201
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Turner D, Kropinski AM, Adriaenssens EM. A Roadmap for Genome-Based Phage Taxonomy. Viruses 2021; 13:v13030506. [PMID: 33803862 PMCID: PMC8003253 DOI: 10.3390/v13030506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 86.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophage (phage) taxonomy has been in flux since its inception over four decades ago. Genome sequencing has put pressure on the classification system and recent years have seen significant changes to phage taxonomy. Here, we reflect on the state of phage taxonomy and provide a roadmap for the future, including the abolition of the order Caudovirales and the families Myoviridae, Podoviridae, and Siphoviridae. Furthermore, we specify guidelines for the demarcation of species, genus, subfamily and family-level ranks of tailed phage taxonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dann Turner
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK;
| | - Andrew M. Kropinski
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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202
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Arumugam K, Bessarab I, Haryono MAS, Liu X, Zuniga-Montanez RE, Roy S, Qiu G, Drautz-Moses DI, Law YY, Wuertz S, Lauro FM, Huson DH, Williams RBH. Recovery of complete genomes and non-chromosomal replicons from activated sludge enrichment microbial communities with long read metagenome sequencing. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2021; 7:23. [PMID: 33727564 PMCID: PMC7966762 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-021-00196-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
New long read sequencing technologies offer huge potential for effective recovery of complete, closed genomes from complex microbial communities. Using long read data (ONT MinION) obtained from an ensemble of activated sludge enrichment bioreactors we recover 22 closed or complete genomes of community members, including several species known to play key functional roles in wastewater bioprocesses, specifically microbes known to exhibit the polyphosphate- and glycogen-accumulating organism phenotypes (namely Candidatus Accumulibacter and Dechloromonas, and Micropruina, Defluviicoccus and Candidatus Contendobacter, respectively), and filamentous bacteria (Thiothrix) associated with the formation and stability of activated sludge flocs. Additionally we demonstrate the recovery of close to 100 circularised plasmids, phages and small microbial genomes from these microbial communities using long read assembled sequence. We describe methods for validating long read assembled genomes using their counterpart short read metagenome-assembled genomes, and assess the influence of different correction procedures on genome quality and predicted gene quality. Our findings establish the feasibility of performing long read metagenome-assembled genome recovery for both chromosomal and non-chromosomal replicons, and demonstrate the value of parallel sampling of moderately complex enrichment communities to obtaining high quality reference genomes of key functional species relevant for wastewater bioprocesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krithika Arumugam
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Irina Bessarab
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mindia A S Haryono
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xianghui Liu
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Rogelio E Zuniga-Montanez
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Samarpita Roy
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Guanglei Qiu
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Daniela I Drautz-Moses
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ying Yu Law
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Federico M Lauro
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daniel H Huson
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Rohan B H Williams
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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203
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Abstract
Oral bacteriophages (or phages), especially periodontal ones, constitute a growing area of interest, but research on oral phages is still in its infancy. Phages are bacterial viruses that may persist as intracellular parasitic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or use bacterial metabolism to replicate and cause bacterial lysis. The microbiomes of saliva, oral mucosa, and dental plaque contain active phage virions, bacterial lysogens (ie, carrying dormant prophages), and bacterial strains containing short fragments of phage DNA. In excess of 2000 oral phages have been confirmed or predicted to infect species of the phyla Actinobacteria (>300 phages), Bacteroidetes (>300 phages), Firmicutes (>1000 phages), Fusobacteria (>200 phages), and Proteobacteria (>700 phages) and three additional phyla (few phages only). This article assesses the current knowledge of the diversity of the oral phage population and the mechanisms by which phages may impact the ecology of oral biofilms. The potential use of phage-based therapy to control major periodontal pathogens is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szymon P Szafrański
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomedical Materials Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jørgen Slots
- Division of Periodontology, Diagnostic Sciences and Dental Hygiene, Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Meike Stiesch
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Biomedical Materials Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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204
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León LM, Park AE, Borges AL, Zhang JY, Bondy-Denomy J. Mobile element warfare via CRISPR and anti-CRISPR in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:2114-2125. [PMID: 33544853 PMCID: PMC7913775 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria deploy multiple defenses to prevent mobile genetic element (MGEs) invasion. CRISPR-Cas immune systems use RNA-guided nucleases to target MGEs, which counter with anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins. Our understanding of the biology and co-evolutionary dynamics of the common Type I-C CRISPR-Cas subtype has lagged because it lacks an in vivo phage-host model system. Here, we show the anti-phage function of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type I-C CRISPR-Cas system encoded on a conjugative pKLC102 island, and its Acr-mediated inhibition by distinct MGEs. Seven genes with anti-Type I-C function (acrIC genes) were identified, many with highly acidic amino acid content, including previously described DNA mimic AcrIF2. Four of the acr genes were broad spectrum, also inhibiting I-E or I-F P. aeruginosa CRISPR-Cas subtypes. Dual inhibition comes at a cost, however, as simultaneous expression of Type I-C and I-F systems renders phages expressing the dual inhibitor AcrIF2 more sensitive to targeting. Mutagenesis of numerous acidic residues in AcrIF2 did not impair anti-I-C or anti-I-F function per se but did exacerbate inhibition defects during competition, suggesting that excess negative charge may buffer DNA mimics against competition. Like AcrIF2, five of the Acr proteins block Cascade from binding DNA, while two function downstream, likely preventing Cas3 recruitment or activity. One such inhibitor, AcrIC3, is found in an 'anti-Cas3' cluster within conjugative elements, encoded alongside bona fide Cas3 inhibitors AcrIF3 and AcrIE1. Our findings demonstrate an active battle between an MGE-encoded CRISPR-Cas system and its diverse MGE targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina M León
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Allyson E Park
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Adair L Borges
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jenny Y Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Joseph Bondy-Denomy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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205
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Borges AL. The Art of Being Single. CRISPR J 2021; 4:16-17. [PMID: 33616441 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2021.29118.abo] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adair L Borges
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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206
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Yutin N, Benler S, Shmakov SA, Wolf YI, Tolstoy I, Rayko M, Antipov D, Pevzner PA, Koonin EV. Analysis of metagenome-assembled viral genomes from the human gut reveals diverse putative CrAss-like phages with unique genomic features. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1044. [PMID: 33594055 PMCID: PMC7886860 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21350-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
CrAssphage is the most abundant human-associated virus and the founding member of a large group of bacteriophages, discovered in animal-associated and environmental metagenomes, that infect bacteria of the phylum Bacteroidetes. We analyze 4907 Circular Metagenome Assembled Genomes (cMAGs) of putative viruses from human gut microbiomes and identify nearly 600 genomes of crAss-like phages that account for nearly 87% of the DNA reads mapped to these cMAGs. Phylogenetic analysis of conserved genes demonstrates the monophyly of crAss-like phages, a putative virus order, and of 5 branches, potential families within that order, two of which have not been identified previously. The phage genomes in one of these families are almost twofold larger than the crAssphage genome (145-192 kilobases), with high density of self-splicing introns and inteins. Many crAss-like phages encode suppressor tRNAs that enable read-through of UGA or UAG stop-codons, mostly, in late phage genes. A distinct feature of the crAss-like phages is the recurrent switch of the phage DNA polymerase type between A and B families. Thus, comparative genomic analysis of the expanded assemblage of crAss-like phages reveals aspects of genome architecture and expression as well as phage biology that were not apparent from the previous work on phage genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalya Yutin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sean Benler
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sergei A Shmakov
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Igor Tolstoy
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mike Rayko
- Center for Algorithmic Biotechnology, Institute for Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Dmitry Antipov
- Center for Algorithmic Biotechnology, Institute for Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Pavel A Pevzner
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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207
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A Grad-seq View of RNA and Protein Complexes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa under Standard and Bacteriophage Predation Conditions. mBio 2021; 12:mBio.03454-20. [PMID: 33563827 PMCID: PMC8545117 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03454-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not only a major cause of nosocomial infections but also serves as a model species of bacterial RNA biology. While its transcriptome architecture and posttranscriptional regulation through the RNA-binding proteins Hfq, RsmA, and RsmN have been studied in detail, global information about stable RNA-protein complexes in this human pathogen is currently lacking. Here, we implement gradient profiling by sequencing (Grad-seq) in exponentially growing P. aeruginosa cells to comprehensively predict RNA and protein complexes, based on glycerol gradient sedimentation profiles of >73% of all transcripts and ∼40% of all proteins. As to benchmarking, our global profiles readily reported complexes of stable RNAs of P. aeruginosa, including 6S RNA with RNA polymerase and associated product RNAs (pRNAs). We observe specific clusters of noncoding RNAs, which correlate with Hfq and RsmA/N, and provide a first hint that P. aeruginosa expresses a ProQ-like FinO domain-containing RNA-binding protein. To understand how biological stress may perturb cellular RNA/protein complexes, we performed Grad-seq after infection by the bacteriophage ΦKZ. This model phage, which has a well-defined transcription profile during host takeover, displayed efficient translational utilization of phage mRNAs and tRNAs, as evident from their increased cosedimentation with ribosomal subunits. Additionally, Grad-seq experimentally determines previously overlooked phage-encoded noncoding RNAs. Taken together, the Pseudomonas protein and RNA complex data provided here will pave the way to a better understanding of RNA-protein interactions during viral predation of the bacterial cell.
