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Zorigt T, Furuta Y, Paudel A, Kamboyi HK, Shawa M, Chuluun M, Sugawara M, Enkhtsetseg N, Enkhtuya J, Battsetseg B, Munyeme M, Hang'ombe BM, Higashi H. Pan-genome analysis reveals novel chromosomal markers for multiplex PCR-based specific detection of Bacillus anthracis. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:942. [PMID: 39251928 PMCID: PMC11385494 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09817-9] [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: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacillus anthracis is a highly pathogenic bacterium that can cause lethal infection in animals and humans, making it a significant concern as a pathogen and biological agent. Consequently, accurate diagnosis of B. anthracis is critically important for public health. However, the identification of specific marker genes encoded in the B. anthracis chromosome is challenging due to the genetic similarity it shares with B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. METHODS The complete genomes of B. anthracis, B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, and B. weihenstephanensis were de novo annotated with Prokka, and these annotations were used by Roary to produce the pan-genome. B. anthracis exclusive genes were identified by Perl script, and their specificity was examined by nucleotide BLAST search. A local BLAST alignment was performed to confirm the presence of the identified genes across various B. anthracis strains. Multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were established based on the identified genes. RESULT The distribution of genes among 151 whole-genome sequences exhibited three distinct major patterns, depending on the bacterial species and strains. Further comparative analysis between the three groups uncovered thirty chromosome-encoded genes exclusively present in B. anthracis strains. Of these, twenty were found in known lambda prophage regions, and ten were in previously undefined region of the chromosome. We established three distinct multiplex PCRs for the specific detection of B. anthracis by utilizing three of the identified genes, BA1698, BA5354, and BA5361. CONCLUSION The study identified thirty chromosome-encoded genes specific to B. anthracis, encompassing previously described genes in known lambda prophage regions and nine newly discovered genes from an undefined gene region to the best of our knowledge. Three multiplex PCR assays offer an accurate and reliable alternative method for detecting B. anthracis. Furthermore, these genetic markers have value in anthrax vaccine development, and understanding the pathogenicity of B. anthracis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuvshinzaya Zorigt
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
| | - Yoshikazu Furuta
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Atmika Paudel
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- GenEndeavor LLC, 26219 Eden Landing Rd, Hayward, CA, USA
| | - Harvey Kakoma Kamboyi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Misheck Shawa
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Mungunsar Chuluun
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Misa Sugawara
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Nyamdorj Enkhtsetseg
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Jargalsaikhan Enkhtuya
- Laboratory of Food Safety and Hygiene, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Badgar Battsetseg
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Musso Munyeme
- Public Health Unit, Disease Control Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Bernard M Hang'ombe
- Microbiology Unit, Paraclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Hideaki Higashi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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Zhu J, Tao P, Chopra AK, Rao VB. Bacteriophage T4 as a Protein-Based, Adjuvant- and Needle-Free, Mucosal Pandemic Vaccine Design Platform. Annu Rev Virol 2024; 11:395-420. [PMID: 38768614 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-111821-111145] [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: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed vaccinology. Rapid deployment of mRNA vaccines has saved countless lives. However, these platforms have inherent limitations including lack of durability of immune responses and mucosal immunity, high cost, and thermal instability. These and uncertainties about the nature of future pandemics underscore the need for exploring next-generation vaccine platforms. Here, we present a novel protein-based, bacteriophage T4 platform for rapid design of efficacious vaccines against bacterial and viral pathogens. Full-length antigens can be displayed at high density on a 120 × 86 nm phage capsid through nonessential capsid binding proteins Soc and Hoc. Such nanoparticles, without any adjuvant, induce robust humoral, cellular, and mucosal responses when administered intranasally and confer sterilizing immunity. Combined with structural stability and ease of manufacture, T4 phage provides an excellent needle-free, mucosal pandemic vaccine platform and allows equitable vaccine access to low- and middle-income communities across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingen Zhu
- Bacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA; ,
| | - Pan Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ashok K Chopra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, and Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Venigalla B Rao
- Bacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA; ,
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Pi H, Carlin SM, Beavers WN, Hillebrand GH, Krystofiak ES, Stauff DL, Skaar EP. FapR regulates HssRS-mediated heme homeostasis in Bacillus anthracis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.08.602573. [PMID: 39026866 PMCID: PMC11257595 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.08.602573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis, a Gram-positive facultative anaerobe and the causative agent of anthrax, multiplies to extraordinarily high numbers in vertebrate blood, resulting in considerable heme exposure. Heme is an essential nutrient and the preferred iron source for bacteria during vertebrate colonization, but its high redox potential makes it toxic in excess. To regulate heme homeostasis, many Gram-positive bacteria, including B. anthracis, rely on the two-component signaling system HssRS. HssRS comprises the heme sensing histidine kinase HssS, which modulates the activity of the HssR transcription factor to enable bacteria to circumvent heme toxicity. However, the regulation of the HssRS system remains unclear. Here we identify FapR, the transcriptional regulator of fatty acid biosynthesis, as a key factor in HssRS function. FapR plays an important role in maintaining membrane integrity and the localization of the histidine kinase HssS. Specifically, disruption of fapR leads to increased membrane rigidity, which hinders the penetration of HssRS inducers, resulting in the inactivation of HssRS. Furthermore, deletion of fapR affects the loading of HssS onto the cell membrane, compromising its heme sensing function and subsequently reducing endogenous heme biosynthesis. These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms governing bacterial adaptation to heme stress and provide potential targets for antimicrobial intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hualiang Pi
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Current address: Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Sophia M. Carlin
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - William N. Beavers
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | | | - Evan S. Krystofiak
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | | | - Eric P. Skaar
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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De Greve H, Fioravanti A. Single domain antibodies from camelids in the treatment of microbial infections. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1334829. [PMID: 38827746 PMCID: PMC11140111 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1334829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases continue to pose significant global health challenges. In addition to the enduring burdens of ailments like malaria and HIV, the emergence of nosocomial outbreaks driven by antibiotic-resistant pathogens underscores the ongoing threats. Furthermore, recent infectious disease crises, exemplified by the Ebola and SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks, have intensified the pursuit of more effective and efficient diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. Among the promising options, antibodies have garnered significant attention due to their favorable structural characteristics and versatile applications. Notably, nanobodies (Nbs), the smallest functional single-domain antibodies of heavy-chain only antibodies produced by camelids, exhibit remarkable capabilities in stable antigen binding. They offer unique advantages such as ease of expression and modification and enhanced stability, as well as improved hydrophilicity compared to conventional antibody fragments (antigen-binding fragments (Fab) or single-chain variable fragments (scFv)) that can aggregate due to their low solubility. Nanobodies directly target antigen epitopes or can be engineered into multivalent Nbs and Nb-fusion proteins, expanding their therapeutic potential. This review is dedicated to charting the progress in Nb research, particularly those derived from camelids, and highlighting their diverse applications in treating infectious diseases, spanning both human and animal contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henri De Greve
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Antonella Fioravanti
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Fondazione ParSeC – Parco delle Scienze e della Cultura, Prato, Italy
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Ye X, Li J, Gao D, Ma P, Wu Q, Song D. A Dual-Mode Fluorescent Nanoprobe for the Detection and Visual Screening of Pathogenic Bacterial Spores. Anal Chem 2024; 96:6012-6020. [PMID: 38564412 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial vegetative cells turn into metabolically dormant spores in certain environmental situations. Once suitable conditions trigger the germination of spores belonging to the pathogenic bacterial category, public safety and environmental hygiene will be threatened, and lives will even be endangered when encountering fatal ones. Instant identification of pathogenic bacterial spores remains a challenging task, since most current approaches belonging to complicated biological methods unsuitable for onsite sensing or emerging alternative chemical techniques are still inseparable from professional instruments. Here we developed a polychromatic fluorescent nanoprobe for ratiometric detection and visual inspection of the pathogenic bacterial spore biomarker, dipicolinic acid (DPA), realizing rapidly accurate screening of pathogenic bacterial spores such as Bacillus anthracis spores. The nanoprobe is made of aminoclay-coated silicon nanoparticles and functionalized with europium ions, exhibiting selective and sensitive response toward DPA and Bacillus subtilis spores (simulants for Bacillus anthracis spores) with excellent linearity. The proposed sensing strategy allowing spore determination of as few as 0.3 × 105 CFU/mL within 10 s was further applied to real environmental sample detection with good accuracy and reliability. Visual quantitative determination can be achieved by analyzing the RGB values of the corresponding test solution color via a color recognition APP on a smartphone. Different test samples can be photographed at the same time, hence the efficient accomplishment of examining bulk samples within minutes. Potentially employed in various on-site sensing occasions, this strategy may develop into a powerful means for distinguishing hazardous pathogens to facilitate timely and proper actions of dealing with multifarious security issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiwen Ye
- Jilin Province Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Spectral Analytical Instruments, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Jingkang Li
- Jilin Province Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Spectral Analytical Instruments, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Dejiang Gao
- Jilin Province Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Spectral Analytical Instruments, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Pinyi Ma
- Jilin Province Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Spectral Analytical Instruments, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, Nanomedicine and Translational Research Center, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130030, China
| | - Daqian Song
- Jilin Province Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Spectral Analytical Instruments, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun 130012, China
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Lin GL, Chang HH, Lin WT, Liou YS, Lai YL, Hsieh MH, Chen PK, Liao CY, Tsai CC, Wang TF, Chu SC, Kau JH, Huang HH, Hsu HL, Sun DS. Dachshund Homolog 1: Unveiling Its Potential Role in Megakaryopoiesis and Bacillus anthracis Lethal Toxin-Induced Thrombocytopenia. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3102. [PMID: 38542074 PMCID: PMC10970148 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25063102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Lethal toxin (LT) is the critical virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. One common symptom observed in patients with anthrax is thrombocytopenia, which has also been observed in mice injected with LT. Our previous study demonstrated that LT induces thrombocytopenia by suppressing megakaryopoiesis, but the precise molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain unknown. In this study, we utilized 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced megakaryocytic differentiation in human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells to identify genes involved in LT-induced megakaryocytic suppression. Through cDNA microarray analysis, we identified Dachshund homolog 1 (DACH1) as a gene that was upregulated upon TPA treatment but downregulated in the presence of TPA and LT, purified from the culture supernatants of B. anthracis. To investigate the function of DACH1 in megakaryocytic differentiation, we employed short hairpin RNA technology to knock down DACH1 expression in HEL cells and assessed its effect on differentiation. Our data revealed that the knockdown of DACH1 expression suppressed megakaryocytic differentiation, particularly in polyploidization. We demonstrated that one mechanism by which B. anthracis LT induces suppression of polyploidization in HEL cells is through the cleavage of MEK1/2. This cleavage results in the downregulation of the ERK signaling pathway, thereby suppressing DACH1 gene expression and inhibiting polyploidization. Additionally, we found that known megakaryopoiesis-related genes, such as FOSB, ZFP36L1, RUNX1, FLI1, AHR, and GFI1B genes may be positively regulated by DACH1. Furthermore, we observed an upregulation of DACH1 during in vitro differentiation of CD34-megakaryocytes and downregulation of DACH1 in patients with thrombocytopenia. In summary, our findings shed light on one of the molecular mechanisms behind LT-induced thrombocytopenia and unveil a previously unknown role for DACH1 in megakaryopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Ling Lin
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (G.-L.L.); (H.-H.C.); (P.-K.C.)
