Discovery of chromene compounds as inhibitors of PvdQ acylase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The acquisition of iron is a crucial mechanism for the survival of pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa in eukaryotic hosts. The key iron chelator in this organism is the siderophore pyoverdine, which was shown to be crucial for iron homeostasis. Pyoverdine is a non-ribosomal peptide with several maturation steps in the cytoplasm and others in the periplasmatic space. A key enzyme for its maturation is the acylase PvdQ. The inhibition of PvdQ stops the maturation of pyoverdine causing a significant imbalance in the iron homeostasis and hence can negatively influence the survival of P. aeruginosa. In this work, we successfully synthesized chromene-derived inhibitory molecules targeting PvdQ in a low micromolar range. In silico modeling as well as kinetic evaluations of the inhibitors suggest a competitive inhibition of the PvdQ function. Further, we evaluated the inhibitor in vivo on P. aeruginosa cells and report a dose-dependent reduction of pyoverdine formation. The compound also showed a protecting effect in a Galleria mellonella infection model.     

Rational design of ‘controller cells’ to manipulate protein and phenotype expression

Coordination between cell populations via prevailing metabolic cues has been noted as a promising approach to connect synthetic devices and drive phenotypic or product outcomes. However, there has been little progress in developing ‘controller cells’ to modulate metabolic cues and guide these systems. In this work, we developed ‘controller cells’ that manipulate the molecular connection between cells by modulating the bacterial signal molecule, autoinducer-2, that is secreted as a quorum sensing (QS) signal by many bacterial species. Specifically, we have engineered Escherichia coli to overexpress components responsible for autoinducer uptake (lsrACDB), phosphorylation (lsrK), and degradation (lsrFG), thereby attenuating cell–cell communication among populations. Further, we developed a simple mathematical model that recapitulates experimental data and characterizes the dynamic balance among the various uptake mechanisms. This study revealed two controller ‘knobs’ that serve to increase AI-2 uptake: overexpression of the AI-2 transporter, LsrACDB, which controls removal of extracellular AI-2, and overexpression of the AI-2 kinase, LsrK, which increases the net uptake rate by limiting secretion of AI-2 back into the extracellular environment. We find that the overexpression of lsrACDBFG results in an extraordinarily high AI-2 uptake rate that is capable of completely silencing QS-mediated gene expression among wild-type cells. We demonstrate utility by modulating naturally occurring processes of chemotaxis and biofilm formation. We envision that ‘controller cells’ that modulate bacterial behavior by manipulating molecular communication, will find use in a variety of applications, particularly those employing natural or synthetic bacterial consortia.     

鲍曼不动杆菌临床菌株生物膜形成能力的研究

目的对鲍曼不动杆菌临床菌株的生物膜形成能力进行对比研究,并分析生物膜形成的一些可能的影响因素。方法利用在聚苯乙烯板上构建生物膜的技术对51株全耐药的鲍曼不动杆菌的生物膜形成能力进行检测,同时对分离自下呼吸道和无菌体液的各20株鲍曼不动杆菌的生物膜形成能力进行研究,然后对新近报道的鲍曼不动杆菌生物膜形成相关基因abaI在所有菌株中的分布情况进行检测。结果 51株全耐药的鲍曼不动杆菌中35株(68.6%)可以形成生物膜,并且形成生物膜的能力较强。50%(10/20)分离自下呼吸道的鲍曼不动杆菌能够形成生物膜,20株无菌体液中分离的菌株仅有1株可以形成生物膜。78.0%(71/91)鲍曼不动杆菌中abaI基因扩增阳性。结论分离自下呼吸道的鲍曼不动杆菌临床菌株有较强的生物膜形成能力,abaI基因广泛存在于鲍曼不动杆菌临床菌株中。临床在治疗鲍曼不动杆菌感染的同时需要考虑其在感染部位形成生物膜的因素,可能在治疗的同时有必要加入一些对生物膜有穿透性的药物。     

Effects of N-pyrrole substitution on the anti-biofilm activities of oroidin derivatives against Acinetobacter baumannii

Bacteria of the genus Acinetobacter spp. are rapidly emerging as problematic pathogens in healthcare settings. This is exacerbated by the bacteria’s ability to form robust biofilms. Marine natural products incorporating a 2-aminoimidazole (2-AI) motif, namely from the oroidin class of marine alkaloids, have served as a unique scaffold for developing molecules that have the ability to inhibit and disperse bacterial biofilms. Herein we present the anti-biofilm activity of a small library of second generation oroidin analogues against the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii.     

