings of DNA damage caused by ciprofloxacin. This study further provides insights useful for designing network whole-system strategies for the identification of possible modes of action of various drugs and possibly adaptations by Mtb resulting in resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten E. Knoll
- Department of Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Private Bag x6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa; (K.E.K.); (Z.L.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Zander Lindeque
- Department of Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Private Bag x6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa; (K.E.K.); (Z.L.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Adetomiwa A. Adeniji
- Department of Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Private Bag x6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa; (K.E.K.); (Z.L.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Carel B. Oosthuizen
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (C.B.O.); (N.L.)
| | - Namrita Lall
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; (C.B.O.); (N.L.)
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Du Toit Loots
- Department of Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Private Bag x6001, Box 269, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa; (K.E.K.); (Z.L.); (A.A.A.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-(0)18-299-1818
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Möller J, Nosratabadi F, Musella L, Hofmann J, Burkovski A. Corynebacterium diphtheriae Proteome Adaptation to Cell Culture Medium and Serum. Proteomes 2021; 9:proteomes9010014. [PMID: 33805816 PMCID: PMC8005964 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes9010014] [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: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-pathogen interactions are often studied in vitro using primary or immortal cell lines. This set-up avoids ethical problems of animal testing and has the additional advantage of lower costs. However, the influence of cell culture media on bacterial growth and metabolism is not considered or investigated in most cases. To address this question growth and proteome adaptation of Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain ISS3319 were investigated in this study. Bacteria were cultured in standard growth medium, cell culture medium, and fetal calf serum. Mass spectrometric analyses and label-free protein quantification hint at an increased bacterial pathogenicity when grown in cell culture medium as well as an influence of the growth medium on the cell envelope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Möller
- Microbiology Division, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; (F.N.); (L.M.); (A.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-9131-85-28802
| | - Fatemeh Nosratabadi
- Microbiology Division, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; (F.N.); (L.M.); (A.B.)
| | - Luca Musella
- Microbiology Division, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; (F.N.); (L.M.); (A.B.)
| | - Jörg Hofmann
- Biochemistry Division, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Andreas Burkovski
- Microbiology Division, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; (F.N.); (L.M.); (A.B.)
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Rohde KH, Sorci L. The Prospective Synergy of Antitubercular Drugs With NAD Biosynthesis Inhibitors. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:634640. [PMID: 33584600 PMCID: PMC7873932 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.634640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the upsurge of drug-resistant tuberculosis worldwide, there is much focus on developing novel drug combinations allowing shorter treatment duration and a lower toxicity profile. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis targeting is acknowledged as a promising strategy to combat drug-susceptible, drug-resistant, and latent tuberculosis (TB) infections. In this review, we describe the potential synergy of NAD biosynthesis inhibitors with several TB-drugs in prospective novel combination therapy. Despite not directly targeting the essential NAD cofactor's biosynthesis, several TB prodrugs either require a NAD biosynthesis enzyme to be activated or form a toxic chemical adduct with NAD(H) itself. For example, pyrazinamide requires the action of nicotinamidase (PncA), often referred to as pyrazinamidase, to be converted into its active form. PncA is an essential player in NAD salvage and recycling. Since most pyrazinamide-resistant strains are PncA-defective, a combination with downstream NAD-blocking molecules may enhance pyrazinamide activity and possibly overcome the resistance mechanism. Isoniazid, ethionamide, and delamanid form NAD adducts in their active form, partly perturbing the redox cofactor metabolism. Indeed, NAD depletion has been observed in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) during isoniazid treatment, and activation of the intracellular NAD phosphorylase MbcT toxin potentiates its effect. Due to the NAD cofactor's crucial role in cellular energy production, additional synergistic correlations of NAD biosynthesis blockade can be envisioned with bedaquiline and other drugs targeting energy-metabolism in mycobacteria. In conclusion, future strategies targeting NAD metabolism in Mtb should consider its potential synergy with current and other forthcoming TB-drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle H. Rohde
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Leonardo Sorci
- Division of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
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25
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Are Scientific Models of Life Testable? A Lesson from Simpson’s Paradox. SCI 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sci3010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We address the need for a model by considering two competing theories regarding the origin of life: (i) the Metabolism First theory, and (ii) the RNA World theory. We discuss two interrelated points, namely: (i) Models are valuable tools for understanding both the processes and intricacies of origin-of-life issues, and (ii) Insights from models also help us to evaluate the core objection to origin-of-life theories, called “the inefficiency objection”, which is commonly raised by proponents of both the Metabolism First theory and the RNA World theory against each other. We use Simpson’s Paradox (SP) as a tool for challenging this objection. We will use models in various senses, ranging from taking them as representations of reality to treating them as theories/accounts that provide heuristics for probing reality. In this paper, we will frequently use models and theories interchangeably. Additionally, we investigate Conway’s Game of Life and contrast it with our SP-based approach to emergence-of-life issues. Finally, we discuss some of the consequences of our view. A scientific model is testable in three senses: (i) a logical sense, (ii) a nomological sense, and (iii) a current technological sense. The SP-based model is testable in the first two senses but it is not feasible to test it using current technology.