- Integration Center of Traditional Chinese and Modern Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
| | - Hsin-Hou Chang
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (G.-L.L.); (H.-H.C.); (P.-K.C.)
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
| | - Wei-Ting Lin
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
| | - Yu-Shan Liou
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
| | - Yi-Ling Lai
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
| | - Min-Hua Hsieh
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
| | - Po-Kong Chen
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (G.-L.L.); (H.-H.C.); (P.-K.C.)
| | - Chi-Yuan Liao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mennonite Christian Hospital, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (C.-Y.L.); (C.-C.T.)
| | - Chi-Chih Tsai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mennonite Christian Hospital, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (C.-Y.L.); (C.-C.T.)
| | - Tso-Fu Wang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (T.-F.W.); (S.-C.C.)
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Stem Cells Center, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Sung-Chao Chu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (T.-F.W.); (S.-C.C.)
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
- Buddhist Tzu Chi Stem Cells Center, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Jyh-Hwa Kau
- Institute of Preventive Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (J.-H.K.); (H.-H.H.); (H.-L.H.)
| | - Hsin-Hsien Huang
- Institute of Preventive Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (J.-H.K.); (H.-H.H.); (H.-L.H.)
| | - Hui-Ling Hsu
- Institute of Preventive Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (J.-H.K.); (H.-H.H.); (H.-L.H.)
| | - Der-Shan Sun
- Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (G.-L.L.); (H.-H.C.); (P.-K.C.)
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan; (W.-T.L.); (Y.-S.L.); (Y.-L.L.); (M.-H.H.)
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Gao X, Teng T, Liu Y, Ai T, Zhao R, Fu Y, Zhang P, Han J, Zhang Y. Anthrax lethal toxin and tumor necrosis factor-α synergize on intestinal epithelia to induce mouse death. Protein Cell 2024; 15:135-148. [PMID: 37855658 PMCID: PMC10833652 DOI: 10.1093/procel/pwad050] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (LT) is a determinant of lethal anthrax. Its function in myeloid cells is required for bacterial dissemination, and LT itself can directly trigger dysfunction of the cardiovascular system. The interplay between LT and the host responses is important in the pathogenesis, but our knowledge on this interplay remains limited. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine induced by bacterial infections. Since LT accumulates and cytokines, predominantly TNF, amass during B. anthracis infection, co-treatment of TNF + LT in mice was used to mimic in vivo conditions for LT to function in inflamed hosts. Bone marrow transplantation and genetically engineered mice showed unexpectedly that the death of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) rather than that of hematopoietic cells led to LT + TNF-induced lethality. Inhibition of p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling by LT in IECs promoted TNF-induced apoptosis and necroptosis of IECs, leading to intestinal damage and mouse death. Consistently, p38α inhibition by LT enhanced TNF-mediated cell death in human colon epithelial HT-29 cells. As intestinal damage is one of the leading causes of lethality in anthrax patients, the IEC damage caused by LT + TNF would most likely be a mechanism underneath this clinical manifestation and could be a target for interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhe Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Teng Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yifei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Tingting Ai
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Rui Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yilong Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Peipei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jiahuai Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- Research Unit of Cellular Stress of CAMS, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, Cancer Research Center of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
- Laboratory Animal Center, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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Goossens PL. Bacillus anthracis, "la maladie du charbon", Toxins, and Institut Pasteur. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:66. [PMID: 38393144 PMCID: PMC10891547 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16020066] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Institut Pasteur and Bacillus anthracis have enjoyed a relationship lasting almost 120 years, starting from its foundation and the pioneering work of Louis Pasteur in the nascent fields of microbiology and vaccination, and blooming after 1986 following the molecular biology/genetic revolution. This contribution will give a historical overview of these two research eras, taking advantage of the archives conserved at Institut Pasteur. The first era mainly focused on the production, characterisation, surveillance and improvement of veterinary anthrax vaccines; the concepts and technologies with which to reach a deep understanding of this research field were not yet available. The second period saw a new era of B. anthracis research at Institut Pasteur, with the anthrax laboratory developing a multi-disciplinary approach, ranging from structural analysis, biochemistry, genetic expression, and regulation to bacterial-host cell interactions, in vivo pathogenicity, and therapy development; this led to the comprehensive unravelling of many facets of this toxi-infection. B. anthracis may exemplify some general points on how science is performed in a given society at a given time and how a scientific research domain evolves. A striking illustration can be seen in the additive layers of regulations that were implemented from the beginning of the 21st century and their impact on B. anthracis research. B. anthracis and anthrax are complex systems that raise many valuable questions regarding basic research. One may hope that B. anthracis research will be re-initiated under favourable circumstances later at Institut Pasteur.
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Ouyang W, Xie T, Fang H, Frucht DM. Development of a New Cell-Based AP-1 Gene Reporter Potency Assay for Anti-Anthrax Toxin Therapeutics. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:528. [PMID: 37755954 PMCID: PMC10538138 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15090528] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthrax toxin is a critical virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis. The toxin comprises protective antigen (PA) and two enzymatic moieties, edema factor (EF) and lethal factor (LF), forming bipartite lethal toxin (LT) and edema toxin (ET). PA binds cellular surface receptors and is required for intracellular translocation of the enzymatic moieties. For this reason, anti-PA antibodies have been developed as therapeutics for prophylaxis and treatment of human anthrax infection. Assays described publicly for the control of anti-PA antibody potency quantify inhibition of LT-mediated cell death or the ET-induced increase in c-AMP levels. These assays do not fully reflect and/or capture the pathological functions of anthrax toxin in humans. Herein, we report the development of a cell-based gene reporter potency assay for anti-PA antibodies based on the rapid LT-induced degradation of c-Jun protein, a pathogenic effect that occurs in human cells. This new assay was developed by transducing Hepa1c1c7 cells with an AP-1 reporter lentiviral construct and has been qualified for specificity, accuracy, repeatability, intermediate precision, and linearity. This assay not only serves as a bioassay for LT activity, but has applications for characterization and quality control of anti-PA therapeutic antibodies or other products that target the AP-1 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiming Ouyang
- Division of Biotechnology Review and Research II, Office of Biotechnology Products, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA; (T.X.); (H.F.)
| | | | | | - David M. Frucht
- Division of Biotechnology Review and Research II, Office of Biotechnology Products, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA; (T.X.); (H.F.)
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10
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Wu Y, Pernet E, Touqui L. Modulation of Airway Expression of the Host Bactericidal Enzyme, sPLA2-IIA, by Bacterial Toxins. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:440. [PMID: 37505708 PMCID: PMC10467128 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15070440] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Host molecules with antimicrobial properties belong to a large family of mediators including type-IIA secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA). The latter is a potent bactericidal agent with high selectivity against Gram-positive bacteria, but it may also play a role in modulating the host inflammatory response. However, several pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or toxins produced by pathogenic bacteria can modulate the levels of sPLA2-IIA by either inducing or inhibiting its expression in host cells. Thus, the final sPLA2-IIA concentration during the infection process is determined by the orchestration between the levels of toxins that stimulate and those that downregulate the expression of this enzyme. The stimulation of sPLA2-IIA expression is a process that participates in the clearance of invading bacteria, while inhibition of this expression highlights a mechanism by which certain bacteria can subvert the immune response and invade the host. Here, we will review the major functions of sPLA2-IIA in the airways and the role of bacterial toxins in modulating the expression of this enzyme. We will also summarize the major mechanisms involved in this modulation and the potential consequences for the pulmonary host response to bacterial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongzheng Wu
- Unité de Biologie Cellulaire de l’Infection Microbionne, CNRS UMR3691, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France;
| | - Erwan Pernet
- Groupe de Recherche en Signalisation Cellulaire, Département de Biologie Médicale, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
| | - Lhousseine Touqui
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine (CRSA), 75012 Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, Mucoviscidose et Bronchopathies Chroniques, 75015 Paris, France
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11
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Fastenackels S, Mock M, Tournier JN, Goossens PL. Early expression of capsule during Bacillus anthracis germination. Res Microbiol 2023; 174:104054. [PMID: 37003307 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2023.104054] [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: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis is a spore-forming bacterium that produces two major virulence factors, a tripartite toxin with two enzymatic toxic activities and a pseudo-proteic capsule. One of the main described functions of the poly-gamma-d-glutamate capsule is to enable B. anthracis bacilli to escape phagocytosis. Thus, kinetics of expression of the capsule filaments at the surface of the emerging bacillus during germination is an important step for the protection of the nascent bacilli. In this study, through immunofluorescence and electron microscopic approaches, we show the emergence of the capsule through a significant surface of the exosporium in the vast majority of the germinating spores, with co-detection of BclA and capsular material. This suggests that, due to an early capsule expression, the extracellular life of B. anthracis might occur earlier than previously thought, once germination is triggered. This raises the prospect that an anti-capsular vaccine may play a protective role at the initial stage of infection by opsonisation of the nascent encapsulated bacilli before their emergence from the exosporium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solène Fastenackels
- Laboratory "Immune Microenvironment and Immunotherapy", INSERM U1135, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses Paris (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France.
| | - Michèle Mock
- Institut Pasteur, Yersinia Unit, 26 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
| | | | - Pierre L Goossens
- Institut Pasteur, Yersinia Unit, 26 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.
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12
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Beitzinger C, Kronhardt A, Benz R. Chloroquine-analogues block anthrax protective antigen channels in steady-state and kinetic studies. Toxicology 2023; 492:153547. [PMID: 37201861 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2023.153547] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The tripartite anthrax toxin from Bacillus anthracis represents the prototype of A-B type of toxins, where the effector A (an enzymatic subunit) is transported with the help of a binding component B into a target cell. Anthrax toxin consists of three different molecules, two effectors, lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF) and the binding component also known as protective antigen (PA). PA forms heptamers or octamers following binding to host cell's receptors and mediates the translocation of the effectors into the cytosol via the endosomal pathway. The cation-selective PA63-channel is able to reconstitute in lipid membranes and can be blocked by chloroquine and other heterocyclic compounds. This suggests that the PA63-channel contains a binding site for quinolines. In this study, we investigated the structure-function relationship of different quinolines for the block of the PA63-channel. The affinity of the different chloroquine analogues to the PA63-channel as provided by the equilibrium dissociation constant was measured using titrations. Some quinolines had a much higher affinity to the PA63-channel than chloroquine itself. We also performed ligand-induced current noise measurements using fast Fourier transformation to get insight in the kinetics of the binding of some quinolines to the PA63-channel. The on-rate constants of ligand binding were around 108M-1·s-1 at 150mM KCl and were only little dependent on the individual quinoline. The off-rates varied between 4s-1 and 160s-1 and depended much more on the structure of the molecules than the on-rate constants. The possible use of the 4-aminoquinolines as a therapy is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Beitzinger
- Rudolf Virchow Center, Research Center for Experimental Biomedicine, University of Würzburg, Versbacher Straße 9, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Angelika Kronhardt
- Rudolf Virchow Center, Research Center for Experimental Biomedicine, University of Würzburg, Versbacher Straße 9, 97078 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Roland Benz
- Science Faculty, Constructor University Bremen, Campus-Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany.
