scholarly journals Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein kinase K confers survival advantage during early infection in mice and regulates growth in culture and during persistent infection: implications for immune modulation

Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (9) ◽  
pp. 2829-2841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vandana Malhotra ◽  
Lourdes T. Arteaga-Cortés ◽  
Gwendolyn Clay ◽  
Josephine E. Clark-Curtiss
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Persistent Infection ◽  
Immune Modulation ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Early Infection ◽  
Inhibition Of Growth ◽  
Significant Expression

Mycobacterium tuberculosis serine/threonine protein kinases (STPKs) are key regulators of growth and metabolism; however, evidence for their roles in virulence is limited. In a preliminary screen based on comparative expression between strains H37Rv and H37Ra, six STPK genes, pknD, pknG, pknH, pknJ, pknK and pknL, showed higher expression in H37Rv. In the second screen, STPK expression was analysed in H37Rv-infected human macrophages. Interestingly, significant expression of pknK was detected only at 18 h post-infection, suggesting its involvement in early infection events. We have investigated the roles of PknK in vitro and in vivo. PknK levels were induced under stationary phase and deletion of pknK resulted in increased resistance of the mutant to acidic pH, hypoxia, oxidative and stationary-phase stresses in vitro. These results, together with the increased survival of the ΔpknK strain during persistent infection in mice, reveal a role for PknK in adaptive mechanisms that slow the growth of mycobacteria. A novel finding of this study was the inhibition of growth of ΔpknK strain during acute infection in mice that correlated with the significant upregulation of tumour necrosis factor as well as the simultaneous downregulation of interleukin-12p40, interferon-γ and induced nitric oxide synthase transcripts. Finally, we provide evidence for the localization of PknK during infection and discuss its implications in pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Individual Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resuscitation-Promoting Factor Homologues Are Dispensable for Growth In Vitro and In Vivo

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 515-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoAnn M. Tufariello ◽  
William R. Jacobs, ◽  
John Chan
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Micrococcus Luteus ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Active Growth ◽  
Prolonged Incubation ◽  
Aerosol Infection

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses five genes with significant homology to the resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) of Micrococcus luteus. The M. luteus Rpf is a secreted ∼16-kDa protein which restores active growth to cultures of M. luteus rendered dormant by prolonged incubation in stationary phase. More recently, the Rpf-like proteins of M. tuberculosis have been shown to stimulate the growth of extended-stationary-phase cultures of Mycobacterium bovis BCG. These data suggest that the Rpf proteins can influence the growth of mycobacteria; however, the studies do not demonstrate specific functions for the various members of this protein family, nor do they assess the function of M. tuberculosis Rpf homologues in vivo. To address these questions, we have disrupted each of the five rpf-like genes in M. tuberculosis Erdman, and analyzed the mutants for their growth in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to M. luteus, for which rpf is an essential gene, we find that all of the M. tuberculosis rpf deletion mutant strains are viable; in addition, all show growth kinetics similar to Erdman wild type both in vitro and in mouse organs following aerosol infection. Analysis of rpf expression in M. tuberculosis cultures from early log phase through late stationary phase indicates that expression of the rpf-like genes is growth phase-dependent, and that the expression patterns of the five M. tuberculosis rpf genes, while overlapping to various degrees, are not uniform. We also provide evidence that mycobacterial rpf genes are expressed in vivo in the lungs of mice acutely infected with virulent M. tuberculosis.

scholarly journals Deletion of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resuscitation-Promoting Factor Rv1009 Gene Results in Delayed Reactivation from Chronic Tuberculosis

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 2985-2995 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoAnn M. Tufariello ◽  
Kaixia Mi ◽  
Jiayong Xu ◽  
Yukari C. Manabe ◽  
Anup K. Kesavan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Survival Times ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Synthase Inhibitor

ABSTRACT Approximately one-third of the human population is latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, comprising a critical reservoir for disease reactivation. Despite the importance of latency in maintaining M. tuberculosis in the human population, little is known about the mycobacterial factors that regulate persistence and reactivation. Previous in vitro studies have implicated a family of five related M. tuberculosis proteins, called resuscitation promoting factors (Rpfs), in regulating mycobacterial growth. We studied the in vivo role of M. tuberculosis rpf genes in an established mouse model of M. tuberculosis persistence and reactivation. After an aerosol infection with the M. tuberculosis Erdman wild type (Erdman) or single-deletion rpf mutants to establish chronic infections in mice, reactivation was induced by administration of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor aminoguanidine. Of the five rpf deletion mutants tested, one (ΔRv1009) exhibited a delayed reactivation phenotype, manifested by delayed postreactivation growth kinetics and prolonged median survival times among infected animals. Immunophenotypic analysis suggested differences in pulmonary B-cell responses between Erdman- and ΔRv1009-infected mice at advanced stages of reactivation. Analysis of rpf gene expression in the lungs of Erdman-infected mice revealed that relative expression of four of the five rpf-like genes was diminished at late times following reactivation, when bacterial numbers had increased substantially, suggesting that rpf gene expression may be regulated in a growth phase-dependent manner. To our knowledge, ΔRv1009 is the first M. tuberculosis mutant to have a specific defect in reactivation without accompanying growth defects in vitro or during acute infection in vivo.

