scholarly journals Upregulation of ERG Genes inCandida Species by Azoles and Other Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 2693-2700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl W. Henry ◽  
Joseph T. Nickels ◽  
Thomas D. Edlind
Keyword(s):  
Biosynthetic Pathway ◽  
Sterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Logarithmic Phase ◽  
Biosynthesis Inhibitors ◽  
Azole Tolerance ◽  
Culture Growth ◽  
Lanosterol Demethylase ◽  
Strain Dependent

ABSTRACT Infections due to Candida albicans are usually treated with azole antifungals such as fluconazole, but treatment failure is not uncommon especially in immunocompromised individuals. Relatedly, in vitro studies demonstrate that azoles are nonfungicidal, with continued growth at strain-dependent rates even at high azole concentrations. We hypothesized that upregulation ofERG11, which encodes the azole target enzyme lanosterol demethylase, contributes to this azole tolerance in Candidaspecies. RNA analysis revealed that ERG11 expression in C. albicans is maximal during logarithmic-phase growth and decreases as the cells approach stationary phase. Incubation with fluconazole, however, resulted in a two- to fivefold increase in ERG11 RNA levels within 2 to 3 h, and this increase was followed by resumption of culture growth.ERG11 upregulation also occurred following treatment with other azoles (itraconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, and miconazole) and was not dependent on the specific medium or pH. Within 1 h of drug removal ERG11 upregulation was reversed. Azole-dependent upregulation was not limited to ERG11: five of five ERG genes tested whose products function upstream and downstream of lanosterol demethylase in the sterol biosynthetic pathway were also upregulated. Similarly, ERG11upregulation occurred following treatment of C. albicanscultures with terbinafine and fenpropimorph, which target other enzymes in the pathway. These data suggest a common mechanism for globalERG upregulation, e.g., in response to ergosterol depletion. Finally, azole-dependent ERG11 upregulation was demonstrated in three additional Candida species (C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, and C. krusei), indicating a conserved response to sterol biosynthesis inhibitors in opportunistic yeasts.

Lipid biosynthesis pathways as chemotherapeutic targets in kinetoplastid parasites

Parasitology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 114 (7) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. URBINA
Keyword(s):  
Trypanosoma Cruzi ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Pneumocystis Carinii ◽  
Lipid Biosynthesis ◽  
Sterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Leishmania Braziliensis ◽  
Biosynthesis Inhibitors

Inhibitors of sterol and phospholipid biosynthesis in kinetoplastid parasites such as Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, and different species of Leishmania have potent and selective activity as chemotherapeutic agents in vitro and in vivo. Recent work with the sterol C14α-demethylase inhibitor D0870, a bis triazole derivative, showed that this compound is capable of inducing radical parasitological cure in murine models of both acute and chronic Chagas' disease. Other inhibitors of this type, such as SCH 56592, have also shown curative, rather than suppressive, activity against T. cruzi in these models. Leishmania species have different susceptibilities to sterol biosynthesis inhibitors, both in vitro and in vivo. Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes, naturally resistant to C14α-demethylase inhibitors such as ketoconazole and D0870, were susceptible to these drugs when used in combination with the squalene epoxidase inhibitor terbinafine. Inhibitors of Δ24(25) sterol methyl transferase have been shown to act as potent antiproliferative agents against Trypanosoma cruzi, both in vitro and in vivo. New inhibitors of this type which show enhanced activity and novel mechanisms of action have been synthesized. Recent work has also demonstrated that this type of enzyme inhibitors can block sterol biosynthesis and cell proliferation in Pneumocystis carinii, a fungal pathogen which had previously been found resistant to other sterol biosynthesis inhibitors. Ajoene, an antiplatelet compound derived from garlic, was shown to have potent antiproliferative activity against epimastigotes and amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro; this activity was associated with a significant alteration of the phospholipid composition of the cells with no significant effects on the sterol content. In addition, alkyllsophospholipids such as ilmofosine, miltefosine and edelfosine have been shown to block the proliferation of T. cruzi and Leishmania and alter both the phospholipid and sterol composition. These results indicate the potential of lipid biosynthesis inhibitors as useful therapeutic agents in the treatment of leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease.

scholarly journals A single regulator NrtR controls bacterial NAD+ homeostasis via its acetylation

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongsui Gao ◽  
Wenhui Wei ◽  
Bachar H Hassan ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Jiaoyu Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biosynthetic Pathway ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Acetyl Phosphate ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Positive Bacterium ◽  
Nad Metabolism ◽  
Domains Of Life

