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Arias-Orozco P, Zhou L, Yi Y, Cebrián R, Kuipers OP. Uncovering the diversity and distribution of biosynthetic gene clusters of prochlorosins and other putative RiPPs in marine Synechococcus strains. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0361123. [PMID: 38088546 PMCID: PMC10783134 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03611-23] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Genome mining studies have revealed the remarkable combinatorial diversity of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) in marine bacteria, including prochlorosins. However, mining strategies also prove valuable in investigating the genomic landscape of associated genes within biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) specific to targeted RiPPs of interest. Our study contributes to the enrichment of knowledge regarding prochlorosin diversity. It offers insights into potential mechanisms involved in their biosynthesis and modification, such as hyper-modification, which may give rise to active lantibiotics. Additionally, our study uncovers putative novel promiscuous post-translational enzymes, thereby expanding the chemical space explored within the Synechococcus genus. Moreover, this research extends the applications of mining techniques beyond the discovery of new RiPP-like clusters, allowing for a deeper understanding of genomics and diversity. Furthermore, it holds the potential to reveal previously unknown functions within the intriguing RiPP families, particularly in the case of prochlorosins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Arias-Orozco
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lu Zhou
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yunhai Yi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, CIBERINFEC, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Cebrián R, Lucas R, Fernández-Cantos MV, Slot K, Peñalver P, Martínez-García M, Párraga-Leo A, de Paz MV, García F, Kuipers OP, Morales JC. Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of aminoalkyl resveratrol derivatives inspired by cationic peptides. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:267-281. [PMID: 36600674 PMCID: PMC9828810 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2022.2146685] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern, far from being resolved. The need of new drugs against new targets is imminent. In this work, we present a family of aminoalkyl resveratrol derivatives with antibacterial activity inspired by the properties of cationic amphipathic antimicrobial peptides. Surprisingly, the newly designed molecules display modest activity against aerobically growing bacteria but show surprisingly good antimicrobial activity against anaerobic bacteria (Gram-negative and Gram-positive) suggesting specificity towards this bacterial group. Preliminary studies into the action mechanism suggest that activity takes place at the membrane level, while no cross-resistance with traditional antibiotics is observed. Actually, some good synergistic relations with existing antibiotics were found against Gram-negative pathogens. However, some cytotoxicity was observed, despite their low haemolytic activity. Our results show the importance of the balance between positively charged moieties and hydrophobicity to improve antimicrobial activity, setting the stage for the design of new drugs based on these molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs. GRANADA, University Hospital Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain,CONTACT Rubén Cebrián University Hospital San Cecilio,Clinical Microbiology Department, Av. de la Innovación s/n, 18061, Granada, Spain
| | - Ricardo Lucas
- Department of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - María Victoria Fernández-Cantos
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Koen Slot
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pablo Peñalver
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC, PTS Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Marta Martínez-García
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Antonio Párraga-Leo
- Department of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - María Violante de Paz
- Department of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Federico García
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs. GRANADA, University Hospital Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands,Oscar P. Kuipers University of Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Department of Genetics, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juan Carlos Morales
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC, PTS Granada, Armilla, Granada, Spain,Juan Carlos Morales Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC, PTS Granada, Avda. del Conocimiento 17, Armilla, 18016Granada, Spain
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Cebrián R, Martínez-García M, Fernández M, García F, Martínez-Bueno M, Valdivia E, Kuipers OP, Montalbán-López M, Maqueda M. Advances in the preclinical characterization of the antimicrobial peptide AS-48. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1110360. [PMID: 36819031 PMCID: PMC9936517 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1110360] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a natural and inevitable phenomenon that constitutes a severe threat to global public health and economy. Innovative products, active against new targets and with no cross- or co-resistance with existing antibiotic classes, novel mechanisms of action, or multiple therapeutic targets are urgently required. For these reasons, antimicrobial peptides such as bacteriocins constitute a promising class of new antimicrobial drugs under investigation for clinical development. Here, we review the potential therapeutic use of AS-48, a head-to-tail cyclized cationic bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis. In the last few years, its potential against a wide range of human pathogens, including relevant bacterial pathogens and trypanosomatids, has been reported using in vitro tests and the mechanism of action has been investigated. AS-48 can create pores in the membrane of bacterial cells without the mediation of any specific receptor. However, this mechanism of action is different when susceptible parasites are studied and involves intracellular targets. Due to these novel mechanisms of action, AS-48 remains active against the antibiotic resistant strains tested. Remarkably, the effect of AS-48 against eukaryotic cell lines and in several animal models show little effect at the doses needed to inhibit susceptible species. The characteristics of this molecule such as low toxicity, microbicide activity, blood stability and activity, high stability at a wide range of temperatures or pH, resistance to proteases, and the receptor-independent effect make AS-48 unique to fight a broad range of microbial infections, including bacteria and some important parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs.GRANADA, University Hospital San Cecilio, Granada, Spain,*Correspondence: Rubén Cebrián, ✉
| | | | | | - Federico García
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria Ibs.GRANADA, University Hospital San Cecilio, Granada, Spain,Biomedicinal Research Network Center, Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Eva Valdivia
- Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Manuel Montalbán-López
- Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain,Manuel Montalbán-López, ✉