scholarly journals Sigma Factor F Does Not Prevent Rifampin Inhibition of RNA Polymerase or Cause Rifampin Tolerance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (20) ◽  
pp. 5472-5479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben C. Hartkoorn ◽  
Claudia Sala ◽  
Sophie J. Magnet ◽  
Jeffrey M. Chen ◽  
Florence Pojer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Potent Inhibitor ◽  
Sigma Factors ◽  
Antituberculosis Drugs ◽  
Axenic Cultures

ABSTRACT The tolerance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antituberculosis drugs is a major reason for the lengthy therapy needed to treat a tuberculosis infection. Rifampin is a potent inhibitor of RNA polymerase (RNAP) in vivo but has been shown to be less effective against stationary-phase bacteria. Sigma factor F is associated with bacteria entering stationary phase and has been proposed to impact rifampin activity. Here we investigate whether RNAP containing SigF is more resistant to rifampin inhibition in vitro and whether overexpression of sigF renders M. tuberculosis more tolerant to rifampin. Real-time and radiometric in vitro transcription assays revealed that rifampin equally inhibits transcription by RNAP containing sigma factors SigA and SigF, therefore ruling out the hypothesis that SigF may be responsible for increased resistance of the enzyme to rifampin in vitro. In addition, overexpression or deletion of sigF did not alter rifampin susceptibility in axenic cultures of M. tuberculosis, indicating that SigF does not affect rifampin tolerance in vivo.

scholarly journals In Vivo Analysis of the 3′ Untranslated Region of GB Virus B after In Vitro Mutagenesis of an Infectious cDNA Clone: Persistent Infection in a Transfected Tamarin

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (17) ◽  
pp. 9389-9399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae-Hwan Nam ◽  
Kristina Faulk ◽  
Ronald E. Engle ◽  
Sugantha Govindarajan ◽  
Marisa St. Claire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Hepatitis ◽  
Persistent Infection ◽  
Untranslated Region ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
In Vitro Mutagenesis ◽  
Short Sequence ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Terminal Sequence

ABSTRACT GB virus B (GBV-B), the virus most closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), infects tamarins and causes acute hepatitis. The 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of an infectious GBV-B clone (pGBB) has a proximal short sequence followed by a poly(U) tract and a 3′ terminal sequence. Our investigators previously demonstrated that the 3′ terminal sequence was critical for in vivo infectivity. Here, we tested the effect of deleting the short sequence and/or the poly(U) tract from pGBB; infectivity of each mutant was tested by intrahepatic transfection of two tamarins with transcribed RNA. A mutant lacking both regions was not viable. However, mutants lacking either the short sequence or the poly(U) tract were viable. All four tamarins had a wild-type-like acute infection and developed acute hepatitis. Whereas we found that five tamarins transfected with the wild-type clone pGBB had acute resolving infection, one tamarin transfected with the poly(U) deletion mutant became persistently infected. This animal had viremia and hepatitis until its death at week 90. The genomes recovered at weeks 2, 7, 15, 20, 60, and 90 lacked the poly(U) stretch. Eight amino acid changes were identified at week 90. One change, in the putative p7 protein, was dominant at week 15. Thus, persistence of GBV-B, like persistence of HCV, was associated with the emergence of virus variants. Four tamarins inoculated with serum collected at weeks 2 and 90 from the tamarin with persistent infection had an acute resolving infection. Nonetheless, the demonstration that GBV-B can persist in tamarins strengthens its relevance as a surrogate model for the study of HCV.

