Colistin Dependence in Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Strain Is Associated with ISAjo2 and ISAba13 Insertions and Multiple Cellular Responses

The nosocomial opportunistic Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents and an emerging global health problem. The polymyxin antibiotic colistin, targeting the negatively charged lipid A component of the lipopolysaccharide on the bacterial cell surface, is often considered as the last-resort treatment, but resistance to colistin is unfortunately increasing worldwide. Notably, colistin-susceptible A. baumannii can also develop a colistin dependence after exposure to this drug in vitro. Colistin dependence might represent a stepping stone to resistance also in vivo. However, the mechanisms are far from clear. To address this issue, we combined proteogenomics, high-resolution microscopy, and lipid profiling to characterize and compare A. baumannii colistin-susceptible clinical isolate (Ab-S) of to its colistin-dependent subpopulation (Ab-D) obtained after subsequent passages in moderate colistin concentrations. Incidentally, in the colistin-dependent subpopulation the lpxA gene was disrupted by insertion of ISAjo2, the lipid A biosynthesis terminated, and Ab-D cells displayed a lipooligosaccharide (LOS)-deficient phenotype. Moreover, both mlaD and pldA genes were perturbed by insertions of ISAjo2 and ISAba13, and LOS-deficient bacteria displayed a capsule with decreased thickness as well as other surface imperfections. The major changes in relative protein abundance levels were detected in type 6 secretion system (T6SS) components, the resistance-nodulation-division (RND)-type efflux pumps, and in proteins involved in maintenance of outer membrane asymmetry. These findings suggest that colistin dependence in A. baumannii involves an ensemble of mechanisms seen in resistance development and accompanied by complex cellular events related to insertional sequences (ISs)-triggered LOS-deficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the involvement of ISAjo2 and ISAba13 IS elements in the modulation of the lipid A biosynthesis and associated development of dependence on colistin.Funding Agencies|Medical Research Council of Southeast SwedenUK Research &amp; Innovation (UKRI)Medical Research Council UK (MRC) [FORSS-911551]</p

Method Development for Determining the Stability of Heat Stable Proteins Combined with Biophysical Characterization of Human Calmodulin and the Disease Associated Variant D130G

Calmodulin is a highly conserved calcium ion binding protein expressed in all eukaryotic species. The 149 amino acid residues in the primary structure are organized in seven α helices with the highly flexible central α helix connecting the two non-cooperative domains of calmodulin. Each domain contains two EF-hand motifs to which calcium ions bind in a cooperative manner, hence the binding of four calcium ions saturate one calmodulin molecule. In the cardiovascular area calmodulin is involved in the activation of cardiac muscle contraction, and mutations that arise in the genetic sequence of the protein often have severe consequences. One such consequential mutation that can arise brings about the replacement of the highly conserved aspartic acid with glycine at position 130 in the amino acid sequence. In this research, the thermal and chemical stability within the C domain of the D130G variant of human calmodulin was investigated using a new method only requiring circular dichroism spectroscopic measurements. Affinity studies within the C domain of the D130G variant of human calmodulin were performed using fluorescence spectroscopy, and the ligands chosen for this purpose were trifluoperazine and p- HTMI. All analytical experiments were performed with the C domain of wild type human calmodulin as a reference. From the new method, it was concluded that the C domain of the D130G variant of human calmodulin has a slightly decreased stability in terms of Tm and Cm values compared to the C domain of wild type human calmodulin. The affinity analyses indicated that neither trifluoperazine nor p-HTMI discriminates between the C domain of the D130G variant of human calmodulin and the C domain of wild type human calmodulin in terms of dissociation constants. The pivotal outcome from this research is that the new method is applicable for determination of the stability parameters Tm and Cm of heat stable proteins.