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Aguilera A, Fuentes A, Cea M, Carracedo R, Viñuela L, Ordóñez P, López-Fabal F, Sáez E, Cebrián R, Pérez-Revilla A, Pereira S, De Salazar A, García F. Real-life validation of a sample pooling strategy for screening of hepatitis C. Clin Microbiol Infect 2023; 29:112.e1-112.e4. [PMID: 36210627 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.09.006] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To test a real-life sample pooling screening strategy which contributes to increasing the diagnostic capacity of clinical laboratories and expanding access to massive screening of hepatitis C. METHODS After evaluating the sensitivity of the pooling strategy for seven different commercial assays which are used to determine the concentration of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA in the plasma or serum, consecutive samples submitted for HCV diagnosis during the first 3 weeks of November 2021 were tested for HCV antibodies and, in parallel and in a blinded way, were pooled into 100 samples and tested for HCV-RNA. When the result was positive, a strategy to un-mask the positive(s) pool(s), which needed up to 15 total HCV-RNA tests, was used. RESULTS All platforms were able to detect the presence of HCV-RNA in a single sample from a patient with viremic HCV present in pools of up to at least 10 000 HCV-RNA-free samples. A total of 1700 samples (17 pools) were analysed, with an overall prevalence of anti-HCV and HCV-RNA of 0.24%. After pooling, we could detect all samples previously detected using standard diagnosis tests (reflex testing) with a specificity and sensitivity of 100% (CI, 99.78-100%). Given the median current prices of anti-HCV and HCV-RNA on the market in Spain as well as personnel costs, testing using the pooling strategy would have resulted in a save of 3320€. CONCLUSIONS Here, we demonstrated that by improving cost effectiveness, with no loss of sensitivity and specificity, the strategy of pooling samples may serve as an appropriate tool for use in large-scale screening of HCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Aguilera
- Servicio de Microbiología, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Departamento de Microbiología, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ana Fuentes
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitario Ibs.Granada, Spain
| | - María Cea
- Servicio de Microbiología, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Raquel Carracedo
- Servicio de Microbiología, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Laura Viñuela
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitario Ibs.Granada, Spain
| | - Patricia Ordóñez
- Complejo Hospitalario Arquitecto Marcide-Profesor Novoa Santos, Ferrol, Spain
| | | | - Elena Sáez
- Laboratorio Central de la Comunidad de Madrid (URSALUD), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitario Ibs.Granada, Spain
| | | | - Sara Pereira
- Servicio de Microbiología, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Adolfo De Salazar
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitario Ibs.Granada, Spain; Ciber de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ISCIII, Spain
| | - Federico García
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitario Ibs.Granada, Spain; Ciber de Enfermedades Infecciosas, ISCIII, Spain.
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5
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Arias-Orozco P, Yi Y, Ruijne F, Cebrián R, Kuipers OP. Investigating the Specificity of the Dehydration and Cyclization Reactions in Engineered Lanthipeptides by Synechococcal SyncM. ACS Synth Biol 2022; 12:164-177. [PMID: 36520855 PMCID: PMC9872173 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00455] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
ProcM-like enzymes are class II promiscuous lanthipeptide synthetases that are an attractive tool in synthetic biology for producing lanthipeptides with biotechnological or clinically desired properties. SyncM is a recently described modification enzyme from this family used to develop a versatile expression platform for engineering lanthipeptides. Most remarkably, SyncM can modify up to 79 SyncA substrates in a single strain. Six SyncAs were previously characterized from this pool of substrates. They showed particular characteristics, such as the presence of one or two lanthionine rings, different flanking residues influencing ring formation, and different ring directions, demonstrating the relaxed specificity of SyncM toward its precursor peptides. To gain a deeper understanding of the potential of SyncM as a biosynthetic tool, we further explored the enzyme's capabilities and limits in dehydration and ring formation. We used different SyncA scaffolds for peptide engineering, including changes in the ring's directionality (relative position of Ser/Thr to Cys in the peptide) and size. We further aimed to rationally design mimetics of cyclic antimicrobials and introduce macrocycles in prochlorosin-related and nonrelated substrates. This study highlights the largest lanthionine ring with 15 amino acids (ring-forming residues included) described to date. Taking advantage of the amino acid substrate tolerance of SyncM, we designed the first single-SyncA-based antimicrobial. The insights gained from this work will aid future bioengineering studies. Additionally, it broadens SyncM's application scope for introducing macrocycles in other bioactive molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Arias-Orozco
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yunhai Yi
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Fleur Ruijne
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands,Department
of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria,
ibs. GRANADA, San Cecilio University Hospital, Av. De la Innovación s/n, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborg 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands,
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6
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Cebrián R, Li Q, Peñalver P, Belmonte-Reche E, Andrés-Bilbao M, Lucas R, de Paz MV, Kuipers OP, Morales JC. Chemically Tuning Resveratrol for the Effective Killing of Gram-Positive Pathogens. J Nat Prod 2022; 85:1459-1473. [PMID: 35621995 PMCID: PMC9237828 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c01107] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the era of antimicrobial resistance, the identification of new compounds with strong antimicrobial activity and the development of alternative therapies to fight drug-resistant bacteria are urgently needed. Here, we have used resveratrol, a safe and well-known plant-derived stilbene with poor antimicrobial properties, as a scaffold to design several new families of antimicrobials by adding different chemical entities at specific positions. We have characterized the mode of action of the most active compounds prepared and have examined their synergistic antibacterial activity in combination with traditional antibiotics. Some alkyl- and silyl-resveratrol derivatives show bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria in the same low micromolar range of traditional antibiotics, with an original mechanism of action that combines membrane permeability activity with ionophore-related activities. No cross-resistance or antagonistic effect was observed with traditional antibiotics. Synergism was observed for some specific general-use antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides and cationic antimicrobial peptide antibiotics. No hemolytic activity was observed at the active concentrations or above, although some low toxicity against an MRC-5 cell line was noted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology
Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Qian Li
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology
Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pablo Peñalver
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Instituto de Parasitología
y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC,
PTS Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento, 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Efres Belmonte-Reche
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Instituto de Parasitología
y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC,