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208
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History, evolution and classification of CRISPR-Cas associated systems. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 179:11-76. [PMID: 33785174 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This chapter provides a detailed description of the history of CRISPR-Cas and its evolution into one of the most efficient genome-editing strategies. The chapter begins by providing information on early findings that were critical in deciphering the role of CRISPR-Cas associated systems in prokaryotes. It then describes how CRISPR-Cas had been evolved into an efficient genome-editing strategy. In the subsequent section, latest developments in the genome-editing approaches based on CRISPR-Cas are discussed. The chapter ends with the recent classification and possible evolution of CRISPR-Cas systems.
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209
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Tong B, Dong H, Cui Y, Jiang P, Jin Z, Zhang D. The Versatile Type V CRISPR Effectors and Their Application Prospects. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:622103. [PMID: 33614630 PMCID: PMC7889808 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.622103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The class II clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–Cas systems, characterized by a single effector protein, can be further subdivided into types II, V, and VI. The application of the type II CRISPR effector protein Cas9 as a sequence-specific nuclease in gene editing has revolutionized this field. Similarly, Cas13 as the effector protein of type VI provides a convenient tool for RNA manipulation. Additionally, the type V CRISPR–Cas system is another valuable resource with many subtypes and diverse functions. In this review, we summarize all the subtypes of the type V family that have been identified so far. According to the functions currently displayed by the type V family, we attempt to introduce the functional principle, current application status, and development prospects in biotechnology for all major members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baisong Tong
- School of Biological Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Huina Dong
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Yali Cui
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Pingtao Jiang
- School of Biological Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China.,Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhaoxia Jin
- School of Biological Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China
| | - Dawei Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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210
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Camarillo-Guerrero LF, Almeida A, Rangel-Pineros G, Finn RD, Lawley TD. Massive expansion of human gut bacteriophage diversity. Cell 2021; 184:1098-1109.e9. [PMID: 33606979 PMCID: PMC7895897 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 94.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriophages drive evolutionary change in bacterial communities by creating gene flow networks that fuel ecological adaptions. However, the extent of viral diversity and its prevalence in the human gut remains largely unknown. Here, we introduce the Gut Phage Database, a collection of ∼142,000 non-redundant viral genomes (>10 kb) obtained by mining a dataset of 28,060 globally distributed human gut metagenomes and 2,898 reference genomes of cultured gut bacteria. Host assignment revealed that viral diversity is highest in the Firmicutes phyla and that ∼36% of viral clusters (VCs) are not restricted to a single species, creating gene flow networks across phylogenetically distinct bacterial species. Epidemiological analysis uncovered 280 globally distributed VCs found in at least 5 continents and a highly prevalent phage clade with features reminiscent of p-crAssphage. This high-quality, large-scale catalog of phage genomes will improve future virome studies and enable ecological and evolutionary analysis of human gut bacteriophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F Camarillo-Guerrero
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK.
| | - Alexandre Almeida
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK; Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Guillermo Rangel-Pineros
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK; Max Planck Tandem Group in Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota 111711, Colombia
| | - Robert D Finn
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Trevor D Lawley
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK.
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211
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Aylward FO, Moniruzzaman M. ViralRecall-A Flexible Command-Line Tool for the Detection of Giant Virus Signatures in 'Omic Data. Viruses 2021; 13:v13020150. [PMID: 33498458 PMCID: PMC7909515 DOI: 10.3390/v13020150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses are widespread in the biosphere and play important roles in biogeochemical cycling and host genome evolution. Also known as nucleo-cytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), these eukaryotic viruses harbor the largest and most complex viral genomes known. Studies have shown that NCLDVs are frequently abundant in metagenomic datasets, and that sequences derived from these viruses can also be found endogenized in diverse eukaryotic genomes. The accurate detection of sequences derived from NCLDVs is therefore of great importance, but this task is challenging owing to both the high level of sequence divergence between NCLDV families and the extraordinarily high diversity of genes encoded in their genomes, including some encoding for metabolic or translation-related functions that are typically found only in cellular lineages. Here, we present ViralRecall, a bioinformatic tool for the identification of NCLDV signatures in ‘omic data. This tool leverages a library of giant virus orthologous groups (GVOGs) to identify sequences that bear signatures of NCLDVs. We demonstrate that this tool can effectively identify NCLDV sequences with high sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, we show that it can be useful both for removing contaminating sequences in metagenome-assembled viral genomes as well as the identification of eukaryotic genomic loci that derived from NCLDV. ViralRecall is written in Python 3.5 and is freely available on GitHub: https://github.com/faylward/viralrecall.
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212
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Strange JES, Leekitcharoenphon P, Møller FD, Aarestrup FM. Metagenomics analysis of bacteriophages and antimicrobial resistance from global urban sewage. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1600. [PMID: 33452346 PMCID: PMC7810828 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-80990-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages, or phages, are ubiquitous bacterial and archaeal viruses with an estimated total global population of 1031. It is well-known that wherever there are bacteria, their phage counterparts will be found, aiding in shaping the bacterial population. The present study used metagenomic data from global influent sewage in 79 cities in 60 countries to identify phages associated with bacteria and to explore their potential role in antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) dissemination. The reads were mapped to known databases for bacteriophages and their abundances determined and correlated to geographic origin and the countries socio-economic status, as well as the abundances of bacterial species and ARG. We found that some phages were not equally distributed on a global scale, but their distribution was rather dictated by region and the socioeconomic status of the specific countries. This study provides a preliminary insight into the global and regional distribution of phages and their potential impact on the transmission of ARGs between bacteria. Moreover, the findings may indicate that phages in sewage could have adopted a lytic lifestyle, meaning that most may not be associated with bacteria and instead may be widely distributed as free-living phages, which are known to persist longer in the environment than their hosts. In addition, a significant correlation between phages and ARGs was obtained, indicating that phages may play a role in ARG dissemination. However, further analyses are needed to establish the true relationship between phages and ARGs due to a low abundance of the phages identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine E S Strange
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Building 204, 2800, Kemitorvet, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Pimlapas Leekitcharoenphon
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Building 204, 2800, Kemitorvet, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Frederik Duus Møller
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Building 204, 2800, Kemitorvet, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Frank M Aarestrup
- Research Group for Genomic Epidemiology, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Building 204, 2800, Kemitorvet, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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213
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M. Iyer L, Anantharaman V, Krishnan A, Burroughs AM, Aravind L. Jumbo Phages: A Comparative Genomic Overview of Core Functions and Adaptions for Biological Conflicts. Viruses 2021; 13:v13010063. [PMID: 33466489 PMCID: PMC7824862 DOI: 10.3390/v13010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Jumbo phages have attracted much attention by virtue of their extraordinary genome size and unusual aspects of biology. By performing a comparative genomics analysis of 224 jumbo phages, we suggest an objective inclusion criterion based on genome size distributions and present a synthetic overview of their manifold adaptations across major biological systems. By means of clustering and principal component analysis of the phyletic patterns of conserved genes, all known jumbo phages can be classified into three higher-order groups, which include both myoviral and siphoviral morphologies indicating multiple independent origins from smaller predecessors. Our study uncovers several under-appreciated or unreported aspects of the DNA replication, recombination, transcription and virion maturation systems. Leveraging sensitive sequence analysis methods, we identify novel protein-modifying enzymes that might help hijack the host-machinery. Focusing on host–virus conflicts, we detect strategies used to counter different wings of the bacterial immune system, such as cyclic nucleotide- and NAD+-dependent effector-activation, and prevention of superinfection during pseudolysogeny. We reconstruct the RNA-repair systems of jumbo phages that counter the consequences of RNA-targeting host effectors. These findings also suggest that several jumbo phage proteins provide a snapshot of the systems found in ancient replicons preceding the last universal ancestor of cellular life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshminarayan M. Iyer
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA; (L.M.I.); (V.A.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Vivek Anantharaman
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA; (L.M.I.); (V.A.); (A.M.B.)
| | - Arunkumar Krishnan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Berhampur, Odisha 760010, India;
| | - A. Maxwell Burroughs
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA; (L.M.I.); (V.A.); (A.M.B.)
| | - L. Aravind
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA; (L.M.I.); (V.A.); (A.M.B.)
