Haemoglobins of Mycobacteria: structural features and biological functions.

The genus Mycobacterium is comprised of Gram-positive bacteria occupying a wide range of natural habitats and includes species that range from severe intracellular pathogens to economically useful and harmless microbes. The recent upsurge in the availability of microbial genome data has shown that genes encoding haemoglobin-like proteins are ubiquitous among Mycobacteria and that multiple haemoglobins (Hbs) of different classes may be present in pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. The occurrence of truncated haemoglobins (trHbs) and flavohaemoglobins (flavoHbs) showing distinct haem active site structures and ligand-binding properties suggests that these Hbs may be playing diverse functions in the cellular metabolism of Mycobacteria. TrHbs and flavoHbs from some of the severe human pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae have been studied recently and their roles in effective detoxification of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, electron cycling, modulation of redox state of the cell and facilitation of aerobic respiration have been proposed. This multiplicity in the function of Hbs may aid these pathogens to cope with various environmental stresses and survive during their intracellular regime. This chapter provides recent updates on genomic, structural and functional aspects of Mycobacterial Hbs to address their role in Mycobacteria.

Truncated hemoglobin GlbO from Mycobacterium leprae alleviates nitric oxide toxicity.

As a consequence of reductive genome evolution, the obligate intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium leprae has minimized the repertoire of genes implicated in defense against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Genes for multiple hemoglobin types coexist in mycobacterial genomes, but M. leprae has retained only glbO, encoding a group-II truncated hemoglobin. Mycobacterium tuberculosis GlbO has been involved in oxygen transfer and respiration during hypoxia, but a role in protection from nitric oxide (NO) has not been documented yet. Here, we report that the in vitro reaction of oxygenated recombinant M. leprae GlbO with NO results in an immediate stoichiometric formation of nitrate, concomitant with heme-protein oxidation. Overexpression of GlbO alleviates the growth inhibition of Escherichia colihmp (flavohemoglobin gene) mutants in the presence of NO-donors, partly complementing the defect in Hmp synthesis. A promoter element upstream of glbO was predicted in silico, and confirmed by using a glbO::lacZ transcriptional fusion in the heterologous Mycobacterium smegmatis system. The glbO::lacZ fusion was expressed through the whole growth cycle of M. smegmatis, and moderately induced by NO. We propose that M. leprae, by retaining the unique truncated hemoglobin GlbO, may have coupled O2 delivery to the terminal oxidase with a defensive mechanism to scavenge NO from respiratory enzymes. These activities would help to sustain the obligate aerobic metabolism required for intracellular survival of leprosy bacilli.

DDT inhibits the functional activation of murine macrophages and decreases resistance to infection by Mycobacterium microti.

DDT is still widely used in several parts of the world to control malaria, typhoid and dengue vectors, even though its use was banned in many countries based on toxicity data in wild life species. DDT has been shown to have immunotoxic effects in mice and to increase susceptibility to intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacterium leprae. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this effect. Activated macrophages play an important defensive role against intracellular pathogens, therefore our objective was to evaluate the effect of in vitro exposure to technical grade DDT (a mixture of three forms: 1,1,1-thricloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (p,p'-DDT) (85%), o,p'-DDT (15%) and o,o'-DDT (trace amounts)), p,p'-DDT, 1,1-dicloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane on the functional activation of J774A.1 macrophages and their capability to limit growth of intracellular pathogens, using Mycobacterium microti as a model. We evaluated cytotoxicity and the effect on cell proliferation of 2.5, 5.0 and 10 microg/ml of DDT compounds. Functional macrophage activity (NO(*) and O(2)(-) production, and mRNA expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and iNO synthase) and the ability of treated cells to limit infection by M. microti in IFN-gamma-activated macrophages were evaluated in cells exposed to 2.5 microg/ml of DDT compounds. Doses of 5 and 10 microg/ml induced direct cytotoxic effects precluding meaningful analysis of the above parameters, whereas 2.5 microg/ml of all DDT compounds inhibited macrophage activity and reduced their ability to limit the intracellular growth of M. microti without inducing cytotoxicity. Technical grade DDT and p,p'-DDE were the more potent compounds. Therefore, exposure to DDT compounds could represent an important risk for infection development by those intracellular pathogens against which NO(*) and/or O(2)(-) production represent the main immune protective mechanism.