scholarly journals Spatial relationships of intra-lesion heterogeneity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis microenvironment, replication status, and drug efficacy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C Lavin ◽  
Shumin Tan
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Necrotic Core ◽  
Spatial Relationships ◽  
Tissue Architecture ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Imaging Approach ◽  
Single Lesion

A hallmark of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection with critical impact on disease development and outcome is the marked heterogeneity that exists, spanning differences in lesion types to changes in microenvironment as the infection progresses1-7. A mechanistic understanding of how this heterogeneity affects Mtb growth and treatment efficacy necessitates single bacterium-level studies in the context of intact host tissue architecture; however, such an evaluation has been technically challenging. Here, we exploit fluorescent reporter Mtb strains and the C3HeB/FeJ murine model in an integrated imaging approach to study microenvironment heterogeneity within a single lesion in situ, and analyze how these differences relate to non-uniformity in Mtb replication state, activity, and drug efficacy. We show that the pH and chloride environments differ spatially in a caseous necrotic lesion, with increased acidity and chloride levels in the lesion cuff versus the necrotic core. Conversely, a higher percentage of Mtb in the necrotic core versus the lesion cuff were in an actively replicating state, and correspondingly active in transcription and translation. Finally, examination of three first-line anti-tubercular drugs showed that efficacy of isoniazid was strikingly poor against bacteria in the lesion cuff. Our study reveals spatial relationships of intra-lesion heterogeneity, sheds light on important considerations in the development of anti-tubercular treatment strategies, and establishes a foundational framework for Mtb infection heterogeneity analysis at the single cell level in situ.

scholarly journals Lifestyle of sponge symbiont phages by host prediction and correlative microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Jahn ◽  
T. Lachnit ◽  
S. M. Markert ◽  
C. Stigloher ◽  
L. Pita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Bacterial Symbionts ◽  
Correlative Microscopy ◽  
Phage Ecology ◽  
Infection Dynamics ◽  
Imaging Approach ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Viral Distribution

AbstractBacteriophages (phages) are ubiquitous elements in nature, but their ecology and role in animals remains little understood. Sponges represent the oldest known extant animal-microbe symbiosis and are associated with dense and diverse microbial consortia. Here we investigate the tripartite interaction between phages, bacterial symbionts, and the sponge host. We combined imaging and bioinformatics to tackle important questions on who the phage hosts are and what the replication mode and spatial distribution within the animal is. This approach led to the discovery of distinct phage-microbe infection networks in sponge versus seawater microbiomes. A new correlative in situ imaging approach (‘PhageFISH-CLEM‘) localised phages within bacterial symbiont cells, but also within phagocytotically active sponge cells. We postulate that the phagocytosis of free virions by sponge cells modulates phage-bacteria ratios and ultimately controls infection dynamics. Prediction of phage replication strategies indicated a distinct pattern, where lysogeny dominates the sponge microbiome, likely fostered by sponge host-mediated virion clearance, while lysis dominates in seawater. Collectively, this work provides new insights into phage ecology within sponges, highlighting the importance of tripartite animal-phage-bacterium interplay in holobiont functioning. We anticipate that our imaging approach will be instrumental to further understanding of viral distribution and cellular association in animal hosts.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional in situ morphometrics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection within lesions by optical mesoscopy and novel acid-fast staining

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Francis ◽  
Gillian Robb ◽  
Lee McCann ◽  
Bhagwati Khatri ◽  
James Keeble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Large Field ◽  
Staining Procedure ◽  
3D Analysis ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection ◽  
In Vivo Models ◽  
Novel Approach

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) preclinical testing relies on in vivo models including the mouse aerosol challenge model. The only method of determining colony morphometrics of TB infection in a tissue in situ is two-dimensional (2D) histopathology. 2D measurements consider heterogeneity within a single observable section but not above and below, which could contain critical information. Here we describe a novel approach, using optical clearing and a novel staining procedure with confocal microscopy and mesoscopy, for three-dimensional (3D) measurement of TB infection within lesions at sub-cellular resolution over a large field of view. We show TB morphometrics can be determined within lesion pathology, and differences in infection with different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mesoscopy combined with the novel CUBIC Acid-Fast (CAF) staining procedure enables a quantitative approach to measure TB infection and allows 3D analysis of infection, providing a framework which could be used in the analysis of TB infection in situ.

scholarly journals Targeting Inflammasome Activation in COVID-19: Delivery of RNA Interference-Based Therapeutic Molecules

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1823
Author(s):  
Lealem Gedefaw ◽  
Sami Ullah ◽  
Thomas M. H. Lee ◽  
Shea Ping Yip ◽  
Chien-Ling Huang
Keyword(s):  
Rna Interference ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Immune Dysregulation ◽  
Inflammasome Activation ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Therapeutic Molecules ◽  
Non Coding Rnas

Mortality and morbidity associated with COVID-19 continue to be significantly high worldwide, owing to the absence of effective treatment strategies. The emergence of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 is also a considerable source of concern and has led to challenges in the development of better prevention and treatment strategies, including vaccines. Immune dysregulation due to pro-inflammatory mediators has worsened the situation in COVID-19 patients. Inflammasomes play a critical role in modulating pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and their activation is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Numerous preclinical and clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment using different approaches are currently underway. Targeting different inflammasomes to reduce the cytokine storm, and its associated complications, in COVID-19 patients is a new area of research. Non-coding RNAs, targeting inflammasome activation, may serve as an effective treatment strategy. However, the efficacy of these therapeutic agents is highly dependent on the delivery system. MicroRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, in conjunction with an efficient delivery vehicle, present a potential strategy for regulating NLRP3 activity through various RNA interference (RNAi) mechanisms. In this regard, the use of nanomaterials and other vehicle types for the delivery of RNAi-based therapeutic molecules for COVID-19 may serve as a novel approach for enhancing drug efficacy. The present review briefly summarizes immune dysregulation and its consequences, the roles of different non-coding RNAs in regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome, distinct types of vectors for their delivery, and potential therapeutic targets of microRNA for treatment of COVID-19.