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Kraszewska E, Drabinska J. Nudix proteins affecting microbial pathogenesis. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2020; 166:1110-1114. [PMID: 33253082 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Nudix proteins catalyse hydrolysis of pyrophosphate bonds in a variety of substrates and are ubiquitous in all domains of life. Their widespread presence and broad substrate specificity suggest that they have important cellular functions. In this review, we summarize the state of knowledge on microbial Nudix proteins involved in pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elzbieta Kraszewska
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5A, 02-106, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Drabinska
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5A, 02-106, Warsaw, Poland
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27
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Sultana KN, Kuldeep J, Siddiqi MI, Srivastava SK. Crystallographic and molecular dynamics simulation analysis of NAD synthetase from methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 165:2349-2362. [PMID: 33098904 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.10.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
NAD synthetase (NadE) catalyzes the last step in NAD biosynthesis, transforming deamido-NAD+ into NAD+ by a two-step reaction with co-substrates ATP and amide donor ammonia. In this study, we report the crystal structure of Staphylococcus aureus NAD synthetase enzyme (saNadE) at 2.3 Å resolution. We used this structure to perform molecular dynamics simulations of apo-enzyme, enzyme-substrate (NadE with ATP and NaAD) and enzyme-intermediate complexes (NadE with NaAD-AMP) to investigate key binding interactions and explore the conformational transitions and flexibility of the binding pocket. Our results show large shift of N-terminal region in substrate bound form which is important for ATP binding. Substrates drive the correlated movement of loop regions surrounding it as well as some regions distal to the active site and stabilize them at complex state. Principal component analysis of atomic projections distinguish feasible trajectories to delineate distinct motions in enzyme-substrate to enzyme-intermediate states. Our results suggest mixed binding involving dominant induced fit and conformational selection. MD simulation extracted ensembles of NadE could potentially be utilized for in silico screening and structure based design of more effective Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazi Nasrin Sultana
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan 303007, India
| | - Jitendra Kuldeep
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226031, India
| | - Mohammad Imran Siddiqi
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226031, India
| | - Sandeep Kumar Srivastava
- Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Dehmi Kalan, Off Jaipur-Ajmer Expressway, Jaipur, Rajasthan 303007, India.
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28
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Are Scientific Models of Life Testable? A Lesson from Simpson’s Paradox. SCI 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/sci2030073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We address the need for a model by considering two competing theories regarding the origin of life: (i) the Metabolism First theory and (ii) the RNA World theory. We discuss two inter-related points. (I) Models are valuable tools in understanding both the processes and intricacies of the origin of life issues. (II) Insights from models also help us to evaluate the core objection to origin of life theories called “the inefficiency objection” commonly raised by proponents of both the Metabolism First theory and the RNA World theory against each other. We use Simpson’s paradox as a tool for challenging this objection. We will use models in various senses ranging from taking them as representations of reality to treating them as theories/accounts that provide heuristics for probing reality. In this paper, we will frequently use models and theories interchangeably. Additionally, we investigate Conway’s Game of Life and contrast it with our Simpson’s Paradox (SP)-based approach to emergence of life issues. Finally, we discuss some of the consequences of our view. A scientific model is testable in three senses: (i) a logical sense, (ii) a nomological sense, and (iii) a current technological sense. The SP-based model is testable in the logical sense. It is also testable nomologically. However, it is not currently feasible to test it.
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29
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Subtractive proteomics and systems biology analysis revealed novel drug targets in Mycoplasma genitalium strain G37. Microb Pathog 2020; 145:104231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Bitew MA, Wawegama NK, Newton HJ, Sansom FM. Meso-tartrate inhibits intracellular replication of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever. Pathog Dis 2020; 77:5679890. [PMID: 31845968 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The zoonotic disease Q fever caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii remains a global health threat due to its high infectivity, environmental stability, the debilitating nature and the long duration of treatment. Designing new and potent drugs that target previously unexplored pathways is essential to shorten treatment time and minimise antibiotic resistance. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is an essential and ubiquitous cofactor in all living organisms. NadB, an L-aspartate oxidase catalysing the first step of the prokaryotic-specific NAD de novo biosynthetic pathway, is required for C. burnetii growth and replication inside host cells. In this study, in vitro enzyme assays utilising recombinant glutathione S-transferase tagged NadB (GST-NadB) demonstrated inhibition of the L-aspartate oxidase activity of NadB by meso-tartrate. Furthermore, meso-tartrate inhibits intracellular growth and replication of C. burnetii inside host cells in a dose-dependent manner, and has no effect on the viability of mammalian cells. Unexpectedly, meso-tartrate also inhibited growth of C. burnetii in axenic medium, and further reduces replication of the nadB mutant inside host cells, suggesting it is acting more widely than simple inhibition of NadB. Overall, these results suggest that the antibacterial activity of meso-tartrate warrants further study, including investigation of its additional target(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mebratu A Bitew
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nadeeka K Wawegama
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hayley J Newton
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fiona M Sansom
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
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Multi-Stress Induction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis MbcTA Bactericidal Toxin-Antitoxin System. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12050329. [PMID: 32429486 PMCID: PMC7291234 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12050329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
MbcTA is a type II toxin/antitoxin (TA) system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The MbcT toxin triggers mycobacterial cell death in vitro and in vivo through the phosphorolysis of the essential metabolite NAD+ and its bactericidal activity is neutralized by physical interaction with its cognate antitoxin MbcA. Therefore, the MbcTA system appears as a promising target for the development of novel therapies against tuberculosis, through the identification of compounds able to antagonize or destabilize the MbcA antitoxin. Here, the expression of the mbcAT operon and its regulation were investigated. A dual fluorescent reporter system was developed, based on an integrative mycobacterial plasmid that encodes a constitutively expressed reporter, serving as an internal standard for monitoring mycobacterial gene expression, and an additional reporter, dependent on the promoter under investigation. This system was used both in M. tuberculosis and in the fast growing model species Mycobacterium smegmatis to: (i) assess the autoregulation of mbcAT; (ii) perform a genetic dissection of the mbcA promoter/operator region; and (iii) explore the regulation of mbcAT transcription from the mbcA promoter (PmbcA) in a variety of stress conditions, including in vivo in mice and in macrophages.