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13
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Yuan L, Wang D, Chen J, Lyu Y, Feng E, Zhang Y, Liu X, Wang H. Genome Sequence and Phenotypic Analysis of a Protein Lysis-Negative, Attenuated Anthrax Vaccine Strain. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050645. [PMID: 37237459 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease anthrax. Here, we studied the characteristic phenotype and virulence attenuation of the putative No. II vaccine strain, PNO2, which was reportedly introduced from the Pasteur Institute in 1934. Characterization of the strain showed that, compared with the control strain, A16Q1, the attenuated PNO2 (PNO2D1) was phospholipase-positive, with impaired protein hydrolysis and significantly reduced sporulation. Additionally, PNO2D1 significantly extended the survival times of anthrax-challenged mice. An evolutionary tree analysis revealed that PNO2D1 was not a Pasteur strain but was more closely related to a Tsiankovskii strain. A database comparison revealed a seven-base insertion mutation in the nprR gene. Although it did not block nprR transcription, the insertion mutation resulted in the premature termination of protein translation. nprR deletion of A16Q1 resulted in a nonproteolytic phenotype that could not sporulate. The database comparison revealed that the abs gene is also prone to mutation, and the abs promoter activity was much lower in PNO2D1 than in A16Q1. Low abs expression may be an important reason for the decreased virulence of PNO2D1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yuan
- College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, 999 Hucheng Huan Road, Nanhui New City, Shanghai 201306, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Dongshu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
- Laboratory of Advanced Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Jie Chen
- College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, 999 Hucheng Huan Road, Nanhui New City, Shanghai 201306, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yufei Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
- Laboratory of Advanced Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Erling Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, 999 Hucheng Huan Road, Nanhui New City, Shanghai 201306, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Xiankai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
- Laboratory of Advanced Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Hengliang Wang
- College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, 999 Hucheng Huan Road, Nanhui New City, Shanghai 201306, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, 20 Dongdajie Street, Fengtai District, Beijing 100071, China
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14
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O'Reilly FJ, Graziadei A, Forbrig C, Bremenkamp R, Charles K, Lenz S, Elfmann C, Fischer L, Stülke J, Rappsilber J. Protein complexes in cells by AI-assisted structural proteomics. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e11544. [PMID: 36815589 PMCID: PMC10090944 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202311544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurately modeling the structures of proteins and their complexes using artificial intelligence is revolutionizing molecular biology. Experimental data enable a candidate-based approach to systematically model novel protein assemblies. Here, we use a combination of in-cell crosslinking mass spectrometry and co-fractionation mass spectrometry (CoFrac-MS) to identify protein-protein interactions in the model Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We show that crosslinking interactions prior to cell lysis reveals protein interactions that are often lost upon cell lysis. We predict the structures of these protein interactions and others in the SubtiWiki database with AlphaFold-Multimer and, after controlling for the false-positive rate of the predictions, we propose novel structural models of 153 dimeric and 14 trimeric protein assemblies. Crosslinking MS data independently validates the AlphaFold predictions and scoring. We report and validate novel interactors of central cellular machineries that include the ribosome, RNA polymerase, and pyruvate dehydrogenase, assigning function to several uncharacterized proteins. Our approach uncovers protein-protein interactions inside intact cells, provides structural insight into their interaction interfaces, and is applicable to genetically intractable organisms, including pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis J O'Reilly
- Chair of BioanalyticsTechnische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Present address:
Center for Structural Biology, Center for Cancer ResearchNational Cancer Institute (NCI)FrederickMDUSA
| | | | | | - Rica Bremenkamp
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and GeneticsAugust‐University GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | | | - Swantje Lenz
- Chair of BioanalyticsTechnische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Christoph Elfmann
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and GeneticsAugust‐University GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Lutz Fischer
- Chair of BioanalyticsTechnische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and GeneticsAugust‐University GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Juri Rappsilber
- Chair of BioanalyticsTechnische Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Wellcome Centre for Cell BiologyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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15
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McCurdy S, Halasohoris SA, Babyak AL, Lembirik S, Hoover R, Hickman M, Scarff J, Klimko CP, Cote CK, Meinig JM. Efficacy of delafloxacin against the biothreat pathogen Bacillus anthracis. J Antimicrob Chemother 2023; 78:810-816. [PMID: 36738250 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkad015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy of delafloxacin against Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. METHODS MICs were obtained according to CLSI guidelines for 30 virulent isolates and 14 attenuated antibiotic-resistant strains. For the in vivo efficacy study, mice were administered delafloxacin (30-62.5 mg/kg) subcutaneously, or ciprofloxacin (30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally beginning at either 24 or 48 ± 1 h post-challenge (post-exposure prophylaxis) and continued every 12 h for 14 days with study termination on day 30. The mean inhaled dose in the study was approximately 103 × LD50 equivalents, and the range was 87-120 × LD50. RESULTS Delafloxacin (MIC90 = 0.004 mg/L) was 16-fold more potent than ciprofloxacin (MIC90 = 0.06 mg/L) against a 30-strain set of virulent B. anthracis. Against a panel of attenuated antibiotic-resistant strains, delafloxacin demonstrated potency ≥128-fold over that observed with ciprofloxacin. When evaluated in vivo, mice treated with all delafloxacin doses tested at 24 h post-challenge demonstrated equivalent survival compared with mice treated with the positive control ciprofloxacin. Because of the high challenge dose of spores, mice treated at 48 h showed rapid and high mortality in all groups including the positive control. Surviving animals in all delafloxacin- and ciprofloxacin-treated groups (24 and 48 h) showed complete splenic clearance of infection and <2.2 × 103 cfu/g lung tissue. CONCLUSIONS Given the high bar set by the 100 × LD50 challenge dose in this study, the results from delafloxacin treatment are promising for the treatment of inhaled anthrax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra McCurdy
- Melinta Therapeutics, 44 Whippany Rd, Morristown, NJ, USA
| | - Stephanie A Halasohoris
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Ashley L Babyak
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Sanae Lembirik
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Randall Hoover
- Pharmacology Consultant for Melinta Therapeutics, 15 Plane Tree Ln, Dix Hills, NY 11746, USA
| | - Mark Hickman
- Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), CBRN Medical, 110 Thomas Johnson Dr., Suite 300, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer Scarff
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Christopher P Klimko
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Christopher K Cote
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - J Matthew Meinig
- Bacteriology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter St., Fort Detrick, MD, USA
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16
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Popoff MR, Legout S. Anaerobes and Toxins, a Tradition of the Institut Pasteur. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:43. [PMID: 36668863 PMCID: PMC9861305 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Louis Pasteur, one of the eminent pioneers of microbiology, discovered life without oxygen and identified the first anaerobic pathogenic bacterium. Certain bacteria were found to be responsible for specific diseases. Pasteur was mainly interested in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with attenuated pathogens. The collaborators of Pasteur investigated the mechanisms of pathogenicity and showed that some bacterial soluble substances, called toxins, induce symptoms and lesions in experimental animals. Anaerobic bacteriology, which requires specific equipment, has emerged as a distinct part of microbiology. The first objectives were the identification and taxonomy of anaerobes. Several anaerobes producing potent toxins were associated with severe diseases. The investigation of toxins including sequencing, mode of action, and enzymatic activity led to a better understanding of toxin-mediated pathogenicity and allowed the development of safe and efficient prevention and treatment (vaccination with anatoxins, specific neutralizing antisera). Moreover, toxins turned out to be powerful tools in exploring cellular mechanisms supporting the concept of cellular microbiology. Pasteurians have made a wide contribution to anaerobic bacteriology and toxinology. The historical steps are summarized in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandra Legout
- Centre de Ressources en Information Scientifique, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
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17
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Efficacy of Treatment with the Antibiotic Novobiocin against Infection with Bacillus anthracis or Burkholderia pseudomallei. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11121685. [PMID: 36551342 PMCID: PMC9774170 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11121685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbial pathogens Burkholderia pseudomallei and Bacillus anthracis are unrelated bacteria, yet both are the etiologic agents of naturally occurring diseases in animals and humans and are classified as Tier 1 potential biothreat agents. B. pseudomallei is the gram-negative bacterial agent of melioidosis, a major cause of sepsis and mortality globally in endemic tropical and subtropical regions. B. anthracis is the gram-positive spore-forming bacterium that causes anthrax. Infections acquired by inhalation of these pathogens are challenging to detect early while the prognosis is best; and they possess innate multiple antibiotic resistance or are amenable to engineered resistance. Previous studies showed that the early generation, rarely used aminocoumarin novobiocin was very effective in vitro against a range of highly disparate biothreat agents. The objective of the current research was to begin to characterize the therapeutic efficacy of novobiocin in mouse models of anthrax and melioidosis. The antibiotic was highly efficacious against infections by both pathogens, especially B. pseudomallei. Our results supported the concept that specific older generation antimicrobials can be effective countermeasures against infection by bacterial biothreat agents. Finally, novobiocin was shown to be a potential candidate for inclusion in a combined pre-exposure vaccination and post-exposure treatment strategy designed to target bacterial pathogens refractory to a single medical countermeasure.
