Deazaflavin metabolite produced by endosymbiotic bacteria controls fungal host reproduction.

The endosymbiosis between the pathogenic fungus Rhizopus microsporus and the toxin-producing bacterium Mycetohabitans rhizoxinica represents a unique example of host control by an endosymbiont. Fungal sporulation strictly depends on the presence of endosymbionts as well as bacterially produced secondary metabolites. However, an influence of primary metabolites on host control remained unexplored. Recently, we discovered that M. rhizoxinica produces FO and 3PG-F420, a derivative of the specialized redox cofactor F420. Whether FO/3PG-F420 plays a role in the symbiosis has yet to be investigated. Here, we report that FO, the precursor of 3PG-F420, is essential to the establishment of a stable symbiosis. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the genetic inventory to produce cofactor 3PG-F420 is conserved in the genomes of eight endofungal Mycetohabitans strains. By developing a CRISPR/Cas-assisted base editing strategy for M. rhizoxinica, we generated mutant strains deficient in 3PG-F420 (M. rhizoxinica ΔcofC) and in both FO and 3PG-F420 (M. rhizoxinica ΔfbiC). Co-culture experiments demonstrated that the sporulating phenotype of apo-symbiotic R. microsporus is maintained upon reinfection with wild-type M. rhizoxinica or M. rhizoxinica ΔcofC. In contrast, R. microsporus is unable to sporulate when co-cultivated with M. rhizoxinica ΔfbiC, even though the fungus was observed by super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to be successfully colonized. Genetic and chemical complementation of the FO deficiency of M. rhizoxinica ΔfbiC led to restoration of fungal sporulation, signifying that FO is indispensable for establishing a functional symbiosis. Even though FO is known for its light-harvesting properties, our data illustrate an important role of FO in inter-kingdom communication.

In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Microbial Natural Products against Bacterial Pathogens of Veterinary and Zoonotic Relevance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the greatest threats to both human and animal health. Efforts to address AMR include implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs and introducing alternative treatment options. Nevertheless, effective treatment of infectious diseases caused by bacteria will still require the identification and development of new antimicrobial agents. Eight different natural products were tested for antimicrobial activity against seven pathogenic bacterial species (Brachyspira sp., Chlamydia sp., Clostridioides sp., Mannheimia sp., Mycobacterium sp., Mycoplasma sp., Pasteurella sp.). In a first pre-screening, most compounds (five out of eight) inhibited bacterial growth only at high concentrations, but three natural products (celastramycin A [CA], closthioamide [CT], maduranic acid [MA]) displayed activity at concentrations <2 µg/mL against Pasteurella sp. and two of them (CA and CT) also against Mannheimia sp. Those results were confirmed by testing a larger collection of isolates encompassing 64 Pasteurella and 56 Mannheimia field isolates originating from pigs or cattle, which yielded MIC90 values of 0.5, 0.5, and 2 µg/mL against Pasteurella and 0.5, 4, and >16 µg/mL against Mannheimia for CA, CT, and MA, respectively. CA, CT, and MA exhibited higher MIC50 and MIC90 values against Pasteurella isolates with a known AMR phenotype against commonly used therapeutic antimicrobial agents than against isolates with unknown AMR profiles. This study demonstrates the importance of whole-cell antibacterial screening of natural products to identify promising scaffolds with broad- or narrow-spectrum antimicrobial activity against important Gram-negative veterinary pathogens with zoonotic potential.

Whole cell hydride Meisenheimer complex biotransformation guided optimization of antimycobacterial benzothiazinones.

Nitrobenzothiazinones (BTZs) are potent active substances against Mycobacterium tuberculosis with currently two investigational drugs in clinical development for the treatment of tuberculosis. BTZs are the first examples for which a metabolic pathway towards transient hydride Meisenheimer complexes (HMC) has been shown in mammals, including humans. In this study, lead optimization efforts on BTZs are guided by the systematic evaluation of the HMC formation propensity combined with multiparameter assessment. For this purpose, a novel cell-based assay was specifically developed and fully implemented, and a library of 5- and 7-substituted BTZs was prepared to study substituent effects on the HMC formation. The multiparameter optimization revealed 5-methylated BTZs as the most preferred scaffolds, demonstrating a reduced HMC formation propensity combined with potent activity and good microsomal stability in vitro. In vivo experiments showed good systemic exposure upon oral administration and efficacy in a murine M. tuberculosis infection model. This study reports a qualified in vitro HMC assay, which not only enabled the selection of next-generation BTZs with improved pharmacokinetic properties but also allowed forecasting their in vivo metabolism.

