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Mak DA, Dunn S, Coombes D, Carere CR, Allison JR, Nock V, Hudson AO, Dobson RCJ. Enzyme Kinetics Analysis: An online tool for analyzing enzyme initial rate data and teaching enzyme kinetics. Biochem Mol Biol Educ 2024; 52:348-358. [PMID: 38400827 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21823] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Enzymes are nature's catalysts, mediating chemical processes in living systems. The study of enzyme function and mechanism includes defining the maximum catalytic rate and affinity for substrate/s (among other factors), referred to as enzyme kinetics. Enzyme kinetics is a staple of biochemistry curricula and other disciplines, from molecular and cellular biology to pharmacology. However, because enzyme kinetics involves concepts rarely employed in other areas of biology, it can be challenging for students and researchers. Traditional graphical analysis was replaced by computational analysis, requiring another skill not core to many life sciences curricula. Computational analysis can be time-consuming and difficult in free software (e.g., R) or require costly software (e.g., GraphPad Prism). We present Enzyme Kinetics Analysis (EKA), a web-tool to augment teaching and learning and streamline EKA. EKA is an interactive and free tool for analyzing enzyme kinetic data and improving student learning through simulation, built using R and RStudio's ShinyApps. EKA provides kinetic models (Michaelis-Menten, Hill, simple reversible inhibition models, ternary-complex, and ping-pong) for users to fit experimental data, providing graphical results and statistics. Additionally, EKA enables users to input parameters and create data and graphs, to visualize changes to parameters (e.g.,K M or number of measurements). This function is designed for students learning kinetics but also for researchers to design experiments. EKA (enzyme-kinetics.shinyapps.io/enzkinet_webpage/) provides a simple, interactive interface for teachers, students, and researchers to explore enzyme kinetics. It gives researchers the ability to design experiments and analyze data without specific software requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Mak
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Sebastian Dunn
- Digital Life Institute, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland and The Graphics Group and School of Computer Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - David Coombes
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Carlo R Carere
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Jane R Allison
- Digital Life Institute, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Biomolecular Interaction Centre, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Volker Nock
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - André O Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Kumar G, Gan HM, Wengert P, Penix T, Parthasarathy A, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Whole-genome sequencing of four culturable endophytic bacteria from German hardneck garlic cloves ( Allium sativum L.). Microbiol Resour Announc 2024; 13:e0122523. [PMID: 38470029 PMCID: PMC11008215 DOI: 10.1128/mra.01225-23] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
We present the whole-genome sequence of four bacterial endophytes associated with German hardneck garlic cloves (Allium sativum L.). Among them, Agrobacterium fabrum and Pantoea agglomerans are associated with plant protection, while Rahnella perminowiae and Stenotrophomonas lactitubi are pathogens. These data will facilitate the identification of genes to improve garlic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girish Kumar
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
- Patriot Biotech Sdn. Bhd., Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Peter Wengert
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Trevor Penix
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | | | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Michael A. Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
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Tuytschaevers S, Aden L, Greene Z, Nixon C, Shaw W, Hatch D, Kumar G, Miranda RR, Hudson AO. Isolation, whole-genome sequencing, and annotation of two antibiotic-producing and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Pantoea rodasii RIT 836 and Pseudomonas endophytica RIT 838, collected from the environment. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0293943. [PMID: 38412159 PMCID: PMC10898753 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to human health since infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are life-threatening conditions with minimal treatment options. Bacteria become resistant when they develop the ability to overcome the compounds that are meant to kill them, i.e., antibiotics. The increasing number of resistant pathogens worldwide is contrasted by the slow progress in the discovery and production of new antibiotics. About 700,000 global deaths per year are estimated as a result of drug-resistant infections, which could escalate to nearly 10 million by 2050 if we fail to address the AMR challenge. In this study, we collected and isolated bacteria from the environment to screen for antibiotic resistance. We identified several bacteria that showed resistance to multiple clinically relevant antibiotics when tested in antibiotic susceptibility disk assays. We also found that two strains, identified as Pantoea rodasii RIT 836 and Pseudomonas endophytica RIT 838 via whole genome sequencing and annotation, produce bactericidal compounds against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in disc-diffusion inhibitory assays. We mined the two strains' whole-genome sequences to gain more information and insights into the antibiotic resistance and production by these bacteria. Subsequently, we aim to isolate, identify, and further characterize the novel antibiotic compounds detected in our assays and bioinformatics analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Tuytschaevers
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Leila Aden
- Rochester Prep High School, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Zacchaeus Greene
- Rochester Prep High School, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Chanei Nixon
- Rochester Prep High School, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Wade Shaw
- Rochester Prep High School, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Dillan Hatch
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Girish Kumar
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - Renata Rezende Miranda
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, United States of America
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, United States of America
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Kumar G, Gan HM, Popielarz H, Steele J, Parthasarathy A, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Endophytic bacteria associated with wild-type banana seed ( Musa balbisiana): whole genome sequencing. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023; 12:e0065023. [PMID: 37921458 PMCID: PMC10720562 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00650-23] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We present the whole-genome sequences of five endophytic bacteria isolated from Musa balbisiana seeds. These strains represent five different genera: Bacillus, Brachybacterium, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, and Pantoea. Among these, three genera (Bacillus, Pantoea, and Enterobacter) were previously recognized for their antagonistic effects against Fusarium wilt, a highly destructive disease that affects banana plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Girish Kumar
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
- Patriot Biotech Sdn Bhd, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Hailey Popielarz
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Julia Steele
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Michael A. Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
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Freezman IM, Parthasarathy A, Miranda RR, Watts LM, Hudson AO. Chromatographic isolation of potentially novel antibiotic compounds produced by Yimella sp. RIT 621. BMC Res Notes 2023; 16:114. [PMID: 37349752 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-023-06393-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Antibiotic resistant infections have become a global health crisis causing 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2019 [1]. In a previous study, we identified a bacterium from a rare genus, Yimella, and found in an initial antibiotic screening that they produce broad-spectrum bactericidal compounds [2]. Herein, we focus on the characterization of these potential novel antimicrobial compounds produced by Yimella sp. RIT 621. RESULTS We used solid-phase extraction and C18 reverse-phase chromatography to isolate the antibiotic-active compounds found in organic extracts from liquid cultures of Yimella sp. RIT 621. We tracked the antimicrobial activity by testing the extracts in disc diffusion inhibitory assays and observed its increase after each purification stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Freezman
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Dr, 14623, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Renata Rezende Miranda
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Dr, 14623, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Lizabeth M Watts
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Dr, 14623, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Dr, 14623, Rochester, NY, USA.
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Kesel E, Hudson AO, Osier MV. Whole-Genome Sequence, Assembly and Annotation of an Invasive Plant, Lonicera maackii (Amur Honeysuckle). Plants (Basel) 2022; 11:3253. [PMID: 36501292 PMCID: PMC9740181 DOI: 10.3390/plants11233253] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The invasive species Lonicera maackii (Amur Honeysuckle) is an increasing problem sweeping from the eastern United States toward the west, impacting normal forest development and animal survival across multiple taxa. Little is known about the genomics of this species, although a related invasive, Lonicera japonica, has been sequenced. Understanding the genomic foundation of the Lonicera maackii species could help us understand the biochemistry and life history that are the underpinnings of invasive success, as well as potential vulnerabilities and strengths which could guide research and development to control its spread. Here we present a draft, but high-quality, short-read whole-genome sequence, assembly, and annotation of Lonicera maackii, demonstrating that inexpensive and rapid short-read technologies can be successfully used in invasive species research. Despite being a short-read assembly, the genome length (7.93 × 108) and completeness (estimated as 90.2-92.1% by BUSCO and Merqury) are close to the previously published chromosome-level sequencing of L. japonica. No bias, by means of a Gene Ontology analysis, was identified among missing BUSCOs. A duplication of the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase gene in both Lonicera species is identified, and the potential impact on controlling these invasive species is discussed. Future prospects for a diversity analysis of invasive species is also discussed.
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Parthasarathy A, Miranda RR, Eddingsaas NC, Chu J, Freezman IM, Tyler AC, Hudson AO. Polystyrene Degradation by Exiguobacterium sp. RIT 594: Preliminary Evidence for a Pathway Containing an Atypical Oxygenase. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081619. [PMID: 36014041 PMCID: PMC9416434 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The widespread use of plastics has led to their increasing presence in the environment and subsequent pollution. Some microorganisms degrade plastics in natural ecosystems and the associated metabolic pathways can be studied to understand the degradation mechanisms. Polystyrene (PS) is one of the more recalcitrant plastic polymers that is degraded by only a few bacteria. Exiguobacterium is a genus of Gram-positive poly-extremophilic bacteria known to degrade PS, thus being of biotechnological interest, but its biochemical mechanisms of degradation have not yet been elucidated. Based solely on genome annotation, we initially proposed PS degradation by Exiguobacterium sp. RIT 594 via depolymerization and epoxidation catalyzed by a ring epoxidase. However, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis revealed an increase of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups with biodegradation, as well as of unconjugated C-C double bonds, both consistent with dearomatization of the styrene ring. This excludes any aerobic pathways involving side chain epoxidation and/or hydroxylation. Subsequent experiments confirmed that molecular oxygen is critical to PS degradation by RIT 594 because degradation ceased under oxygen-deprived conditions. Our studies suggest that styrene breakdown by this bacterium occurs via the sequential action of two enzymes encoded in the genome: an orphan aromatic ring-cleaving dioxygenase and a hydrolase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- School of Chemistry and Biosciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
| | - Renata Rezende Miranda
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Nathan C. Eddingsaas
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Jonathan Chu
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Ian M. Freezman
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Anna C. Tyler
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-585-475-4259
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Miranda RR, Parthasarathy A, Hudson AO. Exploration of Chemical Biology Approaches to Facilitate the Discovery and Development of Novel Antibiotics. Front Trop Dis 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.845469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 2.8 million people worldwide are infected with bacteria that are deemed resistant to clinically relevant antibiotics. This accounts for 700,000 deaths every year and represents a major public health threat that has been on the rise for the past two decades. In contrast, the pace of antibiotic discovery to treat these resistant pathogens has significantly decreased. Most antibiotics are complex natural products that were isolated from soil microorganisms during the golden era of antibiotic discovery (1940s to 1960s) employing the “Waksman platform”. After the collapse of this discovery platform, other strategies and approaches emerged, including phenotype- or target-based screenings of large synthetic compound libraries. However, these methods have not resulted in the discovery and/or development of new drugs for clinical use in over 30 years. A better understanding of the structure and function of the molecular components that constitute the bacterial system is of paramount importance to design new strategies to tackle drug-resistant pathogens. Herein, we review the traditional approaches as well as novel strategies to facilitate antibiotic discovery that are chemical biology-focused. These include the design and application of chemical probes that can undergo bioorthogonal reactions, such as copper (I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions (CuAAC). By specifically interacting with bacterial proteins or being incorporated in the microorganism’s metabolism, chemical probes are powerful tools in drug discovery that can help uncover new drug targets and investigate the mechanisms of action and resistance of new antibacterial leads.
