Novel Amphiphilic Cyclobutene and Cyclobutane \u3ci\u3ecis\u3c/i\u3e-C18 Fatty Acid Derivatives Inhibit \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium avium\u3c/i\u3e subsp. \u3ci\u3eparatuberculosis\u3c/i\u3e Growth

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease in ruminants and has been associated with Crohn’s disease in humans. An effective control of Map by either vaccines or chemoprophylaxis is a paramount need for veterinary and possibly human medicine. Given the importance of fatty acids in the biosynthesis of mycolic acids and the mycobacterial cell wall, we tested novel amphiphilic C10 and C18 cyclobutene and cyclobutane fatty acid derivatives for Map inhibition. Microdilution minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) with 5 or 7 week endpoints were measured in Middlebrook 7H9 base broth media. We compared the Map MIC results with those obtained previously with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis. Several of the C18 compounds showed moderate effcacy (MICs 392 to 824 μM) against Map, while a higher level of inhibition (MICs 6 to 82 μM) was observed for M. tuberculosis for select analogs from both the C10 and C18 groups. For most of these analogs tested in M. smegmatis, their effcacy decreased in the presence of bovine or human serum albumin. Compound 5 (OA-CB, 1-(octanoic acid-8-yl)-2-octylcyclobutene) was identified as the best chemical lead against Map, which suggests derivatives with better pharmacodynamics may be of interest for evaluation in animal models

Assessment of metabolic changes in \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium smegmatis\u3c/i\u3e wild type and \u3ci\u3ealr\u3c/i\u3e mutant strains: evidence for a new pathway of D-alanine biosynthesis.

In mycobacteria, D-alanine is an essential precursor for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The only confirmed enzymatic pathway to form D-alanine is through the racemization of L-alanine by alanine racemase (Alr, EC 5.1.1.1). Nevertheless, the essentiality of Alr in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis for cell survivability in the absence of D-alanine has been a point of controversy with contradictory results reported in the literature. To address this issue, we examined the effects of alr inactivation on the cellular metabolism of M. smegmatis. The M. smegmatis alr insertion mutant TAM23 exhibited essentially identical growth to wild type mc2155 in the absence of D-alanine. NMR metabolomics revealed drastically distinct phenotypes between mc2155 and TAM23. A metabolic switch was observed for TAM23 as a function of supplemented D-alanine. In the absence of D-alanine, the metabolic response directed carbon through an unidentified transaminase to provide the essential D-alanine required for survival. The process is reversed when D-alanine is available, in which the D-alanine is directed to peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Our results provide further support for the hypothesis that Alr is not an essential function of M. smegmatis, and that specific Alr inhibitors will have no bactericidal action

Generation and screening of a comprehensive \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium avium\u3c/i\u3e subsp. \u3ci\u3eparatuberculosis\u3c/i\u3e transposon mutant bank

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiologic agent of Johne’s Disease in ruminants. This enteritis has significant economic impact and world wide distribution. Vaccination is one of the most cost effective infectious disease control measures. Unfortunately, current vaccines reduce clinical disease and shedding, but are of limited efficacy and do not provide long-term protective immunity. Several strategies have been followed to mine the MAP genome for virulence determinants that could be applied to vaccine and diagnostic assay developent. In this study, a comprehensive mutant bank of 13,536 MAP K-10 Tn5367 mutants (P\u3e95% )was constructed and screened in vitro for phenotypes related to virulence. This strategy was designated to maximize identification of genes important to MAP pathogenesis without relying on studies of other mycobacterial species that may not translate into similar effects in MAP. This bank was screened for mutants with colony morphology alterations, susceptibility to D-cycloserine, impairment in siderophore production or secretion, reduced cell association, and decreased biofilm and clump formation. Mutants with interesting phenotypes were analyzed by PCR, Southern blotting and DNA sequencing to determine transposon insertion sites. These insertion sites mapped up stream from the MAP1152-MAP1156 cluster, internal to either the Mod operon gene MAP1566 or within the coding sequence of lsr2, and several intergenic regions. Growth curves in broth cultures, invasion assays and kinetics of survival and replication in primary bovine macrophages were also determined. The ability of vectors carrying Tn5370 to generate stable MAP mutants was also investigated