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Adduct Formation of Delamanid with NAD in Mycobacteria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2020; 64:AAC.01755-19. [PMID: 32152081 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01755-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Delamanid (DLM), a nitro-dihydroimidazooxazole derivative currently approved for pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) therapy, is a prodrug activated by mycobacterial 7,8-didemethyl-8-hydroxy 5-deazaflavin electron transfer coenzyme (F420)-dependent nitroreductase (Ddn). Despite inhibiting the biosynthesis of a subclass of mycolic acids, the active DLM metabolite remained unknown. Comparative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of DLM metabolites revealed covalent binding of reduced DLM with a nicotinamide ring of NAD derivatives (oxidized form) in DLM-treated Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. Bacille de Calmette et Guérin. Isoniazid-resistant mutations in the type II NADH dehydrogenase gene (ndh) showed a higher intracellular NADH/NAD ratio and cross-resistance to DLM, which were restored by complementation of the mutants with wild-type ndh Our data demonstrated for the first time the adduct formation of reduced DLM with NAD in mycobacterial cells and its importance in the action of DLM.
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Santos ARS, Gerhardt ECM, Parize E, Pedrosa FO, Steffens MBR, Chubatsu LS, Souza EM, Passaglia LMP, Sant'Anna FH, de Souza GA, Huergo LF, Forchhammer K. NAD + biosynthesis in bacteria is controlled by global carbon/nitrogen levels via PII signaling. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:6165-6176. [PMID: 32179648 PMCID: PMC7196632 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.012793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
NAD+ is a central metabolite participating in core metabolic redox reactions. The prokaryotic NAD synthetase enzyme NadE catalyzes the last step of NAD+ biosynthesis, converting nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NaAD) to NAD+. Some members of the NadE family use l-glutamine as a nitrogen donor and are named NadEGln. Previous gene neighborhood analysis has indicated that the bacterial nadE gene is frequently clustered with the gene encoding the regulatory signal transduction protein PII, suggesting a functional relationship between these proteins in response to the nutritional status and the carbon/nitrogen ratio of the bacterial cell. Here, using affinity chromatography, bioinformatics analyses, NAD synthetase activity, and biolayer interferometry assays, we show that PII and NadEGln physically interact in vitro, that this complex relieves NadEGln negative feedback inhibition by NAD+. This mechanism is conserved in distantly related bacteria. Of note, the PII protein allosteric effector and cellular nitrogen level indicator 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) inhibited the formation of the PII-NadEGln complex within a physiological range. These results indicate an interplay between the levels of ATP, ADP, 2-OG, PII-sensed glutamine, and NAD+, representing a metabolic hub that may balance the levels of core nitrogen and carbon metabolites. Our findings support the notion that PII proteins act as a dissociable regulatory subunit of NadEGln, thereby enabling the control of NAD+ biosynthesis according to the nutritional status of the bacterial cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Richard Schenberger Santos
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil; Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin der Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | | | - Erick Parize
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil
| | - Fabio Oliveira Pedrosa
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil
| | - Maria Berenice Reynaud Steffens
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil
| | - Leda Satie Chubatsu
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil
| | - Emanuel Maltempi Souza
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil
| | - Luciane Maria Pereira Passaglia
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, CEP:91501-970 CP 15053 Brazil
| | - Fernando Hayashi Sant'Anna
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, CEP:91501-970 CP 15053 Brazil
| | - Gustavo Antônio de Souza
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, CEP: 59072-970 Brazil
| | - Luciano Fernandes Huergo
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná, CEP: 81531-980 Brazil; Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin der Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Setor Litoral, UFPR, Matinhos, Paraná, CEP: 83260-000 Brazil.
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin der Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
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Cesur MF, Siraj B, Uddin R, Durmuş S, Çakır T. Network-Based Metabolism-Centered Screening of Potential Drug Targets in Klebsiella pneumoniae at Genome Scale. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 9:447. [PMID: 31993376 PMCID: PMC6970976 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen leading to life-threatening nosocomial infections. Emergence of highly resistant strains poses a major challenge in the management of the infections by healthcare-associated K. pneumoniae isolates. Thus, despite intensive efforts, the current treatment strategies remain insufficient to eradicate such infections. Failure of the conventional infection-prevention and treatment efforts explicitly indicates the requirement of new therapeutic approaches. This prompted us to systematically analyze the K. pneumoniae metabolism to investigate drug targets. Genome-scale metabolic networks (GMNs) facilitating the systematic analysis of the metabolism are promising platforms. Thus, we used a GMN of K. pneumoniae MGH 78578 to determine putative targets through gene- and metabolite-centric approaches. To develop more realistic infection models, we performed the bacterial growth simulations within different host-mimicking media, using an improved biomass formation reaction. We selected more suitable targets based on several property-based prioritization procedures. KdsA was identified as the high-ranked putative target satisfying most of the target prioritization criteria specified under the gene-centric approach. Through a structure-based virtual screening protocol, we identified potential KdsA inhibitors. In addition, the metabolite-centric approach extended the drug target list based on synthetic lethality. This revealed the importance of combined metabolic analyses for a better understanding of the metabolism. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive effort on the investigation of the K. pneumoniae metabolism for drug target prediction through the constraint-based analysis of its GMN in conjunction with several bioinformatic approaches. This study can guide the researchers for the future drug designs by providing initial findings regarding crucial components of the Klebsiella metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Müberra Fatma Cesur
