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Lall D, Glaser MM, Higgs PI. Myxococcus xanthus fruiting body morphology is important for spore recovery after exposure to environmental stress. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024:e0166024. [PMID: 39365039 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01660-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 10/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental microorganisms have evolved a variety of strategies to survive fluctuations in environmental conditions, including the production of biofilms and differentiation into spores. Myxococcus xanthus are ubiquitous soil bacteria that produce starvation-induced multicellular fruiting bodies filled with environmentally resistant spores (a specialized biofilm). Isolated spores have been shown to be more resistant than vegetative cells to heat, ultraviolet radiation, and desiccation. The evolutionary advantage of producing spores inside fruiting bodies is not clear. Here, we examine a hypothesis that the fruiting body provides additional protection from environmental insults. We developed a high-throughput method to compare the recovery (outgrowth) of distinct cell types (vegetative cells, free spores, and spores within intact fruiting bodies) after exposure to ultraviolet radiation or desiccation. Our data indicate that haystack-shaped fruiting bodies protect spores from extended UV radiation but do not provide additional protection from desiccation. Perturbation of fruiting body morphology strongly impedes recovery from both UV exposure and desiccation. These results hint that the distinctive fruiting bodies produced by different myxobacterial species may have evolved to optimize their persistence in distinct ecological niches.IMPORTANCEEnvironmental microorganisms play an important role in the production of greenhouse gases that contribute to changing climate conditions. It is imperative to understand how changing climate conditions feedback to influence environmental microbial communities. The myxobacteria are environmentally ubiquitous social bacteria that influence the local microbial community composition. Defining how these bacteria are affected by environmental insults is a necessary component of predicting climatic feedback effects. When starved, myxobacteria produce multicellular fruiting bodies filled with spores. As spores are resistant to a variety of environmental insults, the evolutionary advantage of building a fruiting body is not clear. Using the model myxobacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, we demonstrate that the tall, haystack-shaped fruiting body morphology enables significantly more resistance to UV exposure than the free spores. In contrast, fruiting bodies are slightly detrimental to recovery from extended desiccation, an effect that is strongly exaggerated if fruiting body morphology is perturbed. These results suggest that the variety of fruiting body morphologies observed in the myxobacteria may dictate their relative resistance to changing climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave Lall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Maike M Glaser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Penelope I Higgs
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
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2
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Chen K, Zhang L, Ding Y, Sun Z, Meng J, Luo R, Zhou X, Liu L, Yang S. Activity-based protein profiling in drug/pesticide discovery: Recent advances in target identification of antibacterial compounds. Bioorg Chem 2024; 151:107655. [PMID: 39032407 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Given the escalating incidence of bacterial diseases and the challenge posed by pathogenic bacterial resistance, it is imperative to identify appropriate methodologies for conducting proteomic investigations on bacteria, and thereby promoting the target-based drug/pesticide discovery. Interestingly, a novel technology termed "activity-based protein profiling" (ABPP) has been developed to identify the target proteins of active molecules. However, few studies have summarized advancements in ABPP for identifying the target proteins in antibacterial-active compounds. In order to accelerate the discovery and development of new drug/agrochemical discovery, we provide a concise overview of ABPP and its recent applications in antibacterial agent discovery. Diversiform cases were cited to demonstrate the potential of ABPP for target identification though highlighting the design strategies and summarizing the reported target protein of antibacterial compounds. Overall, this review is an excellent reference for probe design towards antibacterial compounds, and offers a new perspective of ABPP in bactericide development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunlun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Yue Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Zhaoju Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Jiao Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Rongshuang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Xiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Liwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Song Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
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Ma Y, Li Z, Li D, Zheng B, Xue Y. G0 arrest gene patterns to predict the prognosis and drug sensitivity of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0309076. [PMID: 39159158 PMCID: PMC11332951 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
G0 arrest (G0A) is widely recognized as a crucial factor contributing to tumor relapse. The role of genes related to G0A in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) was unclear. This study aimed to develop a gene signature based on for LUAD patients and investigate its relationship with prognosis, tumor immune microenvironment, and therapeutic response in LUAD. We use the TCGA-LUAD database as the discovery cohort, focusing specifically on genes associated with the G0A pathway. We used various statistical methods, including Cox and lasso regression, to develop the model. We validated the model using bulk transcriptome and single-cell transcriptome datasets (GSE50081, GSE72094, GSE127465, GSE131907 and EMTAB6149). We used GSEA enrichment and the CIBERSORT algorithm to gain insight into the annotation of the signaling pathway and the characterization of the tumor microenvironment. We evaluated the response to immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy in these patients. The expression of six genes was validated in cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Our study successfully established a six-gene signature (CHCHD4, DUT, LARP1, PTTG1IP, RBM14, and WBP11) that demonstrated significant predictive power for overall survival in patients with LUAD. It demonstrated independent prognostic value in LUAD. To enhance clinical applicability, we developed a nomogram based on this gene signature, which showed high reliability in predicting patient outcomes. Furthermore, we observed a significant association between G0A-related risk and tumor microenvironment as well as drug susceptibility, highlighting the potential of the gene signature to guide personalized treatment strategies. The expression of six genes were significantly upregulated in the LUAD cell lines. This signature holds the potential to contribute to improved prognostic prediction and new personalized therapies specifically for LUAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Ma
- Thoracic Surgery Department, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, Shanxi, China
| | - Zhilong Li
- Thoracic Surgery Department, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, Shanxi, China
| | - Dongbing Li
- Scientific Research Center, Beijing ChosenMed Clinical Laboratory Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Baozhen Zheng
- Radiation Oncology Department, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences / Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Yanfeng Xue
- Special Need Medical Department, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
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Wang M, Vladimirsky A, Giometto A. Overcoming toxicity: why boom-and-bust cycles are good for non-antagonistic microbes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.09.607393. [PMID: 39211125 PMCID: PMC11361132 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.09.607393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Antagonistic interactions are critical determinants of microbial community stability and composition, offering host benefits such as pathogen protection and providing avenues for antimicrobial control. While the ability to eliminate competitors confers an advantage to antagonistic microbes, it often incurs a fitness cost. Consequently, many microbes only produce toxins or engage in antagonistic behavior in response to specific cues like population density or environmental stress. In laboratory settings, antagonistic microbes typically dominate over sensitive ones, raising the question of why both antagonistic and non-antagonistic microbes are found in natural environments and host microbiomes. Here, using both theoretical models and experiments with killer strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae , we show that boom-and-bust dynamics caused by temporal environmental fluctuations can favor non-antagonistic microbes that do not incur the growth rate cost of toxin production. Additionally, using control theory, we derive bounds on the competitive performance and identify optimal regulatory toxin-production strategies in various boom-and-bust environments where population dilutions occur either deterministically or stochastically over time. Our findings offer a new perspective on how both antagonistic and non-antagonistic microbes can thrive under varying environmental conditions.
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Shabestary K, Klemm C, Carling B, Marshall J, Savigny J, Storch M, Ledesma-Amaro R. Phenotypic heterogeneity follows a growth-viability tradeoff in response to amino acid identity. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6515. [PMID: 39095345 PMCID: PMC11297284 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50602-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
In their natural environments, microorganisms mainly operate at suboptimal growth conditions with fluctuations in nutrient abundance. The resulting cellular adaptation is subject to conflicting tasks: growth or survival maximisation. Here, we study this adaptation by systematically measuring the impact of a nitrogen downshift to 24 nitrogen sources on cellular metabolism at the single-cell level. Saccharomyces lineages grown in rich media and exposed to a nitrogen downshift gradually differentiate to form two subpopulations of different cell sizes where one favours growth while the other favours viability with an extended chronological lifespan. This differentiation is asymmetrical with daughter cells representing the new differentiated state with increased viability. We characterise the metabolic response of the subpopulations using RNA sequencing, metabolic biosensors and a transcription factor-tagged GFP library coupled to high-throughput microscopy, imaging more than 800,000 cells. We find that the subpopulation with increased viability is associated with a dormant quiescent state displaying differences in MAPK signalling. Depending on the identity of the nitrogen source present, differentiation into the quiescent state can be actively maintained, attenuated, or aborted. These results establish amino acids as important signalling molecules for the formation of genetically identical subpopulations, involved in chronological lifespan and growth rate determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyan Shabestary
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Cinzia Klemm
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Benedict Carling
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, London, UK
| | - James Marshall
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, London, UK
| | - Juline Savigny
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Marko Storch
- London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, London, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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Ekemezie CL, Melnikov SV. Hibernating ribosomes as drug targets? Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1436579. [PMID: 39135874 PMCID: PMC11317432 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1436579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
When ribosome-targeting antibiotics attack actively growing bacteria, they occupy ribosomal active centers, causing the ribosomes to stall or make errors that either halt cellular growth or cause bacterial death. However, emerging research indicates that bacterial ribosomes spend a considerable amount of time in an inactive state known as ribosome hibernation, in which they dissociate from their substrates and bind to specialized proteins called ribosome hibernation factors. Since 60% of microbial biomass exists in a dormant state at any given time, these hibernation factors are likely the most common partners of ribosomes in bacterial cells. Furthermore, some hibernation factors occupy ribosomal drug-binding sites - leading to the question of how ribosome hibernation influences antibiotic efficacy, and vice versa. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on physical and functional interactions between hibernation factors and ribosome-targeting antibiotics and explore the possibility of using antibiotics to target not only active but also hibernating ribosomes. Because ribosome hibernation empowers bacteria to withstand harsh conditions such as starvation, stress, and host immunity, this line of research holds promise for medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology: by learning to regulate ribosome hibernation, we could enhance our capacity to manage the survival of microorganisms in dormancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinenye L. Ekemezie
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Sergey V. Melnikov
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- Medical School of Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Li B, Srivastava S, Shaikh M, Mereddy G, Garcia MR, Shah A, Ofori-Anyinam N, Chu T, Cheney N, Yang JH. Bioenergetic stress potentiates antimicrobial resistance and persistence. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.12.603336. [PMID: 39026737 PMCID: PMC11257553 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.12.603336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis and there is an urgent need to better understand AMR mechanisms. Antibiotic treatment alters several aspects of bacterial physiology, including increased ATP utilization, carbon metabolism, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. However, how the "bioenergetic stress" induced by increased ATP utilization affects treatment outcomes is unknown. Here we utilized a synthetic biology approach to study the direct effects of bioenergetic stress on antibiotic efficacy. We engineered a genetic system that constitutively hydrolyzes ATP or NADH in Escherichia coli. We found that bioenergetic stress potentiates AMR evolution via enhanced ROS production, mutagenic break repair, and transcription-coupled repair. We also find that bioenergetic stress potentiates antimicrobial persistence via potentiated stringent response activation. We propose a unifying model that antibiotic-induced antimicrobial resistance and persistence is caused by antibiotic-induced. This has important implications for preventing or curbing the spread of AMR infections.