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) in vitro and in situ using an electronic nose in combination with a neural network system

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandros K. Pavlou ◽  
Naresh Magan ◽  
Jeff Meecham Jones ◽  
Jonathan Brown ◽  
Paul Klatser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Electronic Nose ◽  
Network System ◽  
Neural Network System

scholarly journals Distinct Bacterial Pathways Influence the Efficacy of Antibiotics against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M. Bellerose ◽  
Megan K. Proulx ◽  
Clare M. Smith ◽  
Richard E. Baker ◽  
Thomas R. Ioerger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Treatment Outcome ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Drug Susceptibility ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Bacterial Clearance

ABSTRACT Effective tuberculosis treatment requires at least 6 months of combination therapy. Alterations in the physiological state of the bacterium during infection are thought to reduce drug efficacy and prolong the necessary treatment period, but the nature of these adaptations remain incompletely defined. To identify specific bacterial functions that limit drug effects during infection, we employed a comprehensive genetic screening approach to identify mutants with altered susceptibility to the first-line antibiotics in the mouse model. We identified many mutations that increase the rate of bacterial clearance, suggesting new strategies for accelerating therapy. In addition, the drug-specific effects of these mutations suggested that different antibiotics are limited by distinct factors. Rifampin efficacy is inferred to be limited by cellular permeability, whereas isoniazid is preferentially affected by replication rate. Many mutations that altered bacterial clearance in the mouse model did not have an obvious effect on drug susceptibility using in vitro assays, indicating that these chemical-genetic interactions tend to be specific to the in vivo environment. This observation suggested that a wide variety of natural genetic variants could influence drug efficacy in vivo without altering behavior in standard drug-susceptibility tests. Indeed, mutations in a number of the genes identified in our study are enriched in drug-resistant clinical isolates, identifying genetic variants that may influence treatment outcome. Together, these observations suggest new avenues for improving therapy, as well as the mechanisms of genetic adaptations that limit it. IMPORTANCE Understanding how Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives during antibiotic treatment is necessary to rationally devise more effective tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy regimens. Using genome-wide mutant fitness profiling and the mouse model of TB, we identified genes that alter antibiotic efficacy specifically in the infection environment and associated several of these genes with natural genetic variants found in drug-resistant clinical isolates. These data suggest strategies for synergistic therapies that accelerate bacterial clearance, and they identify mechanisms of adaptation to drug exposure that could influence treatment outcome.

scholarly journals Activity of pyrazinamide in a murine model against Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with various levels of in vitro susceptibility.

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
S P Klemens ◽  
C A Sharpe ◽  
M H Cynamon
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Viable Cell ◽  
Test System ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
In Vitro Susceptibility ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Treatment Of Infection

The activity of pyrazinamide (PZA) against eight isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a murine infection model was evaluated. M. tuberculosis isolates with various degrees of in vitro susceptibility to PZA (MIC range, 32 to > 2,048 micrograms/ml) were used. Four-week-old female mice were infected intravenously with approximately 10(7) viable M. tuberculosis organisms. PZA at 150 mg/kg of body weight was started 1 day postinfection and given 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Infected but untreated mice were compared with PZA-treated mice. Mice were sacrificed at the completion of the treatment period, and viable cell counts were determined from homogenates of spleens and right lungs. PZA had activity in the murine test system against M. tuberculosis isolates for which the MICs were < or = 256 micrograms/ml. However, there was an inconsistent correlation between the absolute MICs and the reductions in organ viable cell counts. Studies with drug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates with an isogenic background would improve evaluation of drug efficacy in the murine test system. Further evaluation of antimycobacterial agents against monodrug-resistant isolates will provide data that will be useful for development of algorithms for treatment of infection with drug-resistant organisms.

A Review of Evolutionary Trends in Carbonate Hardground Communities

1990 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 137-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Wilson ◽  
Timothy J. Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Early Cambrian ◽  
Spatial Relationships ◽  
Evolutionary Trends ◽  
Physical Resource ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Marine Carbonate ◽  
Competitive Hierarchies ◽  
General Physical ◽  
Sessile Organisms

Ancient and modern marine carbonate hardgrounds offer unusual opportunities to study the evolution of communities from the Early Cambrian into the Holocene. Throughout this time the general physical conditions of a hardground community have been similar. The substrate is hard so sessile organisms must either attach to its surface, nestle in cavities, or bore into it for occupation. These organisms are thus preserved in situ. Since space is often the limiting physical resource, organisms must have ways of obtaining and defending it, and these competitive hierarchies are often preserved in the spatial relationships of the species. Scouring and/or burial in sediment usually marks the end of the brief habitation.

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