- Computational Systems Biology Group, Department of Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Turkey
| | - Bushra Siraj
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Reaz Uddin
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Saliha Durmuş
- Computational Systems Biology Group, Department of Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Turkey
| | - Tunahan Çakır
- Computational Systems Biology Group, Department of Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Turkey
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Gao R, Wei W, Hassan BH, Li J, Deng J, Feng Y. A single regulator NrtR controls bacterial NAD + homeostasis via its acetylation. eLife 2019; 8:51603. [PMID: 31596237 PMCID: PMC6800001 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an indispensable cofactor in all domains of life, and its homeostasis must be regulated tightly. Here we report that a Nudix-related transcriptional factor, designated MsNrtR (MSMEG_3198), controls the de novo pathway of NAD+biosynthesis in M. smegmatis, a non-tuberculosis Mycobacterium. The integrated evidence in vitro and in vivo confirms that MsNrtR is an auto-repressor, which negatively controls the de novo NAD+biosynthetic pathway. Binding of MsNrtR cognate DNA is finely mapped, and can be disrupted by an ADP-ribose intermediate. Unexpectedly, we discover that the acetylation of MsNrtR at Lysine 134 participates in the homeostasis of intra-cellular NAD+ level in M. smegmatis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NrtR acetylation proceeds via the non-enzymatic acetyl-phosphate (AcP) route rather than by the enzymatic Pat/CobB pathway. In addition, the acetylation also occurs on the paralogs of NrtR in the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus and the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio, suggesting that these proteins have a common mechanism of post-translational modification in the context of NAD+ homeostasis. Together, these findings provide a first paradigm for the recruitment of acetylated NrtR to regulate bacterial central NAD+ metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongsui Gao
- Department of Pathogen Biology & Microbiology, and Department General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenhui Wei
- Department of Pathogen Biology & Microbiology, and Department General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Jun Li
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Synthesis of Zhejiang Province, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiaoyu Deng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Youjun Feng
- Department of Pathogen Biology & Microbiology, and Department General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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36
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Are Scientific Models of Life Testable? A Lesson from Simpson’s Paradox. SCI 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/sci1020054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We address the need for a model by considering two competing theories regarding the origin of life: (i) the Metabolism First theory and (ii) the RNA World theory. We discuss two inter-related points. (I) Models are valuable tools in understanding both the processes and intricacies of the origin of life issues. (II) Insights from models also help us to evaluate the core objection to origin of life theories called “the inefficiency objection” commonly raised by proponents of both the Metabolism First theory and the RNA World theory against each other. We use Simpson’s paradox as a tool for challenging this objection. We will use models in various senses ranging from taking them as representations of reality to treating them as theories/accounts that provide heuristics for probing reality. In this paper, we will frequently use models and theories interchangeably. Additionally, we investigate Conway’s Game of Life and contrast it with our Simpson’s Paradox (SP)-based approach to emergence of life issues. Finally, we discuss some of the consequences of our view. A scientific model is testable in three senses: (i) a logical sense, (ii) a nomological sense, and (iii) a current technological sense. The SP-based model is testable in the logical sense. It is also testable nomologically. However, it is not currently feasible to test it.
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37
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Kalia NP, Shi Lee B, Ab Rahman NB, Moraski GC, Miller MJ, Pethe K. Carbon metabolism modulates the efficacy of drugs targeting the cytochrome bc 1:aa 3 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8608. [PMID: 31197236 PMCID: PMC6565617 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44887-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of carbon metabolism on oxidative phosphorylation is poorly understood in mycobacteria. M. tuberculosis expresses two respiratory terminal oxidases, the cytochrome bc1:aa3 and the cytochrome bd oxidase, which are jointly required for oxidative phosphorylation and mycobacterial viability. The essentiality of the cytochrome bc1:aa3 for optimum growth is illustrated by its vulnerability to chemical inhibition by the clinical drug candidate Q203 and several other chemical series. The cytochrome bd oxidase is not strictly essential for growth but is required to maintain bioenergetics when the function of the cytochrome bc1:aa3 is compromised. In this study, we observed that the potency of drugs targeting the cytochrome bc1:aa3 is influenced by carbon metabolism. The efficacy of Q203 and related derivatives was alleviated by glycerol supplementation. The negative effect of glycerol supplementation on Q203 potency correlated with an upregulation of the cytochrome bd oxidase-encoding cydABDC operon. Upon deletion of cydAB, the detrimental effect of glycerol on the potency of Q203 was abrogated. The same phenomenon was also observed in recent clinical isolates, but to a lesser extent compared to the laboratory-adapted strain H37Rv. This study reinforces the importance of optimizing in vitro culture conditions for drug evaluation in mycobacteria, a factor which appeared to be particularly essential for drugs targeting the cytochrome bc1:aa3 terminal oxidase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin P Kalia
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Bei Shi Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Nurlilah B Ab Rahman
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Garrett C Moraski
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Marvin J Miller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Kevin Pethe
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 636921, Singapore. .,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore.
