scholarly journals A New Natural Product Analog of Blasticidin S Reveals Cellular Uptake Facilitated by the NorA Multidrug Transporter

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack R. Davison ◽  
Katheryn M. Lohith ◽  
Xiaoning Wang ◽  
Kostyantyn Bobyk ◽  
Sivakoteswara R. Mandadapu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The permeation of antibiotics through bacterial membranes to their target site is a crucial determinant of drug activity but in many cases remains poorly understood. During screening efforts to discover new broad-spectrum antibiotic compounds from marine sponge samples, we identified a new analog of the peptidyl nucleoside antibiotic blasticidin S that exhibited up to 16-fold-improved potency against a range of laboratory and clinical bacterial strains which we named P10. Whole-genome sequencing of laboratory-evolved strains of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to blasticidin S and P10, combined with genome-wide assessment of the fitness of barcoded Escherichia coli knockout strains in the presence of the antibiotics, revealed that restriction of cellular access was a key feature in the development of resistance to this class of drug. In particular, the gene encoding the well-characterized multidrug efflux pump NorA was found to be mutated in 69% of all S. aureus isolates resistant to blasticidin S or P10. Unexpectedly, resistance was associated with inactivation of norA, suggesting that the NorA transporter facilitates cellular entry of peptidyl nucleosides in addition to its known role in the efflux of diverse compounds, including fluoroquinolone antibiotics.

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meinan Lyu ◽  
Mitchell A. Moseng ◽  
Jennifer L. Reimche ◽  
Concerta L. Holley ◽  
Vijaya Dhulipala ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen and causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea. The most predominant and clinically important multidrug efflux system in N. gonorrhoeae is the multiple transferrable resistance (Mtr) pump, which mediates resistance to a number of different classes of structurally diverse antimicrobial agents, including clinically used antibiotics (e.g., β-lactams and macrolides), dyes, detergents and host-derived antimicrobials (e.g., cationic antimicrobial peptides and bile salts). Recently, it has been found that gonococci bearing mosaic-like sequences within the mtrD gene can result in amino acid changes that increase the MtrD multidrug efflux pump activity, probably by influencing antimicrobial recognition and/or extrusion to elevate the level of antibiotic resistance. Here, we report drug-bound solution structures of the MtrD multidrug efflux pump carrying a mosaic-like sequence using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, with the antibiotics bound deeply inside the periplasmic domain of the pump. Through this structural approach coupled with genetic studies, we identify critical amino acids that are important for drug resistance and propose a mechanism for proton translocation. IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae has become a highly antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative pathogen. Multidrug efflux is a major mechanism that N. gonorrhoeae uses to counteract the action of multiple classes of antibiotics. It appears that gonococci bearing mosaic-like sequences within the gene mtrD, encoding the most predominant and clinically important transporter of any gonococcal multidrug efflux pump, significantly elevate drug resistance and enhance transport function. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy (EM) structures of N. gonorrhoeae MtrD carrying a mosaic-like sequence that allow us to understand the mechanism of drug recognition. Our work will ultimately inform structure-guided drug design for inhibiting these critical multidrug efflux pumps.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon R. Coleman ◽  
Travis Blimkie ◽  
Reza Falsafi ◽  
Robert E. W. Hancock

