Entwicklung neuartiger Wirkstoff Screening Assays und molekulare Charakterisierung von Rifampicin und Pyrazinamid Resistenz in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics in M. tuberculosis and for the development of rapid assays suitable for high-throughput screening for the development of new drugs not only against drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) but also for the treatment of persistent and latent tuberculosis infection. Rifampicin is one of the most potent and most effective drug against TB. However resistance to rifampicin in M. tuberculosis strain is caused due to mutation in rpoB gene, a subunit of RNA polymerase (RNAP). The enzyme complex as a whole is a well known target for new drug development. RNAP assay for the screening of drug was devised in the work. The method established was cost effective, suitable for high-throughput use and utilized natural nucleotides. With the devised assay several drug candidates were tested. Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a nicotinamide analog which is also used as a frontline drug to treat TB. The exact mechanism of action of PZA, one of the most important antimycobacterial drug is still elusive. Mutations in pncA gene of M. tuberculosis are mostly responsible for the resistance developed by M. tuberculosis against PZA. In other to further understand the molecular basis of PZA resistance in M. tuberculosis, DNA sequence of pncA from PZA resistant and susceptible clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were analysed. The analysis identified several different as yet unreported mutations. Further the pncA gene of M. tuberculosis H37Rv was cloned in E. coli BL21 (DE3), purified and characterized. A high throughput pyrazinamidase assay was developed in 96 well plate, which can be further used for the exploration of novel therapy for TB.Es gibt einen dringenden Bedarf für ein besseres Verständnis der Mechanismen, die zu Antibiotikaresistenzen bei M. tuberculosis führen. Darüberhinaus ist die Entwicklung schneller Verfahren notwendig, die ein High-throughput screening für die Entwicklung neuer Wirkstoffe möglich machen, die nicht nur gegen arzneimittelresistente Tuberkulose (TB), sondern auch für die Behandlung persistenter und latenter Tuberkuloseinfektionen verwendbar sind. Rifampicin ist eines der stärksten und wirkungsvollsten Medikamente gegen TB. Dennoch wird eine Resistenz gegen Rifampicin bei M. tuberculosis durch eine Mutation im rpoB Gen, einer Untereinheit der RNA-Polymerase (RNAP), verursacht. Der Enzymkomplex als Ganzes ist ein weithin bekanntes Ziel für neue Wirkstoffentwicklungen, daher wurde in der (vorliegenden) Arbeit ein RNAP assay für das Drug screening (erfolgreich) realisiert . Die hierzu etablierteMethode, ist für den Hochdurchsatz geeignet ,kosteneffektiv und verwendet natürliche Nukleotide. Mittels dieses Tests wurden einige Wirkstoffkanditaten geprüft. Pyrazinamide (PZA) ist eine Nikotinamid ähnlich Substanz, die auch als Frontliniedroge verwendet wird, um TB zu behandeln. Der genaue Wirkmechanismus von PZA, eines der wichtigsten antimykobakteriellen Medikamente, ist jedoch noch nicht geklärt. Für eine Resistenz gegen PZA sind meistens Veränderungen im pncA Gen von M. tuberculosis verantwortlich. Um zum weiteren Verständnis der molekularen Grundlagen der PZA-Resistenzs in M. tuberculosis beizutragen, wurden pncA DNS Sequenzen von PZA-resistenten und -resistenzanfälligen klinischen Isolaten von M. tuberculosis analysiert. Die Analyse identifizierte einige bis jetzt nicht berichtete Veränderungen. Weiterhin wurde das pncA Gen von M. tuberculosis H37Rv in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) kloniert, gereinigt und charakterisiert. Es konnte ein Hochdurchsatz–Pyrazinamidase-Test in 96-Well-Platten entwickelt werden, der für die Erforschung neuer Therapien bei TB weiter genutzt werden kann

Links between Anr and Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the transcription factor Anr controls the cellular response to low oxygen or anoxia. Anr activity is high in oxygen-limited environments, including biofilms and populations associated with chronic infections, and Anr is necessary for persistence in a model of pulmonary infection. In this study, we characterized the Anr regulon in biofilm-grown cells at 1% oxygen in the laboratory strain PAO1 and in a quorum sensing (QS)-deficient clinical isolate, J215. As expected, transcripts related to denitrification, arginine fermentation, high-affinity cytochrome oxidases, and CupA fimbriae were lower in the Δanr derivatives. In addition, we observed that transcripts associated with quorum sensing regulation, iron acquisition and storage, type VI secretion, and the catabolism of aromatic compounds were also differentially expressed in the Δanr strains. Prior reports have shown that quorum sensing-defective mutants have higher levels of denitrification, and we found that multiple Anr-regulated processes, including denitrification, were strongly inversely proportional to quorum sensing in both transcriptional and protein-based assays. We also found that in LasR-defective strains but not their LasR-intact counterparts, Anr regulated the production of the 4-hydroxy-2-alkylquinolines, which play roles in quorum sensing and interspecies interactions. These data show that Anr was required for the expression of important metabolic pathways in low-oxygen biofilms, and they reveal an expanded and compensatory role for Anr in the regulation of virulence-related genes in quorum sensing mutants, such as those commonly isolated from infections