PTS Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento, 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - María Andrés-Bilbao
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Instituto de Parasitología
y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC,
PTS Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento, 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Ricardo Lucas
- Department
of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - María Violante de Paz
- Department
of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Seville, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department
of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology
Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juan Carlos Morales
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Instituto de Parasitología
y Biomedicina López Neyra, CSIC,
PTS Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento, 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
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Cebrián R, Belmonte-Reche E, Pirota V, de Jong A, Morales JC, Freccero M, Doria F, Kuipers OP. G-Quadruplex DNA as a Target in Pathogenic Bacteria: Efficacy of an Extended Naphthalene Diimide Ligand and Its Mode of Action. J Med Chem 2021; 65:4752-4766. [PMID: 34928608 PMCID: PMC8958502 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Guanidine DNA quadruplex
(G4-DNA) structures convey a distinctive
layer of epigenetic information that is critical for regulating key
biological activities and processes as transcription, replication,
and repair in living cells. The information regarding their role and
use as therapeutic drug targets in bacteria is still scarce. Here,
we tested the biological activity of a G4-DNA ligand library, based
on the naphthalene diimide (NDI) pharmacophore, against both Gram-positive
and Gram-negative bacteria. For the best compound identified, NDI-10, a different action mechanism was described for Gram-positive
or negative bacteria. This asymmetric activity profile could be related
to the different prevalence of putative G4-DNA structures in each
group, the influence that they can exert on gene expression, and the
different roles of the G4 structures in these bacteria, which seem
to promote transcription in Gram-positive bacteria and repress transcription
in Gram-negatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Efres Belmonte-Reche
- Advanced (magnetic) Theranostic Nanostructures Lab, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Nanomedicine unit, Avenida Mestre José Veiga, s/n 4715-310 Braga, Portugal
| | - Valentina Pirota
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, via Taramelli 10, I-27100 Pavia (PV), Italy
| | - Anne de Jong
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Juan Carlos Morales
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina, CSIC, PTS Granada, Avda. del Conocimiento, 17, 18016 Armilla, Granada, Spain
| | - Mauro Freccero
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, via Taramelli 10, I-27100 Pavia (PV), Italy
| | - Filippo Doria
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, via Taramelli 10, I-27100 Pavia (PV), Italy
| | - Oscar P Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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8
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Arias-Orozco P, Inklaar M, Lanooij J, Cebrián R, Kuipers OP. Functional Expression and Characterization of the Highly Promiscuous Lanthipeptide Synthetase SyncM, Enabling the Production of Lanthipeptides with a Broad Range of Ring Topologies. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:2579-2591. [PMID: 34554737 PMCID: PMC8524650 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00224] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Lanthipeptides are
ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally
modified peptides characterized by the presence of lanthionine rings
that provide stability and functionality. Genome mining techniques
have shown their huge diversity and potential for the discovery of
novel active molecules. However, in many cases, they are not easily
produced under laboratory conditions. The heterologous expression
of these molecules using well-characterized lanthipeptide biosynthetic
enzymes is rising as an alternative system for the design and production
of new lanthipeptides with biotechnological or clinical properties.
Nevertheless, the substrate-enzyme specificity limits the complete
modification of the desired peptides and hence, their full stability
and/or biological activity. New low substrate-selective biosynthetic
enzymes are therefore necessary for the heterologous production of
new-to-nature peptides. Here, we have identified, cloned, and heterologously
expressed in Lactococcus lactis the
most promiscuous lanthipeptide synthetase described to date, i.e.,
SyncM from the marine cyanobacteria Synechococcus MITS9509. We have characterized the functionality of SyncM by the
successful expression of 15 out of 18 different SyncA substrates,
subsequently determining the dehydration and cyclization processes
in six representatives of them. This characterization highlights the
very relaxed substrate specificity of SyncM toward its precursors
and the ability to catalyze the formation of exceptionally large rings
in a variety of topologies. Our results suggest that SyncM could be
an attractive enzyme to design and produce a wide variety of new-to-nature
lanthipeptides with a broad range of ring topologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Arias-Orozco
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
| | - Maartje Inklaar
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
| | - Judith Lanooij
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747AG, The Netherlands
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9
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Cebrián R, Xu C, Xia Y, Wu W, Kuipers OP. The cathelicidin-derived close-to-nature peptide D-11 sensitises Klebsiella pneumoniae to a range of antibiotics in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2021; 58:106434. [PMID: 34525402 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2021.106434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria constitutes a permeability barrier that prevents certain antibiotics reaching their target, thus conferring a high tolerance to a wide range of antibiotics. Combined therapies of antibiotics and outer membrane-perturbing drugs have been proposed as an alternative treatment to extend the use of antibiotics active against Gram-positive bacteria to Gram-negative bacteria. Among the outer membrane-active compounds, the outer membrane-permeabilising peptides play a prominent role. They form a group of small cationic and amphipathic molecules with the ability to insert specifically into bacterial membranes, inducing their permeabilisation and/or disruption. Here we assessed the combined effect of several compounds belonging to the main antibiotic families and the cathelicidin close-to-nature outer membrane peptide D-11 against four clinically relevant Gram-negative bacteria. The results showed that peptide D-11 displays strong synergistic activity with several antibiotics belonging to different families, in particular against Klebsiella pneumoniae, even better than some other outer membrane-active peptides that are currently in clinical trials, such as SPR741. Notably, we observed this activity in vitro, ex vivo in a newly designed bacteraemia model, and in vivo in a mouse abscess infection model. Overall, our results suggest that D-11 is a good candidate to repurpose the activity of traditional antibiotics against K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Congjuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China
| | - Yushan Xia
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands; State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China
| | - Weihui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 30071, China
| | - Oscar P Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands.