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Raisman JC, Fiore MA, Tomin L, Adjei JKO, Aswad VX, Chu J, Domondon CJ, Donahue BA, Masciotti CA, McGrath CG, Melita J, Podbielski PA, Schreiner MR, Trumpore LJ, Wengert PC, Wrightstone EA, Hudson AO, Wadsworth CB. Evolutionary paths to macrolide resistance in a Neisseria commensal converge on ribosomal genes through short sequence duplications. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262370. [PMID: 35025928 PMCID: PMC8758062 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria commensals are an indisputable source of resistance for their pathogenic relatives. However, the evolutionary paths commensal species take to reduced susceptibility in this genus have been relatively underexplored. Here, we leverage in vitro selection as a powerful screen to identify the genetic adaptations that produce azithromycin resistance (≥ 2 μg/mL) in the Neisseria commensal, N. elongata. Across multiple lineages (n = 7/16), we find mutations that reduce susceptibility to azithromycin converge on the locus encoding the 50S ribosomal L34 protein (rpmH) and the intergenic region proximal to the 30S ribosomal S3 protein (rpsC) through short tandem duplication events. Interestingly, one of the laboratory evolved mutations in rpmH is identical (7LKRTYQ12), and two nearly identical, to those recently reported to contribute to high-level azithromycin resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. Transformations into the ancestral N. elongata lineage confirmed the causality of both rpmH and rpsC mutations. Though most lineages inheriting duplications suffered in vitro fitness costs, one variant showed no growth defect, suggesting the possibility that it may be sustained in natural populations. Ultimately, studies like this will be critical for predicting commensal alleles that could rapidly disseminate into pathogen populations via allelic exchange across recombinogenic microbial genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan C. Raisman
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Michael A. Fiore
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Lucille Tomin
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Joseph K. O. Adjei
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Virginia X. Aswad
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Chu
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Christina J. Domondon
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Ben A. Donahue
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Claudia A. Masciotti
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Connor G. McGrath
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Jo Melita
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Paul A. Podbielski
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Madelyn R. Schreiner
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Lauren J. Trumpore
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Peter C. Wengert
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Emalee A. Wrightstone
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - André O. Hudson
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Crista B. Wadsworth
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Rynkiewicz P, Lynch ML, Cui F, Hudson AO, Babbitt GA. Functional binding dynamics relevant to the evolution of zoonotic spillovers in endemic and emergent Betacoronavirus strains. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:10978-10996. [PMID: 34286673 PMCID: PMC8776918 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1953604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Comparative functional analysis of the dynamic interactions between various Betacoronavirus mutant strains and broadly utilized target proteins such as ACE2 and CD26, is crucial for a more complete understanding of zoonotic spillovers of viruses that cause diseases such as COVID-19. Here, we employ machine learning to replicated sets of nanosecond scale GPU accelerated molecular dynamics simulations to statistically compare and classify atom motions of these target proteins in both the presence and absence of different endemic and emergent strains of the viral receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S spike glycoprotein. A multi-agent classifier successfully identified functional binding dynamics that are evolutionarily conserved from bat CoV-HKU4 to human endemic/emergent strains. Conserved dynamics regions of ACE2 involve both the N-terminal helices, as well as a region of more transient dynamics encompassing residues K353, Q325 and a novel motif AAQPFLL 386-92 that appears to coordinate their dynamic interactions with the viral RBD at N501. We also demonstrate that the functional evolution of Betacoronavirus zoonotic spillovers involving ACE2 interaction dynamics are likely pre-adapted from two precise and stable binding sites involving the viral bat progenitor strain's interaction with CD26 at SAMLI 291-5 and SS 333-334. Our analyses further indicate that the human endemic strains hCoV-HKU1 and hCoV-OC43 have evolved more stable N-terminal helix interactions through enhancement of an interfacing loop region on the viral RBD, whereas the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1) have evolved more stable viral binding via more focused interactions between the viral N501 and ACE2 K353 alone.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Rynkiewicz
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Miranda L. Lynch
- Hauptmann-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo NY, USA 14203
| | - Feng Cui
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Gregory A. Babbitt
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623,corresponding
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Cavanaugh NT, Parthasarathy A, Wong NH, Steiner KK, Chu J, Adjei J, Hudson AO. Exiguobacterium sp. is endowed with antibiotic properties against Gram positive and negative bacteria. BMC Res Notes 2021; 14:230. [PMID: 34103082 PMCID: PMC8186047 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05644-2] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In order to isolate and identify bacteria that produce potentially novel bactericidal/bacteriostatic compounds, two ponds on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) were targeted as part of a bioprospecting effort. RESULTS One of the unique isolates, RIT 452 was identified as Exiguobacterium sp. and subjected to whole-genome sequencing. The genome was assembled and in silico analysis was performed to predict the secondary metabolite gene clusters, which suggested the potential of Exiguobacterium RIT452 for producing antibiotic compounds. Extracts of spent growth media of RIT452 were active in disc diffusion assays performed against four reference strains, two Gram-negative (E. coli ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853) and two Gram-positive (B. subtilis BGSC 168 and S. aureus ATCC 25923). Differential extraction and liquid chromatography was used to fractionate the extracts. Efforts to identify and elucidate the structure of the active compound(s) are still ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole T. Cavanaugh
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - Narayan H. Wong
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - KayLee K. Steiner
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - Jonathan Chu
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - Joseph Adjei
- National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623 USA
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Wengert PC, Wong NH, Barton HA, Gan HM, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Genomic characterization of bacteria from the ultra-oligotrophic Madison aquifer: insight into the archetypical LuxI/LuxR and identification of novel LuxR solos. BMC Res Notes 2021; 14:175. [PMID: 33964980 PMCID: PMC8105983 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05589-6] [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: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To characterize the bacterial community of Wind Cave's Madison aquifer through whole-genome sequencing, and to better understand the bacterial ecology by identifying genes involved in acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) based quorum-sensing (QS) systems. RESULTS Genome-based taxonomic classification revealed the microbial richness present in the pristine Madison aquifer. The strains were found to span eleven genera and fourteen species, of which eight had uncertain taxonomic classifications. The genomes of strains SD129 and SD340 were found to contain the archetypical AHL QS system composed of two genes, luxI and luxR. Surprisingly, the genomes of strains SD115, SD129, SD274 and SD316 were found to contain one to three luxR orphans (solos). Strain SD129, besides possessing an archetypical AHL QS luxI-luxR pair, also contained two luxR solos, while strain SD316 contained three LuxR solos and no luxI-luxR pairs. The ligand-binding domain of two LuxR solos, one each from strains SD129 and SD316, were found to contain novel substitutions not previously reported, thus may represent two LuxR orphans that detection and response to unknown self-produced signal(s), or to signal(s) produced by other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter C Wengert
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | - Narayan H Wong
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | - Hazel A Barton
- Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic, 3220, Australia.,GeneSEQ Sdn Bhd, Bandar Bukit Beruntung, 48300, Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA.
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Rynkiewicz P, Babbitt GA, Cui F, Hudson AO, Lynch ML. Functional binding dynamics relevant to the evolution of zoonotic spillovers in endemic and emergent Betacoronavirus strains. bioRxiv 2021:2020.09.11.293258. [PMID: 33501438 PMCID: PMC7836108 DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.11.293258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Comparative functional analysis of the dynamic interactions between various Betacoronavirus mutant strains and broadly utilized target proteins such as ACE2 and CD26, is crucial for a more complete understanding of zoonotic spillovers of viruses that cause diseases such as COVID-19. Here, we employ machine learning to replicated sets of nanosecond scale GPU accelerated molecular dynamics simulations to statistically compare and classify atom motions of these target proteins in both the presence and absence of different endemic and emergent strains of the viral receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S spike glycoprotein. Machine learning was used to identify functional binding dynamics that are evolutionarily conserved from bat CoV-HKU4 to human endemic/emergent strains. Conserved dynamics regions of ACE2 involve both the N-terminal helices, as well as a region of more transient dynamics encompassing K353, Q325 and a novel motif AAQPFLL 386-92 that appears to coordinate their dynamic interactions with the viral RBD at N501. We also demonstrate that the functional evolution of Betacoronavirus zoonotic spillovers involving ACE2 interaction dynamics are likely pre-adapted from two precise and stable binding sites involving the viral bat progenitor strain's interaction with CD26 at SAMLI 291-5 and SS 333-334. Our analyses further indicate that the human endemic strains hCoV-HKU1 and hCoV-OC43 have evolved more stable N-terminal helix interactions through enhancement of an interfacing loop region on the viral RBD, whereas the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants (B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1) have evolved more stable viral binding via more focused interactions between the viral N501 and ACE2 K353 alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Rynkiewicz
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Gregory A. Babbitt
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Feng Cui
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Miranda L. Lynch
- Hauptmann-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo NY, USA 14203
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Parthasarathy A, Borrego EJ, Savka MA, Dobson RCJ, Hudson AO. Amino acid-derived defense metabolites from plants: A potential source to facilitate novel antimicrobial development. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100438. [PMID: 33610552 PMCID: PMC8024917 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
For millennia, humanity has relied on plants for its medicines, and modern pharmacology continues to reexamine and mine plant metabolites for novel compounds and to guide improvements in biological activity, bioavailability, and chemical stability. The critical problem of antibiotic resistance and increasing exposure to viral and parasitic diseases has spurred renewed interest into drug treatments for infectious diseases. In this context, an urgent revival of natural product discovery is globally underway with special attention directed toward the numerous and chemically diverse plant defensive compounds such as phytoalexins and phytoanticipins that combat herbivores, microbial pathogens, or competing plants. Moreover, advancements in “omics,” chemistry, and heterologous expression systems have facilitated the purification and characterization of plant metabolites and the identification of possible therapeutic targets. In this review, we describe several important amino acid–derived classes of plant defensive compounds, including antimicrobial peptides (e.g., defensins, thionins, and knottins), alkaloids, nonproteogenic amino acids, and phenylpropanoids as potential drug leads, examining their mechanisms of action, therapeutic targets, and structure–function relationships. Given their potent antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral properties, which can be superior to existing drugs, phytoalexins and phytoanticipins are an excellent resource to facilitate the rational design and development of antimicrobial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Eli J Borrego
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - André O Hudson
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, New York, USA.
