scholarly journals A Highly Active Chimeric Lysin with a Calcium-Enhanced Bactericidal Activity against Staphylococcus aureus In Vitro and In Vivo

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Li ◽  
Shujuan Wang ◽  
Raphael Nyaruaba ◽  
Huan Liu ◽  
Hang Yang ◽  
...  

Lysins, including chimeric lysins, have recently been explored as novel promising alternatives to failing antibiotics in treating multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Herein, by fusing the CHAP (cysteine, histidine-dependent amidohydrolase/peptidase) catalytic domain from the Ply187 lysin with the non-SH3b cell-wall binding domain from the LysSA97 lysin, a new chimeric lysin ClyC was constructed with Ca2+-enhanced bactericidal activity against all S. aureus strains tested, including MRSA. Notably, treating S. aureus with 50 μg/mL of ClyC in the presence of 100 μM Ca2+ lead to a reduction of 9 Log10 (CFU/mL) in viable bacterial number, which was the first time to observe a lysin showing such a high activity. In addition, the effective concentration of ClyC could be decreased dramatically from 12 to 1 μg/mL by combination with 0.3 μg/mL of penicillin G. In a mouse model of S. aureus bacteremia, a single intraperitoneal administration of 0.1 mg/mouse of ClyC significantly improved the survival rates and reduced 2 Log10 (CFU/mL) of the bacterial burdens in the organs of the infected mice. ClyC was also found stable after lyophilization without cryoprotectants. Based on the above observations, ClyC could be a promising candidate against S. aureus infections.

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 536-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Yang ◽  
Yun Zhang ◽  
Junping Yu ◽  
Yanling Huang ◽  
Xian-En Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe treatment of infections caused by methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) is a challenge worldwide. In our search for novel antimicrobial agents against MRSA, we constructed a chimeric lysin (named as ClyH) by fusing the catalytic domain of Ply187 (Pc) with the non-SH3b-like cell wall binding domain of phiNM3 lysin. Herein, the antimicrobial activity of ClyH against MRSA strainsin vitroandin vivowas studied. Our results showed that ClyH could kill all of the tested clinical isolates of MRSA with higher efficacy than lysostaphin as well as its parental enzyme. The MICs of ClyH against clinicalS. aureusstrains were found to be as low as 0.05 to 1.61 mg/liter. In a mouse model, a single intraperitoneal administration of ClyH protected mice from death caused by MRSA, without obvious harmful effects. The present data suggest that ClyH has the potential to be an alternative therapeutic agent for the treatment of infections caused by MRSA.


Microbiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 160 (10) ◽  
pp. 2157-2169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudarson Sundarrajan ◽  
Junjappa Raghupatil ◽  
Aradhana Vipra ◽  
Nagalakshmi Narasimhaswamy ◽  
Sanjeev Saravanan ◽  
...  

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.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Calame ◽  
Charles Afram ◽  
Nico Blijleven ◽  
Roeland J.B.M. Hendrickx ◽  
Ferry Namavar ◽  
...  

Objective To determine the effect of dialysis fluid containing various glucose concentrations on the phagocytosis and killing of Staphylococcus aureus by rat peritoneal cells under conditions mimicking the in vivo situation. Design Phagocytosis and killing were evaluated by quantitation of the killing capacity of macrophages after in vivo phagocytosis of the bacteria as well as by an in vitro flow cytometric assay of the phagocytosis and killing of adhered bacteria by peritoneal cells. Animals Male Wistar rats. Main Outcome Measure It was expected that the intraperitoneal administration of dialysis fluid would im pair the capacity of peritoneal cells to eliminate bacteria. Results The first test revealed no effects of glucose concentration or dwell time on the killing of phagocytosed bacteria by macrophages, median percentages ranging between 29% and 64%. In the second series of experiments no effect of glucose concentration on the phagocytosis and killing of adhered bacteria was found either; however, longer dwell times significantly enhanced both the phagocytosis (at a dwell time of 1 hour, under 20%; at dwell times of 4 or 18 hours, above 20%, p < 0.02) and the killing (at a dwell time of 1 hour, under 53%; at dwell times of 4 and 18 hours, above 70%, p < 0.01). Conclusions Glucose concentration has no effect on the phagocytosis and killing of Staphylococcus aureus, whereas the dwell time significantly enhances both of these functional capacities of peritoneal cells if the bacteria are adhered to surfaces.


