Antibiotic-supersusceptible mutants of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium

Bypass of genetic constraints during mutator evolution to antibiotic resistance

Genetic constraints can block many mutational pathways to optimal genotypes in real fitness landscapes, yet the extent to which this can limit evolution remains to be determined. Interestingly, mutator bacteria elevate only specific types of mutations, and therefore could be very sensitive to genetic constraints. Testing this possibility is not only clinically relevant, but can also inform about the general impact of genetic constraints in adaptation. Here, we evolved 576 populations of two mutator and one wild-type Escherichia coli to doubling concentrations of the antibiotic cefotaxime. All strains carried TEM-1, a β-lactamase enzyme well known by its low availability of mutational pathways. Crucially, one of the mutators does not elevate any of the relevant first-step mutations known to improve cefatoximase activity. Despite this, both mutators displayed a similar ability to evolve more than 1000-fold resistance. Initial adaptation proceeded in parallel through general multi-drug resistance mechanisms. High-level resistance, in contrast, was achieved through divergent paths; with the a priori inferior mutator exploiting alternative mutational pathways in PBP3, the target of the antibiotic. These results have implications for mutator management in clinical infections and, more generally, illustrate that limits to natural selection in real organisms are alleviated by the existence of multiple loci contributing to fitness.

Ligand binding studies, preliminary structure-activity relationship and detailed mechanistic characterization of 1-phenyl-6,6-dimethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine derivatives as inhibitors of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase

Gram-negative bacteria are implicated in the causation of life-threatening hospital-acquired infections. They acquire rapid resistance to multiple drugs and available antibiotics. Hence, there is the need to discover new antibacterial agents with novel scaffolds. For the first time, this study explores the 1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine and 1,2,4-triazine-2,4-diamine group of compounds as potential inhibitors of Escherichia coli DHFR, a pivotal enzyme in the thymidine and purine synthesis pathway. Using differential scanning fluorimetry, DSF, fifteen compounds with various substitutions on either the 3rd or 4th positions on the benzene group of 6,6-dimethyl-1-(benzene)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine were shown to bind to the enzyme with varying affinities. Then, the dose dependence of inhibition by these compounds was determined. Preliminary quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis and docking studies implicate the alkyl linker group and the sulfonyl fluoride group in increasing the potency of inhibition. 4-[4-[3-(4,6-diamino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3,5-triazin-1-yl)phenyl]butyl]benzenesulfonyl fluoride (NSC120927), the best hit from the study and a molecule with no reported inhibition of E. coli DHFR, potently inhibits the enzyme with a Ki value of 42.50 ± 5.34 nM, followed by 4-[6-[4-(4,6-diamino-2,2-dimethyl-1,3,5-triazin-1-yl)phenyl]hexyl]benzenesulfonyl fluoride (NSC132279), with a Ki value of 100.9 ± 12.7 nM. Detailed kinetic characterization of the inhibition brought about by five small-molecule hits shows that these inhibitors bind to the dihydrofolate binding site with preferential binding to the NADPH-bound binary form of the enzyme. Furthermore, in search of novel diaminotriazine scaffolds, it is shown that lamotrigine, a 1,2,4-triazine-3,5-diamine and a sodium-ion channel blocker class of antiepileptic drug, also inhibits E. coli DHFR. This is the first comprehensive study on the binding and inhibition brought about by diaminotriazines of a gram-negative prokaryotic enzyme and provides valuable insights into the SAR as an aid to the discovery of novel antibiotics.

The cell wall amidase AmiB is essential for Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell division, drug resistance and viability

The physiological function of cell wall amidases has been investigated in several proteobacterial species. In all cases, they have been implicated in the cleavage of cell wall material synthesized by the cytokinetic ring. Although typically non-essential, this activity is critical for daughter cell separation and outer membrane invagination during division. In Escherichia coli, proteins with LytM domains also participate in cell separation by stimulating amidase activity. Here, we investigated the function of amidases and LytM proteins in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In agreement with studies in other organisms, (Pa) AmiB and three LytM proteins were found to play crucial roles in P. aeruginosa cell separation, envelope integrity and antibiotic resistance. Importantly, the phenotype of amidase-defective P. aeruginosa cells also differed in informative ways from the E. coli paradigm; (Pa) AmiB was found to be essential for viability and the successful completion of cell constriction. Our results thus reveal a key role for amidase activity in cytokinetic ring contraction. Furthermore, we show that the essential function of (Pa) AmiB can be bypassed in mutants activated for a Cpx-like envelope stress response, suggesting that this signaling system may elicit the repair of division machinery defects in addition to general envelope damage.

The challenge of efflux-mediated antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

The global emergence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is a growing threat to antibiotic therapy. The chromosomally encoded drug efflux mechanisms that are ubiquitous in these bacteria greatly contribute to antibiotic resistance and present a major challenge for antibiotic development. Multidrug pumps, particularly those represented by the clinically relevant AcrAB-TolC and Mex pumps of the resistance-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily, not only mediate intrinsic and acquired multidrug resistance (MDR) but also are involved in other functions, including the bacterial stress response and pathogenicity. Additionally, efflux pumps interact synergistically with other resistance mechanisms (e.g., with the outer membrane permeability barrier) to increase resistance levels. Since the discovery of RND pumps in the early 1990s, remarkable scientific and technological advances have allowed for an in-depth understanding of the structural and biochemical basis, substrate profiles, molecular regulation, and inhibition of MDR pumps. However, the development of clinically useful efflux pump inhibitors and/or new antibiotics that can bypass pump effects continues to be a challenge. Plasmid-borne efflux pump genes (including those for RND pumps) have increasingly been identified. This article highlights the recent progress obtained for organisms of clinical significance, together with methodological considerations for the characterization of MDR pumps.

Expression of the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis gene lpxD affects biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacterial biofilms are an important cause of nosocomial infections. Microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonize biotic and abiotic surfaces leading to chronic infections that are difficult to eradicate. To characterize novel genes involved in biofilm formation, we identified the lpxD gene from a transposon-mutant library of P. aeruginosa. This gene encodes a glucosamine-N acyltransferase, which is important for lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. Our results showed that a loss-of-expression mutant of lpxD was defective for biofilm formation on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Additionally, this mutant strain exhibited significantly decreased bacterial attachment to cultured airway epithelial cells, as well as increased bacterial cytotoxicity toward airway cells. However, consistent with a defect in lipid A structure, airway cells incubated with the lpxD mutant or with mutant lipid A extracts exhibited decreased IL-8 production and necrosis, respectively. Overall, our data indicate that manipulating lpxD expression may influence P. aeruginosa's ability to establish biofilm infections.

