scholarly journals Parallel genomics uncover novel enterococcal-bacteriophage interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anushila Chatterjee ◽  
Julia L. E. Willett ◽  
Uyen Thy Nguyen ◽  
Brendan Monogue ◽  
Kelli L. Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Burst Size ◽  
Bacterial Community Composition ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Phage Infection ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Transcriptomic Profiling ◽  
Bacterial Gene

AbstractBacteriophages (phages) have been proposed as alternative therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacterial infections. However, there are major gaps in our understanding of the molecular events in bacterial cells that control how bacteria respond to phage predation. Using the model organism Enterococcus faecalis, we employed two distinct genomic approaches, transposon (Tn) library screening and RNA sequencing, to investigate the interaction of E. faecalis with a virulent phage. We discovered that a transcription factor encoding a LytR family response regulator controls the expression of enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (epa) genes that are involved in phage infection and bacterial fitness. In addition, we discovered that DNA mismatch repair mutants rapidly evolve phage adsorption deficiencies, underpinning a molecular basis for epa mutation during phage infection. Transcriptomic profiling of phage infected E. faecalis revealed broad transcriptional changes influencing viral replication and progeny burst size. We also demonstrate that phage infection alters the expression of bacterial genes associated with intra and inter-bacterial interactions, including genes involved in quorum sensing and polymicrobial competition. Together our results suggest that phage predation has the potential to influence complex microbial behavior and may dictate how bacteria respond to external environmental stimuli. These responses could have collateral effects (positive or negative) on microbial communities such as the host microbiota during phage therapy.ImportanceWe lack fundamental understanding of how phage infection influences bacterial gene expression and consequently how bacterial responses to phage infection affect the assembly of polymicrobial communities. Using parallel genomic approaches, we have discovered novel transcriptional regulators and metabolic genes that influence phage infection. The integration of whole genome transcriptomic profiling during phage infection has revealed the differential regulation of genes important for group behaviors and polymicrobial interactions. Our work suggests that therapeutic phages could more broadly influence bacterial community composition outside of their intended host targets.

scholarly journals Parallel Genomics Uncover Novel Enterococcal-Bacteriophage Interactions

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anushila Chatterjee ◽  
Julia L. E. Willett ◽  
Uyen Thy Nguyen ◽  
Brendan Monogue ◽  
Kelli L. Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Burst Size ◽  
Bacterial Community Composition ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Phage Infection ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Transcriptomic Profiling ◽  
Bacterial Gene ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT Bacteriophages (phages) have been proposed as alternative therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. However, there are major gaps in our understanding of the molecular events in bacterial cells that control how bacteria respond to phage predation. Using the model organism Enterococcus faecalis, we used two distinct genomic approaches, namely, transposon library screening and RNA sequencing, to investigate the interaction of E. faecalis with a virulent phage. We discovered that a transcription factor encoding a LytR family response regulator controls the expression of enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (epa) genes that are involved in phage infection and bacterial fitness. In addition, we discovered that DNA mismatch repair mutants rapidly evolve phage adsorption deficiencies, underpinning a molecular basis for epa mutation during phage infection. Transcriptomic profiling of phage-infected E. faecalis revealed broad transcriptional changes influencing viral replication and progeny burst size. We also demonstrate that phage infection alters the expression of bacterial genes associated with intra- and interbacterial interactions, including genes involved in quorum sensing and polymicrobial competition. Together, our results suggest that phage predation has the potential to influence complex microbial behavior and may dictate how bacteria respond to external environmental stimuli. These responses could have collateral effects (positive or negative) on microbial communities, such as the host microbiota, during phage therapy. IMPORTANCE We lack fundamental understanding of how phage infection influences bacterial gene expression and, consequently, how bacterial responses to phage infection affect the assembly of polymicrobial communities. Using parallel genomic approaches, we have discovered novel transcriptional regulators and metabolic genes that influence phage infection. The integration of whole-genome transcriptomic profiling during phage infection has revealed the differential regulation of genes important for group behaviors and polymicrobial interactions. Our work suggests that therapeutic phages could more broadly influence bacterial community composition outside their intended host targets.

