scholarly journals Correlates of Vaccine-Induced Protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Revealed in Comparative Analyses of Lymphocyte Populations

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1096-1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry L. Kurtz ◽  
Karen L. Elkins
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Adaptive Immune Response ◽  
Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes ◽  
Host Responses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Correlates Of Protection ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression

ABSTRACTA critical hindrance to the development of a novel vaccine againstMycobacterium tuberculosisis a lack of understanding of protective correlates of immunity and of host factors involved in a successful adaptive immune response. Studies from our group and others have used a mouse-basedin vitromodel system to assess correlates of protection. Here, using this coculture system and a panel of whole-cell vaccines with varied efficacy, we developed a comprehensive approach to understand correlates of protection. We compared the gene and protein expression profiles of vaccine-generated immune peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) to the profiles found in immune splenocytes. PBLs not only represent a clinically relevant cell population, but comparing the expression in these populations gave insight into compartmentally specific mechanisms of protection. Additionally, we performed a direct comparison of host responses induced when immune cells were cocultured with either the vaccine strainMycobacterium bovisBCG or virulentM. tuberculosis. These comparisons revealed host-specific and bacterium-specific factors involved in protection against virulentM. tuberculosis. Most significantly, we identified a set of 13 core molecules induced in the most protective vaccines under all of the conditions tested. Further validation of this panel of mediators as a predictor of vaccine efficacy will facilitate vaccine development, and determining how each promotes adaptive immunity will advance our understanding of antimycobacterial immune responses.

scholarly journals Sterilization by Adaptive Immunity of a Conditionally Persistent Mutant of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Vilchèze ◽  
Steven A. Porcelli ◽  
John Chan ◽  
William R. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Adaptive Immunity ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Adaptive Immune Response ◽  
Auxotrophic Mutant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adaptive Immune ◽  
Immunocompetent Mice ◽  
Strain H37rv

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, can enter into a persistent state that confers resistance to antibacterial agents. Many observations suggest that persistent M. tuberculosis cells also evade the antimycobacterial immune mechanisms, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the current tuberculosis vaccine. Understanding the factors that contribute to persistence may enable the rational design of vaccines that stimulate effective immune killing mechanisms against persister cells. Independent mutations targeting the methionine and arginine biosynthetic pathways are bactericidal for M. tuberculosis in mice. However, in this study, we discovered that the addition of leucine and pantothenate auxotrophy altered the bactericidality of methionine auxotrophy. Whereas the leucine/pantothenate/methionine auxotrophic M. tuberculosis strain H37Rv ΔleuCD ΔpanCD ΔmetA was eliminated in immunocompetent mice, this strain persisted in multiple organs of immunodeficient Rag1−/− mice for at least a year. In contrast, the leucine/pantothenate/arginine auxotroph H37Rv ΔleuCD ΔpanCD ΔargB was eliminated in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient Rag1−/− mice. Our results showed that leucine and pantothenate starvation metabolically blocked the sterilization mechanisms of methionine starvation but not those of arginine starvation. These triple-auxotrophic strains should be invaluable tools for unravelling the bacterial and host factors that enable persistence and for vaccine development studies to assess the efficacy of vaccines that boost immune recognition of M. tuberculosis in the persistent state. The sterilization of the ΔleuCD ΔpanCD ΔmetA auxotroph in immunocompetent mice, but not in mice lacking an adaptive immune response, could provide a new system for studying the antimycobacterial killing mechanisms of adaptive immunity. IMPORTANCE The bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis can enter into a persistent state in which M. tuberculosis can evade host immunity, thereby reducing the effectiveness of current tuberculosis vaccines. Understanding the factors that contribute to persistence would enable the rational design of vaccines effective against persisters. We previously generated two attenuated, triple-auxotrophic M. tuberculosis strains that are safe to use in a biosafety level 2 laboratory. Herein, we discovered that the triple-auxotrophic strain H37Rv ΔleuCD ΔpanCD ΔmetA persisted in immunodeficient Rag1−/− mice, which lack adaptive immunity, but not in immunocompetent mice. The conditional persistence of this auxotrophic mutant, which is susceptible to the sterilizing effect of the adaptive immune response over time, provides an important tool to dissect the mycobactericidal effector mechanisms mediated by adaptive immunity. Furthermore, because of its remarkable safety attributes, this auxotrophic mutant can potentially be used to develop a practical human challenge model to facilitate vaccine development.

