Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a rising public health threat and make the identification of new antibiotics a priority. From a cell-based screen for bactericidal compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis under nutrient-deprivation conditions we identified auranofin, an orally bioavailable FDA-approved antirheumatic drug, as having potent bactericidal activities against both replicating and nonreplicating M. tuberculosis. We also found that auranofin is active against other Gram-positive bacteria, including Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis, and drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus. Our biochemical studies showed that auranofin inhibits the bacterial thioredoxin reductase, a protein essential in many Gram-positive bacteria for maintaining the thiol-redox balance and protecting against reactive oxidative species. Auranofin decreases the reducing capacity of target bacteria, thereby sensitizing them to oxidative stress. Finally, auranofin was efficacious in a murine model of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection. These results suggest that the thioredoxin-mediated redox cascade of Gram-positive pathogens is a valid target for the development of antibacterial drugs, and that the existing clinical agent auranofin may be repurposed to aid in the treatment of several important antibiotic-resistant pathogens.auranofin | tuberculosis | MRSA | Gram-positive

Although there exists compelling genetic evidence for a homologous recombination-independent pathway for repair of interstrand cross-links (ICLs) involving translesion synthesis (TLS), biochemical support for this model is lacking. To identify DNA polymerases that may function in TLS past ICLs, oligodeoxynucleotides were synthesized containing site-specific ICLs in which the linkage was between N 2 -guanines, similar to crosslinks formed by mitomycin C and enals. Here, data are presented that mammalian cell replication of DNAs containing these lesions was ϳ97% accurate. Using a series of oligodeoxynucleotides that mimic potential intermediates in ICL repair, we demonstrate that human polymerase (pol) not only catalyzed accurate incorporation opposite the cross-linked guanine but also replicated beyond the lesion, thus providing the first biochemical evidence for TLS past an ICL. The efficiency of TLS was greatly enhanced by truncation of both the 5 and 3 ends of the nontemplating strand. Further analyses showed that although yeast Rev1 could incorporate a dCTP opposite the cross-linked guanine, no evidence was found for TLS by pol or a pol /Rev1 combination. Because pol was able to bypass these ICLs, biological evidence for a role for pol in tolerating the N 2 -N 2 -guanine ICLs was sought; both cell survival and chromosomal stability were adversely affected in pol -depleted cells following mitomycin C exposure. Thus, biochemical data and cellular studies both suggest a role for pol in the processing of N 2 -N 2 -guanine ICLs.

Malaria causes worldwide morbidity and mortality, and while chemotherapy remains an excellent means of malaria control, drug-resistant parasites necessitate the discovery of new antimalarials. Peptidases are a promising class of drug targets and perform several important roles during the Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic life cycle. Herein, we report a multidisciplinary effort combining activity-based protein profiling, biochemical, and peptidomic approaches to functionally analyze two genetically essential P. falciparum metallo-aminopeptidases (MAPs), PfA-M1 and Pf-LAP. Through the synthesis of a suite of activity-based probes (ABPs) based on the general MAP inhibitor scaffold, bestatin, we generated specific ABPs for these two enzymes. Specific inhibition of PfA-M1 caused swelling of the parasite digestive vacuole and prevented proteolysis of hemoglobin (Hb)-derived oligopeptides, likely starving the parasite resulting in death. In contrast, inhibition of Pf-LAP was lethal to parasites early in the life cycle, prior to the onset of Hb degradation suggesting that Pf-LAP has an essential role outside of Hb digestion.protease | chemical-genetics | proteomics | small molecule | drug design

Apicomplexan parasites, including Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii (the causative agents of malaria and toxoplasmosis, respectively), are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. These pathogenic protozoa replicate within an intracellular vacuole inside of infected host cells, from which they must escape to initiate a new lytic cycle. By integrating cell biological, pharmacological, and genetic approaches, we provide evidence that both Plasmodium and Toxoplasma hijack host cell calpain proteases to facilitate parasite egress. Immunodepletion or inhibition of calpain-1 in hypotonically lysed and resealed erythrocytes prevented the escape of P. falciparum parasites, which was restored by adding purified calpain-1. Similarly, efficient egress of T. gondii from mammalian fibroblasts was blocked by either small interfering RNAmediated suppression or genetic deletion of calpain activity and could be restored by genetic complementation.Apicomplexan parasites are obligate intra-cellular pathogens that exhibit complex life cycles involving distinct sexual and asexual stages of growth. The asexual phase is made up of a lytic cycle in which parasites establish an intracellular niche within the host: Plasmodium species infect erythrocytes, whereas Toxoplasma gondii infects nucleated animal cells. The process of schizogony in Plasmodium (endodyogeny in Toxoplasma) involves replication within a specialized "parasitophorous vacuole" to yield multiple daughter parasites (1,2). The resulting merozoites (tachzyoites in Toxoplasma) must escape from this vacuole and the host cell to invade uninfected cells and continue the infection. Egress from the infected cell is a rapid event, requiring only seconds at the end of the ~36-to 48-hour intracellular life