Despite many recent advances in understanding the molecular and cellular biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the rate-limiting step in nearly all experiments remains batch-culture growth and phenotyping - an imprecise process of modest throughput that masks the heterogeneity of responses and is largely unchanged in the last 100 years. Like all bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is subjected to dynamic environmental stresses throughout its natural history. Faced with varied and changing environments, bacteria respond in diverse ways - and the breadth of these responses cannot be captured in batch culture. Here we propose to develop a novel and robust method, Parallel Microscopic Determination of Fitness (PMDF), to monitor bacterial growth and viability while preserving and recording phenotypic heterogeneity within the population. We have performed pilot experiments using time lapse phase and fluorescent microscopy to monitor growth of the soil saprophyte Mycobacterium smegmatis, following the independent fates of thousands of separate cell deposition events in each experiment. Our goal now is to adapt this experimental platform to MTB, with a series of proof-of-concept experiments. We will characterize the replication of geographically diverse clinical isolates of MTB as they respond over time to defined, disease- relevant environmental perturbations, and develop this approach to improve analysis of susceptibility to small molecule antitubercular agents.

Public Health Relevance

A major limitation of current biological approaches is the inability to test experimentally the responses of individual colony forming units to various stresses. We propose to develop a novel method using time lapse phase and fluorescent microscopy to monitor growth of thousands of individual Mycobacterium tuberculosis colony forming units (CFU) to disease-relevant environmental or chemical insults.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21AI111181-01A1
Application #
8969905
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IDM-B (80))
Program Officer
Lacourciere, Karen A
Project Start
2015-06-15
Project End
2017-05-31
Budget Start
2015-06-15
Budget End
2016-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$283,500
Indirect Cost
$133,500
Name
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
070967955
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98109
Kumar, Anuradha; Guardia, Ana; Colmenarejo, Gonzalo et al. (2015) A Focused Screen Identifies Antifolates with Activity on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ACS Infect Dis 1:604-14