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Yoshinaga M, Niu G, Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Nadar VS, Wang X, Rosen BP, Li J. Arsinothricin Inhibits Plasmodium falciparum Proliferation in Blood and Blocks Parasite Transmission to Mosquitoes. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1195. [PMID: 37317169 PMCID: PMC10222646 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria, caused by Plasmodium protozoal parasites, remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The Plasmodium parasite has a complex life cycle, with asexual and sexual forms in humans and Anopheles mosquitoes. Most antimalarials target only the symptomatic asexual blood stage. However, to ensure malaria eradication, new drugs with efficacy at multiple stages of the life cycle are necessary. We previously demonstrated that arsinothricin (AST), a newly discovered organoarsenical natural product, is a potent broad-spectrum antibiotic that inhibits the growth of various prokaryotic pathogens. Here, we report that AST is an effective multi-stage antimalarial. AST is a nonproteinogenic amino acid analog of glutamate that inhibits prokaryotic glutamine synthetase (GS). Phylogenetic analysis shows that Plasmodium GS, which is expressed throughout all stages of the parasite life cycle, is more closely related to prokaryotic GS than eukaryotic GS. AST potently inhibits Plasmodium GS, while it is less effective on human GS. Notably, AST effectively inhibits both Plasmodium erythrocytic proliferation and parasite transmission to mosquitoes. In contrast, AST is relatively nontoxic to a number of human cell lines, suggesting that AST is selective against malaria pathogens, with little negative effect on the human host. We propose that AST is a promising lead compound for developing a new class of multi-stage antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Guodong Niu
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Venkadesh S. Nadar
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
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Abstract
Arsenicals are one of the oldest treatments for a variety of human disorders. Although infamous for its toxicity, arsenic is paradoxically a therapeutic agent that has been used since ancient times for the treatment of multiple diseases. The use of most arsenic-based drugs was abandoned with the discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s, but a few remained in use such as those for the treatment of trypanosomiasis. In the 1970s, arsenic trioxide, the active ingredient in a traditional Chinese medicine, was shown to produce dramatic remission of acute promyelocytic leukemia similar to the effect of all-trans retinoic acid. Since then, there has been a renewed interest in the clinical use of arsenicals. Here the ancient and modern medicinal uses of inorganic and organic arsenicals are reviewed. Included are antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic and anticancer applications. In the face of increasing antibiotic resistance and the emergence of deadly pathogens such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, we propose revisiting arsenicals with proven efficacy to combat emerging pathogens. Current advances in science and technology can be employed to design newer arsenical drugs with high therapeutic index. These novel arsenicals can be used in combination with existing drugs or serve as valuable alternatives in the fight against cancer and emerging pathogens. The discovery of the pentavalent arsenic-containing antibiotic arsinothricin, which is effective against multidrug-resistant pathogens, illustrates the future potential of this new class of organoarsenical antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngozi P Paul
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Adriana E Galván
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
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Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Rossman TG, Rosen BP. Regulation of arsenic methylation: identification of the transcriptional region of the human AS3MT gene. Cell Biol Toxicol 2022; 38:765-780. [PMID: 33956289 PMCID: PMC8571124 DOI: 10.1007/s10565-021-09611-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The human enzyme As(III) S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase (AS3MT) catalyzes arsenic biotransformations and is considered to contribute to arsenic-related diseases. AS3MT is expressed in various tissues and cell types including liver, brain, adrenal gland, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells but not in human keratinocytes, urothelial, or brain microvascular endothelial cells. This indicates that AS3MT expression is regulated in a tissue/cell type-specific manner, but the mechanism of transcriptional regulation of expression of the AS3MT gene is not known. In this study, we define the DNA sequence of the core promoter region of the human AS3MT gene. We identify a GC box in the promoter to which the stress-related transcription factor Sp1 binds, indicating involvement of regulatory elements in AS3MT gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Toby G Rossman
- Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
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Galván AE, Paul NP, Chen J, Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Utturkar SM, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M. Identification of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for the Organoarsenical Antibiotic Arsinothricin. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0050221. [PMID: 34378964 PMCID: PMC8552651 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00502-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The soil bacterium Burkholderia gladioli GSRB05 produces the natural compound arsinothricin [2-amino-4-(hydroxymethylarsinoyl) butanoate] (AST), which has been demonstrated to be a broad-spectrum antibiotic. To identify the genes responsible for AST biosynthesis, a draft genome sequence of B. gladioli GSRB05 was constructed. Three genes, arsQML, in an arsenic resistance operon were found to be a biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for synthesis of AST and its precursor, hydroxyarsinothricin [2-amino-4-(dihydroxyarsinoyl) butanoate] (AST-OH). The arsL gene product is a noncanonical radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzyme that is predicted to transfer the 3-amino-3-carboxypropyl (ACP) group from SAM to the arsenic atom in inorganic arsenite, forming AST-OH, which is methylated by the arsM gene product, a SAM methyltransferase, to produce AST. Finally, the arsQ gene product is an efflux permease that extrudes AST from the cells, a common final step in antibiotic-producing bacteria. Elucidation of the biosynthetic gene cluster for this novel arsenic-containing antibiotic adds an important new tool for continuation of the antibiotic era. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging global public health crisis, calling for urgent development of novel potent antibiotics. We propose that arsinothricin and related arsenic-containing compounds may be the progenitors of a new class of antibiotics to extend our antibiotic era. Here, we report identification of the biosynthetic gene cluster for arsinothricin and demonstrate that only three genes, two of which are novel, are required for the biosynthesis and transport of arsinothricin, in contrast to the phosphonate counterpart, phosphinothricin, which requires over 20 genes. Our discoveries will provide insight for the development of more effective organoarsenical antibiotics and illustrate the previously unknown complexity of the arsenic biogeochemical cycle, as well as bring new perspective to environmental arsenic biochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana E. Galván
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Ngozi P. Paul
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Sagar M. Utturkar
- Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
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Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Shinde R, Rodriguez M, Rosen BP, El-Hage N. Comparative Cytotoxicity of Inorganic Arsenite and Methylarsenite in Human Brain Cells. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:743-751. [PMID: 31991084 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.9b00653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The overall goal of this study is to elucidate the potential effect(s) of arsenic on a variety of human brain cells. Arsenic is the most pervasive Group A human environmental carcinogen. Long-term exposure to arsenic is associated with human diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. More immediate are the health effects on neurological development and associated disorders in infants and children exposed to arsenic in utero. Arsenic is metabolized in various organs and tissues into more toxic methylated species, including methylarsenite (MAs(III)), so the question arises whether the methylate species are responsible for the neurological effects of arsenic. Arsenic enters the brain through the blood-brain barrier and produces toxicity in the brain microvascular endothelial cells, glia (astrocytes and microglia), and neurons. In this study, we first assessed the toxicity in different types of brain cells exposed to either inorganic trivalent As(III) or MAs(III) using both morphological and cytotoxicity cell-based analysis. Second, we determined the methylation of arsenicals and the expression levels of the methylation enzyme, As(III) S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) methyltransferase (AS3MT), in several types of brain cells. We showed that the toxicity to neurons of MAs(III) was significantly higher than that of As(III). Interestingly, the differences in cytotoxicity between cell types was not due to expression of AS3MT, as this was expressed in neurons and glia but not in endothelial cells. These results support our hypothesis that MAs(III) is the likely physiological neurotoxin rather than inorganic arsenic species.
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Nadar VS, Chen J, Dheeman DS, Galván AE, Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Kandavelu P, Sankaran B, Kuramata M, Ishikawa S, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M. Arsinothricin, an arsenic-containing non-proteinogenic amino acid analog of glutamate, is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Commun Biol 2019; 2:131. [PMID: 30993215 PMCID: PMC6465285 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0365-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance highlights the urgent need for new antibiotics. Organoarsenicals have been used as antimicrobials since Paul Ehrlich's salvarsan. Recently a soil bacterium was shown to produce the organoarsenical arsinothricin. We demonstrate that arsinothricin, a non-proteinogenic analog of glutamate that inhibits glutamine synthetase, is an effective broad-spectrum antibiotic against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, suggesting that bacteria have evolved the ability to utilize the pervasive environmental toxic metalloid arsenic to produce a potent antimicrobial. With every new antibiotic, resistance inevitably arises. The arsN1 gene, widely distributed in bacterial arsenic resistance (ars) operons, selectively confers resistance to arsinothricin by acetylation of the α-amino group. Crystal structures of ArsN1 N-acetyltransferase, with or without arsinothricin, shed light on the mechanism of its substrate selectivity. These findings have the potential for development of a new class of organoarsenical antimicrobials and ArsN1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkadesh Sarkarai Nadar
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Dharmendra S. Dheeman
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
- Present Address: Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN UK
| | - Adriana Emilce Galván
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
- Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI-CONICET), Tucumán, T4001MVB Argentina
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Palani Kandavelu
- SER-CAT and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA
| | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Masato Kuramata
- Division of Hazardous Chemicals, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604 Japan
| | - Satoru Ishikawa
- Division of Hazardous Chemicals, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604 Japan
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199 USA
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