- Correspondence:
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214
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Yahara K, Suzuki M, Hirabayashi A, Suda W, Hattori M, Suzuki Y, Okazaki Y. Long-read metagenomics using PromethION uncovers oral bacteriophages and their interaction with host bacteria. Nat Commun 2021; 12:27. [PMID: 33397904 PMCID: PMC7782811 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20199-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages), or bacterial viruses, are very diverse and highly abundant worldwide, including as a part of the human microbiomes. Although a few metagenomic studies have focused on oral phages, they relied on short-read sequencing. Here, we conduct a long-read metagenomic study of human saliva using PromethION. Our analyses, which integrate both PromethION and HiSeq data of >30 Gb per sample with low human DNA contamination, identify hundreds of viral contigs; 0-43.8% and 12.5-56.3% of the confidently predicted phages and prophages, respectively, do not cluster with those reported previously. Our analyses demonstrate enhanced scaffolding, and the ability to place a prophage in its host genomic context and enable its taxonomic classification. Our analyses also identify a Streptococcus phage/prophage group and nine jumbo phages/prophages. 86% of the phage/prophage group and 67% of the jumbo phages/prophages contain remote homologs of antimicrobial resistance genes. Pan-genome analysis of the phages/prophages reveals remarkable diversity, identifying 0.3% and 86.4% of the genes as core and singletons, respectively. Furthermore, our study suggests that oral phages present in human saliva are under selective pressure to escape CRISPR immunity. Our study demonstrates the power of long-read metagenomics utilizing PromethION in uncovering bacteriophages and their interaction with host bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koji Yahara
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Masato Suzuki
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Aki Hirabayashi
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wataru Suda
- Laboratory for Microbiome Science, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Masahira Hattori
- Laboratory for Microbiome Science, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Laboratory of Systems Genomics, Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | - Yusuke Okazaki
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
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215
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Shivram H, Cress BF, Knott GJ, Doudna JA. Controlling and enhancing CRISPR systems. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:10-19. [PMID: 33328654 PMCID: PMC8101458 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-00700-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Many bacterial and archaeal organisms use clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR associated (CRISPR-Cas) systems to defend themselves from mobile genetic elements. These CRISPR-Cas systems are classified into six types based on their composition and mechanism. CRISPR-Cas enzymes are widely used for genome editing and offer immense therapeutic opportunity to treat genetic diseases. To realize their full potential, it is important to control the timing, duration, efficiency and specificity of CRISPR-Cas enzyme activities. In this Review we discuss the mechanisms of natural CRISPR-Cas regulatory biomolecules and engineering strategies that enhance or inhibit CRISPR-Cas immunity by altering enzyme function. We also discuss the potential applications of these CRISPR regulators and highlight unanswered questions about their evolution and purpose in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haridha Shivram
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Brady F Cress
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gavin J Knott
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jennifer A Doudna
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- MBIB Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Gladstone Institutes, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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216
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Metagenomic compendium of 189,680 DNA viruses from the human gut microbiome. Nat Microbiol 2021; 6:960-970. [PMID: 34168315 PMCID: PMC8241571 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-021-00928-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages have important roles in the ecology of the human gut microbiome but are under-represented in reference databases. To address this problem, we assembled the Metagenomic Gut Virus catalogue that comprises 189,680 viral genomes from 11,810 publicly available human stool metagenomes. Over 75% of genomes represent double-stranded DNA phages that infect members of the Bacteroidia and Clostridia classes. Based on sequence clustering we identified 54,118 candidate viral species, 92% of which were not found in existing databases. The Metagenomic Gut Virus catalogue improves detection of viruses in stool metagenomes and accounts for nearly 40% of CRISPR spacers found in human gut Bacteria and Archaea. We also produced a catalogue of 459,375 viral protein clusters to explore the functional potential of the gut virome. This revealed tens of thousands of diversity-generating retroelements, which use error-prone reverse transcription to mutate target genes and may be involved in the molecular arms race between phages and their bacterial hosts.
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217
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Mckay A, Burgio G. Harnessing CRISPR-Cas system diversity for gene editing technologies. J Biomed Res 2021; 35:91-106. [PMID: 33797415 PMCID: PMC8038530 DOI: 10.7555/jbr.35.20200184] [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] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery and utilization of RNA-guided surveillance complexes, such as CRISPR-Cas9, for sequence-specific DNA or RNA cleavage, has revolutionised the process of gene modification or knockdown. To optimise the use of this technology, an exploratory race has ensued to discover or develop new RNA-guided endonucleases with the most flexible sequence targeting requirements, coupled with high cleavage efficacy and specificity. Here we review the constraints of existing gene editing and assess the merits of exploiting the diversity of CRISPR-Cas effectors as a methodology for surmounting these limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Mckay
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Gaetan Burgio
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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218
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Zhan X, Lu Y, Zhu JK, Botella JR. Genome editing for plant research and crop improvement. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 63:3-33. [PMID: 33369120 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) has had a profound impact on plant biology, and crop improvement. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the-art development of CRISPR technologies and their applications in plants, from the initial introduction of random small indel (insertion or deletion) mutations at target genomic loci to precision editing such as base editing, prime editing and gene targeting. We describe advances in the use of class 2, types II, V, and VI systems for gene disruption as well as for precise sequence alterations, gene transcription, and epigenome control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangqiang Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, 712100, China
| | - Yuming Lu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jian-Kang Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907, USA
| | - Jose Ramon Botella
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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219
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CheckV assesses the quality and completeness of metagenome-assembled viral genomes. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 39:578-585. [PMID: 33349699 PMCID: PMC8116208 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-00774-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 573] [Impact Index Per Article: 143.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Millions of new viral sequences have been identified from metagenomes, but the quality and completeness of these sequences vary considerably. Here we present CheckV, an automated pipeline for identifying closed viral genomes, estimating the completeness of genome fragments and removing flanking host regions from integrated proviruses. CheckV estimates completeness by comparing sequences with a large database of complete viral genomes, including 76,262 identified from a systematic search of publicly available metagenomes, metatranscriptomes and metaviromes. After validation on mock datasets and comparison to existing methods, we applied CheckV to large and diverse collections of metagenome-assembled viral sequences, including IMG/VR and the Global Ocean Virome. This revealed 44,652 high-quality viral genomes (that is, >90% complete), although the vast majority of sequences were small fragments, which highlights the challenge of assembling viral genomes from short-read metagenomes. Additionally, we found that removal of host contamination substantially improved the accurate identification of auxiliary metabolic genes and interpretation of viral-encoded functions.
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220
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Abstract
Since their discovery more than 100 years ago, the viruses that infect bacteria (bacteriophages) have been widely studied as model systems. Largely overlooked, however, have been "jumbo phages," with genome sizes ranging from 200 to 500 kbp. Jumbo phages generally have large virions with complex structures and a broad host spectrum. While the majority of jumbo phage genes are poorly functionally characterized, recent work has discovered many unique biological features, including a conserved tubulin homolog that coordinates a proteinaceous nucleus-like compartment that houses and segregates phage DNA. The tubulin spindle displays dynamic instability and centers the phage nucleus within the bacterial host during phage infection for optimal reproduction. The shell provides robust physical protection for the enclosed phage genomes against attack from DNA-targeting bacterial immune systems, thereby endowing jumbo phages with broad resistance. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge of the cytoskeletal elements and the specialized nuclear compartment derived from jumbo phages, and we highlight their importance in facilitating spatial and temporal organization over the viral life cycle. Additionally, we discuss the evolutionary relationships between jumbo phages and eukaryotic viruses, as well as the therapeutic potential and drawbacks of jumbo phages as antimicrobial agents in phage therapy.
