Genome-wide gene expression tuning reveals diverse vulnerabilities of M. tuberculosis Graphical abstract Highlights d Titratable CRISPRi enables quantification of target vulnerability in mycobacteria d Essential genes and processes vary widely in their vulnerability d Differential vulnerability predicts differential antibacterial susceptibility d Generalizable approach allows prioritization of high-value targets for drug discovery

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection is notoriously difficult to treat. Treatment efficacy is limited by Mtb’s intrinsic drug resistance, as well as its ability to evolve acquired resistance to all antituberculars in clinical use. A deeper understanding of the bacterial pathways that influence drug efficacy could facilitate the development of more effective therapies, identify new mechanisms of acquired resistance, and reveal overlooked therapeutic opportunities. Here we developed a CRISPR interference chemical-genetics platform to titrate the expression of Mtb genes and quantify bacterial fitness in the presence of different drugs. We discovered diverse mechanisms of intrinsic drug resistance, unveiling hundreds of potential targets for synergistic drug combinations. Combining chemical genetics with comparative genomics of Mtb clinical isolates, we further identified several previously unknown mechanisms of acquired drug resistance, one of which is associated with a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis outbreak in South America. Lastly, we found that the intrinsic resistance factor whiB7 was inactivated in an entire Mtb sublineage endemic to Southeast Asia, presenting an opportunity to potentially repurpose the macrolide antibiotic clarithromycin to treat tuberculosis. This chemical-genetic map provides a rich resource to understand drug efficacy in Mtb and guide future tuberculosis drug development and treatment.

DNA replication-coupled (RC) nucleosome assembly is mediated by histone chaperones and is fundamental for epigenetic inheritance and maintenance of genomic integrity. The mechanisms that promote this process are only partially understood. Here, we show that the histone chaperone FACT (facilitates chromatin transactions), consisting of Spt16 and Pob3, promotes newly synthesized histone H3-H4 deposition. We describe an allele of Spt16 (spt16-m) that has a defect in binding to H3-H4 and impairs their deposition onto DNA. Consistent with a direct role for FACT in RC nucleosome assembly, spt16-m displays synthetic defects with other histone chaperones associated with this process, CAF-1 and Rtt106. Importantly, we show that FACT physically associates with Rtt106 and that the acetylation of H3K56, a mark on newly synthesized H3, modulates this interaction. Therefore, FACT collaborates with CAF-1 and Rtt106 in RC nucleosome assembly.

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Generation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is required for the template strand formation during DNA replication. Replication Protein A (RPA) is an ssDNA-binding protein essential for protecting ssDNA at replication forks in eukaryotic cells. While significant progress has been made in characterizing the role of the RPA-ssDNA complex, how RPA is loaded at replication forks remains poorly explored. Here, we show that the protein regulator of Ty1 transposition 105 (Rtt105) binds RPA and helps load it at replication forks. Cells lacking Rtt105 exhibit a dramatic reduction in RPA loading at replication forks, compromised DNA synthesis under replication stress, and increased genome instability. Mechanistically, we show that Rtt105 mediates the RPA-importin interaction and also promotes RPA binding to ssDNA directly, but is not present in the final RPA-ssDNA complex. Single-molecule studies reveal that Rtt105 affects the binding mode of RPA to ssDNA These results support a model in which Rtt105 functions as an RPA chaperone that escorts RPA to the nucleus and facilitates its loading onto ssDNA at replication forks.

Gas-phase guanine (G) radical cations were generated by electrospraying a solution of guanosine (L) and Cu(NO(3))(2). Collision-induced dissociation (CID) for guanine radical cations yielded five competing dissociation channels, corresponding to the elimination neutral molecules of NH(3), HCN, H(2)NC[triple bond]N (HN=C=NH), HNCO and the neutral radical N=C=NH, respectively. The primary product ions were further characterized by their relevant fragmentions. Ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to explain the experimental observations. Ten stable radical cation isomers were optimized and the potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the isomerization processes were explored in detail. Starting with the most stable isomer, the primary dissociation channels of guanine radical cations were theoretically investigated. DFT calculations show that the energy barriers for the eliminations of NH(3), HCN, H(2)NC[triple bond]N (HN=C=NH), HNCO and N=C=NH are 397 kJ mol(-1), 479 kJ mol(-1), 294 kJ mol(-1) (298 kJ mol(-1)), 306 kJ mol(-1), and 275 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The results are consistent with the energy-resolved CID of guanine radical cation, in which the eliminations of NH(3) and HCN are less abundant than the other channels.