Host-selected mutations converging on a global regulator drive an adaptive leap towards symbiosis in bacteria.

Host immune and physical barriers protect against pathogens but also impede the establishment of essential symbiotic partnerships. To reveal mechanisms by which beneficial organisms adapt to circumvent host defenses, we experimentally evolved ecologically distinct bioluminescent Vibrio fischeri by colonization and growth within the light organs of the squid Euprymna scolopes. Serial squid passaging of bacteria produced eight distinct mutations in the binK sensor kinase gene, which conferred an exceptional selective advantage that could be demonstrated through both empirical and theoretical analysis. Squid-adaptive binK alleles promoted colonization and immune evasion that were mediated by cell-associated matrices including symbiotic polysaccharide (Syp) and cellulose. binK variation also altered quorum sensing, raising the threshold for luminescence induction. Preexisting coordinated regulation of symbiosis traits by BinK presented an efficient solution where altered BinK function was the key to unlock multiple colonization barriers. These results identify a genetic basis for microbial adaptability and underscore the importance of hosts as selective agents that shape emergent symbiont populations.

Environmental Conditions Associated with Elevated Vibrio parahaemolyticus Concentrations in Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire.

Reports from state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the annual number of reported human vibriosis cases in New England has increased in the past decade. Concurrently, there has been a shift in both the spatial distribution and seasonal detection of Vibrio spp. throughout the region based on limited monitoring data. To determine environmental factors that may underlie these emerging conditions, this study focuses on a long-term database of Vibrio parahaemolyticus concentrations in oyster samples generated from data collected from the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire over a period of seven consecutive years. Oyster samples from two distinct sites were analyzed for V. parahaemolyticus abundance, noting significant relationships with various biotic and abiotic factors measured during the same period of study. We developed a predictive modeling tool capable of estimating the likelihood of V. parahaemolyticus presence in coastal New Hampshire oysters. Results show that the inclusion of chlorophyll a concentration to an empirical model otherwise employing only temperature and salinity variables, offers improved predictive capability for modeling the likelihood of V. parahaemolyticus in the Great Bay Estuary.

Mycobacterial Esx-3 requires multiple components for iron acquisition.

ABSTRACT The type VII secretion systems are conserved across mycobacterial species and in many Gram-positive bacteria. While the well-characterized Esx-1 pathway is required for the virulence of pathogenic mycobacteria and conjugation in the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis, Esx-3 contributes to mycobactin-mediated iron acquisition in these bacteria. Here we show that several Esx-3 components are individually required for function under low-iron conditions but that at least one, the membrane-bound protease MycP3 of M. smegmatis, is partially expendable. All of the esx-3 mutants tested, including the ΔmycP3ms mutant, failed to export the native Esx-3 substrates EsxHms and EsxGms to quantifiable levels, as determined by targeted mass spectrometry. Although we were able to restore low-iron growth to the esx-3 mutants by genetic complementation, we found a wide range of complementation levels for protein export. Indeed, minute quantities of extracellular EsxHms and EsxGms were sufficient for iron acquisition under our experimental conditions. The apparent separation of Esx-3 function in iron acquisition from robust EsxGms and EsxHms secretion in the ΔmycP3ms mutant and in some of the complemented esx-3 mutants compels reexamination of the structure-function relationships for type VII secretion systems. IMPORTANCE Mycobacteria have several paralogous type VII secretion systems, Esx-1 through Esx-5. Whereas Esx-1 is required for pathogenic mycobacteria to grow within an infected host, Esx-3 is essential for growth in vitro. We and others have shown that Esx-3 is required for siderophore-mediated iron acquisition. In this work, we identify individual Esx-3 components that contribute to this process. As in the Esx-1 system, most mutations that abolish Esx-3 protein export also disrupt its function. Unexpectedly, however, ultrasensitive quantitation of Esx-3 secretion by multiple-reaction-monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) revealed that very low levels of export were sufficient for iron acquisition under similar conditions. Although protein export clearly contributes to type VII function, the relationship is not absolute.

Metabolic and bactericidal effects of targeted suppression of NadD and NadE enzymes in mycobacteria.

