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Liang Y, Luo H, Lin Y, Gao F. Recent advances in the characterization of essential genes and development of a database of essential genes. IMETA 2024; 3:e157. [PMID: 38868518 PMCID: PMC10989110 DOI: 10.1002/imt2.157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been a significant interest in the study of essential genes, which are crucial for the survival of an organism under specific environmental conditions and thus have practical applications in the fields of synthetic biology and medicine. An increasing amount of experimental data on essential genes has been obtained with the continuous development of technological methods. Meanwhile, various computational prediction methods, related databases and web servers have emerged accordingly. To facilitate the study of essential genes, we have established a database of essential genes (DEG), which has become popular with continuous updates to facilitate essential gene feature analysis and prediction, drug and vaccine development, as well as artificial genome design and construction. In this article, we summarized the studies of essential genes, overviewed the relevant databases, and discussed their practical applications. Furthermore, we provided an overview of the main applications of DEG and conducted comprehensive analyses based on its latest version. However, it should be noted that the essential gene is a dynamic concept instead of a binary one, which presents both opportunities and challenges for their future development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hao Luo
- Department of PhysicsTianjin UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Yan Lin
- Department of PhysicsTianjin UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of PhysicsTianjin UniversityTianjinChina
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education)Tianjin UniversityTianjinChina
- SynBio Research PlatformCollaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin)TianjinChina
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2
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Bissantz C, Zampaloni C, David-Pierson P, Dieppois G, Guenther A, Trauner A, Winther L, Stubbings W. Translational PK/PD for the Development of Novel Antibiotics-A Drug Developer's Perspective. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:72. [PMID: 38247631 PMCID: PMC10812724 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13010072] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic development traditionally involved large Phase 3 programs, preceded by Phase 2 studies. Recognizing the high unmet medical need for new antibiotics and, in some cases, challenges to conducting large clinical trials, regulators created a streamlined clinical development pathway in which a lean clinical efficacy dataset is complemented by nonclinical data as supportive evidence of efficacy. In this context, translational Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) plays a key role and is a major contributor to a "robust" nonclinical package. The classical PK/PD index approach, proven successful for established classes of antibiotics, is at the core of recent antibiotic approvals and the current antibacterial PK/PD guidelines by regulators. Nevertheless, in the case of novel antibiotics with a novel Mechanism of Action (MoA), there is no prior experience with the PK/PD index approach as the basis for translating nonclinical efficacy to clinical outcome, and additional nonclinical studies and PK/PD analyses might be considered to increase confidence. In this review, we discuss the value and limitations of the classical PK/PD approach and present potential risk mitigation activities, including the introduction of a semi-mechanism-based PK/PD modeling approach. We propose a general nonclinical PK/PD package from which drug developers might choose the studies most relevant for each individual candidate in order to build up a "robust" nonclinical PK/PD understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Bissantz
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Zampaloni
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology (CMI2O), Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pascale David-Pierson
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Guennaelle Dieppois
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology (CMI2O), Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Guenther
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrej Trauner
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology (CMI2O), Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lotte Winther
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - William Stubbings
- Product Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., 4070 Basel, Switzerland
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3
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Díaz-Pérez AL, Díaz-Pérez C, Gaona-García RY, Hernández-Santoyo A, Lázaro-Mixteco PE, Reyes-De La Cruz H, Campos-García J. Study of peripheral domains in structure-function of isocitrate lyase (ICL) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 39:339. [PMID: 37821748 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03768-0] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The capacity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to assimilate nutrients is essential for niche colonization and contributes to its pathogenicity. Isocitrate lyase (ICL), the first enzyme of the glyoxylate cycle, redirects isocitrate from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to render glyoxylate and succinate. P. aeruginosa ICL (PaICL) is regarded as a virulence factor due to its role in carbon assimilation during infection. The AceA/ICL protein family shares the catalytic domain I, triosephosphate isomerase barrel (TIM-barrel). The carboxyl terminus of domain I is essential for Escherichia coli ICL (EcICL) of subfamily 1. PaICL, which belongs to subfamily 3, has domain II inserted at the periphery of domain I, which is believed to participate in enzyme oligomerization. In addition, PaICL has the α13-loop-α14 (extended motif), which protrudes from the enzyme core, being of unknown function. This study investigates the role of domain II, the extended motif, and the carboxyl-terminus (C-ICL) and amino-terminus (N-ICL) regions in the function of the PaICL enzyme, also as their involvement in the virulence of P. aeruginosa PAO1. Deletion of domain II and the extended motif results in enzyme inactivation and structural instability of the enzyme. The His6-tag fusion at the C-ICL protein produced a less efficient enzyme than fusion at the N-ICL, but without affecting the acetate assimilation or virulence. The PaICL homotetrameric structure of the enzyme was more stable in the N-His6-ICL than in the C-His6-ICL, suggesting that the C-terminus is critical for the ICL quaternary conformation. The ICL-mutant A39 complemented with the recombinant proteins N-His6-ICL or C-His6-ICL were more virulent than the WT PAO1 strain. The findings indicate that the domain II and the extended motif are essential for the ICL structure/function, and the C-terminus is involved in its quaternary structure conformation, confirming that in P. aeruginosa, the ICL is essential for acetate assimilation and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alma Laura Díaz-Pérez
- Lab. de Biotecnología Microbiana, Instituto de Investigaciones Químico Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edif. U-3, Ciudad Universitaria, 58030, Morelia, Mich., Mexico
| | - César Díaz-Pérez
- Facultad de Agrobiologia, Campus Celaya-Salvatierra, Universiad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico
| | - Roxana Yughadi Gaona-García
- Lab. de Biotecnología Microbiana, Instituto de Investigaciones Químico Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edif. U-3, Ciudad Universitaria, 58030, Morelia, Mich., Mexico
| | - Alejandra Hernández-Santoyo
- Departamento de Química de Biomacromoléculas, Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Pedro E Lázaro-Mixteco
- Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Mich., Mexico
| | - Homero Reyes-De La Cruz
- Lab. de Biotecnología Microbiana, Instituto de Investigaciones Químico Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edif. U-3, Ciudad Universitaria, 58030, Morelia, Mich., Mexico
| | - Jesús Campos-García
- Lab. de Biotecnología Microbiana, Instituto de Investigaciones Químico Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edif. U-3, Ciudad Universitaria, 58030, Morelia, Mich., Mexico.
