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Edwards RL, Heueck I, Lee SG, Shah IT, Miller JJ, Jezewski AJ, Mikati MO, Wang X, Brothers RC, Heidel KM, Osbourn DM, Burnham CAD, Alvarez S, Fritz SA, Dowd CS, Jez JM, Odom John AR. Potent, specific MEPicides for treatment of zoonotic staphylococci. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1007806. [PMID: 32497104 PMCID: PMC7297381 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Coagulase-positive staphylococci, which frequently colonize the mucosal surfaces of animals, also cause a spectrum of opportunistic infections including skin and soft tissue infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and bacteremia. However, recent advances in bacterial identification have revealed that these common veterinary pathogens are in fact zoonoses that cause serious infections in human patients. The global spread of multidrug-resistant zoonotic staphylococci, in particular the emergence of methicillin-resistant organisms, is now a serious threat to both animal and human welfare. Accordingly, new therapeutic targets that can be exploited to combat staphylococcal infections are urgently needed. Enzymes of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP) of isoprenoid biosynthesis represent potential targets for treating zoonotic staphylococci. Here we demonstrate that fosmidomycin (FSM) inhibits the first step of the isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway catalyzed by deoxyxylulose phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) in staphylococci. In addition, we have both enzymatically and structurally determined the mechanism by which FSM elicits its effect. Using a forward genetic screen, the glycerol-3-phosphate transporter GlpT that facilitates FSM uptake was identified in two zoonotic staphylococci, Staphylococcus schleiferi and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. A series of lipophilic ester prodrugs (termed MEPicides) structurally related to FSM were synthesized, and data indicate that the presence of the prodrug moiety not only substantially increased potency of the inhibitors against staphylococci but also bypassed the need for GlpT-mediated cellular transport. Collectively, our data indicate that the prodrug MEPicides selectively and robustly inhibit DXR in zoonotic staphylococci, and further, that DXR represents a promising, druggable target for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Edwards
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Isabel Heueck
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Soon Goo Lee
- University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ishaan T. Shah
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Miller
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Andrew J. Jezewski
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Marwa O. Mikati
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Robert C. Brothers
- Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Kenneth M. Heidel
- Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Damon M. Osbourn
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Carey-Ann D. Burnham
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Sophie Alvarez
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Stephanie A. Fritz
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Cynthia S. Dowd
- Department of Chemistry, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Joseph M. Jez
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Audrey R. Odom John
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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