Molecular Genetic Analysis of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease in ruminants. Moreover, the potential linkage with Crohn’s disease makes MAP a concern as a zoonotic pathogen. The generation of comprehensive random transposon mutant libraries is a fundamental genetic technology to determine the role of genes in physiology and pathogenesis. To identify the genomic regions associated with virulence a comprehensive MAP Tn5367 transposon mutant bank was constructed. Assuming random transposition of Tn5367 it was calculated that collection of approximately 14,000 mutants will generate a comprehensive MAP mutant library sufficient to analyze essentiality of all the genes. However, further studies showed that transposition of Tn 5367 is not random due to transposition biases leading to miscalculation of number of mutants required to generate a comprehensive library. To identify the sources of transposition biases and the ideal transposon for generation of comprehensive library, a whole MAP genome analysis comparing the transposon recognition sites for Tn5367 and MycoMarT7 transposons was performed. Results indicate that only MycoMarT7 provides a random representation of insertions in 99% of all MAP genes. Our novel finding is that both transposons have loci-dependent biases with Tn5367 having more bias. These loci-dependent transposition biases lead to an underestimation of the number of independent mutants required to generate a comprehensive mutant library. MycoMarT7 was used to construct a comprehensive transposon mutant library. Analysis of the library indicated that 93.1% of the MAP genes have at least one transposon insertion. Applying a 4-state hidden Markov model, we preliminarily identified 328 essential; 1,103 growth-defect; 2,603 non-essential and 258 growth-advantage genes. This study also analyzed glutamate racemase (MurI) as potential drug target. MurI catalyzes D-glutamate biosynthesis in most eubacteria and some microorganisms also synthesize D-glutamate using D-amino-acid transaminase (Dat). However, in mycobacteria the presence of Dat has not been investigated. In this study, genetic and biochemical evidence is presented for the presence of both pathways in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Thus, the presence of a redundant Dat/MurI pathway negates that specific MurI inhibitors would be effective in the treatment of mycobacterial infections, suggesting that mixed inhibitors or combination of single inhibitors may be necessary

Analysis of \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium avium\u3c/i\u3e subsp. \u3ci\u3eparatuberculosis\u3c/i\u3e mutant libraries reveals loci-dependent transposition biases and strategies for novel mutant discovery

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the aetiological agent of Johne’s disease, is one of the most important bacterial pathogens in ruminants. A thorough understanding of MAP pathogenesis is needed to develop new vaccines and diagnostic tests. The generation of comprehensive random transposon mutant libraries is a fundamental genetic technology to determine the role of genes in physiology and pathogenesis. In this study, whole MAP genome analysis compared the insertion sites for the mycobacterial transposon Tn5367 derived from the Mycobacterium smegmatis insertion sequence IS1096 and the mariner transposon MycoMarT7 carrying the Himar1 transposase. We determined that only MycoMarT7 provides a random representation of insertions in 99 % of all MAP genes. Analysis of the MAP K-10 genome indicated that 710 of all ORFs do not possess IS1096 recognition sites, while only 37 do not have the recognition site for MycoMarT7. Thus, a significant number of MAP genes remain underrepresented in insertion libraries from IS1096-derived transposons. Analysis of MycoMarT7 and Tn5367 mutants showed that Tn5367 has a predilection to insert within intergenic regions, suggesting that MycoMarT7 is the more adequate for generating a comprehensive library. However, we uncovered the novel finding that both transposons have loci-dependent biases, with Tn5367 being the most skewed. These loci-dependent transposition biases led to an underestimation of the number of independent mutants required to generate a comprehensive mutant library, leading to an overestimation of essential genes. Herein, we also demonstrated a useful platform for gene discovery and analysis by isolating three novel mutants for each transposon

Novel Amphiphilic Cyclobutene and Cyclobutane \u3ci\u3ecis\u3c/i\u3e-C18 Fatty Acid Derivatives Inhibit \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium avium\u3c/i\u3e subsp. \u3ci\u3eparatuberculosis\u3c/i\u3e Growth

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease in ruminants and has been associated with Crohn’s disease in humans. An effective control of Map by either vaccines or chemoprophylaxis is a paramount need for veterinary and possibly human medicine. Given the importance of fatty acids in the biosynthesis of mycolic acids and the mycobacterial cell wall, we tested novel amphiphilic C10 and C18 cyclobutene and cyclobutane fatty acid derivatives for Map inhibition. Microdilution minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) with 5 or 7 week endpoints were measured in Middlebrook 7H9 base broth media. We compared the Map MIC results with those obtained previously with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis. Several of the C18 compounds showed moderate effcacy (MICs 392 to 824 μM) against Map, while a higher level of inhibition (MICs 6 to 82 μM) was observed for M. tuberculosis for select analogs from both the C10 and C18 groups. For most of these analogs tested in M. smegmatis, their effcacy decreased in the presence of bovine or human serum albumin. Compound 5 (OA-CB, 1-(octanoic acid-8-yl)-2-octylcyclobutene) was identified as the best chemical lead against Map, which suggests derivatives with better pharmacodynamics may be of interest for evaluation in animal models