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4
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Ayon NJ. High-Throughput Screening of Natural Product and Synthetic Molecule Libraries for Antibacterial Drug Discovery. Metabolites 2023; 13:625. [PMID: 37233666 PMCID: PMC10220967 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13050625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the continued emergence of resistance and a lack of new and promising antibiotics, bacterial infection has become a major public threat. High-throughput screening (HTS) allows rapid screening of a large collection of molecules for bioactivity testing and holds promise in antibacterial drug discovery. More than 50% of the antibiotics that are currently available on the market are derived from natural products. However, with the easily discoverable antibiotics being found, finding new antibiotics from natural sources has seen limited success. Finding new natural sources for antibacterial activity testing has also proven to be challenging. In addition to exploring new sources of natural products and synthetic biology, omics technology helped to study the biosynthetic machinery of existing natural sources enabling the construction of unnatural synthesizers of bioactive molecules and the identification of molecular targets of antibacterial agents. On the other hand, newer and smarter strategies have been continuously pursued to screen synthetic molecule libraries for new antibiotics and new druggable targets. Biomimetic conditions are explored to mimic the real infection model to better study the ligand-target interaction to enable the designing of more effective antibacterial drugs. This narrative review describes various traditional and contemporaneous approaches of high-throughput screening of natural products and synthetic molecule libraries for antibacterial drug discovery. It further discusses critical factors for HTS assay design, makes a general recommendation, and discusses possible alternatives to traditional HTS of natural products and synthetic molecule libraries for antibacterial drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid J Ayon
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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5
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Kim YJ, Park EJ, Lee SH, Silwal P, Kim JK, Yang JS, Whang J, Jang J, Kim JM, Jo EK. Dimethyl itaconate is effective in host-directed antimicrobial responses against mycobacterial infections through multifaceted innate immune pathways. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:49. [PMID: 36882813 PMCID: PMC9993662 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-00992-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Itaconate, a crucial immunometabolite, plays a critical role in linking immune and metabolic functions to influence host defense and inflammation. Due to its polar structure, the esterified cell-permeable derivatives of itaconate are being developed to provide therapeutic opportunities in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Yet, it remains largely uncharacterized whether itaconate derivatives have potentials in promoting host-directed therapeutics (HDT) against mycobacterial infections. Here, we report dimethyl itaconate (DMI) as the promising candidate for HDT against both Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and nontuberculous mycobacteria by orchestrating multiple innate immune programs. RESULTS DMI per se has low bactericidal activity against Mtb, M. bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and M. avium (Mav). However, DMI robustly activated intracellular elimination of multiple mycobacterial strains (Mtb, BCG, Mav, and even to multidrug-resistant Mtb) in macrophages and in vivo. DMI significantly suppressed the production of interleukin-6 and -10, whereas it enhanced autophagy and phagosomal maturation, during Mtb infection. DMI-mediated autophagy partly contributed to antimicrobial host defenses in macrophages. Moreover, DMI significantly downregulated the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling during infection with Mtb, BCG, and Mav. CONCLUSION Together, DMI has potent anti-mycobacterial activities in macrophages and in vivo through promoting multifaceted ways for innate host defenses. DMI may bring light to new candidate for HDT against Mtb and nontuberculous mycobacteria, both of which infections are often intractable with antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Jae Kim
- Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.,Infection Control Convergence Research Center, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.,Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.,Brain Korea 21 FOUR Project for Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Eun-Jin Park
- Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.,Infection Control Convergence Research Center, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Sang-Hee Lee
- Center for Research Equipment, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
| | - Prashanta Silwal
- Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jin Kyung Kim
- Department of Microbiology, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jeong Seong Yang
- Department of Research and Development, Korea Mycobacterium Resource Center (KMRC), The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Osong, 28158, South Korea
| | - Jake Whang
- Department of Research and Development, Korea Mycobacterium Resource Center (KMRC), The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Osong, 28158, South Korea
| | - Jichan Jang
- Division of Life Science, Department of Bio & Medical Big Data (BK21 Four Program), Research Institute of Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea
| | - Jin-Man Kim
- Infection Control Convergence Research Center, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.,Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.,Department of Pathology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Eun-Kyeong Jo
- Department of Microbiology, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea. .,Infection Control Convergence Research Center, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea. .,Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.
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6
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Xu X, Yan Y, Huang J, Zhang Z, Wang Z, Wu M, Liang H. Regulation of uric acid and glyoxylate metabolism by UgmR protein in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:3242-3255. [PMID: 35702827 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has evolved several systems to adapt to complex environments. The GntR family proteins play important roles in the regulation of metabolic processes and bacterial pathogenesis. In this study, we uncovered that the gene clusters of PA1513-PA1518 and PA1498-PA1502 in P. aeruginosa are required for uric acid and glyoxylate metabolism, respectively. We also identified a GntR family regulator UgmR that is involved in regulation of uric acid and glyoxylate metabolism. Promoter activity measurement and biochemical assays revealed that the UgmR directly represses the transcriptional activity of PA1513-PA1518 and PA1498-PA1502, and this inhibition was relieved by the addition of uric acid. Importantly, further experiments showed that UgmR also participates in the glyoxylate shunt. Collectively, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the UgmR factor involved in uric acid and glyoxylate metabolism, which provide insights into the complex metabolic pathways in P. aeruginosa. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejie Xu
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Yunfang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Jiadai Huang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Zihao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, ShaanXi, China
| | - Zhihan Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
| | - Haihua Liang
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, ShaanXi, China.,College of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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7
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Woods A, Parker D, Glick MM, Peng Y, Lenoir F, Mulligan E, Yu V, Piizzi G, Lister T, Lilly MD, Dzink-Fox J, Jansen JM, Ryder NS, Dean CR, Smith TM. High-Throughput Screen for Inhibitors of Klebsiella pneumoniae Virulence Using a Tetrahymena pyriformis Co-Culture Surrogate Host Model. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:5401-5414. [PMID: 35187355 PMCID: PMC8851646 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The continuing emergence of antibacterial resistance reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics and drives an ongoing search for effective replacements. Screening compound libraries for antibacterial activity in standard growth media has been extensively explored and may be showing diminishing returns. Inhibition of bacterial targets that are selectively important under in vivo (infection) conditions and, therefore, would be missed by conventional in vitro screens might be an alternative. Surrogate host models of infection, however, are often not suitable for high-throughput screens. Here, we adapted a medium-throughput Tetrahymena pyriformis surrogate host model that was successfully used to identify inhibitors of a hyperviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae strain to a high-throughput format and screened circa 1.2 million compounds. The screen was robust and identified confirmed hits from different chemical classes with potent inhibition of K. pneumoniae growth in the presence of T. pyriformis that lacked any appreciable direct antibacterial activity. Several of these appeared to inhibit capsule/mucoidy, which are key virulence factors in hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. A weakly antibacterial inhibitor of LpxC (essential for the synthesis of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharides) also appeared to be more active in the presence of T. pyriformis, which is consistent with the role of LPS in virulence as well as viability in K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela
L. Woods
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - David Parker
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Meir M. Glick
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Yunshan Peng
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Francois Lenoir
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Evan Mulligan
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Vincent Yu
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Grazia Piizzi
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Troy Lister
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Maria-Dawn Lilly
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - JoAnn Dzink-Fox
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Johanna M. Jansen
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, Emeryville California 94608-2916, United States
| | - Neil S. Ryder
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Charles R. Dean
- Infectious
Diseases, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Thomas M. Smith
- Chemical
Biology and Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research Inc, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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8