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221
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Abstract
Prokaryotes have developed numerous defense strategies to combat the constant threat posed by the diverse genetic parasites that endanger them. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas loci guard their hosts with an adaptive immune system against foreign nucleic acids. Protection starts with an immunization phase, in which short pieces of the invader's genome, known as spacers, are captured and integrated into the CRISPR locus after infection. Next, during the targeting phase, spacers are transcribed into CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) that guide CRISPR-associated (Cas) nucleases to destroy the invader's DNA or RNA. Here we describe the many different molecular mechanisms of CRISPR targeting and how they are interconnected with the immunization phase through a third phase of the CRISPR-Cas immune response: primed spacer acquisition. In this phase, Cas proteins direct the crRNA-guided acquisition of additional spacers to achieve a more rapid and robust immunization of the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip M. Nussenzweig
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Luciano A. Marraffini
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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222
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Abstract
As one of the most abundant and conserved RNA species, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are well known for their role in reading the codons on messenger RNAs and translating them into proteins. In this review, we discuss the noncanonical functions of tRNAs. These include tRNAs as precursors to novel small RNA molecules derived from tRNAs, also called tRNA-derived fragments, that are abundant across species and have diverse functions in different biological processes, including regulating protein translation, Argonaute-dependent gene silencing, and more. Furthermore, the role of tRNAs in biosynthesis and other regulatory pathways, including nutrient sensing, splicing, transcription, retroelement regulation, immune response, and apoptosis, is reviewed. Genome organization and sequence variation of tRNA genes are also discussed in light of their noncanonical functions. Lastly, we discuss the recent applications of tRNAs in genome editing and microbiome sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangli Su
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901, USA; , , ,
| | - Briana Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901, USA; , , ,
| | - Pankaj Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901, USA; , , ,
| | - Anindya Dutta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901, USA; , , ,
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223
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Pinilla-Redondo R, Shehreen S, Marino ND, Fagerlund RD, Brown CM, Sørensen SJ, Fineran PC, Bondy-Denomy J. Discovery of multiple anti-CRISPRs highlights anti-defense gene clustering in mobile genetic elements. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5652. [PMID: 33159058 PMCID: PMC7648647 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19415-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many prokaryotes employ CRISPR-Cas systems to combat invading mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In response, some MGEs have developed strategies to bypass immunity, including anti-CRISPR (Acr) proteins; yet the diversity, distribution and spectrum of activity of this immune evasion strategy remain largely unknown. Here, we report the discovery of new Acrs by assaying candidate genes adjacent to a conserved Acr-associated (Aca) gene, aca5, against a panel of six type I systems: I-F (Pseudomonas, Pectobacterium, and Serratia), I-E (Pseudomonas and Serratia), and I-C (Pseudomonas). We uncover 11 type I-F and/or I-E anti-CRISPR genes encoded on chromosomal and extrachromosomal MGEs within Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas, and an additional Aca (aca9). The acr genes not only associate with other acr genes, but also with genes encoding inhibitors of distinct bacterial defense systems. Thus, our findings highlight the potential exploitation of acr loci neighborhoods for the identification of previously undescribed anti-defense systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Pinilla-Redondo
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Saadlee Shehreen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Nicole D Marino
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert D Fagerlund
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Chris M Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Søren J Sørensen
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter C Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Genetics Otago, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Bio-protection Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
| | - Joseph Bondy-Denomy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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224
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Edwards KF, Steward GF, Schvarcz CR. Making sense of virus size and the tradeoffs shaping viral fitness. Ecol Lett 2020; 24:363-373. [PMID: 33146939 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Viruses span an impressive size range, with genome length varying a thousandfold and virion volume nearly a millionfold. For cellular organisms the scaling of traits with size is a pervasive influence on ecological processes, but whether size plays a central role in viral ecology is unknown. Here, we focus on viruses of aquatic unicellular organisms, which exhibit the greatest known range of virus size. We outline hypotheses within a quantitative framework, and analyse data where available, to consider how size affects the primary components of viral fitness. We argue that larger viruses have fewer offspring per infection and slower contact rates with host cells, but a larger genome tends to increase infection efficiency, broaden host range, and potentially increase attachment success and decrease decay rate. These countervailing selective pressures may explain why a breadth of sizes exist and even coexist when infecting the same host populations. Oligotrophic ecosystems may be enriched in "giant" viruses, because environments with resource-limited phagotrophs at low concentrations may select for broader host range, better control of host metabolism, lower decay rate and a physical size that mimics bacterial prey. Finally, we describe where further research is needed to understand the ecology and evolution of viral size diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle F Edwards
- Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Grieg F Steward
- Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
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225
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Bell PJ. Evidence supporting a viral origin of the eukaryotic nucleus. Virus Res 2020; 289:198168. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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226
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Shaffer M, Borton MA, McGivern BB, Zayed AA, La Rosa SL, Solden LM, Liu P, Narrowe AB, Rodríguez-Ramos J, Bolduc B, Gazitúa MC, Daly RA, Smith GJ, Vik DR, Pope PB, Sullivan MB, Roux S, Wrighton KC. DRAM for distilling microbial metabolism to automate the curation of microbiome function. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:8883-8900. [PMID: 32766782 PMCID: PMC7498326 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 377] [Impact Index Per Article: 94.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial and viral communities transform the chemistry of Earth's ecosystems, yet the specific reactions catalyzed by these biological engines are hard to decode due to the absence of a scalable, metabolically resolved, annotation software. Here, we present DRAM (Distilled and Refined Annotation of Metabolism), a framework to translate the deluge of microbiome-based genomic information into a catalog of microbial traits. To demonstrate the applicability of DRAM across metabolically diverse genomes, we evaluated DRAM performance on a defined, in silico soil community and previously published human gut metagenomes. We show that DRAM accurately assigned microbial contributions to geochemical cycles and automated the partitioning of gut microbial carbohydrate metabolism at substrate levels. DRAM-v, the viral mode of DRAM, established rules to identify virally-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), resulting in the metabolic categorization of thousands of putative AMGs from soils and guts. Together DRAM and DRAM-v provide critical metabolic profiling capabilities that decipher mechanisms underpinning microbiome function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Shaffer
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Mikayla A Borton
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Bridget B McGivern
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Ahmed A Zayed
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | | | - Lindsey M Solden
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Pengfei Liu
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Adrienne B Narrowe
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Josué Rodríguez-Ramos
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Benjamin Bolduc
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - M Consuelo Gazitúa
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Rebecca A Daly
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Garrett J Smith
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525, Netherlands
| | - Dean R Vik
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Phil B Pope
- Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas 1432, Norway
| | - Matthew B Sullivan
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Simon Roux
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kelly C Wrighton
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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227
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Conquering CRISPR: how phages overcome bacterial adaptive immunity. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 68:30-36. [PMID: 33113496 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led to renewed interest in the use of their natural enemies, phages, for the prevention and treatment of infections. However, phage therapy requires detailed knowledge of the interactions between these entities. Bacteria defend themselves against phage predation with a large repertoire of defences. Among these, CRISPR-Cas systems stand out due to their adaptive character, mechanistic complexity and diversity, and present a significant hurdle for phage infection. Here, we provide an overview of how phages can circumvent CRISPR-Cas defence, ranging from target sequence mutations and DNA modifications to anti-CRISPR proteins and nucleus-like protective structures. An in-depth understanding of these phage evasion strategies is crucial for the successful development of phage therapy applications.