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an indispensable cofactor in all domains of life, and its homeostasis must be regulated tightly. Here we report that a Nudix-related transcriptional factor, designated MsNrtR (MSMEG_3198), controls the de novo pathway of NAD+biosynthesis in M. smegmatis, a non-tuberculosis Mycobacterium. The integrated evidence in vitro and in vivo confirms that MsNrtR is an auto-repressor, which negatively controls the de novo NAD+biosynthetic pathway. Binding of MsNrtR cognate DNA is finely mapped, and can be disrupted by an ADP-ribose intermediate. Unexpectedly, we discover that the acetylation of MsNrtR at Lysine 134 participates in the homeostasis of intra-cellular NAD+ level in M. smegmatis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NrtR acetylation proceeds via the non-enzymatic acetyl-phosphate (AcP) route rather than by the enzymatic Pat/CobB pathway. In addition, the acetylation also occurs on the paralogs of NrtR in the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus and the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio, suggesting that these proteins have a common mechanism of post-translational modification in the context of NAD+ homeostasis. Together, these findings provide a first paradigm for the recruitment of acetylated NrtR to regulate bacterial central NAD+ metabolism.

scholarly journals Importance of beta-lactamase inhibitor pharmacokinetics in the pharmacodynamics of inhibitor-drug combinations: studies with piperacillin-tazobactam and piperacillin-sulbactam.

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
P D Lister ◽  
A M Prevan ◽  
C C Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Critical Concentration ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Logarithmic Phase ◽  
Critical Ratio ◽  
Beta Lactamase ◽  
Beta Lactam ◽  
Dosing Regimens ◽  
Lactamase Inhibitor

An in vitro pharmacokinetic model was used to study the pharmacodynamics of piperacillin-tazobactam and piperacillin-sulbactam against gram-negative bacilli producing plasmid-encoded beta-lactamases. Logarithmic-phase cultures were exposed to peak antibiotic concentrations observed in human serum after the administration of intravenous doses of 3 g of piperacillin and 0.375 g of tazobactam or 0.5 g of sulbactam. Piperacillin and inhibitor were either dosed simultaneously or piperacillin was dosed sequentially 0.5 h after dosing with the inhibitor. In studies with all four test strains, the pharmacodynamics observed after simultaneous dosing were similar to those observed with the sequential regimen. Since the ratio between piperacillin and tazobactam was in constant fluctuation after sequential dosing, these data suggest that the pharmacodynamics of the piperacillin-inhibitor combinations were not dependent upon maintenance of a critical ratio between the components. Furthermore, when regrowth was observed, the time at which bacterial counts began to increase was similar between the simultaneous and sequential dosing regimens. Since the pharmacokinetics of the inhibitors were the same for all regimens, these data suggest that the length of time that the antibacterial activity was maintained over the dosing interval with these combinations was dictated by the pharmacokinetics of the beta-lactamase inhibitor in the combination. The antibacterial activity of the combination appeared to be lost when the amount of inhibitor available fell below some critical concentration. This critical concentration varied depending upon the type and amount of enzyme produced, as well as the specific inhibitor used. These results indicate that the antibacterial activity of drug-inhibitor combinations, when dosed at their currently recommended ratios, is more dependent on the pharmacokinetics of the inhibitor than on those of the beta-lactam drug.

scholarly journals Nutrient Deficiency Promotes the Entry of Helicobacter pylori Cells into Candida Yeast Cells

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 426
Author(s):  
Kimberly Sánchez-Alonzo ◽  
Fabiola Silva-Mieres ◽  
Luciano Arellano-Arriagada ◽  
Cristian Parra-Sepúlveda ◽  
Humberto Bernasconi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Nutrient Deficiency ◽  
Gastric Epithelium ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Fetal Bovine ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Pcr Techniques ◽  
Strain Dependent

Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium, has as a natural niche the human gastric epithelium. This pathogen has been reported to enter into Candida yeast cells; however, factors triggering this endosymbiotic relationship remain unknown. The aim of this work was to evaluate in vitro if variations in nutrient concentration in the cultured medium trigger the internalization of H. pylori within Candida cells. We used H. pylori–Candida co-cultures in Brucella broth supplemented with 1%, 5% or 20% fetal bovine serum or in saline solution. Intra-yeast bacteria-like bodies (BLBs) were observed using optical microscopy, while intra-yeast BLBs were identified as H. pylori using FISH and PCR techniques. Intra-yeast H. pylori (BLBs) viability was confirmed using the LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability kit. Intra-yeast H. pylori was present in all combinations of bacteria–yeast strains co-cultured. However, the percentages of yeast cells harboring bacteria (Y-BLBs) varied according to nutrient concentrations and also were strain-dependent. In conclusion, reduced nutrients stresses H. pylori, promoting its entry into Candida cells. The starvation of both H. pylori and Candida strains reduced the percentages of Y-BLBs, suggesting that starving yeast cells may be less capable of harboring stressed H. pylori cells. Moreover, the endosymbiotic relationship between H. pylori and Candida is dependent on the strains co-cultured.