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Thomas SG, Abajorga M, Glover MA, Wengert PC, Parthasarathy A, Savka MA, Wadsworth CB, Shipman PA, Hudson AO. Aeromonas hydrophila RIT668 and Citrobacter portucalensis RIT669-Potential Zoonotic Pathogens Isolated from Spotted Turtles. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8111805. [PMID: 33212916 PMCID: PMC7698337 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8111805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century, and biofilm formation enables bacteria to resist antibiotic at much higher concentrations than planktonic cells. Earlier, we showed that the Gram-negative Aeromonas hydrophila RIT668 and Citrobacter portucalensis RIT669 (closely related to C. freundii NBRC 12681) from infected spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata), formed biofilms and upregulated toxin expression on plastic surfaces, and were predicted to possess multiple antibiotic resistance genes. Here, we show that they each resist several antibiotics in the planktonic phase, but were susceptible to neomycin, and high concentrations of tetracycline and cotrimoxazole. The susceptibility of their biofilms to neomycin and cotrimoxazole was tested using the Calgary device. For A. hydrophila, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 500-1000, and the minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) > 1000 μg/mL, using cotrimoxazole, and MIC = 32.3-62.5, and MBEC > 1000 μg/mL, using neomycin. For C. freundii MIC = 7.8-15.6, and, MBEC > 1000 μg/mL, using cotrimoxazole, and MIC = 7.8, and MBEC > 1000 μg/mL, using neomycin. Both A. hydrophila and C. portucalensis activated an acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) dependent biosensor, suggesting that quorum sensing could mediate biofilm formation. Their multidrug resistance in the planktonic form, and weak biofilm eradication even with neomycin and cotrimoxazole, indicate that A. hydrophila and C. portucalensis are potential zoonotic pathogens, with risks for patients living with implants.
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Babbitt GA, Lynch ML, McCoy M, Fokoue EP, Hudson AO. Function and evolution of B-Raf loop dynamics relevant to cancer recurrence under drug inhibition. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020; 40:468-483. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1815578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A. Babbitt
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Miranda L. Lynch
- Hauptmann-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Matthew McCoy
- Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ernest P. Fokoue
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
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Adegbaju MS, Morenikeji OB, Borrego EJ, Hudson AO, Thomas BN. Differential Evolution of α-Glucan Water Dikinase (GWD) in Plants. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9091101. [PMID: 32867090 PMCID: PMC7569903 DOI: 10.3390/plants9091101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The alpha-glucan water dikinase (GWD) enzyme catalyzes starch phosphorylation, an integral step in transitory starch degradation. The high phosphate content in stored starch has great industrial value, due to its physio–chemical properties making it more versatile, although the phosphate content of stored starch varies depending on the botanical source. In this study, we used various computational approaches to gain insights into the evolution of the GWD protein in 48 plant species with possible roles in enzyme function and alteration of phosphate content in their stored starch. Our analyses identified deleterious mutations, particularly in the highly conserved 5 aromatic amino acid residues in the dual tandem carbohydrate binding modules (CBM-45) of GWD protein in C. zofingiensis, G. hirsutum, A. protothecoides, P. miliaceum, and C. reinhardtii. These findings will inform experimental designs for simultaneous repression of genes coding for GWD and the predicted interacting proteins to elucidate the role this enzyme plays in starch degradation. Our results reveal significant diversity in the evolution of GWD enzyme across plant species, which may be evolutionarily advantageous according to the varying needs for phosphorylated stored starch between plants and environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muyiwa S. Adegbaju
- Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa;
| | - Olanrewaju B. Morenikeji
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Science and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA;
- Department of Biology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY 14623, USA
| | - Eli J. Borrego
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA; (E.J.B.); (A.O.H.)
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA; (E.J.B.); (A.O.H.)
| | - Bolaji N. Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Science and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(585)-475-6382; Fax: +1-(585)-475-5809
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18
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Weatherhead AW, Crowther JM, Horne CR, Meng Y, Coombes D, Currie MJ, Watkin SAJ, Adams LE, Parthasarathy A, Dobson RCJ, Hudson AO. Structure-Function Studies of the Antibiotic Target l,l-Diaminopimelate Aminotransferase from Verrucomicrobium spinosum Reveal an Unusual Oligomeric Structure. Biochemistry 2020; 59:2274-2288. [PMID: 32478518 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
While humans lack the biosynthetic pathways for meso-diaminopimelate and l-lysine, they are essential for bacterial survival and are therefore attractive targets for antibiotics. It was recently discovered that members of the Chlamydia family utilize a rare aminotransferase route of the l-lysine biosynthetic pathway, thus offering a new enzymatic drug target. Here we characterize diaminopimelate aminotransferase from Verrucomicrobium spinosum (VsDapL), a nonpathogenic model bacterium for Chlamydia trachomatis. Complementation experiments verify that the V. spinosum dapL gene encodes a bona fide diaminopimelate aminotransferase, because the gene rescues an Escherichia coli strain that is auxotrophic for meso-diaminopimelate. Kinetic studies show that VsDapL follows a Michaelis-Menten mechanism, with a KMapp of 4.0 mM toward its substrate l,l-diaminopimelate. The kcat (0.46 s-1) and the kcat/KM (115 s-1 M-1) are somewhat lower than values for other diaminopimelate aminotransferases. Moreover, whereas other studied DapL orthologs are dimeric, sedimentation velocity experiments demonstrate that VsDapL exists in a monomer-dimer self-association, with a KD2-1 of 7.4 μM. The 2.25 Å resolution crystal structure presents the canonical dimer of chalice-shaped monomers, and small-angle X-ray scattering experiments confirm the dimer in solution. Sequence and structural alignments reveal that active site residues important for activity are conserved in VsDapL, despite the lower activity compared to those of other DapL homologues. Although the dimer interface buries 18% of the total surface area, several loops that contribute to the interface and active site, notably the L1, L2, and L5 loops, are highly mobile, perhaps explaining the unstable dimer and lower catalytic activity. Our kinetic, biophysical, and structural characterization can be used to inform the development of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony W Weatherhead
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Jennifer M Crowther
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Christopher R Horne
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Yanxiang Meng
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - David Coombes
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Michael J Currie
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Serena A J Watkin
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Lily E Adams
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623-5603, United States
| | - Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623-5603, United States
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, P.O. Box 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.,Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623-5603, United States
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Adams LE, Rynkiewicz P, Babbitt GA, Mortensen JS, North RA, Dobson RCJ, Hudson AO. Comparative Molecular Dynamics Simulations Provide Insight Into Antibiotic Interactions: A Case Study Using the Enzyme L,L-Diaminopimelate Aminotransferase (DapL). Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:46. [PMID: 32274387 PMCID: PMC7113581 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase (DapL) pathway, a recently discovered variant of the lysine biosynthetic pathway, is an attractive pipeline to identify targets for the development of novel antibiotic compounds. DapL is a homodimer that catalyzes the conversion of tetrahydrodipicolinate to L,L-diaminopimelate in a single transamination reaction. The penultimate and ultimate products of the lysine biosynthesis pathway, meso-diaminopimelate and lysine, are key components of the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial peptidoglycan cell wall. Humans are not able to synthesize lysine, and DapL has been identified in 13% of bacteria whose genomes have been sequenced and annotated to date, thus it is an attractive target for the development of narrow spectrum antibiotics through the prevention of both lysine biosynthesis and peptidoglycan crosslinking. To address the common lack of structural information when conducting compound screening experiments and provide support for the use of modeled structures, our analyses utilized inferred structures from related homologous enzymes. Using a comprehensive and comparative molecular dynamics (MD) software package-DROIDS (Detecting Relative Outlier Impacts in Dynamic Simulations) 2.0, we investigated the binding dynamics of four previously identified antagonistic ligands of DapL from Verrucomicrobium spinosum, a non-pathogenic relative of Chlamydia trachomatis. Here, we present putative docking positions of the four ligands and provide confirmatory comparative molecular dynamics simulations supporting the conformations. The simulations performed in this study can be applied to evaluate putative targets to predict compound effectiveness prior to in vivo and in vitro experimentation. Moreover, this approach has the potential to streamline the process of antibiotic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily E. Adams
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Patrick Rynkiewicz
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Gregory A. Babbitt
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Jamie S. Mortensen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Rachel A. North
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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Gan HM, Wengert P, Barton HA, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Insight into the resistome and quorum sensing system of a divergent Acinetobacter pittii isolate from an untouched site of the Lechuguilla Cave. Access Microbiol 2020; 2:acmi000089. [PMID: 34568753 PMCID: PMC8459101 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter are Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the sub-phyla Gammaproteobacteria, commonly associated with soils, animal feeds and water. Some members of the Acinetobacter have been implicated in hospital-acquired infections, with broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance. Here we report the whole-genome sequence of LC510, an Acinetobacter species isolated from deep within a pristine location of the Lechuguilla Cave. Pairwise nucleotide comparison to three type strains within the genus Acinetobacter assigned LC510 as an Acinetobacter pittii isolate. Scanning of the LC510 genome identified two genes coding for b-lactamase resistance, despite the fact that LC510 was isolated from a portion of the cave not previously visited by humans and protected from anthropogenic input. The ability to produce acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signal in culture medium, an observation that is consistent with the identification of the luxI and luxR homologues in its genome, suggests that cell-to-cell communication remains important in an isolated cave ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Victoria, Australia.,Deakin Genomics Centre, Deakin University, Geelong 3220, Victoria, Australia.,School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Peter Wengert
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Hazel A Barton
- Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
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Parthasarathy A, Adams LE, Savka FC, Hudson AO. The Arabidopsis thaliana gene annotated by the locus tag At3g08860 encodes alanine aminotransferase. Plant Direct 2019; 3:e00171. [PMID: 31549019 PMCID: PMC6750192 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
