Chemical disarming of isoniazid resistance in .

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Authors
Abstract

() killed more people in 2017 than any other single infectious agent. This dangerous pathogen is able to withstand stresses imposed by the immune system and tolerate exposure to antibiotics, resulting in persistent infection. The global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic has been exacerbated by the emergence of mutant strains of that are resistant to frontline antibiotics. Thus, both phenotypic drug tolerance and genetic drug resistance are major obstacles to successful TB therapy. Using a chemical approach to identify compounds that block stress and drug tolerance, as opposed to traditional screens for compounds that kill , we identified a small molecule, C10, that blocks tolerance to oxidative stress, acid stress, and the frontline antibiotic isoniazid (INH). In addition, we found that C10 prevents the selection for INH-resistant mutants and restores INH sensitivity in otherwise INH-resistant strains harboring mutations in the gene, which encodes the enzyme that converts the prodrug INH to its active form. Through mechanistic studies, we discovered that C10 inhibits respiration, revealing a link between respiration homeostasis and INH sensitivity. Therefore, by using C10 to dissect persistence, we discovered that INH resistance is not absolute and can be reversed.

Year of Publication
2019
Journal
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Volume
116
Issue
21
Pages
10510-10517
Date Published
2019 May 21
ISSN
1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1818009116
PubMed ID
31061116
PubMed Central ID
PMC6535022
Links
Grant list
R33 AI111696 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
P30 CA091842 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
UL1 TR000448 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI134847 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
T32 GM007067 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States
U19 AI110818 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States