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Osterman AL, Rodionova I, Li X, Sergienko E, Ma CT, Catanzaro A, Pettigrove ME, Reed RW, Gupta R, Rohde KH, Korotkov KV, Sorci L. Novel Antimycobacterial Compounds Suppress NAD Biogenesis by Targeting a Unique Pocket of NaMN Adenylyltransferase. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:949-958. [PMID: 30969758 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Conventional treatments to combat the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic are falling short, thus encouraging the search for novel antitubercular drugs acting on unexplored molecular targets. Several whole-cell phenotypic screenings have delivered bioactive compounds with potent antitubercular activity. However, their cellular target and mechanism of action remain largely unknown. Further evaluation of these compounds may include their screening in search for known antitubercular drug targets hits. Here, a collection of nearly 1400 mycobactericidal compounds was screened against Mycobacterium tuberculosis NaMN adenylyltransferase ( MtNadD), a key enzyme in the biogenesis of NAD cofactor that was recently validated as a new drug target for dormant and active tuberculosis. We found three chemotypes that efficiently inhibit MtNadD in the low micromolar range in vitro. SAR and cheminformatics studies of commercially available analogues point to a series of benzimidazolium derivatives, here named N2, with bactericidal activity on different mycobacteria, including M. abscessus, multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis, and dormant M. smegmatis. The on-target activity was supported by the increased resistance of an M. smegmatis strain overexpressing the target and by a rapid decline in NAD(H) levels. A cocrystal structure of MtNadD with N2-8 inhibitor reveals that the binding of the inhibitor induced the formation of a new quaternary structure, a dimer-of-dimers where two copies of the inhibitor occupy symmetrical positions in the dimer interface, thus paving the way for the development of a new generation of selective MtNadD bioactive inhibitors. All these results strongly suggest that pharmacological inhibition of MtNadD is an effective strategy to combat dormant and resistant Mtb strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei L. Osterman
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Irina Rodionova
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Xiaoqing Li
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Eduard Sergienko
- NCI Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Chen-Ting Ma
- NCI Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Antonino Catanzaro
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Mark E. Pettigrove
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Robert W. Reed
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40508, United States
| | - Rashmi Gupta
- Division of Immunity and Pathogenesis, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32827, United States
| | - Kyle H. Rohde
- Division of Immunity and Pathogenesis, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32827, United States
| | - Konstantin V. Korotkov
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40508, United States
| | - Leonardo Sorci
- Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning, Division of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy
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Hassan S, Sudhakar V, Nancy Mary MB, Babu R, Doble M, Dadar M, Hanna LE. Computational approach identifies protein off-targets for Isoniazid-NAD adduct: hypothesizing a possible drug resistance mechanism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2019; 38:1697-1710. [PMID: 31094664 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1615987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Isoniazid is an important antitubercular molecule identified as a drug of choice in tuberculosis treatment. As such, INH is an inactive prodrug; it acquires an active conformation by forming an adduct with NAD. The adduct targets inhA protein, a reductase responsible for fatty acid chain elongation in the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Resistance to INH is majorly contributed by mutations in inhA, katG and geneic and non-geneic regions associated with efflux genes. Despite being widespread, the mechanism of resistance remains unknown in ∼15% of INH-resistant strains. Studies report that an intracellular increase in NADH concentration prevents inhA inhibition, leading to INH resistance. In the pursuit of finding possible resistance mechanisms, we set out to find NAD binding proteins to explore similarities in structure and NAD binding property of these proteins with that of inhA. We identified 172 NAD binding proteins, of which 53 were identified to have sequence or structural similarity to inhA. By performing docking analysis on selected proteins, we identified INH-adduct to have good binding affinity despite very minimal structural similarity to inhA. This analysis was further supported by principal component analysis, which identified 65 proteins with NAD binding conformation similar to that of inhA. These findings prompt us to hypothesize that upon exposure to INH, bacteria tries to reduce inhA susceptibility by inducing expression of these NAD binding proteins through increase in NADH concentration. This in turn favours off-target binding and leads to decreased binding and potency of INH, thus contributing indirectly to INH resistance.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameer Hassan
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of HIV, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Vaishnavi Sudhakar
- Department of HIV, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - M Benita Nancy Mary
- Department of HIV, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rajeshwari Babu
- Department of HIV, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mukesh Doble
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Maryam Dadar
- Education and Extension Organization, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Karaj, Iran
| | - Luke Elizabeth Hanna
- Department of HIV, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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40
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Freire DM, Gutierrez C, Garza-Garcia A, Grabowska AD, Sala AJ, Ariyachaokun K, Panikova T, Beckham KSH, Colom A, Pogenberg V, Cianci M, Tuukkanen A, Boudehen YM, Peixoto A, Botella L, Svergun DI, Schnappinger D, Schneider TR, Genevaux P, de Carvalho LPS, Wilmanns M, Parret AHA, Neyrolles O. An NAD + Phosphorylase Toxin Triggers Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Death. Mol Cell 2019; 73:1282-1291.e8. [PMID: 30792174 PMCID: PMC6436930 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems regulate fundamental cellular processes in bacteria and represent potential therapeutic targets. We report a new RES-Xre TA system in multiple human pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The toxin, MbcT, is bactericidal unless neutralized by its antitoxin MbcA. To investigate the mechanism, we solved the 1.8 Å-resolution crystal structure of the MbcTA complex. We found that MbcT resembles secreted NAD+-dependent bacterial exotoxins, such as diphtheria toxin. Indeed, MbcT catalyzes NAD+ degradation in vitro and in vivo. Unexpectedly, the reaction is stimulated by inorganic phosphate, and our data reveal that MbcT is a NAD+ phosphorylase. In the absence of MbcA, MbcT triggers rapid M. tuberculosis cell death, which reduces mycobacterial survival in macrophages and prolongs the survival of infected mice. Our study expands the molecular activities employed by bacterial TA modules and uncovers a new class of enzymes that could be exploited to treat tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Mendes Freire
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Claude Gutierrez
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Acely Garza-Garcia
- Mycobacterial Metabolism and Antibiotic Research Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Anna D Grabowska
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Ambre J Sala
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Kanchiyaphat Ariyachaokun
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Terezie Panikova
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katherine S H Beckham
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - André Colom
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Vivian Pogenberg
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michele Cianci
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anne Tuukkanen
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yves-Marie Boudehen
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Antonio Peixoto
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Laure Botella
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dmitri I Svergun
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dirk Schnappinger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Thomas R Schneider
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pierre Genevaux
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 118 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Luiz Pedro Sorio de Carvalho
- Mycobacterial Metabolism and Antibiotic Research Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Matthias Wilmanns
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany; University Hamburg Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Annabel H A Parret
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Olivier Neyrolles
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 205 route de Narbonne, 31400 Toulouse, France.
