scholarly journals Antimicrobial activity of the quinoline derivative HT61, effective against non-dividing cells, in Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.J. Frapwell ◽  
P.J. Skipp ◽  
R.P. Howlin ◽  
E.M. Angus ◽  
Y. Hu ◽  
...  

AbstractStaphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for a wide range of chronic infections. Disease chronicity is often associated with biofilm formation, a phenotype that confers enhanced tolerance towards antimicrobials, a trait which can be attributed to a dormant, non-dividing subpopulation within the biofilm. Development of antibiofilm agents that target these populations could therefore improve treatment success. HT61 is a quinoline derivative that has demonstrated efficacy towards non-dividing planktonic Staphylococcus spp. and therefore, in principal, could be effective against staphylococcal biofilms. In this study HT61 was tested on mature S. aureus biofilms, assessing both antimicrobial efficacy and characterising the cellular response to treatment. HT61 was found to be more effective than vancomycin in killing S. aureus biofilms (minimum bactericidal concentrations: HT61; 32 mg/L, vancomycin; 64 mg/L), and in reducing biofilm biomass. Scanning electron microscopy of HT61-treated biofilms also revealed disrupted cellular structure and biofilm architecture. HT61 treatment resulted in increased expression of proteins associated with the cell wall stress stimulon and dcw cluster, implying global changes in peptidoglycan and cell wall biosynthesis. Altered expression of metabolic and translational proteins following treatment also confirm a general adaptive response. These findings suggest that HT61 represents a new treatment for S. aureus biofilm-associated infections that are otherwise tolerant to conventional antibiotics targeting actively dividing cells.

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Jones ◽  
J. Petty ◽  
D. C. Hoyle ◽  
A. Hayes ◽  
E. Ragni ◽  
...  

Often changes in gene expression levels have been considered significant only when above/below some arbitrarily chosen threshold. We investigated the effect of applying a purely statistical approach to microarray analysis and demonstrated that small changes in gene expression have biological significance. Whole genome microarray analysis of a pde2Δ mutant, constructed in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae reference strain FY23, revealed altered expression of ∼11% of protein encoding genes. The mutant, characterized by constitutive activation of the Ras/cAMP pathway, has increased sensitivity to stress, reduced ability to assimilate nonfermentable carbon sources, and some cell wall integrity defects. Applying the Munich Information Centre for Protein Sequences (MIPS) functional categories revealed increased expression of genes related to ribosome biogenesis and downregulation of genes in the cell rescue, defense, cell death and aging category, suggesting a decreased response to stress conditions. A reduced level of gene expression in the unfolded protein response pathway (UPR) was observed. Cell wall genes whose expression was affected by this mutation were also identified. Several of the cAMP-responsive orphan genes, upon further investigation, revealed cell wall functions; others had previously unidentified phenotypes assigned to them. This investigation provides a statistical global transcriptome analysis of the cellular response to constitutive activation of the Ras/cAMP pathway.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2043-2056
Author(s):  
Apoorva Ravishankar ◽  
Amaury Pupo ◽  
Jennifer E. G. Gallagher

The use of glyphosate-based herbicides is widespread and despite their extensive use, their effects are yet to be deciphered completely. The additives in commercial formulations of glyphosate, though labeled inert when used individually, have adverse effects when used in combination with other additives along with the active ingredient. As a species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a wide range of resistance to glyphosate-based herbicides. To investigate the underlying genetic differences between sensitive and resistant strains, global changes in gene expression were measured, when yeast were exposed to a glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH). Expression of genes involved in numerous pathways crucial to the cell’s functioning, such as DNA replication, MAPK signaling, meiosis, and cell wall synthesis changed. Because so many diverse pathways were affected, these strains were then subjected to in-lab-evolutions (ILE) to select mutations that confer increased resistance. Common fragile sites were found to play a role in adaptation to resistance to long-term exposure of GBHs. Copy number increased in approximately 100 genes associated with cell wall proteins, mitochondria, and sterol transport. Taking ILE and transcriptomic data into account it is evident that GBHs affect multiple biological processes in the cell. One such component is the cell wall structure which acts as a protective barrier in alleviating the stress caused by exposure to inert additives in GBHs. Sed1, a GPI-cell wall protein, plays an important role in tolerance of a GBH. Hence, a detailed study of the changes occurring at the genome and transcriptome levels is essential to better understand the effects of an environmental stressor such as a GBH, on the cell as a whole.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Frapwell ◽  
P. J. Skipp ◽  
R. P. Howlin ◽  
E. M. Angus ◽  
Y. Hu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus biofilms are a significant problem in health care settings, partly due to the presence of a nondividing, antibiotic-tolerant subpopulation. Here we evaluated treatment of S. aureus UAMS-1 biofilms with HT61, a quinoline derivative shown to be effective against nondividing Staphylococcus spp. HT61 was effective at reducing biofilm viability and was associated with increased expression of cell wall stress and division proteins, confirming its potential as a treatment for S. aureus biofilm infections.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1555
Author(s):  
Shizhou Wu ◽  
Junqi Zhang ◽  
Qi Peng ◽  
Yunjie Liu ◽  
Lei Lei ◽  
...  