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10
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Xia Y, Cebrián R, Xu C, de Jong A, Wu W, Kuipers OP. Elucidating the mechanism by which synthetic helper peptides sensitize Pseudomonas aeruginosa to multiple antibiotics. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009909. [PMID: 34478485 PMCID: PMC8445441 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and rapid spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria pose a serious threat to the global healthcare. There is an urgent need for new antibacterial substances or new treatment strategies to deal with the infections by MDR bacterial pathogens, especially the Gram-negative pathogens. In this study, we show that a number of synthetic cationic peptides display strong synergistic antimicrobial effects with multiple antibiotics against the Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that an all-D amino acid containing peptide called D-11 increases membrane permeability by attaching to LPS and membrane phospholipids, thereby facilitating the uptake of antibiotics. Subsequently, the peptide can dissipate the proton motive force (PMF) (reducing ATP production and inhibiting the activity of efflux pumps), impairs the respiration chain, promotes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bacterial cells and induces intracellular antibiotics accumulation, ultimately resulting in cell death. By using a P. aeruginosa abscess infection model, we demonstrate enhanced therapeutic efficacies of the combination of D-11 with various antibiotics. In addition, we found that the combination of D-11 and azithromycin enhanced the inhibition of biofilm formation and the elimination of established biofilms. Our study provides a realistic treatment option for combining close-to-nature synthetic peptide adjuvants with existing antibiotics to combat infections caused by P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushan Xia
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Congjuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Anne de Jong
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Weihui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- * E-mail: (WW); (OPK)
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- * E-mail: (WW); (OPK)
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11
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Velázquez-Suárez C, Cebrián R, Gasca-Capote C, Sorlózano-Puerto A, Gutiérrez-Fernández J, Martínez-Bueno M, Maqueda M, Valdivia E. Antimicrobial Activity of the Circular Bacteriocin AS-48 against Clinical Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10080925. [PMID: 34438974 PMCID: PMC8388780 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10080925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The treatment and hospital-spread-control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important challenge since these bacteria are involved in a considerable number of nosocomial infections that are difficult to treat and produce prolonged hospitalization, thus also increasing the risk of death. In fact, MRSA strains are frequently resistant to all β-lactam antibiotics, and co-resistances with other drugs such as macrolides, aminoglycosides, and lincosamides are usually reported, limiting the therapeutical options. To this must be added that the ability of these bacteria to form biofilms on hospital surfaces and devices confer high antibiotic resistance and favors horizontal gene transfer of genetic-resistant mobile elements, the spreading of infections, and relapses. Here, we genotypically and phenotypically characterized 100 clinically isolated S. aureus for their resistance to 18 antibiotics (33% of them were OXA resistant MRSA) and ability to form biofilms. From them, we selected 48 strains on the basis on genotype group, antimicrobial-resistance profile, and existing OXA resistance to be assayed against bacteriocin AS-48. The results showed that AS-48 was active against all strains, regardless of their clinical source, genotype, antimicrobial resistance profile, or biofilm formation capacity, and this activity was enhanced in the presence of the antimicrobial peptide lysozyme. Finally, we explored the effect of AS-48 on formed S. aureus biofilms, observing a reduction in S. aureus S-33 viability. Changes in the matrix structure of the biofilms as well as in the cell division process were observed with scanning electron microscopy in both S-33 and S-48 S. aureus strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Velázquez-Suárez
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (C.V.-S.); (M.M.-B.); (M.M.); (E.V.)
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, CSIC, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Américo Vespucio, 49, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
| | - Carmen Gasca-Capote
- Clinical Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBIS), Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, CSIC, University of Seville, Av. Manuel Siurot, s/n, 41013 Seville, Spain;
| | - Antonio Sorlózano-Puerto
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine and PhD Program in Clinical Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, Avda. de la Investigación 11, 18016 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18012 Granada, Spain
| | - José Gutiérrez-Fernández
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine and PhD Program in Clinical Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, Avda. de la Investigación 11, 18016 Granada, Spain; (A.S.-P.); (J.G.-F.)
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18012 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Martínez-Bueno
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (C.V.-S.); (M.M.-B.); (M.M.); (E.V.)
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (C.V.-S.); (M.M.-B.); (M.M.); (E.V.)
| | - Eva Valdivia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuente Nueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain; (C.V.-S.); (M.M.-B.); (M.M.); (E.V.)
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12
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Martín-Escolano R, Cebrián R, Maqueda M, Romero D, Rosales MJ, Sánchez-Moreno M, Marín C. Assessing the effectiveness of AS-48 in experimental mice models of Chagas' disease. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 75:1537-1545. [PMID: 32129856 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We report the in vivo trypanocidal activity of the bacteriocin AS-48 (lacking toxicity), which is produced by Enterococcus faecalis, against the flagellated protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas' disease. METHODS We determined the in vivo activity of AS-48 against the T. cruzi Arequipa strain in BALB/c mice (in both acute and chronic phases of Chagas' disease). We evaluated the parasitaemia, the reactivation of parasitaemia after immunosuppression and the nested parasites in the chronic phase by PCR in target tissues. RESULTS AS-48 reduced the parasitaemia profile in acute infection and showed a noteworthy reduction in the parasitic load in chronic infection after immunosuppression according to the results obtained by PCR (double-checking to demonstrate cure). CONCLUSIONS AS-48 is a promising alternative that provides a step forward in the development of a new therapy against Chagas' disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Martín-Escolano
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Desirée Romero
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Faculty of Sciences, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Maria José Rosales
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Sánchez-Moreno
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Clotilde Marín
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
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13