Design and synthesis of benzofuran- and naphthalene-fused thiazinones as antimycobacterial agents.

Benzothiazinones (BTZs) have widely inspired medicinal chemistry and translational research due to their remarkable antitubercular potency and clinical potential. While most structure-activity relationship campaigns have largely focused on lateral chain modifications and substituents on the BTZ core, scaffold hopping strategies have been rarely investigated previously. In this work, we report the first example of ring expansion of the BTZ core toward benzofuran- and naphthalene-fused thiazinones. In vitro testing showed micromolar activity for both compounds, and molecular docking simulations provided insights into their reduced inhibitory capacity toward the enzymatic target (DprE1). Calculated electrochemical potentials revealed a lower susceptibility to reduction as opposed to BTZ drug candidates, in line with the mechanistic requirement for covalent binding.

Prenylated Isoflavanones with Antimicrobial Potential from the Root Bark of Dalbergia melanoxylon.

Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr (Fabaceae) is widely utilized in the traditional medicine of East Africa, showing effects against a variety of ailments including microbial infections. Phytochemical investigation of the root bark led to the isolation of six previously undescribed prenylated isoflavanones together with eight known secondary metabolites comprising isoflavanoids, neoflavones and an alkyl hydroxylcinnamate. Structures were elucidated based on HR-ESI-MS, 1- and 2-D NMR and ECD spectra. The crude extract and the isolated compounds of D. melanoxylon were tested for their antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic and cytotoxic properties, applying established model organisms non-pathogenic to humans. The crude extract exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis (97% inhibition at 50 µg/mL) and antifungal activity against the phytopathogens Phytophthora infestans, Botrytis cinerea and Septoria tritici (96, 89 and 73% at 125 µg/mL, respectively). Among the pure compounds tested, kenusanone H and (3R)-tomentosanol B exhibited, in a panel of partially human pathogenic bacteria and fungi, promising antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Mycobacterium showing MIC values between 0.8 and 6.2 µg/mL. The observed biological effects support the traditional use of D. melanoxylon and warrant detailed investigations of its prenylated isoflavanones as antibacterial lead compounds.

Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of the Benzothiazinone BTZ-043 against Tuberculous Mycobacteria inside Granulomas in the Guinea Pig Model.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is the world's leading cause of mortality from a single bacterial pathogen. With increasing frequency, emergence of drug-resistant mycobacteria leads to failures of standard TB treatment regimens. Therefore, new anti-TB drugs are urgently required. BTZ-043 belongs to a novel class of nitrobenzothiazinones, which inhibit mycobacterial cell wall formation by covalent binding of an essential cysteine in the catalytic pocket of decaprenylphosphoryl-ß-d-ribose oxidase (DprE1). Thus, the compound blocks the formation of decaprenylphosphoryl-ß-d-arabinose, a precursor for the synthesis of arabinans. An excellent in vitro efficacy against M. tuberculosis has been demonstrated. Guinea pigs are an important small-animal model to study anti-TB drugs, as they are naturally susceptible to M. tuberculosis and develop human-like granulomas after infection. In the current study, dose-finding experiments were conducted to establish the appropriate oral dose of BTZ-043 for the guinea pig. Subsequently, it could be shown that the active compound was present at high concentrations in Mycobacterium bovis BCG-induced granulomas. To evaluate its therapeutic effect, guinea pigs were subcutaneously infected with virulent M. tuberculosis and treated with BTZ-043 for 4 weeks. BTZ-043-treated guinea pigs had reduced and less necrotic granulomas than vehicle-treated controls. In comparison to the vehicle controls a highly significant reduction of the bacterial burden was observed after BTZ-043 treatment at the site of infection and in the draining lymph node and spleen. Together, these findings indicate that BTZ-043 holds great promise as a new antimycobacterial drug.