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228
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Zhang W, Wu Q. Applications of phage-derived RNA-based technologies in synthetic biology. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2020; 5:343-360. [PMID: 33083579 PMCID: PMC7564126 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
As the most abundant biological entities with incredible diversity, bacteriophages (also known as phages) have been recognized as an important source of molecular machines for the development of genetic-engineering tools. At the same time, phages are crucial for establishing and improving basic theories of molecular biology. Studies on phages provide rich sources of essential elements for synthetic circuit design as well as powerful support for the improvement of directed evolution platforms. Therefore, phages play a vital role in the development of new technologies and central scientific concepts. After the RNA world hypothesis was proposed and developed, novel biological functions of RNA continue to be discovered. RNA and its related elements are widely used in many fields such as metabolic engineering and medical diagnosis, and their versatility led to a major role of RNA in synthetic biology. Further development of RNA-based technologies will advance synthetic biological tools as well as provide verification of the RNA world hypothesis. Most synthetic biology efforts are based on reconstructing existing biological systems, understanding fundamental biological processes, and developing new technologies. RNA-based technologies derived from phages will offer abundant sources for synthetic biological components. Moreover, phages as well as RNA have high impact on biological evolution, which is pivotal for understanding the origin of life, building artificial life-forms, and precisely reprogramming biological systems. This review discusses phage-derived RNA-based technologies terms of phage components, the phage lifecycle, and interactions between phages and bacteria. The significance of RNA-based technology derived from phages for synthetic biology and for understanding the earliest stages of biological evolution will be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhui Zhang
- MOE Key Lab. Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- MOE Key Lab. Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Corresponding author. MOE Key Lab. Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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229
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Claverie JM. Fundamental Difficulties Prevent the Reconstruction of the Deep Phylogeny of Viruses. Viruses 2020; 12:E1130. [PMID: 33036160 PMCID: PMC7600955 DOI: 10.3390/v12101130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The extension of virology beyond its traditional medical, veterinary, or agricultural applications, now called environmental virology, has shown that viruses are both the most numerous and diverse biological entities on Earth. In particular, virus isolations from unicellular eukaryotic hosts (heterotrophic and photosynthetic protozoans) revealed numerous viral types previously unexpected in terms of virion structure, gene content, or mode of replication. Complemented by large-scale metagenomic analyses, these discoveries have rekindled interest in the enigma of the origin of viruses, for which a description encompassing all their diversity remains not available. Several laboratories have repeatedly tackled the deep reconstruction of the evolutionary history of viruses, using various methods of molecular phylogeny applied to the few shared "core" genes detected in certain virus groups (e.g., the Nucleocytoviricota). Beyond the practical difficulties of establishing reliable homology relationships from extremely divergent sequences, I present here conceptual arguments highlighting several fundamental limitations plaguing the reconstruction of the deep evolutionary history of viruses, and even more the identification of their unique or multiple origin(s). These arguments also underline the risk of establishing premature high level viral taxonomic classifications. Those limitations are direct consequences of the random mechanisms governing the reductive/retrogressive evolution of all obligate intracellular parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Michel Claverie
- Structural & Genomic Information Laboratory (IGS, UMR 7256), Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology (FR3479), Aix-Marseille University and CNRS, 13288 Marseille, France
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230
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Abstract
Viruses are extremely diverse and modulate important biological and ecological processes globally. However, much of viral diversity remains uncultured and yet to be discovered. Several powerful culture-independent tools, in particular metagenomics, have substantially advanced virus discovery. Among those tools is single-virus genomics, which yields sequenced reference genomes from individual sorted virus particles without the need for cultivation. This new method complements virus culturing and metagenomic approaches and its advantages include targeted investigation of specific virus groups and investigation of genomic microdiversity within viral populations. In this Review, we provide a brief history of single-virus genomics, outline how this emergent method has facilitated advances in virus ecology and discuss its current limitations and future potential. Finally, we address how this method may synergistically intersect with other single-virus and single-cell approaches.
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231
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Abstract
In the next decade, advances in our understanding of microbes and microbiomes will likely transform our way of life; providing novel therapeutics, alternate energy sources, and shaping fundamental doctrines of biology. We explore the promises herein, and tools required to achieve this progress. Notably, it is critical that we improve the inclusivity and diversity of our research agendas and teams, so that science benefits people of all identities and backgrounds.
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232
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Identification of ancient viruses from metagenomic data of the Jomon people. J Hum Genet 2020; 66:287-296. [PMID: 32994538 DOI: 10.1038/s10038-020-00841-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Ancient DNA studies provide genomic information about the origins, population structures, and physical characteristics of ancient humans that cannot be solely examined by archeological studies. The DNAs extracted from ancient human bones, teeth, or tissues are often contaminated with coexisting bacterial and viral genomes that contain DNA from ancient microbes infecting those of ancient humans. Information on ancient viral genomes is useful in making inferences about the viral evolution. Here, we have utilized metagenomic sequencing data from the dental pulp of five Jomon individuals, who lived on the Japanese archipelago more than 3000 years ago; this is to detect ancient viral genomes. We conducted de novo assembly of the non-human reads where we have obtained 277,387 contigs that were longer than 1000 bp. These contigs were subjected to homology searches against a collection of modern viral genome sequences. We were able to detect eleven putative ancient viral genomes. Among them, we reconstructed the complete sequence of the Siphovirus contig89 (CT89) viral genome. The Jomon CT89-like sequence was determined to contain 59 open reading frames, among which five genes known to encode phage proteins were under strong purifying selection. The host of CT89 was predicted to be Schaalia meyeri, a bacterium residing in the human oral cavity. Finally, the CT89 phylogenetic tree showed two clusters, from both of which the Jomon sequence was separated. Our results suggest that metagenomic information from the dental pulp of the Jomon people is essential in retrieving ancient viral genomes used to examine their evolution.
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233
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Phage-based target discovery and its exploitation towards novel antibacterial molecules. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 68:1-7. [PMID: 33007632 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The deeply intertwined evolutionary history between bacteriophages and bacteria has endowed phages with highly specific mechanisms to hijack bacterial cell metabolism for their propagation. Here, we present a comprehensive, phage-driven strategy to reveal novel antibacterial targets by the exploitation of phage-bacteria interactions. This strategy will enable the design of small molecules, which mimic the inhibitory phage proteins, and allow the subsequent hit-to-lead development of these antimicrobial compounds. This proposed small molecule approach is distinct from phage therapy and phage enzyme-based antimicrobials and may produce a more sustainable generation of new antibiotics that exploit novel bacterial targets and act in a pathogen-specific manner.
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234
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de Jonge PA, von Meijenfeldt FB, Costa AR, Nobrega FL, Brouns SJ, Dutilh BE. Adsorption Sequencing as a Rapid Method to Link Environmental Bacteriophages to Hosts. iScience 2020; 23:101439. [PMID: 32823052 PMCID: PMC7452251 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An important viromics challenge is associating bacteriophages to hosts. To address this, we developed adsorption sequencing (AdsorpSeq), a readily implementable method to measure phages that are preferentially adsorbed to specific host cell envelopes. AdsorpSeq thus captures the key initial infection cycle step. Phages are added to cell envelopes, adsorbed phages are isolated through gel electrophoresis, after which adsorbed phage DNA is sequenced and compared with the full virome. Here, we show that AdsorpSeq allows for separation of phages based on receptor-adsorbing capabilities. Next, we applied AdsorpSeq to identify phages in a wastewater virome that adsorb to cell envelopes of nine bacteria, including important pathogens. We detected 26 adsorbed phages including common and rare members of the virome, a minority being related to previously characterized phages. We conclude that AdsorpSeq is an effective new tool for rapid characterization of environmental phage adsorption, with a proof-of-principle application to Gram-negative host cell envelopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A. de Jonge
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Science4Life, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | | | - Ana Rita Costa
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Franklin L. Nobrega
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Stan J.J. Brouns
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Bas E. Dutilh
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Science4Life, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands
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235
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Rossi A, Treu L, Toppo S, Zschach H, Campanaro S, Dutilh BE. Evolutionary Study of the Crassphage Virus at Gene Level. Viruses 2020; 12:v12091035. [PMID: 32957679 PMCID: PMC7551546 DOI: 10.3390/v12091035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
crAss-like viruses are a putative family of bacteriophages recently discovered. The eponym of the clade, crAssphage, is an enteric bacteriophage estimated to be present in at least half of the human population and it constitutes up to 90% of the sequences in some human fecal viral metagenomic datasets. We focused on the evolutionary dynamics of the genes encoded on the crAssphage genome. By investigating the conservation of the genes, a consistent variation in the evolutionary rates across the different functional groups was found. Gene duplications in crAss-like genomes were detected. By exploring the differences among the functional categories of the genes, we confirmed that the genes encoding capsid proteins were the most ubiquitous, despite their overall low sequence conservation. It was possible to identify a core of proteins whose evolutionary trees strongly correlate with each other, suggesting their genetic interaction. This group includes the capsid proteins, which are thus established as extremely suitable for rebuilding the phylogenetic tree of this viral clade. A negative correlation between the ubiquity and the conservation of viral protein sequences was shown. Together, this study provides an in-depth picture of the evolution of different genes in crAss-like viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Rossi
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (A.R.); (S.C.)
| | - Laura Treu
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (A.R.); (S.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-049-827-6165
| | - Stefano Toppo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Henrike Zschach
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 1017 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Stefano Campanaro
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (A.R.); (S.C.)
