Massively parallel combination screen reveals small molecule sensitization of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens
Authors: Tse Megan W. , Zhu Meilin , Peters Benjamin , Hamami Efrat , Chen Julie , Davis Kathleen P. , Nitz Samuel , Weller Juliane , Warrier Thulasi , Hunt Diana K. , Morales Yoelkys , Kawate Tomohiko , Gaulin Jeffrey L. , Come Jon H. , Hernandez-Bird Juan , Huo Wenwen , Neisewander Isabelle , Kiessling Laura L. , Hung Deborah T. , Mecsas Joan , Aldridge Bree B. , Isberg Ralph R. , Blainey Paul C. 
Published: March 2024

Antibiotic resistance, especially in multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens, remains a worldwide problem. Combination antimicrobial therapies may be an important strategy to overcome resistance and broaden the spectrum of existing antibiotics. However, this strategy is limited by the ability to efficiently screen large combinatorial chemical spaces. Here, we deployed a high-throughput combinatorial screening platform, DropArray, to evaluate the interactions of over 30,000 compounds with up to 22 antibiotics and 6 strains of Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens, totaling to over 1.3 million unique strain-antibiotic-compound combinations. In this dataset, compounds more frequently exhibited synergy with known antibiotics than single-agent activity. We identified a compound, P2-56, and developed a more potent analog, P2-56-3, which potentiated rifampin (RIF) activity againstAcinetobacter baumanniiandKlebsiella pneumoniae. Using phenotypic assays, we showed P2-56-3 disrupts the outer membrane ofA. baumannii. To identify pathways involved in the mechanism of synergy between P2-56-3 and RIF, we performed genetic screens inA. baumannii. CRISPRi-induced partial depletion of lipooligosaccharide transport genes (lptA-D,lptFG) resulted in hypersensitivity to P2-56-3/RIF treatment, demonstrating the genetic dependency of P2-56-3 activity and RIF sensitization onlptgenes inA. baumannii.Consistent with outer membrane homeostasis being an important determinant of P2-56-3/RIF tolerance, knockout of maintenance of lipid asymmetry complex genes and overexpression of certain resistance-nodulation-division efflux pumps – a phenotype associated with multidrug-resistance – resulted in hypersensitivity to P2-56-3. These findings demonstrate the immense scale of phenotypic antibiotic combination screens using DropArray and the potential for such approaches to discover new small molecule synergies against multidrug-resistant ESKAPE strains.

Significance Statement

There is an unmet need for new antibiotic therapies effective against the multidrug-resistant, Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens. Combination therapies have the potential to overcome resistance and broaden the spectrum of existing antibiotics. In this study, we use DropArray, a massively parallel combinatorial screening tool, to assay more than 1.3 million combinations of small molecules against the Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens,Acinetobacter baumannii,Klebsiella pneumoniae, andPseudomonas aeruginosa. We discovered a synthetic small molecule potentiator, P2-56, of the antibiotic rifampin effective inA. baumanniiandK. pneumoniae. We generated P2-56-3, a more potent derivative of P2-56, and found that it likely potentiates rifampin by compromising the outer membrane integrity. Our study demonstrates a high-throughput strategy for identifying antibiotic potentiators against multidrug-resistant bacteria.