1966 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Yurchenco ◽  
M. W. Hopper ◽  
G. H. Warren

An in vivo procedure is described for determining the relative sensitivities of potassium penicillin G and three semisynthetic penicillins to degradation by Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus penicillinases. The inactivating concentrations (IC50) of the penicillinases necessary to reduce the protective activity of each of the penicillins against an S. aureus infection in mice from PD95 to a PD50 level was determined. Conventional in vitro studies were carried out for purposes of comparison. After interaction with B. cereus penicillinase, Wy-3206 [6-(2-methoxy-1-naphthamido) penicillanic acid] had the greatest residual therapeutic activity, followed in order by nafcillin [6-(2-ethoxy-1-naphthamido)penicillanic acid], methicillin [sodium 6-(2, 6-dimethoxybenzamido)penicillinate monohydrate], and potassium penicillin G. Penicillin G proved to be the most sensitive to enzymatic degradation by S. aureus penicillinase, whereas nafcillin and methicillin were resistant to the highest concentration employed. These findings were, in general, supported by the in vitro results.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 1244-1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginie Zarrouk ◽  
Bülent Bozdogan ◽  
Roland Leclercq ◽  
Louis Garry ◽  
Celine Feger ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We evaluated the activities of quinupristin-dalfopristin (Q-D), alone or in combination with rifampin, against three strains ofStaphylococcus aureus susceptible to rifampin (MIC, 0.06 μg/ml) and to Q-D (MICs, 0.5 to 1 μg/ml) but displaying various phenotypes of resistance to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin antibiotics: S. aureus HM1054 was susceptible to quinupristin and dalfopristin (MICs of 8 and 4 μg/ml, respectively); for S. aureus RP13, the MIC of dalfopristin was high (MICs of quinupristin and dalfopristin for strain RP13, 8 and 32 μg/ml, respectively); and S. aureus HM1054R was obtained after conjugative transfer of macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B constitutive resistance to HM1054, and the MIC of quinupristin for this strain was high (MICs of quinupristin and dalfopristin, 64 and 4 μg/ml, respectively). In vitro time-kill curve studies showed no difference between Q-D and rifampin, at a concentration of four times the MIC, against the three strains. Rabbits with aortic endocarditis were treated 4 days with Q-D, rifampin, or their combination. In vivo, the combination was highly bactericidal and synergistic against strains susceptible to quinupristin (HM1054 and RP13) and sterilized 94% of the animals. In contrast, the combination was neither synergistic nor bactericidal against the quinupristin-resistant strain (HM1054R) and did not prevent the emergence of mutants resistant to rifampin. We conclude that the in vivo synergistic and bactericidal activity of the combination of Q-D and rifampin against S. aureus is predicted by the absence of resistance to quinupristin but not by in vitro combination studies.


2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1546-1553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideaki Nakamura ◽  
Jun Fang ◽  
Hiroshi Maeda

ABSTRACTd-Amino acid oxidase (DAO) is a hydrogen peroxide-generating enzyme that uses ad-amino acid as a substrate. We hypothesized that DAO may protect against bacterial infection, because hydrogen peroxide is one of the most important molecules in the antibacterial defense systems in mammals. We show here that DAO suppressed the growth ofStaphylococcus aureusin a manner that depended on the concentration of DAO andd-amino acidin vitro. Addition of catalase abolished the bacteriostatic activity of DAO. Although DAO plusd-Ala showed less bactericidal activity, addition of myeloperoxidase (MPO) greatly enhanced the bactericidal activity of DAO. Furthermore, DAO was able to utilize bacterial lysate, which containsd-Ala derived from peptidoglycan; this could produce hydrogen peroxide with, in the presence of myeloperoxidase, formation of hypochlorous acid. This concerted reaction of DAO and MPO led to the bactericidal action.In vivoexperiments showed that DAO−/−(mutant) mice were more susceptible toS. aureusinfection than were DAO+/+(wild-type) mice. These results suggest that DAO, together with myeloperoxidase, may play an important role in antibacterial systems in mammals.


2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 2657-2664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas J. Mueller ◽  
Robert A. Wilkinson ◽  
Jay A. Fishman

