scholarly journals Packed Like Sardines – How Surface Crowdedness Impacts Accessibility to Peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel J. Ferraro ◽  
Marcos M. Pires

AbstractBacterial cell walls are essential barriers that protect bacteria against the onslaught of potentially lethal molecules from the outside. Small molecule therapeutics, proteins from bacterial foes, and host immune proteins must navigate past a dense layer of bacterial biomacromolecules (e.g., capsular proteins, teichoic acids, and anchored proteins) to reach the peptidoglycan (PG) layer of Gram-positive bacteria. A subclass of molecules (e.g., antibiotics with intracellular targets) must also permeate through the PG (in a molecular sieving manner) to reach the cytoplasmic membrane. In the case of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), teichoic acids are the major biopolymers that decorate bacterial cell surfaces. Despite the biological and therapeutic importance of surface accessibility, systematic analyses in live bacterial cells have been lacking. We describe a novel live cell fluorescence assay that reports on the permeability of molecules to and within the PG scaffold. The assay has robust reproducibility, is readily adoptable to any Gram-positive organism, and is compatible with high-throughput sample processing. Analysis of the factors controlling permeability to S. aureus and the methicillin resistant MRSA revealed that molecular flexibility plays a central role in molecular permeability. Moreover, teichoic acids impeded permeability of molecules of a wide range of sizes and chemical composition.

Author(s):  
Mohamed Rbaa ◽  
Abdelhadi Hichar ◽  
Omar Bazdi ◽  
Younes Lakhrissi ◽  
Khadija Ounine ◽  
...  

Abstract Background 8-Hydroxyquinoline derivatives are known for their extensive applications in the field of analytical chemistry and separation techniques; their complexes with transition metals also exhibit antibacterial and antifungal activity. Results In the present study, we synthesized a new series of pyranoquinoline derivatives and evaluated their antibacterial activities. The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance, and elemental analysis. All the prepared compounds were evaluated in vitro as antimicrobial agents against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains (Escherichia coli (ATCC35218), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC29213), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (ATCC17802), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC27853)). The screening test was determined by using the standard protocol of disc diffusion method (DDM). Conclusion We have synthesized new pyranic compounds bearing an 8-hydroxyquinoline moiety on their structure. The preliminary screening results showed that all the tested compounds have a remarkable inhibitory effect on the growth of the majority of the tested bacterial strains compared to the standard antibiotic (penicillin G), and the chlorinated compound (Q1) is more active against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria such as the Staphylococcus aureus strain which is the most sensitive. Gram-positive bacteria are responsible for a wide range of infectious diseases, and rising resistance in this group is causing increasing concern. Thus, this study develops novel heterocyclic compound derivatives of 8-hydroxyquinoline that have demonstrated good antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Graphical abstract


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Oliva ◽  
Stefania Stefani ◽  
Mario Venditti ◽  
Enea Gino Di Domenico

Infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria are a major public health problem due to their increasing resistance to antibiotics. Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species’ resistance and pathogenicity are enhanced by their ability to form biofilm. The biofilm lifestyle represents a significant obstacle to treatment because bacterial cells become highly tolerant to a wide range of antimicrobial compounds normally effective against their planktonic forms. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies targeting biofilms are urgently needed. The lipoglycopeptide dalbavancin is a long-acting agent for treating acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections caused by a broad range of Gram-positive pathogens. Recent studies have shown promising activity of dalbavancin against Gram-positive biofilms, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE), and vancomycin-susceptible enterococci. This review outlines the mechanisms regulating biofilm development in Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species and the clinical impact of biofilm-related infections. In addition, it discusses the clinical implications and potential therapeutic perspectives of the long-acting drug dalbavancin against biofilm-forming Gram-positive pathogens.


1969 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Anderson ◽  
A. R. Archibald ◽  
J Baddiley ◽  
M. J. Curtis ◽  
N. Barbara Davey

1. Walls of certain Gram-positive bacteria dissolved on incubation with dilute aqueous NN-dimethylhydrazine in the presence of air, by a reaction that probably involves free radicals. 2. Under the conditions described, the soluble products from the peptidoglycan were almost all non-diffusible. After brief incubation of walls of some organisms with reagent, part of the peptidoglycan component was obtained as a high-molecular-weight gel, the viscosity of which was rapidly decreased by incubation with lysozyme. 3. The extent to which peptidoglycan dissolved varied with different organisms, depending possibly on the extent of cross-linking, but the nature of the bonds that were destroyed has not been established. 4. Teichoic acids and polysaccharides were solubilized by this treatment and could be isolated in high overall yield. 5. The procedure is valuable in the examination of the distribution of heteropolymers in walls, and has been used to show that the polysaccharide present in walls of Lactobacillus arabinosus 17–5 is phosphorylated and may account for 20% of the total phosphate of the wall.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irshad Sharafutdinov ◽  
Anna Pavlova ◽  
Farida Akhatova ◽  
Alsu Khabibrakhmanova ◽  
Elvira Rozhina ◽  
...  

