scholarly journals Maturing Mycobacterium smegmatis peptidoglycan requires non-canonical crosslinks to maintain shape

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Baranowski ◽  
Michael A Welsh ◽  
Lok-To Sham ◽  
Haig A Eskandarian ◽  
Hoong Chuin Lim ◽  
...  

In most well-studied rod-shaped bacteria, peptidoglycan is primarily crosslinked by penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). However, in mycobacteria, crosslinks formed by L,D-transpeptidases (LDTs) are highly abundant. To elucidate the role of these unusual crosslinks, we characterized Mycobacterium smegmatis cells lacking all LDTs. We find that crosslinks generate by LDTs are required for rod shape maintenance specifically at sites of aging cell wall, a byproduct of polar elongation. Asymmetric polar growth leads to a non-uniform distribution of these two types of crosslinks in a single cell. Consequently, in the absence of LDT-mediated crosslinks, PBP-catalyzed crosslinks become more important. Because of this, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is more rapidly killed using a combination of drugs capable of PBP- and LDT- inhibition. Thus, knowledge about the spatial and genetic relationship between drug targets can be exploited to more effectively treat this pathogen.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Baranowski ◽  
Michael A. Welsh ◽  
Lok-To Sham ◽  
Haig A. Eskandarian ◽  
Hoong C. Lim ◽  
...  

AbstractIn most well studied rod-shaped bacteria, peptidoglycan is primarily crosslinked by penicillin binding proteins (PBPs). However, in mycobacteria, L,D-transpeptidase (LDT)-mediated crosslinks are highly abundant. To elucidate the role of these unusual crosslinks, we characterized mycobacterial cells lacking all LDTs. We find that LDT-mediated crosslinks are required for rod shape maintenance specifically at sites of aging cell wall, a byproduct of polar elongation. Asymmetric polar growth leads to a non-uniform distribution of these two types of crosslinks in a single cell. Consequently, in the absence of LDT-mediated crosslinks, PBP-catalyzed crosslinks become more important. Because of this,Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) is more rapidly killed using a combination of drugs capable of PBP- and LDT-inhibition. Thus, knowledge about the single-cell distribution of drug targets can be exploited to more effectively treat this pathogen.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 6873-6881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Winglee ◽  
Shichun Lun ◽  
Marco Pieroni ◽  
Alan Kozikowski ◽  
William Bishai

ABSTRACTDrug resistance is a major problem inMycobacterium tuberculosiscontrol, and it is critical to identify novel drug targets and new antimycobacterial compounds. We have previously identified an imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-4-carbonitrile-based agent, MP-III-71, with strong activity againstM. tuberculosis. In this study, we evaluated mechanisms of resistance to MP-III-71. We derived three independentM. tuberculosismutants resistant to MP-III-71 and conducted whole-genome sequencing of these mutants. Loss-of-function mutations inRv2887were common to all three MP-III-71-resistant mutants, and we confirmed the role ofRv2887as a gene required for MP-III-71 susceptibility using complementation. The Rv2887 protein was previously unannotated, but domain and homology analyses suggested it to be a transcriptional regulator in the MarR (multiple antibiotic resistance repressor) family, a group of proteins first identified inEscherichia colito negatively regulate efflux pumps and other mechanisms of multidrug resistance. We found that two efflux pump inhibitors, verapamil and chlorpromazine, potentiate the action of MP-III-71 and that mutation ofRv2887abrogates their activity. We also used transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify genes which are differentially expressed in the presence and absence of a functional Rv2887 protein. We found that genes involved in benzoquinone and menaquinone biosynthesis were repressed by functional Rv2887. Thus, inactivating mutations ofRv2887, encoding a putative MarR-like transcriptional regulator, confer resistance to MP-III-71, an effective antimycobacterial compound that shows no cross-resistance to existing antituberculosis drugs. The mechanism of resistance ofM. tuberculosisRv2887mutants may involve efflux pump upregulation and also drug methylation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (19) ◽  
pp. 5479-5485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena I. M. Boshoff ◽  
Valerie Mizrahi

ABSTRACT A pyrazinamidase (PZase)-deficient pncA mutant ofMycobacterium tuberculosis, constructed by allelic exchange, was used to investigate the effects of heterologous amidase gene expression on the susceptibility of this organism to pyrazinamide (PZA) and related amides. The mutant was highly resistant to PZA (MIC, >2,000 μg/ml), in accordance with the well-established role ofpncA in the PZA susceptibility of M. tuberculosis (A. Scorpio and Y. Zhang, Nat. Med. 2:662–667, 1996). Integration of the pzaA gene encoding the major PZase/nicotinamidase from Mycobacterium smegmatis (H. I. M. Boshoff and V. Mizrahi, J. Bacteriol. 180:5809–5814, 1998) or the M. tuberculosis pncA gene into the pncAmutant complemented its PZase/nicotinamidase defect. In bothpzaA- and pncA-complemented mutant strains, the PZase activity was detected exclusively in the cytoplasm, suggesting an intracellular localization for PzaA and PncA. ThepzaA-complemented strain was hypersensitive to PZA (MIC, ≤10 μg/ml) and nicotinamide (MIC, ≥20 μg/ml) and was also sensitive to benzamide (MIC, 20 μg/ml), unlike the wild-type andpncA-complemented mutant strains, which were highly resistant to this amide (MIC, >500 μg/ml). This finding was consistent with the observation that benzamide is hydrolyzed by PzaA but not by PncA. Overexpression of PzaA also conferred sensitivity to PZA, nicotinamide, and benzamide on M. smegmatis (MIC, 150 μg/ml in all cases) and rendered Escherichia colihypersensitive for growth at low pH.