The aminotransferase gene family in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana consists of 44 genes, eight of which are suggested to be alanine aminotransferases. One of the putative alanine aminotransferases genes, At3g08860, was attributed the function of alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase/β-alanine:pyruvate aminotransferase based on the analysis of gene expression networks and homology to other β-alanine aminotransferases in plants. It was earlier demonstrated that At3g08860 is specifically upregulated in response to osmotic stress, but not other stresses (β-alanine is an osmoprotectant in plants). Furthermore, it was shown that the expression of At3g08860 is highly coordinated with the genes of the uracil degradation pathway leading to the non-proteinogenic amino acid β-alanine. These evidence were suggestive of the involvement of At3g08860 in β-alanine metabolism. However, direct experimental evidence for the function of At3g08860 was lacking, and therefore, the goal of this study was to elucidate the function of the uncharacterized aminotransferase annotated by the locus tag At3g08860. The cDNA of At3g08860 was demonstrated to functionally complement two E. coli mutants auxotrophic for the amino acids, L-alanine (proteinogenic) and β-alanine (non-proteinogenic). Enzyme activity using purified recombinant At3g08860 further demonstrated that the enzyme is endowed with L-alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lily E. Adams
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life SciencesRochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
| | - Francisco C. Savka
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life SciencesRochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
| | - André O. Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life SciencesRochester Institute of TechnologyRochesterNYUSA
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Morenikeji OB, Hawkes ME, Hudson AO, Thomas BN. Computational Network Analysis Identifies Evolutionarily Conserved miRNA Gene Interactions Potentially Regulating Immune Response in Bovine Trypanosomosis. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2010. [PMID: 31555241 PMCID: PMC6722470 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bovine trypanosomosis is a devastating disease that causes huge economic loss to the global cattle industry on a yearly basis. Selection of accurate biomarkers are important in early disease diagnosis and treatment. Of late, micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are becoming the most useful biomarkers for both infectious and non-infectious diseases in humans, but this is not the case in animals. miRNAs are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression through binding to the 3'-, 5'-untranslated regions (UTR) or coding sequence (CDS) region of one or more target genes. The molecular identification of miRNAs that regulates the expression of immune genes responding to bovine trypanosomosis is poorly defined, as is the possibility that these miRNAs could serve as potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment currently unknown. To this end, we utilized in silico tools to elucidate conserved miRNAs regulating immune response genes during infection, in addition to cataloging significant genes. Based on the p value of 1.77E-32, we selected 25 significantly expressed immune genes. Using prediction analysis, we identified a total of 4,251 bovine miRNAs targeting these selected genes across the 3'UTR, 5'UTR and CDS regions. Thereafter, we identified candidate miRNAs based on the number of gene targets and their abundance at the three regions. In all, we found the top 13 miRNAs that are significantly conserved targeting 7 innate immune response genes, including bta-mir-2460, bta-mir-193a, bta-mir-2316, and bta-mir-2456. Our gene ontology analysis suggests that these miRNAs are involved in gene silencing, cellular protein modification process, RNA-induced silencing complex, regulation of humoral immune response mediated by circulating immunoglobulin and negative regulation of chronic inflammatory response, among others. In conclusion, this study identifies specific miRNAs that may be involved in the regulation of gene expression during bovine trypanosomosis. These miRNAs have the potential to be used as biomarkers in the animal and veterinary research community to facilitate the development of tools for early disease diagnosis/detection, drug targeting, and the rational design of drugs to facilitate disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olanrewaju B. Morenikeji
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Megan E. Hawkes
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Bolaji N. Thomas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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Gan HM, Szegedi E, Fersi R, Chebil S, Kovács L, Kawaguchi A, Hudson AO, Burr TJ, Savka MA. Insight Into the Microbial Co-occurrence and Diversity of 73 Grapevine ( Vitis vinifera) Crown Galls Collected Across the Northern Hemisphere. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1896. [PMID: 31456792 PMCID: PMC6700373 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Crown gall (CG) is a globally distributed and economically important disease of grapevine and other important crop plants. The causal agent of CG is Agrobacterium or Allorhizobium strains that harbor a tumor-inducing plasmid (pTi). The microbial community within the CG tumor has not been widely elucidated and it is not known if certain members of this microbial community promote or inhibit CG. This study investigated the microbiotas of grapevine CG tumor tissues from seven infected vineyards located in Hungary, Japan, Tunisia, and the United States. Heavy co-amplification of grapevine chloroplast and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA genes was observed with the widely used Illumina V3-V4 16S rRNA gene primers, requiring the design of a new reverse primer to enrich for bacterial 16S rRNA from CG tumors. The operational taxonomic unit (OTU) clustering approach is not suitable for CG microbiota analysis as it collapsed several ecologically distinct Agrobacterium species into a single OTU due to low interspecies genetic divergence. The CG microbial community assemblages were significantly different across sampling sites (ANOSIM global R = 0.63, p-value = 0.001) with evidence of site-specific differentially abundant ASVs. The presence of Allorhizobium vitis in the CG microbiota is almost always accompanied by Xanthomonas and Novosphingobium, the latter may promote the spread of pTi plasmid by way of acyl-homoserine lactone signal production, whereas the former may take advantage of the presence of substrates associated with plant cell wall growth and repair. The technical and biological insights gained from this study will contribute to the understanding of complex interaction between the grapevine and its microbial community and may facilitate better management of CG disease in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- Deakin Genomics Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Ernõ Szegedi
- National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre, Research Institute for Viticulture and Enology, Kecskemét, Hungary
| | - Rabeb Fersi
- Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cédria, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - Samir Chebil
- Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Center of Biotechnology of Borj Cédria, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
| | - László Kovács
- Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, United States
| | - Akira Kawaguchi
- Western Region Agricultural Research Center, National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, Fukuyama, Japan
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Thomas J. Burr
- Section of Plant Pathology, School of Integrative Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Michael A. Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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Parthasarathy A, Savka MA, Hudson AO. The Synthesis and Role of β-Alanine in Plants. Front Plant Sci 2019; 10:921. [PMID: 31379903 PMCID: PMC6657504 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Most studies on amino acids are focused on the proteinogenic amino acids given their essential roles in protein synthesis among other pathways. In addition to 20 ubiquitous amino acids used in protein synthesis, plants synthesize over 250 non-proteinogenic amino acids that are involved in the synthesis of compounds that are anti-herbivory, anti-microbial, response to abiotic stresses, nitrogen storage, toxins against both vertebrates/invertebrates, and plant hormones among others. One such non-proteinogenic acid is β-alanine, which is known mainly for studies on humans. β-Alanine forms a part of pantothenate (vitamin B5), which is incorporated into the universal carbon shuttling compounds Coenzyme A and acyl carrier protein, in all organisms including plants. The focus of this review, however, is on the biosynthesis, metabolism, and the role of β-alanine in plants. There are several functions of β-alanine unique to plants. It is accumulated as a generic stress response molecule involved in protecting plants from temperature extremes, hypoxia, drought, heavy metal shock, and some biotic stresses. There is evidence of its participation in lignin biosynthesis and ethylene production in some species. It is further converted to the osmoprotective compound β-alanine betaine in some species and converted to the antioxidant homoglutathione in others. The polyamines spermine/spermidine, propionate and uracil have been shown to be precursors of β-alanine in plants. However, plants vary in terms of their biosynthetic pathways, and the primary metabolism of β-alanine is far from settled.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - André O. Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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25
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Parthasarathy A, Wong NH, Burns ND, Aziz-Dickerson AH, Dweh J, Buchanan D, Savka MA, Hudson AO. Isolation, Whole-Genome Sequencing, and Annotation of Yimella sp. RIT 621, a Strain That Produces Antibiotic Compounds against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Bacillus subtilis BGSC 168. Microbiol Resour Announc 2019; 8:e00329-19. [PMID: 31023801 PMCID: PMC6486258 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00329-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the isolation, identification, whole-genome sequencing, and annotation of the bacterium Yimella sp. strain RIT 621. Concentrated spent medium extract treated with ethyl acetate was found to produce bactericidal compounds against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis BGSC 168 and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli ATCC 25922.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Narayan H Wong
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Nicolas D Burns
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
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26
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Crowther JM, Cross PJ, Oliver MR, Leeman MM, Bartl AJ, Weatherhead AW, North RA, Donovan KA, Griffin MDW, Suzuki H, Hudson AO, Kasanmascheff M, Dobson RCJ. Structure-function analyses of two plant meso-diaminopimelate decarboxylase isoforms reveal that active-site gating provides stereochemical control. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:8505-8515. [PMID: 30962284 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
meso-Diaminopimelate decarboxylase catalyzes the decarboxylation of meso-diaminopimelate, the final reaction in the diaminopimelate l-lysine biosynthetic pathway. It is the only known pyridoxal-5-phosphate-dependent decarboxylase that catalyzes the removal of a carboxyl group from a d-stereocenter. Currently, only prokaryotic orthologs have been kinetically and structurally characterized. Here, using complementation and kinetic analyses of enzymes recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, we have functionally tested two putative eukaryotic meso-diaminopimelate decarboxylase isoforms from the plant species Arabidopsis thaliana We confirm they are both functional meso-diaminopimelate decarboxylases, although with lower activities than those previously reported for bacterial orthologs. We also report in-depth X-ray crystallographic structural analyses of each isoform at 1.9 and 2.4 Å resolution. We have captured the enzyme structure of one isoform in an asymmetric configuration, with one ligand-bound monomer and the other in an apo-form. Analytical ultracentrifugation and small-angle X-ray scattering solution studies reveal that A. thaliana meso-diaminopimelate decarboxylase adopts a homodimeric assembly. On the basis of our structural analyses, we suggest a mechanism whereby molecular interactions within the active site transduce conformational changes to the active-site loop. These conformational differences are likely to influence catalytic activity in a way that could allow for d-stereocenter selectivity of the substrate meso-diaminopimelate to facilitate the synthesis of l-lysine. In summary, the A. thaliana gene loci At3g14390 and At5g11880 encode functional. meso-diaminopimelate decarboxylase enzymes whose structures provide clues to the stereochemical control of the decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by these eukaryotic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Crowther
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Penelope J Cross
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Michael R Oliver
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Mary M Leeman
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York 14623
| | - Austin J Bartl
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York 14623
| | - Anthony W Weatherhead
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Rachel A North
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
| | - Michael D W Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Hironori Suzuki
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York 14623.