Tuberkulose - Screening

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 381-387
Author(s):  
Otto Schoch
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Interferon Gamma ◽  
Wird Eine ◽  
Interferon Gamma Release Assays

Das primäre Ziel der Aktivitäten zur bevölkerungsbezogenen Tuberkulosekontrolle ist die Identifizierung von Patienten mit sputummikroskopisch positiver Lungentuberkulose. Wenn diese Patienten umgehend therapiert werden, haben sie nicht nur eine optimale Heilungschance, sondern übertragen auch den Krankheitserreger nicht weiter auf andere Personen. Das Screening, die systematische Suche nach Tuberkulose, erfolgt in der Regel radiologisch bei der Suche nach Erkrankten, während immunologische Teste bei der Suche nach einer Infektion mit Mycobacterium tuberculosis zur Anwendung kommen. Diese Infektion, die ein erhöhtes Risiko für die Entwicklung einer Tuberkulose-Erkrankung mit sich bringt, wird im Rahmen der Umgebungsuntersuchungen oder bei Hochrisikogruppen gesucht. Neben dem traditionellen in vivo Mantoux Hauttest stehen heute die neueren in vitro Blutteste, die sogenannten Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRA) zur Verfügung, die unter anderem den Vorteil einer höheren Spezifität mit sich bringen, weil die verwendeten Antigene der Mykobakterien-Wand beim Impfstamm Bacille Calmitte Guerin (BCG) und bei den meisten atypischen Mykobakterien nicht vorhanden sind. Zudem kann bei Immunsupprimierten dank einer mitgeführten Positivkontrolle eine Aussage über die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines falsch negativen Testresultates gemacht werden. Bei neu diagnostizierter Infektion mit Mycobacterium tuberculosis wird eine präventive Chemotherapie mit Isoniazid während 9 Monaten durchgeführt.

Kinase Targets for Mycolic Acid Biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahinda S.R. Alsayed ◽  
Chau C. Beh ◽  
Neil R. Foster ◽  
Alan D. Payne ◽  
Yu Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Enzymatic Activity ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Mycolic Acid ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Mycolic Acids ◽  
Hydroxylated Fatty Acids

Background:Mycolic acids (MAs) are the characteristic, integral building blocks for the mycomembrane belonging to the insidious bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). These C60-C90 long α-alkyl-β-hydroxylated fatty acids provide protection to the tubercle bacilli against the outside threats, thus allowing its survival, virulence and resistance to the current antibacterial agents. In the post-genomic era, progress has been made towards understanding the crucial enzymatic machineries involved in the biosynthesis of MAs in M.tb. However, gaps still remain in the exact role of the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of regulatory mechanisms within these systems. To date, a total of 11 serine-threonine protein kinases (STPKs) are found in M.tb. Most enzymes implicated in the MAs synthesis were found to be phosphorylated in vitro and/or in vivo. For instance, phosphorylation of KasA, KasB, mtFabH, InhA, MabA, and FadD32 downregulated their enzymatic activity, while phosphorylation of VirS increased its enzymatic activity. These observations suggest that the kinases and phosphatases system could play a role in M.tb adaptive responses and survival mechanisms in the human host. As the mycobacterial STPKs do not share a high sequence homology to the human’s, there have been some early drug discovery efforts towards developing potent and selective inhibitors.Objective:Recent updates to the kinases and phosphatases involved in the regulation of MAs biosynthesis will be presented in this mini-review, including their known small molecule inhibitors.Conclusion:Mycobacterial kinases and phosphatases involved in the MAs regulation may serve as a useful avenue for antitubercular therapy.

scholarly journals Intracellular localisation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis affects efficacy of the antibiotic pyrazinamide

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Santucci ◽  
Daniel J. Greenwood ◽  
Antony Fearns ◽  
Kai Chen ◽  
Haibo Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Combination Chemotherapy ◽  
In Vitro Activity ◽  
In Vivo Efficacy ◽  
Human Macrophages ◽  
Ion Microscopy ◽  
Intracellular Localisation

AbstractTo be effective, chemotherapy against tuberculosis (TB) must kill the intracellular population of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, how host cell microenvironments affect antibiotic accumulation and efficacy remains unclear. Here, we use correlative light, electron, and ion microscopy to investigate how various microenvironments within human macrophages affect the activity of pyrazinamide (PZA), a key antibiotic against TB. We show that PZA accumulates heterogeneously among individual bacteria in multiple host cell environments. Crucially, PZA accumulation and efficacy is maximal within acidified phagosomes. Bedaquiline, another antibiotic commonly used in combined TB therapy, enhances PZA accumulation via a host cell-mediated mechanism. Thus, intracellular localisation and specific microenvironments affect PZA accumulation and efficacy. Our results may explain the potent in vivo efficacy of PZA, compared to its modest in vitro activity, and its critical contribution to TB combination chemotherapy.