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Li Q, Cebrián R, Montalbán-López M, Ren H, Wu W, Kuipers OP. Outer-membrane-acting peptides and lipid II-targeting antibiotics cooperatively kill Gram-negative pathogens. Commun Biol 2021; 4:31. [PMID: 33398076 PMCID: PMC7782785 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01511-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The development and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens is a growing global threat to public health. Novel compounds and/or therapeutic strategies are required to face the challenge posed, in particular, by Gram-negative bacteria. Here we assess the combined effect of potent cell-wall synthesis inhibitors with either natural or synthetic peptides that can act on the outer-membrane. Thus, several linear peptides, either alone or combined with vancomycin or nisin, were tested against selected Gram-negative pathogens, and the best one was improved by further engineering. Finally, peptide D-11 and vancomycin displayed a potent antimicrobial activity at low μM concentrations against a panel of relevant Gram-negative pathogens. This combination was highly active in biological fluids like blood, but was non-hemolytic and non-toxic against cell lines. We conclude that vancomycin and D-11 are safe at >50-fold their MICs. Based on the results obtained, and as a proof of concept for the newly observed synergy, a Pseudomonas aeruginosa mouse infection model experiment was also performed, showing a 4 log10 reduction of the pathogen after treatment with the combination. This approach offers a potent alternative strategy to fight (drug-resistant) Gram-negative pathogens in humans and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands ,grid.34418.3a0000 0001 0727 9022Present Address: State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Transformation of Bio-Resources, Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, 430062 Wuhan, China
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Manuel Montalbán-López
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands ,grid.4489.10000000121678994Present Address: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Av. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Huan Ren
- grid.216938.70000 0000 9878 7032State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 30071 Tianjin, China
| | - Weihui Wu
- grid.216938.70000 0000 9878 7032State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, 30071 Tianjin, China
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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14
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Montalbán-López M, Cebrián R, Galera R, Mingorance L, Martín-Platero AM, Valdivia E, Martínez-Bueno M, Maqueda M. Synergy of the Bacteriocin AS-48 and Antibiotics against Uropathogenic Enterococci. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9090567. [PMID: 32887311 PMCID: PMC7558097 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9090567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Enterococcus comprises a ubiquitous group of Gram-positive bacteria that can cause diverse health care-associated infections. Their genome plasticity enables easy acquisition of virulence factors as well as antibiotic resistances. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and catheter-associated UTIs are common diseases caused by enterococci. In this study, Enterococcus strains isolated from UTIs were characterized, showing that the majority were E. faecalis and contained several virulence factors associated to a better colonization of the urinary tract. Their susceptibility against the bacteriocin AS-48 and several antibiotics was tested. AS-48 is a potent circular bacteriocin that causes bacterial death by pore formation in the cell membrane. The interest of this bacteriocin is based on the potent inhibitory activity, the high stability against environmental conditions, and the low toxicity. AS-48 was active at concentrations below 10 mg/L even against antibiotic-resistant strains, whereas these strains showed resistance to, at least, seven of the 20 antibiotics tested. Moreover, the effect of AS-48 combined with antibiotics commonly used to treat UTIs was largely synergistic (with up to 100-fold MIC reduction) and only occasionally additive. These data suggest AS-48 as a potential novel drug to deal with or prevent enterococcal infections.
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15
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Zhao X, Cebrián R, Fu Y, Rink R, Bosma T, Moll GN, Kuipers OP. High-Throughput Screening for Substrate Specificity-Adapted Mutants of the Nisin Dehydratase NisB. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:1468-1478. [PMID: 32374981 PMCID: PMC7309312 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Microbial
lanthipeptides are formed by a two-step enzymatic introduction
of (methyl)lanthionine rings. A dehydratase catalyzes the dehydration
of serine and threonine residues, yielding dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine,
respectively. Cyclase-catalyzed coupling of the formed dehydroresidues
to cysteines forms (methyl)lanthionine rings in a peptide. Lanthipeptide
biosynthetic systems allow discovery of target-specific, lanthionine-stabilized
therapeutic peptides. However, the substrate specificity of existing
modification enzymes impose limitations on installing lanthionines
in non-natural substrates. The goal of the present study was to obtain
a lanthipeptide dehydratase with the capacity to dehydrate substrates
that are unsuitable for the nisin dehydratase NisB. We report high-throughput
screening for tailored specificity of intracellular, genetically encoded
NisB dehydratases. The principle is based on the screening of bacterially
displayed lanthionine-constrained streptavidin ligands, which have
a much higher affinity for streptavidin than linear ligands. The designed
NisC-cyclizable high-affinity ligands can be formed via mutant NisB-catalyzed
dehydration but less effectively via wild-type NisB activity. In Lactococcus lactis, a cell surface display precursor was
designed comprising DSHPQFC. The Asp residue preceding the serine
in this sequence disfavors its dehydration by wild-type NisB. The
cell surface display vector was coexpressed with a mutant NisB library
and NisTC. Subsequently, mutant NisB-containing bacteria that display
cyclized strep ligands on the cell surface were selected via panning
rounds with streptavidin-coupled magnetic beads. In this way, a NisB
variant with a tailored capacity of dehydration was obtained, which
was further evaluated with respect to its capacity to dehydrate nisin
mutants. These results demonstrate a powerful method for selecting
lanthipeptide modification enzymes with adapted substrate specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinghong Zhao
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Natural Medicine Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Yuxin Fu
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Rick Rink
- Lanthio Pharma, Rozenburglaan 13 B, Groningen 9727 DL, The Netherlands
| | - Tjibbe Bosma
- Lanthio Pharma, Rozenburglaan 13 B, Groningen 9727 DL, The Netherlands
| | - Gert N. Moll
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Lanthio Pharma, Rozenburglaan 13 B, Groningen 9727 DL, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
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16
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Cebrián R, Rodríguez-Cabezas ME, Martín-Escolano R, Rubiño S, Garrido-Barros M, Montalbán-López M, Rosales MJ, Sánchez-Moreno M, Valdivia E, Martínez-Bueno M, Marín C, Gálvez J, Maqueda M. Preclinical studies of toxicity and safety of the AS-48 bacteriocin. J Adv Res 2019; 20:129-139. [PMID: 31360546 PMCID: PMC6637140 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The in vitro antimicrobial potency of the bacteriocin AS-48 is well documented, but its clinical application requires investigation, as its toxicity could be different in in vitro (haemolytic and antibacterial activity in blood and cytotoxicity towards normal human cell lines) and in vivo (e.g. mice and zebrafish embryos) models. Overall, the results obtained are promising. They reveal the negligible propensity of AS-48 to cause cell death or impede cell growth at therapeutic concentrations (up to 27 μM) and support the suitability of this peptide as a potential therapeutic agent against several microbial infections, due to its selectivity and potency at low concentrations (in the range of 0.3-8.9 μM). In addition, AS-48 exhibits low haemolytic activity in whole blood and does not induce nitrite accumulation in non-stimulated RAW macrophages, indicating a lack of pro-inflammatory effects. The unexpected heightened sensitivity of zebrafish embryos to AS-48 could be due to the low differentiation state of these cells. The low cytotoxicity of AS-48, the absence of lymphocyte proliferation in vivo after skin sensitization in mice, and the lack of toxicity in a murine model support the consideration of the broad spectrum antimicrobial peptide AS-48 as a promising therapeutic agent for the control of a vast array of microbial infections, in particular, those involved in skin and soft tissue diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - M Elena Rodríguez-Cabezas