Deletion of the β-acetoacetyl synthase FabY in Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces hypoacylation of lipopolysaccharide and increases antimicrobial susceptibility

The β-acetoacetyl-acyl carrier protein synthase FabY is a key enzyme in the initiation of fatty acid biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Deletion of fabY results in an increased susceptibility of P. aeruginosa in vitro to a number of antibiotics, including vancomycin and cephalosporins. Because antibiotic susceptibility can be influenced by changes in membrane lipid composition, we determined the total fatty acid profile of the ΔfabY mutant, which suggested alterations in the lipid A region of the lipopolysaccharide. The majority of lipid A species in the ΔfabY mutant lacked a single secondary lauroyl group, resulting in hypoacylated lipid A. Adding exogenous fatty acids to the growth media restored the wild-type antibiotic susceptibility profile and the wild-type lipid A fatty acid profile. We suggest that incorporation of hypoacylated lipid A species into the outer membrane contributes to the shift in the antibiotic susceptibility profile of the ΔfabY mutant.

On the essentiality of lipopolysaccharide to Gram-negative bacteria

Lipopolysaccharide is a highly acylated saccharolipid located on the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Lipopolysaccharide is critical to maintaining the barrier function preventing the passive diffusion of hydrophobic solutes such as antibiotics and detergents into the cell. Lipopolysaccharide has been considered an essential component for outer membrane biogenesis and cell viability based on pioneering studies in the model Gram-negative organisms Escherichia coli and Salmonella. With the isolation of lipopolysaccharide-null mutants in Neisseria meningitidis, Moraxella catarrhalis, and most recently in Acinetobacter baumannii, it has become increasingly apparent that lipopolysaccharide is not an essential outer membrane building block in all organisms. We suggest the accumulation of toxic intermediates, misassembly of essential outer membrane porins, and outer membrane stress response pathways that are activated by mislocalized lipopolysaccharide may collectively contribute to the observed strain-dependent essentiality of lipopolysaccharide.

Cooperation of the multidrug efflux pump and lipopolysaccharides in the intrinsic antibiotic resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

OBJECTIVES

In Gram-negative bacteria, drug susceptibility is associated with multidrug efflux systems and an outer membrane (OM) barrier. Previous studies revealed that Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has 10 functional drug efflux pumps. Among them, AcrB is a major factor to maintain the intrinsic drug resistance in this organism. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content of OM is also important for resistance to lipophilic drugs; however, the interplay between the multidrug efflux pump and LPS in the intrinsic antibiotic resistance of Salmonella remains to be studied in detail. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between AcrB and LPS in the intrinsic drug resistance of this organism.

METHODS

The genes encoding LPS core biosynthetic proteins and AcrB were disrupted from the wild-type S. enterica strain ATCC 14028s. The plasmid carrying acrB was transformed into these mutants and then the drug susceptibilities of the mutants and transformants were determined.

RESULTS

Our results showed that the levels of Salmonella intrinsic antibiotic resistance were decreased when the length and branches of core oligosaccharide were lost. Furthermore, the deletion of acrB reduced multidrug resistance of all LPS mutants and AcrB production from the plasmid complemented this phenotype. However, AcrB production could not completely compensate for LPS function in intrinsic resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

Both pump inactivation and shortened LPS enhanced drug susceptibility, although the maximum susceptibility was achieved when the two were combined. Hence, these results indicated that the multidrug efflux system and OM barrier are both essential for maintaining intrinsic antibiotic resistance in Salmonella.

Conserved residues of the putative L6 loop of Escherichia coli BamA play a critical role in the assembly of β-barrel outer membrane proteins, including that of BamA itself

Many members of the Omp85 family of proteins form essential β-barrel outer membrane protein (OMP) biogenesis machinery in Gram-negative bacteria, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In Escherichia coli, BamA, a member of the Omp85 family, folds into an outer membrane-embedded β-barrel domain and a soluble periplasmic polypeptide-transport-associated (POTRA) domain. Although the high-resolution structures of only the BamA POTRA domain of E. coli are available, the crystal structure of FhaC, an Omp85 family member and a component of the two-partner secretion system in Bordetella pertussis, suggests that the BamA β-barrel likely folds into a 16-stranded β-barrel. The FhaC β-barrel is occluded by an N-terminal α-helix and a large β-barrel loop, L6, which carries residues that are highly conserved among the Omp85 family members. Deletion of L6 in FhaC did not affect its biogenesis but abolished its secretion function. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the conserved residues of the putative L6 loop, which presumably folds back into the lumen of the BamA β-barrel like the FhaC counterpart, play an important role in OMP and/or BamA biogenesis. The conserved (641)RGF(643) residues of L6 were either deleted or replaced with alanine in various permutations. Phenotypic and biochemical characterization of various BamA L6 mutants revealed that the conserved RGF residues are critical for OMP biogenesis. Moreover, three BamA L6 alterations, ΔRGF, AAA, and AGA, produced a conditional lethal phenotype, concomitant with severely reduced BamA levels and folding defects. Thus, the conserved (641)RGF(643) residues of the BamA L6 loop are important for BamA folding and biogenesis.

Broad-specificity efflux pumps and their role in multidrug resistance of Gram-negative bacteria

Antibiotic resistance mechanisms reported in Gram-negative bacteria are causing a worldwide health problem. The continuous dissemination of 'multidrug-resistant' (MDR) bacteria drastically reduces the efficacy of our antibiotic 'arsenal' and consequently increases the frequency of therapeutic failure. In MDR bacteria, the overexpression of efflux pumps that expel structurally unrelated drugs contributes to the reduced susceptibility by decreasing the intracellular concentration of antibiotics. During the last decade, several clinical data have indicated an increasing involvement of efflux pumps in the emergence and dissemination of resistant Gram-negative bacteria. It is necessary to clearly define the molecular, functional and genetic bases of the efflux pump in order to understand the translocation of antibiotic molecules through the efflux transporter. The recent investigation on the efflux pump AcrB at its structural and physiological levels, including the identification of drug affinity sites and kinetic parameters for various antibiotics, may pave the way towards the rational development of an improved new generation of antibacterial agents as well as efflux inhibitors in order to efficiently combat efflux-based resistance mechanisms.