长期住院老年患者感染的鲍曼不动杆菌耐药性分析

为了解复旦大学附属华东医院长期住院老年患者感染的鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药性特征,本研究收集了2011年9月~2012年8月临床分离自老年病区长期住院患者的52株鲍曼不动杆菌,分析菌株的耐药性、产酶类型、生物膜形成能力及耐药基因的携带情况。结果显示,菌株主要分布在呼吸重症监护室,分离的标本以痰标本为主,占86.54%。52株鲍曼不动杆菌中,多重耐药菌株最高,占76.92%。对头孢哌酮/舒巴坦耐药率最低,为30.77%,对其余抗菌药物耐药率均在50%以上。产酶阳性率为82.69%,其中产其他水解酶的菌株最多,占63.46%。生物膜形成的检出率为5.77%。6株广泛耐药菌株共检出9种耐药基因。结果提示,从老年病区长期住院患者分离的鲍曼不动杆菌耐药现状严重。因此,医院感染控制应以呼吸重症监护室为重点,同时加强对生物膜阳性菌株所分布病区的耐药性监测和消毒隔离,以预防和控制耐药菌的产生和传播。     

The human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and its fragments possess both antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii infections are difficult to treat due to multidrug resistance. Biofilm formation by A. baumannii is an additional factor in its ability to resist antimicrobial therapy. The antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and its fragments KS-30, KR-20 and KR-12 against clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii were evaluated. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of LL-37 against MDR A. baumannii isolates ranged from 16 to 32 μg/mL. The MIC of KS-30 fragment varied from 8.0 to16 μg/mL and the KR-20 fragment MIC ranged from 16 to 64 μg/mL. LL-37 and KS-30 fragment exhibited 100% bactericidal activity against five A. baumannii strains, including four MDR clinical isolates, within 30 min at concentrations of 0.25–1 μg/mL. By 0.5 h, the fragments KR-20 and KR-12 eliminated all tested strains at 8 and 64 μg/mL respectively. LL-37 and its fragments displayed anti-adherence activities between 32-128 μg/mL. A minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) biofilm assay demonstrated that LL-37 inhibited and dispersed A. baumannii biofilms at 32 μg/mL respectively. Truncated fragments of LL-37 inhibited biofilms at concentrations of 64–128 μg/mL. KS-30, the truncated variant of LL-37, effectively dispersed biofilms at 64 μg/mL. At 24 h, no detectable toxicity was observed at the efficacious doses when cytotoxicity assays were performed. Thus, LL-37, KS-30 and KR-20 exhibit significant antimicrobial activity against MDR A. baumannii. The prevention of biofilm formation in vitro by LL-37, KS-30 and KR-20 adds significance to their efficacy. These peptides can be potential therapeutics against MDR A. baumannii infections.     

多重耐药和广泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌感染治疗的药物选择

鲍曼不动杆菌是医院内感染的重要病原体,其基于内在性和获得性的耐药机制,导致全球抗感染领域面临巨大挑战。目前,针对多重耐药和广泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌引起的感染尚无有效治疗方案,本文对其可选用的治疗药物及最新进展进行综述。     