ABSTRACT Swarming surface motility is a complex adaptation leading to multidrug antibiotic resistance and virulence factor production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we expanded previous studies to demonstrate that under swarming conditions, P. aeruginosa PA14 is more resistant to multiple antibiotics, including aminoglycosides, β-lactams, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, trimethoprim, and macrolides, than swimming cells, but is not more resistant to polymyxin B. We investigated the mechanism(s) of swarming-mediated antibiotic resistance by examining the transcriptomes of swarming cells and swarming cells treated with tobramycin by transcriptomics (RNA-Seq) and reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). RNA-Seq of swarming cells (versus swimming) revealed 1,581 dysregulated genes, including 104 transcriptional regulators, two-component systems, and sigma factors, numerous upregulated virulence and iron acquisition factors, and downregulated ribosomal genes. Strain PA14 mutants in resistome genes that were dysregulated under swarming conditions were tested for their ability to swarm in the presence of tobramycin. In total, 41 mutants in genes dysregulated under swarming conditions were shown to be more resistant to tobramycin under swarming conditions, indicating that swarming-mediated tobramycin resistance was multideterminant. Focusing on two genes downregulated under swarming conditions, both prtN and wbpW mutants were more resistant to tobramycin, while the prtN mutant was additionally resistant to trimethoprim under swarming conditions; complementation of these mutants restored susceptibility. RNA-Seq of swarming cells treated with subinhibitory concentrations of tobramycin revealed the upregulation of the multidrug efflux pump MexXY and downregulation of virulence factors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 5102-5110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Ramírez-Zavala ◽  
Selene Mogavero ◽  
Eva Schöller ◽  
Christoph Sasse ◽  
P. David Rogers ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTOverexpression of the multidrug efflux pumpMDR1is one mechanism by which the pathogenic yeastCandida albicansdevelops resistance to the antifungal drug fluconazole. The constitutive upregulation ofMDR1in fluconazole-resistant, clinicalC. albicansisolates is caused by gain-of-function mutations in the zinc cluster transcription factor Mrr1. It has been suggested that Mrr1 activatesMDR1transcription by recruiting Ada2, a subunit of the SAGA/ADA coactivator complex. However,MDR1expression is also regulated by the bZIP transcription factor Cap1, which mediates the oxidative stress response inC. albicans. Here, we show that a hyperactive Mrr1 containing a gain-of-function mutation promotesMDR1overexpression independently of Ada2. In contrast, a C-terminally truncated, hyperactive Cap1 causedMDR1overexpression in a wild-type strain but only weakly in mutants lackingADA2. In the presence of benomyl or H2O2, compounds that induceMDR1expression in an Mrr1- and Cap1-dependent fashion,MDR1was upregulated with the same efficiency in wild-type andada2Δ cells. These results indicate that Cap1, but not Mrr1, recruits Ada2 to theMDR1promoter to induce the expression of this multidrug efflux pump and that Ada2 is not required forMDR1overexpression in fluconazole-resistantC. albicansstrains containing gain-of-function mutations in Mrr1.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 6224-6234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Attilio V. Vargiu ◽  
Paolo Ruggerone ◽  
Timothy J. Opperman ◽  
Son T. Nguyen ◽  
Hiroshi Nikaido

ABSTRACTEfflux pumps of the resistance nodulation division (RND) superfamily, such as AcrB, make a major contribution to multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. The development of inhibitors of the RND pumps would improve the efficacy of current and next-generation antibiotics. To date, however, only one inhibitor has been cocrystallized with AcrB. Thus,in silicostructure-based analysis is essential for elucidating the interaction between other inhibitors and the efflux pumps. In this work, we used computer docking and molecular dynamics simulations to study the interaction between AcrB and the compound MBX2319, a novel pyranopyridine efflux pump inhibitor with potent activity against RND efflux pumps ofEnterobacteriaceaespecies, as well as other known inhibitors (D13-9001, 1-[1-naphthylmethyl]-piperazine, and phenylalanylarginine-β-naphthylamide) and the binding of doxorubicin to the efflux-defective F610A variant of AcrB. We also analyzed the binding of a substrate, minocycline, for comparison. Our results show that MBX2319 binds very tightly to the lower part of the distal pocket in the B protomer of AcrB, strongly interacting with the phenylalanines lining the hydrophobic trap, where the hydrophobic portion of D13-9001 was found to bind by X-ray crystallography. Additionally, MBX2319 binds to AcrB in a manner that is similar to the way in which doxorubicin binds to the F610A variant of AcrB. In contrast, 1-(1-naphthylmethyl)-piperazine and phenylalanylarginine-β-naphthylamide appear to bind to somewhat different areas of the distal pocket in the B protomer of AcrB than does MBX2319. However, all inhibitors (except D13-9001) appear to distort the structure of the distal pocket, impairing the proper binding of substrates.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Juarez ◽  
Katy Jeannot ◽  
Patrick Plésiat ◽  
Catherine Llanes