- CIBER-EHD, Department of Pharmacology. Centre for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Avda del Conocimiento s/n, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (Ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Rubén Martín-Escolano
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Susana Rubiño
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - María Garrido-Barros
- CIBER-EHD, Department of Pharmacology. Centre for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Avda del Conocimiento s/n, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (Ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Montalbán-López
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - María José Rosales
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Sánchez-Moreno
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Eva Valdivia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Martínez-Bueno
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Clotilde Marín
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Julio Gálvez
- CIBER-EHD, Department of Pharmacology. Centre for Biomedical Research (CIBM), Avda del Conocimiento s/n, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (Ibs.GRANADA), Granada, Spain
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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17
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Martín-Escolano R, Cebrián R, Martín-Escolano J, Rosales MJ, Maqueda M, Sánchez-Moreno M, Marín C. Insights into Chagas treatment based on the potential of bacteriocin AS-48. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2019; 10:1-8. [PMID: 30953804 PMCID: PMC6447751 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi represents a significant public health problem in Latin America, affecting around 8 million cases worldwide. Nowadays is urgent the identification of new antichagasic agents as the only therapeutic options available, Nifurtimox and Benznidazole, are in use for >40 years, and present high toxicity, limited efficacy and frequent treatment failures in the chronic phase of the disease. Recently, it has been described the antiparasitic effect of AS-48, a bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis, against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp. In this work, we have demonstrated the in vitro potential of the AS-48 bacteriocin against T. cruzi. Interesting, AS-48 was more effective against the three morphological forms of different T. cruzi strains, and displayed lower cytotoxicity than the reference drug Benznidazole. In addition, AS-48 combines the criteria established as a potential antichagasic agent, resulting in a promising therapeutic alternative. According to the action mechanism, AS-48 trypanocidal activity could be explained in a mitochondrion-dependent manner through a reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial depolarization, causing a fast and severe bioenergetic collapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Martín-Escolano
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa S/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences. C/ Fuentenueva S/n. University of Granada, Severo Ochoa /n, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Javier Martín-Escolano
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa S/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Maria J Rosales
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa S/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences. C/ Fuentenueva S/n. University of Granada, Severo Ochoa /n, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Sánchez-Moreno
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa S/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Clotilde Marín
- Department of Parasitology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (ibs.Granada), Hospitales Universitarios De Granada/University of Granada, Severo Ochoa S/n, E-18071, Granada, Spain.
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18
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Cebrián R, Macia-Valero A, Jati AP, Kuipers OP. Design and Expression of Specific Hybrid Lantibiotics Active Against Pathogenic Clostridium spp. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2154. [PMID: 31616392 PMCID: PMC6768957 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile has been reported as the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea (antibiotic-associated diarrhea), resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. The resistance of the clostridial spores to antibiotics and their side effects on the gut microbiota are two factors related to the emergence of infection and its relapses. Lantibiotics provide an innovative alternative for cell growth inhibition due to their dual mechanism of action (membrane pore-forming and cell wall synthesis inhibition) and low resistance rate. Based on the fact that bacteriocins are usually active against bacteria closely related to the producer strains, a new dual approach combining genome mining and synthetic biology was performed, by designing new lantibiotics with high activity and specificity toward Clostridium. We first attempted the heterologous expression of putative lantibiotics identified following Clostridium genome mining. Subsequently, we designed new hybrid lantibiotics combining the start or end of the putative clostridial peptides and the start or end parts of nisin. The designed peptides were cloned and expressed using the nisin biosynthetic machinery in Lactococcus lactis. From the 20 initial peptides, only 1 fulfilled the requirements established in this work to be considered as a good candidate: high heterologous production level and high specificity/activity against clostridial species. The high specificity and activity observed for the peptide AMV10 makes it an interesting candidate as an alternative to traditional antibiotics in the treatment of C. difficile infections, avoiding side effects and protecting the normal gut microbiota.
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Perales-Adán J, Rubiño S, Martínez-Bueno M, Valdivia E, Montalbán-López M, Cebrián R, Maqueda M. LAB Bacteriocins Controlling the Food Isolated (Drug-Resistant) Staphylococci. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1143. [PMID: 29946300 PMCID: PMC6005826 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococci are a group of microorganisms that can be often found in processed food and they might pose a risk for human health. In this study we have determined the content of staphylococci in 7 different fresh goat-milk cheeses. These bacteria were present in all of them, ranging from 103 to 106 CFU/g based on growth on selective media. Thus, a set of 97 colonies was randomly picked for phenotypic and genotypic identification. They could be clustered by RAPD-PCR in 10 genotypes, which were assigned by 16S rDNA sequencing to four Staphylococcus species: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus chromogenes, S. simulans, and S. xylosus. Representative strains of these species (n = 25) were tested for antibiotic sensitivity, and 11 of them were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested, including erythromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and oxacillin. We also tested two bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), namely the circular bacteriocin AS-48 and the lantibiotic nisin. These peptides have different mechanism of action at the membrane level. Nevertheless, both were able to inhibit staphylococci growth at low concentrations ranging between 0.16-0.73 μM for AS-48 and 0.02-0.23 μM for nisin, including the strains that displayed antibiotic resistance. The combined effect of these bacteriocins were tested and the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) was calculated. Remarkably, upon combination, they were active at the low micromolar range with a significant reduction of the minimal inhibitory concentration. Our data confirms synergistic effect, either total or partial, between AS-48 and nisin for the control of staphylococci and including antibiotic resistant strains. Collectively, these results indicate that the combined use of AS-48 and nisin could help controlling (pathogenic) staphylococci in food processing and preventing antibiotic-resistant strains reaching the consumer in the final products.
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Martínez-García M, Bart JM, Campos-Salinas J, Valdivia E, Martínez-Bueno M, González-Rey E, Navarro M, Maqueda M, Cebrián R, Pérez-Victoria JM. Autophagic-related cell death of Trypanosoma brucei induced by bacteriocin AS-48. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2018; 8:203-212. [PMID: 29649664 PMCID: PMC6039360 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and nagana. Current drug therapies have limited efficacy, high toxicity and/or are continually hampered by the appearance of resistance. Antimicrobial peptides have recently attracted attention as potential parasiticidal compounds. Here, we explore circular bacteriocin AS-48's ability to kill clinically relevant bloodstream forms of T. brucei gambiense, T. brucei rhodesiense and T. brucei brucei. AS-48 exhibited excellent anti-trypanosomal activity in vitro (EC50 = 1–3 nM) against the three T. brucei subspecies, but it was innocuous to human cells at 104-fold higher concentrations. In contrast to its antibacterial action, AS-48 does not kill the parasite through plasma membrane permeabilization but by targeting intracellular compartments. This was evidenced by the fact that vital dye internalization-prohibiting concentrations of AS-48 could kill the parasite at 37 °C but not at 4 °C. Furthermore, AS-48 interacted with the surface of the parasite, at least in part via VSG, its uptake was temperature-dependent and clathrin-depleted cells were less permissive to the action of AS-48. The bacteriocin also caused the appearance of myelin-like structures and double-membrane autophagic vacuoles. These changes in the parasite's ultrastructure were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy as AS-48 induced the production of EGFP-ATG8.2-labeled autophagosomes. Collectively, these results indicate AS-48 kills the parasite through a mechanism involving clathrin-mediated endocytosis of VSG-bound AS-48 and the induction of autophagic-like cell death. As AS-48 has greater in vitro activity than the drugs currently used to treat T. brucei infection and does not present any signs of toxicity in mammalian cells, it could be an attractive lead compound for the treatment of sleeping sickness and nagana. AS-48 kills Trypanosoma brucei efficiently and is innocuous in mammalian cells. It has greater in vitro activity than drugs currently in use. AS-48 must be internalized by the parasite in order to exert its trypanocidal effect. AS-48 uptake involves VSG binding and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. AS-48 induces an autophagic-related cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Martínez-García
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", CSIC (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Jean-Mathieu Bart
- Centro Nacional de Medicina Tropical, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; UMR INTERTRYP, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
| | - Jenny Campos-Salinas
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", CSIC (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Eva Valdivia
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Spain
| | | | - Elena González-Rey
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", CSIC (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Miguel Navarro
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", CSIC (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Spain
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Spain.
| | - José M Pérez-Victoria
- Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina "López-Neyra", CSIC (IPBLN-CSIC), PTS Granada, Granada, Spain.
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López J, Slöcker M, Heras E, Ríos D, Barrio L, Cebrián R, Gómez D, López-Herce J. Prognostic utility of the multiorgan failure scores and inotropic index in the postoperative of cardiac transplantation in children. Med Intensiva 2017; 43:441-443. [PMID: 29107393 DOI: 10.1016/j.medin.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J López
- Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España; Red de Salud Maternoinfantil y del Desarrollo (red SAMID), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, España
| | - M Slöcker
- Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España
| | - E Heras
- Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España
| | - D Ríos
- Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, España
| | - L Barrio
- Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, España
| | - R Cebrián
- Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, España
| | - D Gómez
- Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, España
| | - J López-Herce
- Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España; Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, España; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, España; Red de Salud Maternoinfantil y del Desarrollo (red SAMID), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, España.
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Cebrián R, Martínez-Bueno M, Valdivia E, Albert A, Maqueda M, Sánchez-Barrena MJ. The bacteriocin AS-48 requires dimer dissociation followed by hydrophobic interactions with the membrane for antibacterial activity. J Struct Biol 2015; 190:162-72. [PMID: 25816760 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The molecular mechanism underlining the antibacterial activity of the bacteriocin AS-48 is not known, and two different and opposite alternatives have been proposed. Available data suggested that the interaction of positively charged amino acids of AS-48 with the membrane would produce membrane destabilization and disruption. Alternatively, it has been proposed that AS-48 activity could rely on the effective insertion of the bacteriocin into the membrane. The biological and structural properties of the AS-48G13K/L40K double mutant were investigated to shed light on this subject. Compared with the wild type, the mutant protein suffered an important reduction in the antibacterial activity. Biochemical and structural studies of AS-48G13K/L40K mutant suggest the basis of its decreased antimicrobial activity. Lipid cosedimentation assays showed that the membrane affinity of AS-48G13K/L40K is 12-fold lower than that observed for the wild type. L40K mutation is responsible for this reduced membrane affinity and thus, hydrophobic interactions are involved in membrane association. Furthermore, the high-resolution crystal structure of AS-48G13K/L40K, together with the study of its dimeric character in solution showed that G13K stabilizes the inactive water-soluble dimer, which displays a reduced dipole moment. Our data suggest that the cumulative effect of these three affected properties reduces AS-48 activity, and point out that the bactericidal effect is achieved by the electrostatically driven approach of the inactive water-soluble dimer towards the membrane, followed by the dissociation and insertion of the protein into the lipid bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Spain
| | | | - Eva Valdivia
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Spain
| | - Armando Albert
- Departamento de Cristalografía y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Química Física "Rocasolano", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Spain
| | - María José Sánchez-Barrena
- Departamento de Cristalografía y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Química Física "Rocasolano", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
