1
|
Eppinger M, Radnedge L, Andersen G, Vietri N, Severson G, Mou S, Ravel J, Worsham PL. Novel plasmids and resistance phenotypes in Yersinia pestis: unique plasmid inventory of strain Java 9 mediates high levels of arsenic resistance. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32911. [PMID: 22479347 PMCID: PMC3316555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 02/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that the plasmid repertoire of Yersinia pestis is not restricted to the three classical virulence plasmids. The Java 9 strain of Y. pestis is a biovar Orientalis isolate obtained from a rat in Indonesia. Although it lacks the Y. pestis-specific plasmid pMT, which encodes the F1 capsule, it retains virulence in mouse and non-human primate animal models. While comparing diverse Y. pestis strains using subtractive hybridization, we identified sequences in Java 9 that were homologous to a Y. enterocolitica strain carrying the transposon Tn2502, which is known to encode arsenic resistance. Here we demonstrate that Java 9 exhibits high levels of arsenic and arsenite resistance mediated by a novel promiscuous class II transposon, named Tn2503. Arsenic resistance was self-transmissible from Java 9 to other Y. pestis strains via conjugation. Genomic analysis of the atypical plasmid inventory of Java 9 identified pCD and pPCP plasmids of atypical size and two previously uncharacterized cryptic plasmids. Unlike the Tn2502-mediated arsenic resistance encoded on the Y. enterocolitica virulence plasmid; the resistance loci in Java 9 are found on all four indigenous plasmids, including the two novel cryptic plasmids. This unique mobilome introduces more than 105 genes into the species gene pool. The majority of these are encoded by the two entirely novel self-transmissible plasmids, which show partial homology and synteny to other enterics. In contrast to the reductive evolution in Y. pestis, this study underlines the major impact of a dynamic mobilome and lateral acquisition in the genome evolution of the plague bacterium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark Eppinger
- Institute for Genome Sciences and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Lyndsay Radnedge
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Gary Andersen
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Vietri
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Grant Severson
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sherry Mou
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jacques Ravel
- Institute for Genome Sciences and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Patricia L. Worsham
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Eppinger M, Worsham PL, Nikolich MP, Riley DR, Sebastian Y, Mou S, Achtman M, Lindler LE, Ravel J. Genome sequence of the deep-rooted Yersinia pestis strain Angola reveals new insights into the evolution and pangenome of the plague bacterium. J Bacteriol 2010; 192:1685-99. [PMID: 20061468 PMCID: PMC2832528 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01518-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2009] [Accepted: 12/25/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To gain insights into the origin and genome evolution of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis, we have sequenced the deep-rooted strain Angola, a virulent Pestoides isolate. Its ancient nature makes this atypical isolate of particular importance in understanding the evolution of plague pathogenicity. Its chromosome features a unique genetic make-up intermediate between modern Y. pestis isolates and its evolutionary ancestor, Y. pseudotuberculosis. Our genotypic and phenotypic analyses led us to conclude that Angola belongs to one of the most ancient Y. pestis lineages thus far sequenced. The mobilome carries the first reported chimeric plasmid combining the two species-specific virulence plasmids. Genomic findings were validated in virulence assays demonstrating that its pathogenic potential is distinct from modern Y. pestis isolates. Human infection with this particular isolate would not be diagnosed by the standard clinical tests, as Angola lacks the plasmid-borne capsule, and a possible emergence of this genotype raises major public health concerns. To assess the genomic plasticity in Y. pestis, we investigated the global gene reservoir and estimated the pangenome at 4,844 unique protein-coding genes. As shown by the genomic analysis of this evolutionary key isolate, we found that the genomic plasticity within Y. pestis clearly was not as limited as previously thought, which is strengthened by the detection of the largest number of isolate-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) currently reported in the species. This study identified numerous novel genetic signatures, some of which seem to be intimately associated with plague virulence. These markers are valuable in the development of a robust typing system critical for forensic, diagnostic, and epidemiological studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark Eppinger
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Patricia L. Worsham
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Mikeljon P. Nikolich
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - David R. Riley
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Yinong Sebastian
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Sherry Mou
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Mark Achtman
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Luther E. Lindler
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| | - Jacques Ravel
- Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Bacteriology Division, Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Division of Bacterial & Rickettsial Diseases, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, Environmental Research Institute (ERI), University College Cork, Lee Road, Cork, Ireland, Department of Defense, Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Yang X, Hinnebusch BJ, Trunkle T, Bosio CM, Suo Z, Tighe M, Harmsen A, Becker T, Crist K, Walters N, Avci R, Pascual DW. Oral vaccination with salmonella simultaneously expressing Yersinia pestis F1 and V antigens protects against bubonic and pneumonic plague. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2007; 178:1059-67. [PMID: 17202369 PMCID: PMC9809976 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.178.2.1059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The gut provides a large area for immunization enabling the development of mucosal and systemic Ab responses. To test whether the protective Ags to Yersinia pestis can be orally delivered, the Y. pestis caf1 operon, encoding the F1-Ag and virulence Ag (V-Ag) were cloned into attenuated Salmonella vaccine vectors. F1-Ag expression was controlled under a promoter from the caf1 operon; two different promoters (P), PtetA in pV3, PphoP in pV4, as well as a chimera of the two in pV55 were tested. F1-Ag was amply expressed; the chimera in the pV55 showed the best V-Ag expression. Oral immunization with Salmonella-F1 elicited elevated secretory (S)-IgA and serum IgG titers, and Salmonella-V-Ag(pV55) elicited much greater S-IgA and serum IgG Ab titers than Salmonella-V-Ag(pV3) or Salmonella-V-Ag(pV4). Hence, a new Salmonella vaccine, Salmonella-(F1+V)Ags, made with a single plasmid containing the caf1 operon and the chimeric promoter for V-Ag allowed the simultaneous expression of F1 capsule and V-Ag. Salmonella-(F1+V)Ags elicited elevated Ab titers similar to their monotypic derivatives. For bubonic plague, mice dosed with Salmonella-(F1+V)Ags and Salmonella-F1-Ag showed similar efficacy (>83% survival) against approximately 1000 LD(50) Y. pestis. For pneumonic plague, immunized mice required immunity to both F1- and V-Ags because the mice vaccinated with Salmonella-(F1+V)Ags protected against 100 LD(50) Y. pestis. These results show that a single Salmonella vaccine can deliver both F1- and V-Ags to effect both systemic and mucosal immune protection against Y. pestis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinghong Yang
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840
| | - Theresa Trunkle
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Catharine M. Bosio
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521
| | - Zhiyong Suo
- Physics Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Mike Tighe
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Ann Harmsen
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Todd Becker
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Kathryn Crist
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Nancy Walters
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Recep Avci
- Physics Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - David W. Pascual
- Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. David W. Pascual, Veterinary Molecular Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173610, Bozeman, MT 59717-3610.
| |
Collapse
|