Late-onset X-linked sideroblastic anemia following hemodialysis

Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 101 (11) ◽  
pp. 4623-4624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazumichi Furuyama ◽  
Hideo Harigae ◽  
Chiharu Kinoshita ◽  
Toshihiko Shimada ◽  
Kazuko Miyaoka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biosynthetic Pathway ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Maintenance Hemodialysis ◽  
Sideroblastic Anemia ◽  
Ringed Sideroblasts ◽  
Aminolevulinate Synthase ◽  
Deficient Activity

Abstract X-linked sideroblastic anemia (XLSA) is due to deficient activity of erythroid-specific 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS2). We report here a patient who developed sideroblastic anemia at the age of 81 years while undergoing hemodialysis. The diagnosis of sideroblastic anemia was established by the presence of ringed sideroblasts in the bone marrow, and treatment with oral pyridoxine completely eliminated the ringed sideroblasts. We identified a novel point mutation in the fifth exon of this patient's ALAS2 gene, which resulted in an amino acid change at residue 159 from aspartic acid to asparagine (Asp159Asn). In vitro analyses of recombinant Asp159Asn ALAS2 revealed that this mutation accounted for the pyridoxine-responsiveness of this disease. The very late onset in this case of XLSA emphasizes that nutritional deficiencies caused either by dietary irregularities in the elderly or, as in this case, by maintenance hemodialysis therapy, may uncover occult inherited enzymatic deficiencies in the heme biosynthetic pathway.

scholarly journals Interleukin-4 Regulates the Expression of CD209 and Subsequent Uptake of Mycobacterium leprae by Schwann Cells in Human Leprosy

2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 4634-4643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosane M. B. Teles ◽  
Stephan R. Krutzik ◽  
Maria T. Ochoa ◽  
Rosane B. Oliveira ◽  
Euzenir N. Sarno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Schwann Cell ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Schwann Cells ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Mycobacterium Leprae ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Interleukin 4 ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Specific Cell

ABSTRACT The ability of microbial pathogens to target specific cell types is a key aspect of the pathogenesis of infectious disease. Mycobacterium leprae, by infecting Schwann cells, contributes to nerve injury in patients with leprosy. Here, we investigated mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction in the peripheral nerve lesions of leprosy. We found that the expression of the C-type lectin, CD209, known to be expressed on tissue macrophages and to mediate the uptake of M. leprae, was present on Schwann cells, colocalizing with the Schwann cell marker, CNPase (2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase), along with the M. leprae antigen PGL-1 in the peripheral nerve biopsy specimens. In vitro, human CD209-positive Schwann cells, both from primary cultures and a long-term line, have a higher binding of M. leprae compared to CD209-negative Schwann cells. Interleukin-4, known to be expressed in skin lesions from multibacillary patients, increased CD209 expression on human Schwann cells and subsequent Schwann cell binding to M. leprae, whereas Th1 cytokines did not induce CD209 expression on these cells. Therefore, the regulated expression of CD209 represents a common mechanism by which Schwann cells and macrophages bind and take up M. leprae, contributing to the pathogenesis of leprosy.

scholarly journals Bacteriophage-derived CHAP domain protein, P128, kills Staphylococcus cells by cleaving interpeptide cross-bridge of peptidoglycan

Microbiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 160 (10) ◽  
pp. 2157-2169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudarson Sundarrajan ◽  
Junjappa Raghupatil ◽  
Aradhana Vipra ◽  
Nagalakshmi Narasimhaswamy ◽  
Sanjeev Saravanan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Antibiotic Sensitivity ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Sensitivity Pattern

P128 is an anti-staphylococcal protein consisting of the Staphylococcus aureus phage-K-derived tail-associated muralytic enzyme (TAME) catalytic domain (Lys16) fused with the cell-wall-binding SH3b domain of lysostaphin. In order to understand the mechanism of action and emergence of resistance to P128, we isolated mutants of Staphylococcus spp., including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), resistant to P128. In addition to P128, the mutants also showed resistance to Lys16, the catalytic domain of P128. The mutants showed loss of fitness as shown by reduced rate of growth in vitro. One of the mutants tested was found to show reduced virulence in animal models of S. aureus septicaemia suggesting loss of fitness in vivo as well. Analysis of the antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed that the mutants derived from MRSA strains had become sensitive to meticillin and other β-lactams. Interestingly, the mutant cells were resistant to the lytic action of phage K, although the phage was able to adsorb to these cells. Sequencing of the femA gene of three P128-resistant mutants showed either a truncation or deletion in femA, suggesting that improper cross-bridge formation in S. aureus could be causing resistance to P128. Using glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion peptides as substrates it was found that both P128 and Lys16 were capable of cleaving a pentaglycine sequence, suggesting that P128 might be killing S. aureus by cleaving the pentaglycine cross-bridge of peptidoglycan. Moreover, peptides corresponding to the reported cross-bridge of Staphylococcus haemolyticus (GGSGG, AGSGG), which were not cleaved by lysostaphin, were cleaved efficiently by P128. This was also reflected in high sensitivity of S. haemolyticus to P128. This showed that in spite of sharing a common mechanism of action with lysostaphin, P128 has unique properties, which allow it to act on certain lysostaphin-resistant Staphylococcus strains.

The Effects of Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors on Cleavage in Allomyces macrogynus

Mycologia ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin S. Fuller ◽  
Robert W. Roberson
Keyword(s):  
Sterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Allomyces Macrogynus ◽  
Biosynthesis Inhibitors
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