ABSTRACT Caspase-11 (Cas11) is a cysteine protease involved in programmed cell death and cytokine maturation. Through activation of Cas1 (interleukin-1β [IL-1β]-converting enzyme), Cas11 is directly involved in the maturation of IL-1β and IL-18. Apoptosis is mediated through Cas3. Given the role of apoptosis and cytokine signaling during the innate immune response in intracellular infection, we examined Cas11-deficient (Cas11−/−) mice during infection with Listeria monocytogenes. Cas11−/− and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were equally susceptible to intravenous infection with L. monocytogenes, resulting in similar bacterial burdens in tissue and similar survival rates. By contrast, enhanced susceptibility was observed in control mice on a mixed genetic 129/C57BL/DBA2 background. Cas11−/− and wild-type mice infected with Listeria had similar hepatic microabscess formation in terms of histologic appearance, size, and number. Apoptosis of L. monocytogenes-infected hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro in primary culture was not altered by the absence of Cas11. Serum IL-18 and IL-1β levels were similar in Cas11−/− mice and controls. Endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS])-challenged Cas11−/− mice were deficient in the production of gamma interferon. IL-1β responses in Cas11−/− were normal with intravenous administration of LPS but decreased with intraperitoneal administration. Our findings suggest that Cas11 deficiency does not impair the immune response to infection with L. monocytogenes. Apoptosis and maturation of IL-18 and IL-1β were normal despite Cas11 deficiency. LPS-induced proinflammatory pathways are altered by the absence of Cas11. While Cas11-mediated Cas1 and Cas3 activation is crucial for cytokine maturation and apoptosis during inflammation, alternative pathways allow normal inflammatory and apoptotic responses during infection with L. monocytogenes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Liao ◽  
Wenpeng Gu ◽  
Xiaoqing Fu ◽  
Bin Yuan ◽  
Yunhui Zhang

Abstract Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen for human infection. Hospital-acquired (HA) and community-acquired (CA) MRSA infections are serious clinical problems worldwide. In this study, we selected typical HA-MRSA strain and CA-MRSA isolates from our previous research and compared their phenotypic and pathogenic abilities both in vitro and in vivo. Results ST59-t437-SCCmecIVa (YNSA7) and ST59-t437-SCCmecVb (YNSA53) belonged to two prevalent subclones of CA-MRSA, while ST239-t030-SCCmecIII (YNSA163) was an HA-MRSA epidemic clone in Southwest China. ST59-t437 strains demonstrated faster growth ability, higher survival rate resistance to human blood, and more toxin secretion levels and cytotoxicity than ST239-t030. The virulence and regulatory genes of hld, psm-α, RNAIII, agrA, and crtN were highly expressed on CA-MRSA isolates, especially the ST59-t437-SCCmecIVa subclone. However, the ST239-t030 strain had the strongest adhesion and biofilm ability among these MRSA bacteria. Animal experiments revealed the most serious lethal effect on BALB/c mice caused by the YNSA7 strain infection. The survival rates of BALB/c mice infected with the three MRSA strains were 16.7, 50.0 and 100.0% for YNSA7, YNSA53 and YNSA163, respectively. Histopathological analyses of infected animals indicated that the lungs were the most seriously damaged organs, especially for ST59-t437 MRSA. Severe inflammatory reactions, tissue destruction, and massive exudation of inflammatory mediators and cells could be identified in ST59-t437 strain-infected animals. Conclusions In general, ST59-t437 strains showed higher pathogenic ability than the ST239-t030 isolate, while ST239-t030 MRSA revealed the features prevalent in hospital settings, specifically for adhesion and biofilm ability.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cédric Jacqueline ◽  
Dominique Navas ◽  
Eric Batard ◽  
Anne-Françoise Miegeville ◽  
Virginie Le Mabecque ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Indifference or moderate antagonism of linezolid combined with other antibiotics in vitro and in vivo have mainly been reported in the literature. We have assessed the in vitro activities of linezolid, alone or in combination with imipenem, against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains using the dynamic checkerboard and time-kill curve methods. Linezolid and low concentrations of imipenem had a synergistic effect, leading us to evaluate the in vivo antibacterial activity of the combination using the rabbit endocarditis experimental model. Two MRSA strains were used for in vivo experiments: one was a heterogeneous glycopeptide-intermediate clinical S. aureus strain isolated from blood cultures, and the other was the S. aureus COL reference strain. Animals infected with one of two MRSA strains were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: no treatment (controls), linezolid (simulating a dose in humans of 10 mg/kg of body weight every 12 h), a constant intravenous infusion of imipenem (which allowed the steady-state concentration of about 1/32 the MIC of imipenem for each strain to be reached in serum), or the combination of both treatments. Linezolid and imipenem as monotherapies exhibited no bactericidal activity against either strain. The combination of linezolid plus imipenem showed in vivo bactericidal activity that corresponded to a decrease of at least 4.5 log CFU/g of vegetation compared to the counts for the controls. In conclusion, the combination exhibited synergistic and bactericidal activities against two MRSA strains after 5 days of treatment. The combination of linezolid plus imipenem appears to be promising for the treatment of severe MRSA infections and merits further investigations to explore the mechanism underlying the synergy between the two drugs.


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