scholarly journals Evolutionary Landscape of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex from the Viewpoint of PhoPR: Implications for Virulence Regulation and Application to Vaccine Development

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Broset ◽  
Carlos Martín ◽  
Jesús Gonzalo-Asensio
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Regulatory Region ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Live Attenuated Vaccine ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Compensatory Mutations ◽  
Mycobacterium Africanum

ABSTRACTDifferent members of theMycobacteriumgenus have evolved to cause tuberculosis in diverse human populations and in a variety of animal species. Our cumulative knowledge of mycobacterial genomes indicates that mutations in the PhoPR two-component virulence system were acquired not only during the natural evolution of mycobacterial species but also duringin vitrosubculture, which has given rise to the attenuated reference strain H37Ra or to different daughter strains ofMycobacterium bovisBCG. PhoPR is a well-known regulator of pathogenic phenotypes, including secretion of the virulence factor ESAT-6, biosynthesis of acyltrehalose-based lipids, and modulation of antigen export, in members of theMycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex (MTBC). Evolutionarily conserved polymorphisms in PhoPR fromMycobacterium africanum,M. bovis, orM. tuberculosisH37Ra result in loss of functional phenotypes. Interestingly, some members of the MTBC have acquired compensatory mutations to counteract these polymorphisms and, probably, to maintain their pathogenic potential. Some of these compensatory mutations include the insertion of the IS6110element upstream fromphoPRin a particularM. bovisstrain that is able to transmit between humans or polymorphisms inM. africanumandM. bovisthat affect the regulatory region of theespACDoperon, allowing PhoPR-independent ESAT-6 secretion. This review highlights the increasing knowledge of the significance of PhoPR in the evolution of the MTBC and its potential application in the construction of new attenuated vaccines based onphoPRinactivation. In this context, the live attenuated vaccine MTBVAC, based on aphoP fadD26deletion mutant ofM. tuberculosis, is the first vaccine of this kind to successfully enter into clinical development, representing a historic milestone in the field of human vaccinology.

scholarly journals Mutations in fbiD (Rv2983) as a Novel Determinant of Resistance to Pretomanid and Delamanid in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. e01948-20
Author(s):  
Dalin Rifat ◽  
Si-Yang Li ◽  
Thomas Ioerger ◽  
Keshav Shah ◽  
Jean-Philippe Lanoix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Solid Media ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Resistance

ABSTRACTThe nitroimidazole prodrugs delamanid and pretomanid comprise one of only two new antimicrobial classes approved to treat tuberculosis (TB) in 50 years. Prior in vitro studies suggest a relatively low barrier to nitroimidazole resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but clinical evidence is limited to date. We selected pretomanid-resistant M. tuberculosis mutants in two mouse models of TB using a range of pretomanid doses. The frequency of spontaneous resistance was approximately 10−5 CFU. Whole-genome sequencing of 161 resistant isolates from 47 mice revealed 99 unique mutations, of which 91% occurred in 1 of 5 genes previously associated with nitroimidazole activation and resistance, namely, fbiC (56%), fbiA (15%), ddn (12%), fgd (4%), and fbiB (4%). Nearly all mutations were unique to a single mouse and not previously identified. The remaining 9% of resistant mutants harbored mutations in Rv2983 (fbiD), a gene not previously associated with nitroimidazole resistance but recently shown to be a guanylyltransferase necessary for cofactor F420 synthesis. Most mutants exhibited high-level resistance to pretomanid and delamanid, although Rv2983 and fbiB mutants exhibited high-level pretomanid resistance but relatively small changes in delamanid susceptibility. Complementing an Rv2983 mutant with wild-type Rv2983 restored susceptibility to pretomanid and delamanid. By quantifying intracellular F420 and its precursor Fo in overexpressing and loss-of-function mutants, we provide further evidence that Rv2983 is necessary for F420 biosynthesis. Finally, Rv2983 mutants and other F420H2-deficient mutants displayed hypersusceptibility to some antibiotics and to concentrations of malachite green found in solid media used to isolate and propagate mycobacteria from clinical samples.

