Biology subjects

Olsen, C. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Olsen, C. A..

9 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Mapping of Quorum Sensing Landscape of Commensal and Pathogenic Staphylococci Reveals a Largely Inhibitory Interaction Network

Staphylococci utilize secreted autoinducing peptides (AIPs) to regulate group behaviour through a process called quorum sensing (QS). For staphylococcal pathogens such as S. aureus, QS regulates expression of major virulence factors and QS inhibition has been proposed as an alternative to antibiotics for treatment of infections with methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Here, we surveyed the interaction map between QS systems of the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus lugdunensis and the 36 currently known AIPs from 22 staphylococcal species. We identified seven of these ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) in this study and all synthetic peptides were assessed for their ability to modulate QS. The mapped interactions of >280 native QS pairings were divided into human- and animal-associated staphylococci showing substantial differences in inhibitory potencies between the groups. In particular, AIPs of the bovine-associated species S. simulans displayed potential as QS inhibitors in the strains investigated in this study and were therefore chosen as starting point for a structure-activity relationship study. This study provides insights into the requirements for QS interference, yielding the most potent inhibitors reported to date for S. epidermidis and S. lugdunensis. Further, we tested an S. simulans AIP as anti-virulence agent in an assay to assess risk of acquired suppression of the inhibitory effect, and we established an assay set-up to successfully monitor agr deactivation of virulent MRSA by the QS inhibitor. Finally, a peptide was shown to attenuate skin infection caused by MRSA in a mouse model. Our results reveal a complex network of staphylococcal interactions and provide further impetus for the development of therapeutic strategies, based on QS modulation to target antibiotic-resistant pathogens. TOC Graphic O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=103 SRC="FIGDIR/small/635662v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (35K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@f2be0aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9aa0c2org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b02c26org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12273a7_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Development of Stabilized Peptide Analogues to Study a Short-lived Peptide Signal that Regulates Cell-to-Cell Communication in Listeria monocytogenes

Quorum sensing (QS) is a mechanism that regulates group behavior in bacteria, and in Gram-positive bacteria, the communication molecules are often cyclic peptides, called autoinducing peptides (AIPs). We recently showed that pentameric thiolactone-containing AIPs from Listeria monocytogenes, and from other species, spontaneously undergo rapid rearrangement to homodetic cyclopeptides, which hampers our ability to study the activity of these short-lived compounds. Here, we developed chemically modified analogues that closely mimic the native AIPs while remaining structurally intact, by introducing N-methylation or thioester-to-thioether substitutions. The stablilized AIP analogues exhibit strong QS agonism in L. monocytogenes and allow structure-activity relationships to be studied. Our data provide evidence that loudly suggest that the most potent AIP is in fact the very short-lived thiolactone-containing pentamer. Further, we find that the QS system in L. monocytogenes is more promiscuous with respect to the structural diversity allowed for agonistic AIPs than reported for the more extensively studied QS systems in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The developed compounds will be important for uncovering the biology of L. monocytogenes, and the design principles should be broadly applicable to the study of AIPs in other species.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Fluorogenic Substrates and Cyclic Peptide Inhibitors of the Oligonucleotide Activated SIRT7

The sirtuins are NAD+-dependent lysine deacylases, comprising seven isoforms (SIRT1-7) in humans, which are involved in the regulation of a plethora of biology, including gene expression and metabolism. The sirtuins share a common hydrolytic mechanism but display preferences for different {varepsilon}-N-acyllysine substrates. SIRT7 deacetylates targets in nuclei and nucleoli but remains one of the lesser studied of the seven isoforms; in part, because of a lack of chemical tools to specifically probe SIRT7 activity. Here we expressed SIRT7 and, using small-angle X-ray scattering, reveal SIRT7 to be a monomeric enzyme with low degree of globular flexibility in solution. We developed a fluorogenic assay for investigation of the substrate preferences of SIRT7 and to evaluate compounds that modulate its activity. We report several mechanism-based SIRT7 inhibitors as well as de novo cyclic peptide inhibitors selected from mRNA-display library screening that exhibit selectivity for SIRT7 over other sirtuin isoforms and stabilize SIRT7 in cells.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

Determination of Slow-binding HDAC Inhibitor Potency and Subclass Selectivity

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1-3 regulate chromatin structure and gene expression. These three enzymes are targets for cancer chemotherapy and are studied for the treatment of immune disorders and neurodegeneration, but there is a lack of selective pharmacological tool compounds to unravel their individual roles. Potent inhibitors of HDACs 1-3 often display slow-binding kinetics, which causes a delay in inhibitor-enzyme equilibration and may affect assay readout. Here, we compare the potency and selectivity of slow-binding inhibitors measured by discontinuous and continuous assays. We find that entinostat, a clinical candidate, inhibits HDACs 1-3 by a two-step, slow-binding mechanism with lower potencies than previously reported. In addition, we show that RGFP966, commercialized as HDAC3-selective probe, is a slow-binding inhibitor with inhibitor constants of 57 nM, 31 nM, and 13 nM against HDACs 1-3, respectively. These data highlight a need for thorough kinetic investigation in the development of selective HDAC probes. Table of Contents artwork O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=100 SRC="FIGDIR/small/473277v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (17K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b1ef16org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c79359org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9ae077org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@6ad25_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2021