scholarly journals Liposomes as Antibiotic Delivery Systems: A Promising Nanotechnological Strategy against Antimicrobial Resistance

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 2047
Author(s):  
Magda Ferreira ◽  
Maria Ogren ◽  
Joana N. R. Dias ◽  
Marta Silva ◽  
Solange Gil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Private Investment ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Antimicrobial Drugs

Antimicrobial drugs are key tools to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Despite the early success of antibiotics, the current treatment of bacterial infections faces serious challenges due to the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. Moreover, the decline of research and private investment in new antibiotics further aggravates this antibiotic crisis era. Overcoming the complexity of antimicrobial resistance must go beyond the search of new classes of antibiotics and include the development of alternative solutions. The evolution of nanomedicine has allowed the design of new drug delivery systems with improved therapeutic index for the incorporated compounds. One of the most promising strategies is their association to lipid-based delivery (nano)systems. A drug’s encapsulation in liposomes has been demonstrated to increase its accumulation at the infection site, minimizing drug toxicity and protecting the antibiotic from peripheral degradation. In addition, liposomes may be designed to fuse with bacterial cells, holding the potential to overcome antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation and constituting a promising solution for the treatment of potential fatal multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In this review, we aim to address the applicability of antibiotic encapsulated liposomes as an effective therapeutic strategy for bacterial infections.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Bacteriophage in the Treatment of Pneumonia Induced by Multidrug ResistanceKlebsiella pneumoniaein Mice

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Cao ◽  
Xitao Wang ◽  
Linhui Wang ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Jian Che ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Burst Size ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Lung Lesion ◽  
Lytic Bacteriophage ◽  
Short Latent Period ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
Antibiotic Control

Multidrug-resistantKlebsiella pneumoniae(MRKP) has steadily grown beyond antibiotic control. However, a bacteriophage is considered to be a potential antibiotic alternative for treating bacterial infections. In this study, a lytic bacteriophage, phage 1513, was isolated using a clinical MRKP isolate KP 1513 as the host and was characterized. It produced a clear plaque with a halo and was classified as Siphoviridae. It had a short latent period of 30 min, a burst size of 264 and could inhibit KP 1513 growthin vitrowith a dose-dependent pattern. Intranasal administration of a single dose of 2 × 109 PFU/mouse 2 h after KP 1513 inoculation was able to protect mice against lethal pneumonia. In a sublethal pneumonia model, phage-treated mice exhibited a lower level ofK. pneumoniaeburden in the lungs as compared to the untreated control. These mice lost less body weight and exhibited lower levels of inflammatory cytokines in their lungs. Lung lesion conditions were obviously improved by phage therapy. Therefore, phage 1513 has a great effectin vitroandin vivo, which has potential to be used as an alternative to an antibiotic treatment of pneumonia that is caused by the multidrug-resistantK. pneumoniae.

scholarly journals Interaction of Bacterial Phenazines with Colistimethate in Bronchial Epithelial Cells