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat-Dependent, Biofilm-Specific Death of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mediated by Increased Expression of Phage-Related Genes

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas) system is an adaptive immune system present in many archaea and bacteria. CRISPR/Cas systems are incredibly diverse, and there is increasing evidence of CRISPR/Cas systems playing a role in cellular functions distinct from phage immunity. Previously, our laboratory reported one such alternate function in which the type 1-F CRISPR/Cas system of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain UCBPP-PA14 (abbreviated as P. aeruginosa PA14) inhibits both biofilm formation and swarming motility when the bacterium is lysogenized by the bacteriophage DMS3. In this study, we demonstrated that the presence of just the DMS3 protospacer and the protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) on the P. aeruginosa genome is necessary and sufficient for this CRISPR-dependent loss of these group behaviors, with no requirement of additional DMS3 sequences. We also demonstrated that the interaction of the CRISPR system with the DMS3 protospacer induces expression of SOS-regulated phage-related genes, including the well-characterized pyocin operon, through the activity of the nuclease Cas3 and subsequent RecA activation. Furthermore, our data suggest that expression of the phage-related genes results in bacterial cell death on a surface due to the inability of the CRISPR-engaged strain to downregulate phage-related gene expression, while these phage-related genes have minimal impact on growth and viability under planktonic conditions. Deletion of the phage-related genes restores biofilm formation and swarming motility while still maintaining a functional CRISPR/Cas system, demonstrating that the loss of these group behaviors is an indirect effect of CRISPR self-targeting

Coculture of Staphylococcus aureus with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Drives S. aureus towards Fermentative Metabolism and Reduced Viability in a Cystic Fibrosis Model

The airways of patients with cystic fibrosis are colonized with diverse bacterial communities that change dynamically during pediatric years and early adulthood. Staphylococcus aureus is the most prevalent pathogen during early childhood, but during late teens and early adulthood, a shift in microbial composition occurs leading to Pseudomonas aeruginosa community predominance in ∼50% of adults. We developed a robust dual-bacterial in vitro coculture system of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus on monolayers of human bronchial epithelial cells homozygous for the ΔF508 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutation to better model the mechanisms of this interaction. We show that P. aeruginosa drives the S. aureus expression profile from that of aerobic respiration to fermentation. This shift is dependent on the production of both 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO) and siderophores by P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, S. aureus-produced lactate is a carbon source that P. aeruginosa preferentially consumes over medium-supplied glucose. We find that initially S. aureus and P. aeruginosa coexist; however, over extended coculture P. aeruginosa reduces S. aureus viability, also in an HQNO- and P. aeruginosa siderophore-dependent manner. Interestingly, S. aureus small-colony-variant (SCV) genetic mutant strains, which have defects in their electron transport chain, experience reduced killing by P. aeruginosa compared to their wild-type parent strains; thus, SCVs may provide a mechanism for persistence of S. aureus in the presence of P. aeruginosa. We propose that the mechanism of P. aeruginosa-mediated killing of S. aureus is multifactorial, requiring HQNO and P. aeruginosa siderophores as well as additional genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors

Strategi Pembangunan Pariwisata melalui Sinergitas Dinas Pariwisata dengan Desa Adat ( Studi Kasus pada Pengelolaan Obyek Wisata Pantai Labuan Sait dalam Meningkatkan Retribusi Daerah di Kabupaten Badung)

A gradual Tourism development is very important to improve the quality of tourism each year to compete with other tourist attraction. The synergy between the Central Government with local government plays an important role to the development of tourism. The background to this research is the development of tourism which is still insufficient in Labuan Sait both in terms of means and infrastructure, promotion, as well as structuring tourism. This study measures how does tourism development strategy through the synergy with the customary village tourism office on the management of Beach Tourism Labuan Sait in increasing the levy County in Badung Regency with the theory of development that uses the concept of planning development by Sjahrizal in the regional development planning in the era of autonomy. The indicator consists of planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In addition also use the concept of synergy from Najiyati and Rahmat which consists of indicators communication and coordination as well as indicators of the SWOT by Freddy Rangkuti. Method used in this study is a qualitative method with descriptive approach with data collection techniques in the form of in-depth interviews to several informants associated with this research. The results of the research showed that the development strategy of tourism through the synergy with the customary village Tourism Office on the management of Beach Tourism Labuan Sait in improving regional levies in Badung Regency are still insufficient. That is because the is still lacking from the indicator monitoring and implementation and evaluation of the impact against the decline of levy of admission attractions Labuan Sait in the 2017.     Keywords: Development, Tourism, Synergy, and Strateg