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Brinkman FSL, Winsor GL, Done RE, Filloux A, Francis VI, Goldberg JB, Greenberg EP, Han K, Hancock REW, Haney CH, Häußler S, Klockgether J, Lamont IL, Levesque RC, Lory S, Nikel PI, Porter SL, Scurlock MW, Schweizer HP, Tümmler B, Wang M, Welch M. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa whole genome sequence: A 20th anniversary celebration. Adv Microb Physiol 2021; 79:25-88. [PMID: 34836612 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Toward the end of August 2000, the 6.3 Mbp whole genome sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 was published. With 5570 open reading frames (ORFs), PAO1 had the largest microbial genome sequenced up to that point in time-including a large proportion of metabolic, transport and antimicrobial resistance genes supporting its ability to colonize diverse environments. A remarkable 9% of its ORFs were predicted to encode proteins with regulatory functions, providing new insight into bacterial network complexity as a function of network size. In this celebratory article, we fast forward 20 years, and examine how access to this resource has transformed our understanding of P. aeruginosa. What follows is more than a simple review or commentary; we have specifically asked some of the leaders in the field to provide personal reflections on how the PAO1 genome sequence, along with the Pseudomonas Community Annotation Project (PseudoCAP) and Pseudomonas Genome Database (pseudomonas.com), have contributed to the many exciting discoveries in this field. In addition to bringing us all up to date with the latest developments, we also ask our contributors to speculate on how the next 20 years of Pseudomonas research might pan out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona S L Brinkman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Geoffrey L Winsor
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Rachel E Done
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Emory Children's Center for Cystic Fibrosis and Airway Disease Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Alain Filloux
- Department of Life Sciences, MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vanessa I Francis
- Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna B Goldberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Emory Children's Center for Cystic Fibrosis and Airway Disease Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - E Peter Greenberg
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kook Han
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Cara H Haney
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Susanne Häußler
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jens Klockgether
- Klinik für Pädiatrische Pneumologie, Allergologie und Neonatologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Iain L Lamont
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Roger C Levesque
- Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Pavillon Charles-Eugène Marchand, Faculté of Médicine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Stephen Lory
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Pablo I Nikel
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Steven L Porter
- Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | | | - Herbert P Schweizer
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Burkhard Tümmler
- Klinik für Pädiatrische Pneumologie, Allergologie und Neonatologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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9
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Medeiros Filho F, do Nascimento APB, Costa MDOCE, Merigueti TC, de Menezes MA, Nicolás MF, Dos Santos MT, Carvalho-Assef APD, da Silva FAB. A Systematic Strategy to Find Potential Therapeutic Targets for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Using Integrated Computational Models. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:728129. [PMID: 34616771 PMCID: PMC8488468 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.728129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that has been a constant global health problem due to its ability to cause infection at different body sites and its resistance to a broad spectrum of clinically available antibiotics. The World Health Organization classified multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa among the top-ranked organisms that require urgent research and development of effective therapeutic options. Several approaches have been taken to achieve these goals, but they all depend on discovering potential drug targets. The large amount of data obtained from sequencing technologies has been used to create computational models of organisms, which provide a powerful tool for better understanding their biological behavior. In the present work, we applied a method to integrate transcriptome data with genome-scale metabolic networks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We submitted both metabolic and integrated models to dynamic simulations and compared their performance with published in vitro growth curves. In addition, we used these models to identify potential therapeutic targets and compared the results to analyze the assumption that computational models enriched with biological measurements can provide more selective and (or) specific predictions. Our results demonstrate that dynamic simulations from integrated models result in more accurate growth curves and flux distribution more coherent with biological observations. Moreover, identifying drug targets from integrated models is more selective as the predicted genes were a subset of those found in the metabolic models. Our analysis resulted in the identification of 26 non-host homologous targets. Among them, we highlighted five top-ranked genes based on lesser conservation with the human microbiome. Overall, some of the genes identified in this work have already been proposed by different approaches and (or) are already investigated as targets to antimicrobial compounds, reinforcing the benefit of using integrated models as a starting point to selecting biologically relevant therapeutic targets.
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10
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Yaeger LN, Coles VE, Chan DCK, Burrows LL. How to kill Pseudomonas-emerging therapies for a challenging pathogen. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1496:59-81. [PMID: 33830543 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
As the number of effective antibiotics dwindled, antibiotic resistance (AR) became a pressing concern. Some Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates are resistant to all available antibiotics. In this review, we identify the mechanisms that P. aeruginosa uses to evade antibiotics, including intrinsic, acquired, and adaptive resistance. Our review summarizes many different approaches to overcome resistance. Antimicrobial peptides have potential as therapeutics with low levels of resistance evolution. Rationally designed bacteriophage therapy can circumvent and direct evolution of AR and virulence. Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are highlighted as immune-based treatments targeting specific P. aeruginosa antigens. This review also identifies promising drug combinations, antivirulence therapies, and considerations for new antipseudomonal discovery. Finally, we provide an update on the clinical pipeline for antipseudomonal therapies and recommend future avenues for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke N Yaeger
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Victoria E Coles
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Derek C K Chan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lori L Burrows
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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11
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Peraman R, Sure SK, Dusthackeer VNA, Chilamakuru NB, Yiragamreddy PR, Pokuri C, Kutagulla VK, Chinni S. Insights on recent approaches in drug discovery strategies and untapped drug targets against drug resistance. FUTURE JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES 2021; 7:56. [PMID: 33686369 PMCID: PMC7928709 DOI: 10.1186/s43094-021-00196-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the various strategies undertaken in the clinical practice, the mortality rate due to antibiotic-resistant microbes has been markedly increasing worldwide. In addition to multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbes, the "ESKAPE" bacteria are also emerging. Of course, the infection caused by ESKAPE cannot be treated even with lethal doses of antibiotics. Now, the drug resistance is also more prevalent in antiviral, anticancer, antimalarial and antifungal chemotherapies. MAIN BODY To date, in the literature, the quantum of research reported on the discovery strategies for new antibiotics is remarkable but the milestone is still far away. Considering the need of the updated strategies and drug discovery approaches in the area of drug resistance among researchers, in this communication, we consolidated the insights pertaining to new drug development against drug-resistant microbes. It includes drug discovery void, gene paradox, transposon mutagenesis, vitamin biosynthesis inhibition, use of non-conventional media, host model, target through quorum sensing, genomic-chemical network, synthetic viability to targets, chemical versus biological space, combinational approach, photosensitization, antimicrobial peptides and transcriptome profiling. Furthermore, we optimally briefed about antievolution drugs, nanotheranostics and antimicrobial adjuvants and then followed by twelve selected new feasible drug targets for new drug design against drug resistance. Finally, we have also tabulated the chemical structures of potent molecules against antimicrobial resistance. CONCLUSION It is highly recommended to execute the anti-drug resistance research as integrated approach where both molecular and genetic research needs to be as integrative objective of drug discovery. This is time to accelerate new drug discovery research with advanced genetic approaches instead of conventional blind screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramalingam Peraman
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
| | - Sathish Kumar Sure
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
| | - V. N. Azger Dusthackeer
- grid.417330.20000 0004 1767 6138ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai, Tamilnadu India
| | - Naresh Babu Chilamakuru
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
| | - Padmanabha Reddy Yiragamreddy
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
| | - Chiranjeevi Pokuri
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
| | - Vinay Kumar Kutagulla
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
| | - Santhivardhan Chinni
- RERDS-CPR, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (RIPER)-Autonomous, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh India
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12
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Beattie SR, Krysan DJ. Antifungal drug screening: thinking outside the box to identify novel antifungal scaffolds. Curr Opin Microbiol 2020; 57:1-6. [PMID: 32339892 PMCID: PMC7652037 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2020.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections are responsible for a significant disease burden worldwide. Drugs to treat these infections are limited to only four unique classes, and despite these available treatments, mortality rates remain unacceptably high. In this review, we will discuss antifungal drug screening and how the approach to identifying novel compounds needs move away from traditional growth-based assays in order to meet the demand for new drugs. We highlight specific examples of creative screening strategies that increase the likelihood of identifying compounds with desired activities and provide perspective to inspire development of novel screens for the identification of first-in-class antifungals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Beattie
- Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Damian J Krysan
- Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States.