Scalable downstream method for the cyclic lipopetide jagaricin.

Cyclic lipopeptides are substances with a high potential to act as antimicrobial agents. Jagaricin, produced by Janthinobacterium agaricidamnosum DSM 9628 and discovered in 2012, is a new member of this class with promising antifungal properties. However, further experiments to investigate future applications and/or conduct chemical derivatization to change properties and toxicity are impossible due to the limited access to jagaricin. Besides a high jagaricin concentration at the end of the fermentation process, a suitable downstream process is essential to generate appropriate amounts with the desired purity. In contrast to other amphiphilic molecules, jagaricin cannot be separated by foam fractionation since it is mainly attached to the surface of the microbial biomass. This technical report presents an overall process chain consisting of 11 individual steps to generate jagaricin in gram scale with a purity of over 95%.

Natural products in antibiotic development: is the success story over?

Natural product (NP)-based antibiotics have been exploited for more than eighty years and continue saving uncountable lives every year. However, antimicrobial R&D is inadequate to counteract antimicrobial resistance. The majority of marketed antibiotics are inspired by NP classes that were discovered more than 50 years ago. With the advent of advanced genomic approaches, cultivation methods, and modern analytical techniques, NP discovery holds promise that there are way more powerful antibiotic scaffolds to be discovered. However, the currently lean antibiotic R&D pipeline shows a clear trend away from NP-based programs and innovative compounds are also rare in early stages. Within this review, we give an overview of the current NP antibiotic development pipeline, elaborate constraints the field is facing, and suggest measures to streamline NP-based antibiotic discovery. It is unlikely that NPs have lost significance, but reinforcement of discovery will require more targeted efforts and support to revitalize this established source.

Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-Core Compounds Show Activity against Clinically Relevant Gram-Positive Bacteria.

Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines represent a novel antibacterial prodrug scaffold, previously identified through a screening campaign against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in which the formation of highly antimycobacterial metabolites catalyzed by the nitroreductase Mrx2 is suggested to be the relevant killing mechanism. As analogous activation pathways may also be employed in other prokaryotes, in this work we explored general antibacterial effects of this compound class. Through exploration of the chemical space by different synthetic strategies, 51 novel derivatives were generated, biologically evaluated and thus enabled initial conclusions about structure-activity relationships. Remarkably, anti-Gram-positive activity can be well modulated, particularly towards Staphylococci (MRSA) and even slightly against some Gram-negative strains. The two most promising hit compounds showed good pharmacokinetic properties in vitro as well as acceptable toxicity in HeLa cells, qualifying them as starting points for lead-generation campaigns.

Sustainable and highly controlled aryl couplings revealed by systematic assessment of photoactivatable linkers.

The controlled synthesis of biphenyls, which play a prominent role in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and liquid crystals, typically requires hazardous organometallic reagents, aryl halides, and heavy metal catalysts. We recently reported a metal-free, photochemical alternative ("photosplicing") for the selective preparation of a wide range of pharmaceutically important biphenyls. Whereas the traceless sulfonamide linker enables and controls the aryl coupling, unwanted toxic byproducts are released. Therefore, we designed over 25 different temporary linkers and tested them for their suitability for the photosplicing reaction in a flow reactor. We found that a surprisingly high number of functional groups enable light-induced aryl fusion and identified a number of linkers for environmentally friendly procedures. We also report that a thiol-ene (click) - photosplicing sequence enables a convenient route to biaryls such as liquid crystals. This work sheds light on thus far neglected photochemistry of temporary linkers, reduces toxic byproducts, and expands the available starting materials for metal-free biphenyl synthesis.

AgRP neurons control feeding behaviour at cortical synapses via peripherally derived lysophospholipids.

