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Fihn CA, Lembke HK, Gaulin J, Bouchard P, Villarreal AR, Penningroth MR, Crone KK, Vogt GA, Gilbertsen AJ, Ayotte Y, de Oliveira LC, Serrano-Wu MH, Drouin N, Hung DT, Hunter RC, Carlson EE. Evaluation of Expanded 2-Aminobenzothiazole Library for Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence Phenotypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.02.539119. [PMID: 37205454 PMCID: PMC10187220 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a rapidly increasing threat to human health. New strategies to combat resistant organisms are desperately needed. One potential avenue is targeting two-component systems, which are the main bacterial signal transduction pathways used to regulate development, metabolism, virulence, and antibiotic resistance. These systems consist of a homodimeric membrane-bound sensor histidine kinase, and a cognate effector, the response regulator. The high sequence conservation in the catalytic and adenosine triphosphate-binding (CA) domain of histidine kinases and their essential role in bacterial signal transduction could enable broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Through this signal transduction, histidine kinases regulate multiple virulence mechanisms including toxin production, immune evasion, and antibiotic resistance. Targeting virulence, as opposed to development of bactericidal compounds, could reduce evolutionary pressure for acquired resistance. Additionally, compounds targeting the CA domain have the potential to impair multiple two-component systems that regulate virulence in one or more pathogens. We conducted structure-activity relationship studies of 2-aminobenzothiazole-based inhibitors designed to target the CA domain of histidine kinases. We found these compounds have anti-virulence activities in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, reducing motility phenotypes and toxin production associated with the pathogenic functions of this bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conrad A. Fihn
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Hannah K. Lembke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, United States
| | - Jeffrey Gaulin
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Patricia Bouchard
- NMX Research and Solution Inc., 500 Cartier Boulevard W., Suite 6000, Laval, Quebec, Canada, H1Y 2R1
| | - Alex R. Villarreal
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, 689 23rd Ave Se Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Mitchell R. Penningroth
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, 689 23rd Ave Se Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Kathryn K. Crone
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Grace A. Vogt
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, 689 23rd Ave Se Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Adam J. Gilbertsen
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, 689 23rd Ave Se Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Yann Ayotte
- NMX Research and Solution Inc., 500 Cartier Boulevard W., Suite 6000, Laval, Quebec, Canada, H1Y 2R1
| | | | | | - Nathalie Drouin
- NMX Research and Solution Inc., 500 Cartier Boulevard W., Suite 6000, Laval, Quebec, Canada, H1Y 2R1
| | - Deborah T. Hung
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Ryan C. Hunter
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, 689 23rd Ave Se Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Erin E. Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Polyphenols as Inhibitors of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria-Mechanisms Underlying Rutin Interference with Bacterial Virulence. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15030385. [PMID: 35337182 PMCID: PMC8952364 DOI: 10.3390/ph15030385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The rising incidence of antibiotic resistant microorganisms urges novel antimicrobials development with polyphenols as appealing potential therapeutics. We aimed to reveal the most promising polyphenols among hesperetin, hesperidin, naringenin, naringin, taxifolin, rutin, isoquercitrin, morin, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and gallic acid based on antimicrobial capacity, antibiofilm potential, and lack of cytotoxicity towards HaCaT, and to further test its antivirulence mechanisms. Although the majority of studied polyphenols were able to inhibit bacterial growth and biofilm formation, the most promising activities were observed for rutin. Further investigation proved rutin’s ability to prevent/eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa and MRSA urinary catheter biofilms. Besides reduction of biofilm biomass, rutin antibiofilm mechanisms included reduction of cell viability, exopolysaccharide, and extracellular DNA levels. Moderate reduction of bacterial adhesion to human keratinocytes upon treatment was observed. Rutin antivirulence mechanisms included an impact on P. aeruginosa protease, pyocyanin, rhamnolipid, and elastase production and the downregulation of the lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR, pqsA and mvfR genes. Rutin also interfered with membrane permeability. Polyphenols could repress antibiotic resistant bacteria. Rutin has shown wide antimicrobial and antibiofilm capacity employing a range of mechanisms that might be used for the development of novel antimicrobials.