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13
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Abstract
While there has been much study of bacterial gene dispensability, there is a lack of comprehensive genome-scale examinations of the impact of gene deletion on growth in different carbon sources. In this context, a lot can be learned from such experiments in the model microbe Escherichia coli where much is already understood and there are existing tools for the investigation of carbon metabolism and physiology (1). Gene deletion studies have practical potential in the field of antibiotic drug discovery where there is emerging interest in bacterial central metabolism as a target for new antibiotics (2). Furthermore, some carbon utilization pathways have been shown to be critical for initiating and maintaining infection for certain pathogens and sites of infection (3–5). Here, with the use of high-throughput solid medium phenotyping methods, we have generated kinetic growth measurements for 3,796 genes under 30 different carbon source conditions. This data set provides a foundation for research that will improve our understanding of genes with unknown function, aid in predicting potential antibiotic targets, validate and advance metabolic models, and help to develop our understanding of E. coli metabolism. Central metabolism is a topic that has been studied for decades, and yet, this process is still not fully understood in Escherichia coli, perhaps the most amenable and well-studied model organism in biology. To further our understanding, we used a high-throughput method to measure the growth kinetics of each of 3,796 E. coli single-gene deletion mutants in 30 different carbon sources. In total, there were 342 genes (9.01%) encompassing a breadth of biological functions that showed a growth phenotype on at least 1 carbon source, demonstrating that carbon metabolism is closely linked to a large number of processes in the cell. We identified 74 genes that showed low growth in 90% of conditions, defining a set of genes which are essential in nutrient-limited media, regardless of the carbon source. The data are compiled into a Web application, Carbon Phenotype Explorer (CarPE), to facilitate easy visualization of growth curves for each mutant strain in each carbon source. Our experimental data matched closely with the predictions from the EcoCyc metabolic model which uses flux balance analysis to predict growth phenotypes. From our comparisons to the model, we found that, unexpectedly, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (ppc) was required for robust growth in most carbon sources other than most trichloroacetic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates. We also identified 51 poorly annotated genes that showed a low growth phenotype in at least 1 carbon source, which allowed us to form hypotheses about the functions of these genes. From this list, we further characterized the ydhC gene and demonstrated its role in adenosine efflux.
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14
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Chojnacki M, Cao X, Young M, Fritz RN, Dunman PM, Flaherty DP. Optimization of 4-Substituted Benzenesulfonamide Scaffold To Reverse Acinetobacter baumannii Serum-Adaptive Efflux Associated Antibiotic Tolerance. ChemMedChem 2020; 15:1731-1740. [PMID: 32681604 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202000328] [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: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen of urgent concern for public health due to rising rates of multidrug and pandrug resistance. In the context of environmental cues such as growth in human serum, A. baumannii is known to display adaptive efflux, in which a multitude of efflux-associated genes are upregulated, resulting in efflux-mediated drug tolerance in strains that are otherwise susceptible to antibiotic therapy. Previously, we identified a sulfonamide-containing scaffold molecule (ABEPI1) that reversed serum-associated antibiotic tolerance in A. baumannii. Herein, we present structure-activity relationship studies on 29 newly synthesized analogues. These molecules were characterized for their ability to potentiate multiple antibiotics in serum, reduce serum-associated ethidium bromide efflux and depolarize bacterial cell membranes. In addition, they were assessed for toxicity to mammalian cells. Collectively, these molecules may represent promising potential adjuvants for use in combination with new and existing antibiotics to treat A. baumannii bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaelle Chojnacki
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Xufeng Cao
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907
| | - Mikaeel Young
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Rebecca N Fritz
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907
| | - Paul M Dunman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Rochester, NY, 14642, USA
| | - Daniel P Flaherty
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 575 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907.,Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, 720 Clinic Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.,Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease, 207 South Martin Jischke Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
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15
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Luna B, Trebosc V, Lee B, Bakowski M, Ulhaq A, Yan J, Lu P, Cheng J, Nielsen T, Lim J, Ketphan W, Eoh H, McNamara C, Skandalis N, She R, Kemmer C, Lociuro S, Dale GE, Spellberg B. A nutrient-limited screen unmasks rifabutin hyperactivity for extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:1134-1143. [PMID: 32514072 PMCID: PMC7483275 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0737-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Industry screens of large chemical libraries have traditionally relied on rich media to ensure rapid bacterial growth in high-throughput testing. We used eukaryotic, nutrient-limited growth media in a compound screen that unmasked a previously unknown hyperactivity of the old antibiotic, rifabutin (RBT), against highly resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. In nutrient-limited, but not rich, media, RBT was 200-fold more potent than rifampin. RBT was also substantially more effective in vivo. The mechanism of enhanced efficacy was a Trojan horse-like import of RBT, but not rifampin, through fhuE, only in nutrient-limited conditions. These results are of fundamental importance to efforts to discover antibacterial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Luna
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | | | - Bosul Lee
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Amber Ulhaq
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jun Yan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peggy Lu
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jiaqi Cheng
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Travis Nielsen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Juhyeon Lim
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Warisa Ketphan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hyungjin Eoh
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Case McNamara
- Calibr, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas Skandalis
- Department of Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rosemary She
- Department of Pathology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Brad Spellberg
- Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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16
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2-Aminopyridine Analogs Inhibit Both Enzymes of the Glyoxylate Shunt in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21072490. [PMID: 32260167 PMCID: PMC7177833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21072490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. P. aeruginosa can thrive in diverse infection scenarios by rewiring its central metabolism. An example of this is the production of biomass from C2 nutrient sources such as acetate via the glyoxylate shunt when glucose is not available. The glyoxylate shunt is comprised of two enzymes, isocitrate lyase (ICL) and malate synthase G (MS), and flux through the shunt is essential for the survival of the organism in mammalian systems. In this study, we characterized the mode of action and cytotoxicity of structural analogs of 2-aminopyridines, which have been identified by earlier work as being inhibitory to both shunt enzymes. Two of these analogs were able to inhibit ICL and MS in vitro and prevented growth of P. aeruginosa on acetate (indicating cell permeability). Moreover, the compounds exerted negligible cytotoxicity against three human cell lines and showed promising in vitro drug metabolism and safety profiles. Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to confirm binding of one of the analogs to ICL and MS, and the mode of enzyme inhibition was determined. Our data suggest that these 2-aminopyridine analogs have potential as anti-pseudomonal agents.