Staphylococcus aureus causes various infectious diseases, from skin impetigo to life-threatening bacteremia and sepsis, thus appearing an important target for antimicrobial therapeutics. In turn, the rapid development of antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation makes it extremely robust against treatment. Here, we unravel the molecular mechanism of the antimicrobial activity of the recently unveiled F105 consisting of three pharmacophores: chlorinated 2(5H)-furanone, sulfone, and l-menthol moieties. F105 demonstrates highly selective activity against Gram-positive bacteria and biofilm-embedded S. aureus and exhibits low risk of resistance development. We show explicitly that the fluorescent analogue of F105 rapidly penetrates into Gram-positive bacteria independently of their cell integrity and viability and accumulates there. By contrast, Gram-negative bacteria remain impermeable and, therefore, insusceptible to F105. Apparently, in bacterial cells, F105 induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and nonspecifically interacts with a number of proteins, including ROS-utilizing ones. Using native and 2D PAGE, we confirm that F105 changes the charge of some proteins by either oxidation or direct interaction with them. Therefore, it seems justified to conclude that being simultaneously a ROS inducer and damaging proteins responsible for ROS utilization, F105 impairs the cellular anti-ROS defense representing a prospective ROS-inducing antibacterial agent.


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.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (21) ◽  
pp. 6737-6746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilda Tiricz ◽  
Attila Szűcs ◽  
Attila Farkas ◽  
Bernadett Pap ◽  
Rui M. Lima ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTLeguminous plants establish symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing alpha- and betaproteobacteria, collectively called rhizobia, which provide combined nitrogen to support plant growth. Members of the inverted repeat-lacking clade of legumes impose terminal differentiation on their endosymbiotic bacterium partners with the help of the nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptide family composed of close to 600 members. Among the few tested NCR peptides, cationic ones had antirhizobial activity measured by reduction or elimination of the CFU and uptake of the membrane-impermeable dye propidium iodide. Here, the antimicrobial spectrum of two of these peptides, NCR247 and NCR335, was investigated, and their effect on the transcriptome of the natural targetSinorhizobium melilotiwas characterized. Both peptides were able to kill quickly a wide range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria; however, their spectra were only partially overlapping, and differences were found also in their efficacy on given strains, indicating that the actions of NCR247 and NCR335 might be similar though not identical. Treatment ofS. meliloticultures with either peptide resulted in a quick downregulation of genes involved in basic cellular functions, such as transcription-translation and energy production, as well as upregulation of genes involved in stress and oxidative stress responses and membrane transport. Similar changes provoked mainly in Gram-positive bacteria by antimicrobial agents were coupled with the destruction of membrane potential, indicating that it might also be a common step in the bactericidal actions of NCR247 and NCR335.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 2498-2500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Jeong Yoon ◽  
Yeong Woo Jo ◽  
Sung Hak Choi ◽  
Tae Ho Lee ◽  
Jae Keol Rhee ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In vitro and in vivo activities of DA-7867 were assessed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. All isolates were inhibited by DA-7867 at ≤0.78 μg/ml, a four-times-lower concentration than that of inhibition by linezolid. For murine infection models, DA-7867 also exhibited greater efficacy than linezolid against all isolates tested.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
Zina Hashem Shehab ◽  
Huda Suhail Abid ◽  
Sumaya Fadhil Hamad ◽  
Sara Haitham

The study was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory activity of methanol extract of Gardenia jasminoides leaves compared with leaf crude extracts for some organic solvents namely Methanol, Ethanol, Petroleum ether, Asetone and Chloroform on growth of some pathogenic bacteria and yeast, which included four gram positive isolates Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Bacillus cereus and gram negative isolates Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and some yeasts Candida albicans and Saccharomyces boulardii, by using well diffusion method. The inhibitory activity of extracts in the tested bacterial strains and yeasts was varied according to the type of extracting solvents and are tested microorganisms. The methanol callus extract which grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media by using (Naphthalen acitic acid) NAA and (Benzyle adenine) BA as growth regulator highly effective as compared to the other extracts as for inhibition of three gram positive bacteria and three gram negative bacteria,which include Staphylococcus aureus and, Proteus vulgaris, followed by acetone and ethanolic extracts which include two gram positive bacteria and two gram negative bacteria. All extracts had highly effect in growth of Candida albicans while all crude extracts didn’t show any sensitivity against Saccharomyces boulardii, and when we’d done (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) HPLC test for detection of some active compound we found Quinic acid, Iridiods glycosides and Crocin which its rate in fresh callus was higher than fresh leaves.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 1127-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah L. Higgins ◽  
Ray Chang ◽  
Dmitri V. Debabov ◽  
Joey Leung ◽  
Terry Wu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant gram-positive bacteria represent a serious clinical problem. Telavancin is a novel lipoglycopeptide antibiotic that possesses rapid in vitro bactericidal activity against a broad spectrum of clinically relevant gram-positive pathogens. Here we demonstrate that telavancin's antibacterial activity derives from at least two mechanisms. As observed with vancomycin, telavancin inhibited late-stage peptidoglycan biosynthesis in a substrate-dependent fashion and bound the cell wall, as it did the lipid II surrogate tripeptideN,N′-diacetyl-l-lysinyl-d-alanyl-d-alanine, with high affinity. Telavancin also perturbed bacterial cell membrane potential and permeability. In methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus, telavancin caused rapid, concentration-dependent depolarization of the plasma membrane, increases in permeability, and leakage of cellular ATP and K+. The timing of these changes correlated with rapid , concentration-dependent loss of bacterial viability, suggesting that the early bactericidal activity of telavancin results from dissipation of cell membrane potential and an increase in membrane permeability. Binding and cell fractionation studies provided direct evidence for an interaction of telavancin with the bacterial cell membrane; stronger binding interactions were observed with the bacterial cell wall and cell membrane relative to vancomycin. We suggest that this multifunctional mechanism of action confers advantageous antibacterial properties.


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