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41
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The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pup-proteasome system regulates nitrate metabolism through an essential protein quality control pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:3202-3210. [PMID: 30723150 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819468116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes a proteasome that carries out regulated degradation of bacterial proteins. It has been proposed that the proteasome contributes to nitrogen metabolism in M. tuberculosis, although this hypothesis had not been tested. Upon assessing M. tuberculosis growth in several nitrogen sources, we found that a mutant strain lacking the Mycobacterium proteasomal activator Mpa was unable to use nitrate as a sole nitrogen source due to a specific failure in the pathway of nitrate reduction to ammonium. We found that the robust activity of the nitrite reductase complex NirBD depended on expression of the groEL/groES chaperonin genes, which are regulated by the repressor HrcA. We identified HrcA as a likely proteasome substrate, and propose that the degradation of HrcA is required for the full expression of chaperonin genes. Furthermore, our data suggest that degradation of HrcA, along with numerous other proteasome substrates, is enhanced during growth in nitrate to facilitate the derepression of the chaperonin genes. Importantly, growth in nitrate is an example of a specific condition that reduces the steady-state levels of numerous proteasome substrates in M. tuberculosis.
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42
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Mandal H, Vijayakumar S, Yadav S, Kumar Singh S, Das P. Validation of NAD synthase inhibitors for inhibiting the cell viability of Leishmania donovani: In silico and in vitro approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2019; 37:4481-4493. [PMID: 30526395 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2018.1552199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) synthase catalyses the biochemical synthesis of NAD, from nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NAAD). NAD may be synthesized through the de novo pathways and/or the salvage pathways in cells. However, in Leishmania parasite, the synthesis of NAD solely depends on the salvage pathways. NAD synthetase is widely explored as a drug target in various microorganisms. In Bacillus anthracis, a group of sulphonamides 5599, 5617 and 5824 and complex amide 5833 were reported to have activity at micromolar range against NAD synthetase. Hence, in the present study, the same group of sulphonamides and complex amide were validated through in silico and in vitro studies for its efficiency towards Leishmania donovani NAD synthase. In silico study revealed the ligands 5824 and 5833 to have better docking score. Molecular dynamics simulation for a duration of 50 ns of all the ligand-protein complexes suggested that the complexes with the ligands 5824 and 5833 were stable and interacting. In vitro and ex vivo studies have shown that 5824 and 5833 inhibit the cell viability of the organism at a lower concentration than 5599 and 5617. Hence, with further in vivo validation, 5824 (or its synthetic analogues) and 5833 could be the choice that may work synergistically with other potential drugs in treating drug-resistant cases of leishmaniasis. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haraprasad Mandal
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) , Hajipur , Bihar , India.,Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences , Patna , Bihar , India
| | - Saravanan Vijayakumar
- Bioinformatics Centre , ICMR, Bioinformatics Centre, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences , Patna , Bihar , India
| | - Shalini Yadav
- Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences , Patna , Bihar , India
| | - Shubhankar Kumar Singh
- Department of Microbiology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences , Patna , Bihar , India
| | - Pradeep Das
- Division of Molecular Biology, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Indian Council of Medical Research , Patna , Bihar , India
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43
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Bhat SA, Iqbal IK, Kumar A. Quantification of the Metabolic Heterogeneity in Mycobacterial Cells Through the Measurement of the NADH/NAD+ Ratio Using a Genetically Encoded Sensor. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1745:261-275. [PMID: 29476473 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7680-5_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
NADH/NAD+ levels are an indicator of the bacterial metabolic state. NAD(H) levels are maintained through coordination of pathways involved in NAD(H) synthesis and its catabolic utilization. Conventional methods of estimating NADH/NAD+ require cell disruption and suffer from low specificity and sensitivity and are inadequate in providing spatiotemporal resolution. Recently, genetically encoded biosensors of the NADH/NAD+ ratio have been developed. One of these sensors, Peredox-mCherry, was adapted for the measurement of cellular levels of NADH/NAD+ in the slow-growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and the fast-growing Mycobacterium smegmatis. Importantly, the use of the engineered reporter strains of Mtb demonstrated a significantly higher heterogeneity among the bacteria residing in macrophages compared to the bacteria grown in synthetic media. Previous estimations of NADH/NAD+ levels have missed this important aspect of the biology of Mtb, which may contribute to the variable response of intracellular Mtb to different antimycobacterial agents. In this chapter, we describe the details of a method used in the generation of reporter strains for the measurement of the NADH/NAD+ ratio in mycobacteria. Importantly, once the reporter strains are created, they can be exploited with fluorescence spectroscopy, FACS, and confocal microscopy to access the dynamic changes in the NADH/NAD+ levels in intact individual bacterial cells. Although we have only described the method for the creation of reporter strains capable of measuring NADH/NAD+ in mycobacteria in this chapter, a similar method can be used for generating reporter strains for other bacterial species, as well. We believe that such reporter stains can be used in novel screens for small molecules that could alter the metabolism of bacterial cells and thus aid in the development of new class of therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabir Ahmad Bhat
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Iram Khan Iqbal
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India.