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17
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McDowell LL, Quinn CL, Leeds JA, Silverman JA, Silver LL. Perspective on Antibacterial Lead Identification Challenges and the Role of Hypothesis-Driven Strategies. SLAS DISCOVERY 2020; 24:440-456. [PMID: 30890054 DOI: 10.1177/2472555218818786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
For the past three decades, the pharmaceutical industry has undertaken many diverse approaches to discover novel antibiotics, with limited success. We have witnessed and personally experienced many mistakes, hurdles, and dead ends that have derailed projects and discouraged scientists and business leaders. Of the many factors that affect the outcomes of screening campaigns, a lack of understanding of the properties that drive efflux and permeability requirements across species has been a major barrier for advancing hits to leads. Hits that possess bacterial spectrum have seldom also possessed druglike properties required for developability and safety. Persistence in solving these two key barriers is necessary for the reinvestment into discovering antibacterial agents. This perspective narrates our experience in antibacterial discovery-our lessons learned about antibacterial challenges as well as best practices for screening strategies. One of the tenets that guides us is that drug discovery is a hypothesis-driven science. Application of this principle, at all steps in the antibacterial discovery process, should improve decision making and possibly the odds of what has become, in recent decades, an increasingly challenging endeavor with dwindling success rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L McDowell
- 1 Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer A Leeds
- 1 Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, CA, USA
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18
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Lakemeyer M, Zhao W, Mandl FA, Hammann P, Sieber SA. Thinking Outside the Box-Novel Antibacterials To Tackle the Resistance Crisis. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:14440-14475. [PMID: 29939462 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201804971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The public view on antibiotics as reliable medicines changed when reports about "resistant superbugs" appeared in the news. While reasons for this resistance development are easily spotted, solutions for re-establishing effective antibiotics are still in their infancy. This Review encompasses several aspects of the antibiotic development pipeline from very early strategies to mature drugs. An interdisciplinary overview is given of methods suitable for mining novel antibiotics and strategies discussed to unravel their modes of action. Select examples of antibiotics recently identified by using these platforms not only illustrate the efficiency of these measures, but also highlight promising clinical candidates with therapeutic potential. Furthermore, the concept of molecules that disarm pathogens by addressing gatekeepers of virulence will be covered. The Review concludes with an evaluation of antibacterials currently in clinical development. Overall, this Review aims to connect select innovative antimicrobial approaches to stimulate interdisciplinary partnerships between chemists from academia and industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Lakemeyer
- Department of Chemistry, Chair of Organic Chemistry II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
| | - Weining Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, Chair of Organic Chemistry II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
| | - Franziska A Mandl
- Department of Chemistry, Chair of Organic Chemistry II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
| | - Peter Hammann
- R&D Therapeutic Area Infectious Diseases, Sanofi-Aventis (Deutschland) GmbH, Industriepark Höchst, 65926, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stephan A Sieber
- Department of Chemistry, Chair of Organic Chemistry II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85747, Garching, Germany
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19
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Lakemeyer M, Zhao W, Mandl FA, Hammann P, Sieber SA. Über bisherige Denkweisen hinaus - neue Wirkstoffe zur Überwindung der Antibiotika-Krise. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201804971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Lakemeyer
- Fakultät für Chemie; Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM); Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstraße 4 85747 Garching Deutschland
| | - Weining Zhao
- Fakultät für Chemie; Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM); Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstraße 4 85747 Garching Deutschland
| | - Franziska A. Mandl
- Fakultät für Chemie; Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM); Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstraße 4 85747 Garching Deutschland
| | - Peter Hammann
- R&D Therapeutic Area Infectious Diseases; Sanofi-Aventis (Deutschland) GmbH; Industriepark Höchst 65926 Frankfurt am Main Deutschland
| | - Stephan A. Sieber
- Fakultät für Chemie; Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie II, Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM); Technische Universität München; Lichtenbergstraße 4 85747 Garching Deutschland
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20
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Abstract
2017 marks the 60th anniversary of Krebs’ seminal paper on the glyoxylate shunt (and coincidentally, also the 80th anniversary of his discovery of the citric acid cycle). Sixty years on, we have witnessed substantial developments in our understanding of how flux is partitioned between the glyoxylate shunt and the oxidative decarboxylation steps of the citric acid cycle. The last decade has shown us that the beautifully elegant textbook mechanism that regulates carbon flux through the shunt in E. coli is an oversimplification of the situation in many other bacteria. The aim of this review is to assess how this new knowledge is impacting our understanding of flux control at the TCA cycle/glyoxylate shunt branch point in a wider range of genera, and to summarize recent findings implicating a role for the glyoxylate shunt in cellular functions other than metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K. Dolan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, United Kingdom;,
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, United Kingdom;,
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21
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Crousilles A, Dolan SK, Brear P, Chirgadze DY, Welch M. Gluconeogenic precursor availability regulates flux through the glyoxylate shunt in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:14260-14269. [PMID: 30030382 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.004514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The glyoxylate shunt bypasses the oxidative decarboxylation steps of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, thereby conserving carbon skeletons for gluconeogenesis and biomass production. In Escherichia coli, carbon flux is redirected through the first enzyme of the glyoxylate shunt, isocitrate lyase (ICL), following phosphorylation and inactivation of the TCA cycle enzyme, isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD), by the kinase/phosphatase, AceK. In contrast, mycobacterial species lack AceK and employ a phosphorylation-insensitive isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), which is allosterically activated by the product of ICL activity, glyoxylate. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa expresses IDH, ICD, ICL, and AceK, raising the question of how these enzymes are regulated to ensure proper flux distribution between the competing pathways. Here, we present the structure, kinetics, and regulation of ICL, IDH, and ICD from P. aeruginosa We found that flux partitioning is coordinated through reciprocal regulation of these enzymes, linking distribution of carbon flux to the availability of the key gluconeogenic precursors, oxaloacetate and pyruvate. Specifically, a greater abundance of these metabolites activated IDH and inhibited ICL, leading to increased TCA cycle flux. Regulation was also exerted through AceK-dependent phosphorylation of ICD; high levels of acetyl-CoA (which would be expected to accumulate when oxaloacetate is limiting) stimulated the kinase activity of AceK, whereas high levels of oxaloacetate stimulated its phosphatase activity. In summary, the TCA cycle-glyoxylate shunt branch point in P. aeruginosa has a complex enzymology that is profoundly different from those in other species characterized to date. Presumably, this reflects its predilection for consuming fatty acids, especially during infection scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Crousilles
- From the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen K Dolan
- From the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Brear
- From the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitri Y Chirgadze
- From the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Welch
- From the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, United Kingdom
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22
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Bartee D, Freel Meyers CL. Targeting the Unique Mechanism of Bacterial 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate Synthase. Biochemistry 2018; 57:4349-4356. [PMID: 29944345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial metabolite 1-deoxy-d-xyulose 5-phosphate (DXP) is essential in bacterial central metabolism feeding into isoprenoid, thiamin diphosphate (ThDP), and pyridoxal phosphate de novo biosynthesis. Halting its production through the inhibition of DXP synthase is an attractive strategy for the development of novel antibiotics. Recent work has revealed that DXP synthase utilizes a unique random sequential mechanism that requires formation of a ternary complex among pyruvate-derived C2α-lactylthiamin diphosphate (LThDP), d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (d-GAP), and enzyme, setting it apart from all other known ThDP-dependent enzymes. Herein, we describe the development of bisubstrate inhibitors bearing an acetylphosphonate (AP) pyruvate mimic and a distal negative charge mimicking the phosphoryl group of d-GAP, designed to target the unique form of DXP synthase that binds LThDP and d-GAP in a ternary complex. A d-phenylalanine-derived triazole acetylphosphonate (d-PheTrAP) emerged as the most potent inhibitor in this series, displaying slow, tight-binding inhibition with a Ki* of 90 ± 10 nM, forward ( k1) and reverse ( k2) isomerization rates of 1.1 and 0.14 min-1, respectively, and exquisite selectivity (>15000-fold) for DXP synthase over mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase. d-PheTrAP is the most potent, selective DXP synthase inhibitor described to date and represents the first inhibitor class designed specifically to exploit the unique E-LThDP-GAP ternary complex in ThDP enzymology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bartee
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences , The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Caren L Freel Meyers
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences , The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
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23