Antibiotic resistance is a serious global health concern that may have significant social and financial consequences. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is responsible for substantial morbidity and leads to the death of 21.8% of infected patients annually. A lack of novel antibiotics has prompted the exploration of therapies targeting bacterial virulence mechanisms. The two-component signal transduction system (TCS) enables microbial cells to regulate gene expression and the subsequent metabolic processes that occur due to environmental changes. The YycFG TCS in S. aureus is essential for bacterial viability, the regulation of cell membrane metabolism, cell wall synthesis and biofilm formation. However, the role of YycFG-associated biofilm organization in S. aureus antimicrobial drug resistance and gene regulation has not been discussed in detail. We reviewed the main molecules involved in YycFG-associated cell wall biosynthesis, biofilm development and polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) accumulation. Two YycFG-associated regulatory mechanisms, accessory gene regulator (agr) and staphylococcal accessory regulator (SarA), were also discussed. We highlighted the importance of biofilm formation in the development of antimicrobial drug resistance in S. aureus infections. Data revealed that inhibition of the YycFG pathway reduced PIA production, biofilm formation and bacterial pathogenicity, which provides a potential target for the management of MRSA-induced infections.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apoorva Ravishankar ◽  
Amaury Pupo ◽  
Jennifer E.G. Gallagher

AbstractThe use of glyphosate-based herbicides is widespread and despite its extensive use, its effects are yet to be deciphered completely. The additives in commercial formulations of glyphosate, though labeled as inert when used individually, have adverse effects when used in combination with other additives and the active ingredient. As a species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a wide range of resistance to glyphosate-based herbicides. To investigate the underlying genetic differences between sensitive and resistant strains, global changes in gene expression were measured when yeast were exposed to a commercial formulation of glyphosate (CFG). Changes in gene expression involved in numerous pathways such as DNA replication, MAPK signaling, meiosis, and cell wall synthesis. Because so many diverse pathways were affected, these strains were then subjected to in-lab-evolutions (ILE) to select mutations that confer increased resistance. Common fragile sites were found to play a role in adaptation mechanisms used by cells to attain resistance with long-term exposure to CFG. The cell wall structure acts as a protective barrier in alleviating the stress caused by exposure to CFG. The thicker the cell wall, the more resistant the cell is against CFG. Hence, a detailed study of the changes occurring at the genome and transcriptome level is essential to better understand the possible effects of CFG on the cell as a whole.Author SummaryWe are exposed to various chemicals in the environment on a daily basis. Some of these chemicals are herbicides that come in direct contact with the food we consume. This makes the thorough investigation of these chemicals crucial. Some of the most commonly used herbicides around the world are glyphosate-based. Their mode of action effects a biosynthetic pathway that is absent in mammals and insects and so it is deemed safe for consumption. However, there are many additives to these herbicides that increase its effects. Thorough testing of these commercially available herbicides is essential to decipher all the potentially adverse effects that it could have on a cell. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a wide range of genetic diversity, making it is suitable to test different chemicals and identify any harmful effects. In this study, we exposed yeast cells to some glyphosate-based herbicides available in the market, to understand what effects it could have on a cell. We found that the additives in the herbicides have an effect on the cell wall and the mode of entry of glyphosate into the cell.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (3) ◽  
pp. 1120-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fionnuala McAleese ◽  
Shang Wei Wu ◽  
Krzysztof Sieradzki ◽  
Paul Dunman ◽  
Ellen Murphy ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Custom-designed gene chips (Affymetrix) were used to determine genetic relatedness and gene expression profiles in Staphylococcus aureus isolates with increasing MICs of vancomycin that were recovered over a period of several weeks from the blood and heart valve of a patient undergoing extensive vancomycin therapy. The isolates were found to be isogenic as determined by the GeneChip based genotyping approach and thus represented a unique opportunity to study changes in gene expression that may contribute to the vancomycin resistance phenotype. No differences in gene expression were detected between the parent strain, JH1, and JH15, isolated from the nares of a patient contact. Few expression changes were observed between blood and heart valve isolates with identical vancomycin MICs. A large number of genes had altered expression in the late stage JH9 isolate (MIC = 8 μg/ml) compared to JH1 (MIC = 1 μg/ml). Most genes with altered expression were involved in housekeeping functions or cell wall biosynthesis and regulation. The sortase-encoding genes, srtA and srtB, as well as several surface protein-encoding genes were downregulated in JH9. Two hypothetical protein-encoding genes, SAS016 and SA2343, were dramatically overexpressed in JH9. Interestingly, 27 of the genes with altered expression in JH9 grown in drug-free medium were found to be also overexpressed when the parental strain JH1 was briefly exposed to inhibitory concentrations of vancomycin, and more than half (17 of 27) of the genes with altered expression belonged to determinants that were proposed to form part of a general cell wall stress stimulon (S. Utaida et al., Microbiology 149:2719-2732, 2003).


