Digby F. Warner

Functional Characterization of a Vitamin B12-Dependent Methylmalonyl Pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Implications for Propionate Metabolism during Growth on Fatty Acids

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is predicted to subsist on alternative carbon sources during persistence within the human host. Catabolism of odd- and branched-chain fatty acids, branched-chain amino acids, and cholesterol generates propionyl-coenzyme A (CoA) as a terminal, three-carbon (C(3)) product. Propionate constitutes a key precursor in lipid biosynthesis but is toxic if accumulated, potentially implicating its metabolism in M. tuberculosis pathogenesis. In addition to the well-characterized methylcitrate cycle, the M. tuberculosis genome contains a complete methylmalonyl pathway, including a mutAB-encoded methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM) that requires a vitamin B(12)-derived cofactor for activity. Here, we demonstrate the ability of M. tuberculosis to utilize propionate as the sole carbon source in the absence of a functional methylcitrate cycle, provided that vitamin B(12) is supplied exogenously. We show that this ability is dependent on mutAB and, furthermore, that an active methylmalonyl pathway allows the bypass of the glyoxylate cycle during growth on propionate in vitro. Importantly, although the glyoxylate and methylcitrate cycles supported robust growth of M. tuberculosis on the C(17) fatty acid heptadecanoate, growth on valerate (C(5)) was significantly enhanced through vitamin B(12) supplementation. Moreover, both wild-type and methylcitrate cycle mutant strains grew on B(12)-supplemented valerate in the presence of 3-nitropropionate, an inhibitor of the glyoxylate cycle enzyme isocitrate lyase, indicating an anaplerotic role for the methylmalonyl pathway. The demonstrated functionality of MCM reinforces the potential relevance of vitamin B(12) to mycobacterial pathogenesis and suggests that vitamin B(12) availability in vivo might resolve the paradoxical dispensability of the methylcitrate cycle for the growth and persistence of M. tuberculosis in mice.

Ribonucleotide Reduction in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Function and Expression of Genes Encoding Class Ib and Class II Ribonucleotide Reductases

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, possesses a class Ib ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), encoded by the nrdE and nrdF2 genes, in addition to a putative class II RNR, encoded by nrdZ. In this study we probed the relative contributions of these RNRs to the growth and persistence of M. tuberculosis. We found that targeted knockout of the nrdF2 gene could be achieved only in the presence of a complementing allele, confirming that this gene is essential under normal, in vitro growth conditions. This observation also implied that the alternate class Ib small subunit encoded by the nrdF1 gene is unable to substitute for nrdF2 and that the class II RNR, NrdZ, cannot substitute for the class Ib enzyme, NrdEF2. Conversely, a ΔnrdZ null mutant of M. tuberculosis was readily obtained by allelic exchange mutagenesis. Quantification of levels of nrdE, nrdF2, nrdF1, and nrdZ gene expression by real-time, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR with molecular beacons by using mRNA from aerobic and O2-limited cultures showed that nrdZ was significantly induced under microaerophilic conditions, in contrast to the other genes, whose expression was reduced by O2 restriction. However, survival of the ΔnrdZ mutant strain was not impaired under hypoxic conditions in vitro. Moreover, the lungs of B6D2/F1 mice infected with the ΔnrdZ mutant had bacterial loads comparable to those of lungs infected with the parental wild-type strain, which argues against the hypothesis that nrdZ plays a significant role in the virulence of M. tuberculosis in this mouse model.

A 0.13 /spl mu/m CMOS platform with Cu/low-k interconnects for system on chip applications

We describe an advanced 0.13 /spl mu/m CMOS technology platform optimized for density, performance, low power and analog/mixed signal applications. Up to 8 levels of copper interconnect with the industrys first true low-k dielectric (SiLK, k=2.7) (Goldblatt et al., 2000) result in superior interconnect performance at aggressive pitches. A 2.28 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ SRAM cell is manufactured with high yield by introducing elongated local interconnects on the contact level without increasing process complexity. Trench based embedded DRAM is offered for large area memory. Modular analog devices as well as passive components like resistors, MIM capacitors and intrinsic inductors are integrated.

