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Ofori-Anyinam B, Riley AJ, Jobarteh T, Gitteh E, Sarr B, Faal-Jawara TI, Rigouts L, Senghore M, Kehinde A, Onyejepu N, Antonio M, de Jong BC, Gehre F, Meehan CJ. Comparative genomics shows differences in the electron transport and carbon metabolic pathways of Mycobacterium africanum relative to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and suggests an adaptation to low oxygen tension. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2020; 120:101899. [PMID: 32090860 PMCID: PMC7049902 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2020.101899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The geographically restricted Mycobacterium africanum lineages (MAF) are primarily found in West Africa, where they account for a significant proportion of tuberculosis. Despite this phenomenon, little is known about the co-evolution of these ancient lineages with West Africans. MAF and M. tuberculosis sensu stricto lineages (MTB) differ in their clinical, in vitro and in vivo characteristics for reasons not fully understood. Therefore, we compared genomes of 289 MAF and 205 MTB clinical isolates from the 6 main human-adapted M. tuberculosis complex lineages, for mutations in their Electron Transport Chain and Central Carbon Metabolic pathway in order to explain these metabolic differences. Furthermore, we determined, in silico, whether each mutation could affect the function of genes encoding enzymes in these pathways. We found more mutations with the potential to affect enzymes in these pathways in MAF lineages compared to MTB lineages. We also found that similar mutations occurred in these pathways between MAF and some MTB lineages. Generally, our findings show further differences between MAF and MTB lineages that may have contributed to the MAF clinical and growth phenotype and indicate potential adaptation of MAF lineages to a distinct ecological niche, which we suggest includes areas characterized by low oxygen tension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boatema Ofori-Anyinam
- Mycobacteriology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia; Center for Global Health Security and Diplomacy, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Abi Janet Riley
- Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Tijan Jobarteh
- Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Ensa Gitteh
- Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Binta Sarr
- Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia
| | | | - Leen Rigouts
- Mycobacteriology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Madikay Senghore
- Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Aderemi Kehinde
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria; Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Nneka Onyejepu
- Center for Tuberculosis Research, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Martin Antonio
- Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia; Division of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Bouke C de Jong
- Mycobacteriology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Florian Gehre
- Mycobacteriology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Vaccines and Immunity Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Banjul, Gambia; Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Conor J Meehan
- Mycobacteriology Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; School of Chemistry and Biosciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom.
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Domínguez Á, Muñoz E, López MC, Cordero M, Martínez JP, Viñas M. Transcriptomics as a tool to discover new antibacterial targets. Biotechnol Lett 2017; 39:819-828. [PMID: 28289911 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-017-2319-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, multiple drug-resistance, and extremely drug-resistant strains demonstrates the need for improved strategies to discover new drug-based compounds. The development of transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics has provided new tools for global studies of living organisms. However, the compendium of expression profiles produced by these methods has introduced new scientific challenges into antimicrobial research. In this review, we discuss the practical value of transcriptomic techniques as well as their difficulties and pitfalls. We advocate the construction of new databases of transcriptomic data, using standardized formats in addition to standardized models of bacterial and yeast similar to those used in systems biology. The inclusion of proteomic and metabolomic data is also essential, as the resulting networks can provide a landscape to rationally predict and exploit new drug targets and to understand drug synergies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Domínguez
- Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de los Drs. de la Reina s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Elisa Muñoz
- Department of Cell Biology & Pathology, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - M Carmen López
- Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de los Drs. de la Reina s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Miguel Cordero
- Department of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - José Pedro Martínez
- Department of Microbiology & Ecology, Universitat de Valencia/Estudi General (UVEG), Valencia, Spain
| | - Miguel Viñas
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Takiff HE, Feo O. Clinical value of whole-genome sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2015; 15:1077-1090. [PMID: 26277037 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(15)00071-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is now common as a result of new technologies that can rapidly sequence a complete bacterial genome for US$500 or less. Many studies have addressed questions about tuberculosis with WGS, and knowing the sequence of the entire genome, rather than only a few fragments, has greatly increased the precision of molecular epidemiology and contact tracing. Additionally, topics such as the mutation rate, drug resistance, the target of new drugs, and the phylogeny and evolution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria have been elucidated by WGS. Nonetheless, WGS has not explained differences in transmissibility between strains, or why some strains are more virulent than others or more prone to development of multidrug resistance. With advances in technology, WGS of clinical specimens could become routine in high-income countries; however, its relevance will probably depend on easy to use software to efficiently process the sequences produced and accessible genomic databases that can be mined in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard E Takiff
- Laboratorio de Genética Molecular, CMBC, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela; Unité de Génétique Mycobactérienne, Insitut Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Oscar Feo
- Laboratorio de Genética Molecular, CMBC, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
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Chan WT, Balsa D, Espinosa M. One cannot rule them all: Are bacterial toxins-antitoxins druggable? FEMS Microbiol Rev 2015; 39:522-40. [PMID: 25796610 PMCID: PMC4487406 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuv002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Type II (proteic) toxin–antitoxin (TA) operons are widely spread in bacteria and archaea. They are organized as operons in which, usually, the antitoxin gene precedes the cognate toxin gene. The antitoxin generally acts as a transcriptional self-repressor, whereas the toxin acts as a co-repressor, both proteins constituting a harmless complex. When bacteria encounter a stressful environment, TAs are triggered. The antitoxin protein is unstable and will be degraded by host proteases, releasing the free toxin to halt essential processes. The result is a cessation of cell growth or even death. Because of their ubiquity and the essential processes targeted, TAs have been proposed as good candidates for development of novel antimicrobials. We discuss here the possible druggability of TAs as antivirals and antibacterials, with focus on the potentials and the challenges that their use may find in the ‘real’ world. We present strategies to develop TAs as antibacterials in view of novel technologies, such as the use of very small molecules (fragments) as inhibitors of protein–protein interactions. Appropriate fragments could disrupt the T:A interfaces leading to the release of the targeted TA pair. Possible ways of delivery and formulation of Tas are also discussed. We consider various approaches to develop the toxins of the type II family as possible candidates to drug discovery; druggability of toxins-antitoxins could be possible as antivirals. As antibacterials, they might be considered as druggable but delivery and formulation may not be simple so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Ting Chan
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28006-Madrid, Spain
| | - Dolors Balsa
- Immunology & Vaccines, Laboratorios LETI, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 184. 08034-Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Espinosa
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28006-Madrid, Spain
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