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Wettstein R, Hugener J, Gillet L, Hernández-Armenta Y, Henggeler A, Xu J, van Gerwen J, Wollweber F, Arter M, Aebersold R, Beltrao P, Pilhofer M, Matos J. Waves of regulated protein expression and phosphorylation rewire the proteome to drive gametogenesis in budding yeast. Dev Cell 2024; 59:1764-1782.e8. [PMID: 38906138 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Sexually reproducing eukaryotes employ a developmentally regulated cell division program-meiosis-to generate haploid gametes from diploid germ cells. To understand how gametes arise, we generated a proteomic census encompassing the entire meiotic program of budding yeast. We found that concerted waves of protein expression and phosphorylation modify nearly all cellular pathways to support meiotic entry, meiotic progression, and gamete morphogenesis. Leveraging this comprehensive resource, we pinpointed dynamic changes in mitochondrial components and showed that phosphorylation of the FoF1-ATP synthase complex is required for efficient gametogenesis. Furthermore, using cryoET as an orthogonal approach to visualize mitochondria, we uncovered highly ordered filament arrays of Ald4ALDH2, a conserved aldehyde dehydrogenase that is highly expressed and phosphorylated during meiosis. Notably, phosphorylation-resistant mutants failed to accumulate filaments, suggesting that phosphorylation regulates context-specific Ald4ALDH2 polymerization. Overall, this proteomic census constitutes a broad resource to guide the exploration of the unique sequence of events underpinning gametogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahel Wettstein
- Max Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jannik Hugener
- Max Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ludovic Gillet
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Yi Hernández-Armenta
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Adrian Henggeler
- Max Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jingwei Xu
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Julian van Gerwen
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Wollweber
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Meret Arter
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ruedi Aebersold
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Pedro Beltrao
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Martin Pilhofer
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Joao Matos
- Max Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Zhang X, Liew KJ, Cao L, Wang J, Chang Z, Tan MCY, Chong KL, Chong CS. Transcriptome analysis of Candida albicans planktonic cells in response to plasma medicine. J Med Microbiol 2024; 73. [PMID: 38967406 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction. Cold plasma is frequently utilized for the purpose of eliminating microbial contaminants. Under optimal conditions, it can function as plasma medicine for treating various diseases, including infections caused by Candida albicans, an opportunistic pathogen that can overgrow in individuals with weakened immune system.Gap Statement. To date, there has been less molecular study on cold plasma-treated C. albicans.Research Aim. The study aims to fill the gap in understanding the molecular response of C. albicans to cold plasma treatment.Methodology. This project involved testing a cold plasma generator to determine its antimicrobial effectiveness on C. albicans' planktonic cells. Additionally, the cells' transcriptomics responses were investigated using RNA sequencing at various treatment durations (1, 3 and 5 min).Results. The results show that our cold plasma effectively eliminates C. albicans. Cold plasma treatment resulted in substantial downregulation of important pathways, such as 'nucleotide metabolism', 'DNA replication and repair', 'cell growth', 'carbohydrate metabolism' and 'amino acid metabolism'. This was an indication of cell cycle arrest of C. albicans to preserve energy consumption under unfavourable conditions. Nevertheless, C. albicans adapted its GSH antioxidant system to cope with the oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species and other free radicals. The treatment likely led to a decrease in cell pathogenicity as many virulence factors were downregulated.Conclusion. The study demonstrated the major affected pathways in cold plasma-treated C. albicans, providing valuable insights into the molecular response of C. albicans to cold plasma treatment. The findings contribute to the understanding of the antimicrobial efficiency of cold plasma and its potential applications in the field of microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhua Zhang
- School of Photoelectric Engineering, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213028, PR China
- Suzhou Amazing Grace Medical Equipment Co., Ltd, Suzhou 215101, PR China
- Jiangsu Huayu Printing & Coating Equipment Co. Ltd, Nantong 226300, PR China
| | - Kok Jun Liew
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Li Cao
- Suzhou Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Suzhou 215153, PR China
| | - Jie Wang
- Suzhou Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Suzhou 215153, PR China
| | - Zhidong Chang
- Suzhou Amazing Grace Medical Equipment Co., Ltd, Suzhou 215101, PR China
| | - Melvin Chun Yun Tan
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Kheng Loong Chong
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Chun Shiong Chong
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
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Garber AI, Ramírez GA, D'Hondt S. Genomic stasis over millions of years in subseafloor sediment. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16674. [PMID: 39146976 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
One of the significant challenges in microbiology is to understand the extent and mechanisms of evolution within life beneath the surface of the Earth. The population bottleneck that microbes in deep marine sediment experience implies that mutational and population genetic forces could lead to higher levels of relaxed selection and an increase in pseudogenes. To investigate this hypothesis, a group of Thalassospira strains were isolated from subseafloor sediment that is 3 to 6 million years old, as reported by Orsi and colleagues in 2021. These isolates, representing lineages that have been buried for millions of years, offer an excellent opportunity to study the evolution of life beneath the seafloor over a long period. The existence of closely related strains from environments on the surface of the Earth enabled us to examine the impact of selection within each group. We discovered that isolates from beneath the seafloor show lineage-specific similarities to Thalassospira from the surface world, both in the overall intensity of selection on the genome and in the specific genes affected by mutation. We found no signs of increased relaxed selection or other notable genomic changes in the genomes of the Thalassospira isolates from beneath the seafloor, suggesting that these subseafloor isolates were awakened from a million-year near-stasis. The unique genomic characteristics of each Thalassospira lineage from beneath the seafloor must then reflect genetic changes that surface-inhabiting decendants acquired in the past 3-6 million years. Remarkably, Thalassospira lineages beneath the surface appear to have stably maintained their genomes in the midst of metabolic dormancy and extremely long generation times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkadiy I Garber
- Biodesign Institute, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Gustavo A Ramírez
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Steven D'Hondt
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA
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Hugener J, Xu J, Wettstein R, Ioannidi L, Velikov D, Wollweber F, Henggeler A, Matos J, Pilhofer M. FilamentID reveals the composition and function of metabolic enzyme polymers during gametogenesis. Cell 2024; 187:3303-3318.e18. [PMID: 38906101 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Gamete formation and subsequent offspring development often involve extended phases of suspended cellular development or even dormancy. How cells adapt to recover and resume growth remains poorly understood. Here, we visualized budding yeast cells undergoing meiosis by cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) and discovered elaborate filamentous assemblies decorating the nucleus, cytoplasm, and mitochondria. To determine filament composition, we developed a "filament identification" (FilamentID) workflow that combines multiscale cryoET/cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) analyses of partially lysed cells or organelles. FilamentID identified the mitochondrial filaments as being composed of the conserved aldehyde dehydrogenase Ald4ALDH2 and the nucleoplasmic/cytoplasmic filaments as consisting of acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase Acs1ACSS2. Structural characterization further revealed the mechanism underlying polymerization and enabled us to genetically perturb filament formation. Acs1 polymerization facilitates the recovery of chronologically aged spores and, more generally, the cell cycle re-entry of starved cells. FilamentID is broadly applicable to characterize filaments of unknown identity in diverse cellular contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannik Hugener
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jingwei Xu
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Wettstein
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lydia Ioannidi
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Velikov
- Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Vienna BioCenter PhD Program, Doctoral School of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Wollweber
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Henggeler
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Joao Matos
- Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Martin Pilhofer
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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12
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Rivera-Galindo MA, Aguirre-Garrido F, Garza-Ramos U, Villavicencio-Pulido JG, Fernández Perrino FJ, López-Pérez M. Relevance of the Adjuvant Effect between Cellular Homeostasis and Resistance to Antibiotics in Gram-Negative Bacteria with Pathogenic Capacity: A Study of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:490. [PMID: 38927157 PMCID: PMC11200652 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13060490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance has become a global issue. The most significant risk is the acquisition of these mechanisms by pathogenic bacteria, which can have a severe clinical impact and pose a public health risk. This problem assumes that bacterial fitness is a constant phenomenon and should be approached from an evolutionary perspective to develop the most appropriate and effective strategies to contain the emergence of strains with pathogenic potential. Resistance mechanisms can be understood as adaptive processes to stressful conditions. This review examines the relevance of homeostatic regulatory mechanisms in antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. We focus on the interactions in the cellular physiology of pathogenic bacteria, particularly Gram-negative bacteria, and specifically Klebsiella pneumoniae. From a clinical research perspective, understanding these interactions is crucial for comprehensively understanding the phenomenon of resistance and developing more effective drugs and treatments to limit or attenuate bacterial sepsis, since the most conserved adjuvant phenomena in bacterial physiology has turned out to be more optimized and, therefore, more susceptible to alterations due to pharmacological action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mildred Azucena Rivera-Galindo
- Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Ciudad de México, México Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Unidad Xochimilco Calz, del Hueso 1100, Coapa, Villa Quietud, Coyoacán CP 04960, Mexico;
| | - Félix Aguirre-Garrido
- Environmental Sciences Department, Division of Biological and Health Sciences, Autonomous Metropolitan University (Lerma Unit), Av. de las Garzas N◦ 10, Col. El Panteón, Lerma de Villada CP 52005, Mexico; (F.A.-G.); (J.G.V.-P.)
| | - Ulises Garza-Ramos
- Centro de Investigación Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas (CISEI), Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (INSP), Cuernavaca CP 62100, Mexico;
| | - José Geiser Villavicencio-Pulido
- Environmental Sciences Department, Division of Biological and Health Sciences, Autonomous Metropolitan University (Lerma Unit), Av. de las Garzas N◦ 10, Col. El Panteón, Lerma de Villada CP 52005, Mexico; (F.A.-G.); (J.G.V.-P.)
| | - Francisco José Fernández Perrino
- Department of Biotechnology, Division of Biological and Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Unidad Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Leyes de Reforma, México City CP 09340, Mexico;
| | - Marcos López-Pérez
- Environmental Sciences Department, Division of Biological and Health Sciences, Autonomous Metropolitan University (Lerma Unit), Av. de las Garzas N◦ 10, Col. El Panteón, Lerma de Villada CP 52005, Mexico; (F.A.-G.); (J.G.V.-P.)