| | - Müge Kasanmascheff
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Technical University of Dortmund, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
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27
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Parthasarathy A, Wong NH, Weiss AN, Tian S, Ali SE, Cavanaugh NT, Chinsky TM, Cramer CE, Gupta A, Jha R, Johnson LK, Tuason ED, Klafehn LM, Krishnadas V, Musich RJ, Pfaff JM, Richman SC, Shumway AJ, Hudson AO. SELfies and CELLfies: Whole Genome Sequencing and Annotation of Five Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Isolated from the Surfaces of Smartphones, An Inquiry Based Laboratory Exercise in a Genomics Undergraduate Course at the Rochester Institute of Technology. J Genomics 2019; 7:26-30. [PMID: 30820259 PMCID: PMC6389494 DOI: 10.7150/jgen.31911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Are touchscreen devices a public health risk for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria, especially those that are resistant to antibiotics? To investigate this, we embarked on a project aimed at isolating and identifying bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics from the screens of smartphones. Touchscreen devices have become ubiquitous in society, and it is important to evaluate the potential risks they pose towards public health, especially as it pertains to the harboring and transmission of pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Sixteen bacteria were initially isolated of which five were unique (four Staphylococcus species and one Micrococcus species). The genomes of the five unique isolates were subsequently sequenced and annotated. The genomes were analyzed using in silico tools to predict the synthesis of antibiotics and secondary metabolites using the antibiotics and Secondary Metabolite Analysis SHell (antiSMASH) tool in addition to the presence of gene clusters that denote resistance to antibiotics using the Resistance Gene Identifier (RGI) tool. In vivo analysis was also done to assess resistance/susceptibility to four antibiotics that are commonly used in a research laboratory setting. The data presented in this manuscript is the result of a semester-long inquiry based laboratory exercise in the genomics course (BIOL340) in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences/College of Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Narayan H Wong
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Amanda N Weiss
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Susan Tian
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Sara E Ali
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Nicole T Cavanaugh
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Tyler M Chinsky
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Chelsea E Cramer
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Aditya Gupta
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Rakshanda Jha
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Loryn K Johnson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth D Tuason
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Lauren M Klafehn
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Varada Krishnadas
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Ryan J Musich
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Jennifer M Pfaff
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Spencer C Richman
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Alexandria J Shumway
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
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Parthasarathy A, Tyler AC, Hoffman MJ, Savka MA, Hudson AO. Is Plastic Pollution in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments a Driver for the Transmission of Pathogens and the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance? Environ Sci Technol 2019; 53:1744-1745. [PMID: 30702278 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b07287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences , Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester New York United States
| | - Anna Christina Tyler
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences , Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester New York United States
| | - Matthew J Hoffman
- The School of Mathematical Sciences , Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester New York United States
| | - Michael A Savka
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences , Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester New York United States
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29
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Mantravadi PK, Kalesh KA, Dobson RCJ, Hudson AO, Parthasarathy A. The Quest for Novel Antimicrobial Compounds: Emerging Trends in Research, Development, and Technologies. Antibiotics (Basel) 2019; 8:E8. [PMID: 30682820 PMCID: PMC6466574 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics8010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic antibiotic resistant bacteria pose one of the most important health challenges of the 21st century. The overuse and abuse of antibiotics coupled with the natural evolutionary processes of bacteria has led to this crisis. Only incremental advances in antibiotic development have occurred over the last 30 years. Novel classes of molecules, such as engineered antibodies, antibiotic enhancers, siderophore conjugates, engineered phages, photo-switchable antibiotics, and genome editing facilitated by the CRISPR/Cas system, are providing new avenues to facilitate the development of antimicrobial therapies. The informatics revolution is transforming research and development efforts to discover novel antibiotics. The explosion of nanotechnology and micro-engineering is driving the invention of antimicrobial materials, enabling the cultivation of "uncultivable" microbes and creating specific and rapid diagnostic technologies. Finally, a revival in the ecological aspects of microbial disease management, the growth of prebiotics, and integrated management based on the "One Health" model, provide additional avenues to manage this health crisis. These, and future scientific and technological developments, must be coupled and aligned with sound policy and public awareness to address the risks posed by rising antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800 Christchurch, New Zealand.
| | - André O Hudson
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, 85 Lomb Memorial Dr, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.
| | - Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, 85 Lomb Memorial Dr, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.
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30
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Parthasarathy A, Gan HM, Wong NH, Savka MA, Steiner KK, Henry KR, Hudson AO. Isolation and genomic characterization of six endophytic bacteria isolated from Saccharum sp (sugarcane): Insights into antibiotic, secondary metabolite and quorum sensing metabolism. J Genomics 2018; 6:117-121. [PMID: 30310525 PMCID: PMC6170322 DOI: 10.7150/jgen.28335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Six endophytic bacteria were isolated from Saccharum sp (sugarcane) grown in the parish of Westmoreland on the island of Jamaica located in the West Indies. Whole genome sequence and annotation of the six bacteria show that three were from the genus Pseudomonas and the other three were from the genera Pantoea, Pseudocitrobacter, and Enterobacter. A scan of each genome using the antibiotics and secondary metabolite analysis shell (antiSMASH4.0) webserver showed evidence that the bacteria were able to produce a variety of secondary metabolites. In addition, we were able to show that one of the organisms, Enterobacter sp RIT418 produces N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), which is indicative of cell-cell communication via quorum sensing (QS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Narayan H Wong
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - KayLee K Steiner
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - Kurtis R Henry
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA
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31
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Parthasarathy A, Cross PJ, Dobson RCJ, Adams LE, Savka MA, Hudson AO. A Three-Ring Circus: Metabolism of the Three Proteogenic Aromatic Amino Acids and Their Role in the Health of Plants and Animals. Front Mol Biosci 2018; 5:29. [PMID: 29682508 PMCID: PMC5897657 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2018.00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan are the three aromatic amino acids (AAA) involved in protein synthesis. These amino acids and their metabolism are linked to the synthesis of a variety of secondary metabolites, a subset of which are involved in numerous anabolic pathways responsible for the synthesis of pigment compounds, plant hormones and biological polymers, to name a few. In addition, these metabolites derived from the AAA pathways mediate the transmission of nervous signals, quench reactive oxygen species in the brain, and are involved in the vast palette of animal coloration among others pathways. The AAA and metabolites derived from them also have integral roles in the health of both plants and animals. This review delineates the de novo biosynthesis of the AAA by microbes and plants, and the branching out of AAA metabolism into major secondary metabolic pathways in plants such as the phenylpropanoid pathway. Organisms that do not possess the enzymatic machinery for the de novo synthesis of AAA must obtain these primary metabolites from their diet. Therefore, the metabolism of AAA by the host animal and the resident microflora are important for the health of all animals. In addition, the AAA metabolite-mediated host-pathogen interactions in general, as well as potential beneficial and harmful AAA-derived compounds produced by gut bacteria are discussed. Apart from the AAA biosynthetic pathways in plants and microbes such as the shikimate pathway and the tryptophan pathway, this review also deals with AAA catabolism in plants, AAA degradation via the monoamine and kynurenine pathways in animals, and AAA catabolism via the 3-aryllactate and kynurenine pathways in animal-associated microbes. Emphasis will be placed on structural and functional aspects of several key AAA-related enzymes, such as shikimate synthase, chorismate mutase, anthranilate synthase, tryptophan synthase, tyrosine aminotransferase, dopachrome tautomerase, radical dehydratase, and type III CoA-transferase. The past development and current potential for interventions including the development of herbicides and antibiotics that target key enzymes in AAA-related pathways, as well as AAA-linked secondary metabolism leading to antimicrobials are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Penelope J. Cross
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lily E. Adams
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Michael A. Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States
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32
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Gan HM, Thomas BN, Cavanaugh NT, Morales GH, Mayers AN, Savka MA, Hudson AO. Whole genome sequencing of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa isolated from the chewing stick ( Distemonanthus benthamianus): insights into Rhodotorula phylogeny, mitogenome dynamics and carotenoid biosynthesis. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4030. [PMID: 29158974 PMCID: PMC5691792 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [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: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In industry, the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa is commonly used for the production of carotenoids. The production of carotenoids is important because they are used as natural colorants in food and some carotenoids are precursors of retinol (vitamin A). However, the identification and molecular characterization of the carotenoid pathway/s in species belonging to the genus Rhodotorula is scarce due to the lack of genomic information thus potentially impeding effective metabolic engineering of these yeast strains for improved carotenoid production. In this study, we report the isolation, identification, characterization and the whole nuclear genome and mitogenome sequence of the endophyte R. mucilaginosa RIT389 isolated from Distemonanthus benthamianus, a plant known for its anti-fungal and antibacterial properties and commonly used as chewing sticks. The assembled genome of R. mucilaginosa RIT389 is 19 Mbp in length with an estimated genomic heterozygosity of 9.29%. Whole genome phylogeny supports the species designation of strain RIT389 within the genus in addition to supporting the monophyly of the currently sequenced Rhodotorula species. Further, we report for the first time, the recovery of the complete mitochondrial genome of R. mucilaginosa using the genome skimming approach. The assembled mitogenome is at least 7,000 bases larger than that of Rhodotorula taiwanensis which is largely attributed to the presence of large intronic regions containing open reading frames coding for homing endonuclease from the LAGLIDADG and GIY-YIG families. Furthermore, genomic regions containing the key genes for carotenoid production were identified in R. mucilaginosa RIT389, revealing differences in gene synteny that may play a role in the regulation of the biotechnologically important carotenoid synthesis pathways in yeasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology-School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.,Genomics Facility, Monash University, Selangor, Malaysia.,School of Science, Monash University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Bolaji N Thomas
- College of Health Science and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Nicole T Cavanaugh
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Grace H Morales
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ashley N Mayers
- College of Health Science and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
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33
