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Chen X, Wang M, Luo L, Liu X, An L, Nie Y, Wu XL. The evolution of autonomy from two cooperative specialists in fluctuating environments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317182121. [PMID: 39172793 PMCID: PMC11363282 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317182121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
From microbes to humans, organisms perform numerous tasks for their survival, including food acquisition, migration, and reproduction. A complex biological task can be performed by either an autonomous organism or by cooperation among several specialized organisms. However, it remains unclear how autonomy and cooperation evolutionarily switch. Specifically, it remains unclear whether and how cooperative specialists can repair deleted genes through direct genetic exchange, thereby regaining metabolic autonomy. Here, we address this question by experimentally evolving a mutualistic microbial consortium composed of two specialists that cooperatively degrade naphthalene. We observed that autonomous genotypes capable of performing the entire naphthalene degradation pathway evolved from two cooperative specialists and dominated the community. This evolutionary transition was driven by the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between the two specialists. However, this evolution was exclusively observed in the fluctuating environment alternately supplied with naphthalene and pyruvate, where mutualism and competition between the two specialists alternated. The naphthalene-supplied environment exerted selective pressure that favors the expansion of autonomous genotypes. The pyruvate-supplied environment promoted the coexistence and cell density of the cooperative specialists, thereby increasing the likelihood of HGT. Using a mathematical model, we quantitatively demonstrate that environmental fluctuations facilitate the evolution of autonomy through HGT when the relative growth rate and carrying capacity of the cooperative specialists allow enhanced coexistence and higher cell density in the competitive environment. Together, our results demonstrate that cooperative specialists can repair deleted genes through a direct genetic exchange under specific conditions, thereby regaining metabolic autonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Chen
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
- Institute of Ocean Research, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
| | - Miaoxiao Wang
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Laipeng Luo
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
| | - Xiaonan Liu
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
| | - Liyun An
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu610000, China
| | - Yong Nie
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
| | - Xiao-Lei Wu
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
- Institute of Ocean Research, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
- Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
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Sarma H, Gogoi B, Guan CY, Yu CP. Nitro-PAHs: Occurrences, ecological consequences, and remediation strategies for environmental restoration. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 356:141795. [PMID: 38548078 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) are persistent pollutants that have been introduced into the environment as a result of human activities. They are produced when PAHs undergo oxidation and are highly resistant to degradation, resulting in prolonged exposure and significant health risks for wildlife and humans. Nitro-PAHs' potential to induce cancer and mutations has raised concerns about their harmful effects. Furthermore, their ability to accumulate in the food chain seriously threatens the ecosystem and human health. Moreover, nitro-PAHs can disrupt the normal functioning of the endocrine system, leading to reproductive and developmental problems in humans and other organisms. Reducing nitro-PAHs in the environment through source management, physical removal, and chemical treatment is essential to mitigate the associated environmental and human health risks. Recent studies have focused on improving nitro-PAHs' phytoremediation by incorporating microorganisms and biostimulants. Microbes can break down nitro-PAHs into less harmful substances, while biostimulants can enhance plant growth and metabolic activity. By combining these elements, the effectiveness of phytoremediation for nitro-PAHs can be increased. This study aimed to investigate the impact of introducing microbial and biostimulant agents on the phytoremediation process for nitro-PAHs and identify potential solutions for addressing the environmental risks associated with these pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemen Sarma
- Bioremediation Technology Research Group, Department of Botany, Bodoland University, Rangalikhata, Deborgaon, Kokrajhar (BTR), Assam, 783370, India.
| | - Bhoirob Gogoi
- Bioremediation Technology Research Group, Department of Botany, Bodoland University, Rangalikhata, Deborgaon, Kokrajhar (BTR), Assam, 783370, India
| | - Chung-Yu Guan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Ilan University, Yilan, 260, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Ping Yu
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University. B.S., Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
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López Sánchez A, Lafond M. Predicting horizontal gene transfers with perfect transfer networks. Algorithms Mol Biol 2024; 19:6. [PMID: 38321476 PMCID: PMC10848447 DOI: 10.1186/s13015-023-00242-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Horizontal gene transfer inference approaches are usually based on gene sequences: parametric methods search for patterns that deviate from a particular genomic signature, while phylogenetic methods use sequences to reconstruct the gene and species trees. However, it is well-known that sequences have difficulty identifying ancient transfers since mutations have enough time to erase all evidence of such events. In this work, we ask whether character-based methods can predict gene transfers. Their advantage over sequences is that homologous genes can have low DNA similarity, but still have retained enough important common motifs that allow them to have common character traits, for instance the same functional or expression profile. A phylogeny that has two separate clades that acquired the same character independently might indicate the presence of a transfer even in the absence of sequence similarity. OUR CONTRIBUTIONS We introduce perfect transfer networks, which are phylogenetic networks that can explain the character diversity of a set of taxa under the assumption that characters have unique births, and that once a character is gained it is rarely lost. Examples of such traits include transposable elements, biochemical markers and emergence of organelles, just to name a few. We study the differences between our model and two similar models: perfect phylogenetic networks and ancestral recombination networks. Our goals are to initiate a study on the structural and algorithmic properties of perfect transfer networks. We then show that in polynomial time, one can decide whether a given network is a valid explanation for a set of taxa, and show how, for a given tree, one can add transfer edges to it so that it explains a set of taxa. We finally provide lower and upper bounds on the number of transfers required to explain a set of taxa, in the worst case.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuel Lafond
- Department of Computer Science, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
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4
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Sachan RK, Mistry V, Dholaria M, Rana A, Devgon I, Ali I, Iqbal J, Eldin SM, Mohammad Said Al-Tawaha AR, Bawazeer S, Dutta J, Karnwal A. Overcoming Mycobacterium tuberculosis Drug Resistance: Novel Medications and Repositioning Strategies. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:32244-32257. [PMID: 37720746 PMCID: PMC10500578 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis, is a global health concern, affecting millions worldwide. This bacterium has earned a reputation as a formidable adversary due to its multidrug-resistant nature, allowing it to withstand many antibiotics. The development of this drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is attributed to innate and acquired mechanisms. In the past, rifampin was considered a potent medication for treating tuberculosis infections. However, the rapid development of resistance to this drug by the bacterium underscores the pressing need for new therapeutic agents. Fortunately, several other medications previously overlooked for tuberculosis treatment are already available in the market. Moreover, several innovative drugs are under clinical investigation, offering hope for more effective treatments. To enhance the effectiveness of these drugs, it is recommended that researchers concentrate on identifying unique target sites within the bacterium during the drug development process. This strategy could potentially circumvent the issues presented by Mycobacterium drug resistance. This review primarily focuses on the characteristics of novel drug resistance mechanisms in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also discusses potential medications being repositioned or sourced from novel origins. The ultimate objective of this review is to discover efficacious treatments for tuberculosis that can successfully tackle the hurdles posed by Mycobacterium drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vyoma Mistry
- C.
