scholarly journals Genetic Basis for Natural and Acquired Resistance to the Diarylquinoline R207910 in Mycobacteria

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 2853-2856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Petrella ◽  
Emmanuelle Cambau ◽  
Aurelie Chauffour ◽  
Koen Andries ◽  
Vincent Jarlier ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The atpE gene encoding the subunit c of the ATP synthase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the target of the new diarylquinoline drug R207910, has been sequenced from in vitro mutants resistant to the drug. The previously reported mutation A63P and a new mutation, I66M, were found. The genetic diversity of atpE in 13 mycobacterial species was also investigated, revealing that the region involved in resistance to R207910 is conserved, except in Mycobacterium xenopi in which the highly conserved residue Ala63 is replaced by Met, a modification that may be associated with the natural resistance of M. xenopi to R207910.

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 2084-2088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Guillemin ◽  
Vincent Jarlier ◽  
Emmanuelle Cambau

ABSTRACT The in vitro activities of seven quinolones and the sequences of the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) in the A and B subunits of DNA gyrase were determined for 14 mycobacterial species. On the basis of quinolone activity, quinolones were arranged from that with the greatest to that with the least activity as follows: sparfloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, flumequine, and nalidixic acid. Based on MICs, the species could be organized into three groups: resistant (Mycobacterium avium, M. intracellulare, M. marinum,M. chelonae, M. abscessus [ofloxacin MICs, ≥8 μg/ml]), moderately susceptible (M. tuberculosis,M. bovis BCG, M. kansasii, M. leprae, M. fortuitum third biovariant, M. smegmatis [ofloxacin MICs, 0.5 to 1 μg/ml]), and susceptible (M. fortuitum, M. peregrinum, M. aurum [ofloxacin MICs, ≤0.25 μg/ml]). Peptide sequences of the QRDR of GyrB were identical in all the species, including the amino acids at the three positions known to be involved in acquired resistance to quinolone, i.e., 426 (Asp), 447 (Arg), and 464 (Asn) (numbering system used for Escherichia coli). The last two residues could be involved in the overall low level of susceptibility of mycobacteria to quinolones since they differ from those found in the very susceptible E. coli (Lys-447 and Ser-464) but are identical to those found in the less susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Peptide sequences of the QRDR of GyrA were identical in all the species, except for the amino acid at position 83, which was an alanine in the two less susceptible groups and a serine in the most susceptible one, as inE. coli, suggesting that this amino acid is involved in the observed differences of quinolone susceptibility within theMycobacterium genus.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 579-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Griffiths ◽  
A. J. O'Neill

ABSTRACTThe genetic basis of tolerance to inhibitors of peptidoglycan biosynthesis inStaphylococcus aureuswas investigated by generating tolerant mutantsin vitroand characterizing them by comparative genome sequencing. Two independently selected tolerant mutants harbored nonsynonymous mutations ingdpP, a gene encoding a putative membrane-located signaling protein. Insertional inactivation ofgdpPalso conferred tolerance. Our findings further implicate altered signal transduction as a route to antibiotic tolerance inS. aureus.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109158182199894
Author(s):  
Brian T. Welsh ◽  
Ryan Faucette ◽  
Sanela Bilic ◽  
Constance J. Martin ◽  
Thomas Schürpf ◽  
...  

Checkpoint inhibitors offer a promising immunotherapy strategy for cancer treatment; however, due to primary or acquired resistance, many patients do not achieve lasting clinical responses. Recently, the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling pathway has been identified as a potential target to overcome primary resistance, although the nonselective inhibition of multiple TGFβ isoforms has led to dose-limiting cardiotoxicities. SRK-181 is a high-affinity, fully human antibody that selectively binds to latent TGFβ1 and inhibits its activation. To support SRK-181 clinical development, we present here a comprehensive preclinical assessment of its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and safety across multiple species. In vitro studies showed that SRK-181 has no effect on human platelet function and does not induce cytokine release in human peripheral blood. Four-week toxicology studies with SRK-181 showed that weekly intravenous administration achieved sustained serum exposure and was well tolerated in rats and monkeys, with no treatment-related adverse findings. The no-observed-adverse-effect levels levels were 200 mg/kg in rats and 300 mg/kg in monkeys, the highest doses tested, and provide a nonclinical safety factor of up to 813-fold (based on Cmax) above the phase 1 starting dose of 80 mg every 3 weeks. In summary, the nonclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetic, and toxicology data demonstrate that SRK-181 is a selective inhibitor of latent TGFβ1 that does not produce the nonclinical toxicities associated with nonselective TGFβ inhibition. These data support the initiation and safe conduct of a phase 1 trial with SRK-181 in patients with advanced cancer.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102
Author(s):  
Galina N. Raldugina ◽  
Sergey V. Evsukov ◽  
Liliya R. Bogoutdinova ◽  
Alexander A. Gulevich ◽  
Ekaterina N. Baranova

