Project description:With the global increase in the use of carbapenems, several gram-negative bacteria have acquired carbapenem resistance, thereby limiting treatment options. Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of such notorious pathogen that is being widely studied to find novel resistance mechanisms and drug targets. These antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates generally harbor many genetic alterations, and identification of causal mutations will provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. We propose a method to prioritize mutated genes responsible for antibiotic resistance, in which mutated genes that also show significant expression changes among their functionally coupled genes become more likely candidates. For network-based analyses, we developed a genome-scale co-functional network of K. pneumoniae genes, KlebNet (www.inetbio.org/klebnet). Using KlebNet, we could reconstruct functional modules for antibiotic-resistance, and virulence, and retrieved functional association between them. With complementation assays with top candidate genes, we could validate a gene for negative regulation of meropenem resistance and four genes for positive regulation of virulence in Galleria mellonella larvae. Therefore, our study demonstrated the feasibility of network-based identification of genes required for antimicrobial resistance and virulence of human pathogenic bacteria with genomic and transcriptomic profiles from antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates.
Project description:Metagenomic investigation of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factor genes in extracellular DNA across wastewater treatment processes
Project description:The Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing (QS) systems contribute to bacterial homeostasis and pathogenicity. Although the AraC family transcription factor VqsM has been characterized to control the production of virulence factors and QS signaling molecules, its detailed regulatory mechanisms still remain elusive. Here, we report that VqsM directly binds to the lasI promoter region, and thus regulates its expression. To identify additional targets of VqsM in P. aeruginosa PAO1, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) which detected 48 enriched loci harboring VqsM-binding peaks in P. aeruginosa genome. The direct regulation of these genes by VqsM has been confirmed by Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR). A VqsM-binding motif is found by using MEME suite and verified by footprint assays in vitro. In addition, VqsM directly binds to the promoter regions of antibiotic resistance regulator NfxB and the master type III system regulator ExsA. Notably, the vqsM mutant displayed more resistance to two types of antibiotics and promoted bacterial survival in a mouse model, compared to the wild type PAO1 strain. Collectively, this work provides new cues to better understand the detailed regulatory networks of QS systems, T3SS, and antibiotic resistance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa MAPO1 containing empty pAK1900 or pAK1900-VqsM-VSV
Project description:Emerging known and unknown pathogens create profound threats to public health. Platforms for rapid detection and characterization of microbial agents are critically needed to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. Available detection technologies cannot provide broad functional information about known and novel organisms. As a step toward developing such a system, we have produced and tested a series of high-density functional gene arrays to detect elements of virulence and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Our first generation array targets genes from Escherichia coli strains K12 and CFT073, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. We determined optimal probe design parameters for gene family detection and discrimination. When tested with organisms at varying phylogenetic distances from the four target strains, the array detected orthologs for the majority of targeted gene families present in bacteria belonging to the same taxonomic family. In combination with whole-genome amplification, the array detects femtogram concentrations of purified DNA, either spiked in to an aerosol sample background, or in combinations from one or more of the four target organisms. This is the first report of a high density NimbleGen microarray system targeting microbial antibiotic resistance and virulence mechanisms. By targeting virulence gene families as well as genes unique to specific biothreat agents, these arrays will provide important data about the pathogenic potential and drug resistance profiles of unknown organisms in environmental samples. Keywords: detection, pathogen, virulence mechanism In this report, we describe the process used to design our first generation functional array for highly sensitive detection of virulence and antibiotic resistance gene families. We discuss the probe design algorithms, including virulence gene sequence selection, and our protocols for sample preparation, amplification, labeling, hybridization, and data analysis. We present the results from experiments designed to assess whether the array can detect virulence gene orthologs from organisms without perfect match probes on the array, using both targeted mismatch probes and hybridizations to DNA from other organisms. Also, we report the results from limit of detection studies, using known amounts of bacterial DNA spiked into aerosol samples to measure the minimal concentration required for detection of virulence elements against a complex background.