Structural investigation of bacterial lipopolysaccharides by mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometric studies are now playing a leading role in the elucidation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) structures through the characterization of antigenic polysaccharides, core oligosaccharides and lipid A components including LPS genetic modifications. The conventional MS and MS/MS analyses together with CID fragmentation provide additional structural information complementary to the previous analytical experiments, and thus contribute to an integrated strategy for the simultaneous characterization and correct sequencing of the carbohydrate moiety.

Antibiotics: natural products essential to human health

For more than 50 years, natural products have served us well in combating infectious bacteria and fungi. Microbial and plant secondary metabolites helped to double our life span during the 20th century, reduced pain and suffering, and revolutionized medicine. Most antibiotics are either (i) natural products of microorganisms, (ii) semi-synthetically produced from natural products, or (iii) chemically synthesized based on the structure of the natural products. Production of antibiotics began with penicillin in the late 1940s and proceeded with great success until the 1970-1980s when it became harder and harder to discover new and useful products. Furthermore, resistance development in pathogens became a major problem, which is still with us today. In addition, new pathogens are continually emerging and there are still bacteria that are not eliminated by any antibiotic, e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition to these problems, many of the major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned the antibiotic field, leaving much of the discovery efforts to small companies, new companies, and the biotechnology industries. Despite these problems, development of new antibiotics has continued, albeit at a much lower pace than in the last century. We have seen the (i) appearance of newly discovered antibiotics (e.g., candins), (ii) development of old but unutilized antibiotics (e.g., daptomycin), (iii) production of new semi-synthetic versions of old antibiotics (e.g., glycylcyclines, streptogrammins), as well as the (iv) very useful application of old but underutilized antibiotics (e.g., teicoplanin).

Mechanisms of RND multidrug efflux pumps

RND (Resistance-Nodulation-Division) family transporters are widespread especially among Gram-negative bacteria, and catalyze the active efflux of many antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents. They have very large periplasmic domains, and form tripartite complexes with outer membrane channels and periplasmic adaptor proteins. AcrAB-TolC complex of Escherichia coli, which pumps out a very wide range of drugs, has been studied most intensively. Early studies showed that the transporter captures even those substrates that cannot permeate across the cytoplasmic membrane, such as dianionic beta-lactams, suggesting that the capture can occur from the periplasm. It was also suggested that the capture occurs from the cytoplasmic membrane/periplasm interface, because most substrates contain a sizable hydrophobic domain; however, this may simply be a reflection of the nature of the binding site within AcrB. Genetic studies of chimeric transporters showed that much of the substrate specificity is determined by their periplasmic domains. Biochemical studies with intact cells recently led to the determination of the kinetic constants of AcrB for some beta-lactams, and the result confirms the old prediction that AcrB is a rather slow pump. Reconstitution of purified AcrB and its relatives showed that the pump is a drug/proton antiporter, that AcrA strongly stimulates the activity of the pump, and that AcrB seems to have a highest affinity for conjugated bile salts. Structural study with mutants of the network of charged residues in the transmembrane domain showed that protonation here produced a far-reaching conformational change, which was found to be present in one of the protomers in the asymmetric crystal structure of the wild-type AcrB. The functional rotatory hypothesis then predicts that the drug bound in the periplasmic domain is extruded through this conformational change initiated by the protonation of one of the residues in the aforementioned network, an idea that was recently supported by disulfide cross-linking as well as by the behavior of linked AcrB protomers.

Multidrug resistance in bacteria

Large amounts of antibiotics used for human therapy, as well as for farm animals and even for fish in aquaculture, resulted in the selection of pathogenic bacteria resistant to multiple drugs. Multidrug resistance in bacteria may be generated by one of two mechanisms. First, these bacteria may accumulate multiple genes, each coding for resistance to a single drug, within a single cell. This accumulation occurs typically on resistance (R) plasmids. Second, multidrug resistance may also occur by the increased expression of genes that code for multidrug efflux pumps, extruding a wide range of drugs. This review discusses our current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms involved in both types of resistance.

Identification of two late acyltransferase genes responsible for lipid A biosynthesis in Moraxella catarrhalis

Lipid A is a biological component of the lipo-oligosaccharide of a human pathogen, Moraxella catarrhalis. No other acyltransferases except for UDP-GlcNAc acyltransferase, responsible for lipid A biosynthesis in M. catarrhalis, have been identified. By bioinformatics, two late acyltransferase genes, lpxX and lpxL, responsible for lipid A biosynthesis were identified, and knockout mutants of each gene in M. catarrhalis strain O35E were constructed and named O35ElpxX and O35ElpxL. Structural analysis of lipid A from the parental strain and derived mutants showed that O35ElpxX lacked two decanoic acids (C10:0), whereas O35ElpxL lacked one dodecanoic (lauric) acid (C12:0), suggesting that lpxX encoded decanoyl transferase and lpxL encoded dodecanoyl transferase. Phenotypic analysis revealed that both mutants were similar to the parental strain in their toxicity in vitro. However, O35ElpxX was sensitive to the bactericidal activity of normal human serum and hydrophobic reagents. It had a reduced growth rate in broth and an accelerated bacterial clearance at 3 h (P < 0.01) or 6 h (P < 0.05) after an aerosol challenge in a murine model of bacterial pulmonary clearance. O35ElpxL presented similar patterns to those of the parental strain, except that it was slightly sensitive to the hydrophobic reagents. These results indicate that these two genes, particularly lpxX, encoding late acyltransferases responsible for incorporation of the acyloxyacyl-linked secondary acyl chains into lipid A, are important for the biological activities of M. catarrhalis.