Essential roles for imuA′- and imuB-encoded accessory factors in DnaE2-dependent mutagenesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), damage-induced mutagenesis is dependent on the C-family DNA polymerase, DnaE2. Included with dnaE2 in the Mtb SOS regulon is a putative operon comprising Rv3395c, which encodes a protein of unknown function restricted primarily to actinomycetes, and Rv3394c, which is predicted to encode a Y-family DNA polymerase. These genes were previously identified as components of an imuA-imuB-dnaE2–type mutagenic cassette widespread among bacterial genomes. Here, we confirm that Rv3395c (designated imuA′) and Rv3394c (imuB) are individually essential for induced mutagenesis and damage tolerance. Yeast two-hybrid analyses indicate that ImuB interacts with both ImuA′ and DnaE2, as well as with the β-clamp. Moreover, disruption of the ImuB-β clamp interaction significantly reduces induced mutagenesis and damage tolerance, phenocopying imuA′, imuB, and dnaE2 gene deletion mutants. Despite retaining structural features characteristic of Y-family members, ImuB homologs lack conserved active-site amino acids required for polymerase activity. In contrast, replacement of DnaE2 catalytic residues reproduces the dnaE2 gene deletion phenotype, strongly implying a direct role for the α-subunit in mutagenic lesion bypass. These data implicate differential protein interactions in specialist polymerase function and identify the split imuA′-imuB/dnaE2 cassette as a compelling target for compounds designed to limit mutagenesis in a pathogen increasingly associated with drug resistance.

The impact of drug resistance on Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology: what can we learn from rifampicin?

The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens poses a major threat to public health. Although influenced by multiple factors, high-level resistance is often associated with mutations in target-encoding or related genes. The fitness cost of these mutations is, in turn, a key determinant of the spread of drug-resistant strains. Rifampicin (RIF) is a frontline anti-tuberculosis agent that targets the rpoB-encoded β subunit of the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP). In Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), RIF resistance (RIFR) maps to mutations in rpoB that are likely to impact RNAP function and, therefore, the ability of the organism to cause disease. However, while numerous studies have assessed the impact of RIFR on key Mtb fitness indicators in vitro, the consequences of rpoB mutations for pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Here, we examine evidence from diverse bacterial systems indicating very specific effects of rpoB polymorphisms on cellular physiology, and consider these observations in the context of Mtb. In addition, we discuss the implications of these findings for the propagation of clinically relevant RIFR mutations. While our focus is on RIF, we also highlight results which suggest that drug-independent effects might apply to a broad range of resistance-associated mutations, especially in an obligate pathogen increasingly linked with multidrug resistance.

Mutation rate and the emergence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a major concern of tuberculosis control programmes worldwide, as treatment depends on low-efficacy, toxic compounds that often lead to poor outcomes. M. tuberculosis develops drug resistance exclusively through chromosomal mutations, in particular single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Moreover, in laboratory assays the organism exhibits a spontaneous mutation rate that is at the lower end of the bacterial spectrum. Despite this, whole-genome sequencing technology has identified unexpected genetic diversity among clinical M. tuberculosis populations. This suggests that the mycobacterial mutation rate may be modulated within the host and, in turn, implies a potential role for constitutive and/or transient mutator strains in adaptive evolution. It also raises the possibility that environmental factors might act as key mutagens during M. tuberculosis infection. Here we consider the elements that might influence the mycobacterial mutation rate in vivo and evaluate the potential roles of constitutive and transient mutator states in the generation of drug resistance mutations. In addition, we identify key research questions that will influence future efforts to develop novel therapeutic strategies for a disease that continues to impose a significant global health burden.

