RESUMO
The rising cases of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) and the lack of effective drugs call for quick attention. Here, based on a Tn7 transposon and Xer/dif system, we constructed a stable, selectable marker-free autoluminescent Ab capable of producing visible light without extra substrates. Utilization of this autoluminescent reporter strain has the potential to reduce the time, effort and costs required for the evaluation of activities of anti-Ab drug candidates in vitro.
Assuntos
Acinetobacter baumannii/efeitos dos fármacos , Acinetobacter baumannii/genética , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Proteínas Luminescentes/genética , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana/métodos , Acinetobacter baumannii/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Contagem de Colônia Microbiana , Elementos de DNA Transponíveis/genética , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana/efeitos dos fármacos , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana/genética , Engenharia Genética , Genoma Bacteriano/genética , Proteínas Luminescentes/metabolismo , Mutagênese Insercional , Deleção de SequênciaRESUMO
Buruli ulcer (BU) is an emerging infectious disease that causes disfiguring skin ulcers. The causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans, secretes toxin called mycolactone that triggers inflammation and immunopathology. Existing treatments are lengthy and consist of drugs developed for tuberculosis. Here, we report that a pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine-3-carboxamide, TB47, is highly bactericidal against M. ulcerans both in vitro and in vivo. In the validated mouse model of BU, TB47 alone reduces M. ulcerans burden in mouse footpads by more than 2.5 log10 CFU compared to the standard BU treatment regimen recommended by the WHO. We show that mutations of ubiquinol-cytochrome C reductase cytochrome subunit B confer resistance to TB47 and the dissimilarity of CydABs from different mycobacteria may account for their differences in susceptibility to TB47. TB47 is highly potent against M. ulcerans and possesses desirable pharmacological attributes and low toxicity that warrant further assessment of this agent for treatment of BU.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Úlcera de Buruli/tratamento farmacológico , Úlcera de Buruli/microbiologia , Mycobacterium ulcerans/efeitos dos fármacos , Mycobacterium ulcerans/patogenicidade , Animais , Complexo III da Cadeia de Transporte de Elétrons/genética , Camundongos , Mutação , Mycobacterium ulcerans/genéticaRESUMO
There is a great need for identification and development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs with novel targets. Recent drug-discovery efforts typically focus on identifying inhibitors but not activators that perturb metabolic enzymes' functions as a means to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Here, we describe a class of quinoline compounds, Z0933/Z0930, which kill Mtb by acting as activators of glutamate kinase (GK), a previously untargeted enzyme catalyzing the first step of proline biosynthesis. We further show that Z0933/Z0930 augment proline production and induce Mtb killing via proline-derived redox imbalance and production of reactive oxygen species. This work highlights the effectiveness of gain-of-function probes against Mtb and provides a framework for the discovery of next-generation allosteric activators of GK.