Targeting Acyl Homoserine Lactones (AHLs) by the quorum quenching bacterial strains to control biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Navigating novel biological strategies to mitigate bacterial biofilms have great worth to combat bacterial infections. Bacterial infections caused by the biofilm forming bacteria are 1000 times more resistant to antibiotics than the planktonic bacteria. Among the known bacterial infections, more than 70% involve biofilms which severely complicates treatment options. Biofilm formation is mainly regulated by the Quorum sensing (QS) mechanism. Interference with the QS system by the quorum quenching (QQ) enzyme is a potent strategy to mitigate biofilm. In this study, bacterial strains with QQ activity were identified and their anti-biofilm potential was investigated against the Multidrug Resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens A136-based bioassays were used to confirm the degradation of different Acyl Homoserine Lactones (AHLs) by QQ isolates. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the isolated strains identified them as Bacillus cereus strain QSP03, B. subtilis strain QSP10, Pseudomonas putida strain QQ3 and P. aeruginosa strain QSP01. Biofilm mitigation potential of QQ isolates was tested against MDR P. aeruginosa and the results suggested that 50% biofilm reduction was observed by QQ3 and QSP01 strains, and around 60% reduction by QSP10 and QSP03 bacterial isolates. The presence of AHL degrading enzymes, lactonases and acylases, was confirmed by PCR based screening and sequencing of the already annotated genes aiiA, pvdQ and quiP. Altogether, these results exhibit that QQ bacterial strains or their products could be useful to control biofilm formation in P.aeruginosa.     

The quorum sensing molecule N-acyl homoserine lactone produced by Acinetobacter baumannii displays antibacterial and anticancer properties

Secretory N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) mediate quorum sensing (QS) in bacteria. AHLs are shown to be inhibitory for an unrelated group of bacteria and might mimic host signalling elements, thereby subverting the regulatory events in host cells. This study investigated the AHL produced by Acinetobacter baumannii and analysed its effect on other bacterial species and mammalian cells. Chemically characterized AHL had an m/z value of 325 with a molecular formula C₁₈H₃₁NO₄ and showed its inhibitory potential against Staphylococcus aureus. Molecular docking studies identified D-alanine-D-alanine synthetase A, a cell wall synthesizing enzyme of S. aureus having a strong binding affinity towards AHL. Electron microscopy showed the disruption and sloughing off of the S. aureus cell wall when treated with AHL. In vitro experiments revealed that this bacteriostatic AHL showed time-dependent activity and induced apoptosis in cancer cell lines. This compound could be a potential structural backbone for constructing new AHL analogues against S. aureus. The findings emphasize the need to re-evaluate all previously characterized AHLs for any additional new biological functions other than QS.     

鲍曼不动杆菌感染分布及耐药性动态变迁

目的了解鲍曼不动杆菌对多种抗菌药物耐药性的动态变迁以及感染病例分布情况,为临床治疗鲍曼不动杆菌提供参与。方法 2007年1月至2009年12月从患者不同标本分离的鲍曼不动杆菌（ATB Expression细菌鉴定系统鉴定到种）,采用CLSI/NCCLS标准K-B法对临床常用抗菌药物进行耐药性分析。结果鲍曼不动杆菌2007年至2009年检出率分别为6.5%、8.9%和17.6%;标本主要来源于痰（78.4%）,病区集中于中心ICU（33.3%）、呼吸内科（22.8%）和消化内科（13.0%）;该菌耐药现象严重,除亚胺培南、美罗培南和头孢哌酮/舒巴坦保持较高的敏感性,其他药物耐药性均〉60%,而且耐药性逐年上升。结论鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药问题日趋严重,加强其耐药性监测可指导临床治疗,为临床提供最新的流行病学和耐药性变迁资料;泛耐药菌株感染主要发生在长期应用抗菌药物及长时间住院的患者,因而应加强医院环境和人员消毒,控制鲍曼不动杆菌在医院内的定值与播散。 更多还原     

心内科患者医院感染鲍氏不动杆菌的耐药性分析

目的了解心内科住院患者医院感染鲍氏不动杆菌的耐药性,为指导临床合理用药提供依据。方法从2010—2012年心内科住院患者送检标本中分离鲍氏不动杆菌,采用PHOENIX-100全自动细菌鉴定药敏系统进行细菌鉴定及药敏试验,并对结果进行统计分析。结果2010-2012年心内科住院患者共分离出166株鲍氏不动杆菌,其中泛耐药菌株34株,检出率为20．5％。药敏结果显示鲍氏不动杆菌对常用抗菌药物的耐药率呈逐年上升趋势,并显示出多重耐药性,对多粘菌素B、头孢哌酮／舒巴坦、亚胺培南和美罗培南等耐药率相对较低。结论鲍氏不动杆菌已成为医院感染重要病原菌,对多种抗菌药物耐药,临床应加强耐药性监测,根据药敏结果合理选用抗菌药物,以控制医院感染的暴发流行。     

