Using diphenyleneiodonium to induce a viable but non-culturable phenotype in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its metabolomics analysis

PLoS One. 2019 Aug 1;14(8):e0220628. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220628. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Depletion of oxygen levels is a well-accepted model for induction of non-replicating, persistent states in mycobacteria. Increasing the stress levels in mycobacterium bacilli facilitates their entry into a non-cultivable, dormant state. In this study, it was shown that diphenyleneiodonium, an inhibitor of NADH oxidase, induced a viable, but non-culturable state in mycobacteria, having similar features to dormant bacilli, like loss of acid-fastness, upregulation of stress-regulated genes and decreased superoxide levels as compared to actively growing bacilli. Comprehensive, untargeted metabolic profiling also confirmed a decrease in biogenesis of amino acids, NAD, unsaturated fatty acids and nucleotides. Additionally, an increase in the level of lactate, fumarate, succinate and pentose phosphate pathways along with increased mycothiol and sulfate metabolites, similar to dormant bacilli, was observed in the granuloma. These non-cultivable bacilli were resuscitated by supplementation of fetal bovine serum, regaining their culturability in liquid as well as on agar medium. This study focused on the effect of diphenyleneiodonium treatment in causing mycobacteria to rapidly transition from an active state into a viable, but non-cultivable state, and comparing their characteristics with dormant phenotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / metabolism
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / metabolism
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways / drug effects
  • Metabolomics
  • Multienzyme Complexes / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / drug effects*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / metabolism
  • NAD / metabolism
  • NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Nucleotides / metabolism
  • Onium Compounds / pharmacology*
  • Phenotype
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Superoxides / metabolism

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
  • Multienzyme Complexes
  • Nucleotides
  • Onium Compounds
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • NAD
  • Superoxides
  • diphenyleneiodonium
  • NADH oxidase
  • NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases

Grants and funding

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) India through grant aid projects BSC0103 and CSC0406 supported this work. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.