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18
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Kim S, Oiler J, Xing Y, O'Doherty GA. De novo asymmetric Achmatowicz approach to oligosaccharide natural products. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:12913-12926. [PMID: 36321854 PMCID: PMC9710213 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc05280f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The development and application of the asymmetric synthesis of oligosaccharides from achiral starting materials is reviewed. This de novo asymmetric approach centers around the use of asymmetric catalysis for the synthesis of optically pure furan alcohols in conjunction with Achmatowicz oxidative rearrangement for the synthesis of various pyranones. In addition, the use of a diastereoselective palladium-catalyzed glycosylation and subsequent diastereoselective post-glycosylation transformation was used for the synthesis of oligosaccharides. The application of this approach to oligosaccharide synthesis is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sugyeom Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Jeremy Oiler
- Department of Chemistry, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ, 07470, USA
| | - Yalan Xing
- Department of Chemistry, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, 11549, USA.
| | - George A O'Doherty
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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19
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Wu J, Chen P, Chen J, Ye X, Cao S, Sun C, Jin Y, Zhang L, Du S. Integrated ratiometric fluorescence probe-based acoustofluidic platform for visual detection of anthrax biomarker. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 214:114538. [PMID: 35820251 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The sensitive detection of dipicolinic acid (DPA) as an excellent biomarker of Bacillus anthracis, especially through visual point-of-care testing, is significant for accurate and rapid diagnosis of anthrax to timely prevent anthrax disease or biological terrorist attack. Herein, an acoustofluidics-based colorimetric platform with the integrated ratiometric fluorescence probe (INT-probe) was fabricated, which improved the sensitivity of visual detection for DPA and overcame the poor reproducibility of the existing acoustofluidics-assisted colorimetric analysis. For the design of INT-probe, Eu3+-EDTA complex as sensing moiety was grafted onto the surface of blue organosilane-functionalized carbon dots (SiCDs)-doped SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). Upon exposure to DPA, Eu3+ was sensitized by DPA to emit red luminescence, while the SiCDs as reference inside the SiO2 NPs still kept the blue fluorescence unchanged. Attributed to the acoustic radiation force-driven enrichment of the INT-probe, slight color changes caused by low concentration of DPA could be amplified and distinguished by naked-eyes/smartphone. With the increase of DPA concentration, obvious color variations of INT-probe/DPA aggregates from blue to pink could be observed, and the color information of the fluorescent aggregates was converted to red, green and blue values for quantitative analysis, whose lowest detectable concentration reached 100 nM that is about 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the infectious dosage of Bacillus anthracis spores (60 μM). Importantly, benefiting from the great color signal enhancement by acoustofluidic sensing platform, the usage of Eu3+ reduced to as low as 0.273 μmol per gram of SiO2 NPs, providing a meaningful way to utilize lanthanide resource efficiently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiafeng Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Panpan Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Jie Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Xiangxue Ye
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Shurui Cao
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Chuqiang Sun
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Yang Jin
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China
| | - Liying Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
| | - Shuhu Du
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
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20
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Mondange L, Tessier É, Tournier JN. Pathogenic Bacilli as an Emerging Biothreat? Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11101186. [PMID: 36297243 PMCID: PMC9609551 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis, present as a very durable endospore in soil, causes zoonotic illness which is mainly associated with herbivores and domestic animals. Human cases are scarce and often involve populations close to infected livestock. If anthrax is no longer of public health concern in developed countries, B. anthracis is one of the top-tier biological weapon agents. It is classified by the CDC as a category A agent. Since 1994, emerging strains of Bacillus cereus have been associated with anthrax-like disease in mammals. Some clinical strains of B. cereus harbor anthrax-like plasmid genes (pXO1 and pXO2) associated with non-human primate and human infections, with the same clinical presentation of inhalation anthrax and mortality rates. Although currently restricted to certain limited areas of circulation, the emergence of these new strains of B. cereus extends the list of potential agents possibly usable for bioterrorism or as a biological weapon. It is therefore important to improve our knowledge of the phylogeny within the B. cereus sensu lato group to better understand the origin of these strains. We can then more efficiently monitor the emergence of new strains to better control the risk of infection and limit potentially malicious uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lou Mondange
- Bacteriology Unit, Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- Yersinia Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (L.M.); (J.-N.T.)
| | - Émilie Tessier
- Immunopathology Unit, Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
| | - Jean-Nicolas Tournier
- CNR-LE Charbon, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- Département Microbiologie et Maladies Infectieuses, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
- École du Val-de-Grâce, 75015 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (L.M.); (J.-N.T.)
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21
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O’Brien DK, Ribot WJ, Chabot DJ, Scorpio A, Tobery SA, Jelacic TM, Wu Z, Friedlander AM. The capsule of Bacillus anthracis protects it from the bactericidal activity of human defensins and other cationic antimicrobial peptides. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010851. [PMID: 36174087 PMCID: PMC9560598 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
During infection, Bacillus anthracis bacilli encounter potent antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) such as defensins. We examined the role that B. anthracis capsule plays in protecting bacilli from defensins and other cationic AMPs by comparing their effects on a fully virulent encapsulated wild type (WT) strain and an isogenic capsule-deficient capA mutant strain. We identified several human defensins and non-human AMPs that were capable of killing B. anthracis. The human alpha defensins 1–6 (HNP-1-4, HD-5-6), the human beta defensins 1–4 (HBD-1-4), and the non-human AMPs, protegrin, gramicidin D, polymyxin B, nisin, and melittin were all capable of killing both encapsulated WT and non-encapsulated capA mutant B. anthracis. However, non-encapsulated capA mutant bacilli were significantly more susceptible than encapsulated WT bacilli to killing by nearly all of the AMPs tested. We demonstrated that purified capsule bound HBD-2, HBD-3, and HNP-1 in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Furthermore, we determined that the capsule layer enveloping WT bacilli bound and trapped HBD-3, substantially reducing the amount reaching the cell wall. To assess whether released capsule might also play a protective role, we pre-incubated HBD-2, HBD-3, or HNP-1 with purified capsule before their addition to non-encapsulated capA mutant bacilli. We found that free capsule completely rescued the capA mutant bacilli from killing by HBD-2 and -3 while killing by HNP-1 was reduced to the level observed with WT bacilli. Together, these results suggest an immune evasion mechanism by which the capsule, both that enveloping the bacilli and released fragments, contributes to virulence by binding to and inhibiting the antimicrobial activity of cationic AMPs. Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax after spores infect the skin, respiratory tract, or gastrointestinal tract. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as defensins, are a first line of host defense that B. anthracis encounters in all of these tissues. B. anthracis bacteria are covered by a capsule that protects them from being engulfed and destroyed by phagocytic immune cells. In this study, we found that the capsule also provides protection from AMPs. An encapsulated B. anthracis strain is resistant to killing by multiple AMPs from humans and other species compared to an otherwise identical strain that is not encapsulated. By binding defensins the capsule surrounding the bacilli reduces the amount that gets to the bacterial cell wall where it can do damage. B. anthracis bacteria release large fragments of capsule in the host during infection and during growth in culture. We found that purified released capsule can bind defensins and reduce killing of non-encapsulated B. anthracis. Thus, both capsule covering the bacteria and capsule shed by the bacteria can contribute to the pathogenicity of B. anthracis by providing protection from AMPs. Our study reveals a new mechanism by which B. anthracis capsule contributes to virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K. O’Brien
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Wilson J. Ribot
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Donald J. Chabot
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Angelo Scorpio
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Steven A. Tobery
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tanya M. Jelacic
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Zhibin Wu
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Arthur M. Friedlander
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Uniformed University of Health Services, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: ,
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22
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Schwartz M. The Pasteurian contribution to the history of vaccines. C R Biol 2022; 345:93-107. [PMID: 36852599 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.83] [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: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Vaccination, the transmission of "vaccine", a benign disease of cows, to immunize human beings against smallpox, was invented by Jenner at the end of the eighteenth century. Pasteur, convinced that the vaccine microbe was an attenuated form of the smallpox microbe, showed that, similarly, attenuated forms of other microbes immunized against animal diseases. When applying this principle to rabies, he realized that, in this case, the vaccine was in fact composed of dead microbes. One of his students immediately exploited this result to devise a vaccine against typhoid. The vaccines against diphtheria and tetanus, in 1921, opened a new route, that of immunization with molecules from the pathogenic microbes. Molecular biology then allowed the production of the immunogenic molecules by microorganisms such as yeast, or immunization by genetically modified viruses or messenger RNA inducing our own cells to produce these molecules.
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23
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Role of serine/threonine protein phosphatase PrpN in the life cycle of Bacillus anthracis. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010729. [PMID: 35913993 PMCID: PMC9371265 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Reversible protein phosphorylation at serine/threonine residues is one of the most common protein modifications, widely observed in all kingdoms of life. The catalysts controlling this modification are specific serine/threonine kinases and phosphatases that modulate various cellular pathways ranging from growth to cellular death. Genome sequencing and various omics studies have led to the identification of numerous serine/threonine kinases and cognate phosphatases, yet the physiological relevance of many of these proteins remain enigmatic. In Bacillus anthracis, only one ser/thr phosphatase, PrpC, has been functionally characterized; it was reported to be non-essential for bacterial growth and survival. In the present study, we characterized another ser/thr phosphatase (PrpN) of B. anthracis by various structural and functional approaches. To examine its physiological relevance in B. anthracis, a null mutant strain of prpN was generated and shown to have defects in sporulation and reduced synthesis of toxins (PA and LF) and the toxin activator protein AtxA. We also identified CodY, a global transcriptional regulator, as a target of PrpN and ser/thr kinase PrkC. CodY phosphorylation strongly controlled its binding to the promoter region of atxA, as shown using phosphomimetic and phosphoablative mutants. In nutshell, the present study reports phosphorylation-mediated regulation of CodY activity in the context of anthrax toxin synthesis in B. anthracis by a previously uncharacterized ser/thr protein phosphatase–PrpN. Reversible protein phosphorylation at specific ser/thr residues causes conformational changes in the protein structure, thereby modulating its cellular activity. In B. anthracis, though the role of ser/thr phosphorylation is implicated in various cellular pathways including pathogenesis, till date only one STP (PrpC) has been functionally characterized. This manuscript reports functional characterization of another STP (PrpN) in B. anthracis and with the aid of a null mutant strain (BAS ΔprpN) we provide important insight regarding the role of PrpN in the life cycle of B. anthracis. We have also identified the global transcriptional regulator, CodY as a target of PrpN and PrkC, and for the first time showed the physiological relevance of CodY phosphorylation status in the regulation of anthrax toxin synthesis.
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24
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Regulation of Enterotoxins Associated with Bacillus cereus Sensu Lato Toxicoinfection. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0040522. [PMID: 35730937 PMCID: PMC9275247 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00405-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus cereus sensu lato (s.l.) includes foodborne pathogens, as well as beneficial microorganisms, such as bioinsecticides. Some of the beneficial and commercially used B. cereus s.l. strains have been shown to carry enterotoxin genes, the products of which can cause toxicoinfection in humans. Furthermore, recent epidemiological reports indicated that some bioinsecticidal strains have been linked with foodborne illness outbreaks. This demonstrates the need for improved surveillance of B. cereus s.l., which includes characterization of isolates' virulence capacity. However, the prediction of virulence capacity of B. cereus s.l. strains is challenging. Genetic screening for enterotoxin gene presence has proven to be insufficient for accurate discrimination between virulent and avirulent strains, given that nearly all B. cereus s.l. strains carry at least one enterotoxin gene. Furthermore, complex regulatory networks governing the expression of enterotoxins, and potential synergistic interactions between enterotoxins and other virulence factors make the prediction of toxicoinfection based on isolates' genome sequences challenging. In this review, we summarize and synthesize the current understanding of the regulation of enterotoxins associated with the B. cereus s.l. toxicoinfection and identify gaps in the knowledge that need to be addressed to facilitate identification of genetic markers predictive of cytotoxicity and toxicoinfection.