Novel polymyxin derivatives carrying only three positive charges are effective antibacterial agents

The lack of novel antibiotics against gram-negative bacteria has reinstated polymyxins as the drugs of last resort to treat serious infections caused by extremely multiresistant gram-negative organisms. However, polymyxins are nephrotoxic, and this feature may complicate therapy or even require its discontinuation. Like that of aminoglycosides, the nephrotoxicity of polymyxins might be related to the highly cationic nature of the molecule. Colistin and polymyxin B carry five positive charges. Here we show that novel polymyxin derivatives carrying only three positive charges are effective antibacterial agents. NAB739 has a cyclic peptide portion identical to that of polymyxin B, but in the linear portion of the peptide, it carries the threonyl-D-serinyl residue (no cationic charges) instead of the diaminobutyryl-threonyl-diaminobutyryl residue (two cationic charges). The MICs of NAB739 for 17 strains of Escherichia coli were identical, or very close, to those of polymyxin B. Furthermore, NAB739 was effective against other polymyxin-susceptible strains of Enterobacteriaceae and against Acinetobacter baumannii. At subinhibitory concentrations, it dramatically sensitized A. baumannii to low concentrations of antibiotics such as rifampin, clarithromycin, vancomycin, fusidic acid, and meropenem. NAB739 methanesulfonate was a prodrug analogous to colistin methanesulfonate. NAB740 was the most active derivative against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. NAB7061 (linear portion of the peptide, threonyl-aminobutyryl) lacked direct antibacterial activity but sensitized the targets to hydrophobic antibiotics by factors up to 2,000. The affinities of the NAB compounds for isolated rat kidney brush border membrane were significantly lower than that of polymyxin B.

Vesicle-independent extracellular release of a proinflammatory outer membrane lipoprotein in free-soluble form

Background

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is an oral bacterium associated with aggressively progressing periodontitis. Extracellular release of bacterial outer membrane proteins has been suggested to mainly occur via outer membrane vesicles. This study investigated the presence and conservation of peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (AaPAL) among A. actinomycetemcomitans strains, the immunostimulatory effect of AaPAL, and whether live cells release this structural outer membrane lipoprotein in free-soluble form independent of vesicles.

Results

The pal locus and its gene product were confirmed in clinical A. actinomycetemcomitans strains by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and immunoblotting. Culturing under different growth conditions revealed no apparent requirement for the AaPAL expression. Inactivation of pal in a wild-type strain (D7S) and in its spontaneous laboratory variant (D7SS) resulted in pleiotropic cellular effects. In a cell culture insert model (filter pore size 0.02 μm), AaPAL was detected from filtrates when strains D7S and D7SS were incubated in serum or broth in the inserts. Electron microscopy showed that A. actinomycetemcomitans vesicles (0.05–0.2 μm) were larger than the filter pores and that there were no vesicles in the filtrates. The filtrates were immunoblot negative for a cytoplasmic marker, cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein. An ex vivo model indicated cytokine production from human whole blood stimulated by AaPAL.

Conclusion

Free-soluble AaPAL can be extracellularly released in a process independent of vesicles.

Permeability issues in whole-cell bioprocesses and cellular membrane engineering

Nutrient uptake and waste excretion are among the many important functions of the cellular membrane. While permitting nutrients into the cell, the cellular membrane system evolves to guide against noxious agents present in the environment from entering the intracellular milieu. The semipermeable nature of the membrane is at odds with biomolecular engineers in their endeavor of using microbes as cell factory. The cellular membrane often retards the entry of substrate into the cellular systems and prevents the product from being released from the cellular system for an easy recovery. Consequently, productivities of whole-cell bioprocesses such as biocatalysis, fermentation, and bioremediations are severely compromised. For example, the rate of whole-cell biocatalysis is usually 1-2 orders of magnitude slower than that of the isolated enzymes. When product export cannot keep pace with the production rate, intracellular product accumulation quickly leads to a halt of production due to product inhibition. While permeabilization via chemical or physical treatment of cell membrane is effective in small-scale process, large-scale implementation is problematic. Molecular engineering approach recently emerged as a much better alternative. Armed with increasingly sophisticated tools, biomolecular engineers are following nature's ingenuity to derive satisfactory solutions to the permeability problem. This review highlights these exciting molecular engineering achievements.

Probing the barrier function of the outer membrane with chemical conditionality

A key function of biological membranes is to exclude toxic small molecules while allowing influx of nutrients. Cells achieve this by controlling the composition of different types of proteins and lipids within the membrane by a process called membrane biogenesis. We have recently proposed a strategy to identify genes involved in membrane biogenesis in Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli by selecting for suppressors of mutations that render the outer membrane (OM) leaky. We predicted that different small molecules could select different suppressors because mutations that answer a specific selection will correct the membrane permeability defect to different degrees depending on the structure of the small molecule. We have tested this hypothesis by selecting for resistance to bile acids in an imp4213 strain, which contains a compromised OM owing to a defect in lipopolysaccharide biogenesis. We report here that a suppressor mutation in yaeT , which specifies an essential protein involved in the assembly of beta-barrel proteins in the OM, confers resistance to a specific subset of bile acids in the imp4213 strain. YaeT is conserved from bacteria to man because it is involved in OM biogenesis in mitochondria and chloroplasts. These results demonstrate that structurally different toxic small molecules select different, and highly specific, genetic solutions for correcting membrane-permeability defects. The remarkable chemical specificity of the imp4213 suppressors provides insights into the molecular nature of the OM permeability barrier.

Structural correlates of antibacterial and membrane-permeabilizing activities in acylpolyamines

A homologous series of mono- and bis-acyl polyamines with varying acyl chain lengths originally synthesized for the purpose of sequestering lipopolysaccharide were evaluated for antimicrobial activity to test the hypothesis that these bis-cationic amphipathic compounds may also bind to and permeabilize intact gram-negative bacterial membranes. Some compounds were found to possess significant antimicrobial activity, mediated via permeabilization of bacterial membranes. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed a strong dependence of the acyl chain length on antimicrobial potency and permeabilization activity. Homologated spermine, bis-acylated with C8 or C9 chains, was found to profoundly sensitize Escherichia coli to hydrophobic antibiotics such as rifampin. Nonspecific cytotoxicity is a potential drawback of these membranophilic compounds. However, the surface activity of these cationic amphipaths is strongly attenuated under physiological conditions via binding to serum albumin. Significant antibacterial activity is still retained in the presence of physiological concentrations of human serum albumin, suggesting that these compounds may serve as leads in the development of novel adjuncts to conventional antimicrobial chemotherapy.

Advances in understanding bacterial outer-membrane biogenesis

The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli serves as a protective barrier that controls the influx and efflux of solutes. This allows the bacteria to inhabit several different, and often hostile, environments. The assembly of the E. coli outer membrane has been difficult to study using traditional genetic and biochemical methods, and how all its components reach the outer membrane after being synthesized in the cytoplasm and cytoplasmic membrane, how they are assembled in an environment that is devoid of an obvious energy source, and how assembly proceeds without disrupting the integrity of this essential cellular structure are all fundamental questions that remain unanswered. Here, we review the new approaches that have led to the recent discovery of components of the machinery involved in the biogenesis of this distinctive cellular organelle.