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13
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Carr RA, Tucker T, Newman PM, Jadalla L, Jaludi K, Reid BE, Alpheaus DN, Korrapati A, Pivonka AE, Carabetta VJ. N ε-lysine acetylation of the histone-like protein HBsu influences antibiotic survival and persistence in Bacillus subtilis. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1356733. [PMID: 38835483 PMCID: PMC11148388 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1356733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Nε-lysine acetylation is recognized as a prevalent post-translational modification (PTM) that regulates proteins across all three domains of life. In Bacillus subtilis, the histone-like protein HBsu is acetylated at seven sites, which regulates DNA compaction and the process of sporulation. In Mycobacteria, DNA compaction is a survival strategy in response antibiotic exposure. Acetylation of the HBsu ortholog HupB decondenses the chromosome to escape this drug-induced, non-growing state, and in addition, regulates the formation of drug-tolerant subpopulations by altering gene expression. We hypothesized that the acetylation of HBsu plays similar regulatory roles. First, we measured nucleoid area by fluorescence microscopy and in agreement, we found that wild-type cells compacted their nucleoids upon kanamycin exposure, but not exposure to tetracycline. We analyzed a collection of HBsu mutants that contain lysine substitutions that mimic the acetylated (glutamine) or unacetylated (arginine) forms of the protein. Our findings indicate that some level of acetylation is required at K3 for a proper response and K75 must be deacetylated. Next, we performed time-kill assays of wild-type and mutant strains in the presence of different antibiotics and found that interfering with HBsu acetylation led to faster killing rates. Finally, we examined the persistent subpopulation and found that altering the acetylation status of HBsu led to an increase in persister cell formation. In addition, we found that most of the deacetylation-mimic mutants, which have compacted nucleoids, were delayed in resuming growth following removal of the antibiotic, suggesting that acetylation is required to escape the persistent state. Together, this data adds an additional regulatory role for HBsu acetylation and further supports the existence of a histone-like code in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Carr
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - Trichina Tucker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - Precious M Newman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - Lama Jadalla
- Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
| | - Kamayel Jaludi
- Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
| | - Briana E Reid
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - Damian N Alpheaus
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - Anish Korrapati
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - April E Pivonka
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
| | - Valerie J Carabetta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, United States
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14
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Soni J, Pandey R. Single cell genomics based insights into the impact of cell-type specific microbial internalization on disease severity. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1401320. [PMID: 38835769 PMCID: PMC11148356 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1401320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Host-microbe interactions are complex and ever-changing, especially during infections, which can significantly impact human physiology in both health and disease by influencing metabolic and immune functions. Infections caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites are the leading cause of global mortality. Microbes have evolved various immune evasion strategies to survive within their hosts, which presents a multifaceted challenge for detection. Intracellular microbes, in particular, target specific cell types for survival and replication and are influenced by factors such as functional roles, nutrient availability, immune evasion, and replication opportunities. Identifying intracellular microbes can be difficult because of the limitations of traditional culture-based methods. However, advancements in integrated host microbiome single-cell genomics and transcriptomics provide a promising basis for personalized treatment strategies. Understanding host-microbiota interactions at the cellular level may elucidate disease mechanisms and microbial pathogenesis, leading to targeted therapies. This article focuses on how intracellular microbes reside in specific cell types, modulating functions through persistence strategies to evade host immunity and prolong colonization. An improved understanding of the persistent intracellular microbe-induced differential disease outcomes can enhance diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Soni
- Division of Immunology and Infectious Disease Biology, INtegrative GENomics of HOst PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Rajesh Pandey
- Division of Immunology and Infectious Disease Biology, INtegrative GENomics of HOst PathogEn (INGEN-HOPE) Laboratory, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), Delhi, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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15
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Helena-Bueno K, Chan LI, Melnikov SV. Rippling life on a dormant planet: hibernation of ribosomes, RNA polymerases, and other essential enzymes. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1386179. [PMID: 38770025 PMCID: PMC11102965 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1386179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Throughout the tree of life, cells and organisms enter states of dormancy or hibernation as a key feature of their biology: from a bacterium arresting its growth in response to starvation, to a plant seed anticipating placement in fertile ground, to a human oocyte poised for fertilization to create a new life. Recent research shows that when cells hibernate, many of their essential enzymes hibernate too: they disengage from their substrates and associate with a specialized group of proteins known as hibernation factors. Here, we summarize how hibernation factors protect essential cellular enzymes from undesired activity or irreparable damage in hibernating cells. We show how molecular hibernation, once viewed as rare and exclusive to certain molecules like ribosomes, is in fact a widespread property of biological molecules that is required for the sustained persistence of life on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sergey V. Melnikov
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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16
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da Silva CV, Velikkakam T, de Oliveira ECM, Silveira ACA, de Lima Júnior JP, Uombe NPI, da Silva PHR, Borges BC. Cellular dormancy: A widespread phenomenon that perpetuates infectious diseases. J Basic Microbiol 2024; 64:e2300389. [PMID: 38064123 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202300389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Under adverse environmental conditions, microorganisms are able to enter a state of cellular dormancy which consists of cell cycle arrest and interruption of multiplication. This process ensures their perpetuation in the infected host organism and enables the spread of disease. Throughout biological evolution, dormancy allowed microorganisms to persist in a harsh niche until favorable conditions for their reactivation were re-established. Here, we propose to discuss the dormancy of bacteria and protozoa pathogens focusing on the potential mechanisms and components associated with dormancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio V da Silva
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Teresiama Velikkakam
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Elida C M de Oliveira
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Anna C A Silveira
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Joed P de Lima Júnior
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Nelsa P I Uombe
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Paulo H R da Silva
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Bruna C Borges
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
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17
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Kut P, Garcia-Pichel F. Nimble vs. torpid responders to hydration pulse duration among soil microbes. Commun Biol 2024; 7:455. [PMID: 38609432 PMCID: PMC11015016 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06141-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental parameters vary in time, and variability is inherent in soils, where microbial activity follows precipitation pulses. The expanded pulse-reserve paradigm (EPRP) contends that arid soil microorganisms have adaptively diversified in response to pulse regimes differing in frequency and duration. To test this, we incubate Chihuahuan Desert soil microbiomes under separate treatments in which 60 h of hydration was reached with pulses of different pulse duration (PD), punctuated by intervening periods of desiccation. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon data, we measure treatment effects on microbiome net growth, growth efficiency, diversity, and species composition, tracking the fate of 370 phylotypes (23% of those detected). Consistent with predictions, microbial diversity is a direct, saturating function of PD. Increasingly larger shifts in community composition are detected with decreasing PD, as specialist phylotypes become more prominent. One in five phylotypes whose fate was tracked responds consistently to PD, some preferring short pulses (nimble responders; NIRs) and some longer pulses (torpid responders; TORs). For pulses shorter than a day, microbiome growth efficiency is an inverse function of PD, as predicted. We conclude that PD in pulsed soil environments constitutes a major driver of microbial community assembly and function, largely consistent with the EPRP predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Kut
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ferran Garcia-Pichel
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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18
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Hall D. Equations describing semi-confluent cell growth (I) Analytical approximations. Biophys Chem 2024; 307:107173. [PMID: 38241828 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
A set of differential equations with analytical solutions are presented that can quantitatively account for variable degrees of contact inhibition on cell growth in two- and three-dimensional cultures. The developed equations can be used for comparative purposes when assessing contribution of higher-order effects, such as culture geometry and nutrient depletion, on mean cell growth rate. These equations also offer experimentalists the opportunity to characterize cell culture experiments using a single reductive parameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Hall
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University, Kakumamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1164, Japan.