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeri V. Mossine ◽  
Deborah L. Chance ◽  
James K. Waters ◽  
Thomas P. Mawhinney
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Polymyxin B ◽  
Bronchial Epithelial Cell ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Bronchial Epithelial ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTMultidrug-resistant bacterial infections are being increasingly treated in clinics with polymyxins, a class of antibiotics associated with adverse effects on the kidney, nervous system, or airways of a significant proportion of human and animal patients. Although many of the resistant pathogens display enhanced virulence, the hazard of cytotoxic interactions between polymyxin antibiotics and bacterial virulence factors (VFs) has not been assessed, to date. We report here the testing of paired combinations of fourPseudomonas aeruginosaVF phenazine toxins, pyocyanin (PYO), 1-hydroxyphenazine (1-HP), phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA), and phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN), and two commonly prescribed polymyxin drugs, colistin-colistimethate sodium (CMS) and polymyxin B, in three human airway cell lines, BEAS-2B, HBE-1, and CFT-1. Cytotoxicities of individual antibiotics, individual toxins, and their combinations were evaluated by the simultaneous measurement of mitochondrial metabolic, total transcriptional/translational, and Nrf2 stress response regulator activities in treated cells. Two phenazines, PYO and 1-HP, were cytotoxic at clinically relevant concentrations (100 to 150 μM) and prompted a significant increase in oxidative stress-induced transcriptional activity in surviving cells. The polymyxin antibiotics arrested cell proliferation at clinically achievable (<1 mM) concentrations as well, with CMS displaying surprisingly high cytotoxicity (50% effective dose [ED50] = 180 μM) in BEAS-2B cells. The dose-response curves were probed by a median-effect analysis, which established a synergistically enhanced cytotoxicity of the PYO-CMS combination in all three airway cell lines; a particularly strong effect on BEAS-2B cells was observed, with a combination index (CI) of 0.27 at the ED50. PCA, PCN, and 1-HP potentiated CMS cytotoxicity to a smaller extent. The cytotoxicity of CMS could be reduced with 10 mMN-acetyl-cysteine. Iron chelators, while ineffective against the polymyxins, could rescue all three bronchial epithelial cell lines treated with lethal PYO or CMS-PYO doses. These findings suggest that further evaluations of CMS safety are needed, along with a search for means to moderate potentially cytotoxic interactions.

scholarly journals The Burden of the Serious and Difficult-to-Treat Infections and a New Antibiotic Available: Cefiderocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasaman Taheri ◽  
Nataša Joković ◽  
Jelena Vitorović ◽  
Oliver Grundmann ◽  
Alfred Maroyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Antimicrobial Treatment ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Severe Infections ◽  
Unique Cell

Background: Infection is a disease that can occur due to the entrance of a virus, bacteria, and other infectious agents. Cefiderocol is innovative cephalosporin drug that belongs to a special class of antibiotics, sideromycins, which are taken up by bacterial cells through active transport. The unique cell entry and stability to β-lactamases allow cefiderocol to overcome the most common resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria.Objective: This article aims to highlight the therapeutic efficacy, safety and tolerability of cefiderocol, with a focus on the FDA label.Methods: The pharmacological properties of cefiderocol are also summarized. In this review, we conducted literature research on the PubMed database using the following keywords: “antimicrobial treatment”, “new antibiotic”, “cefiderocol”, “siderophore cephalosporin”; “multidrug-resistant”, “Gram-negative bacilli”, “critically ill patients”; “severe bacterial infections”.Results: There were identified the most relevant data about the pathophysiology of serious bacterial infections, antibacterial mechanism of action, microbiology, mechanisms of resistance, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of cefiderocol.Conclusion: The results highlighted there appeared to be clinical benefit from cefiderocol in the treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative aerobic microorganisms in adult patients with severe infections and limited treatment options.

scholarly journals Phage infection and sub-lethal antibiotic exposure mediate Enterococcus faecalis type VII secretion system dependent inhibition of bystander bacteria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anushila Chatterjee ◽  
Julia L. E. Willett ◽  
Gary M. Dunny ◽  
Breck A. Duerkop
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Phage Therapy ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Phage Infection ◽  
Collateral Damage ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Antibiotic Exposure ◽  
Type Vii Secretion ◽  
Type Vii Secretion System ◽  
Polymicrobial Communities