G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka
Tarsadia University, Bardoli 394350, Surat, India
| | - Mayuri Dholaria
- Naran
Lala College of Professional and Applied Sciences, Navsari 396450, Gujarat, India
| | - Abhishek Rana
- Jindal
Global Law School, OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat 131001, Haryana, India
| | - Inderpal Devgon
- Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Iftikhar Ali
- Center
for Plant Science and Biodiversity, University
of Swat, Charbagh 19120, Pakistan
- Department
of Genetics and Development, Columbia University
Irving Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Javed Iqbal
- Department
of Botany, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, 24420 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Sayed M. Eldin
- Center
of Research, Faculty of Engineering, Future
University in Egypt, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
| | | | - Sami Bawazeer
- Faculty
of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 4041-4152, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Joydeep Dutta
- Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Arun Karnwal
- Lovely
Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
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Xu Y, Liu Q, Meng G, Dong C. Horizontal gene transfer of Cccyt contributes to virulence of mycoparasite Calcarisporium cordycipiticola by interacting with a host heat shock protein. Int J Biol Macromol 2023:124927. [PMID: 37270129 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important driving force for virulence evolution of pathogens, however, functions of these transferred genes are still not fully investigated. Here, an HGT effector, CcCYT was reported to contribute to virulence of a mycoparasite, Calcarisporium cordycipiticola to the host Cordyceps militaris, an important mushroom. Cccyt was predicted to be horizontally transferred from Actinobacteria ancestor by phylogenetic, synteny, GC content and codon usage pattern analyses. The transcript of Cccyt was sharply up-regulated at the early stage of infecting C. militaris. This effector was localized to the cell wall and contributed to the virulence of C. cordycipiticola without affecting its morphology, mycelial growth, conidiation, and resistance to abiotic stress. CcCYT can firstly bind the septa, and finally cytoplasm of the deformed hyphal cells of C. militaris. Pull-down assay coupled mass spectrometry revealed that proteins with which CcCYT interacted were related to protein process, folding and degradation. GST-Pull down assay confirmed that C. cordycipiticola effector CcCYT can interact with host protein CmHSP90 to inhibit the immune response of host. The results provided functional evidence that HGT is an important driving force for the virulence evolution and will be helpful for revealing the interaction between mycoparasite and mushroom host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Qing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guoliang Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Caihong Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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Madi N, Chen D, Wolff R, Shapiro BJ, Garud NR. Community diversity is associated with intra-species genetic diversity and gene loss in the human gut microbiome. eLife 2023; 12:e78530. [PMID: 36757364 PMCID: PMC9977275 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
How the ecological process of community assembly interacts with intra-species diversity and evolutionary change is a longstanding question. Two contrasting hypotheses have been proposed: Diversity Begets Diversity (DBD), in which taxa tend to become more diverse in already diverse communities, and Ecological Controls (EC), in which higher community diversity impedes diversification. Previously, using 16S rRNA gene amplicon data across a range of microbiomes, we showed a generally positive relationship between taxa diversity and community diversity at higher taxonomic levels, consistent with the predictions of DBD (Madi et al., 2020). However, this positive 'diversity slope' plateaus at high levels of community diversity. Here we show that this general pattern holds at much finer genetic resolution, by analyzing intra-species strain and nucleotide variation in static and temporally sampled metagenomes from the human gut microbiome. Consistent with DBD, both intra-species polymorphism and strain number were positively correlated with community Shannon diversity. Shannon diversity is also predictive of increases in polymorphism over time scales up to ~4-6 months, after which the diversity slope flattens and becomes negative - consistent with DBD eventually giving way to EC. Finally, we show that higher community diversity predicts gene loss at a future time point. This observation is broadly consistent with the Black Queen Hypothesis, which posits that genes with functions provided by the community are less likely to be retained in a focal species' genome. Together, our results show that a mixture of DBD, EC, and Black Queen may operate simultaneously in the human gut microbiome, adding to a growing body of evidence that these eco-evolutionary processes are key drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naïma Madi
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de MontréalMontréalCanada
| | - Daisy Chen
- Computational and Systems Biology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Richard Wolff
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - B Jesse Shapiro
- Département de sciences biologiques, Université de MontréalMontréalCanada
- McGill Genome Centre, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Quebec Centre for Biodiversity ScienceMontrealCanada
- McGill Centre for Microbiome ResearchMontrealCanada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Nandita R Garud
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Department of Human Genetics, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
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