Project description:There is an urgent need for novel antibiotics against carbapenem and 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, for which the last-resort antibiotics have lost most of their efficacy. We describe here a novel class of synthetic antibiotics that was inspired from natural product-derived scaffolds. The antibiotics have an unprecedented mechanism of action, which targets the main component (BamA) of the Bam folding machinery required for folding and insertion of ß-barrel proteins into the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. This OMPTA (outer membrane protein-targeting antibiotic) class shows potent activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens and overcomes colistin-resistance both in vitro and in vivo. A clinical candidate has the potential to address life threatening Gram-negative infections with high unmet medical need.
Project description:There is an urgent need for novel antibiotics against carbapenem and 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, for which the last-resort antibiotics have lost most of their efficacy. We describe here a novel class of synthetic antibiotics that was inspired from natural product-derived scaffolds. The antibiotics have an unprecedented mechanism of action, which targets the main component (BamA) of the Bam folding machinery required for folding and insertion of ß-barrel proteins into the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. This OMPTA (outer membrane protein-targeting antibiotic) class shows potent activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens and overcomes colistin-resistance both in vitro and in vivo. A clinical candidate has the potential to address life threatening Gram-negative infections with high unmet medical need.
Project description:To explore the circulating miRNA expression after subcutaneous injection of Gram negative and positive bacteria in the mice The recombinant specific Gram negative pathogens Escherichia coli (xen14) and Gram positive pathogens Staphyllococcus aureus (xen29) were purchased from the Caliper (Caliper, Princeton, NJ, USA). 1M-CM-^W108 Escherichia coli or Staphyllococcus aureus pathogen in 100 M-NM-<l PBS was injected subcutaneously with Fr. 25 needle into the back of the mice to cause bacterial infection of the mice. An extra group of animals was inoculated with PBS to serve as a negative control. The mice had access to food and water ad libitum both before and after bacteria injection. The mice were killed at the indicated time points (4, 8, and 24 h) after the bacteria injection, and whole blood was drawn.
Project description:Triclosan is a biocidal active agent commonly found in domestic cleaning products, hand sanitizers, cosmetics and personal care products. It is used to control microbial contamination and has a broad-spectrum of activity against many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The development of triclosan tolerance with potential cross resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics in zoonotic pathogens is of concern given the widespread use of this active agent in clinical, food processing and domestic environments. Some studies have proposed that an over-dependence on triclosan-containing products could lead to the emergence of clinically important pathogens that are highly tolerant to both biocides and antibiotics. Currently, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms contributing to the emergence of triclosan tolerance in foodborne pathogens at a genetic level. We used microarray analysis to compare gene expression between a wildtype E. coli O157:H19 isolate (WT) with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to triclosan of 6.25 ug/ml and its laboratory generated triclosan tolerant mutant (M) with a MIC of >8000 ug/ml.
Project description:The emergence of polymyxin resistance in carbapenem-resistant and extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria is a critical threat to human health, and new treatment strategies are urgently required. Here, we investigated the ability of the safe-for-human use ionophore PBT2 to restore antibiotic sensitivity in polymyxin-resistant, ESBL-producing, carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative human pathogens. PBT2 was observed to resensitize Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to last-resort polymyxin class antibiotics, including the less-toxic next-generation polymyxin derivative, FADDI-287. We were unable to select for mutants resistant to PBT2 + FADDI-287 in polymyxin resistant E. coli containing a plasmid-borne mcr-1 gene or K. pneumoniae carrying a chromosomal mgrB mutation. Using a highly invasive K. pneumoniae strain engineered for polymyxin resistance through mgrB mutation, we successfully demonstrated the efficacy of PBT2 + FADDI-287 in vivo for the treatment of Gram-negative sepsis. These data present a new treatment modality to break antibiotic resistance in high priority polymyxin-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.