UNLABELLED: Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a major cause of death due to the lack of treatment accessibility, HIV coinfection, and drug resistance. Development of new drugs targeting previously unexplored pathways is essential to shorten treatment time and eliminate persistent M. tuberculosis. A promising biochemical pathway which may be targeted to kill both replicating and nonreplicating M. tuberculosis is the biosynthesis of NAD(H), an essential cofactor in multiple reactions crucial for respiration, redox balance, and biosynthesis of major building blocks. NaMN adenylyltransferase (NadD) and NAD synthetase (NadE), the key enzymes of NAD biosynthesis, were selected as promising candidate drug targets for M. tuberculosis. Here we report for the first time kinetic characterization of the recombinant purified NadD enzyme, setting the stage for its structural analysis and inhibitor development. A protein knockdown approach was applied to validate bothNadD and NadE as target enzymes. Induced degradation of either target enzyme showed a strong bactericidal effect which coincided with anticipated changes in relative levels of NaMN and NaAD intermediates (substrates of NadD and NadE, respectively) and ultimate depletion of the NAD(H) pool. A metabolic catastrophe predicted as a likely result of NAD(H) deprivation of cellular metabolism was confirmed by (13)C biosynthetic labeling followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. A sharp suppression of metabolic flux was observed in multiple NAD(P)(H)-dependent pathways, including synthesis of many amino acids (serine, proline, aromatic amino acids) and fatty acids. Overall, these results provide strong validation of the essential NAD biosynthetic enzymes, NadD and NadE, as antimycobacterial drug targets. IMPORTANCE: To address the problems of M. tuberculosis drug resistance and persistence of tuberculosis, new classes of drug targets need to be explored. The biogenesis of NAD cofactors was selected for target validation because of their indispensable role in driving hundreds of biochemical transformations. We hypothesized that the disruption of NAD production in the cell via genetic suppression of the essential enzymes (NadD and NadE) involved in the last two steps of NAD biogenesis would lead to cell death, even under dormancy conditions. In this study, we confirmed the hypothesis using a protein knockdown approach in the model system of Mycobacterium smegmatis. We showed that induced proteolytic degradation of either target enzyme leads to depletion of the NAD cofactor pool, which suppresses metabolic flux through numerous NAD(P)-dependent pathways of central metabolism of carbon and energy production. Remarkably, bactericidal effect was observed even for nondividing bacteria cultivated under carbon starvation conditions.

Tryptophan biosynthesis protects mycobacteria from CD4 T-cell-mediated killing.

Bacteria that cause disease rely on their ability to counteract and overcome host defenses. Here, we present a genome-scale study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that uncovers the bacterial determinants of surviving host immunity, sets of genes we term "counteractomes." Through this analysis, we found that CD4 T cells attempt to contain Mtb growth by starving it of tryptophan--a mechanism that successfully limits infections by Chlamydia and Leishmania, natural tryptophan auxotrophs. Mtb, however, can synthesize tryptophan under stress conditions, and thus, starvation fails as an Mtb-killing mechanism. We then identify a small-molecule inhibitor of Mtb tryptophan synthesis, which converts Mtb into a tryptophan auxotroph and restores the efficacy of a failed host defense. Together, our findings demonstrate that the Mtb immune counteractomes serve as probes of host immunity, uncovering immune-mediated stresses that can be leveraged for therapeutic discovery.

Influence of seasonality on the genetic diversity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in New Hampshire shellfish waters as determined by multilocus sequence analysis.

Risk of gastric infection with Vibrio parahaemolyticus increases with favorable environmental conditions and population shifts that increase prevalence of infective strains. Genetic analysis of New Hampshire strains revealed a unique population with some isolates similar to outbreak-causing strains and high-level diversity that increased as waters warmed.

Ecology and genetic structure of a northern temperate Vibrio cholerae population related to toxigenic isolates.