Moraxella catarrhalis bacterium without endotoxin, a potential vaccine candidate

Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is a major surface component of Moraxella catarrhalis and a possible virulence factor in the pathogenesis of human infections caused by this organism. The presence of LOS on the bacterium is an obstacle to the development of vaccines derived from whole cells or outer membrane components of the bacterium. An lpxA gene encoding UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase responsible for the first step of lipid A biosynthesis was identified by the construction and characterization of an isogenic M. catarrhalis lpxA mutant in strain O35E. The resulting mutant was viable despite the complete loss of LOS. The mutant strain showed significantly decreased toxicity by the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay, reduced resistance to normal human serum, reduced adherence to human epithelial cells, and enhanced clearance in lungs and nasopharynx in a mouse aerosol challenge model. Importantly, the mutant elicited high levels of antibodies with bactericidal activity and provided protection against a challenge with the wild-type strain. These data suggest that the null LOS mutant is attenuated and may be a potential vaccine candidate against M. catarrhalis.

Restoring permeability barrier function to outer membrane

A recent issue of Cell published two papers resulting from the collaboration between the Kahne and Silhavy laboratories [1,2]. These studies, possibly initiated as an effort to identify the target of action of vancomycin with lipophilic substitutions, resulted in the discovery of a protein complex involved in the assembly of outer membrane proteins.

Lipopolysaccharide heterogeneity: innate host responses to bacterial modification of lipid a structure

The innate host response system is composed of various mechanisms designed to detect and facilitate host responses to microbial components, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS). To enable this to occur, innate systems contain multiple pattern recognition receptors (i.e., LBP, CD14, and TLRs), which identify certain features within bacterial LPS that are foreign to the host, as well as essential and uniquely specific for bacteria. Innate host identification of unique bacterial components or patterns, therefore, relies on the inability of bacteria to alter these essential or critical components dramatically. Historically, LPS have been viewed as essential outer-membrane molecules containing both a highly variable outer region (O-segment) as well as a relatively conserved inner region (lipid A). However, over the last decade, new evidence has emerged, revealing that increased natural diversity or heterogeneity within specific components of LPS, such as lipid A-resulting in minor to moderate changes in lipid A structure-can produce dramatic host responses. Therefore, examples of natural lipid A heterogeneity, and the mechanisms that control it, represent a novel approach in which bacteria modulate host responses and may thereby confer specific advantages to certain bacterial species under changing environmental host conditions.

Cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance in Neisseria meningitidis

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are important components of the innate host defense system against microbial infections and microbial products. However, the human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis is intrinsically highly resistant to CAMPs, such as polymyxin B (PxB) (MIC > or = 512 microg/ml). To ascertain the mechanisms by which meningococci resist PxB, mutants that displayed increased sensitivity (> or =4-fold) to PxB were identified from a library of mariner transposon mutants generated in a meningococcal strain, NMB. Surprisingly, more than half of the initial PxB-sensitive mutants had insertions within the mtrCDE operon, which encodes proteins forming a multidrug efflux pump. Additional PxB-sensitive mariner mutants were identified from a second round of transposon mutagenesis performed in an mtr efflux pump-deficient background. Further, a mutation in lptA, the phosphoethanolamine (PEA) transferase responsible for modification of the lipid A head groups, was identified to cause the highest sensitivity to PxB. Mutations within the mtrD or lptA genes also increased meningococcal susceptibility to two structurally unrelated CAMPs, human LL-37 and protegrin-1. Consistently, PxB neutralized inflammatory responses elicited by the lptA mutant lipooligosaccharide more efficiently than those induced by wild-type lipooligosaccharide. mariner mutants with increased resistance to PxB were also identified in NMB background and found to contain insertions within the pilMNOPQ operon involved in pilin biogenesis. Taken together, these data indicated that meningococci utilize multiple mechanisms including the action of the MtrC-MtrD-MtrE efflux pump and lipid A modification as well as the type IV pilin secretion system to modulate levels of CAMP resistance. The modification of meningococcal lipid A head groups with PEA also prevents neutralization of the biological effects of endotoxin by CAMP.

Involvement of the Escherichia coli O157:H7(pO157) ecf operon and lipid A myristoyl transferase activity in bacterial survival in the bovine gastrointestinal tract and bacterial persistence in farm water troughs

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important food-borne pathogen that causes hemorrhagic colitis and the hemolytic-uremic syndrome in humans. Recently, we reported that the pO157 ecf (E. coli attaching and effacing gene-positive conserved fragments) operon is thermoregulated by an intrinsically curved DNA and contains the genes for bacterial surface-associated proteins, including a second copy of lipid A myristoyl transferase, whose chromosomal copy is the lpxM gene product. E. coli O157:H7 survives and persists well in diverse environments from the human and bovine gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) to nutrient-dilute farm water troughs. Transcriptional regulation of the ecf operon by intrinsic DNA curvature and the genetic redundancy of lpxM that is associated with lipid A modification led us to hypothesize that the pO157 ecf operon and lpxM are associated with bacterial survival and persistence in various in vivo and ex vivo environments by optimizing bacterial membrane structure and/or integrity. To test this hypothesis, three isogenic ecf operon and/or lpxM deletion mutants of E. coli O157:H7 ATCC 43894 were constructed and analyzed in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that a double mutant carrying deletions in the ecf and lpxM genes had an altered lipid A structure and membrane fatty acid composition, did not survive passage through the bovine GIT, did not persist well in farm water troughs, had increased susceptibility to a broad spectrum of antibiotics and detergents, and had impaired motility. Electron microscopic analyses showed gross changes in bacterial membrane structure.