scholarly journals Comparison of In Vitro Activity and MIC Distributions between the Novel Oxazolidinone Delpazolid and Linezolid against Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaojing Zong ◽  
Wei Jing ◽  
Jin Shi ◽  
Shu'an Wen ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Novel Mutation ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
23S Rrna ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extensively Drug Resistant ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Mdr Tb

ABSTRACT Oxazolidinones are efficacious in treating mycobacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB) caused by drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this study, we compared the in vitro activities and MIC distributions of delpazolid, a novel oxazolidinone, and linezolid against multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) in China. Additionally, genetic mutations in 23S rRNA, rplC, and rplD genes were analyzed to reveal potential mechanisms underlying the observed oxazolidinone resistance. A total of 240 M. tuberculosis isolates were included in this study, including 120 MDR-TB isolates and 120 XDR-TB isolates. Overall, linezolid and delpazolid MIC90 values for M. tuberculosis isolates were 0.25 mg/liter and 0.5 mg/liter, respectively. Based on visual inspection, we tentatively set epidemiological cutoff (ECOFF) values for MIC determinations for linezolid and delpazolid at 1.0 mg/liter and 2.0 mg/liter, respectively. Although no significant difference in resistance rates was observed between linezolid and delpazolid among XDR-TB isolates (P > 0.05), statistical analysis revealed a significantly greater proportion of linezolid-resistant isolates than delpazolid-resistant isolates within the MDR-TB group (P = 0.036). Seven (53.85%) of 13 linezolid-resistant isolates were found to harbor mutations within the three target genes. Additionally, 1 isolate exhibited an amino acid substitution (Arg126His) within the protein encoded by rplD that contributed to high-level resistance to linezolid (MIC of >16 mg/liter), compared to a delpazolid MIC of 0.25. In conclusion, in vitro susceptibility testing revealed that delpazolid antibacterial activity was comparable to that of linezolid. A novel mutation within rplD that endowed M. tuberculosis with linezolid, but not delpazolid, resistance was identified.

scholarly journals N-Acetylglucosamine-1-Phosphate Transferase, WecA, as a Validated Drug Target in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav Huszár ◽  
Vinayak Singh ◽  
Alica Polčicová ◽  
Peter Baráth ◽  
María Belén Barrio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Drug Candidate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chemical Libraries ◽  
Whole Cells ◽  
Encoding Gene

ABSTRACT The mycobacterial phosphoglycosyltransferase WecA, which initiates arabinogalactan biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been proposed as a target of the caprazamycin derivative CPZEN-45, a preclinical drug candidate for the treatment of tuberculosis. In this report, we describe the functional characterization of mycobacterial WecA and confirm the essentiality of its encoding gene in M. tuberculosis by demonstrating that the transcriptional silencing of wecA is bactericidal in vitro and in macrophages. Silencing wecA also conferred hypersensitivity of M. tuberculosis to the drug tunicamycin, confirming its target selectivity for WecA in whole cells. Simple radiometric assays performed with mycobacterial membranes and commercially available substrates allowed chemical validation of other putative WecA inhibitors and resolved their selectivity toward WecA versus another attractive cell wall target, translocase I, which catalyzes the first membrane step in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan. These assays and the mutant strain described herein will be useful for identifying potential antitubercular leads by screening chemical libraries for novel WecA inhibitors.

scholarly journals Mycobacterium tuberculosis Alters the Metalloprotease Activity of the COP9 Signalosome