- CRIBI Biotechnology Center, University of Padua, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Bas E. Dutilh
- Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, University of Utrecht, 3508 Utrecht, The Netherlands;
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236
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Watson ZL, Ward FR, Méheust R, Ad O, Schepartz A, Banfield JF, Cate JH. Structure of the bacterial ribosome at 2 Å resolution. eLife 2020; 9:60482. [PMID: 32924932 DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.26.174334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we determined the structure of the Escherichia coli 70S ribosome with a global resolution of 2.0 Å. The maps reveal unambiguous positioning of protein and RNA residues, their detailed chemical interactions, and chemical modifications. Notable features include the first examples of isopeptide and thioamide backbone substitutions in ribosomal proteins, the former likely conserved in all domains of life. The maps also reveal extensive solvation of the small (30S) ribosomal subunit, and interactions with A-site and P-site tRNAs, mRNA, and the antibiotic paromomycin. The maps and models of the bacterial ribosome presented here now allow a deeper phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal components including structural conservation to the level of solvation. The high quality of the maps should enable future structural analyses of the chemical basis for translation and aid the development of robust tools for cryo-EM structure modeling and refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe L Watson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Fred R Ward
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Raphaël Méheust
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Omer Ad
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Jamie Hd Cate
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, United States
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237
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Watson ZL, Ward FR, Méheust R, Ad O, Schepartz A, Banfield JF, Cate JHD. Structure of the bacterial ribosome at 2 Å resolution. eLife 2020; 9:e60482. [PMID: 32924932 PMCID: PMC7550191 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we determined the structure of the Escherichia coli 70S ribosome with a global resolution of 2.0 Å. The maps reveal unambiguous positioning of protein and RNA residues, their detailed chemical interactions, and chemical modifications. Notable features include the first examples of isopeptide and thioamide backbone substitutions in ribosomal proteins, the former likely conserved in all domains of life. The maps also reveal extensive solvation of the small (30S) ribosomal subunit, and interactions with A-site and P-site tRNAs, mRNA, and the antibiotic paromomycin. The maps and models of the bacterial ribosome presented here now allow a deeper phylogenetic analysis of ribosomal components including structural conservation to the level of solvation. The high quality of the maps should enable future structural analyses of the chemical basis for translation and aid the development of robust tools for cryo-EM structure modeling and refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe L Watson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Fred R Ward
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Raphaël Méheust
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Omer Ad
- Department of Chemistry, Yale UniversityNew HavenUnited States
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Jamie HD Cate
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyUnited States
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238
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Mechanisms for target recognition and cleavage by the Cas12i RNA-guided endonuclease. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2020; 27:1069-1076. [PMID: 32895556 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-020-0499-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cas12i is a recently identified type V CRISPR-Cas endonuclease that predominantly cleaves the non-target strand of a double-stranded DNA substrate. This nicking activity of Cas12i could potentially be used for genome editing with high specificity. To elucidate its mechanisms for target recognition and cleavage, we determined cryo-EM structures of Cas12i in multiple functional states. Cas12i pre-orders a seven-nucleotide seed sequence of the crRNA for target recognition and undergoes a two-step activation through crRNA-DNA hybridization. Formation of 14 base pairs activates the nickase activity, and 28-bp hybridization promotes cleavage of the target strand. The atomic structures and mechanistic insights gained should facilitate the manipulation of Cas12i for genome editing applications.
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239
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Chen LX, Méheust R, Crits-Christoph A, McMahon KD, Nelson TC, Slater GF, Warren LA, Banfield JF. Large freshwater phages with the potential to augment aerobic methane oxidation. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:1504-1515. [PMID: 32839536 PMCID: PMC7674155 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0779-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that phages with unusually large genomes are common across various microbiomes, but little is known about their genetic inventories or potential ecosystem impacts. In the present study, we reconstructed large phage genomes from freshwater lakes known to contain bacteria that oxidize methane. Of manually curated genomes, 22 (18 are complete), ranging from 159 kilobase (kb) to 527 kb in length, were found to encode the pmoC gene, an enzymatically critical subunit of the particulate methane monooxygenase, the predominant methane oxidation catalyst in nature. The phage-associated PmoC sequences show high similarity to (>90%), and affiliate phylogenetically with, those of coexisting bacterial methanotrophs, including members of Methyloparacoccus, Methylocystis and Methylobacter spp. In addition, pmoC-phage abundance patterns correlate with those of the coexisting bacterial methanotrophs, supporting host-phage relationships. Future work is needed to determine whether phage-associated PmoC has similar functions to additional copies of PmoC encoded in bacterial genomes, thus contributing to growth on methane. Transcriptomics data from Lake Rotsee (Switzerland) showed that some phage-associated pmoC genes were highly expressed in situ and, of interest, that the most rapidly growing methanotroph was infected by three pmoC-phages. Thus, augmentation of bacterial methane oxidation by pmoC-phages during infection could modulate the efflux of this potent greenhouse gas into the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Xing Chen
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Raphaël Méheust
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Katherine D McMahon
- Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Gregory F Slater
- School of Geography and Earth Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lesley A Warren
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,School of Geography and Earth Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. .,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. .,Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. .,Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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240
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Overholt WA, Hölzer M, Geesink P, Diezel C, Marz M, Küsel K. Inclusion of Oxford Nanopore long reads improves all microbial and viral metagenome‐assembled genomes from a complex aquifer system. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:4000-4013. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Will A. Overholt
- Institute of Biodiversity, Aquatic Geomicrobiology Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Martin Hölzer
- RNA Bioinformatics and High‐Throughput Analysis Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Patricia Geesink
- Institute of Biodiversity, Aquatic Geomicrobiology Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Celia Diezel
- RNA Bioinformatics and High‐Throughput Analysis Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
| | - Manja Marz
- RNA Bioinformatics and High‐Throughput Analysis Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- FLI Leibniz Institute for Age Research Jena Germany
| | - Kirsten Küsel
- Institute of Biodiversity, Aquatic Geomicrobiology Friedrich Schiller University Jena Germany
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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241
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Colombet J, Fuster M, Billard H, Sime-Ngando T. Femtoplankton: What's New? Viruses 2020; 12:E881. [PMID: 32806713 PMCID: PMC7472349 DOI: 10.3390/v12080881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the discovery of high abundances of virus-like particles in aquatic environment, emergence of new analytical methods in microscopy and molecular biology has allowed significant advances in the characterization of the femtoplankton, i.e., floating entities filterable on a 0.2 µm pore size filter. The successive evidences in the last decade (2010-2020) of high abundances of biomimetic mineral-organic particles, extracellular vesicles, CPR/DPANN (Candidate phyla radiation/Diapherotrites, Parvarchaeota, Aenigmarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota and Nanohaloarchaeota), and very recently of aster-like nanoparticles (ALNs), show that aquatic ecosystems form a huge reservoir of unidentified and overlooked femtoplankton entities. The purpose of this review is to highlight this unsuspected diversity. Herein, we focus on the origin, composition and the ecological potentials of organic femtoplankton entities. Particular emphasis is given to the most recently discovered ALNs. All the entities described are displayed in an evolutionary context along a continuum of complexity, from minerals to cell-like living entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Colombet
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; (M.F.); (H.B.); (T.S.-N.)
