Systematic analysis of drug combinations against Gram-positive bacteria.

Drug combinations can expand options for antibacterial therapies but have not been systematically tested in Gram-positive species. We profiled ~8,000 combinations of 65 antibacterial drugs against the model species Bacillus subtilis and two prominent pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thereby, we recapitulated previously known drug interactions, but also identified ten times more novel interactions in the pathogen S.

The ribosomal A-site finger is crucial for binding and activation of the stringent factor RelA.

During amino acid starvation the Escherichia coli stringent response factor RelA recognizes deacylated tRNA in the ribosomal A-site. This interaction activates RelA-mediated synthesis of alarmone nucleotides pppGpp and ppGpp, collectively referred to as (p)ppGpp. These two alarmones are synthesized by addition of a pyrophosphate moiety to the 3' position of the abundant cellular nucleotide GTP and less abundant nucleotide GDP, respectively.

HPLC-based quantification of bacterial housekeeping nucleotides and alarmone messengers ppGpp and pppGpp.

Here we describe an HPLC-based method to quantify bacterial housekeeping nucleotides and the signaling messengers ppGpp and pppGpp. We have replicated and tested several previously reported HPLC-based approaches and assembled a method that can process 50 samples in three days, thus making kinetically resolved experiments feasible. The method combines cell harvesting by rapid filtration, followed by acid extraction, freeze-drying with chromatographic separation.

Molecular mutagenesis of ppGpp: turning a RelA activator into an inhibitor.

The alarmone nucleotide (p)ppGpp is a key regulator of bacterial metabolism, growth, stress tolerance and virulence, making (p)ppGpp-mediated signaling a promising target for development of antibacterials. Although ppGpp itself is an activator of the ribosome-associated ppGpp synthetase RelA, several ppGpp mimics have been developed as RelA inhibitors. However promising, the currently available ppGpp mimics are relatively inefficient, with IC in the sub-mM range.

Subinhibitory Concentrations of Bacteriostatic Antibiotics Induce -Dependent and -Independent Tolerance to β-Lactams.

The nucleotide (p)ppGpp is a key regulator of bacterial metabolism, growth, stress tolerance, and virulence. During amino acid starvation, the (p)ppGpp synthetase RelA is activated by deacylated tRNA in the ribosomal A-site. An increase in (p)ppGpp is believed to drive the formation of antibiotic-tolerant persister cells, prompting the development of strategies to inhibit (p)ppGpp synthesis.

Auxotrophy-based High Throughput Screening assay for the identification of Bacillus subtilis stringent response inhibitors.

The stringent response is a central adaptation mechanism that allows bacteria to adjust their growth and metabolism according to environmental conditions. The functionality of the stringent response is crucial for bacterial virulence, survival during host invasion as well as antibiotic resistance and tolerance. Therefore, specific inhibitors of the stringent response hold great promise as molecular tools for disarming and pacifying bacterial pathogens.

Composition of the outgrowth medium modulates wake-up kinetics and ampicillin sensitivity of stringent and relaxed Escherichia coli.

The transition of Escherichia coli from the exponential into the stationary phase of growth induces the stringent response, which is mediated by the rapid accumulation of the alarmone nucleotide (p)ppGpp produced by the enzyme RelA. The significance of RelA's functionality during the transition in the opposite direction, i.e.

Phenotypic heterogeneity enables uropathogenic Escherichia coli to evade killing by antibiotics and serum complement.

Uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the major cause of bacteremic urinary tract infections. Survival in the bloodstream is associated with different mechanisms that help to resist serum complement-mediated killing. While the phenotypic heterogeneity of bacteria has been shown to influence antibiotic tolerance, the possibility that it makes cells refractory to killing by the immune system has not been experimentally tested.