RESUMO
Acinetobacter baumannii expresses various virulence factors to adapt to hostile environments and infect susceptible hosts. This study investigated the regulatory network of the BfmRS two-component and AbaIR quorum sensing (QS) systems in the expression of virulence-associated genes in A. baumannii ATCC 17978. The ΔbfmS mutant exhibited a significant decrease in surface motility, which presumably resulted from the low expression of pilT and A1S_0112-A1S_0119 gene cluster. The ΔbfmR mutant displayed a significant reduction in biofilm and pellicle formation due to the low expression of csu operon. The deletion of abaR did not affect the expression of bfmR or bfmS. However, the expression of abaR and abaI was upregulated in the ΔbfmR mutant. The ΔbfmR mutant also produced more autoinducers than did the wild-type strain, suggesting that BfmR negatively regulates the AbaIR QS system. The ΔbfmS mutant exhibited no autoinducer production in the bioassay system. The expression of the A1S_0112-A1S_0119 gene cluster was downregulated in the ΔabaR mutant, whereas the expression of csu operon was upregulated in this mutant with a high cell density. In conclusion, for the first time, we demonstrated that the BfmRS-AbaIR QS system axis regulated the expression of virulence-associated genes in A. baumannii. This study provides new insights into the complex network system involved in the regulation of virulence-associated genes underlying the pathogenicity of A. baumannii.
Assuntos
Acinetobacter baumannii , Virulência/genética , Percepção de Quorum/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Biofilmes , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão GênicaRESUMO
The widespread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is of great concern in clinical settings worldwide. It is urgent to develop new therapeutic agents against this pathogen. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potentials of compound 62520, which has been previously identified as an inhibitor of the ompA promoter activity of A. baumannii, against CRAB isolates, both in vitro and in vivo. Compound 62520 was found to inhibit the ompA expression and biofilm formation in A. baumannii ATCC 17978 at sub-inhibitory concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. These inhibitory properties were also observed in clinical CRAB isolates belonging to sequence type (ST) 191. Additionally, compound 62520 exhibited a bacteriostatic activity against clinical clonal complex (CC) 208 CRAB isolates, including ST191, and ESKAPE pathogens. This bacteriostatic activity was not different between STs of CRAB isolates. Bacterial clearance was observed in mice infected with bioimaging A. baumannii strain 24 h after treatment with compound 62520. Compound 62520 was shown to significantly increase the survival rates of both immunocompetent and neutropenic mice infected with A. baumannii ATCC 17978. This compound also increased the survival rates of mice infected with clinical CRAB isolate. These results suggest that compound 62520 is a promising scaffold to develop a novel therapeutic agent against CRAB infections.
Assuntos
Infecções por Acinetobacter/prevenção & controle , Acinetobacter baumannii/efeitos dos fármacos , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/genética , Carbapenêmicos/farmacologia , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana Múltipla/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Infecções por Acinetobacter/microbiologia , Acinetobacter baumannii/genética , Acinetobacter baumannii/fisiologia , Animais , Antibacterianos/administração & dosagem , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/metabolismo , Biofilmes/efeitos dos fármacos , Biofilmes/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana Múltipla/genética , Feminino , Humanos , Camundongos Endogâmicos BALB C , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana/métodos , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/administração & dosagem , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/farmacologia , Análise de SobrevidaRESUMO
Anti-virulence therapeutic strategies are promising alternatives against drug-resistant pathogens. Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) plays a versatile role in the pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii. Therefore, OmpA is an innovative target for anti-virulence therapy against A. baumannii. This study aimed to develop a high-throughput screening (HTS) system to discover small molecules inhibiting the ompA promoter activity of A. baumannii and screen chemical compounds using the bacterial growth-based HTS system. The ompA promoter and open reading frame of nptI fusion plasmids that controlled the expression of nptI encoding resistance to kanamycin by the ompA promoter were constructed and then transformed into A. baumannii ATCC 17978. This reporter strain was applied to screen small molecules inhibiting the ompA promoter activity in a chemical library. Of the 7,520 chemical compounds, 15 exhibited ≥ 70% growth inhibition of the report strain cultured in media containing kanamycin. Three compounds inhibited the expression of ompA and OmpA in the outer membrane of A. baumannii ATCC 17978, which subsequently reduced biofilm formation. In conclusion, our reporter strain is useful for large-scale screening of small molecules inhibiting the ompA expression in A. baumannii. Hit compounds identified by the HTS system are promising scaffolds to develop novel therapeutics against A. baumannii.
Assuntos
Infecções por Acinetobacter/microbiologia , Acinetobacter baumannii/efeitos dos fármacos , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/metabolismo , Biofilmes/efeitos dos fármacos , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Bibliotecas de Moléculas Pequenas/farmacologia , Acinetobacter baumannii/genética , Acinetobacter baumannii/patogenicidade , Acinetobacter baumannii/fisiologia , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/genética , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Virulência/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
BACKGROUND/AIM: Recurrence and metastasis of cancer caused by cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a challenge to overcome. Low level laser therapy is a new treatment strategy to suppress their invasiveness. We have assessed the inhibitory effects of 470 nm blue LED on the invasiveness of them to determine the molecular mechanisms of anti-invasiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of blue LEDs on their viability, proliferation and invasion were analyzed using MTT and transwell methods. In addition, the anti-invasiveness effect of blue LED on them was evaluated by zymography, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis. RESULTS: Irradiation with blue LED at 3 J/cm2 resulted in inhibition of their viability, proliferation and invasiveness. Their matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 activities were reduced by blue LED irradiation. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR also showed similar results. In addition, western blotting analyses showed that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis were significantly inhibited by LED irradiation in CD133+ colorectal CSCs. CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of the COX-2/PGE2 signaling pathway by blue LED irradiation led to reduce expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, inhibiting the invasiveness of CD133+ colorectal CSC.