In this study the transgenic lines (TLs) of tobacco (Nicotianatabacum L.), which overexpress the heterologous gene encoding the bacterial enzyme choline oxidase were evaluated. The goal of our work is to study the effect of choline oxidase gene expression on the sensitivity of plant tissues to the action of NaCl. The regenerative capacity, rhizogenesis, the amount of photosynthetic pigments and osmotically active compounds (proline and glycine betaine) were assessed by in vitro cell culture methods using biochemical and morphological parameters. Transgenic lines with confirmed expression were characterized by high regeneration capacity from callus in the presence of 200 mmol NaCl, partial retention of viability at 400 mmol NaCl. These data correlated with the implicit response of regenerants and whole plants to the harmful effects of salinity. They turned out to be less sensitive to the presence of 200 mmol NaCl in the cultivation medium, in contrast to the WT plants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Anne-Laure Bidaud ◽  
Patrick Schwarz ◽  
Guillaume Herbreteau ◽  
Eric Dannaoui

Systemic fungal infections are associated with high mortality rates despite adequate treatment. Moreover, acquired resistance to antifungals is increasing, which further complicates the therapeutic management. One strategy to overcome antifungal resistance is to use antifungal combinations. In vitro, several techniques are used to assess drug interactions, such as the broth microdilution checkerboard, agar-diffusion methods, and time-kill curves. Currently, the most widely used technique is the checkerboard method. The aim of all these techniques is to determine if the interaction between antifungal agents is synergistic, indifferent, or antagonistic. However, the interpretation of the results remains difficult. Several methods of analysis can be used, based on different theories. The most commonly used method is the calculation of the fractional inhibitory concentration index. Determination of the usefulness of combination treatments in patients needs well-conducted clinical trials, which are difficult. It is therefore important to study antifungal combinations in vivo, in experimental animal models of fungal infections. Although mammalian models have mostly been used, new alternative animal models in invertebrates look promising. To evaluate the antifungal efficacy, the most commonly used criteria are the mortality rate and the fungal load in the target organs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii62-ii62
Author(s):  
Elisa Izquierdo ◽  
Diana Carvalho ◽  
Alan Mackay ◽  
Sara Temelso ◽  
Jessica K R Boult ◽  
...  

Abstract The survival of children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains dismal, with new treatments desperately needed. In the era of precision medicine, targeted therapies represent an exciting treatment opportunity, yet resistance can rapidly emerge, playing an important role in treatment failure. In a prospective biopsy-stratified clinical trial, we combined detailed molecular profiling (methylation BeadArray, exome, RNAseq, phospho-proteomics) linked to drug screening in newly-established patient-derived models of DIPG in vitro and in vivo. We identified a high degree of in vitro sensitivity to the MEK inhibitor trametinib (GI50 16-50nM) in samples, which harboured genetic alterations targeting the MAPK pathway, including the non-canonical BRAF_G469V mutation, and those affecting PIK3R1 and NF1. However, treatment of PDX models and of a patient with trametinib at relapse failed to elicit a significant response. We generated trametinib-resistant clones (62-188-fold, GI50 2.4–5.2µM) in the BRAF_G469V model through continuous drug exposure, and identified acquired mutations in MEK1/2 (MEK1_K57N, MEK1_I141S and MEK2_I115N) with sustained pathway up-regulation. These cells showed the hallmarks of mesenchymal transition, and expression signatures overlapping with inherently trametinib-insensitive primary patient-derived cells that predicted an observed sensitivity to dasatinib. Combinations of trametinib with dasatinib and the downstream ERK inhibitor ulixertinib showed highly synergistic effects in vitro. These data highlight the MAPK pathway as a therapeutic target in DIPG, and show the importance of parallel resistance modelling and rational combinatorial treatments likely to be required for meaningful clinical translation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (16) ◽  
pp. 5237-5243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangling Fang ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Wei Guo ◽  
Xia Zhang ◽  
Donghai Peng ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Bacillus thuringiensis has been used as a bioinsecticide to control agricultural insects. Bacillus cereus group genomes were found to have a Bacillus enhancin-like (bel) gene, encoding a peptide with 20 to 30% identity to viral enhancin protein, which can enhance viral infection by degradation of the peritrophic matrix (PM) of the insect midgut. In this study, the bel gene was found to have an activity similar to that of the viral enhancin gene. A bel knockout mutant was constructed by using a plasmid-free B. thuringiensis derivative, BMB171. The 50% lethal concentrations of this mutant plus the cry1Ac insecticidal protein gene were about 5.8-fold higher than those of the BMB171 strain. When purified Bel was mixed with the Cry1Ac protein and fed to Helicoverpa armigera larvae, 3 μg/ml Cry1Ac alone induced 34.2% mortality. Meanwhile, the mortality rate rose to 74.4% when the same amount of Cry1Ac was mixed with 0.8 μg/ml of Bel. Microscopic observation showed a significant disruption detected on the midgut PM of H. armigera larvae after they were fed Bel. In vitro degradation assays showed that Bel digested the intestinal mucin (IIM) of Trichoplusia ni and H. armigera larvae to various degrading products, similar to findings for viral enhancin. These results imply Bel toxicity enhancement depends on the destruction of midgut PM and IIM, similar to the case with viral enhancin. This discovery showed that Bel has the potential to enhance insecticidal activity of B. thuringiensis-based biopesticides and transgenic crops.