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19
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Dirkx L, Van Acker SI, Nicolaes Y, Cunha JLR, Ahmad R, Hendrickx R, Caljon B, Imamura H, Ebo DG, Jeffares DC, Sterckx YGJ, Maes L, Hendrickx S, Caljon G. Long-term hematopoietic stem cells trigger quiescence in Leishmania parasites. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012181. [PMID: 38656959 PMCID: PMC11073788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Addressing the challenges of quiescence and post-treatment relapse is of utmost importance in the microbiology field. This study shows that Leishmania infantum and L. donovani parasites rapidly enter into quiescence after an estimated 2-3 divisions in both human and mouse bone marrow stem cells. Interestingly, this behavior is not observed in macrophages, which are the primary host cells of the Leishmania parasite. Transcriptional comparison of the quiescent and non-quiescent metabolic states confirmed the overall decrease of gene expression as a hallmark of quiescence. Quiescent amastigotes display a reduced size and signs of a rapid evolutionary adaptation response with genetic alterations. Our study provides further evidence that this quiescent state significantly enhances resistance to treatment. Moreover, transitioning through quiescence is highly compatible with sand fly transmission and increases the potential of parasites to infect cells. Collectively, this work identified stem cells in the bone marrow as a niche where Leishmania quiescence occurs, with important implications for antiparasitic treatment and acquisition of virulence traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dirkx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sara I. Van Acker
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Yasmine Nicolaes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - João Luís Reis Cunha
- York Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Rokaya Ahmad
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rik Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ben Caljon
- Brussels Interuniversity Genomics High Throughput core (BRIGHTcore) platform, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hideo Imamura
- Brussels Interuniversity Genomics High Throughput core (BRIGHTcore) platform, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Didier G. Ebo
- Department of Immunology–Allergology–Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Daniel C. Jeffares
- York Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Yann G.-J. Sterckx
- Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry (LMB), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Louis Maes
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sarah Hendrickx
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene (LMPH), Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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20
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Liu Q, Sheng N, Zhang Z, He C, Zhao Y, Sun H, Chen J, Yang X, Tang C. Initial nutrient condition determines the recovery speed of quiescent cells in fission yeast. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26558. [PMID: 38455543 PMCID: PMC10918017 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Most of microbe cells spend the majority of their times in quiescence due to unfavorable environmental conditions. The study of this dominant state is crucial for understanding the basic cell physiology. Retained recovery ability is a critical property of quiescent cells, which consists of two features: how long the cells can survive (the survivability) and how fast they can recover (the recovery activity). While the survivability has been extensively studied under the background of chronological aging, how the recovery activity depends on the quiescent time and what factors influence its dynamics have not been addressed quantitatively. In this work, we systematically quantified both the survivability and the recovery activity of long-lived quiescent fission yeast cells at the single cell level under various nutrient conditions. It provides the most profound evolutionary dynamics of quiescent cell regeneration ability described to date. We found that the single cell recovery time linearly increased with the starvation time before the survivability significantly declined. This linearity was robust under various nutrient conditions and the recovery speed was predetermined by the initial nutrient condition. Transcriptome profiling further revealed that quiescence states under different nutrient conditions evolve in a common trajectory but with different speed. Our results demonstrated that cellular quiescence has a continuous spectrum of depths and its physiology is greatly influenced by environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- The Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Nan Sheng
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhiwen Zhang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Chenjun He
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yao Zhao
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Haoyuan Sun
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jianguo Chen
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- The Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiaojing Yang
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Chao Tang
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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21
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Greenlaw AC, Alavattam KG, Tsukiyama T. Post-transcriptional regulation shapes the transcriptome of quiescent budding yeast. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1043-1063. [PMID: 38048329 PMCID: PMC10853787 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To facilitate long-term survival, cells must exit the cell cycle and enter quiescence, a reversible non-replicative state. Budding yeast cells reprogram their gene expression during quiescence entry to silence transcription, but how the nascent transcriptome changes in quiescence is unknown. By investigating the nascent transcriptome, we identified over a thousand noncoding RNAs in quiescent and G1 yeast cells, and found noncoding transcription represented a larger portion of the quiescent transcriptome than in G1. Additionally, both mRNA and ncRNA are subject to increased post-transcriptional regulation in quiescence compared to G1. We found that, in quiescence, the nuclear exosome-NNS pathway suppresses over one thousand mRNAs, in addition to canonical noncoding RNAs. RNA sequencing through quiescent entry revealed two distinct time points at which the nuclear exosome controls the abundance of mRNAs involved in protein production, cellular organization, and metabolism, thereby facilitating efficient quiescence entry. Our work identified a previously unknown key biological role for the nuclear exosome-NNS pathway in mRNA regulation and uncovered a novel layer of gene-expression control in quiescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison C Greenlaw
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kris G Alavattam
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Toshio Tsukiyama
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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22
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Mortazavi SMJ, Said-Salman I, Mortazavi AR, El Khatib S, Sihver L. How the adaptation of the human microbiome to harsh space environment can determine the chances of success for a space mission to Mars and beyond. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1237564. [PMID: 38390219 PMCID: PMC10881706 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1237564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability of human cells to adapt to space radiation is essential for the well-being of astronauts during long-distance space expeditions, such as voyages to Mars or other deep space destinations. However, the adaptation of the microbiomes should not be overlooked. Microorganisms inside an astronaut's body, or inside the space station or other spacecraft, will also be exposed to radiation, which may induce resistance to antibiotics, UV, heat, desiccation, and other life-threatening factors. Therefore, it is essential to consider the potential effects of radiation not only on humans but also on their microbiomes to develop effective risk reduction strategies for space missions. Studying the human microbiome in space missions can have several potential benefits, including but not limited to a better understanding of the major effects space travel has on human health, developing new technologies for monitoring health and developing new radiation therapies and treatments. While radioadaptive response in astronauts' cells can lead to resistance against high levels of space radiation, radioadaptive response in their microbiome can lead to resistance against UV, heat, desiccation, antibiotics, and radiation. As astronauts and their microbiomes compete to adapt to the space environment. The microorganisms may emerge as the winners, leading to life-threatening situations due to lethal infections. Therefore, understanding the magnitude of the adaptation of microorganisms before launching a space mission is crucial to be able to develop effective strategies to mitigate the risks associated with radiation exposure. Ensuring the safety and well-being of astronauts during long-duration space missions and minimizing the risks linked with radiation exposure can be achieved by adopting this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Mohammad Javad Mortazavi
- Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation protection research center (INIRPRC), Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ilham Said-Salman
- Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, School of Arts & Sciences, Lebanese International University, Saida, Lebanon
- Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, International University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Sami El Khatib
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB) at Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Lembit Sihver
- Department of Radiation Dosimetry, Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI) of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Prague, Czechia
- Department of Radiation Physics, Technische Universität Wien Atominstitut, Vienna, Austria
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23
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McDonald MD, Owusu-Ansah C, Ellenbogen JB, Malone ZD, Ricketts MP, Frolking SE, Ernakovich JG, Ibba M, Bagby SC, Weissman JL. What is microbial dormancy? Trends Microbiol 2024; 32:142-150. [PMID: 37689487 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Life can be stressful. One way to deal with stress is to simply wait it out. Microbes do this by entering a state of reduced activity and increased resistance commonly called 'dormancy'. But what is dormancy? Different scientific disciplines emphasize distinct traits and phenotypic ranges in defining dormancy for their microbial species and system-specific questions of interest. Here, we propose a unified definition of microbial dormancy, using a broad framework to place earlier discipline-specific definitions in a new context. We then discuss how this new definition and framework may improve our ability to investigate dormancy using multi-omics tools. Finally, we leverage our framework to discuss the diversity of genomic mechanisms for dormancy in an extreme environment that challenges easy definitions - the permafrost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D McDonald
- Argonne National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | | | - Jared B Ellenbogen
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Colorado State University, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Zachary D Malone
- University of California, Merced Environmental Systems Graduate Group, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Michael P Ricketts
- Argonne National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Steve E Frolking
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Jessica Gilman Ernakovich
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; University of New Hampshire, Natural Resources and the Environment, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Michael Ibba
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Chapman University, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Sarah C Bagby
- EMergent Ecosystem Response to ChanGE (EMERGE) Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Case Western Reserve University, Department of Biology, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - J L Weissman
- Chapman University, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Orange, CA 92866, USA; University of Southern California, Department of Biological Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA.