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Kumar HKS, Gan HM, Tan MH, Eng WWH, Barton HA, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Genomic characterization of eight Ensifer strains isolated from pristine caves and a whole genome phylogeny of Ensifer (Sinorhizobium). J Genomics 2017; 5:12-15. [PMID: 28138345 PMCID: PMC5278652 DOI: 10.7150/jgen.17863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A total of eight Ensifer sp. strains were isolated from two pristine cave environments. One strain was isolated from a cave water pool located in the Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, USA and the remaining seven strains were isolated from Lechuguilla Cave of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA. Whole genome sequencing and comparative genomic analyses of the eight isolates compared to various type strains from the genera Ensifer and Sinorhizobium demonstrates that although members in these genera can be phylogenetically separated into two distinct clades, the percentage of conserved proteins (POCP) between various type strains from Ensifer and Sinorhizobium are consistently higher than 50%, providing strong genomic evidence to support the classification of the genera Ensifer and Sinorhizobium into a single genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heerman Kumar Sandra Kumar
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.; Genomics Facility, Tropical Medicine and Biology Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Han Ming Gan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.; Genomics Facility, Tropical Medicine and Biology Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mun Hua Tan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.; Genomics Facility, Tropical Medicine and Biology Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wilhelm Wei Han Eng
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.; Genomics Facility, Tropical Medicine and Biology Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hazel A Barton
- Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
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Abstract
Enzymes are usually comprised of multiple subunits and more often than not they are made up of identical subunits. In this review we examine lysine biosynthesis and focus on the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate synthase in terms of its structure, function and the evolution of its varied number of subunits (quaternary structure). Dihydrodipicolinate synthase is the first committed step in the biosynthesis of lysine, which occurs naturally in plants, bacteria, archaea and fungi, but is not synthesized in mammals. In bacteria, there have been four separate pathways identified from tetrahydrodipicolinate to meso-diaminopimelate, which is the immediate precursor to lysine. Dihydrodipicolinate synthases from many bacterial and plant species have been structurally characterised and the results show considerable variability with respect to their quaternary structure, hinting at their evolution. The oligomeric state of the enzyme plays a key role, both in catalysis and in the allosteric regulation of the enzyme by lysine. While most bacteria and plants have tetrameric enzymes, where the structure of the dimeric building blocks is conserved, the arrangement of the dimers differs. We also review a key development in the field, namely the discovery of a human dihydrodipicolinate synthase-like enzyme, now known as 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate aldolase . This discovery complicates the rationale underpinning drug development against bacterial dihydrodipicolinate synthases, since genetic errors in 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate aldolase cause the disease Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 3 and therefore compounds that are geared towards the inhibition of bacterial dihydrodipicolinate synthase may be toxic to mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Grant Pearce
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, 8041, New Zealand
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Kerry Loomes
- School of Biological Sciences & Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, 8041, New Zealand.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
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Cala AR, Nadeau MT, Abendroth J, Staker BL, Reers AR, Weatherhead AW, Dobson RCJ, Myler PJ, Hudson AO. The crystal structure of dihydrodipicolinate reductase from the human-pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae strain Houston-1 at 2.3 Å resolution. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2016; 72:885-891. [PMID: 27917836 PMCID: PMC5137465 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x16018525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 09/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, the second committed step in the diaminopimelate/lysine anabolic pathways is catalyzed by the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DapB). DapB catalyzes the reduction of dihydrodipicolinate to yield tetrahydrodipicolinate. Here, the cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of DapB from the human-pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae, the causative bacterium of cat-scratch disease, are reported. Protein crystals were grown in conditions consisting of 5%(w/v) PEG 4000, 200 mM sodium acetate, 100 mM sodium citrate tribasic pH 5.5 and were shown to diffract to ∼2.3 Å resolution. They belonged to space group P4322, with unit-cell parameters a = 109.38, b = 109.38, c = 176.95 Å. Rr.i.m. was 0.11, Rwork was 0.177 and Rfree was 0.208. The three-dimensional structural features of the enzymes show that DapB from B. henselae is a tetramer consisting of four identical polypeptides. In addition, the substrate NADP+ was found to be bound to one monomer, which resulted in a closed conformational change in the N-terminal domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali R. Cala
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
| | - Maria T. Nadeau
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
| | - Jan Abendroth
- Beryllium Discovery Inc., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, USA
| | - Bart L. Staker
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Alexandra R. Reers
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Anthony W. Weatherhead
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Peter J. Myler
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Health Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
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Thomas JA, Benítez Quintana AD, Bosch MA, Coll De Peña A, Aguilera E, Coulibaly A, Wu W, Osier MV, Hudson AO, Weintraub ST, Black LW. Identification of Essential Genes in the Salmonella Phage SPN3US Reveals Novel Insights into Giant Phage Head Structure and Assembly. J Virol 2016; 90:10284-10298. [PMID: 27605673 PMCID: PMC5105663 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01492-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Giant tailed bacterial viruses, or phages, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage ϕKZ, have long genomes packaged into large, atypical virions. Many aspects of ϕKZ and related phage biology are poorly understood, mostly due to the fact that the functions of the majority of their proteins are unknown. We hypothesized that the Salmonella enterica phage SPN3US could be a useful model phage to address this gap in knowledge. The 240-kb SPN3US genome shares a core set of 91 genes with ϕKZ and related phages, ∼61 of which are virion genes, consistent with the expectation that virion complexity is an ancient, conserved feature. Nucleotide sequencing of 18 mutants enabled assignment of 13 genes as essential, information which could not have been determined by sequence-based searches for 11 genes. Proteome analyses of two SPN3US virion protein mutants with knockouts in 64 and 241 provided new insight into the composition and assembly of giant phage heads. The 64 mutant analyses revealed all the genetic determinants required for assembly of the SPN3US head and a likely head-tail joining role for gp64, and its homologs in related phages, due to the tailless-particle phenotype produced. Analyses of the mutation in 241, which encodes an RNA polymerase β subunit, revealed that without this subunit, no other subunits are assembled into the head, and enabled identification of a "missing" β' subunit domain. These findings support SPN3US as an excellent model for giant phage research, laying the groundwork for future analyses of their highly unusual virions, host interactions, and evolution. IMPORTANCE In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in virology with the realization that extremely large viruses infecting prokaryotes (giant phages) can be found in many environments. A group of phages related to the prototype giant phage ϕKZ are of great interest due to their virions being among the most complex of prokaryotic viruses and their potential for biocontrol and phage therapy applications. Our understanding of the biology of these phages is limited, as a large proportion of their proteins have not been characterized and/or have been deemed putative without any experimental verification. In this study, we analyzed Salmonella phage SPN3US using a combination of genomics, genetics, and proteomics and in doing so revealed new information regarding giant phage head structure and assembly and virion RNA polymerase composition. Our findings demonstrate the suitability of SPN3US as a model phage for the growing group of phages related to ϕKZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Thomas
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | | | - Martine A Bosch
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Adriana Coll De Peña
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Elizabeth Aguilera
- Natural and Physical Sciences, Baltimore City Community College, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Assitan Coulibaly
- Natural and Physical Sciences, Baltimore City Community College, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Weimin Wu
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael V Osier
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Susan T Weintraub
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Lindsay W Black
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Gan HM, Dailey LK, Halliday N, Williams P, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Genome sequencing-assisted identification and the first functional validation of N-acyl-homoserine-lactone synthases from the Sphingomonadaceae family. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2332. [PMID: 27635318 PMCID: PMC5012321 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Members of the genus Novosphingobium have been isolated from a variety of environmental niches. Although genomics analyses have suggested the presence of genes associated with quorum sensing signal production e.g., the N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) synthase (luxI) homologs in various Novosphingobium species, to date, no luxI homologs have been experimentally validated. METHODS In this study, we report the draft genome of the N-(AHL)-producing bacterium Novosphingobium subterraneum DSM 12447 and validate the functions of predicted luxI homologs from the bacterium through inducible heterologous expression in Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain NTL4. We developed a two-dimensional thin layer chromatography bioassay and used LC-ESI MS/MS analyses to separate, detect and identify the AHL signals produced by the N. subterraneum DSM 12447 strain. RESULTS Three predicted luxI homologs were annotated to the locus tags NJ75_2841 (NovINsub1), NJ75_2498 (NovINsub2), and NJ75_4146 (NovINsub3). Inducible heterologous expression of each luxI homologs followed by LC-ESI MS/MS and two-dimensional reverse phase thin layer chromatography bioassays followed by bioluminescent ccd camera imaging indicate that the three LuxI homologs are able to produce a variety of medium-length AHL compounds. New insights into the LuxI phylogeny was also gleemed as inferred by Bayesian inference. DISCUSSION This study significantly adds to our current understanding of quorum sensing in the genus Novosphingobium and provide the framework for future characterization of the phylogenetically interesting LuxI homologs from members of the genus Novosphingobium and more generally the family Sphingomonadaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia; Genomics Facility, Tropical Medicine Biology Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lucas K Dailey
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester , NY , USA
| | - Nigel Halliday
- School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham , Nottingham , UK
| | - Paul Williams
- School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham , Nottingham , UK
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester , NY , USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester , NY , USA
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Hudson AO, Harkness TCM, Savka MA. Functional Complementation Analysis (FCA): A Laboratory Exercise Designed and Implemented to Supplement the Teaching of Biochemical Pathways. J Vis Exp 2016:53850. [PMID: 27403640 PMCID: PMC4993271 DOI: 10.3791/53850] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional complementation assay (FCA) is an in vivo assay that is widely used to elucidate the function/role of genes/enzymes. This technique is very common in biochemistry, genetics and many other disciplines. A comprehensive overview of the technique to supplement the teaching of biochemical pathways pertaining to amino acids, peptidoglycan and the bacterial stringent response is reported in this manuscript. Two cDNAs from the model plant organism Arabidopsis thaliana that are involved in the metabolism of lysine (L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase (dapL) and tyrosine aminotransferase (tyrB) involved in the metabolism of tyrosine and phenylalanine are highlighted. In addition, the bacterial peptidoglycan anabolic pathway is highlighted through the analysis of the UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate-meso-2,6-diaminopimelate ligase (murE) gene from the bacterium Verrucomicrobium spinosum involved in the cross-linking of peptidoglycan. The bacterial stringent response is also reported through the analysis of the rsh (relA/spoT homolog) bifunctional gene responsible for a hyper-mucoid phenotype in the bacterium Novosphingobium sp. Four examples of FCA are presented. The video will focus on three of them, namely lysine, peptidoglycan and the stringent response.