2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3631-3643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cintia R. C. Rocha ◽  
Klaus Schröppel ◽  
Doreen Harcus ◽  
Anne Marcil ◽  
Daniel Dignard ◽  
...  

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans switches from a budding yeast form to a polarized hyphal form in response to various external signals. This morphogenetic switching has been implicated in the development of pathogenicity. We have cloned theCaCDC35 gene encoding C. albicansadenylyl cyclase by functional complementation of the conditional growth defect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with mutations in Ras1p and Ras2p. It has previously been shown that these Ras homologues regulate adenylyl cyclase in yeast. The C. albicans adenylyl cyclase is highly homologous to other fungal adenylyl cyclases but has less sequence similarity with the mammalian enzymes. C. albicans cells deleted for both alleles ofCaCDC35 had no detectable cAMP levels, suggesting that this gene encodes the only adenylyl cyclase in C. albicans. The homozygous mutant cells were viable but grew more slowly than wild-type cells and were unable to switch from the yeast to the hyphal form under all environmental conditions that we analyzed in vitro. Moreover, this morphogenetic switch was completely blocked in mutant cells undergoing phagocytosis by macrophages. However, morphogenetic switching was restored by exogenous cAMP. On the basis of epistasis experiments, we propose that CaCdc35p acts downstream of the Ras homologue CaRas1p. These epistasis experiments also suggest that the putative transcription factor Efg1p and components of the hyphal-inducing MAP kinase pathway depend on the function of CaCdc35p in their ability to induce morphogenetic switching. Homozygouscacdc35Δ cells were unable to establish vaginal infection in a mucosal membrane mouse model and were avirulent in a mouse model for systemic infections. These findings suggest that fungal adenylyl cyclases and other regulators of the cAMP signaling pathway may be useful targets for antifungal drugs.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (6) ◽  
pp. 1954-1960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grit Zarnt ◽  
Thomas Schräder ◽  
Jan R. Andreesen

ABSTRACT The quinohemoprotein tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol dehydrogenase (THFA-DH) from Ralstonia eutropha strain Bo was investigated for its catalytic properties. The apparentk cat/Km andK i values for several substrates were determined using ferricyanide as an artificial electron acceptor. The highest catalytic efficiency was obtained with n-pentanol exhibiting a k cat/Km value of 788 × 104 M−1 s−1. The enzyme showed substrate inhibition kinetics for most of the alcohols and aldehydes investigated. A stereoselective oxidation of chiral alcohols with a varying enantiomeric preference was observed. Initial rate studies using ethanol and acetaldehyde as substrates revealed that a ping-pong mechanism can be assumed for in vitro catalysis of THFA-DH. The gene encoding THFA-DH from R. eutropha strain Bo (tfaA) has been cloned and sequenced. The derived amino acid sequence showed an identity of up to 67% to the sequence of various quinoprotein and quinohemoprotein dehydrogenases. A comparison of the deduced sequence with the N-terminal amino acid sequence previously determined by Edman degradation analysis suggested the presence of a signal sequence of 27 residues. The primary structure of TfaA indicated that the protein has a tertiary structure quite similar to those of other quinoprotein dehydrogenases.


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