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24
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Zang Z, Zhang C, Park KJ, Schwartz DA, Podicheti R, Lennon JT, Gerdt JP. Bacterium secretes chemical inhibitor that sensitizes competitor to bacteriophage infection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.31.578241. [PMID: 38352521 PMCID: PMC10862869 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
To overtake competitors, microbes produce and secrete secondary metabolites that kill neighboring cells and sequester nutrients. This natural product-mediated competition likely evolved in complex microbial communities that included viral pathogens. From this ecological context, we hypothesized that microbes secrete metabolites that "weaponize" natural pathogens (i.e., bacteriophages) to lyse their competitors. Indeed, we discovered a bacterial secondary metabolite that sensitizes other bacteria to phage infection. We found that this metabolite provides the producer (a Streptomyces sp.) with a fitness advantage over its competitor (Bacillus subtilis) by promoting phage infection. The phage-promoting metabolite, coelichelin, sensitized B. subtilis to a wide panel of lytic phages, and it did so by preventing the early stages of sporulation through iron sequestration. Beyond coelichelin, other natural products may provide phage-mediated competitive advantages to their producers-either by inhibiting sporulation or through yet-unknown mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyu Zang
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Chengqian Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Kyoung Jin Park
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | | | - Ram Podicheti
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Jay T. Lennon
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Joseph P. Gerdt
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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25
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Maffei E, Woischnig AK, Burkolter MR, Heyer Y, Humolli D, Thürkauf N, Bock T, Schmidt A, Manfredi P, Egli A, Khanna N, Jenal U, Harms A. Phage Paride can kill dormant, antibiotic-tolerant cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by direct lytic replication. Nat Commun 2024; 15:175. [PMID: 38168031 PMCID: PMC10761892 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44157-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages are ubiquitous viral predators that have primarily been studied using fast-growing laboratory cultures of their bacterial hosts. However, microbial life in nature is mostly in a slow- or non-growing, dormant state. Here, we show that diverse phages can infect deep-dormant bacteria and suspend their replication until the host resuscitates ("hibernation"). However, a newly isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage, named Paride, can directly replicate and induce the lysis of deep-dormant hosts. While non-growing bacteria are notoriously tolerant to antibiotic drugs, the combination with Paride enables the carbapenem meropenem to eradicate deep-dormant cultures in vitro and to reduce a resilient bacterial infection of a tissue cage implant in mice. Our work might inspire new treatments for persistent bacterial infections and, more broadly, highlights two viral strategies to infect dormant bacteria (hibernation and direct replication) that will guide future studies on phage-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enea Maffei
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, D-HEST, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Kathrin Woischnig
- Laboratory of Infection Biology, Department of Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marco R Burkolter
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, D-HEST, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yannik Heyer
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dorentina Humolli
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, D-HEST, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Thomas Bock
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Adrian Egli
- Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Applied Microbiology Research, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nina Khanna
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, D-HEST, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Infection Biology, Department of Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Urs Jenal
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Harms
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, D-HEST, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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26
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Herzig M, Hyötyläinen T, Vettese GF, Law GTW, Vierinen T, Bomberg M. Altering environmental conditions induce shifts in simulated deep terrestrial subsurface bacterial communities-Secretion of primary and secondary metabolites. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16552. [PMID: 38098179 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The deep terrestrial subsurface (DTS) harbours a striking diversity of microorganisms. However, systematic research on microbial metabolism, and how varying groundwater composition affects the bacterial communities and metabolites in these environments is lacking. In this study, DTS groundwater bacterial consortia from two Fennoscandian Shield sites were enriched and studied. We found that the enriched communities from the two sites consisted of distinct bacterial taxa, and alterations in the growth medium composition induced changes in cell counts. The lack of an exogenous organic carbon source (ECS) caused a notable increase in lipid metabolism in one community, while in the other, carbon starvation resulted in low overall metabolism, suggesting a dormant state. ECS supplementation increased CO2 production and SO4 2- utilisation, suggesting activation of a dissimilatory sulphate reduction pathway and sulphate-reducer-dominated total metabolism. However, both communities shared common universal metabolic features, most probably involving pathways needed for the maintenance of cell homeostasis (e.g., mevalonic acid pathway). Collectively, our findings indicate that the most important metabolites related to microbial reactions under varying growth conditions in enriched DTS communities include, but are not limited to, those linked to cell homeostasis, osmoregulation, lipid biosynthesis and degradation, dissimilatory sulphate reduction and isoprenoid production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merja Herzig
- Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Department of Nuclear Chemistry, Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Radiochemistry Unit, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuulia Hyötyläinen
- School of Science and Technology, EnForce, Environment and Health and Systems Medicine, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Gianni F Vettese
- Radiochemistry Unit, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Gareth T W Law
- Radiochemistry Unit, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Taavi Vierinen
- Radiochemistry Unit, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Malin Bomberg
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo, Finland
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27
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Were E, Viljoen A, Rasche F. Iron necessity for chlamydospore germination in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense TR4. Biometals 2023; 36:1295-1306. [PMID: 37380939 PMCID: PMC10684721 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-023-00519-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Fusarium wilt disease of banana, caused by the notorious soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), is extremely difficult to manage. Manipulation of soil pH or application of synthetic iron chelators can suppress the disease through iron starvation, which inhibits the germination of pathogen propagules called chlamydospores. However, the effect of iron starvation on chlamydospore germination is largely unknown. In this study, scanning electron microscopy was used to assemble the developmental sequence of chlamydospore germination and to assess the effect of iron starvation and pH in vitro. Germination occurs in three distinct phenotypic transitions (swelling, polarized growth, outgrowth). Outgrowth, characterized by formation of a single protrusion (germ tube), occurred at 2 to 3 h, and a maximum value of 69.3% to 76.7% outgrowth was observed at 8 to 10 h after germination induction. Germination exhibited plasticity with pH as over 60% of the chlamydospores formed a germ tube between pH 3 and pH 11. Iron-starved chlamydospores exhibited polarized-growth arrest, characterized by the inability to form a germ tube. Gene expression analysis of rnr1 and rnr2, which encode the iron-dependent enzyme ribonucleotide reductase, showed that rnr2 was upregulated (p < 0.0001) in iron-starved chlamydospores compared to the control. Collectively, these findings suggest that iron and extracellular pH are crucial for chlamydospore germination in Foc TR4. Moreover, inhibition of germination by iron starvation may be linked to a different mechanism, rather than repression of the function of ribonucleotide reductase, the enzyme that controls growth by regulation of DNA synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evans Were
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Altus Viljoen
- Department of Plant Pathology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Frank Rasche
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), University of Hohenheim, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
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28
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Zamakhaev M, Bespyatykh J, Goncharenko A, Shumkov M. The Benefits of Toxicity: M. smegmatis VapBC TA Module Is Induced by Tetracycline Exposure and Promotes Survival. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2863. [PMID: 38138007 PMCID: PMC10745673 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are widely present in bacterial genomes. Mycolicibacterium smegmatis, a common model organism for studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis physiology, has eight TA loci, including mazEF and vapBC. This study aims to investigate the physiological significance of these TA systems. Proteomic profiling was conducted on a culture overexpressing the VapC toxin, and the involvement of VapC in M. smegmatis stress responses to heat shock and antibiotic treatment was examined. While deciphering the underlying mechanisms of the altered stress resistance, we assessed the antibiotic susceptibility of vapBC, mazEF, and double vapBC-mazEF deletion mutants. Additionally, the mRNA levels of vapC and mazF were measured following tetracycline supplementation. The results reveal changes in the abundance of metabolic enzymes and stress response proteins associated with VapC overexpression. This activation of the general stress response leads to reduced thermosensitivity in M. smegmatis, but does not affect susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and isoniazid. Under tetracycline treatment, both vapC and mazF expression levels are increased, and the fate of the cell depends on the interaction between the corresponding TA systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Zamakhaev
- Federal Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., 119071 Moscow, Russia; (A.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Julia Bespyatykh
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1A Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia;
- Expertise Department in Anti-Doping and Drug Control, Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, 9, Miusskaya Sq., 125047 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Goncharenko
- Federal Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., 119071 Moscow, Russia; (A.G.); (M.S.)
| | - Mikhail Shumkov
- Federal Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., 119071 Moscow, Russia; (A.G.); (M.S.)
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29
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Reuter C, Hauf L, Imdahl F, Sen R, Vafadarnejad E, Fey P, Finger T, Jones NG, Walles H, Barquist L, Saliba AE, Groeber-Becker F, Engstler M. Vector-borne Trypanosoma brucei parasites develop in artificial human skin and persist as skin tissue forms. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7660. [PMID: 37996412 PMCID: PMC10667367 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43437-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmission of Trypanosoma brucei by tsetse flies involves the deposition of the cell cycle-arrested metacyclic life cycle stage into mammalian skin at the site of the fly's bite. We introduce an advanced human skin equivalent and use tsetse flies to naturally infect the skin with trypanosomes. We detail the chronological order of the parasites' development in the skin by single-cell RNA sequencing and find a rapid activation of metacyclic trypanosomes and differentiation to proliferative parasites. Here we show that after the establishment of a proliferative population, the parasites enter a reversible quiescent state characterized by slow replication and a strongly reduced metabolism. We term these quiescent trypanosomes skin tissue forms, a parasite population that may play an important role in maintaining the infection over long time periods and in asymptomatic infected individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Reuter
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Laura Hauf
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Imdahl
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), Wuerzburg, Germany
- Core Unit Systems Medicine, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Rituparno Sen
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Ehsan Vafadarnejad
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Fey
- Translational Center Regenerative Therapies, Fraunhofer ISC, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Tamara Finger
- Translational Center Regenerative Therapies, Fraunhofer ISC, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Nicola G Jones
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Heike Walles
- Translational Center Regenerative Therapies, Fraunhofer ISC, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Core Facility Tissue Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lars Barquist
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Antoine-Emmanuel Saliba
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), Wuerzburg, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), Faculty of Medicine, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Florian Groeber-Becker
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM), University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Translational Center Regenerative Therapies, Fraunhofer ISC, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Markus Engstler
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.
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30
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Arciola CR, Ravaioli S, Mirzaei R, Dolzani P, Montanaro L, Daglia M, Campoccia D. Biofilms in Periprosthetic Orthopedic Infections Seen through the Eyes of Neutrophils: How Can We Help Neutrophils? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16669. [PMID: 38068991 PMCID: PMC10706149 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite advancements in our knowledge of neutrophil responses to planktonic bacteria during acute inflammation, much remains to be elucidated on how neutrophils deal with bacterial biofilms in implant infections. Further complexity transpires from the emerging findings on the role that biomaterials play in conditioning bacterial adhesion, the variety of biofilm matrices, and the insidious measures that biofilm bacteria devise against neutrophils. Thus, grasping the entirety of neutrophil-biofilm interactions occurring in periprosthetic tissues is a difficult goal. The bactericidal weapons of neutrophils consist of the following: ready-to-use antibacterial proteins and enzymes stored in granules; NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS); and net-like structures of DNA, histones, and granule proteins, which neutrophils extrude to extracellularly trap pathogens (the so-called NETs: an allusive acronym for "neutrophil extracellular traps"). Neutrophils are bactericidal (and therefore defensive) cells endowed with a rich offensive armamentarium through which, if frustrated in their attempts to engulf and phagocytose biofilms, they can trigger the destruction of periprosthetic bone. This study speculates on how neutrophils interact with biofilms in the dramatic scenario of implant infections, also considering the implications of this interaction in view of the design of new therapeutic strategies and functionalized biomaterials, to help neutrophils in their arduous task of managing biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Renata Arciola
- Laboratory of Immunorheumatology and Tissue Regeneration, Laboratory of Pathology of Implant Infections, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy;
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Ravaioli
- Laboratorio di Patologia delle Infezioni Associate all’Impianto, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy; (S.R.); (D.C.)
| | - Rasoul Mirzaei
- Venom and Biotherapeutics Molecules Laboratory, Medical Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 1316943551, Iran;
| | - Paolo Dolzani
- Laboratorio di Immunoreumatologia e Rigenerazione Tissutale, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Lucio Montanaro
- Laboratory of Immunorheumatology and Tissue Regeneration, Laboratory of Pathology of Implant Infections, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy;
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Daglia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Davide Campoccia
- Laboratorio di Patologia delle Infezioni Associate all’Impianto, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy; (S.R.); (D.C.)