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25
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Study of the Adsorption of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus Bacteria on Enterosorbent Obtained from Apricot Kernels. Mol Vis 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/c8030038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents the results of scientific research on the structural parameters and the adsorption capacity of activated carbon obtained from apricot kernels (AC-A) in a fluidized layer. The obtained results highlight the fact that the described procedure allows obtaining a mesoporous carbon adsorbent with increased adsorption capacities (SBET = 1424 m2/g) and with quality indices corresponding to the requirements of the carbon enterosorbents imposed by the European Pharmacopoeia Monograph. Adsorption kinetics studies of the bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus have shown that the time to establish the adsorption equilibrium is 75–90 min. The adsorption of the mentioned bacteria on the carbon enterosorbent AC-A was studied depending on the temperature (26 and 36 °C) and pH of the solution (1.97–4.05). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that the immobilization of bacteria takes place on the outer surface of the carbon adsorbent due to the fact that the geometric dimensions of the bacteria are often larger than the macro diameter of the activated carbon pores. FTIR investigations also indicated the presence of bacteria on the surface of the activated carbon.
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26
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Mechanisms and Applications of Bacterial Sporulation and Germination in the Intestine. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063405. [PMID: 35328823 PMCID: PMC8953710 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested a major role for endospore forming bacteria within the gut microbiota, not only as pathogens but also as commensal and beneficial members contributing to gut homeostasis. In this review the sporulation processes, spore properties, and germination processes will be explained within the scope of the human gut. Within the gut, spore-forming bacteria are known to interact with the host’s immune system, both in vegetative cell and spore form. Together with the resistant nature of the spore, these characteristics offer potential for spores’ use as delivery vehicles for therapeutics. In the last part of the review, the therapeutic potential of spores as probiotics, vaccine vehicles, and drug delivery systems will be discussed.
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27
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Abstract
Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 sequence revealed a multibasic furin cleavage site at the S1/S2 boundary of the spike protein distinguishing this virus from SARS-CoV. Furin, the best-characterized member of the mammalian proprotein convertases, is an ubiquitously expressed single pass type 1 transmembrane protein. Cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by furin promotes viral entry into lung cells. While furin knockout is embryonically lethal, its knockout in differentiated somatic cells is not, thus furin provides an exciting therapeutic target for viral pathogens including SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infections. Several peptide-based and small-molecule inhibitors of furin have been recently reported, and select cocrystal structures have been solved, paving the way for further optimization and selection of clinical candidates. This perspective highlights furin structure, substrates, recent inhibitors, and crystal structures with emphasis on furin's role in SARS-CoV-2 infection, where the current data strongly suggest its inhibition as a promising therapeutic intervention for SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Essam
Eldin A. Osman
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Alnawaz Rehemtulla
- Department
of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Nouri Neamati
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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28
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Qiu MM, Chen KF, Liu QR, Miao WN, Liu B, Xu L. A ratiometric fluorescent sensor made of a terbium coordination polymer for the anthrax biomarker 2,6-dipicolinic acid with on-site detection assisted by a smartphone app. CrystEngComm 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d1ce01256h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Tb-NDBC is a quantitative ratiometric fluorescence sensor for DPA detection with high sensitivity and selectivity, a rapid response, and durability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao-Miao Qiu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, Shaanxi Province, P. R. China
| | - Ke-Fu Chen
- College of Information Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471000, Henan Province, P. R. China
| | - Qi-Rui Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, Shaanxi Province, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Ni Miao
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Energy Technology, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, Shaanxi Province, P. R. China
| | - Bing Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, Shaanxi Province, P. R. China
| | - Ling Xu
- Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Devices, Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Energy Technology, School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, Shaanxi Province, P. R. China
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29
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Chang JD, Vaughan EE, Liu CG, Jelinski JW, Terwilliger AL, Maresso AW. Metabolic profiling reveals nutrient preferences during carbon utilization in Bacillus species. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23917. [PMID: 34903830 PMCID: PMC8669014 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03420-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Bacillus includes species with diverse natural histories, including free-living nonpathogenic heterotrophs such as B. subtilis and host-dependent pathogens such as B. anthracis (the etiological agent of the disease anthrax) and B. cereus, a cause of food poisoning. Although highly similar genotypically, the ecological niches of these three species are mutually exclusive, which raises the untested hypothesis that their metabolism has speciated along a nutritional tract. Here, we developed a pipeline for quantitative total assessment of the use of diverse sources of carbon for general metabolism to better appreciate the "culinary preferences" of three distinct Bacillus species, as well as related Staphylococcus aureus. We show that each species has widely varying metabolic ability to utilize diverse sources of carbon that correlated to their ecological niches. This approach was applied to the growth and survival of B. anthracis in a blood-like environment and find metabolism shifts from sugar to amino acids as the preferred source of energy. Finally, various nutrients in broth and host-like environments are identified that may promote or interfere with bacterial metabolism during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Chang
- The Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ellen E Vaughan
- The Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carmen Gu Liu
- The Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joseph W Jelinski
- The Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Austen L Terwilliger
- The Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anthony W Maresso
- The Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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30
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31
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Bodenham RF, Mtui-Malamsha N, Gatei W, Woldetsadik MA, Cassell CH, Salyer SJ, Halliday JE, Nonga HE, Swai ES, Makungu S, Mwakapeje E, Bernard J, Bebay C, Makonnen YJ, Fasina FO. Multisectoral cost analysis of a human and livestock anthrax outbreak in Songwe Region, Tanzania (December 2018-January 2019), using a novel Outbreak Costing Tool. One Health 2021; 13:100259. [PMID: 34013015 PMCID: PMC8113743 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100259] [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: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We applied a novel Outbreak Costing Tool (OCT), developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to estimate the costs of investigating and responding to an anthrax outbreak in Tanzania. We also evaluated the OCT's overall utility in its application to a multisectoral outbreak response. METHODS We collected data on direct costs associated with a human and animal anthrax outbreak in Songwe Region (December 2018 to January 2019) using structured questionnaires from key-informants. We performed a cost analysis by entering direct costs data into the OCT, grouped into seven cost categories: labor, office, travel and transport, communication, laboratory support, medical countermeasures, and consultancies. RESULTS The total cost for investigating and responding to this outbreak was estimated at 102,232 United States dollars (USD), with travel and transport identified as the highest cost category (62,536 USD) and communication and consultancies as the lowest, with no expenditure, for the combined human and animal health sectors. CONCLUSIONS Multisectoral investigation and response may become complex due to coordination challenges, thus allowing escalation of public health impacts. A standardized framework for collecting and analysing cost data is vital to understanding the nature of outbreaks, in anticipatory planning, in outbreak investigation and in reducing time to intervention. Pre-emptive use of the OCT will also reduce overall and specific (response period) intervention costs for the disease. Additional aggregation of the costs by government ministries, departments and tiers will improve the use of the tool to enhance sectoral budget planning for disease outbreaks in a multisectoral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca F. Bodenham
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Niwael Mtui-Malamsha
- Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Wangeci Gatei
- Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mahlet A. Woldetsadik
- Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Cynthia H. Cassell
- Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie J. Salyer
- Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jo E.B. Halliday
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Hezron E. Nonga
- Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Emmanuel S. Swai
- Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Selemani Makungu
- Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Elibariki Mwakapeje
- Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
- Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Jubilate Bernard
- Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania
- One Health Coordination Desk, Office of the Prime Minister, Dodoma, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Charles Bebay
- Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) Regional Office for Eastern Africa, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Yilma J. Makonnen
- Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy
| | - Folorunso O. Fasina
- Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
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32
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Zorigt T, Ito S, Isoda N, Furuta Y, Shawa M, Norov N, Lkham B, Enkhtuya J, Higashi H. Risk factors and spatio-temporal patterns of livestock anthrax in Khuvsgul Province, Mongolia. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260299. [PMID: 34797889 PMCID: PMC8604359 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is a worldwide zoonotic disease. Anthrax has long been a public health and socio-economic issue in Mongolia. Presently, there is no spatial information on carcass burial sites as a potential hazard of future anthrax outbreaks and possible risk factors associated with anthrax occurrences in Mongolia. Here, we analyze retrospective data (1986-2015) on the disposal sites of livestock carcasses to describe historical spatio-temporal patterns of livestock anthrax in Khuvsgul Province, which showed the highest anthrax incidence rate in Mongolia. From the results of spatial mean and standard deviational ellipse analyses, we found that the anthrax spatial distribution in livestock did not change over the study period, indicating a localized source of exposure. The multi-distance spatial cluster analysis showed that carcass sites distributed in the study area are clustered. Using kernel density estimation analysis on carcass sites, we identified two anthrax hotspots in low-lying areas around the south and north regions. Notably, this study disclosed a new hotspot in the northern part that emerged in the last decade of the 30-year study period. The highest proportion of cases was recorded in cattle, whose prevalence per area was highest in six districts (i.e., Murun, Chandmani-Undur, Khatgal, Ikh-Uul, Tosontsengel, and Tsagaan-Uul), suggesting that vaccination should prioritize cattle in these districts. Furthermore, size of outbreaks was influenced by the annual summer mean air temperature of Khuvsgul Province, probably by affecting the permafrost freeze-thawing activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuvshinzaya Zorigt
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Ito
- Unit of Risk Analysis and Management, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Norikazu Isoda
- Laboratory of Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Furuta
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Misheck Shawa
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Natsagdorj Norov
- Division of Quality Management and Coordination, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Baasansuren Lkham
- Laboratory of Infectious Disease and Immunology, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Jargalsaikhan Enkhtuya
- Laboratory of Food Safety and Hygiene, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Hideaki Higashi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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33
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Braun P, Nguyen MDT, Walter MC, Grass G. Ultrasensitive Detection of Bacillus anthracis by Real-Time PCR Targeting a Polymorphism in Multi-Copy 16S rRNA Genes and Their Transcripts. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12224. [PMID: 34830105 PMCID: PMC8618755 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The anthrax pathogen Bacillus anthracis poses a significant threat to human health. Identification of B. anthracis is challenging because of the bacterium's close genetic relationship to other Bacillus cereus group species. Thus, molecular detection is founded on species-specific PCR targeting single-copy genes. Here, we validated a previously recognized multi-copy target, a species-specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) present in 2-5 copies in every B. anthracis genome analyzed. For this, a hydrolysis probe-based real-time PCR assay was developed and rigorously tested. The assay was specific as only B. anthracis DNA yielded positive results, was linear over 9 log10 units, and was sensitive with a limit of detection (LoD) of 2.9 copies/reaction. Though not exhibiting a lower LoD than established single-copy PCR targets (dhp61 or PL3), the higher copy number of the B. anthracis-specific 16S rRNA gene alleles afforded ≤2 unit lower threshold (Ct) values. To push the detection limit even further, the assay was adapted for reverse transcription PCR on 16S rRNA transcripts. This RT-PCR assay was also linear over 9 log10 units and was sensitive with an LoD of 6.3 copies/reaction. In a dilution series of experiments, the 16S RT-PCR assay achieved a thousand-fold higher sensitivity than the DNA-targeting assays. For molecular diagnostics, we recommend a real-time RT-PCR assay variant in which both DNA and RNA serve as templates (thus, no requirement for DNase treatment). This can at least provide results equaling the DNA-based implementation if no RNA is present but is superior even at the lowest residual rRNA concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gregor Grass
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology (IMB), 80937 Munich, Germany; (P.B.); (M.D.-T.N.); (M.C.W.)