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Sanders S, Bartee D, Harrison MJ, Phillips PD, Koppisch AT, Freel Meyers CL. Growth medium-dependent antimicrobial activity of early stage MEP pathway inhibitors. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197638. [PMID: 29771999 PMCID: PMC5957436 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The in vivo microenvironment of bacterial pathogens is often characterized by nutrient limitation. Consequently, conventional rich in vitro culture conditions used widely to evaluate antibacterial agents are often poorly predictive of in vivo activity, especially for agents targeting metabolic pathways. In one such pathway, the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, which is essential for production of isoprenoids in bacterial pathogens, relatively little is known about the influence of growth environment on antibacterial properties of inhibitors targeting enzymes in this pathway. The early steps of the MEP pathway are catalyzed by 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) synthase and reductoisomerase (IspC). The in vitro antibacterial efficacy of the DXP synthase inhibitor butylacetylphosphonate (BAP) was recently reported to be strongly dependent upon growth medium, with high potency observed under nutrient limitation and exceedingly weak activity in nutrient-rich conditions. In contrast, the well-known IspC inhibitor fosmidomycin has potent antibacterial activity in nutrient-rich conditions, but to date, its efficacy had not been explored under more relevant nutrient-limited conditions. The goal of this work was to thoroughly characterize the effects of BAP and fosmidomycin on bacterial cells under varied growth conditions. In this work, we show that activities of both inhibitors, alone and in combination, are strongly dependent upon growth medium, with differences in cellular uptake contributing to variance in potency of both agents. Fosmidomycin is dissimilar to BAP in that it displays relatively weaker activity in nutrient-limited compared to nutrient-rich conditions. Interestingly, while it has been generally accepted that fosmidomycin activity depends upon expression of the GlpT transporter, our results indicate for the first time that fosmidomycin can enter cells by an alternative mechanism under nutrient limitation. Finally, we show that the potency and relationship of the BAP-fosmidomycin combination also depends upon the growth medium, revealing a striking loss of BAP-fosmidomycin synergy under nutrient limitation. This change in BAP-fosmidomycin relationship suggests a shift in the metabolic and/or regulatory networks surrounding DXP accompanying the change in growth medium, the understanding of which could significantly impact targeting strategies against this pathway. More generally, our findings emphasize the importance of considering physiologically relevant growth conditions for predicting the antibacterial potential MEP pathway inhibitors and for studies of their intracellular targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sanders
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - David Bartee
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Mackenzie J. Harrison
- Department of Chemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States of America
| | - Paul D. Phillips
- Department of Chemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States of America
| | - Andrew T. Koppisch
- Department of Chemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States of America
| | - Caren L. Freel Meyers
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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24
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Farha MA, French S, Stokes JM, Brown ED. Bicarbonate Alters Bacterial Susceptibility to Antibiotics by Targeting the Proton Motive Force. ACS Infect Dis 2018; 4:382-390. [PMID: 29264917 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The antibacterial properties of sodium bicarbonate have been known for years, yet the molecular understanding of its mechanism of action is still lacking. Utilizing chemical-chemical combinations, we first explored the effect of bicarbonate on the activity of conventional antibiotics to infer on the mechanism. Remarkably, the activity of 8 classes of antibiotics differed in the presence of this ubiquitous buffer. These interactions and a study of mechanism of action revealed that, at physiological concentrations, bicarbonate is a selective dissipater of the pH gradient of the proton motive force across the cytoplasmic membrane of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Further, while components that make up innate immunity have been extensively studied, a link to bicarbonate, the dominant buffer in the extracellular fluid, has never been made. Here, we also explored the effects of bicarbonate on components of innate immunity. Although the immune response and the buffering system have distinct functions in the body, we posit there is interplay between these, as the antimicrobial properties of several components of innate immunity were enhanced by a physiological concentration of bicarbonate. Our findings implicate bicarbonate as an overlooked potentiator of host immunity in the defense against pathogens. Overall, the unique mechanism of action of bicarbonate has far-reaching and predictable effects on the activity of innate immune components and antibiotics. We conclude that bicarbonate has remarkable power as an antibiotic adjuvant and suggest that there is great potential to exploit this activity in the discovery and development of new antibacterial drugs by leveraging testing paradigms that better reflect the physiological concentration of bicarbonate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya A. Farha
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Shawn French
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Jonathan M. Stokes
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
| | - Eric D. Brown
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada
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25
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Keohane CE, Steele AD, Fetzer C, Khowsathit J, Tyne DV, Moynié L, Gilmore MS, Karanicolas J, Sieber SA, Wuest WM. Promysalin Elicits Species-Selective Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Targeting Succinate Dehydrogenase. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:1774-1782. [PMID: 29300464 PMCID: PMC5869686 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b11212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Natural products have served as an inspiration to scientists both for their complex three-dimensional architecture and exquisite biological activity. Promysalin is one such Pseudomonad secondary metabolite that exhibits narrow-spectrum antibacterial activity, originally isolated from the rhizosphere. We herein utilize affinity-based protein profiling (AfBPP) to identify succinate dehydrogenase (Sdh) as the biological target of the natural product. The target was further validated in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and through the selection, and sequencing, of a resistant mutant. Succinate dehydrogenase plays an essential role in primary metabolism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the only enzyme that is involved both in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and in respiration via the electron transport chain. These findings add credence to other studies that suggest that the TCA cycle is an understudied target in the development of novel therapeutics to combat P. aeruginosa, a significant pathogen in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen E. Keohane
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Andrew D. Steele
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Christian Fetzer
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Jittasak Khowsathit
- Molecular Therapeutics Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111, United States
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States
| | - Daria Van Tyne
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Lucile Moynié
- Division of Structural Biology, The University of Oxford, Headington Oxford, OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St. Andrews, Fife Scotland, KY16 9ST, United Kingdom
| | - Michael S. Gilmore
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - John Karanicolas
- Molecular Therapeutics Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111, United States
| | - Stephan A. Sieber
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - William M. Wuest
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
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26
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McVey AC, Medarametla P, Chee X, Bartlett S, Poso A, Spring DR, Rahman T, Welch M. Structural and Functional Characterization of Malate Synthase G from Opportunistic Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biochemistry 2017; 56:5539-5549. [PMID: 28985053 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen recognized as a critical threat by the World Health Organization because of the dwindling number of effective therapies available to treat infections. Over the past decade, it has become apparent that the glyoxylate shunt plays a vital role in sustaining P. aeruginosa during infection scenarios. The glyoxylate shunt comprises two enzymes: isocitrate lyase and malate synthase isoform G. Inactivation of these enzymes has been reported to abolish the ability of P. aeruginosa to establish infection in a mammalian model system, yet we still lack the structural information to support drug design efforts. In this work, we describe the first X-ray crystal structure of P. aeruginosa malate synthase G in the apo form at 1.62 Å resolution. The enzyme is a monomer composed of four domains and is highly conserved with homologues found in other clinically relevant microorganisms. It is also dependent on Mg2+ for catalysis. Metal ion binding led to a change in the intrinsic fluorescence of the protein, allowing us to quantitate its affinity for Mg2+. We also identified putative drug binding sites in malate synthase G using computational analysis and, because of the high resolution of the experimental data, were further able to characterize its hydration properties. Our data reveal two promising binding pockets in malate synthase G that may be exploited for drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa C McVey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 1QW, U.K
| | | | - Xavier Chee
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 1PD, U.K
| | - Sean Bartlett
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Antti Poso
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland , 70211 Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tübingen , 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - David R Spring
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Taufiq Rahman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 1PD, U.K
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge , Cambridge CB2 1QW, U.K
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27
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Flynn JM, Phan C, Hunter RC. Genome-Wide Survey of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 Reveals a Role for the Glyoxylate Pathway and Extracellular Proteases in the Utilization of Mucin. Infect Immun 2017; 85:e00182-17. [PMID: 28507068 PMCID: PMC5520445 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00182-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic airway infections by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a major cause of mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Although this bacterium has been extensively studied for its virulence determinants, biofilm growth, and immune evasion mechanisms, comparatively little is known about the nutrient sources that sustain its growth in vivo Respiratory mucins represent a potentially abundant bioavailable nutrient source, although we have recently shown that canonical pathogens inefficiently use these host glycoproteins as a growth substrate. However, given that P. aeruginosa, particularly in its biofilm mode of growth, is thought to grow slowly in vivo, the inefficient use of mucin glycoproteins may be relevant to its persistence within the CF airways. To this end, we used whole-genome fitness analysis, combining transposon mutagenesis with high-throughput sequencing, to identify genetic determinants required for P. aeruginosa growth using intact purified mucins as a sole carbon source. Our analysis reveals a biphasic growth phenotype, during which the glyoxylate pathway and amino acid biosynthetic machinery are required for mucin utilization. Secondary analyses confirmed the simultaneous liberation and consumption of acetate during mucin degradation and revealed a central role for the extracellular proteases LasB and AprA. Together, these studies describe a molecular basis for mucin-based nutrient acquisition by P. aeruginosa and reveal a host-pathogen dynamic that may contribute to its persistence within the CF airways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Flynn
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Chi Phan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ryan C Hunter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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28
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Abdou E, Jiménez de Bagüés MP, Martínez-Abadía I, Ouahrani-Bettache S, Pantesco V, Occhialini A, Al Dahouk S, Köhler S, Jubier-Maurin V. RegA Plays a Key Role in Oxygen-Dependent Establishment of Persistence and in Isocitrate Lyase Activity, a Critical Determinant of In vivo Brucella suis Pathogenicity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:186. [PMID: 28573107 PMCID: PMC5435760 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