Project description:Incomplete antibiotic removal in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants (PWWTPs) could lead to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs) and genes (ARGs) in the environment, posing a growing public health threat. In this study, two multiantibiotic-resistant bacteria, Ochrobactrum intermedium (N1) and Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila (N2), were isolated from the sludge of a PWWTP in Guangzhou, China. The N1 strain was highly resistant to ampicillin, cefazolin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and norfloxacin, while the N2 strain exhibited high resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and cefazolin. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that N1 and N2 had genome sizes of 0.52 Mb and 0.37 Mb, respectively, and harbored 33 and 24 ARGs, respectively. The main resistance mechanism in the identified ARGs included efflux pumps, enzymatic degradation, and target bypass, with the N1 strain possessing more multidrug-resistant efflux pumps than the N2 strain (22 vs 12). This also accounts for the broader resistance spectrum of N1 than of N2 in antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Additionally, both genomes contain numerous mobile genetic elements (89 and 21 genes, respectively) and virulence factors (276 and 250 factors, respectively), suggesting their potential for horizontal transfer and pathogenicity. Overall, this research provides insights into the potential risks posed by ARBs in pharmaceutical wastewater and emphasizes the need for further studies on their impact and mitigation strategies.
Project description:Emerging known and unknown pathogens create profound threats to public health. Platforms for rapid detection and characterization of microbial agents are critically needed to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. Available detection technologies cannot provide broad functional information about known and novel organisms. As a step toward developing such a system, we have produced and tested a series of high-density functional gene arrays to detect elements of virulence and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Our first generation array targets genes from Escherichia coli strains K12 and CFT073, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus. We determined optimal probe design parameters for gene family detection and discrimination. When tested with organisms at varying phylogenetic distances from the four target strains, the array detected orthologs for the majority of targeted gene families present in bacteria belonging to the same taxonomic family. In combination with whole-genome amplification, the array detects femtogram concentrations of purified DNA, either spiked in to an aerosol sample background, or in combinations from one or more of the four target organisms. This is the first report of a high density NimbleGen microarray system targeting microbial antibiotic resistance and virulence mechanisms. By targeting virulence gene families as well as genes unique to specific biothreat agents, these arrays will provide important data about the pathogenic potential and drug resistance profiles of unknown organisms in environmental samples. Keywords: detection, pathogen, virulence mechanism
Project description:Efflux pumps of the resistance-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily, particularly the AcrAB-TolC and MexAB-OprM, besides mediating intrinsic and acquired resistance, also intervene in bacterial pathogenicity. Inhibitors of such pumps could restore activities of antibiotics and curb bacterial virulence. Here, we identify pyrrole-based compounds that boost antibiotic activity in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by inhibiting their archetype RND transporters. The discovered efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) inhibit the efflux of fluorescent probes, attenuate persister formation, and diminish resistant mutant development. Molecular docking and biophysical studies revealed that the EPIs bind to AcrB. EPIs also possess an anti-pathogenic potential and attenuate P. aeruginosa virulence in vivo. The excellent efficacy of the EPI-antibiotic combination was evidenced in animal lung infection and sepsis protection models. These findings indicate that EPIs discovered herein with no off-target effects and negligible toxicity are potential antibiotic adjuvants to address life-threatening bacterial infections.
Project description:To study their metabolic potential in natural ecosystems, we developed a species-independent LAB microarray, containing 2,269 30-mer oligonucleotides, and targeting 406 genes that play a key role in the production of sugar catabolites, bacteriocins, exopolysaccharides, and aromas, in probiotic and biosafety characteristics, and in stress response. Also, genes linked to negative traits such as antibiotic resistance and virulence are represented. This experiment is a validation experiment, where we hybridized labelled DNA from 20 LAB strains, covering 86% of all oligos. Keywords: Platform validation experiment
Project description:The Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing (QS) systems contribute to bacterial homeostasis and pathogenicity. Although the AraC family transcription factor VqsM has been characterized to control the production of virulence factors and QS signaling molecules, its detailed regulatory mechanisms still remain elusive. Here, we report that VqsM directly binds to the lasI promoter region, and thus regulates its expression. To identify additional targets of VqsM in P. aeruginosa PAO1, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) which detected 48 enriched loci harboring VqsM-binding peaks in P. aeruginosa genome. The direct regulation of these genes by VqsM has been confirmed by Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR). A VqsM-binding motif is found by using MEME suite and verified by footprint assays in vitro. In addition, VqsM directly binds to the promoter regions of antibiotic resistance regulator NfxB and the master type III system regulator ExsA. Notably, the vqsM mutant displayed more resistance to two types of antibiotics and promoted bacterial survival in a mouse model, compared to the wild type PAO1 strain. Collectively, this work provides new cues to better understand the detailed regulatory networks of QS systems, T3SS, and antibiotic resistance.