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34
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DnaJ and ClpX are required for HitRS and HssRS two-component system signaling in Bacillus anthracis. Infect Immun 2021; 90:e0056021. [PMID: 34748369 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00560-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax. This Gram-positive bacterium poses a substantial risk to human health due to high mortality rates and the potential for malicious use as a bioterror weapon. To survive within the vertebrate host, B. anthracis relies on two-component system (TCS) signaling to sense host-induced stresses and respond to alterations in the environment through changes in target gene expression. HitRS and HssRS are cross-regulating TCSs in B. anthracis that respond to cell envelope disruptions and high heme levels, respectively. In this study, an unbiased and targeted genetic selection was designed to identify gene products that are involved in HitRS and HssRS signaling. This selection led to the identification of inactivating mutations within dnaJ and clpX that disrupt HitRS- and HssRS-dependent gene expression. DnaJ and ClpX are the substrate-binding subunits of the DnaJK protein chaperone and ClpXP protease, respectively. DnaJ regulates the levels of HitR and HitS to facilitate signal transduction, while ClpX specifically regulates HitS levels. Together these results reveal that the protein homeostasis regulators, DnaJ and ClpX, function to maintain B. anthracis signal transduction activities through TCS regulation. One sentence summary: Use of a genetic selection strategy to identify modulators of two-component system signaling in Bacillus anthracis.
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Zorigt T, Furuta Y, Simbotwe M, Ochi A, Tsujinouchi M, Shawa M, Shimizu T, Isoda N, Enkhtuya J, Higashi H. Development of ELISA based on Bacillus anthracis capsule biosynthesis protein CapA for naturally acquired antibodies against anthrax. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258317. [PMID: 34634075 PMCID: PMC8504768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Detecting naturally acquired antibodies against anthrax sublethal exposure in animals is essential for anthrax surveillance and effective control measures. Serological assays based on protective antigen (PA) of B. anthracis are mainly used for anthrax surveillance and vaccine evaluation. Although the assay is reliable, it is challenging to distinguish the naturally acquired antibodies from vaccine-induced immunity in animals because PA is cross-reactive to both antibodies. Although additional data on the vaccination history of animals could bypass this problem, such data are not readily accessible in many cases. In this study, we established a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific to antibodies against capsule biosynthesis protein CapA antigen of B. anthracis, which is non-cross-reactive to vaccine-induced antibodies in horses. Using in silico analyses, we screened coding sequences encoded on pXO2 plasmid, which is absent in the veterinary vaccine strain Sterne 34F2 but present in virulent strains of B. anthracis. Among the 8 selected antigen candidates, capsule biosynthesis protein CapA (GBAA_RS28240) and peptide ABC transporter substrate-binding protein (GBAA_RS28340) were detected by antibodies in infected horse sera. Of these, CapA has not yet been identified as immunoreactive in other studies to the best of our knowledge. Considering the protein solubility and specificity of B. anthracis, we prepared the C-terminus region of CapA, named CapA322, and developed CapA322-ELISA based on a horse model. Comparative analysis of the CapA322-ELISA and PAD1-ELISA (ELISA uses domain one of the PA) showed that CapA322-ELISA could detect anti-CapA antibodies in sera from infected horses but was non-reactive to sera from vaccinated horses. The CapA322-ELISA could contribute to the anthrax surveillance in endemic areas, and two immunoreactive proteins identified in this study could be additives to the improvement of current or future vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuvshinzaya Zorigt
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Furuta
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Manyando Simbotwe
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Akihiro Ochi
- Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Mai Tsujinouchi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Misheck Shawa
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Shimizu
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Norikazu Isoda
- Laboratory of Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | - Hideaki Higashi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control (Former Research Center for Zoonosis Control), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Romanenko YO, Riabko AK, Marin MA, Kartseva AS, Silkina MV, Shemyakin IG, Firstova VV. Mechanism of Action of Monoclonal Antibodies That Block the Activity of the Lethal Toxin of Bacillus Anthracis. Acta Naturae 2021; 13:98-104. [PMID: 35127153 PMCID: PMC8807536 DOI: 10.32607/actanaturae.11387] [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] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutralization of the lethal toxin of Bacillus anthracis is an important topic of both fundamental medicine and practical health care, regarding the fight against highly dangerous infections. We have generated a neutralizing monoclonal antibody 1E10 against the lethal toxin of Bacillus anthracis and described the stages of receptor interaction between the protective antigen (PA) and the surface of eukaryotic cells, the formation of PA oligomers, assembly of the lethal toxin (LT), and its translocation by endocytosis into the eukaryotic cell, followed by the formation of a true pore and the release of LT into the cell cytosol. The antibody was shown to act selectively at the stage of interaction between Bacillus anthracis and the eukaryotic cell, and the mechanism of toxin-neutralizing activity of the 1E10 antibody was revealed. The interaction between the 1E10 monoclonal antibody and PA was found to lead to inhibition of the enzymatic activity of the lethal factor (LF), most likely due to a disruption of true pore formation by PA, which blocks the release of LF into the cytosol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya. O. Romanenko
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
| | - A. K. Riabko
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
| | - M. A. Marin
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
| | - A. S. Kartseva
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
| | - M. V. Silkina
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
| | - I. G. Shemyakin
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
| | - V. V. Firstova
- Federal Budget Institution of Science State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor, Obolensk, Moscow Region, 142279 Russia
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Martchenko Shilman M, Bartolo G, Alameh S, Peterson JW, Lawrence WS, Peel JE, Sivasubramani SK, Beasley DWC, Cote CK, Demons ST, Halasahoris SA, Miller LL, Klimko CP, Shoe JL, Fetterer DP, McComb R, Ho CLC, Bradley KA, Hartmann S, Cheng LW, Chugunova M, Kao CY, Tran JK, Derbedrossian A, Zilbermintz L, Amali-Adekwu E, Levitin A, West J. In Vivo Activity of Repurposed Amodiaquine as a Host-Targeting Therapy for the Treatment of Anthrax. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:2176-2191. [PMID: 34218660 PMCID: PMC8369491 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00190] [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: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis and can result in nearly 100% mortality due in part to anthrax toxin. Antimalarial amodiaquine (AQ) acts as a host-oriented inhibitor of anthrax toxin endocytosis. Here, we determined the pharmacokinetics and safety of AQ in mice, rabbits, and humans as well as the efficacy in the fly, mouse, and rabbit models of anthrax infection. In the therapeutic-intervention studies, AQ nearly doubled the survival of mice infected subcutaneously with a B. anthracis dose lethal to 60% of the animals (LD60). In rabbits challenged with 200 LD50 of aerosolized B. anthracis, AQ as a monotherapy delayed death, doubled the survival rate of infected animals that received a suboptimal amount of antibacterial levofloxacin, and reduced bacteremia and toxemia in tissues. Surprisingly, the anthrax efficacy of AQ relies on an additional host macrophage-directed antibacterial mechanism, which was validated in the toxin-independent Drosophila model of Bacillus infection. Lastly, a systematic literature review of the safety and pharmacokinetics of AQ in humans from over 2 000 published articles revealed that AQ is likely safe when taken as prescribed, and its pharmacokinetics predicts anthrax efficacy in humans. Our results support the future examination of AQ as adjunctive therapy for the prophylactic anthrax treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Martchenko Shilman
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
- Shield Pharma LLC, 1420 North Claremont Boulevard, Suite 102A, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Gloria Bartolo
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Saleem Alameh
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Johnny W. Peterson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - William S. Lawrence
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Jennifer E. Peel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Satheesh K. Sivasubramani
- Directorate of Environmental Health Effects Laboratory, Naval Medical Research Unit, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 2728 Q Street, Building 837, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - David W. C. Beasley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Christopher K. Cote
- Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Samandra T. Demons
- Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Stephanie A. Halasahoris
- Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Lynda L. Miller
- Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Christopher P. Klimko
- Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Shoe
- Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - David P. Fetterer
- Biostatistics Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1425 Porter Street, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Ryan McComb
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Chi-Lee C. Ho
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 609 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Kenneth A. Bradley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 609 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Stella Hartmann
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Luisa W. Cheng
- Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, California 94710, United States
| | - Marina Chugunova
- Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Claremont Graduate University (CGU), 150 East 10th Street, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Chiu-Yen Kao
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Claremont McKenna College (CMC), 888 North Columbia Avenue, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Jennifer K. Tran
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Aram Derbedrossian
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Leeor Zilbermintz
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Emiene Amali-Adekwu
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Anastasia Levitin
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
| | - Joel West
- Henry E. Riggs School of Applied Life Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute (KGI), 535 Watson Drive, Claremont, California 91711, United States
- Shield Pharma LLC, 1420 North Claremont Boulevard, Suite 102A, Claremont, California 91711, United States
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Kandari D, Joshi H, Tanwar N, Munde M, Bhatnagar R. Delineation of the Residues of Bacillus anthracis Zinc Uptake Regulator Protein Directly Involved in Its Interaction with Cognate DNA. Biol Trace Elem Res 2021; 199:3147-3158. [PMID: 33052530 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-020-02427-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Zinc uptake regulator (Zur) is a negative transcriptional regulator of bacteria that belongs to the FUR superfamily of proteins and regulates zinc (Zn) homeostasis under extreme Zn conditions. The Zur protein of Bacillus anthracis (BaZur) was though characterized previously, but the residues of this transcriptional regulator, crucial for binding to the consensus Zur box in the cognate DNA, remain unexplored. In this study, we reveal the essential residues of the protein that govern the specific interaction with the cognate DNA, through mutational and binding studies. In silico predicted model of the BaZur protein with the promoter region of one of the regulon candidates was utilized to identify specific residues of the N-terminal domain (NTD), constituting the DNA-binding recognition helix. Our results suggest that two phenylalanine residues, a non-polar aliphatic leucine and a positively charged arginine residue of NTD, are predominantly involved in DNA binding of BaZur. Among these, the arginine residue (Arg58) is conserved among all the Zur proteins and the two Phe residues, namely Phe53 and Phe63, are conserved in the Zur proteins of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. Taken together, the current study represents an in-depth investigation into the key DNA-binding residues involved in the BaZur-DNA interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Kandari
- Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Hemant Joshi
- Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Neetu Tanwar
- School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Manoj Munde
- School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Rakesh Bhatnagar
- Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.