Targeting a host-cell entry factor barricades antiviral-resistant HCV variants from on-therapy breakthrough in human-liver mice

Objective: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by targeting viral proteins that play essential roles in the replication process. However, selection of resistance-associated variants (RAVs) during DAA therapy has been a cause of therapeutic failure. In this study, we wished to address whether such RAVs could be controlled by the co-administration of host-targeting entry inhibitors that prevent intrahepatic viral spread. Design: We investigated the effect of adding an entry inhibitor (the anti-scavenger receptor class B type I mAb1671) to a DAA monotherapy (the protease inhibitor ciluprevir) in human-liver mice chronically infected with HCV of genotype 1b. Clinically relevant non-laboratory strains were used to achieve viraemia consisting of a cloud of related viral variants (quasispecies) and the emergence of RAVs was monitored at high resolution using next-generation sequencing. Results: HCV-infected human-liver mice receiving DAA monotherapy rapidly experienced on-therapy viral breakthrough. Deep sequencing of the HCV protease domain confirmed the manifestation of drug-resistant mutants upon viral rebound. In contrast, none of the mice treated with a combination of the DAA and the entry inhibitor experienced on-therapy viral breakthrough, despite detection of RAV emergence in some animals. Conclusions: This study provides preclinical in vivo evidence that addition of an entry inhibitor to an anti-HCV DAA regimen restricts the breakthrough of DAA-resistant viruses. Our approach is an excellent strategy to prevent therapeutic failure caused by on-therapy rebound of DAA-RAVs. Inclusion of an entry inhibitor to the newest DAA combination therapies may further increase response rates, especially in difficult-to-treat patient populations

Tracking HCV protease population diversity during transmission and susceptibility of founder populations to antiviral therapy

Due to the highly restricted species-tropism of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) a limited number of animal models exist for pre-clinical evaluation of vaccines and antiviral compounds. The human-liver chimeric mouse model allows heterologous challenge with clinically relevant strains derived from patients. However, to date, the transmission and longitudinal evolution of founder viral populations in this model have not been characterized in-depth using state-of-the-art sequencing technologies. Focusing on NS3 protease encoding region of the viral genome, mutant spectra in a donor inoculum and individual recipient mice were determined via Illumina sequencing and compared, to determine the effects of transmission on founder viral population complexity. In all transmissions, a genetic bottleneck was observed, although diverse viral populations were transmitted in each case. A low frequency cloud of mutations ( 1% restricted to a subset of nucleotides. The population of SNVs >1% was reduced upon transmission while the low frequency SNV cloud remained stable. Fixation of multiple identical synonymous substitutions was apparent in independent transmissions, and no evidence for reversion of T-cell epitopes was observed. In addition, susceptibility of founder populations to antiviral therapy was assessed. Animals were treated with protease inhibitor (PI) monotherapy to track resistance associated substitution (RAS) emergence. Longitudinal analyses revealed a decline in population diversity under therapy, with no detectable RAS >1% prior to therapy commencement. Despite inoculation from a common source and identical therapeutic regimens, unique RAS emergence profiles were identified in different hosts prior to and during therapeutic failure, with complex mutational signatures at protease residues 155, 156 and 168 detected. Together these analyses track viral population complexity at high-resolution in the human-liver chimeric mouse model post-transmission and under therapeutic intervention, revealing novel insights into the evolutionary processes which shape viral protease population composition at various critical stages of the viral life-cycle

A Genomic Approach to Resolving Relapse versus Reinfection among Four Cases of Buruli Ulcer

YesBackground. Increased availability of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques allows, for the first time, to distinguish relapses from reinfections in patients with multiple Buruli ulcer (BU) episodes. Methodology. We compared the number and location of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified by genomic screening between four pairs of Mycobacterium ulcerans isolates collected at the time of first diagnosis and at recurrence, derived from a collection of almost 5000 well characterized clinical samples from one BU treatment center in Benin. Principal Findings. The findings suggest that after surgical treatment—without antibiotics—the second episodes were due to relapse rather than reinfection. Since specific antibiotics were introduced for the treatment of BU, the one patient with a culture available from both disease episodes had M. ulcerans isolates with a genomic distance of 20 SNPs, suggesting the patient was most likely reinfected rather than having a relapse. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this study is the first to study recurrences in M. ulcerans using NGS, and to identify exogenous reinfection as causing a recurrence of BU. The occurrence of reinfection highlights the contribution of ongoing exposure to M. ulcerans to disease recurrence, and has implications for vaccine development.This work was supported by the UBS Optimus Foundation (Zurich, Switzerland) and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation of the Flemish Government (Belgium). KV was supported by a VLADOC PhD scholarship of VLIRUOS (Belgium)