Drug Degradation Caused by mce3R Mutations Confers Contezolid (MRX-I) Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Contezolid (MRX-I), a safer antibiotic of the oxazolidinone class, is a promising new antibiotic with potent activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) both in vitro and in vivo. To identify resistance mechanisms of contezolid in MTB, we isolated several in vitro spontaneous contezolid-resistant MTB mutants, which exhibited 16-fold increases in the MIC of contezolid compared with the parent strain but were still unexpectedly susceptible to linezolid. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that most of the contezolid-resistant mutants bore mutations in the mce3R gene, which encodes a transcriptional repressor. The mutations in mce3R led to markedly increased expression of a monooxygenase encoding gene Rv1936. We then characterized Rv1936 as a putative flavin-dependent monooxygenase that catalyzes the degradation of contezolid into its inactive 2,3-dihydropyridin-4-one (DHPO) ring-opened metabolites, thereby conferring drug resistance. While contezolid is an attractive drug candidate with potent antimycobacterial activity and low toxicity, the occurrence of mutations in Mce3R should be considered when designing combination therapy using contezolid for treating tuberculosis.

Fitness Cost and Compensatory Evolution in Levofloxacin-Resistant Mycobacterium aurum.

We isolated spontaneous levofloxacin-resistant strains of Mycobacterium aurum to study the fitness cost and compensatory evolution of fluoroquinolone resistance in mycobacteria. Five of six mutant strains with substantial growth defects showed restored fitness after being serially passaged for 18 growth cycles, along with increased cellular ATP level. Whole-genome sequencing identified putative compensatory mutations in the glgC gene that restored the fitness of the resistant strains, presumably by altering the bacterial energy metabolism.

Characterization of linezolid-resistance-associated mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis through WGS.

OBJECTIVES: Linezolid is becoming an important antibiotic for treating MDR/XDR TB, but the mutations conferring resistance to linezolid remain inadequately characterized. Herein, we investigated the linezolid-resistance-associated mutations on a whole-genome scale through parallel selections of resistant isolates in vitro. METHODS: Ten parallel Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv cultures were subjected to spontaneous mutant selection on 7H11 agar plates containing 2.5 mg/L linezolid. The linezolid resistance of resulting colonies was confirmed by growth on a second linezolid plate. WGS was then performed to identify mutations associated with linezolid resistance. RESULTS: Of 181 colonies appearing on the initial linezolid plates, 154 were confirmed to be linezolid resistant. WGS showed that 88.3% (136/154) of these isolates had a T460C mutation in rplC, resulting in a C154R substitution. The other 18 isolates harboured a single mutation in the rrl gene, with G2814T and G2270T mutations accounting for 7.8% (12/154) and 3.9% (6/154), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: No mutations in novel genes were associated with linezolid resistance in a whole-genome investigation of 154 linezolid-resistant isolates selected in vitro. These results emphasize that rrl and rplC genes should be the major targets for molecular detection of linezolid resistance.

Mixed Infections and Rifampin Heteroresistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates.

Mixed infections and heteroresistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis contribute to the difficulty of diagnosis, treatment, and control of tuberculosis. However, there is still no proper solution for these issues. This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between mixed infections and heteroresistance and to determine the high-risk groups related to these factors. A total of 499 resistant and susceptible isolates were subjected to spoligotyping and 24-locus variable-number tandem repeat methods to analyze their genotypic lineages and the occurrence of mixed infections. Two hundred ninety-two randomly selected isolates were sequenced on their rpoB gene to examine mutations and heteroresistance. The results showed that 12 patients had mixed infections, and the corresponding isolates belonged to Manu2 (n = 8), Beijing (n = 2), T (n = 1), and unknown (n = 1) lineages. Manu2 was found to be significantly associated with mixed infections (odds ratio, 47.72; confidence interval, 9.68 to 235.23; P < 0.01). Four isolates (1.37%) were confirmed to be heteroresistant, which was caused by mixed infections in three (75%) isolates; these belonged to Manu2. Additionally, 3.8% of the rifampin-resistant isolates showing no mutation in the rpoB gene were significantly associated with mixed infections (χ(2), 56.78; P < 0.01). This study revealed for the first time that Manu2 was the predominant group in the cases of mixed infections, and this might be the main reason for heteroresistance and a possible mechanism for isolates without any mutation in the rpoB gene to become rifampin resistant. Further studies should focus on this lineage to clarify its relevance to mixed infections.

Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed [3+2]/[5+2] Annulation of 4-Aryl 1,2,3-Triazoles with Internal Alkynes through Dual C(sp2)-H Functionalization.

A rhodium(III)-catalyzed [3+2]/[5+2] annulation of 4-aryl 1-tosyl-1,2,3-triazoles with internal alkynes is presented. This transformation provides straightforward access to indeno[1,7-cd]azepine architectures through a sequence involving the formation of a rhodium(III) azavinyl carbene, dual C(sp(2))-H functionalization, and [3+2]/[5+2] annulation.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed [3+2] annulation of 5-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles with internal alkynes through C(sp²)-H/alkene functionalization.

This study describes a new rhodium(III)-catalyzed [3+2] annulation of 5-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles with internal alkynes using a Cu(OAc)2 oxidant for building a spirocyclic ring system, which includes the functionalization of an aryl C(sp(2))-H bond and addition/protonolysis of an alkene C=C bond. This method is applicable to a wide range of 5-aryl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles and internal alkynes, and results in the assembly of the spiro[indene-1,2'-pyrrolidine] architectures in good yields with excellent regioselectivities.

Ring-opening formal hetero-[5+2] cycloaddition of 1-tosyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles with terminal alkynes: entry to 1-tosyl-2,3-dihydro 2,3-dihydro-1H-azepines.

A new Lewis acid catalysed formal hetero-[5+2] cycloaddition of 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles to terminal alkynes is described. By employing a FeCl3 and BF3·OEt2 co-catalytic strategy, the ring-opening of 1-tosyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrroles by selective cleavage of the C(sp2)-N bond and subsequent annulation have been achieved to access 1-tosyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-azepines with excellent regioselectivity, offering a new avenue for cycloaddition through the ring-opening of non-strained-ring-based units.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Annulation of 4-Arylbut-3-yn-1-amines with Internal Alkynes through C-H Functionalization.

A new, one-step rhodium(III)-catalyzed annulation of 4-arylbut-3-yn-1-amines with internal alkynes through C-H functionalization is reported. This reaction allows the formation of three new chemical bonds, including two C-C bonds and one C-N band, thus selectively assembling various spiro[indene-1,2'-pyrrolidine]s with excellent functional group compatibility, high atom-economy, and step-efficiency.

Characterization of mutations in streptomycin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Sichuan, China and the association between Beijing-lineage and dual-mutation in gidB.

Mutations in rpsL, rrs, and gidB are well linked to streptomycin (STR) resistance, some of which are suggested to be potentially associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypic lineages in certain geographic regions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mutation characteristics of streptomycin resistance and the relationship between the polymorphism of drug-resistant genes and the lineage of M. tuberculosis isolates in Sichuan, China. A total of 227 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates, including 180 STR-resistant and 47 pan-susceptible isolates, were analyzed for presence of mutations in the rpsL, rrs and gidB loci. Mutation K43R in rpsL was strongly associated with high-level streptomycin resistance (P < 0.01), while mutations in rrs and gidB potentially contributed to low-level resistance (P < 0.05). No general association was exhibited between STR resistance and Beijing genotype, however, in STR-resistant strains, Beijing genotype was significantly correlated with high-level STR resistance, as well as the rpsL mutation K43R (P < 0.01), indicating that Beijing genotype has an evolutionary advantage under streptomycin pressure. Notably, in all isolates of Beijing genotype, a dual mutation E92D (a276c) and A205A (a615g) in gidB was detected, suggesting a highly significant association between this dual mutation and Beijing genotype.

Rhodium(III)-catalyzed oxidative bicyclization of 4-arylbut-3-yn-1-amines with internal alkynes through C-H functionalization.

A new Rh(iii)-catalyzed oxidative bicyclization through C-H functionalization is presented. This reaction allows the selective assembly of diverse benzo[g]indoles from 4-arylbut-3-yn-1-amines and internal alkynes via a sequence of aromatic C(sp(2))-H functionalization, cyclodimerization and nucleophilic cyclization.