- Banaras Hindu University, Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India.
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Pan-Genome Portrait of Bacillus mycoides Provides Insights into the Species Ecology and Evolution. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0031121. [PMID: 34287030 PMCID: PMC8552610 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00311-21] [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] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus mycoides is poorly known despite its frequent occurrence in a wide variety of environments. To provide direct insight into its ecology and evolutionary history, a comparative investigation of the species pan-genome and the functional gene categorization of 35 isolates obtained from soil samples from northeastern Poland was performed. The pan-genome of these isolates is composed of 20,175 genes and is characterized by a strong predominance of adaptive genes (∼83%), a significant amount of plasmid genes (∼37%), and a great contribution of prophages and insertion sequences. The pan-genome structure and phylodynamic studies had suggested a wide genomic diversity among the isolates, but no correlation between lineages and the bacillus origin was found. Nevertheless, the two B. mycoides populations, one from Białowieża National Park, the last European natural primeval forest with soil classified as organic, and the second from mineral soil samples taken in a farm in Jasienówka, a place with strong anthropogenic pressure, differ significantly in the frequency of genes encoding proteins enabling bacillus adaptation to specific stress conditions and production of a set of compounds, thus facilitating their colonization of various ecological niches. Furthermore, differences in the prevalence of essential stress sigma factors might be an important trail of this process. Due to these numerous adaptive genes, B. mycoides is able to quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions. IMPORTANCE This research allows deeper understanding of the genetic organization of natural bacterial populations, specifically, Bacillus mycoides, a psychrotrophic member of the Bacillus cereus group that is widely distributed worldwide, especially in areas with continental cold climates. These thorough analyses made it possible to describe, for the first time, the B. mycoides pan-genome, phylogenetic relationship within this species, and the mechanisms behind the species ecology and evolutionary history. Our study indicates a set of functional properties and adaptive genes, in particular, those encoding sigma factors, associated with B. mycoides acclimatization to specific ecological niches and changing environmental conditions.
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Miller M, Romine W, Oroszi T. Public Discussion of Anthrax on Twitter: Using Machine Learning to Identify Relevant Topics and Events. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2021; 7:e27976. [PMID: 34142975 PMCID: PMC8277308 DOI: 10.2196/27976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Social media allows researchers to study opinions and reactions to events in real time. One area needing more study is anthrax-related events. A computational framework that utilizes machine learning techniques was created to collect tweets discussing anthrax, further categorize them as relevant by the month of data collection, and detect discussions on anthrax-related events. Objective The objective of this study was to detect discussions on anthrax-related events and to determine the relevance of the tweets and topics of discussion over 12 months of data collection. Methods This is an infoveillance study, using tweets in English containing the keyword “Anthrax” and “Bacillus anthracis”, collected from September 25, 2017, through August 15, 2018. Machine learning techniques were used to determine what people were tweeting about anthrax. Data over time was plotted to determine whether an event was detected (a 3-fold spike in tweets). A machine learning classifier was created to categorize tweets by relevance to anthrax. Relevant tweets by month were examined using a topic modeling approach to determine the topics of discussion over time and how these events influence that discussion. Results Over the 12 months of data collection, a total of 204,008 tweets were collected. Logistic regression analysis revealed the best performance for relevance (precision=0.81; recall=0.81; F1-score=0.80). In total, 26 topics were associated with anthrax-related events, tweets that were highly retweeted, natural outbreaks, and news stories. Conclusions This study shows that tweets related to anthrax can be collected and analyzed over time to determine what people are discussing and to detect key anthrax-related events. Future studies are required to focus only on opinion tweets, use the methodology to study other terrorism events, or to monitor for terrorism threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Miller
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - William Romine
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Terry Oroszi
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
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Blundell-Hunter G, Enright MC, Negus D, Dorman MJ, Beecham GE, Pickard DJ, Wintachai P, Voravuthikunchai SP, Thomson NR, Taylor PW. Characterisation of Bacteriophage-Encoded Depolymerases Selective for Key Klebsiella pneumoniae Capsular Exopolysaccharides. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:686090. [PMID: 34222050 PMCID: PMC8253255 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.686090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Capsular polysaccharides enable clinically important clones of Klebsiella pneumoniae to cause severe systemic infections in susceptible hosts. Phage-encoded capsule depolymerases have the potential to provide an alternative treatment paradigm in patients when multiple drug resistance has eroded the efficacy of conventional antibiotic chemotherapy. An investigation of 164 K. pneumoniae from intensive care patients in Thailand revealed a large number of distinct K types in low abundance but four (K2, K51, K1, K10) with a frequency of at least 5%. To identify depolymerases with the capacity to degrade capsules associated with these common K-types, 62 lytic phage were isolated from Thai hospital sewage water using K1, K2 and K51 isolates as hosts; phage plaques, without exception, displayed halos indicative of the presence of capsule-degrading enzymes. Phage genomes ranged in size from 41-348 kb with between 50 and 535 predicted coding sequences (CDSs). Using a custom phage protein database we were successful in applying annotation to 30 - 70% (mean = 58%) of these CDSs. The largest genomes, of so-called jumbo phage, carried multiple tRNAs as well as CRISPR repeat and spacer sequences. One of the smaller phage genomes was found to contain a putative Cas type 1E gene, indicating a history of host DNA acquisition in these obligate lytic phage. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) indicated that some phage displayed an extended host range due to the presence of multiple depolymerase genes; in total, 42 candidate depolymerase genes were identified with up to eight in a single genome. Seven distinct virions were selected for further investigation on the basis of host range, phage morphology and WGS. Candidate genes for K1, K2 and K51 depolymerases were expressed and purified as his6-tagged soluble protein and enzymatic activity demonstrated against K. pneumoniae capsular polysaccharides by gel electrophoresis and Anton-Paar rolling ball viscometry. Depolymerases completely removed the capsule in K-type-specific fashion from K. pneumoniae cells. We conclude that broad-host range phage carry multiple enzymes, each with the capacity to degrade a single K-type, and any future use of these enzymes as therapeutic agents will require enzyme cocktails for utility against a range of K. pneumoniae infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark C. Enright
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - David Negus
- School of Science & Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J. Dorman
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Gemma E. Beecham
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Derek J. Pickard
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Nicholas R. Thomson
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter W. Taylor
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Susmitha A, Bajaj H, Madhavan Nampoothiri K. The divergent roles of sortase in the biology of Gram-positive bacteria. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 7:100055. [PMID: 34195501 PMCID: PMC8225981 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2021.100055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial cell wall contains numerous surface-exposed proteins, which are covalently anchored and assembled by a sortase family of transpeptidase enzymes. The sortase are cysteine transpeptidases that catalyzes the covalent attachment of surface protein to the cell wall peptidoglycan. Among the reported six classes of sortases, each distinct class of sortase plays a unique biological role in anchoring a variety of surface proteins to the peptidoglycan of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria. Sortases not only exhibit virulence and pathogenesis properties to host cells, but also possess a significant role in gut retention and immunomodulation in probiotic microbes. The two main distinct functions are to attach proteins directly to the cell wall or assemble pili on the microbial surface. This review provides a compendium of the distribution of different classes of sortases present in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria and also the noteworthy role played by them in bacterial cell wall assembly which enables each microbe to effectively interact with its environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aliyath Susmitha
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum 695019, Kerala, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Harsha Bajaj
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum 695019, Kerala, India
| | - Kesavan Madhavan Nampoothiri
- Microbial Processes and Technology Division, CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum 695019, Kerala, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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Mansingh A, Choudhary HR, Shandilya J, Bhattacharya D, Kshatri JS, Parai D, Pattanaik M, Padhi AK, Jain HK, Mohanty P, Kanungo S, Pati S. A qualitative exploratory study using One Health approach for developing an intervention package for elimination of human anthrax in an endemic district of Odisha, India. Indian J Med Res 2021; 153:394-400. [PMID: 33907004 PMCID: PMC8204828 DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_646_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background & objectives: Anthrax is a zoonotic disease of public health concern in India. One of the key predisposing factors is linked to the behaviour of the community. This study was nested within a baseline survey to understand the risk perception, attitude, socio-cultural and behavioural practices among different communities in an anthrax endemic tribal district of Odisha, India. It was aimed to explore the systemic gaps from the officials of different departments while addressing the animal and human anthrax cases and the knowledge, attitude, and behavioural practices among the tribal communities with regards to both animal and human anthrax signs, symptoms, and transmission from animal to human. Methods: A qualitative exploratory study was carried out in the district of Koraput, Odisha. Insights from eight focus group discussions (FGDs) and 42 in-depth-interviews (IDIs) with the stakeholders from health, veterinary, forest, general administrative departments and community were collected and analyzed thematically. Results: Major themes that emerged were inter-departmental coordination, livestock vaccination, surveillance network, laboratory facilities, prevention and control strategies with regards to the animal and human anthrax cases. The study also emphasized setting up the surveillance system as per the standard guidelines, and strengthening the diagnostic facilities for timely detection of confirmed cases. It also highlighted the current needs and the gaps among inter-sectoral coordination, collaboration, and sensitization among Health, Veterinary, Forest, Education, Nutrition, and Tribal Welfare Departments at various levels to reduce the prevalence and control the outbreaks of anthrax in the district and State. Interpretation & conclusions: The coordination gaps, financial burden, insufficient relevant knowledge and information among the concerned stakeholders were the issues found in this study in addition to non-availability of proper diagnostic facility. The coordination among different departments adapting One Health approach may be one of the best possible ways for the elimination of anthrax cases in an endemic region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asit Mansingh
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Hari Ram Choudhary
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Jyoti Shandilya
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Debdutta Bhattacharya
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Jaya Singh Kshatri
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Debaprasad Parai
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Matrujyoti Pattanaik
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Arun Kumar Padhi
- Office of the Chief District Medical Officer, Koraput, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Koraput, Government of Odisha, Odisha, India
| | - Hitesh Kumar Jain
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Prasantajyoti Mohanty
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Srikanta Kanungo
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Sanghamitra Pati
- Department of Microbiology and One Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
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Bacillus anthracis chain length, a virulence determinant, is regulated by membrane localized serine/threonine protein kinase PrkC. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:JB.00582-20. [PMID: 33753466 PMCID: PMC8117516 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00582-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a spore-forming pathogen that displays a chaining phenotype. It has been reported that the chaining phenotype acts as a virulence factor in B. anthracis In this study, we identify a serine/threonine protein kinase of B. anthracis, PrkC, the only kinase localized at the bacteria-host interface, as a determinant of B. anthracis chain length. In vitro, prkC disruption strain (BAS ΔprkC) grew as shorter chains throughout the bacterial growth cycle. A comparative analysis between the parent strain and BAS ΔprkC indicated that the levels of proteins, BslO and Sap, associated with the regulation of the bacterial chain length, were upregulated in BAS ΔprkC BslO is a septal murein hydrolase that catalyzes daughter cell separation and Sap is an S-layer structural protein required for the septal localization of BslO. PrkC disruption also has a significant effect on bacterial growth, cell wall thickness, and septa formation. Upregulation of ftsZ in BAS ΔprkC was also observed. Altogether, our results indicate that PrkC is required for maintaining optimum growth, cell wall homeostasis and most importantly - for the maintenance of the chaining phenotype.IMPORTANCEChaining phenotype acts as a virulence factor in Bacillus anthracis This is the first study that identifies a 'signal transduction protein' with an ability to regulate the chaining phenotype in Bacillus anthracis We show that the disruption of the lone surface-localized serine/threonine protein kinase, PrkC, leads to the shortening of the bacterial chains. We report upregulation of the de-chaining proteins in the PrkC disruption strain. Apart from this, we also report for the first time that PrkC disruption results in an attenuated cell growth, a decrease in the cell wall thickness and aberrant cell septa formation during the logarithmic phase of growth - a growth phase where PrkC is expressed maximally.