Phospholipid levels are influenced by peripheral metabolism. Within the central nervous system, synaptic phospholipids regulate glutamatergic transmission and cortical excitability. Whether changes in peripheral metabolism affect brain lipid levels and cortical excitability remains unknown. Here, we show that levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid are elevated after overnight fasting and lead to higher cortical excitability. LPA-related cortical excitability increases fasting-induced hyperphagia, and is decreased following inhibition of LPA synthesis. Mice expressing a human mutation (Prg-1R346T) leading to higher synaptic lipid-mediated cortical excitability display increased fasting-induced hyperphagia. Accordingly, human subjects with this mutation have higher body mass index and prevalence of type 2 diabetes. We further show that the effects of LPA following fasting are under the control of hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons. Depletion of AgRP-expressing cells in adult mice decreases fasting-induced elevation of circulating LPAs, as well as cortical excitability, while blunting hyperphagia. These findings reveal a direct influence of circulating LPAs under the control of hypothalamic AgRP neurons on cortical excitability, unmasking an alternative non-neuronal route by which the hypothalamus can exert a robust impact on the cortex and thereby affect food intake.

Development of Predictive Classification Models for Whole Cell Antimycobacterial Activity of Benzothiazinones.

Nitrobenzothiazinones (BTZs) are a very potent class of antibiotics against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, relationships between their structural properties and whole cell activity remain poorly predictable. Herein, we present the synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation of a diverse set of BTZs. High potency was predominantly achieved by piperidine and piperazine substitutions, whereupon three compounds were identified as promising candidates, showing preferable metabolic stability. Lack of correlation between potency and calculated binding energies suggested that target inhibition is not the only requirement to obtain suitable antimycobacterial agents. In contrast, prediction of whole cell activity class was successfully accomplished by extensively validated machine learning models. The performance of the superior model was further verified by >70% correct class predictions for a large set of reported BTZs. Our generated model is thus a key prerequisite to streamline lead optimization endeavors, particularly regarding the improvement of overall hit rates in whole cell antimycobacterial assays.

Inhibition of the enzyme autotaxin reduces cortical excitability and ameliorates the outcome in stroke.

Stroke penumbra injury caused by excess glutamate is an important factor in determining stroke outcome; however, several therapeutic approaches aiming to rescue the penumbra have failed, likely due to unspecific targeting and persistent excitotoxicity, which continued far beyond the primary stroke event. Synaptic lipid signaling can modulate glutamatergic transmission via presynaptic lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) 2 receptors modulated by the LPA-synthesizing molecule autotaxin (ATX) present in astrocytic perisynaptic processes. Here, we detected long-lasting increases in brain ATX concentrations after experimental stroke. In humans, cerebrospinal fluid ATX concentration was increased up to 14 days after stroke. Using astrocyte-specific deletion and pharmacological inhibition of ATX at different time points after experimental stroke, we showed that inhibition of LPA-related cortical excitability improved stroke outcome. In transgenic mice and in individuals expressing a single-nucleotide polymorphism that increased LPA-related glutamatergic transmission, we found dysregulated synaptic LPA signaling and subsequent negative stroke outcome. Moreover, ATX inhibition in the animal model ameliorated stroke outcome, suggesting that this approach might have translational potential for improving the outcome after stroke.

Host nutrition-based approach for biotechnological production of the antifungal cyclic lipopeptide jagaricin.

In today's, society multi-resistant pathogens have become an emerging threat, which makes the search for novel anti-infectives more urgent than ever. A promising class of substances are cyclic lipopeptides like the antifungal jagaricin. Jagaricin is formed by the bacterial mushroom pathogen Janthinobacterium agaricidamnosum. It has shown antifungal activity against human pathogenic fungi like Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In addition, jagaricin is nearly non-toxic for plants, which makes it a promising agent for agricultural applications. Cyclic lipopeptides formed by microorganisms originate from their secondary metabolism. This makes it very challenging to determine the inducing factor for product formation, especially for unknown microbial systems like J. agaricidamnosum. In the presented study, a biotechnological process for jagaricin formation was developed, investigating impact factors like the medium, oxygen availability, and phosphate. For this reason, experiments were conducted on microtiter plate, shake flask, and stirred tank bioreactor level. Ultimately, a final maximum jagaricin concentration of 251 mg L-1 (15.5 mgJagaricin∙gCDW-1) could be achieved, which is an increase of approximately 458 % in comparison to previous results in standard glucose medium. This concentration allows the production of significantly higher amounts of jagaricin and enables further experiments to investigate the potential of this substance.

Biosynthetic Plasticity Enables Production of Fluorinated Aurachins.