ABSTRACT The multidrug efflux system MexEF-OprN is produced at low levels in wild-type strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, in so-called nfxC mutants, mutational alteration of the gene mexS results in constitutive overexpression of the pump, along with increased resistance of the bacterium to chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolones, and trimethoprim. In this study, analysis of in vitro-selected chloramphenicol-resistant clones of strain PA14 led to the identification of a new class of MexEF-OprN-overproducing mutants (called nfxC2) exhibiting alterations in an as-yet-uncharacterized gene, PA14_38040 (homolog of PA2047 in strain PAO1). This gene is predicted to encode an AraC-like transcriptional regulator and was called cmrA (for chloramphenicol resistance activator). In nfxC2 mutants, the mutated CmrA increases its proper gene expression and upregulates the operon mexEF-oprN through MexS and MexT, resulting in a multidrug resistance phenotype without significant loss in bacterial virulence. Transcriptomic experiments demonstrated that CmrA positively regulates a small set of 11 genes, including PA14_38020 (homolog of PA2048), which is required for the MexS/T-dependent activation of mexEF-oprN. PA2048 codes for a protein sharing conserved domains with the quinol monooxygenase YgiN from Escherichia coli. Interestingly, exposure of strain PA14 to toxic electrophilic molecules (glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and cinnamaldehyde) strongly activates the CmrA pathway and upregulates MexEF-OprN and, thus, increases the resistance of P. aeruginosa to the pump substrates. A picture emerges in which MexEF-OprN is central in the response of the pathogen to stresses affecting intracellular redox homeostasis.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Grimsey ◽  
Chiara Fais ◽  
Robert L. Marshall ◽  
Vito Ricci ◽  
Maria Laura Ciusa ◽  
...  

Efflux pumps of the resistance nodulation-cell division (RND) superfamily are major contributors to multidrug resistance for most of the Gram-negative ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) pathogens. The development of inhibitors of these pumps would be highly desirable; however, several issues have thus far hindered all efforts at designing new efflux inhibitory compounds devoid of adverse effects. An alternative route to de novo design relies on the use of marketed drugs, for which side effects on human health have been already assessed. In this work, we provide experimental evidence that the antipsychotic drugs chlorpromazine and amitriptyline are inhibitors of the AcrB transporter, the engine of the major RND efflux pumps in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Furthermore, in silico calculations have provided a molecular-level picture of the inhibition mechanism, allowing rationalization of experimental data and paving the way for similar studies with other classes of marketed compounds.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace A. Beggs ◽  
Yaramah M. Zalucki ◽  
Nicholas Gene Brown ◽  
Sheila Rastegari ◽  
Rebecca K. Phillips ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae responds to host-derived antimicrobials by inducing the expression of the mtrCDE-encoded multidrug efflux pump, which expels microbicides, such as bile salts, fatty acids, and multiple extrinsically administered drugs, from the cell. In the absence of these cytotoxins, the TetR family member MtrR represses the mtrCDE genes. Although antimicrobial-dependent derepression of mtrCDE is clear, the physiological inducers of MtrR are unknown. Here, we report the crystal structure of an induced form of MtrR. In the binding pocket of MtrR, we observed electron density that we hypothesized was N-cyclohexyl-3-aminopropanesulfonic acid (CAPS), a component of the crystallization reagent. Using the MtrR-CAPS structure as an inducer-bound template, we hypothesized that bile salts, which bear significant chemical resemblance to CAPS, are physiologically relevant inducers. Indeed, characterization of MtrR-chenodeoxycholate and MtrR-taurodeoxycholate interactions, both in vitro and in vivo, revealed that these bile salts, but not glyocholate or taurocholate, bind MtrR tightly and can act as bona fide inducers. Furthermore, two residues, W136 and R176, were shown to be important in binding chenodeoxycholate but not taurodeoxycholate, suggesting different binding modes of the bile salts. These data provide insight into a crucial mechanism utilized by the pathogen to overcome innate human defenses. IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes a significant disease burden worldwide, and a meteoric rise in its multidrug resistance has reduced the efficacy of antibiotics previously or currently approved for therapy of gonorrheal infections. The multidrug efflux pump MtrCDE transports multiple drugs and host-derived antimicrobials from the bacterial cell and confers survival advantage on the pathogen within the host. Transcription of the pump is repressed by MtrR but relieved by the cytosolic influx of antimicrobials. Here, we describe the structure of induced MtrR and use this structure to identify bile salts as physiological inducers of MtrR. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for antimicrobial sensing and gonococcal protection by MtrR through the derepression of mtrCDE expression after exposure to intrinsic and clinically applied antimicrobials.


