scholarly journals Quinazoline-Based Antivirulence Compounds Selectively Target Salmonella PhoP/PhoQ Signal Transduction System

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Ayelén Carabajal ◽  
Christopher R. M. Asquith ◽  
Tuomo Laitinen ◽  
Graham J. Tizzard ◽  
Lucía Yim ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The rapid emergence of multidrug resistance among bacterial pathogens has become a significant challenge to human health in our century. Therefore, development of next-generation antibacterial compounds is an urgent need. Two-component signal transduction systems (TCS) are stimulus-response coupling devices that allow bacteria to sense and elaborate adaptive responses to changing environmental conditions, including the challenges that pathogenic bacteria face inside the host. The differential presence of TCS, present in bacteria but absent in the animal kingdom, makes them attractive targets in the search for new antibacterial compounds. In Salmonella enterica, the PhoP/PhoQ two-component system controls the expression of crucial phenotypes that define the ability of the pathogen to establish infection in the host. We now report the screening of 686 compounds from a GlaxoSmithKline published kinase inhibitor set in a high-throughput whole-cell assay that targets Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium PhoP/PhoQ. We identified a series of quinazoline compounds that showed selective and potent downregulation of PhoP/PhoQ-activated genes and define structural attributes required for their efficacy. We demonstrate that their bioactivity is due to repression of the PhoQ sensor autokinase activity mediated by interaction with its catalytic domain, acting as competitive inhibitors of ATP binding. While noncytotoxic, the hit molecules exhibit antivirulence effect by blockage of S. Typhimurium intramacrophage replication. Together, these features make these quinazoline compounds stand out as exciting leads to develop a therapeutic intervention to fight salmonellosis.

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer K. Teschler ◽  
Andrew T. Cheng ◽  
Fitnat H. Yildiz

ABSTRACT Two-component signal transduction systems (TCSs), typically composed of a sensor histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR), are the primary mechanism by which pathogenic bacteria sense and respond to extracellular signals. The pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae is no exception and harbors 52 RR genes. Using in-frame deletion mutants of each RR gene, we performed a systematic analysis of their role in V. cholerae biofilm formation. We determined that 7 RRs impacted the expression of an essential biofilm gene and found that the recently characterized RR, VxrB, regulates the expression of key structural and regulatory biofilm genes in V. cholerae. vxrB is part of a 5-gene operon, which contains the cognate HK vxrA and three genes of unknown function. Strains carrying ΔvxrA and ΔvxrB mutations are deficient in biofilm formation, while the ΔvxrC mutation enhances biofilm formation. The overexpression of VxrB led to a decrease in motility. We also observed a small but reproducible effect of the absence of VxrB on the levels of cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP). Our work reveals a new function for the Vxr TCS as a regulator of biofilm formation and suggests that this regulation may act through key biofilm regulators and the modulation of cellular c-di-GMP levels. IMPORTANCE Biofilms play an important role in the Vibrio cholerae life cycle, providing protection from environmental stresses and contributing to the transmission of V. cholerae to the human host. V. cholerae can utilize two-component systems (TCS), composed of a histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR), to regulate biofilm formation in response to external cues. We performed a systematic analysis of V. cholerae RRs and identified a new regulator of biofilm formation, VxrB. We demonstrated that the VxrAB TCS is essential for robust biofilm formation and that this system may regulate biofilm formation via its regulation of key biofilm regulators and cyclic di-GMP levels. This research furthers our understanding of the role that TCSs play in the regulation of V. cholerae biofilm formation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 3789-3799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia J. van Rensburg ◽  
Kate R. Fortney ◽  
Lan Chen ◽  
Andrew J. Krieger ◽  
Bruno P. Lima ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCpxRA is a two-component signal transduction system (2CSTS) found in many drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In response to periplasmic stress, CpxA autophosphorylates and donates a phosphoryl group to its cognate response regulator, CpxR. Phosphorylated CpxR (CpxR-P) upregulates genes involved in membrane repair and downregulates multiple genes that encode virulence factors, which are trafficked across the cell membrane. Mutants that constitutively activate CpxRA inSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium andHaemophilus ducreyiare avirulent in mice and humans, respectively. Thus, the activation of CpxRA has high potential as a novel antimicrobial/antivirulence strategy. Using a series ofEscherichia colistrains containing a CpxR-P-responsivelacZreporter and deletions in genes encoding CpxRA system components, we developed and validated a novel cell-based high-throughput screen (HTS) for CpxRA activators. A screen of 36,000 compounds yielded one hit compound that increased reporter activity in wild-type cells. This is the first report of a compound that activates, rather than inhibits, a 2CSTS. The activity profile of the compound against CpxRA pathway mutants in the presence of glucose suggested that the compound inhibits CpxA phosphatase activity. We confirmed that the compound induced the accumulation of CpxR-P in treated cells. Although the hit compound contained a nitro group, a derivative lacking this group retained activity in serum and had lower cytotoxicity than that of the initial hit. This HTS is amenable for the screening of larger libraries to find compounds that activate CpxRA by other mechanisms, and it could be adapted to find activators of other two-component systems.