Accelerating whole-cell biocatalysis by reducing outer membrane permeability barrier

Whole-cell biocatalysts are preferred in many biocatalysis applications. However, due to permeability barriers imposed by cell envelopes, whole-cell catalyzed reactions are reportedly 10-100-fold slower than reactions catalyzed by free enzymes. In this study, we accelerated whole-cell biocatalysis by reducing the membrane permeability barrier using molecular engineering approaches. Escherichia coli cells with genetically altered outer membrane structures were used. Specifically, a lipopolysaccarides mutant SM101 and a Braun's lipoprotein mutant E609L were used along with two model substrates that differ substantially in size and hydrophobicity, nitrocefin, and a tetrapeptide N-succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide. The reduction of the outer membrane permeability by genetic methods led to significant increases (up to 380%) in reaction rates of whole-cell catalyzed reactions. The magnitude of increase in biocatalysis rates was dependent on the substrates and on the nature of mutations introduced in the outer membrane structure. Notably, mutations in outer membrane can render the outer membrane completely permeable to one substrate, a barrierless condition that maximizes the reaction rate. The impact of the mutations introduced on the permeability barrier of the membranes was compared to the impact of polymixin B nonapeptide, a known potent permeabilizer acting on lipopolysaccharides. Our results suggest that genetic modifications to enhance the permeability of hydrophilic molecules should target the Lipid A region. However, strategies other than reduction of Lipid A synthesis should be considered. As we have demonstrated with tetrapeptide, membrane engineering can be much more effective in reducing a permeability barrier than are exogenous permeabilizers. This work, to our knowledge, is the first use of a molecular membrane engineering approach to address substrate permeability limitations encountered in biocatalysis applications.

Biosynthesis, transport, and modification of lipid A

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major surface molecule of Gram-negative bacteria and consists of three distinct structural domains: O-antigen, core, and lipid A. The lipid A (endotoxin) domain of LPS is a unique, glucosamine-based phospholipid that serves as the hydrophobic anchor of LPS and is the bioactive component of the molecule that is associated with Gram-negative septic shock. The structural genes encoding the enzymes required for the biosynthesis of Escherchia coli lipid A have been identified and characterized. Lipid A is often viewed as a constitutively synthesized structural molecule. However, determination of the exact chemical structures of lipid A from diverse Gram-negative bacteria shows that the molecule can be further modified in response to environmental stimuli. These modifications have been implicated in virulence of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria and represent one of the molecular mechanisms of microbial surface remodeling used by bacteria to help evade the innate immune response. The intent of this review is to discuss the enzymatic machinery involved in the biosynthesis of lipid A, transport of the molecule, and finally, those enzymes involved in the modification of its structure in response to environmental stimuli.

Lipopolysaccharides of anaerobic beer spoilage bacteria of the genusPectinatus– lipopolysaccharides of a Gram-positive genus

Bacteria of the genus Pectinatus emerged during the seventies as contaminants and spoilage organisms in packaged beer. This genus comprises two species, Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus and Pectinatus frisingensis; both are strict anaerobes. On the basis of genomic properties the genus is placed among low GC Gram-positive bacteria (phylum Firmicutes, class Clostridia, order Clostridiales, family Acidaminococcaceae). Despite this assignment, Pectinatus bacteria possess an outer membrane and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) typical of Gram-negative bacteria. The present review compiles the structural and compositional studies performed on Pectinatus LPS. These lipopolysaccharides exhibit extensive heterogeneity, i.e. several macromolecularly and structurally distinct LPS molecules are produced by each strain. Whereas heterogeneity is a common property in lipopolysaccharides, Pectinatus LPS have been shown to contain exceptional carbohydrate structures, consisting of a fairly conserved core region that carries a large non-repetitive saccharide that probably replaces the O-specific chain. Such structures represent a novel architectural principle of the LPS molecule.

Efflux-mediated drug resistance in bacteria

Drug resistance in bacteria, and especially resistance to multiple antibacterials, has attracted much attention in recent years. In addition to the well known mechanisms, such as inactivation of drugs and alteration of targets, active efflux is now known to play a major role in the resistance of many species to antibacterials. Drug-specific efflux (e.g. that of tetracycline) has been recognised as the major mechanism of resistance to this drug in Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, we now recognise that multidrug efflux pumps are becoming increasingly important. Such pumps play major roles in the antiseptic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus, and fluoroquinolone resistance of S. aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Multidrug pumps, often with very wide substrate specificity, are not only essential for the intrinsic resistance of many Gram-negative bacteria but also produce elevated levels of resistance when overexpressed. Paradoxically, 'advanced' agents for which resistance is unlikely to be caused by traditional mechanisms, such as fluoroquinolones and beta-lactams of the latest generations, are likely to select for overproduction mutants of these pumps and make the bacteria resistant in one step to practically all classes of antibacterial agents. Such overproduction mutants are also selected for by the use of antiseptics and biocides, increasingly incorporated into consumer products, and this is also of major concern. We can consider efflux pumps as potentially effective antibacterial targets. Inhibition of efflux pumps by an efflux pump inhibitor would restore the activity of an agent subject to efflux. An alternative approach is to develop antibacterials that would bypass the action of efflux pumps.

Selection of an antibiotic-hypersusceptible mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: identification of the GlmR transcriptional regulator

Tn501 random mutagenesis was applied to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type strain PAO1 to select for mutants hypersusceptible to aminoglycoside antimicrobial agents. One such mutant, called 19A, was found to be hypersusceptible to a wide range of antibiotics including aminoglycosides, beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, colistin, erythromycin, rifampin, and glycopeptides. Light microscopy of the mutant strain revealed abnormal morphology characterized by large, filamentous cells. The drug supersusceptibility of 19A was accompanied by loss of motility, reduced resistance to osmotic and heat shock stress, and impaired growth at low temperatures. The insertion site of the Tn501 transposon in mutant 19A has occurred in an open reading frame (PA5550 according to the PAO1 genome project), whose gene product shows amino acid sequence similarity to the DeoR family of transcriptional repressors. The gene, which we called glmR, is located between the glmS (PA5549) and glmU (PA5552) homologues of E. coli, responsible for the synthesis of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-1-P, a precursor of both lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan. We showed that GlmR represses the transcription of the adjacent glmS homologue (PA5549) in P. aeruginosa, possibly affecting the pool of precursors for peptidoglycan and LPS synthesis. To our knowledge GlmR is the first regulator in P. aeruginosa that affects susceptibility to a large variety of antibiotics and is therefore a potential target for novel anti-infective agents.

Molecular basis of bacterial outer membrane permeability revisited

Gram-negative bacteria characteristically are surrounded by an additional membrane layer, the outer membrane. Although outer membrane components often play important roles in the interaction of symbiotic or pathogenic bacteria with their host organisms, the major role of this membrane must usually be to serve as a permeability barrier to prevent the entry of noxious compounds and at the same time to allow the influx of nutrient molecules. This review summarizes the development in the field since our previous review (H. Nikaido and M. Vaara, Microbiol. Rev. 49:1-32, 1985) was published. With the discovery of protein channels, structural knowledge enables us to understand in molecular detail how porins, specific channels, TonB-linked receptors, and other proteins function. We are now beginning to see how the export of large proteins occurs across the outer membrane. With our knowledge of the lipopolysaccharide-phospholipid asymmetric bilayer of the outer membrane, we are finally beginning to understand how this bilayer can retard the entry of lipophilic compounds, owing to our increasing knowledge about the chemistry of lipopolysaccharide from diverse organisms and the way in which lipopolysaccharide structure is modified by environmental conditions.

