AUTHOR=Park Cho Rong , Paik Seungwha , Kim Young Jae , Kim Jin Kyung , Jeon Sang Min , Lee Sang-Hee , Whang Jake , Cheng Jinhua , Suh Joo-Won , Cao Jin , Shetye Gauri , Chen Shao-Nong , McAlpine James , Pauli Guido F. , Franzblau Scott , Cho Sanghyun , Jo Eun-Kyeong 

TITLE=Rufomycin Exhibits Dual Effects Against Mycobacterium abscessus Infection by Inducing Host Defense and Antimicrobial Activities

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.695024

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.695024

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary infection is often aggravated due to antibiotic resistance issues. There is a need for development of new drugs inducing both host immune responses and antimicrobial activities. This study shows that the rufomycins 4/5/6/7 (Rufomycin 4-7), which targets ClpC1 as a subunit of caseinolytic protein complex ClpC1/ClpP1/ClpP2 of mycobacteria, exhibits a dual effect in host innate defense and in vivo antimicrobial activities against rough morphotype of Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs-R), a clinically severe morphotype that causes hyperinflammation. Rufomycin 4-7 treatment showed antimicrobial effects against Mabs pulmonary infection in vivo and in macrophages. In addition, Rufomycin 4-7 significantly decreased inflammation, but enhanced the autophagy/lysosomal genes through upregulation of nuclear translocation of transcription factor EB (TFEB). Furthermore, Rufomycin 4-7 treatment effectively inhibited mitochondrial damage and oxidative stresses in macrophages during Mabs-R infection. Collectively, Rufomycin 4-7-mediated dual effects inducing both antimicrobial activities and host immune defense might confer an advantage to treatment against Mabs-R infection.