2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 4912-4914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Bador ◽  
Lucie Amoureux ◽  
Jean-Marie Duez ◽  
Anthony Drabowicz ◽  
Eliane Siebor ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAchromobacter xylosoxidansis an emerging pathogen in cystic fibrosis patients. The multidrug resistance of these bacteria remains poorly understood. We have characterized in a clinical strain the first resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type multidrug efflux pump in this species: AxyABM. The inactivation of the transporter componentaxyBgene led to decreased MICs of cephalosporins (except cefepime), aztreonam, nalidixic acid, fluoroquinolones, and chloramphenicol.


mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
William M. Shafer

ABSTRACTIn a previousmBioarticle, Wadsworth and colleagues (mBio 9:e01419-18, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01419-18) describedNeisseria gonorrhoeaeisolates that express low levels of azithromycin (Azi) resistance. Whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis suggested that the isolates had acquired DNA from commensalNeisseriaspp. that caused numerous nucleotide changes in themtrlocus, which contains genes for a transcriptional repressor (MtrR) and three proteins (MtrC-MtrD-MtrE) that form a multidrug efflux pump known to export macrolides. Strong regions of linkage disequilibrium mapped to the overlappingmtrRandmtrCDEpromoters andmtrD.Genetic analyses revealed that these mosaic-like sequences increased transcription ofmtrCDEand MtrD function, respectively. These changes also had strong epistatic effects that collectively were responsible for decreased susceptibility to MtrCDE substrates, including Azi. The report emphasizes the importance of gene exchange among neisserial species and development of antibiotic resistance in gonococci, both of which have ramifications for detection of resistance markers and efficacy of antibiotic treatment regimens for gonorrhea.


2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 1616-1626 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Holling ◽  
D. Lednor ◽  
S. Tsang ◽  
A. Bissell ◽  
L. Campbell ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTProteus mirabilisforms extensive crystalline biofilms on urethral catheters that occlude urine flow and frequently complicate the management of long-term-catheterized patients. Here, using random transposon mutagenesis in conjunction within vitromodels of the catheterized urinary tract, we elucidate the mechanisms underpinning the formation of crystalline biofilms byP. mirabilis. Mutants identified as defective in blockage of urethral catheters had disruptions in genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and efflux systems but were unaffected in general growth, survival in bladder model systems, or the ability to elevate urinary pH. Imaging of biofilms directly on catheter surfaces, along with quantification of levels of encrustation and biomass, confirmed that the mutants were attenuated specifically in the ability to form crystalline biofilms compared with that of the wild type. However, the biofilm-deficient phenotype of these mutants was not due to deficiencies in attachment to catheter biomaterials, and defects in later stages of biofilm development were indicated. For one blocking-deficient mutant, the disrupted gene (encoding a putative multidrug efflux pump) was also found to be associated with susceptibility to fosfomycin, and loss of this system or general inhibition of efflux pumps increased sensitivity to this antibiotic. Furthermore, homologues of this system were found to be widely distributed among other common pathogens of the catheterized urinary tract. Overall, our findings provide fundamental new insight into crystalline biofilm formation byP. mirabilis, including the link between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in this organism, and indicate a potential role for efflux pump inhibitors in the treatment or prevention ofP. mirabiliscrystalline biofilms.


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