Role of the DinB Homologs Rv1537 and Rv3056 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The environment encountered by Mycobacterium tuberculosis during infection is genotoxic. Most bacteria tolerate DNA damage by engaging specialized DNA polymerases that catalyze translesion synthesis (TLS) across sites of damage. M. tuberculosis possesses two putative members of the DinB class of Y-family DNA polymerases, DinB1 (Rv1537) and DinB2 (Rv3056); however, their role in damage tolerance, mutagenesis, and survival is unknown. Here, both dinB1 and dinB2 are shown to be expressed in vitro in a growth phase-dependent manner, with dinB2 levels 12- to 40-fold higher than those of dinB1. Yeast two-hybrid analyses revealed that DinB1, but not DinB2, interacts with the beta-clamp, consistent with its canonical C-terminal beta-binding motif. However, knockout of dinB1, dinB2, or both had no effect on the susceptibility of M. tuberculosis to compounds that form N(2)-dG adducts and alkylating agents. Similarly, deletion of these genes individually or in combination did not affect the rate of spontaneous mutation to rifampin resistance or the spectrum of resistance-conferring rpoB mutations and had no impact on growth or survival in human or mouse macrophages or in mice. Moreover, neither gene conferred a mutator phenotype when expressed ectopically in Mycobacterium smegmatis. The lack of the effect of altering the complements or expression levels of dinB1 and/or dinB2 under conditions predicted to be phenotypically revealing suggests that the DinB homologs from M. tuberculosis do not behave like their counterparts from other organisms.

A vitamin B12 transporter in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Vitamin B12-dependent enzymes function in core biochemical pathways in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an obligate pathogen whose metabolism in vivo is poorly understood. Although M. tuberculosis can access vitamin B12 in vitro, it is uncertain whether the organism is able to scavenge B12 during host infection. This question is crucial to predictions of metabolic function, but its resolution is complicated by the absence in the M. tuberculosis genome of a direct homologue of BtuFCD, the only bacterial B12 transport system described to date. We applied genome-wide transposon mutagenesis to identify M. tuberculosis mutants defective in their ability to use exogenous B12. A small proportion of these mapped to Rv1314c, identifying the putative PduO-type ATP : co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase as essential for B12 assimilation. Most notably, however, insertions in Rv1819c dominated the mutant pool, revealing an unexpected function in B12 acquisition for an ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-type protein previously investigated as the mycobacterial BacA homologue. Moreover, targeted deletion of Rv1819c eliminated the ability of M. tuberculosis to transport B12 and related corrinoids in vitro. Our results establish an alternative to the canonical BtuCD-type system for B12 uptake in M. tuberculosis, and elucidate a role in B12 metabolism for an ABC protein implicated in chronic mycobacterial infection.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-aminothiazole derivatives as antimycobacterial and antiplasmodial agents

A series of compounds derived from the 2-amino-4-(2-pyridyl) thiazole scaffold was synthesized and tested for in vitro antimycobacterial activity against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain, antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine sensitive NF54 Plasmodium falciparum strain and cytotoxicity on a mammalian cell line. Optimal antimycobacterial activity was found with compounds with a 2-pyridyl ring at position 4 of the thiazole scaffold, a substituted phenyl ring at the 2-amino position, and an amide linker between the scaffold and the substituted phenyl. The antiplasmodial activity was best with compounds that had the phenyl ring substituted with hydrophobic electron withdrawing groups.

Diversity and disease pathogenesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The increasing availability of whole-genome sequence (WGS) data for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), suggests that circulating genotypes have been molded by three dominant evolutionary forces: long-term persistence within the human population, which requires a core programme of infection, disease, and transmission; selective pressure on specific genomic loci, which provides evidence of lineage-specific adaptation to host populations; and drug exposure, which has driven the rapid emergence of resistant isolates following the global implementation of anti-TB chemotherapy. Here, we provide an overview of these factors in considering the implications of genotypic diversity for disease pathogenesis, vaccine efficacy, and drug treatment.