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31
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Sun J, Feng Y, Zheng R, Kong L, Wu X, Zhang K, Zhou J, Liu S. Chameleon-like Anammox Bacteria for Surface Color Change after Suffering Starvation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:15087-15098. [PMID: 37754765 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria are often exposed to long-term starvation during transportation and storage, during which a series of enzymes and metabolic pathways are activated to ensure survival. However, why the surface color of the bacteria changes during starvation is still not well-known. In this study, we found black anammox consortia suffering from long-term starvation contained 0.86 mmol gVSS-1 cytochrome c, which had no significant discrepancy compared with the red anammox consortia (P > 0.05), indicating cytochrome c was not the key issue for chromaticity change. Conversely, we found that under starvation conditions cysteine degradation is an important metabolic pathway for the blackening of the anammox consortia for H2S production. In particular, anammox bacteria contain large amounts of iron-rich nanoparticles, cytochrome c, and other iron-sulfur clusters that are converted to produce free iron. H2S combines with free iron in bacteria to form Fe-S compounds, which eventually exist stably as FeS2, mainly in the extracellular space. Interestingly, FeS2 could be oxidized by air aeration, which makes the consortia turn red again. The unique self-protection mechanism makes the whole consortia appear black, avoiding inhibition by high concentrations of H2S and achieving Fe storage. This study expands the understanding of the metabolites of anammox bacteria as well as the bacterial survival mechanism during starvation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingqi Sun
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yiming Feng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ru Zheng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lingrui Kong
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaogang Wu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Kuo Zhang
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jianhang Zhou
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Sitong Liu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
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32
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Guzman J, Raval D, Hauck D, Titz A, Poehlein A, Degenkolb T, Daniel R, Vilcinskas A. The resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) from Micrococcus luteus and its putative reaction product 1,6-anhydro-MurNAc increase culturability of environmental bacteria. Access Microbiol 2023; 5:000647.v4. [PMID: 37841103 PMCID: PMC10569661 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000647.v4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Dormant bacterial cells do not divide and are not immediately culturable, but they persist in a state of low metabolic activity, a physiological state having clinical relevance, for instance in latent tuberculosis. Resuscitation-promoting factors (Rpfs) are proteins that act as signalling molecules mediating growth and replication. In this study we aimed to test the effect of Rpfs from Micrococcus luteus on the number and diversity of cultured bacteria using insect and soil samples, and to examine if the increase in culturability could be reproduced with the putative reaction product of Rpf, 1,6-anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid (1,6-anhydro-MurNAc). The rpf gene from Micrococcus luteus was amplified and cloned into a pET21b expression vector and the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells and purified by affinity chromatography using a hexa-histidine tag. 1,6-Anhydro-MurNAc was prepared using reported chemical synthesis methods. Recombinant Rpf protein or 1,6-anhydro-MurNAc were added to R2A cultivation media, and their effect on the culturability of bacteria from eight environmental samples including four cockroach guts and four soils was examined. Colony-forming units, 16S rRNA gene copies and Illumina amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were measured for all eight samples subjected to three different treatments: Rpf, 1,6-anhydro-MurNAc or blank control. Both Rpf and 1,6-anhydro-MurNAc increased the number of colony-forming units and of 16S rRNA gene copies across the samples although the protein was more effective. The Rpf and 1,6-anhydro-MurNAc promoted the cultivation of a diverse set of bacteria and in particular certain clades of the phyla Actinomycetota and Bacillota . This study opens the path for improved cultivation strategies aiming to isolate and study yet undescribed living bacterial organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Guzman
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Giessen, Germany
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Dipansi Raval
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Dirk Hauck
- Chemical Biology of Carbohydrates, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) – Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, site Hannover-Braunschweig, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Alexander Titz
- Chemical Biology of Carbohydrates, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) – Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, site Hannover-Braunschweig, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Anja Poehlein
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Degenkolb
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Vilcinskas
- Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Giessen, Germany
- Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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33
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Lingam M, Frank A, Balbi A. Planetary Scale Information Transmission in the Biosphere and Technosphere: Limits and Evolution. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1850. [PMID: 37763254 PMCID: PMC10532900 DOI: 10.3390/life13091850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Information transmission via communication between agents is ubiquitous on Earth, and is a vital facet of living systems. In this paper, we aim to quantify this rate of information transmission associated with Earth's biosphere and technosphere (i.e., a measure of global information flow) by means of a heuristic order-of-magnitude model. By adopting ostensibly conservative values for the salient parameters, we estimate that the global information transmission rate for the biosphere might be ∼1024 bits/s, and that it may perhaps exceed the corresponding rate for the current technosphere by ∼9 orders of magnitude. However, under the equivocal assumption of sustained exponential growth, we find that information transmission in the technosphere can potentially surpass that of the biosphere ∼90 years in the future, reflecting its increasing dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manasvi Lingam
- Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
- Department of Physics and Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Adam Frank
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
| | - Amedeo Balbi
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Roma, Italy
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Mancini L, Pilizota T. Environmental conditions define the energetics of bacterial dormancy and its antibiotic susceptibility. Biophys J 2023; 122:3207-3218. [PMID: 37403359 PMCID: PMC10465703 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cells that stop growing but maintain viability and the capability to regrow are termed dormant and have been shown to transiently tolerate high concentrations of antimicrobials. Links between tolerance and cellular energetics as a possible explanation for the tolerance, have been investigated and have produced mixed and seemingly contradictory results. Because dormancy merely indicates growth arrest, which can be induced by various stimuli, we hypothesize that dormant cells may exist in a range of energetic states that depend on the environment. To energetically characterize different dormancies, we first induce them in a way that results in dormant populations and subsequently measure both of their main energy sources, the proton motive force magnitude and the concentration of ATP. We find that different types of dormancy exhibit characteristic energetic profiles that vary in level and dynamics. The energetic makeup was associated with survival to some antibiotics but not others. Our findings portray dormancy as a state that is rich in phenotypes with various stress survival capabilities. Because environmental conditions outside of the lab often halt or limit microbial growth, a typologization of dormant states may yield relevant insights on the survival and evolutionary strategies of these organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Mancini
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Teuta Pilizota
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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35
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Wiecek AJ, Cutty SJ, Kornai D, Parreno-Centeno M, Gourmet LE, Tagliazucchi GM, Jacobson DH, Zhang P, Xiong L, Bond GL, Barr AR, Secrier M. Genomic hallmarks and therapeutic implications of G0 cell cycle arrest in cancer. Genome Biol 2023; 24:128. [PMID: 37221612 PMCID: PMC10204193 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02963-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Therapy resistance in cancer is often driven by a subpopulation of cells that are temporarily arrested in a non-proliferative G0 state, which is difficult to capture and whose mutational drivers remain largely unknown. RESULTS We develop methodology to robustly identify this state from transcriptomic signals and characterise its prevalence and genomic constraints in solid primary tumours. We show that G0 arrest preferentially emerges in the context of more stable, less mutated genomes which maintain TP53 integrity and lack the hallmarks of DNA damage repair deficiency, while presenting increased APOBEC mutagenesis. We employ machine learning to uncover novel genomic dependencies of this process and validate the role of the centrosomal gene CEP89 as a modulator of proliferation and G0 arrest capacity. Lastly, we demonstrate that G0 arrest underlies unfavourable responses to various therapies exploiting cell cycle, kinase signalling and epigenetic mechanisms in single-cell data. CONCLUSIONS We propose a G0 arrest transcriptional signature that is linked with therapeutic resistance and can be used to further study and clinically track this state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna J. Wiecek
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen J. Cutty
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Kornai
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mario Parreno-Centeno
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lucie E. Gourmet
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Daniel H. Jacobson
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- UCL Cancer Institute, Paul O’Gorman Building, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ping Zhang
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lingyun Xiong
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gareth L. Bond
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alexis R. Barr
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Cell Cycle Control Team, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), London, UK
| | - Maria Secrier
- UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
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36
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Seeburger R, Higgins PM, Whiteford NP, Cockell CS. Linking Methanogenesis in Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Vent Systems to Planetary Spectra: Methane Biosignatures on an Archean-Earth-like Exoplanet. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:415-430. [PMID: 37017441 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, the viability of the detection of methane produced by microbial activity in low-temperature hydrothermal vents on an Archean-Earth-like exoplanet in the habitable zone is explored via a simplified bottom-up approach using a toy model. By simulating methanogens at hydrothermal vent sites in the deep ocean, biological methane production for a range of substrate inflow rates was determined and compared to literature values. These production rates were then used, along with a range of ocean floor vent coverage fractions, to determine likely methane concentrations in the simplified atmosphere. At maximum production rates, a vent coverage of 4-15 × 10-4 % (roughly 2000-6500 times that of modern Earth) is required to achieve 0.25% atmospheric methane. At minimum production rates, 100% vent coverage is not enough to produce 0.25% atmospheric methane. NASA's Planetary Spectrum Generator was then used to assess the detectability of methane features at various atmospheric concentrations. Even with future space-based observatory concepts (such as LUVOIR and HabEx), our results show the importance of both mirror size and distance to the observed planet. Planets with a substantial biomass of methanogens in hydrothermal vents can still lack a detectable, convincingly biological methane signature if they are beyond the scope of the chosen instrument. This work shows the value of coupling microbial ecological modeling with exoplanet science to better understand the constraints on biosignature gas production and its detectability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys Seeburger
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter M Higgins
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Niall P Whiteford