AbstractBacteriophages (phages) are being considered as alternative therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacterial infections. Considering phages have narrow host-ranges, it is generally accepted that therapeutic phages will have a marginal impact on non-target bacteria. We have discovered that lytic phage infection induces transcription of type VIIb secretion system (T7SS) genes in the pathobiont Enterococcus faecalis. Membrane damage during phage infection induces T7SS gene expression resulting in cell contact dependent antagonism of different Gram positive bystander bacteria. Deletion of essB, a T7SS structural component, abrogates phage-mediated killing of bystanders. A predicted immunity gene confers protection against T7SS mediated inhibition, and disruption of its upstream LXG toxin gene rescues growth of E. faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus bystanders. Phage induction of T7SS gene expression and bystander inhibition requires IreK, a serine/threonine kinase, and OG1RF_11099, a predicted GntR-family transcription factor. Additionally, sub-lethal doses of membrane targeting and DNA damaging antibiotics activated T7SS expression independent of phage infection, triggering T7SS antibacterial activity against bystander bacteria. Our findings highlight how phage infection and antibiotic exposure of a target bacterium can affect non-target bystander bacteria and implies that therapies beyond antibiotics, such as phage therapy, could impose collateral damage to polymicrobial communities.Author SummaryRenewed interest in phages as alternative therapeutics to combat multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, highlights the importance of understanding the consequences of phage-bacteria interactions in the context of microbial communities. Although it is well established that phages are highly specific for their host bacterium, there is no clear consensus on whether or not phage infection (and thus phage therapy) would impose collateral damage to non-target bacteria in polymicrobial communities. Here we provide direct evidence of how phage infection of a clinically relevant pathogen triggers an intrinsic type VII secretion system (T7SS) antibacterial response that consequently restricts the growth of neighboring bacterial cells that are not susceptible to phage infection. Phage induction of T7SS activity is a stress response and in addition to phages, T7SS antagonism can be induced using sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics that facilitate membrane or DNA damage. Together these data show that a bacterial pathogen responds to diverse stressors to induce T7SS activity which manifests through the antagonism of neighboring non-kin bystander bacterial cells.

scholarly journals The Effects of β-Lactam Antibiotics on Surface Modifications of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli: A Multiscale Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel C. Uzoechi ◽  
Nehal I. Abu-Lail
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Multiscale Approach ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Adhesion Forces ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Resistant Strains

AbstractPossible multidrug-resistant (MDR) mechanisms of four resistant strains of Escherichia coli to a model β-lactam, ampicillin, were investigated using contact angle measurements of wettability, crystal violet assays of permeability, biofilm formation, fluorescence imaging, and nanoscale analyses of dimensions, adherence, and roughness. Upon exposure to ampicillin, one of the resistant strains, E. coli A5, changed its phenotype from elliptical to spherical, maintained its roughness and biofilm formation abilities, decreased its length and surface area, maintained its cell wall integrity, increased its hydrophobicity, and decreased its nanoscale adhesion to a model surface of silicon nitride. Such modifications are suggested to allow these cells to conserve energy during metabolic dormancy. In comparison, resistant strains E. coli D4, A9, and H5 elongated their cells, increased their roughness, increased their nanoscale adhesion forces, became more hydrophilic, and increased their biofilm formation upon exposure to ampicillin. These results suggest that these strains resisted ampicillin through biofilm formation that possibly introduces diffusion limitations to antibiotics. Investigations of how MDR bacterial cells modify their surfaces in response to antibiotics can guide research efforts aimed at designing more effective antibiotics and new treatment strategies for MDR bacterial infections.

A key regulatory mechanism of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic Acinetobacter baumannii

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Felise G Adams
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Histidine Kinase ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Regulatory Mechanism ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Extracellular Milieu ◽  
Global Health Issue

Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that has become a pressing global health issue in recent decades. Although virulence factors for this pathogen have been identified, details of how they are regulated are largely unknown. One widely employed regulatory mechanism that bacteria, such as A. baumannii, have adopted is through two component signal transduction systems (TCS). TCS consist of two proteins; a histidine kinase and response regulator. The histidine kinase allows the bacterium to sense alterations in the extracellular milieu, transmitting the information to the response regulator which prompts the cell to modify gene expression levels accordingly. Bacteria can encode multiple TCS, where each system can mediate specific responses to particular conditions or stressors. Identifying those conditions in which these TCS are expressed, and the genes they regulate known as their ‘regulon', is vital for understanding how A. baumannii survives and persists within the hospital environment or the human host during infection. As we enter the post-antibiotic era, knowledge of TCS could prove to be invaluable, as they offer an alternative target for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacterial infections.

