The peptidoglycan layer is a vital component of the bacterial cell wall. The existing paradigm describes the peptidoglycan network as a static structure that is cross-linked predominantly by 4→3 transpeptide linkages. However, the non-classical 3→3 linkages predominate the transpeptide networking of the peptidoglycan layer of non-replicating M. tuberculosis 1,2. The molecular basis of these linkages, their significance to the physiology of the peptidoglycan layer, virulence and susceptibility of M. tuberculosis to drugs remain undefined. Here, we identify MT2594 (Rv2518c) as an L,D-transpeptidase that generates 3→3 linkages in M. tuberculosis. We show that the loss of this gene leads to altered colony morphology, loss of virulence and increased susceptibility to amoxicillin–clavulanate during the chronic phase of infection. This suggests that 3→3 cross-linking is vital to the physiology of the peptidoglycan layer. Although a functional homolog exists, expression of MT2594 is dominant throughout the growth phases of M. tuberculosis. The 4→3 transpeptide linkages are targeted by one of the most widely used classes of antibacterial drugs in human clinical use today, namely β-lactams. Recently, meropenem–clavulanate was shown to be effective against drug resistant M. tuberculosis 3. Our study suggests that a combination of an L,D-transpeptidase and a β-lactamase inhibitors could effectively target persisters during chronic phase of TB.
Regulation of erythropoiesis is achieved by integration of distinct signals. Among these, macrophages are emerging as erythropoietin-complementary regulators of erythroid development, particularly under stress conditions. We investigated the contribution of macrophages for physiological and pathological conditions of enhanced erythropoiesis. We utilized mouse models of induced anemia, Polycythemia vera and β-thalassemia in which macrophages were chemically depleted. Our data indicate that macrophages contribute decisively for recovery from induced anemia as well as the pathological progression of Polycythemia vera and β-thalassemia by modulating erythroid proliferation and differentiation. We validated these observations in primary human cultures, showing a critical direct impact of macrophages on proliferation and enucleation of erythroblasts from healthy individuals and Polycythemia vera or β-thalassemic patients. In summary, we identify a new mechanism that we named “Stress Erythropoiesis Macrophage-supporting Activity” (SEMA) that contributes to the pathophysiology of these disorders and will have critical scientific and therapeutic implications in the near future.
With 8.9 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths per year, tuberculosis is a leading global killer that has not been effectively controlled. The causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, proliferates within host macrophages where it modifies both its intracellular and local tissue environment, resulting in caseous granulomas with incomplete bacterial sterilization. Although infection by various mycobacterial species produces a cyclic AMP burst within macrophages that influences cell signalling, the underlying mechanism for the cAMP burst remains unclear. Here we show that among the 17 adenylate cyclase genes present in M. tuberculosis, at least one (Rv0386) is required for virulence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Rv0386 adenylate cyclase facilitates delivery of bacterial-derived cAMP into the macrophage cytoplasm. Loss of Rv0386 and the intramacrophage cAMP it delivers results in reductions in TNF-alpha production via the protein kinase A and cAMP response-element-binding protein pathway, decreased immunopathology in animal tissues, and diminished bacterial survival. Direct intoxication of host cells by bacterial-derived cAMP may enable M. tuberculosis to modify both its intracellular and tissue environments to facilitate its long-term survival.
With multi-drug resistant cases of tuberculosis increasing globally, better antibiotic drugs and novel drug-targets are becoming an urgent need. Traditional β-lactam antibiotics that disrupt the D,D-transpeptidases are not effective against mycobacteria, in part because mycobacteria rely mostly on β-lactam insensitive L,D-transpeptidases for biosynthesis and maintenance of their peptidoglycan layer. This reliance plays a major role in drug-resistance and persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections. The crystal structure at 1.7 Å resolution of the Mtb L,D-transpeptidase LdtMt2 containing a bound peptidoglycan fragment, reported here, provides information about catalytic site organization as well as substrate recognition by the enzyme. Based on our structural, kinetic, and calorimetric data, we propose a catalytic mechanism for LdtMt2 in which both acyl-acceptor and acyl-donor substrates reach the catalytic site from the same, rather than different, entrances. Together, this information provides vital insights for the development of novel drugs targeting this validated yet unexploited enzyme.
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