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242
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Pausch P, Al-Shayeb B, Bisom-Rapp E, Tsuchida CA, Li Z, Cress BF, Knott GJ, Jacobsen SE, Banfield JF, Doudna JA. CRISPR-CasΦ from huge phages is a hypercompact genome editor. Science 2020; 369:333-337. [PMID: 32675376 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb1400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 306] [Impact Index Per Article: 76.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas systems are found widely in prokaryotes, where they provide adaptive immunity against virus infection and plasmid transformation. We describe a minimal functional CRISPR-Cas system, comprising a single ~70-kilodalton protein, CasΦ, and a CRISPR array, encoded exclusively in the genomes of huge bacteriophages. CasΦ uses a single active site for both CRISPR RNA (crRNA) processing and crRNA-guided DNA cutting to target foreign nucleic acids. This hypercompact system is active in vitro and in human and plant cells with expanded target recognition capabilities relative to other CRISPR-Cas proteins. Useful for genome editing and DNA detection but with a molecular weight half that of Cas9 and Cas12a genome-editing enzymes, CasΦ offers advantages for cellular delivery that expand the genome editing toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Pausch
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Basem Al-Shayeb
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ezra Bisom-Rapp
- College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Connor A Tsuchida
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,University of California, Berkeley-University of California, San Francisco Graduate Program in Bioengineering, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Zheng Li
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brady F Cress
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gavin J Knott
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steven E Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Doudna
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
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243
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Panwar P, Allen MA, Williams TJ, Hancock AM, Brazendale S, Bevington J, Roux S, Páez-Espino D, Nayfach S, Berg M, Schulz F, Chen IMA, Huntemann M, Shapiro N, Kyrpides NC, Woyke T, Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Cavicchioli R. Influence of the polar light cycle on seasonal dynamics of an Antarctic lake microbial community. MICROBIOME 2020; 8:116. [PMID: 32772914 PMCID: PMC7416419 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00889-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cold environments dominate the Earth's biosphere and microbial activity drives ecosystem processes thereby contributing greatly to global biogeochemical cycles. Polar environments differ to all other cold environments by experiencing 24-h sunlight in summer and no sunlight in winter. The Vestfold Hills in East Antarctica contains hundreds of lakes that have evolved from a marine origin only 3000-7000 years ago. Ace Lake is a meromictic (stratified) lake from this region that has been intensively studied since the 1970s. Here, a total of 120 metagenomes representing a seasonal cycle and four summers spanning a 10-year period were analyzed to determine the effects of the polar light cycle on microbial-driven nutrient cycles. RESULTS The lake system is characterized by complex sulfur and hydrogen cycling, especially in the anoxic layers, with multiple mechanisms for the breakdown of biopolymers present throughout the water column. The two most abundant taxa are phototrophs (green sulfur bacteria and cyanobacteria) that are highly influenced by the seasonal availability of sunlight. The extent of the Chlorobium biomass thriving at the interface in summer was captured in underwater video footage. The Chlorobium abundance dropped from up to 83% in summer to 6% in winter and 1% in spring, before rebounding to high levels. Predicted Chlorobium viruses and cyanophage were also abundant, but their levels did not negatively correlate with their hosts. CONCLUSION Over-wintering expeditions in Antarctica are logistically challenging, meaning insight into winter processes has been inferred from limited data. Here, we found that in contrast to chemolithoautotrophic carbon fixation potential of Southern Ocean Thaumarchaeota, this marine-derived lake evolved a reliance on photosynthesis. While viruses associated with phototrophs also have high seasonal abundance, the negative impact of viral infection on host growth appeared to be limited. The microbial community as a whole appears to have developed a capacity to generate biomass and remineralize nutrients, sufficient to sustain itself between two rounds of sunlight-driven summer-activity. In addition, this unique metagenome dataset provides considerable opportunity for future interrogation of eukaryotes and their viruses, abundant uncharacterized taxa (i.e. dark matter), and for testing hypotheses about endemic species in polar aquatic ecosystems. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratibha Panwar
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Michelle A Allen
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Timothy J Williams
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Alyce M Hancock
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Sarah Brazendale
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
- , 476 Lancaster Rd, Pegarah, Australia
| | - James Bevington
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
| | - Simon Roux
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - David Páez-Espino
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Mammoth BioSciences, 279 East Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stephen Nayfach
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Maureen Berg
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Frederik Schulz
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - I-Min A Chen
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Nicole Shapiro
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Tanja Woyke
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Ricardo Cavicchioli
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia.
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White RA, Visscher PT, Burns BP. Between a Rock and a Soft Place: The Role of Viruses in Lithification of Modern Microbial Mats. Trends Microbiol 2020; 29:204-213. [PMID: 32654857 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Stromatolites are geobiological systems formed by complex microbial communities, and fossilized stromatolites provide a record of some of the oldest life on Earth. Microbial mats are precursors of extant stromatolites; however, the mechanisms of transition from mat to stromatolite are controversial and are still not well understood. To fully recognize the profound impact that these ecosystems have had on the evolution of the biosphere requires an understanding of modern lithification mechanisms and how they relate to the geological record. We propose here viral mechanisms in carbonate precipitation, leading to stromatolite formation, whereby viruses directly or indirectly impact microbial metabolisms that govern the transition from microbial mat to stromatolite. Finding a tangible link between host-virus interactions and changes in biogeochemical processes will provide tools to interpret mineral biosignatures through geologic time, including those on Earth and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Allen White
- Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; RAW Molecular Systems (RMS) LLC, Spokane, WA, USA
| | - Pieter T Visscher
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Departments of Marine Sciences and Geosciences, University of Connecticut, CT, USA; Biogeosciences, the Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Brendan P Burns
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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245
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Evseev P, Sykilinda N, Gorshkova A, Kurochkina L, Ziganshin R, Drucker V, Miroshnikov K. Pseudomonas Phage PaBG-A Jumbo Member of an Old Parasite Family. Viruses 2020; 12:E721. [PMID: 32635178 PMCID: PMC7412058 DOI: 10.3390/v12070721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophage PaBG is a jumbo Myoviridae phage isolated from water of Lake Baikal. This phage has limited diffusion ability and thermal stability and infects a narrow range of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Therefore, it is hardly suitable for phage therapy applications. However, the analysis of the genome of PaBG presents a number of insights into the evolutionary history of this phage and jumbo phages in general. We suggest that PaBG represents an ancient group distantly related to all known classified families of phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Evseev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (P.E.); (N.S.); (R.Z.)
| | - Nina Sykilinda
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (P.E.); (N.S.); (R.Z.)
| | - Anna Gorshkova
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 664033 Irkutsk, Russia; (A.G.); (V.D.)
| | - Lidia Kurochkina
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Rustam Ziganshin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (P.E.); (N.S.); (R.Z.)
| | - Valentin Drucker
- Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 664033 Irkutsk, Russia; (A.G.); (V.D.)
| | - Konstantin Miroshnikov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (P.E.); (N.S.); (R.Z.)
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246
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Khan Mirzaei M, Xue J, Costa R, Ru J, Schulz S, Taranu ZE, Deng L. Challenges of Studying the Human Virome - Relevant Emerging Technologies. Trends Microbiol 2020; 29:171-181. [PMID: 32622559 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
In this review we provide an overview of current challenges and advances in bacteriophage research within the growing field of viromics. In particular, we discuss, from a human virome study perspective, the current and emerging technologies available, their limitations in terms of de novo discoveries, and possible solutions to overcome present experimental and computational biases associated with low abundance of viral DNA or RNA. We summarize recent breakthroughs in metagenomics assembling tools and single-cell analysis, which have the potential to increase our understanding of phage biology, diversity, and interactions with both the microbial community and the human body. We expect that these recent and future advances in the field of viromics will have a strong impact on how we develop phage-based therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany
| | - Jinling Xue
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany
| | - Rita Costa
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany
| | - Jinlong Ru
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany
| | - Sarah Schulz
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany
| | - Zofia E Taranu
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division (ACRD), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Montréal, QC H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - Li Deng
- Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany.