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Murtha AN, Kazi MI, Schargel RD, Cross T, Fihn C, Cattoir V, Carlson EE, Boll JM, Dörr T. High-level carbapenem tolerance requires antibiotic-induced outer membrane modifications. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010307. [PMID: 35130322 PMCID: PMC8853513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic tolerance is an understudied potential contributor to antibiotic treatment failure and the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The molecular mechanisms governing tolerance remain poorly understood. A prominent type of β-lactam tolerance relies on the formation of cell wall-deficient spheroplasts, which maintain structural integrity via their outer membrane (OM), an asymmetric lipid bilayer consisting of phospholipids on the inner leaflet and a lipid-linked polysaccharide (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) enriched in the outer monolayer on the cell surface. How a membrane structure like LPS, with its reliance on mere electrostatic interactions to maintain stability, is capable of countering internal turgor pressure is unknown. Here, we have uncovered a novel role for the PhoPQ two-component system in tolerance to the β-lactam antibiotic meropenem in Enterobacterales. We found that PhoPQ is induced by meropenem treatment and promotes an increase in 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-aminoarabinose [L-Ara4N] modification of lipid A, the membrane anchor of LPS. L-Ara4N modifications likely enhance structural integrity, and consequently tolerance to meropenem, in several Enterobacterales species. Importantly, mutational inactivation of the negative PhoPQ regulator mgrB (commonly selected for during clinical therapy with the last-resort antibiotic colistin, an antimicrobial peptide [AMP]) results in dramatically enhanced tolerance, suggesting that AMPs can collaterally select for meropenem tolerance via stable overactivation of PhoPQ. Lastly, we identify histidine kinase inhibitors (including an FDA-approved drug) that inhibit PhoPQ-dependent LPS modifications and consequently potentiate meropenem to enhance lysis of tolerant cells. In summary, our results suggest that PhoPQ-mediated LPS modifications play a significant role in stabilizing the OM, promoting survival when the primary integrity maintenance structure, the cell wall, is removed. Treating an infection with an antibiotic often fails, resulting in a tremendous public health burden. One understudied likely reason for treatment failure is the development of “antibiotic tolerance”, the ability of bacteria to survive normally lethal exposure to an antibiotic. Here, we describe a molecular mechanism promoting tolerance. A bacterial stress sensor (PhoPQ) is activated in response to antibiotic (meropenem) treatment and consequently strengthens a bacterial protective “shell” to enhance survival. We also identify inhibitors of this mechanism, opening the door to developing compounds that help antibiotics work better against tolerant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N. Murtha
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Misha I. Kazi
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
| | - Richard D. Schargel
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
| | - Trevor Cross
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Conrad Fihn
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Vincent Cattoir
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and National Reference Center for Antimicrobial Resistance (Lab Enterococci), Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France; Inserm Unit U1230, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Erin E. Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Joseph M. Boll
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JMB); (TD)
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JMB); (TD)
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King A, Blackledge MS. Evaluation of small molecule kinase inhibitors as novel antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents. Chem Biol Drug Des 2021; 98:1038-1064. [PMID: 34581492 PMCID: PMC8616828 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a global and pressing concern. Our current therapeutic arsenal is increasingly limited as bacteria are developing resistance at a rate that far outpaces our ability to create new treatments. Novel approaches to treating and curing bacterial infections are urgently needed. Bacterial kinases have been increasingly explored as novel drug targets and are poised for development into novel therapeutic agents to combat bacterial infections. This review describes several general classes of bacterial kinases that play important roles in bacterial growth, antibiotic resistance, and biofilm formation. General features of these kinase classes are discussed and areas of particular interest for the development of inhibitors will be highlighted. Small molecule kinase inhibitors are described and organized by phenotypic effect, spotlighting particularly interesting inhibitors with novel functions and potential therapeutic benefit. Finally, we provide our perspective on the future of bacterial kinase inhibition as a viable strategy to combat bacterial infections and overcome the pressures of increasing antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley King
- Department of Chemistry, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268
| | - Meghan S. Blackledge
- Department of Chemistry, High Point University, One University Parkway, High Point, NC 27268
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Fihn CA, Carlson EE. Targeting a highly conserved domain in bacterial histidine kinases to generate inhibitors with broad spectrum activity. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 61:107-114. [PMID: 33932730 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
With the rise in antimicrobial resistance and the dearth of effective strategies to combat this threat, the development of novel therapies is of utmost importance. Targeting of bacterial signaling through their the two-component systems (TCSs) may be a viable strategy. TCSs are comprised of a sensory histidine kinase (HK), of which a bacterium can have up to 160 distinct proteins, and a cognate response regulator (RR). The TCSs are generally non-essential for life, but control many virulence and antibiotic-resistance mechanisms. This, along with their absence in animals makes the TCSs an attractive target for antimicrobial therapy, whether as a stand-alone treatments or adjuvants for existing therapies. This review focuses on progress in the development of inhibitors that target the HK ATP-binding domain. Because this domain is highly conserved, it may be feasible to disrupt multiple TCSs within a single organism to increase effectiveness and reduce pressure for the evolution of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conrad A Fihn
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55454, United States
| | - Erin E Carlson
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55454, United States; Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55454, United States; Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55454, United States.
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