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44
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Bitew MA, Khoo CA, Neha N, De Souza DP, Tull D, Wawegama NK, Newton HJ, Sansom FM. De novo NAD synthesis is required for intracellular replication of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of the neglected zoonotic disease Q fever. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:18636-18645. [PMID: 30315113 PMCID: PMC6290155 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular Gram-negative bacterium responsible for the important zoonotic disease Q fever. Improved genetic tools and the ability to grow this bacterium in host cell-free media has advanced the study of C. burnetii pathogenesis, but the mechanisms that allow it to survive inside the hostile phagolysosome remain incompletely understood. Previous screening of a transposon mutant library for replication within HeLa cells has suggested that nadB, encoding a putative l-aspartate oxidase required for de novo NAD synthesis, is needed for intracellular replication. Here, using genetic complementation of two independent nadB mutants and intracellular replication assays, we confirmed this finding. Untargeted metabolite analyses demonstrated key changes in metabolites in the NAD biosynthetic pathway in the nadB mutant compared with the WT, confirming the involvement of NadB in de novo NAD synthesis. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the presence of a functionally conserved arginine residue at position 275. Using site-directed mutagenesis to substitute this residue with leucine, which abolishes the activity of Escherichia coli NadB, and expression of WT and R275L GST-NadB fusion proteins in E. coli JM109, we found that purified recombinant WT GST-NadB has l-aspartate oxidase activity and that the R275L NadB variant is inactive. Complementation of the C. burnetii nadB mutant with a plasmid expressing this inactive R275L NadB failed to restore replication to WT levels, confirming the link between de novo NAD synthesis and intracellular replication of C. burnetii This suggests that targeting this prokaryotic-specific pathway could advance the development of therapeutics to combat C. burnetii infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mebratu A Bitew
- From the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School and
| | - Chen Ai Khoo
- the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Australia
| | - Nitika Neha
- From the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School and
- Metabolomics Australia, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia and
| | - David P De Souza
- Metabolomics Australia, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia and
| | - Dedreia Tull
- Metabolomics Australia, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia and
| | - Nadeeka K Wawegama
- From the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School and
| | - Hayley J Newton
- the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Australia
| | - Fiona M Sansom
- From the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School and
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45
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Hussein M, Han ML, Zhu Y, Schneider-Futschik EK, Hu X, Zhou QT, Lin YW, Anderson D, Creek DJ, Hoyer D, Li J, Velkov T. Mechanistic Insights From Global Metabolomics Studies into Synergistic Bactericidal Effect of a Polymyxin B Combination With Tamoxifen Against Cystic Fibrosis MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2018; 16:587-599. [PMID: 30546859 PMCID: PMC6280556 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Polymyxins are amongst the most important antibiotics in modern medicine, in recent times their clinical utility has been overshadowed by nosocomial outbreaks of polymyxin resistant MDR Gram-negative 'superbugs'. An effective strategy to surmount polymyxin resistance is combination therapy with FDA-approved non-antibiotic drugs. Herein we used untargeted metabolomics to investigate the mechanism(s) of synergy between polymyxin B and the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) tamoxifen against a polymyxin-resistant MDR cystic fibrosis (CF) Pseudomonas aeruginosa FADDI-PA006 isolate (polymyxin B MIC=8 mg/L , it is an MDR polymyxin resistant P. aeruginosa isolated from the lungs of a CF patient). The metabolome of FADDI-PA006 was profiled at 15 min, 1 and 4 h following treatment with polymyxin B (2 mg/L), tamoxifen (8 mg/L) either as monotherapy or in combination. At 15 min, the combination treatment induced a marked decrease in lipids, primarily fatty acid and glycerophospholipid metabolites that are involved in the biosynthesis of bacterial membranes. In line with the polymyxin-resistant status of this strain, at 1 h, both polymyxin B and tamoxifen monotherapies produced little effect on bacterial metabolism. In contrast to the combination which induced extensive reduction (≥ 1.0-log2-fold, p ≤ 0.05; FDR ≤ 0.05) in the levels of essential intermediates involved in cell envelope biosynthesis. Overall, these novel findings demonstrate that the primary mechanisms underlying the synergistic bactericidal effect of the combination against the polymyxin-resistant P. aeruginosa CF isolate FADDI-PA006 involves a disruption of the cell envelope biogenesis and an inhibition of aminoarabinose LPS modifications that confer polymyxin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maytham Hussein
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mei-Ling Han
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Yan Zhu
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Elena K. Schneider-Futschik
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
| | - Xiaohan Hu
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
| | - Qi Tony Zhou
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Yu-Wei Lin
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Dovile Anderson
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Darren J. Creek
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Daniel Hoyer
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla 92037, CA, USA
| | - Jian Li
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tony Velkov
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
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46
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Abstract
Coevolution of pathogens and host has led to many metabolic strategies employed by intracellular pathogens to deal with the immune response and the scarcity of food during infection. Simply put, bacterial pathogens are just looking for food. As a consequence, the host has developed strategies to limit nutrients for the bacterium by containment of the intruder in a pathogen-containing vacuole and/or by actively depleting nutrients from the intracellular space, a process called nutritional immunity. Since metabolism is a prerequisite for virulence, such pathways could potentially be good targets for antimicrobial therapies. In this chapter, we review the current knowledge about the in vivo diet of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with a focus on amino acid and cofactors, discuss evidence for the bacilli's nutritionally independent lifestyle in the host, and evaluate strategies for new chemotherapeutic interventions.