Pathogenesis, Molecular Genetics, and Genomics of \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium avium\u3c/i\u3e subsp. \u3ci\u3eparatuberculosis\u3c/i\u3e, the etiologic Agent of Johne’s Disease

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiologic agent of Johne’s disease in ruminants causing chronic diarrhea, malnutrition, and muscular wasting. Neonates and young animals are infected primarily by the fecal–oral route. MAP attaches to, translocates via the intestinal mucosa, and is phagocytosed by macrophages. The ensuing host cellular immune response leads to granulomatous enteritis characterized by a thick and corrugated intestinal wall. We review various tissue culture systems, ileal loops, and mice, goats, and cattle used to study MAP pathogenesis. MAP can be detected in clinical samples by microscopy, culturing, PCR, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. There are commercial vaccines that reduce clinical disease and shedding, unfortunately, their efficacies are limited and may not engender long-term protective immunity. Moreover, the potential linkage with Crohn’s disease and other human diseases makes MAP a concern as a zoonotic pathogen. Potential therapies with anti-mycobacterial agents are also discussed. The completion of the MAP K-10 genome sequence has greatly improved our understanding of MAP pathogenesis. The analysis of this sequence has identified a wide range of gene functions involved in virulence, lipid metabolism, transcriptional regulation, and main metabolic pathways. We also review the transposons utilized to generate random transposon mutant libraries and the recent advances in the post-genomic era. This includes the generation and characterization of allelic exchange mutants, transcriptomic analysis, transposon mutant banks analysis, new efforts to generate comprehensive mutant libraries, and the application of transposon site hybridization mutagenesis and transposon sequencing for global analysis of the MAP genome. Further analysis of candidate vaccine strains development is also provided with critical discussions on their benefits and shortcomings, and strategies to develop a highly efficacious live-attenuated vaccine capable of differentiating infected from vaccinated animals

Assessment of metabolic changes in \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium smegmatis\u3c/i\u3e wild type and \u3ci\u3ealr\u3c/i\u3e mutant strains: evidence for a new pathway of D-alanine biosynthesis.

In mycobacteria, D-alanine is an essential precursor for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. The only confirmed enzymatic pathway to form D-alanine is through the racemization of L-alanine by alanine racemase (Alr, EC 5.1.1.1). Nevertheless, the essentiality of Alr in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis for cell survivability in the absence of D-alanine has been a point of controversy with contradictory results reported in the literature. To address this issue, we examined the effects of alr inactivation on the cellular metabolism of M. smegmatis. The M. smegmatis alr insertion mutant TAM23 exhibited essentially identical growth to wild type mc2155 in the absence of D-alanine. NMR metabolomics revealed drastically distinct phenotypes between mc2155 and TAM23. A metabolic switch was observed for TAM23 as a function of supplemented D-alanine. In the absence of D-alanine, the metabolic response directed carbon through an unidentified transaminase to provide the essential D-alanine required for survival. The process is reversed when D-alanine is available, in which the D-alanine is directed to peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Our results provide further support for the hypothesis that Alr is not an essential function of M. smegmatis, and that specific Alr inhibitors will have no bactericidal action

Copper–zinc superoxide dismutase-deficient mice show increased susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35–55

In this report, we have addressed the role of copper–zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) deficiency in the mediation of central nervous system autoimmunity. We demonstrate that SOD1-deficient C57Bl/6 mice develop more severe autoimmune encephalomyelitis induced with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35–55, compared with wild type mice. This alteration in the disease phenotype was not due to aberrant expansion of MOG-specific T cells nor their ability to produce inflammatory cytokines; rather lymphocytes generated in SOD1-deficient mice were more prone to spontaneous cell death when compared with their wild type littermate controls. The data point to a role for SOD1 in the maintenance of self-tolerance leading to the suppression of autoimmune responses

Transposon Mutagenesis in Mycobacterium avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis

While transposon mutagenesis has been developed for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), relatively few laboratories have adopted this important genetic tool to examine gene function and essentiality. Here we describe the construction of a Map transposon library using the Himar1 mariner transposon, but concepts can also be applied to the Tn5367 transposon, which has also been used by our group. Delivery of the transposon is by a temperature-sensitive phagemid, ϕMycoMarT7, and plating transductants requires patience and specialized media due to length of incubation required to observe colonies. Several transposon mutants obtained from these libraries have been tested in vaccine and pathogenesis studies. By providing the following detailed protocol herein, we expect to demystify the procedure and encourage additional investigators to incorporate transposon mutagenesis in their studies on Johne’s disease