2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 2312-2326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith D. MacKenzie ◽  
Yejun Wang ◽  
Dylan J. Shivak ◽  
Cynthia S. Wong ◽  
Leia J. L. Hoffman ◽  
...  

Pathogenic bacteria often need to survive in the host and the environment, and it is not well understood how cells transition between these equally challenging situations. For the human and animal pathogenSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium, biofilm formation is correlated with persistence outside a host, but the connection to virulence is unknown. In this study, we analyzed multicellular-aggregate and planktonic-cell subpopulations that coexist whenS. Typhimurium is grown under biofilm-inducing conditions. These cell types arise due to bistable expression of CsgD, the central biofilm regulator. Despite being exposed to the same stresses, the two cell subpopulations had 1,856 genes that were differentially expressed, as determined by transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). Aggregated cells displayed the characteristic gene expression of biofilms, whereas planktonic cells had enhanced expression of numerous virulence genes. Increased type three secretion synthesis in planktonic cells correlated with enhanced invasion of a human intestinal cell line and significantly increased virulence in mice compared to the aggregates. However, when the same groups of cells were exposed to desiccation, the aggregates survived better, and the competitive advantage of planktonic cells was lost. We hypothesize that CsgD-based differentiation is a form of bet hedging, with single cells primed for host cell invasion and aggregated cells adapted for persistence in the environment. This allowsS. Typhimurium to spread the risks of transmission and ensures a smooth transition between the host and the environment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 2394-2404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Tomljenovic-Berube ◽  
Brandyn Henriksbo ◽  
Steffen Porwollik ◽  
Colin A. Cooper ◽  
Brian R. Tuinema ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSalmonellapathogenicity island 12 (SPI-12) ofSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium is a 15-kb region that encompasses genesSTM2230toSTM2245and encodes a remnant phage known to contribute to bacterial virulence. In mouse infection experiments and replication assays in macrophages, we demonstrated a role for four genes in SPI-12 for bacterial survival in the host. STM2239, a potential Q antiterminator, showed a prominent contribution to bacterial fitness. Transcriptional reporter experiments, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), and immunoblotting demonstrated that the virulence regulator SsrB and STM2239 contribute to transcriptional activation of genes in SPI-12. SsrB was found to indirectly regulate this locus by transcriptional read-through from thesspH2(STM2241) promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that STM2239 copurified with the promoter regulatingSTM2237, suggesting that STM2239 may function as an antiterminator to activate adjacent genes. These results demonstrate that bacteriophage genes may be adapted by pathogenic bacteria to improve fitness in the host.


mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Frahm ◽  
Sebastian Felgner ◽  
Dino Kocijancic ◽  
Manfred Rohde ◽  
Michael Hensel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIncreasing numbers of cancer cases generate a great urge for new treatment options. Applying bacteria likeSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium for cancer therapy represents an intensively explored option. These bacteria have been shown not only to colonize solid tumors but also to exhibit an intrinsic antitumor effect. In addition, they could serve as tumor-targeting vectors for therapeutic molecules. However, the pathogenicS. Typhimurium strains used for tumor therapy need to be attenuated for safe application. Here, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) deletion mutants (ΔrfaL, ΔrfaG, ΔrfaH, ΔrfaD, ΔrfaP, and ΔmsbBmutants) ofSalmonellawere investigated for efficiency in tumor therapy. Of such variants, the ΔrfaDand ΔrfaGdeep rough mutants exhibited the best tumor specificity and lowest pathogenicity. However, the intrinsic antitumor effect was found to be weak. To overcome this limitation, conditional attenuation was tested by complementing the mutants with an inducible arabinose promoter. The chromosomal integration of the respective LPS biosynthesis genes into thearaBADlocus exhibited the best balance of attenuation and therapeutic benefit. Thus, the present study establishes a basis for the development of an applicably cancer therapeutic bacterium.IMPORTANCECancer has become the second most frequent cause of death in industrialized countries. This and the drawbacks of routine therapies generate an urgent need for novel treatment options. Applying appropriately modifiedS. Typhimurium for therapy represents the major challenge of bacterium-mediated tumor therapy. In the present study, we demonstrated thatSalmonellabacteria conditionally modified in their LPS phenotype exhibit a safe tumor-targeting phenotype. Moreover, they could represent a suitable vehicle to shuttle therapeutic compounds directly into cancerous tissue without harming the host.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (46) ◽  
Author(s):  
Najwa Syahirah Roslan ◽  
Shagufta Jabeen ◽  
Nurulfiza Mat Isa ◽  
Abdul Rahman Omar ◽  
Mohd Hair Bejo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium is one of several well-categorized Salmonella serotypes recognized globally. Here, we report the whole-genome sequence of S. Typhimurium strain UPM 260, isolated from a broiler chicken.


2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 2454-2463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Forbes ◽  
Daniel Martinelli ◽  
Chyongere Hsieh ◽  
Jeffrey G. Ault ◽  
Michael Marko ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInvasion of intestinal epithelial cells bySalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium is an energetically demanding process, involving the transfer of effector proteins from invading bacteria into host cells via a specialized organelle known as theSalmonellapathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) type 3 secretion system (T3SS). By a mechanism that remains poorly understood, entry ofS. Typhimurium into epithelial cells is inhibited by Sal4, a monoclonal, polymeric IgA antibody that binds an immunodominant epitope within the O-antigen (O-Ag) component of lipopolysaccharide. In this study, we investigated how the binding of Sal4 to the surface ofS. Typhimurium influences T3SS activity, bacterial energetics, and outer membrane integrity. We found that Sal4 treatment impaired T3SS-mediated translocon formation and attenuated the delivery of tagged effector proteins into epithelial cells. Sal4 treatment coincided with a partial reduction in membrane energetics and intracellular ATP levels, possibly explaining the impairment in T3SS activity. Sal4's effects on bacterial secretion and energetics occurred concurrently with an increase in O-Ag levels in culture supernatants, alterations in outer membrane permeability, and changes in surface ultrastructure, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. We propose that Sal4, by virtue of its ability to bind and cross-link the O-Ag, induces a form of outer membrane stress that compromises the integrity of theS. Typhimurium cell envelope and temporarily renders the bacterium avirulent.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh M. B. Harris ◽  
Elisa C. Ale ◽  
Jorge A. Reinheimer ◽  
Ana G. Binetti ◽  
Paul W. O’Toole

Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2, an Argentine cheese isolate, can produce high concentrations of exopolysaccharides (EPS). These EPS were shown to improve the texture and rheology of yogurt, as well as to play a protective role in mice exposed to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 6037-6040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vito Ricci ◽  
Stephen J. W. Busby ◽  
Laura J. V. Piddock

ABSTRACTRamA is a transcription factor involved in regulating multidrug resistance inSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium SL1344. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter fusions were exploited to investigate the regulation of RamA expression by RamR. We show that RamR represses theramApromoter by binding to a palindromic sequence and describe a superrepressor RamR mutant that binds to theramApromoter sequence more efficiently, thus exhibiting aramAinactivated phenotype.


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