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Danelishvili ◽  
Lmar Babrak ◽  
Sasha J. Rose ◽  
Jamie Everman ◽  
Luiz E. Bermudez
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Cop9 Signalosome ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Phagocytic Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Metalloprotease Activity ◽  
Macrophage Protein

ABSTRACT Inhibition of apoptotic death of macrophages by Mycobacterium tuberculosis represents an important mechanism of virulence that results in pathogen survival both in vitro and in vivo. To identify M. tuberculosis virulence determinants involved in the modulation of apoptosis, we previously screened a transposon bank of mutants in human macrophages, and an M. tuberculosis clone with a nonfunctional Rv3354 gene was identified as incompetent to suppress apoptosis. Here, we show that the Rv3354 gene encodes a protein kinase that is secreted within mononuclear phagocytic cells and is required for M. tuberculosis virulence. The Rv3354 effector targets the metalloprotease (JAMM) domain within subunit 5 of the COP9 signalosome (CSN5), resulting in suppression of apoptosis and in the destabilization of CSN function and regulatory cullin-RING ubiquitin E3 enzymatic activity. Our observation suggests that alteration of the metalloprotease activity of CSN by Rv3354 possibly prevents the ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of M. tuberculosis-secreted proteins. IMPORTANCE Macrophage protein degradation is regulated by a protein complex called a signalosome. One of the signalosomes associated with activation of ubiquitin and protein labeling for degradation was found to interact with a secreted protein from M. tuberculosis, which binds to the complex and inactivates it. The interference with the ability to inactivate bacterial proteins secreted in the phagocyte cytosol may have crucial importance for bacterial survival within the phagocyte.

scholarly journals Protective Vaccine Efficacy of the Complete Form of PPE39 Protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing/K Strain in Mice

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahreum Kim ◽  
Yun-Gyoung Hur ◽  
Sunwha Gu ◽  
Sang-Nae Cho
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Interleukin 2 ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complete Form ◽  
Ifn Γ

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective efficacy of MTBK_24820, a complete form of PPE39 protein derived from a predominant Beijing/K strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in South Korea. Mice were immunized with MTKB_24820, M. bovis Bacilli Calmette-Guérin (BCG), or adjuvant prior to a high-dosed Beijing/K strain aerosol infection. After 4 and 9 weeks, bacterial loads were determined and histopathologic and immunologic features in the lungs and spleens of the M. tuberculosis-infected mice were analyzed. Putative immunogenic T-cell epitopes were examined using synthetic overlapping peptides. Successful immunization of MTBK_24820 in mice was confirmed by increased IgG responses (P < 0.05) and recalled gamma interferon (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, and IL-17 responses (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) to MTBK_24820. After challenge with the Beijing/K strain, an approximately 0.5 to 1.0 log10 reduction in CFU in lungs and fewer lung inflammation lesions were observed in MTBK_24820-immunized mice compared to those for control mice. Moreover, MTBK_24820 immunization elicited significantly higher numbers of CD4+ T cells producing protective cytokines, such as IFN-γ and IL-17, in lungs and spleens (P < 0.01) and CD4+ multifunctional T cells producing IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and/or IL-17 (P < 0.01) than in control mice, suggesting protection comparable to that of BCG against the hypervirulent Beijing/K strain. The dominant immunogenic T-cell epitopes that induced IFN-γ production were at the N terminus (amino acids 85 to 102 and 217 to 234). Its vaccine potential, along with protective immune responses in vivo, may be informative for vaccine development, particularly in regions where the M. tuberculosis Beijing/K-strain is frequently isolated from TB patients.

scholarly journals Ambroxol Induces Autophagy and Potentiates Rifampin Antimycobacterial Activity

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Won Choi ◽  
Yuexi Gu ◽  
Ryan Scott Peters ◽  
Padmini Salgame ◽  
Jerrold J. Ellner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Antimycobacterial Activity ◽  
Lead Compound ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tuberculosis Model