Although Vibrio cholerae is an important human pathogen, little is known about its populations in regions where the organism is endemic but where cholera disease is rare. A total of 31 independent isolates confirmed as V. cholerae were collected from water, sediment, and oysters in 2008 and 2009 from the Great Bay Estuary (GBE) in New Hampshire, a location where the organism has never been detected. Environmental analyses suggested that abundance correlates most strongly with rainfall events, as determined from data averaged over several days prior to collection. Phenotyping, genotyping, and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) revealed a highly diverse endemic population, with clones recurring in both years. Certain isolates were closely related to toxigenic O1 strains, yet no virulence genes were detected. Multiple statistical tests revealed evidence of recombination among strains that contributed to allelic diversity equally as mutation. This relatively isolated population discovered on the northern limit of detection for V. cholerae can serve as a model of natural population dynamics that augments predictive models for disease emergence.

Antimicrobial principle from Aframomum longifolius.

Antimicrobial activity-directed fractionation of the seeds of Aframomum longifolius (Zingiberaceae) afforded two new labdane-type diterpenoids, 15-hydroxy-15-methoxylabda-8(17), 12( E)-dien-16-al (aframolin A) ( 1) and 8beta(17)-epoxy-15,15-dimethoxylabd-12( E)-en-16-al (aframolin B) ( 2), together with the known diterpenes labda-8(17),12( E)-diene-15,16-dial ( 3) and aframodial ( 4). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. Compound 4 showed significant antimicrobial activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRS) while 1, 2 and 3 were found to be inactive.

Tabouensinium chloride, a novel quaternary pyranoquinoline alkaloid from Araliopsis tabouensis.

A novel pyranoquinoline alkaloid 3,4-dihydro-3-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2,2,10-trimethylpyrano [2,3-b]quinoline named tabouensinium chloride (1), was isolated from the stem bark of Araliopsis tabouensis along with twelve known quinoline alkaloids. In addition, the known flindisol, lupeol and beta-sitosterol glucoside were also identified. Their structures were deduced from spectral data.

Novel antimicrobial diterpenoids from Turraeanthus africanus.

The dichloromethane-methanol (1/1) extract of the stem bark of Turraeanthus africanus (Meliaceae) showed remarkable antimicrobial activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Phytochemical investigation of this extract afforded six new diterpenoid derivatives, (+)-16-acetoxy-12,15-epoxylabda-8(17),12,14-triene ( 3), [16( E),12 S,15 R]-16-acetoxy-12,15-epoxy-15-isopropoxy- ent-labda-8(17),13(16)-diene (turraeanin A, 4), [16( E),12 R,15 S]-16-acetoxy-12,15-epoxy-15-isopropoxy- ent-labda-8(17),13(16)-diene (turraeanin B, 5), [16( E),12 S,15 R]-16-acetoxy-12,15-epoxy-15-methoxy- ent-labda-8(17),13(16)-diene (turraeanin C, 6), [16( E),12 R,15 S]-16-acetoxy-12,15-epoxy-15-methoxy- ent-labda-8(17),13(16)-diene (turraeanin D, 7) and (12 S,13 S,15 R)-12,15-epoxy-15-methoxy- ent-labd-8(17)-en-16-al (turraeanin E, 9) together with the known compounds, 15,16-epoxy- ent-labda-8(17),13(16),14-triene ( 1), (+)-pumiloxide ( 2), ent-labda-8(17),12 ( E)-diene-15,16-dial ( 8) and 16-acetoxy-12( R),15-epoxy-15beta-hydroxylabda-8(17),13 (16)-diene ( 10). Compound 10 was obtained as its acetoxy derivative ( 10a) and compound 11 was the product of hydrolysis of 6. Antimicrobial activity of the isolates was assayed and compounds 8, 9, 10a and 11 exhibited significant activities.

Antiplasmodial agents from the leaves of Glossocalyx brevipes.

A phytochemical study of the methylene chloride/methanol (1/1) extract of the leaves of Glossocalyx brevipes Benth. (Monimiaceae) afforded three new derivatives of homogentisic acid, methyl 2-(1'beta-geranyl-5'beta-hydroxy-2'-oxocyclohex-3'-enyl)acetate (1), 2-(1'beta-geranyl-5'beta-hydroxy-2'-oxocyclohex-3'-enyl)acetic acid (2), methyl 2-(1'beta-geranyl-5'beta-hydroxy-4'beta-methoxy-2'-oxocyclohexyl)acetate (3), and two known alkaloids, aristololactam BII and liriodenine. Compounds 1 and 2 and liriodenine showed modest in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum.