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Chan R, Buckley PT, O'Malley A, Sause WE, Alonzo F, Lubkin A, Boguslawski KM, Payne A, Fernandez J, Strohl WR, Whitaker B, Lynch AS, Torres VJ. Identification of biologic agents to neutralize the bicomponent leukocidins of Staphylococcus aureus. Sci Transl Med 2020; 11:11/475/eaat0882. [PMID: 30651319 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aat0882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A key aspect underlying the severity of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus is the abundance of virulence factors that the pathogen uses to thwart critical components of the human immune response. One such mechanism involves the destruction of host immune cells by cytolytic toxins secreted by S. aureus, including five bicomponent leukocidins: PVL, HlgAB, HlgCB, LukED, and LukAB. Purified leukocidins can lyse immune cells ex vivo, and systemic injections of purified LukED or HlgAB can acutely kill mice. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of centyrins that bind S. aureus leukocidins with high affinity and protect primary human immune cells from toxin-mediated cytolysis. Centyrins are small protein scaffolds derived from the fibronectin type III-binding domain of the human protein tenascin-C. Although centyrins are potent in tissue culture assays, their short serum half-lives limit their efficacies in vivo. By extending the serum half-lives of centyrins through their fusion to an albumin-binding consensus domain, we demonstrate the in vivo efficacy of these biologics in a murine intoxication model and in models of both prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of live S. aureus systemic infections. These biologics that target S. aureus virulence factors have potential for treating and preventing serious staphylococcal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Chan
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Peter T Buckley
- Janssen Research & Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Aidan O'Malley
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - William E Sause
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Francis Alonzo
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ashira Lubkin
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Kristina M Boguslawski
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Angela Payne
- Janssen Research & Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Jeffrey Fernandez
- Janssen Research & Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - William R Strohl
- Janssen Research & Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Brian Whitaker
- Janssen Research & Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA
| | - Anthony Simon Lynch
- Janssen Research & Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA, 19477, USA.
| | - Victor J Torres
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, Alexandria Center for Life Science, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Copin R, Sause WE, Fulmer Y, Balasubramanian D, Dyzenhaus S, Ahmed JM, Kumar K, Lees J, Stachel A, Fisher JC, Drlica K, Phillips M, Weiser JN, Planet PJ, Uhlemann AC, Altman DR, Sebra R, van Bakel H, Lighter J, Torres VJ, Shopsin B. Sequential evolution of virulence and resistance during clonal spread of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:1745-1754. [PMID: 30635416 PMCID: PMC6358666 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1814265116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [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] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The past two decades have witnessed an alarming expansion of staphylococcal disease caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). The factors underlying the epidemic expansion of CA-MRSA lineages such as USA300, the predominant CA-MRSA clone in the United States, are largely unknown. Previously described virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes that promote the dissemination of CA-MRSA are carried by mobile genetic elements, including phages and plasmids. Here, we used high-resolution genomics and experimental infections to characterize the evolution of a USA300 variant plaguing a patient population at increased risk of infection to understand the mechanisms underlying the emergence of genetic elements that facilitate clonal spread of the pathogen. Genetic analyses provided conclusive evidence that fitness (manifest as emergence of a dominant clone) changed coincidently with the stepwise emergence of (i) a unique prophage and mutation of the regulator of the pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthetic operon that promoted abscess formation and colonization, respectively, thereby priming the clone for success; and (ii) a unique plasmid that conferred resistance to two topical microbiocides, mupirocin and chlorhexidine, frequently used for decolonization and infection prevention. The resistance plasmid evolved through successive incorporation of DNA elements from non-S. aureus spp. into an indigenous cryptic plasmid, suggesting a mechanism for interspecies genetic exchange that promotes antimicrobial resistance. Collectively, the data suggest that clonal spread in a vulnerable population resulted from extensive clinical intervention and intense selection pressure toward a pathogen lifestyle that involved the evolution of consequential mutations and mobile genetic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Copin
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - William E Sause
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Yi Fulmer
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Divya Balasubramanian
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Sophie Dyzenhaus
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Jamil M Ahmed
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Krishan Kumar
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - John Lees
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Anna Stachel
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Jason C Fisher
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Karl Drlica
- Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Michael Phillips
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Jeffrey N Weiser
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Paul J Planet
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Deena R Altman
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY 10029
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Robert Sebra
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Harm van Bakel
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Jennifer Lighter
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Victor J Torres
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016;
| | - Bo Shopsin
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016;
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
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Lam KH, Xue C, Sun K, Zhang H, Lam WWL, Zhu Z, Ng JTY, Sause WE, Lertsethtakarn P, Lau KF, Ottemann KM, Au SWN. Three SpoA-domain proteins interact in the creation of the flagellar type III secretion system in Helicobacter pylori. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:13961-13973. [PMID: 29991595 PMCID: PMC6130963 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.002263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial flagella are rotary nanomachines that contribute to bacterial fitness in many settings, including host colonization. The flagellar motor relies on the multiprotein flagellar motor-switch complex to govern flagellum formation and rotational direction. Different bacteria exhibit great diversity in their flagellar motors. One such variation is exemplified by the motor-switch apparatus of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori, which carries an extra switch protein, FliY, along with the more typical FliG, FliM, and FliN proteins. All switch proteins are needed for normal flagellation and motility in H. pylori, but the molecular mechanism of their assembly is unknown. To fill this gap, we examined the interactions among these proteins. We found that the C-terminal SpoA domain of FliY (FliYC) is critical to flagellation and forms heterodimeric complexes with the FliN and FliM SpoA domains, which are β-sheet domains of type III secretion system proteins. Surprisingly, unlike in other flagellar switch systems, neither FliY nor FliN self-associated. The crystal structure of the FliYC-FliNC complex revealed a saddle-shaped structure homologous to the FliN-FliN dimer of Thermotoga maritima, consistent with a FliY-FliN heterodimer forming the functional unit. Analysis of the FliYC-FliNC interface indicated that oppositely charged residues specific to each protein drive heterodimer formation. Moreover, both FliYC-FliMC and FliYC-FliNC associated with the flagellar regulatory protein FliH, explaining their important roles in flagellation. We conclude that H. pylori uses a FliY-FliN heterodimer instead of a homodimer and creates a switch complex with SpoA domains derived from three distinct proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwok Ho Lam
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Chaolun Xue
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, ,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China, and
| | - Kailei Sun
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Huawei Zhang
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, ,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China, and
| | - Wendy Wai Ling Lam
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, ,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China, and
| | - Zeyu Zhu
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Juliana Tsz Yan Ng
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - William E. Sause
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064
| | - Paphavee Lertsethtakarn
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064
| | - Kwok Fai Lau
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Karen M. Ottemann
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064
| | - Shannon Wing Ngor Au
- From the Center for Protein Science and Crystallography, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, ,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China, and ,To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.:
852-3943-4170; E-mail:
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Sause WE, Buckley PT, Strohl WR, Lynch AS, Torres VJ. Antibody-Based Biologics and Their Promise to Combat Staphylococcus aureus Infections. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2015; 37:231-241. [PMID: 26719219 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2015.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [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: 07/31/2015] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The growing incidence of serious infections mediated by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains poses a significant risk to public health. This risk is exacerbated by a prolonged void in the discovery and development of truly novel antibiotics and the absence of a vaccine. These gaps have created renewed interest in the use of biologics in the prevention and treatment of serious staphylococcal infections. In this review, we focus on efforts towards the discovery and development of antibody-based biologic agents and their potential as clinical agents in the management of serious S. aureus infections. Recent promising data for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting anthrax and Ebola highlight the potential of antibody-based biologics as therapeutic agents for serious infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- William E Sause
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Peter T Buckley
- Janssen Research & Development LLC, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA 19477, USA
| | - William R Strohl
- Janssen Research & Development LLC, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA 19477, USA
| | - A Simon Lynch
- Janssen Research & Development LLC, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA 19477, USA.
| | - Victor J Torres
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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5
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Ta LH, Hansen LM, Sause WE, Shiva O, Millstein A, Ottemann KM, Castillo AR, Solnick JV. Conserved transcriptional unit organization of the cag pathogenicity island among Helicobacter pylori strains. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012; 2:46. [PMID: 22919637 PMCID: PMC3417554 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 11/02/2011] [Accepted: 03/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Helicobacter pyloricag pathogenicity island (cag PAI) encodes a type IV secretion system that is more commonly found in strains isolated from patients with gastroduodenal disease than from those with asymptomatic gastritis. Genome-wide organization of the transcriptional units in H. pylori strain 26695 was recently established using RNA sequence analysis (Sharma et al., 2010). Here we used quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction of open reading frames and intergenic regions to identify putative cag PAI operons in H. pylori; these operons were analyzed further by transcript profiling after deletion of selected promoter regions. Additionally, we used a promoter-trap system to identify functional cag PAI promoters. The results demonstrated that expression of genes on the H. pyloricag PAI varies by nearly five orders of magnitude and that the organization of cag PAI genes into transcriptional units is conserved among several H. pylori strains, including, 26695, J99, G27, and J166. We found evidence for 20 transcripts within the cag PAI, many of which likely overlap. Our data suggests that there are at least 11 operons: cag1-4, cag3-4, cag10-9, cag8-7, cag6-5, cag11-12, cag16-17, cag19-18, cag21-20, cag23-22, and cag25-24, as well as five monocistronic genes (cag4, cag13, cag14, cag15, and cag26). Additionally, the location of four of our functionally identified promoters suggests they are directing expression of, in one case, a truncated version of cag26 and in the other three, transcripts that are antisense to cag7, cag17, and cag23. We verified expression of two of these antisense transcripts, those antisense to cag17 and cag23, by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Taken together, our results suggest that the cag PAI transcriptional profile is generally conserved among H. pylori strains, 26695, J99, G27, and J166, and is likely complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda H Ta
- Departments of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology, Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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