For aerobic human pathogens, adaptation to hypoxia is a critical factor for the establishment of persistent infections, as oxygen availability is low inside the host. The two-component system RegB/A of Brucella suis plays a central role in the control of respiratory systems adapted to oxygen deficiency, and in persistence in vivo. Using an original "in vitro model of persistence" consisting in gradual oxygen depletion, we compared transcriptomes and proteomes of wild-type and ΔregA strains to identify the RegA-regulon potentially involved in the set-up of persistence. Consecutive to oxygen consumption resulting in growth arrest, 12% of the genes in B. suis were potentially controlled directly or indirectly by RegA, among which numerous transcriptional regulators were up-regulated. In contrast, genes or proteins involved in envelope biogenesis and in cellular division were repressed, suggesting a possible role for RegA in the set-up of a non-proliferative persistence state. Importantly, the greatest number of the RegA-repressed genes and proteins, including aceA encoding the functional IsoCitrate Lyase (ICL), were involved in energy production. A potential consequence of this RegA impact may be the slowing-down of the central metabolism as B. suis progressively enters into persistence. Moreover, ICL is an essential determinant of pathogenesis and long-term interactions with the host, as demonstrated by the strict dependence of B. suis on ICL activity for multiplication and persistence during in vivo infection. RegA regulates gene or protein expression of all functional groups, which is why RegA is a key regulator of B. suis in adaptation to oxygen depletion. This function may contribute to the constraint of bacterial growth, typical of chronic infection. Oxygen-dependent activation of two-component systems that control persistence regulons, shared by several aerobic human pathogens, has not been studied in Brucella sp. before. This work therefore contributes significantly to the unraveling of persistence mechanisms in this important zoonotic pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Abdou
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier UMR9004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - María P. Jiménez de Bagüés
- Unidad de Tecnología en Producción y Sanidad Animal, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza)Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ignacio Martínez-Abadía
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier UMR9004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - Safia Ouahrani-Bettache
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier UMR9004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - Véronique Pantesco
- Institut de Médecine Régénératrice et Biothérapie—U1183 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche MédicaleMontpellier, France
| | - Alessandra Occhialini
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier UMR9004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - Sascha Al Dahouk
- Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk AssessmentBerlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Köhler
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier UMR9004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - Véronique Jubier-Maurin
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier UMR9004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de MontpellierMontpellier, France
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29
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Henry CS, Rotman E, Lathem WW, Tyo KEJ, Hauser AR, Mandel MJ. Generation and Validation of the iKp1289 Metabolic Model for Klebsiella pneumoniae KPPR1. J Infect Dis 2017; 215:S37-S43. [PMID: 28375518 PMCID: PMC5790149 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiw465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae has a reputation for causing a wide range of infectious conditions, with numerous highly virulent and antibiotic-resistant strains. Metabolic models have the potential to provide insights into the growth behavior, nutrient requirements, essential genes, and candidate drug targets in these strains. Here we develop a metabolic model for KPPR1, a highly virulent strain of K. pneumoniae. We apply a combination of Biolog phenotype data and fitness data to validate and refine our KPPR1 model. The final model displays a predictive accuracy of 75% in identifying potential carbon and nitrogen sources for K. pneumoniae and of 99% in predicting nonessential genes in rich media. We demonstrate how this model is useful in studying the differences in the metabolic capabilities of the low-virulence MGH 78578 strain and the highly virulent KPPR1 strain. For example, we demonstrate that these strains differ in carbohydrate metabolism, including the ability to metabolize dulcitol as a primary carbon source. Our model makes numerous other predictions for follow-up verification and analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher S Henry
- Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne
| | | | | | - Keith E J Tyo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Alan R Hauser
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, and
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30
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Skariyachan S. Exploring the Potential of Herbal Ligands Toward Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens by Computational Drug Discovery. TRANSLATIONAL BIOINFORMATICS AND ITS APPLICATION 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-024-1045-7_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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31
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Brown ED, Wright GD. Antibacterial drug discovery in the resistance era. Nature 2016; 529:336-43. [PMID: 26791724 DOI: 10.1038/nature17042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1373] [Impact Index Per Article: 171.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The looming antibiotic-resistance crisis has penetrated the consciousness of clinicians, researchers, policymakers, politicians and the public at large. The evolution and widespread distribution of antibiotic-resistance elements in bacterial pathogens has made diseases that were once easily treatable deadly again. Unfortunately, accompanying the rise in global resistance is a failure in antibacterial drug discovery. Lessons from the history of antibiotic discovery and fresh understanding of antibiotic action and the cell biology of microorganisms have the potential to deliver twenty-first century medicines that are able to control infection in the resistance era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Brown
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Gerard D Wright
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8, Canada
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32
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Farha MA, Brown ED. Strategies for target identification of antimicrobial natural products. Nat Prod Rep 2016; 33:668-80. [DOI: 10.1039/c5np00127g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite a pervasive decline in natural product research at many pharmaceutical companies over the last two decades, natural products have undeniably been a prolific and unsurpassed source for new lead antibacterial compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya A. Farha
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences
- McMaster University
- Hamilton
- Canada
| | - Eric D. Brown
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences
- McMaster University
- Hamilton
- Canada
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33
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Colquhoun JM, Wozniak RAF, Dunman PM. Clinically Relevant Growth Conditions Alter Acinetobacter baumannii Antibiotic Susceptibility and Promote Identification of Novel Antibacterial Agents. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143033. [PMID: 26558753 PMCID: PMC4641712 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological processes that govern bacterial proliferation and survival in the host-environment(s) are likely to be vastly different from those that are required for viability in nutrient-rich laboratory media. Consequently, growth-based antimicrobial screens performed in conditions modeling aspects of bacterial disease states have the potential to identify new classes of antimicrobials that would be missed by screens performed in conventional laboratory media. Accordingly, we performed screens of the Selleck library of 853 FDA approved drugs for agents that exhibit antimicrobial activity toward the Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii during growth in human serum, lung surfactant, and/or the organism in the biofilm state and compared those results to that of conventional laboratory medium. Results revealed that a total of 90 compounds representing 73 antibiotics and 17 agents that were developed for alternative therapeutic indications displayed antimicrobial properties toward the test strain in at least one screening condition. Of the active library antibiotics only four agents, rifampin, rifaximin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline, exhibited antimicrobial activity toward the organism during all screening conditions, whereas the remainder were inactive in ≥ 1 condition; 56 antibiotics were inactive during serum growth, 25 and 38 were inactive toward lung surfactant grown and biofilm-associated cells, respectively, suggesting that subsets of antibiotics may outperform others in differing infection settings. Moreover, 9 antibiotics that are predominantly used for the treatment Gram-positive pathogens and 10 non-antibiotics lacked detectable antimicrobial activity toward A. baumannii grown in conventional medium but were active during ≥ 1 alternative growth condition(s). Such agents may represent promising anti-Acinetobacter agents that would have likely been overlooked by antimicrobial whole cell screening assays performed in traditional laboratory screening media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Colquhoun
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Rachel A. F. Wozniak
- Department of Ophthalmology, Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Paul M. Dunman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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34
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Crousilles A, Maunders E, Bartlett S, Fan C, Ukor EF, Abdelhamid Y, Baker Y, Floto A, Spring DR, Welch M. Which microbial factors really are important in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections? Future Microbiol 2015; 10:1825-36. [DOI: 10.2217/fmb.15.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, tens of millions of dollars have been invested in understanding virulence in the human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the top ‘hits’ obtained in a recent TnSeq analysis aimed at identifying those genes that are conditionally essential for infection did not include most of the known virulence factors identified in these earlier studies. Instead, it seems that P. aeruginosa faces metabolic challenges in vivo, and unless it can overcome these, it fails to thrive and is cleared from the host. In this review, we look at the kinds of metabolic pathways that the pathogen seems to find essential, and comment on how this knowledge might be therapeutically exploited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Crousilles
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Eve Maunders
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Sean Bartlett
- Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Catherine Fan
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Emem-Fong Ukor
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Yassmin Abdelhamid
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Ysobel Baker
- Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Andres Floto
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - David R Spring
- Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Martin Welch
- Department of Biochemistry (Hopkins Building), Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK
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35
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Dunman PM, Tomaras AP. Translational deficiencies in antibacterial discovery and new screening paradigms. Curr Opin Microbiol 2015; 27:108-13. [PMID: 26356258 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Revised: 08/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
An impending disaster is currently developing in the infectious disease community: the combination of rapidly emerging multidrug-resistance among clinically relevant bacterial pathogens, together with an unprecedented withdrawal from industrial dedication to this disease area, is jeopardizing human health on a societal level. For those who remain focused and dedicated to identifying solutions to this growing problem, additional challenges await when in vitro activity does not correlate with in vivo efficacy. Thus the development of more effective translational assays will greatly improve and streamline the process of identifying novel antibacterial agents that can stand the test of preclinical and clinical development. Here we describe recent examples of research that justify the need for such assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Dunman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, United States.