Expression cloning and biochemical characterization of a Rhizobium leguminosarum lipid A 1-phosphatase

Lipid A of Rhizobium leguminosarum, a nitrogen-fixing plant endosymbiont, displays several significant structural differences when compared with Escherichia coli. An especially striking feature of R. leguminosarum lipid A is that it lacks both the 1- and 4'-phosphate groups. Distinct lipid A phosphatases that attack either the 1 or the 4' positions have previously been identified in extracts of R. leguminosarum and Rhizobium etli but not Sinorhizobium meliloti or E. coli. Here we describe the identification of a hybrid cosmid (pMJK-1) containing a 25-kb R. leguminosarum 3841 DNA insert that directs the overexpression of the lipid A 1-phosphatase. Transfer of pMJK-1 into S. meliloti 1021 results in heterologous expression of 1-phosphatase activity, which is normally absent in extracts of strain 1021, and confers resistance to polymyxin. Sequencing of a 7-kb DNA fragment derived from the insert of pMJK-1 revealed the presence of a lipid phosphatase ortholog (designated LpxE). Expression of lpxE in E. coli behind the T7lac promoter results in the appearance of robust 1-phosphatase activity, which is normally absent in E. coli membranes. Matrix-assisted laser-desorption/time of flight and radiochemical analysis of the product generated in vitro from the model substrate lipid IVA confirms the selective removal of the 1-phosphate group. These findings show that lpxE is the structural gene for the 1-phosphatase. The availability of lpxE may facilitate the re-engineering of lipid A structures in diverse Gram-negative bacteria and allow assessment of the role of the 1-phosphatase in R. leguminosarum symbiosis with plants. Possible orthologs of LpxE are present in some intracellular human pathogens, including Francisella tularensis, Brucella melitensis, and Legionella pneumophila.

Sensitization of outer-membrane mutants of Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antimicrobial peptides under high pressure

High pressure can sensitize gram-negative bacteria to antimicrobial peptides or proteins through the permeabilization of their outer membranes; however, the range of compounds to which sensitivity is induced is species and strain dependent. We studied the role of outer-membrane properties in this sensitization by making use of a series of rough and deep rough mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium that show an increased degree of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) truncation, along with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PhoP and PhoQ mutants with altered outer-membrane properties. The outer-membrane properties of P. aernginosa were also modulated through the use of different Mg2- concentrations in the growth medium. Each of these strains was challenged under high pressure (15 min at 270 MPa for Salmonella Typhimurium and 15 min at 100 MPa for P. aerttginosa) in phosphate buffer with lysozyme (100 microg/ml), nisin (100 IU/ml), lactoferricin (20 microg/ml), and HEL96-116 (100 microg/ml), a synthetic lysozyme-derived peptide, and sensitization levels were compared. The results obtained indicated that outer-membrane properties affected high-pressure sensitization differently for different compounds. LPS truncation in Salmonella Typhimurium was correlated with increased sensitization to lysozyme (up to 1.5 log10 units) and nisin (up to 1.2 log10 units) but with decreased sensitization to lactoferricin under pressure. For P. aeruginosa, the pattern of sensitization to lactoferricin and nisin resembled that of polymyxin B at atmospheric pressure, suggesting that pressure induces the self-promoted uptake of both peptides. Sensitization to HEL96-116 was not affected by outer-membrane properties for either organism. Hence, outer-membrane permeabilization by high pressure cannot be explained by a single unifying mechanism and is dependent on the organism, the outer-membrane properties, and the nature of the antimicrobial compound. On the basis of these findings, the use of antimicrobial cocktails targeting different bacteria and fractions of bacterial populations may enhance the efficacy of high pressure as a preservation treatment.

Bile salts and fatty acids induce the expression of Escherichia coli AcrAB multidrug efflux pump through their interaction with Rob regulatory protein

AcrAB of Escherichia coli, an archetype among bacterial multidrug efflux pumps, exports an extremely wide range of substrates including solvents, dyes, detergents and antimicrobial agents. Its expression is regulated by three XylS/AraC family regulators, MarA, SoxS and Rob. Although MarA and SoxS regulation works by the alteration of their own expression levels, it was not known how Rob, which is constitutively expressed, exerts its regulatory action. We show here that the induction of the AcrAB efflux pump by decanoate and the more lipophilic unconjugated bile salts is mediated by Rob, and that the low-molecular-weight inducers specifically bind to the C-terminal, non-DNA-binding domain of Rob. Induction of Rob is not needed for induction of AcrAB, and we suggest that the inducers act by producing conformational alterations in pre-existing Rob, as was suggested recently (Rosner, Dangi, Gronenborn and Martin, J Bacteriol 184: 1407-1416, 2002). Decanoate and unconjugated bile salts, which are present in the normal habitat of E. coli, were further shown to make the bacteria more resistant to lipophilic antibiotics, at least in part because of the induction of the AcrAB efflux pump. Thus, it is likely that E. coli is protecting itself by the Rob-mediated upregulation of AcrAB against the harmful effects of bile salts and fatty acids in the intestinal tract.

Isolation of antibiotic hypersusceptibility mutants of Acinetobacter spp. by selection for DNA release

Isolation of bacterial mutants hypersusceptible to antibiotics can reveal novel targets for antibiotic potentiators. However, identification of such mutants is a difficult task which normally requires laborious replica plating of thousands of colonies. The technique proposed here allows for the positive selection of genetic knockout mutants leading to hypersusceptibility. This technique, designated SDR (selection for DNA release), involves introduction of random insertions of a marker gene into the chromosome of a highly transformable bacterial species, followed by treatment of the obtained library with an antibiotic at subinhibitory concentrations. DNA released by lysing bacteria is collected and used to transform fresh bacteria, selecting for insertion of the marker gene. These selection cycles are repeated until variants with a hypersusceptibility phenotype caused by insertion of the marker begin to dominate in the library. This approach allowed for isolation of a number of mutants of the gram-negative opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter sp. susceptible to 4- to 16-times-lower concentrations of ampicillin than wild-type bacteria. The mutations affected proteins involved in peptidoglycan turnover and, surprisingly, proteins involved in exopolysaccharide production. A further modification of the SDR technique is described which allows for selecting mutants hypersensitive to agents that affect bacterial physiology but do not cause cell lysis, e.g., inhibitors of translation. This application of SDR is illustrated here by identification of several mutants of Acinetobacter sp. with increased susceptibility (two- to fivefold decrease in the MIC) to erythromycin. The same technique can be used to identify prospective targets for potentiators of many other antibacterial agents.