ABSTRACT Host-directed therapy in tuberculosis is a potential adjunct to antibiotic chemotherapy directed at Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Ambroxol, a lead compound, emerged from a screen for autophagy-inducing drugs. At clinically relevant doses, ambroxol induced autophagy in vitro and in vivo and promoted mycobacterial killing in macrophages. Ambroxol also potentiated rifampin activity in a murine tuberculosis model.

scholarly journals De Novo Emergence of Genetically Resistant Mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from the Persistence Phase Cells Formed against Antituberculosis Drugs In Vitro

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jees Sebastian ◽  
Sharmada Swaminath ◽  
Rashmi Ravindran Nair ◽  
Kishor Jakkala ◽  
Atul Pradhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Hydroxyl Radical ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Random Mutagenesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Resistant Mutants ◽  
Phase Population

ABSTRACT Bacterial persisters are a subpopulation of cells that can tolerate lethal concentrations of antibiotics. However, the possibility of the emergence of genetically resistant mutants from antibiotic persister cell populations, upon continued exposure to lethal concentrations of antibiotics, remained unexplored. In the present study, we found that Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells exposed continuously to lethal concentrations of rifampin (RIF) or moxifloxacin (MXF) for prolonged durations showed killing, RIF/MXF persistence, and regrowth phases. RIF-resistant or MXF-resistant mutants carrying clinically relevant mutations in the rpoB or gyrA gene, respectively, were found to emerge at high frequency from the RIF persistence phase population. A Luria-Delbruck fluctuation experiment using RIF-exposed M. tuberculosis cells showed that the rpoB mutants were not preexistent in the population but were formed de novo from the RIF persistence phase population. The RIF persistence phase M. tuberculosis cells carried elevated levels of hydroxyl radical that inflicted extensive genome-wide mutations, generating RIF-resistant mutants. Consistent with the elevated levels of hydroxyl radical-mediated genome-wide random mutagenesis, MXF-resistant M. tuberculosis gyrA de novo mutants could be selected from the RIF persistence phase cells. Thus, unlike previous studies, which showed emergence of genetically resistant mutants upon exposure of bacteria for short durations to sublethal concentrations of antibiotics, our study demonstrates that continuous prolonged exposure of M. tuberculosis cells to lethal concentrations of an antibiotic generates antibiotic persistence phase cells that form a reservoir for the generation of genetically resistant mutants to the same antibiotic or another antibiotic. These findings may have clinical significance in the emergence of drug-resistant tubercle bacilli.

scholarly journals The 8-Pyrrole-Benzothiazinones Are Noncovalent Inhibitors of DprE1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 4446-4452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vadim Makarov ◽  
João Neres ◽  
Ruben C. Hartkoorn ◽  
Olga B. Ryabova ◽  
Elena Kazakova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Nitro Group ◽  
Covalent Bond ◽  
Antimycobacterial Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sar Studies ◽  
Covalent Bond Formation

ABSTRACT8-Nitro-benzothiazinones (BTZs), such as BTZ043 and PBTZ169, inhibit decaprenylphosphoryl-β-d-ribose 2′-oxidase (DprE1) and display nanomolar bactericidal activity againstMycobacterium tuberculosisin vitro. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies revealed the 8-nitro group of the BTZ scaffold to be crucial for the mechanism of action, which involves formation of a semimercaptal bond with Cys387 in the active site of DprE1. To date, substitution of the 8-nitro group has led to extensive loss of antimycobacterial activity. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of the pyrrole-benzothiazinones PyrBTZ01 and PyrBTZ02, non-nitro-benzothiazinones that retain significant antimycobacterial activity, with MICs of 0.16 μg/ml againstM. tuberculosis. These compounds inhibit DprE1 with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of <8 μM and present favorablein vitroabsorption-distribution-metabolism-excretion/toxicity (ADME/T) andin vivopharmacokinetic profiles. The most promising compound, PyrBTZ01, did not show efficacy in a mouse model of acute tuberculosis, suggesting that BTZ-mediated killing through DprE1 inhibition requires a combination of both covalent bond formation and compound potency.

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