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Exoplanet Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Charles S Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Măgălie A, Schwartz DA, Lennon JT, Weitz JS. Optimal dormancy strategies in fluctuating environments given delays in phenotypic switching. J Theor Biol 2023; 561:111413. [PMID: 36639023 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Organisms have evolved different mechanisms in response to periods of environmental stress, including dormancy - a reversible state of reduced metabolic activity. Transitions to and from dormancy can be random or induced by changes in environmental conditions. Prior theoretical work has shown that stochastic transitioning between active and dormant states at the individual level can maximize fitness at the population level. However, such theories of 'bet-hedging' strategies typically neglect certain physiological features of transitions to dormancy, including time lags to gain protective benefits. Here, we construct and analyze a dynamic model that couples stochastic changes in environmental state with the population dynamics of organisms that can initiate dormancy after an explicit time delay. Stochastic environments are simulated using a multi-state Markov chain through which the mean and variance of environmental residence time can be adjusted. In the absence of time lags (or in the limit of very short lags), we find that bet-hedging strategy transition probabilities scale inversely with the mean environmental residence times, consistent with prior theory. We also find that increasing delays in dormancy decreases optimal transitioning probabilities, an effect that can be influenced by the correlations of environmental noise. When environmental residence times - either good or bad - are uncorrelated, the maximum population level fitness is obtained given low levels of transitioning between active and dormant states. However when environmental residence times are correlated, optimal dormancy initiation and termination probabilities increase insofar as the mean environmental persistent time is longer than the delay to reach dormancy. We also find that bet hedging is no longer advantageous when delays to enter dormancy exceed the mean environmental residence times. Altogether, these results show how physiological limits to dormancy and environmental dynamics shape the evolutionary benefits and even viability of bet hedging strategies at population scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Măgălie
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | | | - Jay T Lennon
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Joshua S Weitz
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Institut de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
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38
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Quiescence of Escherichia coli Aerosols to Survive Mechanical Stress during High-Velocity Collection. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11030647. [PMID: 36985220 PMCID: PMC10058004 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11030647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A low cutpoint wetted wall bioaerosol sampling cyclone (LCP-WWC), with an aerosol sampling flow rate of 300 L/min at 55″ H2O pressure drop and a continuous liquid outflow rate of about 0.2 mL/min, was developed by upgrading an existing system. The laboratory strain Escherichia coli MG1655 was aerosolized using a six-jet Collison Nebulizer and collected at high velocity using the LCP-WWC for 10 min with different collection liquids. Each sample was quantitated during a 15-day archiving period after aerosolization for culturable counts (CFUs) and gene copy numbers (GCNs) using microbial plating and whole-cell quantitative polymerase chain (qPCR) reaction. The samples were analyzed for protein composition and antimicrobial resistance using protein gel electrophoresis and disc diffusion susceptibility testing. Aerosolization and collection were followed by an initial period of quiescence or dormancy. After 2 days of archiving at 4 °C and RT, the bacteria exhibited increased culturability and antibiotic resistance (ABR), especially to cell wall inhibitors (ampicillin and cephalothin). The number of resistant bacteria on Day 2 increased nearly four-times compared to the number of cells at the initial time of collection. The mechanical stress of aerosolization and high-velocity sampling likely stunned the cells triggering a response of dormancy, though with continued synthesis of vital proteins for survival. This study shows that an increase in intensity in environmental conditions surrounding airborne bacteria affects their ability to grow and their potential to develop antimicrobial resistance.
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Corona Ramírez A, Lee KS, Odriozola A, Kaminek M, Stocker R, Zuber B, Junier P. Multiple roads lead to Rome: unique morphology and chemistry of endospores, exospores, myxospores, cysts and akinetes in bacteria. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169. [PMID: 36804869 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
The production of specialized resting cells is a remarkable survival strategy developed by many organisms to withstand unfavourable environmental factors such as nutrient depletion or other changes in abiotic and/or biotic conditions. Five bacterial taxa are recognized to form specialized resting cells: Firmicutes, forming endospores; Actinobacteria, forming exospores; Cyanobacteria, forming akinetes; the δ-Proteobacterial order Myxococcales, forming myxospores; and Azotobacteraceae, forming cysts. All these specialized resting cells are characterized by low-to-absent metabolic activity and higher resistance to environmental stress (desiccation, heat, starvation, etc.) when compared to vegetative cells. Given their similarity in function, we tested the potential existence of a universal morpho-chemical marker for identifying these specialized resting cells. After the production of endospores, exospores, akinetes and cysts in model organisms, we performed the first cross-species morphological and chemical comparison of bacterial sporulation. Cryo-electron microscopy of vitreous sections (CEMOVIS) was used to describe near-native morphology of the resting cells in comparison to the morphology of their respective vegetative cells. Resting cells shared a thicker cell envelope as their only common morphological feature. The chemical composition of the different specialized resting cells at the single-cell level was investigated using confocal Raman microspectroscopy. Our results show that the different specialized cells do not share a common chemical signature, but rather each group has a unique signature with a variable conservation of the signature of the vegetative cells. Additionally, we present the validation of Raman signatures associated with calcium dipicolinic acid (CaDPA) and their variation across individual cells to develop specific sorting thresholds for the isolation of endospores. This provides a proof of concept of the feasibility of isolating bacterial spores using a Raman-activated cell-sorting platform. This cross-species comparison and the current knowledge of genetic pathways inducing the formation of the resting cells highlights the complexity of this convergent evolutionary strategy promoting bacterial survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Corona Ramírez
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Kang Soo Lee
- Department of Civil, Institute for Environmental Engineering, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Marek Kaminek
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roman Stocker
- Department of Civil, Institute for Environmental Engineering, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benoît Zuber
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pilar Junier
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
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40
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Burkhardt M, Rapp J, Menzel C, Link H, Forchhammer K. The Global Influence of Sodium on Cyanobacteria in Resuscitation from Nitrogen Starvation. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020159. [PMID: 36829438 PMCID: PMC9952445 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Dormancy and resuscitation are key to bacterial survival under fluctuating environmental conditions. In the absence of combined nitrogen sources, the non-diazotrophic model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 enters into a metabolically quiescent state during a process termed chlorosis. This state enables the cells to survive until nitrogen sources reappear, whereupon the cells resuscitate in a process that follows a highly orchestrated program. This coincides with a metabolic switch into a heterotrophic-like mode where glycogen catabolism provides the cells with reductant and carbon skeletons for the anabolic reactions that serve to re-establish a photosynthetically active cell. Here we show that the entire resuscitation process requires the presence of sodium, a ubiquitous cation that has a broad impact on bacterial physiology. The requirement for sodium in resuscitating cells persists even at elevated CO2 levels, a condition that, by contrast, relieves the requirement for sodium ions in vegetative cells. Using a multi-pronged approach, including the first metabolome analysis of Synechocystis cells resuscitating from chlorosis, we reveal the involvement of sodium at multiple levels. Not only does sodium play a role in the bioenergetics of chlorotic cells, as previously shown, but it is also involved in nitrogen compound assimilation, pH regulation, and synthesis of key metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Burkhardt
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Johanna Rapp
- CMFI, Bacterial Metabolomics, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Menzel
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hannes Link
- CMFI, Bacterial Metabolomics, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Abstract
CRISPR-Cas is a widespread adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea that protects against viral infection by targeting specific invading nucleic acid sequences. Whereas some CRISPR-Cas systems sense and cleave viral DNA, type III and type VI CRISPR-Cas systems sense RNA that results from viral transcription and perhaps invasion by RNA viruses. The sequence-specific detection of viral RNA evokes a cell-wide response that typically involves global damage to halt the infection. How can one make sense of an immune strategy that encompasses broad, collateral effects rather than specific, targeted destruction? In this Review, we summarize the current understanding of RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas systems. We detail the composition and properties of type III and type VI systems, outline the cellular defence processes that are instigated upon viral RNA sensing and describe the biological rationale behind the broad RNA-activated immune responses as an effective strategy to combat viral infection.
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Predicting stress response and improved protein overproduction in Bacillus subtilis. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2022; 8:50. [PMID: 36575180 PMCID: PMC9794813 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-022-00259-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis is a well-characterized microorganism and a model for the study of Gram-positive bacteria. The bacterium can produce proteins at high densities and yields, which has made it valuable for industrial bioproduction. Like other cell factories, metabolic modeling of B. subtilis has discovered ways to optimize its metabolism toward various applications. The first genome-scale metabolic model (M-model) of B. subtilis was published more than a decade ago and has been applied extensively to understand metabolism, to predict growth phenotypes, and served as a template to reconstruct models for other Gram-positive bacteria. However, M-models are ill-suited to simulate the production and secretion of proteins as well as their proteomic response to stress. Thus, a new generation of metabolic models, known as metabolism and gene expression models (ME-models), has been initiated. Here, we describe the reconstruction and validation of a ME model of B. subtilis, iJT964-ME. This model achieved higher performance scores on the prediction of gene essentiality as compared to the M-model. We successfully validated the model by integrating physiological and omics data associated with gene expression responses to ethanol and salt stress. The model further identified the mechanism by which tryptophan synthesis is upregulated under ethanol stress. Further, we employed iJT964-ME to predict amylase production rates under two different growth conditions. We analyzed these flux distributions and identified key metabolic pathways that permitted the increase in amylase production. Models like iJT964-ME enable the study of proteomic response to stress and the illustrate the potential for optimizing protein production in bacteria.
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Ring-stage growth arrest: Metabolic basis of artemisinin tolerance in Plasmodium falciparum. iScience 2022; 26:105725. [PMID: 36579133 PMCID: PMC9791339 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of artemisinin-tolerant malaria parasites threatens malaria control programmes worldwide. Mutations in the propeller domain of the Kelch13 protein confer Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance (ART-R). ART-R is linked to the reduced susceptibility of temporary growth-arrested ring-stage parasites, but the metabolic mechanisms remain elusive. We generated two PfKelch13 mutant lines via CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing which displayed a reduced susceptibility accompanied by an extended ring stage. The metabolome of ART-induced ring-stage growth arrest parasites carrying PfKelch13 mutations showed significant alterations in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, glycolysis, and amino acids metabolism, pointing to altered energy and porphyrin metabolism with metabolic plasticity. The critical role of these pathways was further confirmed by altering metabolic flow or through chemical inhibition. Our findings uncover that the growth arrestment associated with ART-R is potentially attributed to the adaptative metabolic plasticity, indicating that the defined metabolic remodeling turns out to be the trigger for ART-R.