2011 ◽  
Vol 436 (3) ◽  
pp. 729-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcio V. B. Dias ◽  
William C. Snee ◽  
Karen M. Bromfield ◽  
Richard J. Payne ◽  
Satheesh K. Palaninathan ◽  
...  

The shikimate pathway is essential in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its absence from humans makes the enzymes of this pathway potential drug targets. In the present paper, we provide structural insights into ligand and inhibitor binding to 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase (dehydroquinase) from M. tuberculosis (MtDHQase), the third enzyme of the shikimate pathway. The enzyme has been crystallized in complex with its reaction product, 3-dehydroshikimate, and with six different competitive inhibitors. The inhibitor 2,3-anhydroquinate mimics the flattened enol/enolate reaction intermediate and serves as an anchor molecule for four of the inhibitors investigated. MtDHQase also forms a complex with citrazinic acid, a planar analogue of the reaction product. The structure of MtDHQase in complex with a 2,3-anhydroquinate moiety attached to a biaryl group shows that this group extends to an active-site subpocket inducing significant structural rearrangement. The flexible extensions of inhibitors designed to form π-stacking interactions with the catalytic Tyr24 have been investigated. The high-resolution crystal structures of the MtDHQase complexes provide structural evidence for the role of the loop residues 19–24 in MtDHQase ligand binding and catalytic mechanism and provide a rationale for the design and efficacy of inhibitors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 1397-1415
Author(s):  
Pratibha Maan ◽  
Jagdeep Kaur

Aim: To elucidate the role of Rv2223c in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Methods: Purified recombinant Rv2223c protein was characterized. Expression of rv2223c in the presence of different stress environment and subcellular localization were performed in M. tuberculosis H37Ra and Mycobacterium smegmatis ( MS_2223c). Effect of its overexpression on growth rate, infection and intracellular survival in THP-1/PBMC cells were studied. Results: rRv2223c demonstrated esterase activity with preference for pNP-octanoate and hydrolyzed trioctanoate to di- and mono-octanoate. Expression of rv2223c was upregulated in acidic and nutritive stress conditions. rRv2223c was identified in extracellular and cell wall fractions. MS_2223c exhibited enhanced growth, survival during in vitro stress, infection and intracellular survival. Conclusions: Rv2223c is a secretary, carboxyl-esterase, with enhanced expression under acidic and nutritive stress condition and might help in intracellular survival of bacteria.


2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Brossier ◽  
N. Veziris ◽  
C. Truffot-Pernot ◽  
V. Jarlier ◽  
W. Sougakoff

ABSTRACTEthionamide (ETH) needs to be activated by the mono-oxygenase EthA, which is regulated by EthR, in order to be active againstMycobacterium tuberculosis. The activated drug targets the enzyme InhA, which is involved in cell wall biosynthesis. Resistance to ETH has been reported to result from various mechanisms, including mutations altering EthA/EthR, InhA and its promoter, the NADH dehydrogenase encoded byndh, and the MshA enzyme, involved in mycothiol biosynthesis. We searched for such mutations in 87 clinical isolates: 47 ETH-resistant (ETHr) isolates, 24 ETH-susceptible (ETHs) isolates, and 16 isolates susceptible to ETH but displaying an intermediate proportion of resistant cells (ETHSip; defined as ≥1% but <10% resistant cells). In 81% (38/47) of the ETHrisolates, we found mutations inethA,ethR, orinhAor its promoter, which mostly corresponded to new alterations inethAandethR. The 9 ETHrisolates without a mutation in these three genes (9/47, 19%) had no mutation inndh, and a single isolate had a mutation inmshA. Of the 16 ETHSipisolates, 7 had a mutation inethA, 8 had no detectable mutation, and 1 had a mutation inmshA. Finally, of the 24 ETHsisolates, 23 had no mutation in the studied genes and 1 displayed a yet unknown mutation in theinhApromoter. Globally, the mechanism of resistance to ETH remained unknown for 19% of the ETHrisolates, highlighting the complexity of the mechanisms of ETH resistance inM. tuberculosis.


mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. McNeil ◽  
Theresa O’Malley ◽  
Devon Dennison ◽  
Catherine D. Shelton ◽  
Bjorn Sunde ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein MmpL3 performs an essential role in cell wall synthesis, since it effects the transport of trehalose monomycolates across the inner membrane. Numerous structurally diverse pharmacophores have been identified as inhibitors of MmpL3 largely based on the identification of resistant isolates with mutations in MmpL3. For some compounds, it is possible there are different primary or secondary targets. Here, we have investigated resistance to the spiral amine class of compounds. Isolation and sequencing of resistant mutants demonstrated that all had mutations in MmpL3. We hypothesized that if additional targets of this pharmacophore existed, then successive rounds to generate resistant isolates might reveal mutations in other loci. Since compounds were still active against resistant isolates, albeit with reduced potency, we isolated resistant mutants in this background at higher concentrations. After a second round of isolation with the spiral amine, we found additional mutations in MmpL3. To increase our chance of finding alternative targets, we ran a third round of isolation using a different molecule scaffold (AU1235, an adamantyl urea). Surprisingly, we obtained further mutations in MmpL3. Multiple mutations in MmpL3 increased the level and spectrum of resistance to different pharmacophores but did not incur a fitness cost in vitro. These results support the hypothesis that MmpL3 is the primary mechanism of resistance and likely target for these pharmacophores. IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major global human pathogen, and new drugs and new drug targets are urgently required. Cell wall biosynthesis is a major target of current tuberculosis drugs and of new agents under development. Several new classes of molecules appear to have the same target, MmpL3, which is involved in the export and synthesis of the mycobacterial cell wall. However, there is still debate over whether MmpL3 is the primary or only target for these classes. We wanted to confirm the mechanism of resistance for one series. We identified mutations in MmpL3 which led to resistance to the spiral amine series. High-level resistance to these compounds and two other series was conferred by multiple mutations in the same protein (MmpL3). These mutations did not reduce growth rate in culture. These results support the hypothesis that MmpL3 is the primary mechanism of resistance and likely target for these pharmacophores.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslava Šudomová ◽  
Mohammad Shariati ◽  
Javier Echeverría ◽  
Ioana Berindan-Neagoe ◽  
Seyed Nabavi ◽  
...  

This study explored the antitubercular properties of fucoxanthin, a marine carotenoid, against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Two vital enzymes involved in Mtb cell wall biosynthesis, UDP-galactopyranose mutase (UGM) and arylamine-N-acetyltransferase (TBNAT), were selected as drug targets to reveal the mechanism underlying the antitubercular effect of fucoxanthin. The obtained results showed that fucoxanthin showed a clear bacteriostatic action against the all Mtb strains tested, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 2.8 to 4.1 µM, along with a good degree of selectivity index (ranging from 6.1 to 8.9) based on cellular toxicity evaluation compared with standard drug isoniazid (INH). The potent inhibitory actions of fucoxanthin and standard uridine-5’-diphosphate against UGM were recorded to be 98.2% and 99.2%, respectively. TBNAT was potently inactivated by fucoxanthin (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 4.8 µM; 99.1% inhibition) as compared to INH (IC50 = 5.9 µM; 97.4% inhibition). Further, molecular docking approaches were achieved to endorse and rationalize the biological findings along with envisaging structure-activity relationships. Since the clinical evidence of the last decade has confirmed the correlation between bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases, in this study we have discussed the linkage between infection with Mtb and autoimmune diseases based on previous clinical observations and animal studies. In conclusion, we propose that fucoxanthin could demonstrate great therapeutic value for the treatment of tuberculosis by acting on multiple targets through a bacteriostatic effect as well as by inhibiting UGM and TBNAT. Such outcomes may lead to avoiding or decreasing the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases associated with Mtb infection in a genetically susceptible host.


2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 6837-6843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenling Cui ◽  
Yuanyuan Li ◽  
Song Cheng ◽  
Hua Yang ◽  
Junmei Lu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe rapid increase inMycobacterium tuberculosisresistance to ethambutol (EMB) threatens the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB). We investigated the role of mutations in theembC-embAintergenic region (IGR) in EMB-resistant clinical strains from east China. A total of 767M. tuberculosisclinical strains were collected and analyzed for their drug susceptibility to EMB using the MGIT 960 system and MIC assay, and theembC-embAIGRs of these strains were sequenced. The transcriptional activity of theembC-embAIGR mutations was examined by reporter gene assays in recombinantMycobacterium smegmatisstrains, and the effect of IGR mutations on its binding to EmbR, a transcription regulator ofembAB, was analyzed by gel mobility shift assays. Correlation coefficient analysis showed that theembC-embAIGR mutation is associated with EMB resistance. The clinical strains carrying IGR mutations had a much higher level ofembAandembBmRNA as well as higher MICs to EMB. IGR mutations had higher transcriptional activity when transformed intoM. smegmatisstrains. Mutated IGRs bound to EmbR with much higher affinity than wild-type fragments. The sensitivity of molecular drug susceptibility testing (DST) with IGR mutations as an additional marker increased from 65.5% to 73.5%. Mutations of theembC-embAIGR enhance the binding of EmbR to the promoter region ofembABand increase the expression ofembAB, thus contributing to EMB resistance. Therefore, identification of IGR mutations as markers of EMB resistance could increase the sensitivity of molecular DST.


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