scholarly journals Biofilm formation in the lung contributes to virulence and drug tolerance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poushali Chakraborty ◽  
Sapna Bajeli ◽  
Deepak Kaushal ◽  
Bishan Dass Radotra ◽  
Ashwani Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Antimycobacterial Activity ◽  
Drug Tolerance ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Tissue Sections ◽  
Slow Growing

AbstractTuberculosis is a chronic disease that displays several features commonly associated with biofilm-associated infections: immune system evasion, antibiotic treatment failures, and recurrence of infection. However, although Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can form cellulose-containing biofilms in vitro, it remains unclear whether biofilms are formed during infection in vivo. Here, we demonstrate the formation of Mtb biofilms in animal models of infection and in patients, and that biofilm formation can contribute to drug tolerance. First, we show that cellulose is also a structural component of the extracellular matrix of in vitro biofilms of fast and slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria. Then, we use cellulose as a biomarker to detect Mtb biofilms in the lungs of experimentally infected mice and non-human primates, as well as in lung tissue sections obtained from patients with tuberculosis. Mtb strains defective in biofilm formation are attenuated for survival in mice, suggesting that biofilms protect bacilli from the host immune system. Furthermore, the administration of nebulized cellulase enhances the antimycobacterial activity of isoniazid and rifampicin in infected mice, supporting a role for biofilms in phenotypic drug tolerance. Our findings thus indicate that Mtb biofilms are relevant to human tuberculosis.

scholarly journals Pharmacoinformatics and UPLC-QTOF/ESI-MS-Based Phytochemical Screening of Combretum indicum against Oxidative Stress and Alloxan-Induced Diabetes in Long–Evans Rats

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4634
Author(s):  
Md. Shaekh Forid ◽  
Md. Atiar Rahman ◽  
Mohd Fadhlizil Fasihi Mohd Aluwi ◽  
Md. Nazim Uddin ◽  
Tapashi Ghosh Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Glucose ◽  
Immune Modulation ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Esi Ms ◽  
Long Evans ◽  
Antidiabetic Effects

This research investigated a UPLC-QTOF/ESI-MS-based phytochemical profiling of Combretum indicum leaf extract (CILEx), and explored its in vitro antioxidant and in vivo antidiabetic effects in a Long–Evans rat model. After a one-week intervention, the animals’ blood glucose, lipid profile, and pancreatic architectures were evaluated. UPLC-QTOF/ESI-MS fragmentation of CILEx and its eight docking-guided compounds were further dissected to evaluate their roles using bioinformatics-based network pharmacological tools. Results showed a very promising antioxidative effect of CILEx. Both doses of CILEx were found to significantly (p < 0.05) reduce blood glucose, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol (TC), and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Pancreatic tissue architectures were much improved compared to the diabetic control group. A computational approach revealed that schizonepetoside E, melianol, leucodelphinidin, and arbutin were highly suitable for further therapeutic assessment. Arbutin, in a Gene Ontology and PPI network study, evolved as the most prospective constituent for 203 target proteins of 48 KEGG pathways regulating immune modulation and insulin secretion to control diabetes. The fragmentation mechanisms of the compounds are consistent with the obtained effects for CILEx. Results show that the natural compounds from CILEx could exert potential antidiabetic effects through in vivo and computational study.

scholarly journals Streptococcal Adhesion and Colonization

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.F. Jenkinson ◽  
RJ Lamont
Keyword(s):  
Immune Modulation ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Repeated Sequence ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Acellular Vaccines

Streptococci express arrays of adhesins on their cell surfaces that facilitate adherence to substrates present in their natural environment within the mammalian host. A consequence of such promiscuous binding ability is that streptococcal cells may adhere simultaneously to a spectrum of substrates, including salivary glycoproteins, extracellular matrix and serum components, host cells, and other microbial cells. The multiplicity of streptococcal adherence interactions accounts, at least in part, for their success in colonizing the oral and epithelial surfaces of humans. Adhesion facilitates colonization and may be a precursor to tissue invasion and immune modulation, events that presage the development of disease. Many of the streptococcal adhesins and virulence-related factors are cell-wall-associated proteins containing repeated sequence blocks of amino acids. Linear sequences, both within the blocks and within non-repetitive regions of the proteins, have been implicated in substrate binding. Sequences and functions of these proteins among the streptococci have become assorted through gene duplication and horizontal transfer between bacterial populations. Several adhesins identified and characterized through in vitro binding assays have been analyzed for in vivo expression and function by means of animal models used for colonization and virulence. Information on the molecular structure of adhesins as related to their in vivo function will allow for the rational design of novel acellular vaccines, recombinant antibodies, and adhesion agonists for the future control or prevention of streptococcal colonization and streptococcal diseases.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document