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Affiliation(s)
- André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology;
| | - Taylor C M Harkness
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology
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Naqvi KF, Patin D, Wheatley MS, Savka MA, Dobson RCJ, Gan HM, Barreteau H, Blanot D, Mengin-Lecreulx D, Hudson AO. Identification and Partial Characterization of a Novel UDP-N-Acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine Reductase/UDP-N-Acetylmuramate:l-Alanine Ligase Fusion Enzyme from Verrucomicrobium spinosum DSM 4136(T). Front Microbiol 2016; 7:362. [PMID: 27047475 PMCID: PMC4803751 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The enzymes involved in synthesizing the bacterial cell wall are attractive targets for the design of antibacterial compounds, since this pathway is essential for bacteria and is absent in animals, particularly humans. A survey of the genome of a bacterium that belongs to the phylum Verrucomicrobia, the closest free-living relative to bacteria from the Chlamydiales phylum, shows genetic evidence that Verrucomicrobium spinosum possesses a novel fusion open reading frame (ORF) annotated by the locus tag (VspiD_010100018130). The ORF, which is predicted to encode the enzymes UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine reductase (MurB) and UDP-N-acetylmuramate:l-alanine ligase (MurC) that are involved in the cytoplasmic steps of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, was cloned. In vivo analyses using functional complementation showed that the fusion gene was able to complement Escherichia coli murB and murC temperature sensitive mutants. The purified recombinant fusion enzyme (MurB/CVs) was shown to be endowed with UDP-N-acetylmuramate:l-alanine ligase activity. In vitro analyses demonstrated that the latter enzyme had a pH optimum of 9.0, a magnesium optimum of 10 mM and a temperature optimum of 44–46°C. Its apparent Km values for ATP, UDP-MurNAc, and l-alanine were 470, 90, and 25 μM, respectively. However, all attempts to demonstrate an in vitro UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine reductase (MurB) activity were unsuccessful. Lastly, Hidden Markov Model-based similarity search and phylogenetic analysis revealed that this fusion enzyme could only be identified in specific lineages within the Verrucomicrobia phylum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kubra F Naqvi
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Delphine Patin
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay Orsay, France
| | - Matthew S Wheatley
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurch, New Zealand; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular and Biotechnology Institute, The University of MelbourneParkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Han Ming Gan
- Monash University Malaysia Genomics Facility, Monash University MalaysiaSelangor, Malaysia; School of Science, Monash University MalaysiaSelangor, Malaysia
| | - Hélène Barreteau
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay Orsay, France
| | - Didier Blanot
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay Orsay, France
| | - Dominique Mengin-Lecreulx
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay Orsay, France
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
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Babbitt GA, Coppola EE, Alawad MA, Hudson AO. Can all heritable biology really be reduced to a single dimension? Gene 2016; 578:162-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2015.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Naqvi KF, Staker BL, Dobson RCJ, Serbzhinskiy D, Sankaran B, Myler PJ, Hudson AO. Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from the human pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae strain Houston-1 at 2.1 Å resolution. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2016; 72:2-9. [PMID: 26750477 PMCID: PMC4708043 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x15023213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The enzyme dihydrodipicolinate synthase catalyzes the committed step in the synthesis of diaminopimelate and lysine to facilitate peptidoglycan and protein synthesis. Dihydrodipicolinate synthase catalyzes the condensation of L-aspartate 4-semialdehyde and pyruvate to synthesize L-2,3-dihydrodipicolinate. Here, the cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of dihydrodipicolinate synthase from the pathogenic bacterium Bartonella henselae, the causative bacterium of cat-scratch disease, are presented. Protein crystals were grown in conditions consisting of 20%(w/v) PEG 4000, 100 mM sodium citrate tribasic pH 5.5 and were shown to diffract to ∼2.10 Å resolution. They belonged to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 79.96, b = 106.33, c = 136.25 Å. The final R values were Rr.i.m. = 0.098, Rwork = 0.183, Rfree = 0.233.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kubra F. Naqvi
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
| | - Bart L. Staker
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Dmitry Serbzhinskiy
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
| | - Peter J. Myler
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease, USA
- Center for Infectious Disease Research, 307 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Health Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
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Gan HM, Gan HY, Ahmad NH, Aziz NA, Hudson AO, Savka MA. Whole genome sequencing and analysis reveal insights into the genetic structure, diversity and evolutionary relatedness of luxI and luxR homologs in bacteria belonging to the Sphingomonadaceae family. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2015; 4:188. [PMID: 25621282 PMCID: PMC4288048 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [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: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we report the draft genomes and annotation of four N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-producing members from the family Sphingomonadaceae. Comparative genomic analyses of 62 Sphingomonadaceae genomes were performed to gain insights into the distribution of the canonical luxI/R-type quorum sensing (QS) network within this family. Forty genomes contained at least one luxR homolog while the genome of Sphingobium yanoikuyae B1 contained seven Open Reading Frames (ORFs) that have significant homology to that of luxR. Thirty-three genomes contained at least one luxI homolog while the genomes of Sphingobium sp. SYK6, Sphingobium japonicum, and Sphingobium lactosutens contained four luxI. Using phylogenetic analysis, the sphingomonad LuxR homologs formed five distinct clades with two minor clades located near the plant associated bacteria (PAB) LuxR solo clade. This work for the first time shows that 13 Sphingobium and one Sphingomonas genome(s) contain three convergently oriented genes composed of two tandem luxR genes proximal to one luxI (luxR-luxR-luxI). Interestingly, luxI solos were identified in two Sphingobium species and may represent species that contribute to AHL-based QS system by contributing AHL molecules but are unable to perceive AHLs as signals. This work provides the most comprehensive description of the luxI/R circuitry and genome-based taxonomical description of the available sphingomonad genomes to date indicating that the presence of luxR solos and luxI solos are not an uncommon feature in members of the Sphingomonadaceae family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Malaysia ; Genomics Facility, Monash University Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Huan You Gan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Malaysia ; Genomics Facility, Monash University Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Nurul H Ahmad
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester NY, USA
| | - Nazrin A Aziz
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester NY, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester NY, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester NY, USA
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Triassi AJ, Wheatley MS, Savka MA, Gan HM, Dobson RCJ, Hudson AO. L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase (DapL): a putative target for the development of narrow-spectrum antibacterial compounds. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:509. [PMID: 25309529 PMCID: PMC4176475 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the urgent need for sustained development of novel antibacterial compounds to combat the drastic rise in antibiotic resistant and emerging bacterial infections, only a few clinically relevant antibacterial drugs have been recently developed. One of the bottlenecks impeding the development of novel antibacterial compounds is the identification of new enzymatic targets. The nutritionally essential amino acid anabolic pathways, for example lysine biosynthesis, provide an opportunity to explore the development of antibacterial compounds, since human genomes do not possess the genes necessary to synthesize these amino acids de novo. The diaminopimelate (DAP)/lysine (lys) anabolic pathways are attractive targets for antibacterial development since the penultimate lys precursor meso-DAP (m-DAP) is a cross-linking amino acid in the peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall of most Gram-negative bacteria and lys plays a similar role in the PG of most Gram-positive bacteria, in addition to its role as one of the 20 proteogenic amino acids. The L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase (DapL) pathway was recently identified as a novel variant of the DAP/lys anabolic pathways. The DapL pathway has been identified in the pathogenic bacteria belonging to the genus; Chlamydia, Leptospira, and Treponema. The dapL gene has been identified in the genomes of 381 or approximately 13% of the 2771 bacteria that have been sequenced, annotated and reposited in the NCBI database, as of May 23, 2014. The narrow distribution of the DapL pathway in the bacterial domain provides an opportunity for the development and or discovery of narrow spectrum antibacterial compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Triassi
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Matthew S Wheatley
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Michael A Savka
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Han Ming Gan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne Parkville, VIC, Australia ; Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
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Babbitt GA, Alawad MA, Schulze KV, Hudson AO. Synonymous codon bias and functional constraint on GC3-related DNA backbone dynamics in the prokaryotic nucleoid. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:10915-26. [PMID: 25200075 PMCID: PMC4176184 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
While mRNA stability has been demonstrated to control rates of translation, generating both global and local synonymous codon biases in many unicellular organisms, this explanation cannot adequately explain why codon bias strongly tracks neighboring intergene GC content; suggesting that structural dynamics of DNA might also influence codon choice. Because minor groove width is highly governed by 3-base periodicity in GC, the existence of triplet-based codons might imply a functional role for the optimization of local DNA molecular dynamics via GC content at synonymous sites (≈GC3). We confirm a strong association between GC3-related intrinsic DNA flexibility and codon bias across 24 different prokaryotic multiple whole-genome alignments. We develop a novel test of natural selection targeting synonymous sites and demonstrate that GC3-related DNA backbone dynamics have been subject to moderate selective pressure, perhaps contributing to our observation that many genes possess extreme DNA backbone dynamics for their given protein space. This dual function of codons may impose universal functional constraints affecting the evolution of synonymous and non-synonymous sites. We propose that synonymous sites may have evolved as an 'accessory' during an early expansion of a primordial genetic code, allowing for multiplexed protein coding and structural dynamic information within the same molecular context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Babbitt
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Mohammed A Alawad
- B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
| | - Katharina V Schulze
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX, USA 77030
| | - André O Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY, USA 14623
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Oliver MR, Crowther JM, Leeman MM, Kessans SA, North RA, Donovan KA, Griffin MDW, Suzuki H, Hudson AO, Kasanmascheff M, Dobson RCJ. The purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of two isoforms of meso-diaminopimelate decarboxylase from Arabidopsis thaliana. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2014; 70:663-8. [PMID: 24817733 PMCID: PMC4014342 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x14007699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Diaminopimelate decarboxylase catalyses the last step in the diaminopimelate-biosynthetic pathway leading to S-lysine: the decarboxylation of meso-diaminopimelate to form S-lysine. Lysine biosynthesis occurs only in microorganisms and plants, and lysine is essential for the growth and development of animals. Thus, the diaminopimelate pathway represents an attractive target for antimicrobial and herbicide treatments and has received considerable attention from both a mechanistic and a structural viewpoint. Diaminopimelate decarboxylase has only been characterized in prokaryotic species. This communication describes the first structural studies of two diaminopimelate decarboxylase isoforms from a plant. The Arabidopsis thaliana diaminopimelate decarboxylase cDNAs At3g14390 (encoding DapDc1) and At5g11880 (encoding DapDc2) were cloned from genomic DNA and the recombinant proteins were expressed and purified from Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) cells. The crystals of DapDc1 and DapDc2 diffracted to beyond 2.00 and 2.27 Å resolution, respectively. Understanding the structural biology of diaminopimelate decarboxylase from a eukaryotic species will provide insights for the development of future herbicide treatments, in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Oliver
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Jennifer M. Crowther
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Mary M. Leeman
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Sarah A. Kessans
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Rachel A. North
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Katherine A. Donovan
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Michael D. W. Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hironori Suzuki
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - André O. Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Müge Kasanmascheff
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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McKinnie SMK, Rodriguez-Lopez EM, Vederas JC, Crowther JM, Suzuki H, Dobson RCJ, Leustek T, Triassi AJ, Wheatley MS, Hudson AO. Differential response of orthologous L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferases (DapL) to enzyme inhibitory antibiotic lead compounds. Bioorg Med Chem 2013; 22:523-30. [PMID: 24268540 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2013.10.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2013] [Revised: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
L,L-Diaminopimelate aminotransferase (DapL) is an enzyme required for the biosynthesis of meso-diaminopimelate (m-DAP) and L-lysine (Lys) in some bacteria and photosynthetic organisms. m-DAP and Lys are both involved in the synthesis of peptidoglycan (PG) and protein synthesis. DapL is found in specific eubacterial and archaeal lineages, in particular in several groups of pathogenic bacteria such as Leptospira interrogans (LiDapL), the soil/water bacterium Verrucomicrobium spinosum (VsDapL) and the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrDapL). Here we present the first comprehensive inhibition study comparing the kinetic activity of DapL orthologs using previously active small molecule inhibitors formerly identified in a screen with the DapL of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtDapL), a flowering plant. Each inhibitor is derived from one of four classes with different central structural moieties: a hydrazide, a rhodanine, a barbiturate, or a thiobarbituate functionality. The results show that all five compounds tested were effective at inhibiting the DapL orthologs. LiDapL and AtDapL showed similar patterns of inhibition across the inhibitor series, whereas the VsDapL and CrDapL inhibition patterns were different from that of LiDapL and AtDapL. CrDapL was found to be insensitive to the hydrazide (IC₅₀ >200 μM). VsDapL was found to be the most sensitive to the barbiturate and thiobarbiturate containing inhibitors (IC₅₀ ∼5 μM). Taken together, the data shows that the homologs have differing sensitivities to the inhibitors with IC₅₀ values ranging from 4.7 to 250 μM. In an attempt to understand the basis for these differences the four enzymes were modeled based on the known structure of AtDapL. Overall, it was found that the enzyme active sites were conserved, although the second shell of residues close to the active site were not. We conclude from this that the altered binding patterns seen in the inhibition studies may be a consequence of the inhibitors forming additional interactions with residues proximal to the active site, or that the inhibitors may not act by binding to the active site. Compounds that are specific for DapL could be potential biocides (antibiotic, herbicide or algaecide) that are nontoxic to animals since animals do not contain the enzymes necessary for PG or Lys synthesis. This study provides important information to expand our current understanding of the structure/activity relationship of DapL and putative inhibitors that are potentially useful for the design and or discovery of novel biocides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun M K McKinnie
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | | | - John C Vederas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G2, Canada
| | - Jennifer M Crowther
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Hironori Suzuki
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C J Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas Leustek
- Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Alexander J Triassi
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
| | - Matthew S Wheatley
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA
| | - André O Hudson
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603, USA.