Enzyme promiscuity has important implications in the field of biocatalysis. In some cases, structural analogues of simple metabolic building blocks can be processed through entire pathways to give natural product derivatives that are not readily accessible by chemical means. In this study, we explored the plasticity of the aurachin biosynthesis pathway with regard to using fluoro- and chloroanthranilic acids, which are not abundant in the bacterial producers of these quinolone antibiotics. The incorporation rates of the tested precursor molecules disclosed a regiopreference for halogen substitution as well as steric limitations of enzymatic substrate tolerance. Three previously undescribed fluorinated aurachin derivatives were produced in preparative amounts by fermentation and structurally characterized. Furthermore, their antibacterial activities were evaluated in comparison to their natural congener aurachin D.

Modular Solid-Phase Synthesis of Antiprotozoal Barnesin Derivatives.

Here, we applied and optimized a solid support (SP)-based Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reagent to prepare SP-bound vinylogous amino acids. Subsequent SP-based peptide synthesis, global deprotection, and chemical modifications yielded 14 lipodipeptides carrying vinylogous amino acids, including the natural product barnesin A (1). Biological evaluation revealed that several synthesized derivatives show micromolar to nanomolar inhibitory activity against papain-like cysteine proteases, human cathepsin L, and rhodesain.

Metal-Free Aryl Cross-Coupling Directed by Traceless Linkers.

The metal-free, highly selective synthesis of biaryls poses a major challenge in organic synthesis. The scope and mechanism of a promising new approach to (hetero)biaryls by the photochemical fusion of aryl substituents tethered to a traceless sulfonamide linker (photosplicing) are reported. Interrogating photosplicing with varying reaction conditions and comparison of diverse synthetic probes (40 examples, including a suite of heterocycles) showed that the reaction has a surprisingly broad scope and involves neither metals nor radicals. Quantum chemical calculations revealed that the C-C bond is formed by an intramolecular photochemical process that involves an excited singlet state and traversal of a five-membered transition state, and thus consistent ipso-ipso coupling results. These results demonstrate that photosplicing is a unique aryl cross-coupling method in the excited state that can be applied to synthesize a broad range of biaryls.

Reconstitution of Iterative Thioamidation in Closthioamide Biosynthesis Reveals Tailoring Strategy for Nonribosomal Peptide Backbones.

Thioamide-containing nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) are exceedingly rare. Recently the biosynthetic gene cluster for the thioamidated NRP antibiotic closthioamide (CTA) was reported, however, the enzyme responsible for and the timing of thioamide formation remained enigmatic. Here, genome editing, biochemical assays, and mutational studies are used to demonstrate that an Fe-S cluster containing member of the adenine nucleotide α-hydrolase protein superfamily (CtaC) is responsible for sulfur incorporation during CTA biosynthesis. However, unlike all previously characterized members, CtaC functions in a thiotemplated manner. In addition to prompting a revision of the CTA biosynthetic pathway, the reconstitution of CtaC provides the first example of a NRP thioamide synthetase. Finally, CtaC is used as a bioinformatic handle to demonstrate that thioamidated NRP biosynthetic gene clusters are more widespread than previously appreciated.

Disruption of Membrane Integrity by the Bacterium-Derived Antifungal Jagaricin.

Jagaricin is a lipopeptide produced by the bacterial mushroom pathogen Janthinobacterium agaricidamnosum, the causative agent of mushroom soft rot disease. Apart from causing lesions in mushrooms, jagaricin is a potent antifungal active against human-pathogenic fungi. We show that jagaricin acts by impairing membrane integrity, resulting in a rapid flux of ions, including Ca2+, into susceptible target cells. Accordingly, the calcineurin pathway is required for jagaricin tolerance in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans Transcriptional profiling of pathogenic yeasts further revealed that jagaricin triggers cell wall strengthening, general shutdown of membrane potential-driven transport, and the upregulation of lipid transporters, linking cell envelope integrity to jagaricin action and resistance. Whereas jagaricin shows hemolytic effects, it exhibited either no or low plant toxicity at concentrations at which the growth of prevalent phytopathogenic fungi is inhibited. Therefore, jagaricin may have potential for agricultural applications. The action of jagaricin as a membrane-disrupting antifungal is promising but would require modifications for use in humans.