Quorum-sensing system in Acinetobacter baumannii: a potential target for new drug development

Acinetobacter baumannii causes several nosocomial infections and poses major threat when it is multidrug resistant. Even pan drug-resistant strains have been reported in some countries. The intensive care unit (ICU) mortality rate ranged from 45.6% to 60.9% and it is as high as 84.3% when ventilator-associated pneumonia was caused by XDR (extensively drug resistant) A. baumannii. Acinetobacter baumannii constituted 9.4% of all Gram-negative organisms throughout the hospital and 22.6% in the ICUs according to a study carried out in an Indian hospital. One of the major factors contributing to drug resistance in A. baumannii infections is biofilm development. Quorum sensing (QS) facilitates biofilm formation and therefore the search for ‘quorum quenchers’ has increased recently. Such compounds are expected to inhibit biofilm formation and hence reduce/prevent development of drug resistance in the bacteria. Some of these compounds also target synthesis of some virulence factors (VF). Several candidate drugs have been identified and are at various stages of drug development. Since quorum quenching, inhibition of biofilm formation and inhibition of VF synthesis do not pose any threat to the DNA replication and cell division of the bacteria, chances of resistance development to such compounds is presumably rare. Thus, these compounds ideally qualify as adjunct therapeutics and could be administered along with an antibiotic to reduce chances of resistance development and also to increase the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy. This review describes the state-of-art in QS process in Gram-negative bacteria in general and in A. baumannii in particular. This article elaborates the nature of QS mediators, their characteristics, and the methods for their detection and quantification. Various potential sites in the QS pathway have been highlighted as drug targets and the candidate quorum quenchers which inhibit the mediator’s synthesis or function are enlisted.     

群体感应(QS)在牙菌斑形成中的研究进展

形成牙菌斑的生物膜中存在大量微生物,各种微生物通过高丝氨酸内酯(AHL)或寡肽等不同的信号分子产生群体感应(QS),形成的群体感应使各种微生物建立了区系平衡,对龋齿及牙周炎等口腔疾病的治疗产生严重影响。因组成生物膜的各种微生物对抗生素的敏感性和耐受性有显著差异,因此在治疗中增加了对宿主免疫的相应要求。为进一步探讨QS系统在牙菌斑形成中的作用特点,本文就牙菌斑的形成与抗药机制、群体感应系统及其信号分子、群体感应系统的抑制因子和研究展望进行综述。     

鲍曼不动杆菌的临床分布、耐药情况及其感染危险因素分析

目的调查2014年1月至12月浙江大学附属第一医院分离的鲍曼不动杆菌的分布情况、耐药性及其感染相关危险因素,为临床鲍曼不动杆菌的防治提供依据。方法对培养得到的鲍曼不动杆菌进行鉴定,采用纸片扩散法进行药敏试验,采用WHONET 5.6软件对鲍曼不动杆菌的分布及药敏结果进行回顾性分析,采用SPSS 22.0软件对鲍曼不动杆菌的危险因素进行单因素分析。结果 2014年共培养到非重复鲍曼不动杆菌917株,标本主要来源为痰液,占71.2%;伤口、脓液及引流液占9.9%;血培养占9.7%;导管来源标本占3.1%。鲍曼不动杆菌分布科室情况:重症监护室占47.7%;神经外科占19.1%;肝胆外科占13.5%;感染科占7.0%。体外药敏试验结果显示,除阿米卡星、替加环素外,临床常用抗菌药对鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药率均大于40.0%,美罗培南的耐药率最高为89.7%。危险因素分析显示:有侵入性操作、GCS评分≤8分、住院时间14d及使用广谱抗菌药物治疗是鲍曼不动杆菌感染发生的危险因素(P0.05)。结论鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药率高。侵入性操作、昏迷、住院时间延长及使用广谱抗菌药物是鲍曼不动杆菌感染发生的危险因素,临床医师应针对各危险因素对鲍曼不动杆菌感染进行有针对性的防治。     