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44
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El-Registan GI, Loiko NG, Nikolaev YA. Survival of Aging Microbial Populations under Lethal Impacts. Microbiology (Reading) 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261722601774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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45
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Wan C, Fu L, Li Z, Liu X, Lin L, Wu C. Formation, application, and storage-reactivation of aerobic granular sludge: A review. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 323:116302. [PMID: 36150350 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
It was an important discovery in wastewater treatment that the microorganisms in the traditional activated sludge can form aerobic granular sludge (AGS) by self-aggregation under appropriate water quality and operation conditions. With a typical three-dimensional spherical structure, AGS has high sludge-water separation efficiency, great treatment capacity, and strong tolerance to toxic and harmful substances, so it has been considered to be one of the most promising wastewater treatment technologies. This paper comprehensively reviewed AGS from multiple perspectives over the past two decades, including the culture conditions, granulation mechanisms, metabolic and structural stability, storage, and its diverse applications. Some important issues, such as the reproducibility of culture conditions and the structural and functional stability during application and storage, were also summarized, and the research prospects were put forward. The aggregation behavior of microorganisms in AGS was explained from the perspectives of physiology and ecology of complex populations. The storage of AGS is considered to have large commercial potential value with the increase of large-scale applications. The purpose of this paper is to provide a reference for the systematic and in-depth study on the sludge aerobic granulation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunli Wan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Liya Fu
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Engineering Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Zhengwen Li
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Lin Lin
- Environmental Science and New Energy Technology Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Changyong Wu
- Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Engineering Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
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46
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Wilhelm RC, Barnett SE, Swenson TL, Youngblut ND, Koechli CN, Bowen BP, Northen TR, Buckley DH. Tracing Carbon Metabolism with Stable Isotope Metabolomics Reveals the Legacy of Diverse Carbon Sources in Soil. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0083922. [PMID: 36300927 PMCID: PMC9680644 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00839-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tracking the metabolic activity of whole soil communities can improve our understanding of the transformation and fate of carbon in soils. We used stable isotope metabolomics to trace 13C from nine labeled carbon sources into the water-soluble metabolite pool of an agricultural soil over time. Soil was amended with a mixture of all nine sources, with one source isotopically labeled in each treatment. We compared changes in the 13C enrichment of metabolites with respect to carbon source and time over a 48-day incubation and contrasted differences between soluble sources (glucose, xylose, amino acids, etc.) and insoluble sources (cellulose and palmitic acid). Whole soil metabolite profiles varied singularly by time, while the composition of 13C-labeled metabolites differed primarily by carbon source (R2 = 0.68) rather than time (R2 = 0.07), with source-specific differences persisting throughout incubations. The 13C labeling of metabolites from insoluble carbon sources occurred slower than that from soluble sources but yielded a higher average atom percent (atom%) 13C in metabolite markers of biomass (amino acids and nucleic acids). The 13C enrichment of metabolite markers of biomass stabilized between 5 and 15 atom% 13C by the end of incubations. Temporal patterns in the 13C enrichment of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, nucleobases (uracil and thymine), and by-products of DNA salvage (allantoin) closely tracked microbial activity. Our results demonstrate that metabolite production in soils is driven by the carbon source supplied to the community and that the fate of carbon in metabolites do not generally converge over time as a result of ongoing microbial processing and recycling. IMPORTANCE Carbon metabolism in soil remains poorly described due to the inherent difficulty of obtaining information on the microbial metabolites produced by complex soil communities. Our study demonstrates the use of stable isotope probing (SIP) to study carbon metabolism in soil by tracking 13C from supplied carbon sources into metabolite pools and biomass. We show that differences in the metabolism of sources influence the fate of carbon in soils. Heterogeneity in 13C-labeled metabolite profiles corresponded with compositional differences in the metabolically active populations, providing a basis for how microbial community composition correlates with the quality of soil carbon. Our study demonstrates the application of SIP-metabolomics in studying soils and identifies several metabolite markers of growth, activity, and other aspects of microbial function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland C. Wilhelm
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Samuel E. Barnett
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Tami L. Swenson
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Nicholas D. Youngblut
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Chantal N. Koechli
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Benjamin P. Bowen
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Trent R. Northen
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, USA
| | - Daniel H. Buckley
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Witzany C, Regoes RR, Igler C. Assessing the relative importance of bacterial resistance, persistence and hyper-mutation for antibiotic treatment failure. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221300. [PMID: 36350213 PMCID: PMC9653239 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
To curb the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance, we need to understand the routes to antimicrobial treatment failure. Bacteria can survive treatment by using both genetic and phenotypic mechanisms to diminish the effect of antimicrobials. We assemble empirical data showing that, for example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections frequently contain persisters, transiently non-growing cells unaffected by antibiotics (AB) and hyper-mutators, mutants with elevated mutation rates, and thus higher probability of genetic resistance emergence. Resistance, persistence and hyper-mutation dynamics are difficult to disentangle experimentally. Hence, we use stochastic population modelling and deterministic fitness calculations to investigate the relative importance of genetic and phenotypic mechanisms for immediate treatment failure and establishment of prolonged, chronic infections. We find that persistence causes 'hidden' treatment failure with very low cell numbers if antimicrobial concentrations prevent growth of genetically resistant cells. Persister cells can regrow after treatment is discontinued and allow for resistance evolution in the absence of AB. This leads to different mutational routes during treatment and relapse of an infection. By contrast, hyper-mutation facilitates resistance evolution during treatment, but rarely contributes to treatment failure. Our findings highlight the time and concentration dependence of different bacterial mechanisms to escape AB killing, which should be considered when designing 'failure-proof' treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roland R. Regoes
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Igler
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Villanueva JA, Crooks AL, Nagy TA, Quintana JLJ, Dalebroux ZD, Detweiler CS. Salmonella enterica Infections Are Disrupted by Two Small Molecules That Accumulate within Phagosomes and Differentially Damage Bacterial Inner Membranes. mBio 2022; 13:e0179022. [PMID: 36135367 PMCID: PMC9601186 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01790-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Gram-negative bacteria have a robust cell envelope that excludes or expels many antimicrobial agents. However, during infection, host soluble innate immune factors permeabilize the bacterial outer membrane. We identified two small molecules that exploit outer membrane damage to access the bacterial cell. In standard microbiological media, neither compound inhibited bacterial growth nor permeabilized bacterial outer membranes. In contrast, at micromolar concentrations, JAV1 and JAV2 enabled the killing of an intracellular human pathogen, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. S. Typhimurium is a Gram-negative bacterium that resides within phagosomes of cells from the monocyte lineage. Under broth conditions that destabilized the lipopolysaccharide layer, JAV2 permeabilized the bacterial inner membrane and was rapidly bactericidal. In contrast, JAV1 activity was more subtle: JAV1 increased membrane fluidity, altered reduction potential, and required more time than JAV2 to disrupt the inner membrane barrier and kill bacteria. Both compounds interacted with glycerophospholipids from Escherichia coli total lipid extract-based liposomes. JAV1 preferentially interacted with cardiolipin and partially relied on cardiolipin production for activity, whereas JAV2 generally interacted with lipids and had modest affinity for phosphatidylglycerol. In mammalian cells, neither compound significantly altered mitochondrial membrane potential at concentrations that killed S. Typhimurium. Instead, JAV1 and JAV2 became trapped within acidic compartments, including macrophage phagosomes. Both compounds improved survival of S. Typhimurium-infected Galleria mellonella larvae. Together, these data demonstrate that JAV1 and JAV2 disrupt bacterial inner membranes by distinct mechanisms and highlight how small, lipophilic, amine-substituted molecules can exploit host soluble innate immunity to facilitate the killing of intravesicular pathogens. IMPORTANCE Innovative strategies for developing new antimicrobials are needed. Combining our knowledge of host-pathogen interactions and relevant drug characteristics has the potential to reveal new approaches to treating infection. We identified two compounds with antibacterial activity specific to infection and with limited host cell toxicity. These compounds appeared to exploit host innate immunity to access the bacterium and differentially damage the bacterial inner membrane. Further, both compounds accumulated within Salmonella-containing and other acidic vesicles, a process known as lysosomal trapping, which protects the host and harms the pathogen. The compounds also increased host survival in an insect infection model. This work highlights the ability of host innate immunity to enable small molecules to act as antibiotics and demonstrates the feasibility of antimicrobial targeting of the inner membrane. Additionally, this study features the potential use of lysosomal trapping to enhance the activities of compounds against intravesicular pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Villanueva
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Amy L. Crooks
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Toni A. Nagy
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Joaquin L. J. Quintana
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Zachary D. Dalebroux
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Corrella S. Detweiler
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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Abstract
Since Jacques Monod's foundational work in the 1940s, investigators studying bacterial physiology have largely (but not exclusively) focused on the exponential phase of bacterial cultures, which is characterized by rapid growth and high biosynthesis activity in the presence of excess nutrients. However, this is not the predominant state of bacterial life. In nature, most bacteria experience nutrient limitation most of the time. In fact, investigators even prior to Monod had identified other aspects of bacterial growth, including what is now known as the stationary phase, when nutrients become limiting. This review will discuss how bacteria transition to growth arrest in response to nutrient limitation through changes in transcription, translation, and metabolism. We will then examine how these changes facilitate survival during potentially extended periods of nutrient limitation, with particular attention to the metabolic strategies that underpin bacterial longevity in this state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Dworkin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA;
| | - Caroline S Harwood
- Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA;
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50
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Ibrahim MM, Isyaka TM, Askira UM, Umar JB, Isa MA, Mustapha A, Salihu A. Trends in the incidence of Rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in northeastern Nigeria. SCIENTIFIC AFRICAN 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
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