scholarly journals Membrane Sensor Histidine Kinases: Insights from Structural, Ligand and Inhibitor Studies of Full-Length Proteins and Signalling Domains for Antibiotic Discovery

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 5110
Author(s):  
Pikyee Ma ◽  
Mary K. Phillips-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Hydrophobic Membrane ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Antibiotic Discovery

There is an urgent need to find new antibacterial agents to combat bacterial infections, including agents that inhibit novel, hitherto unexploited targets in bacterial cells. Amongst novel targets are two-component signal transduction systems (TCSs) which are the main mechanism by which bacteria sense and respond to environmental changes. TCSs typically comprise a membrane-embedded sensory protein (the sensor histidine kinase, SHK) and a partner response regulator protein. Amongst promising targets within SHKs are those involved in environmental signal detection (useful for targeting specific SHKs) and the common themes of signal transmission across the membrane and propagation to catalytic domains (for targeting multiple SHKs). However, the nature of environmental signals for the vast majority of SHKs is still lacking, and there is a paucity of structural information based on full-length membrane-bound SHKs with and without ligand. Reasons for this lack of knowledge lie in the technical challenges associated with investigations of these relatively hydrophobic membrane proteins and the inherent flexibility of these multidomain proteins that reduces the chances of successful crystallisation for structural determination by X-ray crystallography. However, in recent years there has been an explosion of information published on (a) methodology for producing active forms of full-length detergent-, liposome- and nanodisc-solubilised membrane SHKs and their use in structural studies and identification of signalling ligands and inhibitors; and (b) mechanisms of signal sensing and transduction across the membrane obtained using sensory and transmembrane domains in isolation, which reveal some commonalities as well as unique features. Here we review the most recent advances in these areas and highlight those of potential use in future strategies for antibiotic discovery. This Review is part of a Special Issue entitled “Interactions of Bacterial Molecules with Their Ligands and Other Chemical Agents” edited by Mary K. Phillips-Jones.

scholarly journals Bacterial Protein Homeostasis Disruption as a Therapeutic Intervention

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laleh Khodaparast ◽  
Guiqin Wu ◽  
Ladan Khodaparast ◽  
Béla Z. Schmidt ◽  
Frederic Rousseau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Viability ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Protein Homeostasis ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Hydrophobic Core ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Protein Misfolding And Aggregation

Cells have evolved a complex molecular network, collectively called the protein homeostasis (proteostasis) network, to produce and maintain proteins in the appropriate conformation, concentration and subcellular localization. Loss of proteostasis leads to a reduction in cell viability, which occurs to some degree during healthy ageing, but is also the root cause of a group of diverse human pathologies. The accumulation of proteins in aberrant conformations and their aggregation into specific beta-rich assemblies are particularly detrimental to cell viability and challenging to the protein homeostasis network. This is especially true for bacteria; it can be argued that the need to adapt to their changing environments and their high protein turnover rates render bacteria particularly vulnerable to the disruption of protein homeostasis in general, as well as protein misfolding and aggregation. Targeting bacterial proteostasis could therefore be an attractive strategy for the development of novel antibacterial therapeutics. This review highlights advances with an antibacterial strategy that is based on deliberately inducing aggregation of target proteins in bacterial cells aiming to induce a lethal collapse of protein homeostasis. The approach exploits the intrinsic aggregation propensity of regions residing in the hydrophobic core regions of the polypeptide sequence of proteins, which are genetically conserved because of their essential role in protein folding and stability. Moreover, the molecules were designed to target multiple proteins, to slow down the build-up of resistance. Although more research is required, results thus far allow the hope that this strategy may one day contribute to the arsenal to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

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