Antibacterial activities and characterization of novel inhibitors of LpxC

Lipid A is the hydrophobic anchor of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and forms the major lipid component of the outer monolayer of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. Lipid A is required for bacterial growth and virulence, and inhibition of its biosynthesis is lethal to bacteria. UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase (LpxC) is a metalloenzyme that catalyzes the second step in the biosynthesis of lipid A. Inhibitors of LpxC have previously been shown to have antibiotic activities. We have screened a metalloenzyme inhibitor library for antibacterial activities against an Escherichia coli strain with reduced LpxC activity. From this screen, a series of sulfonamide derivatives of the alpha-(R)-amino hydroxamic acids, exemplified by BB-78484 and BB-78485, have been identified as having potent inhibitory activities against LpxC in an in vitro assay. Leads from this series showed gram-negative selective activities against members of the Enterobacteriaceae, Serratia marcescens, Morganella morganii, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Burkholderia cepacia. BB-78484 was bactericidal against E. coli, achieving 3-log killing in 4 h at a concentration 4 times above the MIC, as would be predicted for an inhibitor of lipid A biosynthesis. E. coli mutants with decreased susceptibility to BB-78484 were selected. Analysis of these mutants revealed that resistance arose as a consequence of mutations in the fabZ or lpxC genes. These data confirm the antibacterial target of BB-78484 and BB-78485 and validate LpxC as a target for gram-negative selective antibacterials.

Genome-wide screening for trait conferring genes using DNA microarrays

We report a DNA microarray-based method for genome-wide monitoring of competitively grown transformants to identify genes whose overexpression confers a specific cellular phenotype. Whereas transcriptional profiling identifies differentially expressed genes that are correlated with particular aspects of the cellular phenotype, this functional genomics approach determines genes that result in a specific physiology. This parallel gene-trait mapping method consists of transforming a strain with a genomic library, enriching the cell population in transformants containing the trait conferring gene(s), and finally using DNA microarrays to simultaneously isolate and identify the enriched gene inserts. Various methods of enrichment can be used; here, genes conferring low-level antibiotic resistance were identified by growth in selective media. We demonstrated the method by transforming Escherichia coli cells with a genomic E. coli library and selecting for transformants exhibiting a growth advantage in the presence of the anti-microbial agent Pine-Sol. Genes conferring Pine-Sol tolerance (19 genes) or sensitivity (27 genes) were identified by hybridizing, on DNA microarrays containing 1,160 E. coli gene probes, extra-chromosomal DNA isolated from transformed cells grown in the presence of various levels of Pine-Sol. Results were further validated by plating and sequencing of individual colonies, and also by assessing the Pine-Sol resistance of cells transformed with enriched plasmid library or individual resistance genes identified by the microarrays. Applications of this method beyond antibiotic resistance include identification of genes resulting in resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, genes yielding resistance to toxic products (recombinant proteins, chemical feedstocks) in industrial fermentations, genes providing enhanced growth in cell culture or high cell density fermentations, genes facilitating growth on unconventional substrates, and others.

A triple mutant of Escherichia coli lacking secondary acyl chains on lipid A

All possible combinations of insertion mutations in the three genes encoding the acyl carrier protein-dependent late acyltransferases of lipid A biosynthesis, designated lpxL(htrB), lpxM(msbB), and lpxP, were generated in Escherichia coli K12 W3110. Mutants defective in lpxM synthesize penta-acylated lipid A molecules and grow normally. Strains lacking lpxP fail to incorporate palmitoleate into their lipid A at 12 degrees C but make normal amounts of hexa-acylated lipid A and are viable. Although lpxL mutants and lpxL lpxM double mutants grow slowly on minimal medium at all temperatures, they do not grow on nutrient broth above 32 degrees C. Such mutants retain the ability to synthesize some penta- and hexa-acylated lipid A molecules because of limited induction of lpxP at 30 degrees C but not above 32 degrees C. MKV15, an E. coli lpxL lpxM lpxP triple mutant, likewise grows slowly on minimal medium at all temperatures but not on nutrient broth at any temperature. MKV15 synthesizes a lipid A molecule containing only the four primary (R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl chains. The outer membrane localization and content of lipid A are nearly normal in MKV15, as is the glycerophospholipid and membrane protein composition. However, the rate at which the tetra-acylated lipid A of MKV15 is exported to the outer membrane is reduced compared with wild type. The integrity of the outer membrane of MKV15 is compromised, as judged by antibiotic hypersensitivity, and MKV15 undergoes lysis following centrifugation. MKV15 may prove useful as a host strain for expressing late acyltransferase genes from other Gram-negative bacteria, facilitating the re-engineering of lipid A structure in living cells and the design of novel vaccines.

Lipopolysaccharide endotoxins

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) typically consist of a hydrophobic domain known as lipid A (or endotoxin), a nonrepeating "core" oligosaccharide, and a distal polysaccharide (or O-antigen). Recent genomic data have facilitated study of LPS assembly in diverse Gram-negative bacteria, many of which are human or plant pathogens, and have established the importance of lateral gene transfer in generating structural diversity of O-antigens. Many enzymes of lipid A biosynthesis like LpxC have been validated as targets for development of new antibiotics. Key genes for lipid A biosynthesis have unexpectedly also been found in higher plants, indicating that eukaryotic lipid A-like molecules may exist. Most significant has been the identification of the plasma membrane protein TLR4 as the lipid A signaling receptor of animal cells. TLR4 belongs to a family of innate immunity receptors that possess a large extracellular domain of leucine-rich repeats, a single trans-membrane segment, and a smaller cytoplasmic signaling region that engages the adaptor protein MyD88. The expanding knowledge of TLR4 specificity and its downstream signaling pathways should provide new opportunities for blocking inflammation associated with infection.