Pseudomonas as a frequent and important quorum quenching bacterium with biocontrol capability against many phytopathogens

The aim of the present study was to isolate a variety of quorum quenching bacteria (QB) from the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of three agricultural plants using minimal medium (MM)- and non-minimal medium (NM)-based methods. The members of the Pseudomonas genus constituted the most abundant QB genus, particularly in the rhizospheres of all plant samples and showed the highest quorum quenching (QQ) activity according to a screening assay using a biosensor and 3-oxo-C6-HSL (as an important quorum sensing signal in many phytopathogenic bacteria). In addition, QQ-Pseudomonas were recognised as versatile biocontrol agents against non-bacterial and bacterial plant pathogens, such as Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc). Three types of quenching activities, including intracellular and extracellular enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities, were observed in QQ-Pseudomonas. Pseudomonas strains, particularly NM-isolated strains with extracellular activity, are the strongest QQ-based biocontrol agents.     

细菌群体感应及其在食品变质中的作用

食品相关细菌引起的生物被膜形成和食品变质是食品工业中的重大问题。研究表明细菌群体感应(Quorum sensing,QS)与被膜形成、食品腐败变质密切相关。重点对细菌产生的各种QS信号分子及其在被膜形成的作用和被膜在食品工业中的重要性做了介绍。QS信号分子与食品变质密切相关,故对QS抑制剂作为新型食品防腐剂以延长储存期限及加强食品安全的前景进行了概述。     

Signs of biofilm formation in the genome of Labrenzia sp. PO1

Labrenzia sp. are important components of marine ecology which play a key role in biochemical cycling. In this study, we isolated the Labrenzia sp. PO1 strain capable of forming biofilm, from the A. sanguinea culture. Growth analysis revealed that strain reached a logarithmic growth period at 24 hours. The whole genome of 6.21813 Mb of Labrezia sp. PO1 was sequenced and assembled into 15 scaffolds and 16 contigs, each with minimum and maximum lengths of 644 and 1,744,114 Mb. A total of 3,566 genes were classified into five pathways and 31 pathway groups. Of them, 521 genes encoded biofilm formation proteins, quorum sensing (QS) proteins, and ABC transporters. Gene Ontology annotation identified 49,272 genes that were involved in biological processes (33,425 genes), cellular components (7,031genes), and molecular function (7,816 genes). We recognised genes involved in bacterial quorum sensing, attachment, motility, and chemotaxis to investigate bacteria's ability to interact with the diatom phycosphere. As revealed by KEGG pathway analysis, several genes encoding ABC transporters exhibited a significant role during the growth and development of Labrenzia sp. PO1, indicating that ABC transporters may be involved in signalling pathways that enhance growth and biofilm formation.     

Synthesis and antibiofilm evaluation of 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives against opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

The emergence of multidrug resistant microorganisms has triggered the impending need for new aitimicrobial strategies. The antivirulence strategy with the benefite of alleviating the drug resistance becomes the focus of research. In this study, 22 quorum sensing inhibitors were synthesized by mimicking the structure of autoinducer and acinetobactin and up to 34% biofilm inhibition was observed with 5u. The biofilm inhibition effect was further demonstrated with extracellular polysaccharides inhibition and synergism with Gentamycin sulphate.     

鲍曼不动杆菌遗传操作系统研究进展

鲍曼不动杆菌作为一种医院内感染的病原菌,因其易于引起各类感染且耐药性强而受到广泛关注。快速改造鲍曼不动杆菌基因组的工具可有效促进其耐药机制的研究。本文就近些年来适用于鲍曼不动杆菌的遗传操作方法进行了总结,包括各种外源基因转入方法(电转化、自然转化、接合转移)和基因改造技术(等位基因交换、DNA重组工程、转座突变),并对鲍曼不动杆菌的基因组编辑方法的改进作了初步展望。