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47
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Gupta VK, Kumar MM, Singh D, Bisht D, Sharma S. Drug targets in dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis: can the conquest against tuberculosis become a reality? Infect Dis (Lond) 2017; 50:81-94. [DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2017.1377346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Kumar Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
| | - M. Madhan Kumar
- Department of Immunology, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
| | - Dharmendra Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
| | - Deepa Bisht
- Department of Biochemistry, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
| | - Shweta Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases (ICMR), Agra, India
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48
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Enany S, Yoshida Y, Tateishi Y, Ozeki Y, Nishiyama A, Savitskaya A, Yamaguchi T, Ohara Y, Yamamoto T, Ato M, Matsumoto S. Mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 is critical for long term survival of Mycobacterium smegmatis and simultaneously coordinates cellular functions. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6810. [PMID: 28754952 PMCID: PMC5533761 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06480-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria can proliferate perpetually without ageing, but they also face conditions where they must persist. Mycobacteria can survive for a long period. This state appears during mycobacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy, which are chronic and develop after long-term persistent infections. However, the fundamental mechanisms of the long-term living of mycobacteria are unknown. Every Mycobacterium species expresses Mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP1), a histone-like nucleoid associated protein. Mycobacterium smegmatis is a saprophytic fast grower and used as a model of mycobacterial persistence, since it shares the characteristics of the long-term survival observed in pathogenic mycobacteria. Here we show that MDP1-deficient M. smegmatis dies more rapidly than the parental strain after entering stationary phase. Proteomic analyses revealed 21 upregulated proteins with more than 3-fold in MDP1-deficient strain, including DnaA, a replication initiator, NDH, a NADH dehydrogenase that catalyzes downhill electron transfer, Fas1, a critical fatty acid synthase, and antioxidants such as AhpC and KatG. Biochemical analyses showed elevated levels of DNA and ATP syntheses, a decreased NADH/NAD+ ratio, and a loss of resistance to oxidative stress in the MDP1-knockout strain. This study suggests the importance of MDP1-dependent simultaneous control of the cellular functions in the long-term survival of mycobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shymaa Enany
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, 41522, Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Yutaka Yoshida
- Department of Structural Pathology, Kidney Research Center, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Tateishi
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan
| | - Yuriko Ozeki
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan
| | - Akihito Nishiyama
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan.
| | - Anna Savitskaya
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan
| | - Takehiro Yamaguchi
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan
| | - Yukiko Ohara
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan
| | - Tadashi Yamamoto
- Biofluid Biomarker Center, Institute of Social innovation and Co-operation, Niigata University, 8050 Ikarashi 2-no-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan
| | - Manabu Ato
- Department of Immunology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan
| | - Sohkichi Matsumoto
- Department of Bacteriology, Niigata University School of Medicine, 1-757, Asahimachi-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-9510, Japan.
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49
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Abstract
This paper reports on the various nuances of the origins of life on Earth and highlights the latest findings in that arena as reported at the Network of Researchers on Horizontal Gene Transfer and the Last Universal Common Ancestor (NoR HGT and LUCA) which was held from the 3–4th November 2016 at the Open University, UK. Although the answers to the question of the origin of life on Earth will not be fathomable anytime soon, a wide variety of subject matter was able to be covered, ranging from examining what constitutes a LUCA, looking at viral connections and “from RNA to DNA”, i.e., could DNA have been formed simultaneously with RNA, rather than RNA first and then describing the emergence of DNA from RNA. Also discussed are proteins and the origins of genomes as well as various ideas that purport to explain the origin of life here on Earth and potentially further afield elsewhere on other planets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohan Jheeta
- Network of Researchers on Horizontal Gene Transfer and the Last Universal Common Ancestor (NoR HGT & LUCA), Leeds LS7 3RB, UK.
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50
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Eme L, Gentekaki E, Curtis B, Archibald JM, Roger AJ. Lateral Gene Transfer in the Adaptation of the Anaerobic Parasite Blastocystis to the Gut. Curr Biol 2017; 27:807-820. [PMID: 28262486 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Blastocystis spp. are the most prevalent eukaryotic microbes found in the intestinal tract of humans. Here we present an in-depth investigation of lateral gene transfer (LGT) in the genome of Blastocystis sp. subtype 1. Using rigorous phylogeny-based methods and strict validation criteria, we show that ∼2.5% of the genes of this organism were recently acquired by LGT. We identify LGTs both from prokaryote and eukaryote donors. Several transfers occurred specifically in ancestors of a subset of Blastocystis subtypes, demonstrating that LGT is an ongoing process. Functional predictions reveal that these genes are involved in diverse metabolic pathways, many of which appear related to adaptation of Blastocystis to the gut environment. Specifically, we identify genes involved in carbohydrate scavenging and metabolism, anaerobic amino acid and nitrogen metabolism, oxygen-stress resistance, and pH homeostasis. A number of the transferred genes encoded secreted proteins that are potentially involved in infection, escaping host defense, or most likely affect the prokaryotic microbiome and the inflammation state of the gut. We also show that Blastocystis subtypes differ in the nature and copy number of LGTs that could relate to variation in their prevalence and virulence. Finally, we identified bacterial-derived genes encoding NH3-dependent nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) synthase in Blastocystis and other protozoan parasites, which are promising targets for drug development. Collectively, our results suggest new avenues for research into the role of Blastocystis in intestinal disease and unequivocally demonstrate that LGT is an important mechanism by which eukaryotic microbes adapt to new environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Eme
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Eleni Gentekaki
- School of Science and Human Gut Microbiome for Health Research Unit, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
| | - Bruce Curtis
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - John M Archibald
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Program in Integrated Microbial Biodiversity, 180 Dundas Street W., Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8, Canada
| | - Andrew J Roger
- Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Program in Integrated Microbial Biodiversity, 180 Dundas Street W., Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8, Canada.
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