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36
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Sutton KA, Breen J, MacDonald U, Beanan JM, Olson R, Russo TA, Schultz LW, Umland TC. Structure of shikimate kinase, an in vivo essential metabolic enzyme in the nosocomial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, in complex with shikimate. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 71:1736-44. [PMID: 26249354 DOI: 10.1107/s139900471501189x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that is an important cause of healthcare-associated infections exhibiting high mortality rates. Clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extremely drug-resistant (XDR) A. baumannii strains are increasingly being observed. Compounding this concern is the dearth of new antibacterial agents in late-stage development that are effective against MDR and XDR A. baumannii. As part of an effort to address these concerns, two genes (aroA and aroC) of the shikimate pathway have previously been determined to be essential for the growth and survival of A. baumannii during host infection (i.e. to be essential in vivo). This study expands upon these results by demonstrating that the A. baumannii aroK gene, encoding shikimate kinase (SK), is also essential in vivo in a rat soft-tissue infection model. The crystal structure of A. baumannii SK in complex with the substrate shikimate and a sulfate ion that mimics the binding interactions expected for the β-phosphate of ATP was then determined to 1.91 Å resolution and the enzyme kinetics were characterized. The flexible shikimate-binding domain and LID region are compared with the analogous regions in other SK crystal structures. The impact of structural differences and sequence divergence between SKs from pathogenic bacteria that may influence antibiotic-development efforts is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin A Sutton
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Jennifer Breen
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Ulrike MacDonald
- Department of Medicine and The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Janet M Beanan
- Department of Medicine and The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Ruth Olson
- Department of Medicine and The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Thomas A Russo
- Department of Medicine and The Witebsky Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - L Wayne Schultz
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Timothy C Umland
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
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37
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Abstract
The dramatic rise in microbial drug resistance in recent years has led to ongoing searches for novel drugs to add to the armory against infectious disease. Nevertheless, a paucity of new antibacterial drugs in discovery and development pipelines using traditional approaches has prompted a variety of unconventional and disruptive strategies for antibacterial drug discovery. Herein, we review recent nontraditional approaches that have been piloted for early drug discovery efforts. These unique methodologies open new avenues for finding the next generation of antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya A Farha
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, and Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric D Brown
- M.G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, and Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
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38
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Spellberg B, Bartlett J, Wunderink R, Gilbert DN. Novel approaches are needed to develop tomorrow's antibacterial therapies. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2015; 191:135-40. [PMID: 25590154 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201410-1894oe] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Society faces a crisis of rising antibiotic resistance even as the pipeline of new antibiotics has been drying up. Antibiotics are a public trust; every individual's use of antibiotics affects their efficacy for everyone else. As such, responses to the antibiotic crisis must take a societal perspective. The market failure of antibiotics is due to a combination of scientific challenges to discovering and developing new antibiotics, unfavorable economics, and a hostile regulatory environment. Scientific solutions include changing the way we screen for new antibiotics. More transformationally, developing new treatments that seek to disarm pathogens without killing them, or that modulate the host inflammatory response to infection, will reduce selective pressure and hence minimize resistance emergence. Economic transformation will require new business models to support antibiotic development. Finally, regulatory reform is needed so that clinical development programs are feasible, rigorous, and clinically relevant. Pulmonary and critical care specialists can have tremendous impact on the continued availability of effective antibiotics. Encouraging use of molecular diagnostic tests to allow pathogen-targeted, narrow-spectrum antibiotic therapy, using short rather than unnecessarily long course therapy, reducing inappropriate antibiotic use for probable viral infections, and reducing infection rates will help preserve the antibiotics we have for future generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad Spellberg
- 1 Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
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39
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Umland TC, Schultz LW, Russo TA. Re-evaluating the approach to drug target discovery in multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. Future Microbiol 2014; 9:1113-6. [PMID: 25405880 DOI: 10.2217/fmb.14.72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy C Umland
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicott St., Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
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40
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Targeting bacterial central metabolism for drug development. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:1423-32. [PMID: 25442374 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2014.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Current antibiotics, derived mainly from natural sources, inhibit a narrow spectrum of cellular processes, namely DNA replication, protein synthesis, and cell wall biosynthesis. With the worldwide explosion of drug resistance, there is renewed interest in the investigation of alternate essential cellular processes, including bacterial central metabolic pathways, as a drug target space for the next generation of antibiotics. However, the validation of targets in central metabolism is more complex, as essentiality of such targets can be conditional and/or contextual. Bearing in mind our enhanced understanding of prokaryotic central metabolism, a key question arises: can central metabolism be bacteria's Achilles' heel and a therapeutic target for the development of new classes of antibiotics? In this review, we draw lessons from oncology and attempt to address some of the open questions related to feasibility of targeting bacterial central metabolism as a strategy for developing new antibacterial drugs.
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41
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Abstract
Antibiotic resistance continues to spread even as society is experiencing a market failure of new antibiotic research and development (R&D). Scientific, economic, and regulatory barriers all contribute to the antibiotic market failure. Scientific solutions to rekindle R&D include finding new screening strategies to identify novel antibiotic scaffolds and transforming the way we think about treating infections, such that the goal is to disarm the pathogen without killing it or modulate the host response to the organism without targeting the organism for destruction. Future economic strategies are likely to focus on ‘push’ incentives offered by public-private partnerships as well as increasing pricing by focusing development on areas of high unmet need. Such strategies can also help protect new antibiotics from overuse after marketing. Regulatory reform is needed to re-establish feasible and meaningful traditional antibiotic pathways, to create novel limited-use pathways that focus on highly resistant infections, and to harmonize regulatory standards across nations. We need new antibiotics with which to treat our patients. But we also need to protect those new antibiotics from misuse when they become available. If we want to break the cycle of resistance and change the current landscape, disruptive approaches that challenge long-standing dogma will be needed.
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42
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de Lorenzo V. From theselfish genetoselfish metabolism: Revisiting the central dogma. Bioessays 2014; 36:226-35. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201300153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems & Synthetic Biology Program; Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC Cantoblanco; Madrid Spain
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