Functional Multigenomic Screening of Human-Associated Bacteria for NF-κB-Inducing Bioactive Effectors.

The effect of the microbiota on its human host is driven, at least in part, by small-molecule and protein effectors it produces. Here, we report on the use of functional multigenomic screening to identify microbiota-encoded effectors. In this study, genomic DNA from 116 human-associated bacteria was cloned en masse, and the resulting multigenomic library was screened using a nuclear factor-κB reporter (NF-κB) assay. Functional multigenomics builds on the concept of functional metagenomics but takes advantage of increasing advances in cultivating and sequencing human-associated bacteria. Effector genes found to confer NF-κB-inducing activity to Escherichia coli encode proteins in four general categories: cell wall hydrolases, membrane transporters, lipopolysaccharide biosynthetic enzymes, and proteins of unknown function. The compact nature of multigenomic libraries, which results from the ability to normalize input DNA ratios, should simplify screening of libraries using diverse heterologous hosts and reporter assays, increasing the rate of discovery of novel effector genes.IMPORTANCE Human-associated bacteria are thought to encode bioactive small molecules and proteins that play an intimate role in human health and disease. Here, we report on the creation and functional screening of a multigenomic library constructed using genomic DNA from 116 bacteria found at diverse sites across the human body. Individual clones were screened for genes capable of conferring NF-κB-inducing activity to Escherichia coli NF-κB is a useful reporter for a range of cellular processes related to immunity, pathogenesis, and inflammation. Compared to the screening of metagenomic libraries, the ability to normalize input DNA ratios when constructing a multigenomic library should facilitate the more efficient examination of commensal bacteria for diverse bioactivities. Multigenomic screening takes advantage of the growing available resources in culturing and sequencing the human microbiota and generates starting points for more in-depth studies on the mechanisms by which commensal bacteria interact with their human host.

Rifamycin congeners kanglemycins are active against rifampicin-resistant bacteria via a distinct mechanism.

Rifamycin antibiotics (Rifs) target bacterial RNA polymerases (RNAPs) and are widely used to treat infections including tuberculosis. The utility of these compounds is threatened by the increasing incidence of resistance (RifR). As resistance mechanisms found in clinical settings may also occur in natural environments, here we postulated that bacteria could have evolved to produce rifamycin congeners active against clinically relevant resistance phenotypes. We survey soil metagenomes and identify a tailoring enzyme-rich family of gene clusters encoding biosynthesis of rifamycin congeners (kanglemycins, Kangs) with potent in vivo and in vitro activity against the most common clinically relevant RifR mutations. Our structural and mechanistic analyses reveal the basis for Kang inhibition of RifR RNAP. Unlike Rifs, Kangs function through a mechanism that includes interfering with 5'-initiating substrate binding. Our results suggest that examining soil microbiomes for new analogues of clinically used antibiotics may uncover metabolites capable of circumventing clinically important resistance mechanisms.