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Very Rare Gastrointestinal Anthrax in a Pregnant Woman. INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN CLINICAL PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1097/ipc.0000000000000946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Sittner A, Bar-David E, Glinert I, Ben-Shmuel A, Schlomovitz J, Levy H, Weiss S. Role of acpA and acpB in Bacillus anthracis capsule accumulation and toxin independent pathogenicity in rabbits. Microb Pathog 2021; 155:104904. [PMID: 33930422 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.104904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The poly- δ- d-glutamic acid capsule of Bacillus anthracis plays a major role in this bacterium pathogenicity. Capsule synthesis relies on a 5 gene operon; capB, C, A, D and E that are regulated by acpA and acpB, that respond to the major virulence regulator - atxA. We took a genetic approach to examine the involvement of acpA and acpB in capsule production in vitro and on B. anthracis virulence in vivo. To complement the effect of the mutations on capsule accumulation in vitro, we applied our toxin independent systemic infection method to study their effects in vivo. We found that though the roles of acpA and axpB are redundant in vitro, deleting acpA had a significant effect on pathogenicity, mainly on the time to death. As expected, deletion of both acpA and acpB resulted in loss of capsule accumulation in vitro and full attenuation in vivo, indicating that capsule production depends exclusively on acpA/B regulation. To identify additional effects of acpA and acpB on pathogenicity via non-capsule related virulence pathways, we bypassed acpA/B regulation by inserting the pagA promotor upstream to the cap operon, diverting regulation directly to atxA. This resulted in restoration of capsule accumulation in vitro and virulence (in intravenous or subcutaneous inoculation) in vivo. To test for additional pXO2-based genes involved in capsule production, we cloned the pagAprom-capA-E into the chromosome of VollumΔpXO2, which restored capsule accumulation. These results indicate that of the pXO2 genes, only capA-E and acpA are required for capsule production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assa Sittner
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Elad Bar-David
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Itai Glinert
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Amir Ben-Shmuel
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Josef Schlomovitz
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Haim Levy
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel.
| | - Shay Weiss
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, P.O. Box 19, Ness Ziona 74100, Israel
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Selvaraj C, Vierra M, Dinesh DC, Abhirami R, Singh SK. Structural insights of macromolecules involved in bacteria-induced apoptosis in the pathogenesis of human diseases. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2021; 126:1-38. [PMID: 34090612 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2021.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Numbers of pathogenic bacteria can induce apoptosis in human host cells and modulate the cellular pathways responsible for inducing or inhibiting apoptosis. These pathogens are significantly recognized by host proteins and provoke the multitude of several signaling pathways and alter the cellular apoptotic stimuli. This process leads the bacterial entry into the mammalian cells and evokes a variety of responses like phagocytosis, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, secretion of bacterial effectors, release of both apoptotic and inflammatory cytokines, and the triggering of apoptosis. Several mechanisms are involved in bacteria-induced apoptosis including, initiation of the endogenous death machinery, pore-forming proteins, and secretion of superantigens. Either small molecules or proteins may act as a binding partner responsible for forming the protein complexes and regulate enzymatic activity via protein-protein interactions. The bacteria induce apoptosis, attack the human cell and gain control over various types of cells and tissue. Since these processes are intricate in the defense mechanisms of host organisms against pathogenic bacteria and play an important function in host-pathogen interactions. In this chapter, we focus on the various bacterial-induced apoptosis mechanisms in host cells and discuss the important proteins and bacterial effectors that trigger the host cell apoptosis. The structural characterization of bacterial effector proteins and their interaction with human host cells are also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrabose Selvaraj
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modeling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Marisol Vierra
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | | | - Rajaram Abhirami
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modeling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sanjeev Kumar Singh
- Computer Aided Drug Design and Molecular Modeling Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Science Block, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Harnish JM, Link N, Yamamoto S. Drosophila as a Model for Infectious Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2724. [PMID: 33800390 PMCID: PMC7962867 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used to understand fundamental principles of genetics and biology for over a century. Drosophila is now also considered an essential tool to study mechanisms underlying numerous human genetic diseases. In this review, we will discuss how flies can be used to deepen our knowledge of infectious disease mechanisms in vivo. Flies make effective and applicable models for studying host-pathogen interactions thanks to their highly conserved innate immune systems and cellular processes commonly hijacked by pathogens. Drosophila researchers also possess the most powerful, rapid, and versatile tools for genetic manipulation in multicellular organisms. This allows for robust experiments in which specific pathogenic proteins can be expressed either one at a time or in conjunction with each other to dissect the molecular functions of each virulent factor in a cell-type-specific manner. Well documented phenotypes allow large genetic and pharmacological screens to be performed with relative ease using huge collections of mutant and transgenic strains that are publicly available. These factors combine to make Drosophila a powerful tool for dissecting out host-pathogen interactions as well as a tool to better understand how we can treat infectious diseases that pose risks to public health, including COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Michael Harnish
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Houston, TX 77030, USA; (J.M.H.); (N.L.)
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nichole Link
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Houston, TX 77030, USA; (J.M.H.); (N.L.)
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Houston, TX 77030, USA; (J.M.H.); (N.L.)
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, BCM, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Development, Disease Models and Therapeutics Graduate Program, BCM, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Jones JM, Grinberg I, Eldar A, Grossman AD. A mobile genetic element increases bacterial host fitness by manipulating development. eLife 2021; 10:65924. [PMID: 33655883 PMCID: PMC8032392 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer is a major force in bacterial evolution. Mobile genetic elements are responsible for much of horizontal gene transfer and also carry beneficial cargo genes. Uncovering strategies used by mobile genetic elements to benefit host cells is crucial for understanding their stability and spread in populations. We describe a benefit that ICEBs1, an integrative and conjugative element of Bacillus subtilis, provides to its host cells. Activation of ICEBs1 conferred a frequency-dependent selective advantage to host cells during two different developmental processes: biofilm formation and sporulation. These benefits were due to inhibition of biofilm-associated gene expression and delayed sporulation by ICEBs1-containing cells, enabling them to exploit their neighbors and grow more prior to development. A single ICEBs1 gene, devI (formerly ydcO), was both necessary and sufficient for inhibition of development. Manipulation of host developmental programs allows ICEBs1 to increase host fitness, thereby increasing propagation of the element. Many bacteria can ‘have sex’ – that is, they can share their genetic information and trade off segments of DNA. While these mobile genetic elements can be parasites that use the resources of their host to make more of themselves, some carry useful genes which, for example, help bacteria to fight off antibiotics. Integrative and conjugative elements (or ICEs) are a type of mobile segments that normally stay inside the genetic information of their bacterial host but can sometimes replicate and be pumped out to another cell. ICEBs1 for instance, is an element found in the common soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Scientists know that ICEBs1 can rapidly spread in biofilms – the slimly, crowded communities where bacteria live tightly connected – but it is still unclear whether it helps or hinders its hosts. Using genetic manipulations and tracking the survival of different groups of cells, Jones et al. show that carrying ICEBs1 confers an advantage under many conditions. When B. subtilis forms biofilms, the presence of the devI gene in ICEBs1 helps the cells to delay the production of the costly mucus that keeps bacteria together, allowing the organisms to ‘cheat’ for a little while and benefit from the tight-knit community without contributing to it. As nutrients become scarce in biofilms, the gene also allows the bacteria to grow for longer before they start to form spores – the dormant bacterial form that can weather difficult conditions. Mobile elements can carry genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics, harmful to humans, or able to use new food sources; they could even be used to artificially introduce genes of interest in these cells. The work by Jones et al. helps to understand the way these elements influence the fate of their host, providing insight into how they could be harnessed for the benefit of human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Jones
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
| | - Ilana Grinberg
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Avigdor Eldar
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Alan D Grossman
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States
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LytR-CpsA-Psr Glycopolymer Transferases: Essential Bricks in Gram-Positive Bacterial Cell Wall Assembly. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020908. [PMID: 33477538 PMCID: PMC7831098 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria contain a variety of glycopolymers (CWGPs), a significant proportion of which are covalently linked to the peptidoglycan (PGN) scaffolding structure. Prominent CWGPs include wall teichoic acids of Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcal capsules, mycobacterial arabinogalactan, and rhamnose-containing polysaccharides of lactic acid bacteria. CWGPs serve important roles in bacterial cellular functions, morphology, and virulence. Despite evident differences in composition, structure and underlaying biosynthesis pathways, the final ligation step of CWGPs to the PGN backbone involves a conserved class of enzymes-the LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) transferases. Typically, the enzymes are present in multiple copies displaying partly functional redundancy and/or preference for a distinct CWGP type. LCP enzymes require a lipid-phosphate-linked glycan precursor substrate and catalyse, with a certain degree of promiscuity, CWGP transfer to PGN of different maturation stages, according to in vitro evidence. The prototype attachment mode is that to the C6-OH of N-acetylmuramic acid residues via installation of a phosphodiester bond. In some cases, attachment proceeds to N-acetylglucosamine residues of PGN-in the case of the Streptococcus agalactiae capsule, even without involvement of a phosphate bond. A novel aspect of LCP enzymes concerns a predicted role in protein glycosylation in Actinomyces oris. Available crystal structures provide further insight into the catalytic mechanism of this biologically important class of enzymes, which are gaining attention as new targets for antibacterial drug discovery to counteract the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria.
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