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Cebrián R, Rodríguez-Ruano S, Martínez-Bueno M, Valdivia E, Maqueda M, Montalbán-López M. Analysis of the promoters involved in enterocin AS-48 expression. PLoS One 2014; 9:e90603. [PMID: 24594763 PMCID: PMC3942455 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 01/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The enterocin AS-48 is the best characterized antibacterial circular protein in prokaryotes. It is a hydrophobic and cationic bacteriocin, which is ribosomally synthesized by enterococcal cells and post-translationally cyclized by a head-to-tail peptide bond. The production of and immunity towards AS-48 depend upon the coordinated expression of ten genes organized in two operons, as-48ABC (where genes encoding enzymes with processing, secretion, and immunity functions are adjacent to the structural as-48A gene) and as-48C1DD1EFGH. The current study describes the identification of the promoters involved in AS-48 expression. Seven putative promoters have been here amplified, and separately inserted into the promoter-probe vector pTLR1, to create transcriptional fusions with the mCherry gene used as a reporter. The activity of these promoter regions was assessed measuring the expression of the fluorescent mCherry protein using the constitutive pneumococcal promoter PX as a reference. Our results revealed that only three promoters PA, P2(2) and PD1 were recognized in Enterococcus faecalis, Lactococcus lactis and Escherichia coli, in the conditions tested. The maximal fluorescence was obtained with PX in all the strains, followed by the P2(2) promoter, which level of fluorescence was 2-fold compared to PA and 4-fold compared to PD1. Analysis of putative factors influencing the promoter activity in single and double transformants in E. faecalis JH2-2 demonstrated that, in general, a better expression was achieved in presence of pAM401-81. In addition, the P2(2) promoter could be regulated in a negative fashion by genes existing in the native pMB-2 plasmid other than those of the as-48 cluster, while the pH seems to affect differently the as-48 promoter expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cebrián
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Sonia Rodríguez-Ruano
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Martínez-Bueno
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Eva Valdivia
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Mercedes Maqueda
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Montalbán-López
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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Montalbán-López M, Sánchez-Hidalgo M, Cebrián R, Maqueda M. Discovering the bacterial circular proteins: bacteriocins, cyanobactins, and pilins. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:27007-13. [PMID: 22700986 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.r112.354688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Over recent years, several examples of natural ribosomally synthesized circular proteins and peptides from diverse organisms have been described. They are a group of proteins for which the precursors must be post-translationally modified to join the N and C termini with a peptide bond. This feature appears to confer a range of potential advantages because these proteins show increased resistance to proteases and higher thermodynamic stability, both of which improve their biological activity. They are produced by prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and show diverse biological activities, related mostly to a self-defense or competition mechanism of the producer organisms, with the only exception being the circular pilins. This minireview highlights ribosomally synthesized circular proteins produced by members of the domain Bacteria: circular bacteriocins, cyanobactins, and circular pilins. We pay special attention to the genetic organization of the biosynthetic machinery of these molecules, the role of circularization, and the differences in the possible circularization mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Montalbán-López
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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Achemchem F, Cebrián R, Abrini J, Martínez-Bueno M, Valdivia E, Maqueda M. Antimicrobial characterization and safety aspects of the bacteriocinogenic Enterococcus hirae F420 isolated from Moroccan raw goat milk. Can J Microbiol 2012; 58:596-604. [PMID: 22471967 DOI: 10.1139/w2012-027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The F420 strain, isolated from raw goat milk and identified as Enterococcus hirae, was selected because of its strong activity against gram-positive bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes. Interestingly, the F420 strain lacks the virulence genes and decarboxylase activity of histidine, lysine, and ornithine, and it is susceptible to 11 of 14 tested antibiotics, including vancomycin. The antimicrobial compounds produced by E. hirae F420 strain showed high resistance to heat treatment and to acidic and basic pHs. The MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis coupled with the sequence of peptide and structural gene analysis of one of the purified enterocins showed 100% identity with enterocin P (EntP), previously described in E. faecium strains. The structural gene for EntP is located on a plasmid of 65 kb. Other enterocins with molecular mass higher than 7 kDa were also detected. This is the first report of the production of EntP by E. hirae species naturally occurring in foods. The biotechnological characteristics of the F420 strain and its enterocins indicate their potential for application in the control of L. monocytogenes and other undesirable bacteria in food systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Achemchem
- Equipe de Biotechnologie, Energie et Environnement, Ecole Supérieure de Technologie, Université Ibn Zohr, Agadir, Morocco
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Cebrián R, Baños A, Valdivia E, Pérez-Pulido R, Martínez-Bueno M, Maqueda M. Characterization of functional, safety, and probiotic properties of Enterococcus faecalis UGRA10, a new AS-48-producer strain. Food Microbiol 2011; 30:59-67. [PMID: 22265284 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2011.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 12/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis UGRA10, a new AS-48-producer strain, has been isolated from a Spanish sheep's cheese. The inhibitory substance produced by E. faecalis UGRA10 was purified and characterized using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, confirming its identity with AS-48 enterocin (7.150 Da). Subsequent genetic analysis showed the existence of the as-48 gene cluster on a plasmid of approximately 70-kb. The UGRA10 strain was examined for safety properties such as enterococci virulence genes, biogenic amine production, and antibiotic resistance. As for most E. faecalis strains, PCR amplification revealed the existence of gene encoding for GelE, Asa1, Esp, EfaA, and Ace antigens and for tyrosine decarboxylase. This strain was sensitive to most of the antibiotics tested, being resistant only to aminoglycosides, lincosamide, and pristinamicins. In addition, UGRA10 developed an ability to form biofilms and to adhere to Caco 2 and HeLa 229 cells. More interestingly, this strain shows a high ability to interfere with the adhesion of Listeria monocytogenes to Caco 2 cells. Altogether, the results suggest that this broad-spectrum bacteriocin-producing strain has biotechnological potential to be developed as a protective agent in food preservation and as a probiotic.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Cebrián
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada Fuente Nueva s/n, 19071-Granada, Spain
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Miralles F, Sebastiá E, Cebrián R, Lizaur A. Resultados funcionales de las resecciones de la cabeza radial tras su fractura. Rev Esp Cir Ortop Traumatol (Engl Ed) 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/s1888-4415(04)76160-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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