Chemical phylogenetics of the staphylococcal quorum sensing landscape

Staphylococci utilize secreted autoinducing peptides (AIPs) to regulate group behaviour through a process called quorum sensing (QS). Here, we survey the QS interaction landscape within the Staphylococcus genus by assembling a unique compound collection, comprising all the currently known AIPs. These ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs) were obtained by chemical synthesis and mapping of their ability to modulate QS was evaluated using reporter strains of common human and animal colonizing pathogens (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. lugdunensis). The resulting map of >200 native QS interactions provides a holistic view of nodes that contribute to the complex signalling network within the Staphylococcus genus. This overview reveals surprising cross-species QS induction and identify the first pan-inhibitory AIP, which is then shown to attenuate MRSA induced skin infection in a mouse model. Our results expose a complex universe of possible staphylococcal interactions and provide further impetus for development of therapeutics based on QS modulators targeting antibiotic resistant pathogens.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Class I Histone Deacetylases (HDAC1-3) are Histone Lysine Delactylases

Lysine O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-lactylation [K(O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-la)] is a newly discovered histone mark that can be stimulated under conditions of high glycolysis, such as the Warburg effect. K(O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-la) is associated with functions that are different from the widely studied histone acetylation. While K(O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-la) can be introduced by the acetyltransferase p300, histone delactylase enzymes remain unknown. Here, we report the systematic evaluation of zinc- and NAD+-dependent HDACs for their ability to cleave {varepsilon}-N-O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-lactyllysine marks. Our screens identified HDACs 1-3 and SIRT1-3 as delactylases in vitro. HDACs 1-3 show robust activity toward not only K(O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-la) but also K(O_SCPLOWDC_SCPLOW-la) and diverse short-chain acyl modifications. We further confirmed the de-O_SCPLOWLC_SCPLOW-lactylase activity of HDACs 1 and 3 in cells. Identification of p300 and HDAC3 as regulatory enzymes suggests that histone lactylation is installed and removed by enzymes as opposed to spontaneous chemical reactivity. Our results therefore represent an important step toward full characterization of this pathways regulatory elements.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Selective inhibitors of SIRT2 regulate perinuclear α-tubulin acetylation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a protein deacylase enzyme that removes acetyl groups and longer chain acyl groups from post-translationally modified lysine residues. It affects diverse biological functions in the cell and has been considered a drug target in relation to both neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Therefore, access to well-characterized and robust tool compounds is essential for the continued investigation of the complex functions of this enzyme. Here, we report a collection of probes that are potent, selective, stable in serum, water-soluble, amenable to cell culture experiments, and inhibit both SIRT2 deacetylation and demyristoylation. Compared to the current landscape of SIRT2 inhibitors, this is a unique ensemble of features built into a single compound. We expect the developed chemotypes to find broad application in the interrogation of SIRT2 functions in both healthy and diseased cells, and to provide a foundation for the development of future therapeutics.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2018

An NAD+-dependent sirtuin depropionylase and deacetylase (Sir2La) from the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM

Sirtuins--a group of NAD+-dependent deacylases--have emerged as key in the connection between NAD+ metabolism and aging. This class of enzymes hydrolyze a range of{varepsilon} -N-acyllysine PTMs and determining the repertoire of catalyzed deacylation reactions is of high importance to fully elucidate the roles of a given sirtuin. Here we have identified and produced two potential sirtuins from the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and screening more than 80 different substrates, covering 26 acyl groups on five peptide scaffolds, showed that one of the investigated proteins--Sir2La--is a bona fide NAD+-dependent sirtuin, catalyzing hydrolysis of acetyl-, propionyl-, and butyryllysine. Further substantiating the identity as a sirtuin, known sirtuin inhibitors nicotinamide and suramin as well as a thioacetyllysine compound inhibit the deacylase activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on steady-state kinetics Sir2La showed a slight preference for propionyllysine over acetyllysine and butyryllysine, driven both by KM (14 M vs 21 M and 15 M) and kcat (4.4{middle dot}10-3 s-1 vs 2.5{middle dot}10-3 s-1 and 1.21{middle dot}10-3 s-1). Moreover, while NAD+ is a prerequisite for Sir2La-mediated deacylation, Sir2La has very high KM for NAD+ compared to the expected levels of the dinucleotide in L. acidophilus. Sir2La is the first sirtuin from Lactobacillales and of the Gram-positive bacterial subclass of sirtuins to be functionally characterized. The ability to hydrolyze propionyl- and butyryllysine emphasizes the relevance of further exploring the role of other short-chain acyl moieties as PTMs.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2017

Histone Deacetylase 11 is an ε-N-Myristoyllysine Hydrolase

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes are important regulators of diverse biological function, including gene expression, rendering them potential targets for intervention in a number of diseases, with a handful of compounds approved for treatment of certain hematologic cancers. Among the human zinc-dependent HDACs, the most recently discovered member, HDAC11, is the only member assigned to subclass IV, the smallest protein, and the least well understood with regards to biological function. Here we show that HDAC11 cleaves long chain acyl modifications on lysine side chains with remarkable efficiency compared to acetyl groups. We further show that several common types of HDAC inhibitors, including the approved drugs romidepsin and vorinostat, do not inhibit this enzymatic activity. Macrocyclic hydroxamic acid-containing peptides, on the other hand, potently inhibit HDAC11 demyristoylation activity. These findings should be taken carefully into consideration in future investigations of the biological function of HDAC11 and will serve as a foundation for the development of selective chemical probes targeting HDAC11.

biochemistry↗