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Katsaros ◽  
Sophie Le Panse ◽  
Gillian Milne ◽  
Carl J. Carrano ◽  
Frithjof Christian Küpper

Abstract The objective of the present study is to examine the fine structure of vegetative cells of Laminaria digitata using both chemical fixation and cryofixation. Laminaria digitata was chosen due to its importance as a model organism in a wide range of biological studies, as a keystone species on rocky shores of the North Atlantic, its use of iodide as a unique inorganic antioxidant, and its significance as a raw material for the production of alginate. Details of the fine structural features of vegetative cells are described, with particular emphasis on the differences between the two methods used, i.e. conventional chemical fixation and freeze-fixation. The general structure of the cells was similar to that already described, with minor differences between the different cell types. An intense activity of the Golgi system was found associated with the thick external cell wall, with large dictyosomes from which numerous vesicles and cisternae are released. An interesting type of cisternae was found in the cryofixed material, which was not visible with the chemical fixation. These are elongated structures, in sections appearing tubule-like, close to the external cell wall or to young internal walls. An increased number of these structures was observed near the plasmodesmata of the pit fields. They are similar to the “flat cisternae” found associated with the forming cytokinetic diaphragm of brown algae. Their possible role is discussed. The new findings of this work underline the importance of such combined studies which reveal new data not known until now using the old conventional methods. The main conclusion of the present study is that cryofixation is the method of choice for studying Laminaria cytology by transmission electron microscopy.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 543
Author(s):  
Ozioma F. Nwabor ◽  
Sukanlaya Leejae ◽  
Supayang P. Voravuthikunchai

As the burden of antibacterial resistance worsens and treatment options become narrower, rhodomyrtone—a novel natural antibiotic agent with a new antibacterial mechanism—could replace existing antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multi-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, rhodomyrtone was detected within the cell by means of an easy an inexpensive method. The antibacterial effects of rhodomyrtone were investigated on epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Thin-layer chromatography demonstrated the entrapment and accumulation of rhodomyrtone within the bacterial cell wall and cell membrane. The incorporation of radiolabelled precursors revealed that rhodomyrtone inhibited the synthesis of macromolecules including DNA, RNA, proteins, the cell wall, and lipids. Following the treatment with rhodomyrtone at MIC (0.5–1 µg/mL), the synthesis of all macromolecules was significantly inhibited (p ≤ 0.05) after 4 h. Inhibition of macromolecule synthesis was demonstrated after 30 min at a higher concentration of rhodomyrtone (4× MIC), comparable to standard inhibitor compounds. In contrast, rhodomyrtone did not affect lipase activity in staphylococci—both epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus and S. aureus ATCC 29213. Interfering with the synthesis of multiple macromolecules is thought to be one of the antibacterial mechanisms of rhodomyrtone.


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