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Gan HM, Hudson AO, Rahman AYA, Chan KG, Savka MA. Comparative genomic analysis of six bacteria belonging to the genus Novosphingobium: insights into marine adaptation, cell-cell signaling and bioremediation. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:431. [PMID: 23809012 PMCID: PMC3704786 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [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] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bacteria belonging to the genus Novosphingobium are known to be metabolically versatile and occupy different ecological niches. In the absence of genomic data and/or analysis, knowledge of the bacteria that belong to this genus is currently limited to biochemical characteristics. In this study, we analyzed the whole genome sequencing data of six bacteria in the Novosphingobium genus and provide evidence to show the presence of genes that are associated with salt tolerance, cell-cell signaling and aromatic compound biodegradation phenotypes. Additionally, we show the taxonomic relationship between the sequenced bacteria based on phylogenomic analysis, average amino acid identity (AAI) and genomic signatures. Results The taxonomic clustering of Novosphingobium strains is generally influenced by their isolation source. AAI and genomic signature provide strong support the classification of Novosphingobium sp. PP1Y as Novosphingobium pentaromaticivorans PP1Y. The identification and subsequent functional annotation of the unique core genome in the marine Novosphingobium bacteria show that ectoine synthesis may be the main contributing factor in salt water adaptation. Genes coding for the synthesis and receptor of the cell-cell signaling molecules, of the N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) class are identified. Notably, a solo luxR homolog was found in strain PP1Y that may have been recently acquired via horizontal gene transfer as evident by the presence of multiple mobile elements upstream of the gene. Additionally, phylogenetic tree analysis and sequence comparison with functionally validated aromatic ring hydroxylating dioxygenases (ARDO) revealed the presence of several ARDOs (oxygenase) in Novosphingobium bacteria with the majority of them belonging to the Groups II and III of the enzyme. Conclusions The combination of prior knowledge on the distinctive phenotypes of Novosphingobium strains and meta-analysis of their whole genomes enables the identification of several genes that are relevant in industrial applications and bioremediation. The results from such targeted but comprehensive comparative genomics analysis have the potential to contribute to the understanding of adaptation, cell-cell communication and bioremediation properties of bacteria belonging to the genus Novosphingobium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Ming Gan
- Science Vision SB, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
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North RA, Kessans SA, Atkinson SC, Suzuki H, Watson AJA, Burgess BR, Angley LM, Hudson AO, Varsani A, Griffin MDW, Fairbanks AJ, Dobson RCJ. Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of N-acetylneuraminate lyase from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2013; 69:306-12. [PMID: 23519810 PMCID: PMC3606580 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309113003060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme N-acetylneuraminate lyase (EC 4.1.3.3) is involved in the metabolism of sialic acids. Specifically, the enzyme catalyzes the retro-aldol cleavage of N-acetylneuraminic acid to form N-acetyl-D-mannosamine and pyruvate. Sialic acids comprise a large family of nine-carbon amino sugars, all of which are derived from the parent compound N-acetylneuraminic acid. In recent years, N-acetylneuraminate lyase has received considerable attention from both mechanistic and structural viewpoints and has been recognized as a potential antimicrobial drug target. The N-acetylneuraminate lyase gene was cloned from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus genomic DNA, and recombinant protein was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The enzyme crystallized in a number of crystal forms, predominantly from PEG precipitants, with the best crystal diffracting to beyond 1.70 Å resolution in space group P2₁. Molecular replacement indicates the presence of eight monomers per asymmetric unit. Understanding the structural biology of N-acetylneuraminate lyase in pathogenic bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus, will provide insights for the development of future antimicrobials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A. North
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Sarah A. Kessans
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Sarah C. Atkinson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hironori Suzuki
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Andrew J. A. Watson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Benjamin R. Burgess
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Lauren M. Angley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - André O. Hudson
- Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Arvind Varsani
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Electron Microscope Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Michael D. W. Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Antony J. Fairbanks
- Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Renwick C. J. Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre and School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Nachar VR, Savka FC, McGroty SE, Donovan KA, North RA, Dobson RCJ, Buckley LJ, Hudson AO. Genomic and Biochemical Analysis of the Diaminopimelate and Lysine Biosynthesis Pathway in Verrucomicrobium spinosum: Identification and Partial Characterization of L,L-Diaminopimelate Aminotransferase and UDP-N-Acetylmuramoylalanyl-D-glutamyl-2,6-meso-Diaminopimelate Ligase. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:183. [PMID: 22783236 PMCID: PMC3390587 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 01/14/2012] [Accepted: 05/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Verrucomicrobium spinosum has attracted interest in recent years following the sequencing and annotation of its genome. Comparative genomic analysis of V. spinosum using diaminopimelate/lysine metabolic genes from Chlamydia trachomatis suggests that V. spinosum employs the L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase (DapL) pathway for diaminopimelate/lysine biosynthesis. The open reading frame corresponding to the putative dapL ortholog was cloned and the recombinant enzyme was shown to possess L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase activity in vitro. In vivo analysis using functional complementation confirmed that the dapL ortholog was able to functionally complement an E. coli mutant that confers auxotrophy for diaminopimelate and lysine. In addition to its role in lysine biosynthesis, the intermediate diaminopimelate has an integral role in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. To this end, the UDP-N-acetylmuramoylalanyl-d-glutamyl-2,6-meso-diaminopimelate ligase ortholog was also identified, cloned, and was shown to possess meso-diaminopimelate ligase activity in vivo. The L,L-diaminopimelate aminotransferase pathway has been experimentally confirmed in several bacteria, some of which are deemed pathogenic to animals. Since animals, and particularly humans, lack the genetic machinery for the synthesis of diaminopimelate/lysine de novo, the enzymes involved in this pathway are attractive targets for development of antibiotics. Whether dapL is an essential gene in any bacteria is currently not known. V. spinosum is an excellent candidate to investigate the essentiality of dapL, since the bacterium employs the DapL pathway for lysine and cell wall biosynthesis, is non-pathogenic to humans, facile to grow, and can be genetically manipulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria R Nachar
- The Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, USA
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Bulman Z, Le P, Hudson AO, Savka MA. A novel property of propolis (bee glue): anti-pathogenic activity by inhibition of N-acyl-homoserine lactone mediated signaling in bacteria. J Ethnopharmacol 2011; 138:788-797. [PMID: 22063726 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2011] [Revised: 09/24/2011] [Accepted: 10/23/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE An alternative approach to antibiotics is the development of anti-pathogenic agents to control the bacterial virulome. Such anti-pathogenic agents could target a phenomena known as quorum sensing (QS). MATERIALS AND METHODS Six bacterial N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-dependent bioreporter strains were used to evaluate if bee hive glue also known as propolis contains constituents capable of inhibiting QS-controlled AHL signaling. In addition, the effect of propolis on the QS-dependent swarming motility was evaluated with the opportunisitic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. RESULTS Differences in the propolis tincture samples were identified by physiochemical profiles and absorption spectra. Propolis tinctures at 0.0005% (v/v) that do not affect bacteria biosensor growth or the reporter system monitored were exposed to biosensors with and without the addition an AHL. No AHL signal mimics were found to be present in the propolis tinctures. However, when propolis and an inducer AHL signal were together exposed to five Escherichia coli and a Chromobacterium violaceum biosensor, propolis disrupted the QS bacterial signaling system in liquid- and agar-based bioassays and in C(18) reverse-phase thin-layer plate assays. Swarming motility in the opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and its AHL-dependent LasR- and RhlR-based QS behaviors were also inhibited by propolis. CONCLUSIONS Together, we present evidence that propolis contain compounds that suppress QS responses. In this regard, anti-pathogenic compounds from bee harvested propolis could be identified and isolated and thus will be valuable for the further development of therapeutics to disrupt QS signaling systems which regulate the virulome in many pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackery Bulman
- Molecular Bioscience and Biotechnology Program, School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
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