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247
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Hassim A, Lekota KE, van Dyk DS, Dekker EH, van Heerden H. A Unique Isolation of a Lytic Bacteriophage Infected Bacillus anthracis Isolate from Pafuri, South Africa. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8060932. [PMID: 32575780 PMCID: PMC7356010 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis is a soil-borne, Gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium and the causative agent of anthrax. It is enzootic in Pafuri, Kruger National Park in South Africa. The bacterium is amplified in a wild ungulate host, which then becomes a source of infection to the next host upon its death. The exact mechanisms involving the onset (index case) and termination of an outbreak are poorly understood, in part due to a paucity of information about the soil-based component of the bacterium’s lifecycle. In this study, we present the unique isolation of a dsDNA bacteriophage from a wildebeest carcass site suspected of having succumbed to anthrax. The aggressively lytic bacteriophage hampered the initial isolation of B. anthracis from samples collected at the carcass site. Classic bacteriologic methods were used to test the isolated phage on B. anthracis under different conditions to simulate deteriorating carcass conditions. Whole genome sequencing was employed to determine the relationship between the bacterium isolated on site and the bacteriophage-dubbed Bacillus phage Crookii. The 154,012 bp phage belongs to Myoviridae and groups closely with another African anthrax carcass-associated Bacillus phage WPh. Bacillus phage Crookii was lytic against B. cereus sensu lato group members but demonstrated a greater affinity for encapsulated B. anthracis at lower concentrations (<1 × 108 pfu) of bacteriophage. The unusual isolation of this bacteriophage demonstrates the phage’s role in decreasing the inoculum in the environment and impact on the life cycle of B. anthracis at a carcass site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Hassim
- Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Pretoria 0110, South Africa; (K.E.L); (H.v.H.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-125-298-339
| | - Kgaugelo Edward Lekota
- Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Pretoria 0110, South Africa; (K.E.L); (H.v.H.)
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management: Microbiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - David Schalk van Dyk
- Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, Office of the State Veterinarian, Skukuza 1350, South Africa; (D.S.v.D.); (E.H.D.)
| | - Edgar Henry Dekker
- Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, Office of the State Veterinarian, Skukuza 1350, South Africa; (D.S.v.D.); (E.H.D.)
| | - Henriette van Heerden
- Department of Veterinary Tropical diseases, University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Pretoria 0110, South Africa; (K.E.L); (H.v.H.)
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248
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Wojewodzic MW. Bacteriophages Could Be a Potential Game Changer in the Trajectory of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 1:60-65. [PMID: 36147892 PMCID: PMC9041474 DOI: 10.1089/phage.2020.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The pandemic of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has caused the death of at least 270,000 people as of the 8th of May 2020. This work stresses the potential role of bacteriophages to decrease the mortality rate of patients infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The indirect cause of mortality in Covid-19 is miscommunication between the innate and adaptive immune systems, resulting in a failure to produce effective antibodies against the virus on time. Although further research is urgently needed, secondary bacterial infections in the respiratory system could potentially contribute to the high mortality rate observed among the elderly due to Covid-19. If bacterial growth, together with delayed production of antibodies, is a significant contributing factor to Covid-19's mortality rate, then the additional time needed for the human body's adaptive immune system to produce specific antibodies could be gained by reducing the bacterial growth rate in the respiratory system of a patient. Independently of that, the administration of synthetic antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 viruses could potentially decrease the viral load. The decrease of bacterial growth and the covalent binding of synthetic antibodies to viruses should further diminish the production of inflammatory fluids in the lungs of patients (the indirect cause of death). Although the first goal could potentially be achieved by antibiotics, I argue that other methods may be more effective or could be used together with antibiotics to decrease the growth rate of bacteria, and that respective clinical trials should be launched. Both goals can be achieved by bacteriophages. The bacterial growth rate could potentially be reduced by the aerosol application of natural bacteriophages that prey on the main species of bacteria known to cause respiratory failure and should be harmless to a patient. Independently of that, synthetically changed bacteriophages could be used to quickly manufacture specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This can be done via a Nobel Prize awarded technique called “phage display.” If it works, the patient is given extra time to produce their own specific antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and stop the damage caused by an excessive immunological reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin W. Wojewodzic
- Cancer Registry of Norway (Kreftregisteret), Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Etiology Group, NO-0304, Oslo, Norway
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom
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249
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Lood C, Danis‐Wlodarczyk K, Blasdel BG, Jang HB, Vandenheuvel D, Briers Y, Noben J, van Noort V, Drulis‐Kawa Z, Lavigne R. Integrative omics analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virus PA5oct highlights the molecular complexity of jumbo phages. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:2165-2181. [PMID: 32154616 PMCID: PMC7318152 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas virus vB_PaeM_PA5oct is proposed as a model jumbo bacteriophage to investigate phage-bacteria interactions and is a candidate for phage therapy applications. Combining hybrid sequencing, RNA-Seq and mass spectrometry allowed us to accurately annotate its 286,783 bp genome with 461 coding regions including four non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and 93 virion-associated proteins. PA5oct relies on the host RNA polymerase for the infection cycle and RNA-Seq revealed a gradual take-over of the total cell transcriptome from 21% in early infection to 93% in late infection. PA5oct is not organized into strictly contiguous regions of temporal transcription, but some genomic regions transcribed in early, middle and late phases of infection can be discriminated. Interestingly, we observe regions showing limited transcription activity throughout the infection cycle. We show that PA5oct upregulates specific bacterial operons during infection including operons pncA-pncB1-nadE involved in NAD biosynthesis, psl for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and nap for periplasmic nitrate reductase production. We also observe a downregulation of T4P gene products suggesting mechanisms of superinfection exclusion. We used the proteome of PA5oct to position our isolate amongst other phages using a gene-sharing network. This integrative omics study illustrates the molecular diversity of jumbo viruses and raises new questions towards cellular regulation and phage-encoded hijacking mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Lood
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Laboratory of Computational Systems Biology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Katarzyna Danis‐Wlodarczyk
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Department of Pathogen Biology and ImmunologyInstitute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of WroclawWroclawPoland
| | - Bob G. Blasdel
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Ho Bin Jang
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Dieter Vandenheuvel
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Yves Briers
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Jean‐Paul Noben
- Biomedical Research Institute and Transnational University LimburgHasselt UniversityDiepenbeekBelgium
| | - Vera van Noort
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, Laboratory of Computational Systems Biology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Institute of Biology, Leiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Zuzanna Drulis‐Kawa
- Department of Pathogen Biology and ImmunologyInstitute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of WroclawWroclawPoland
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
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250
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González B, Monroe L, Li K, Yan R, Wright E, Walter T, Kihara D, Weintraub ST, Thomas JA, Serwer P, Jiang W. Phage G Structure at 6.1 Å Resolution, Condensed DNA, and Host Identity Revision to a Lysinibacillus. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:4139-4153. [PMID: 32454153 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phage G has the largest capsid and genome of any known propagated phage. Many aspects of its structure, assembly, and replication have not been elucidated. Herein, we present the dsDNA-packed and empty phage G capsid at 6.1 and 9 Å resolution, respectively, using cryo-EM for structure determination and mass spectrometry for protein identification. The major capsid protein, gp27, is identified and found to share the HK97-fold universally conserved in all previously solved dsDNA phages. Trimers of the decoration protein, gp26, sit on the 3-fold axes and are thought to enhance the interactions of the hexameric capsomeres of gp27, for other phages encoding decoration proteins. Phage G's decoration protein is longer than what has been reported in other phages, and we suspect the extra interaction surface area helps stabilize the capsid. We identified several additional capsid proteins, including a candidate for the prohead protease responsible for processing gp27. Furthermore, cryo-EM reveals a range of partially full, condensed DNA densities that appear to have no contact with capsid shell. Three analyses confirm that the phage G host is a Lysinibacillus, and not Bacillus megaterium: identity of host proteins in our mass spectrometry analyses, genome sequence of the phage G host, and host range of phage G.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda González
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA
| | - Lyman Monroe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA
| | - Kunpeng Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA
| | - Rui Yan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA
| | - Elena Wright
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA
| | - Thomas Walter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA
| | - Daisuke Kihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA; Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, 305 North University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2107, USA
| | - Susan T Weintraub
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA
| | - Julie A Thomas
- Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - Philip Serwer
- Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, Purdue University, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA; Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2084, USA; Purdue Cryo-EM Facility, Purdue University, Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, 240 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1971, USA; Purdue Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, 201 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Institute for Infectious, Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Purdue University, 207 South Martin Jischke Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, Purdue University, 720 Clinic Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47097, USA.
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