1
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Wolf YI, Schurov IV, Makarova KS, Katsnelson MI, Koonin EV. Long range segmentation of prokaryotic genomes by gene age and functionality. Nucleic Acids Res 2024:gkae745. [PMID: 39193895 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial and archaeal genomes encompass numerous operons that typically consist of two to five genes. On larger scales, however, gene order is poorly conserved through the evolution of prokaryotes. Nevertheless, non-random localization of different classes of genes on prokaryotic chromosomes could reflect important functional and evolutionary constraints. We explored the patterns of genomic localization of evolutionarily conserved (ancient) and variable (young) genes across the diversity of bacteria and archaea. Nearly all bacterial and archaeal chromosomes were found to encompass large segments of 100-300 kb that were significantly enriched in either ancient or young genes. Similar clustering of genes with lethal knockout phenotype (essential genes) was observed as well. Mathematical modeling of genome evolution suggests that this long-range gene clustering in prokaryotic chromosomes reflects perpetual genome rearrangement driven by a combination of selective and neutral processes rather than evolutionary conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Ilya V Schurov
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Mikhail I Katsnelson
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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2
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Tran TH, Escapa IF, Roberts AQ, Gao W, Obawemimo AC, Segre JA, Kong HH, Conlan S, Kelly MS, Lemon KP. Metabolic capabilities are highly conserved among human nasal-associated Corynebacterium species in pangenomic analyses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.05.543719. [PMID: 37333201 PMCID: PMC10274666 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.05.543719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Corynebacterium species are globally ubiquitous in human nasal microbiota across the lifespan. Moreover, nasal microbiota profiles typified by higher relative abundances of Corynebacterium are often positively associated with health. Among the most common human nasal Corynebacterium species are C. propinquum, C. pseudodiphtheriticum, C. accolens, and C. tuberculostearicum. To gain insight into the functions of these four species, we identified genomic, phylogenomic, and pangenomic properties and estimated the metabolic capabilities of 87 distinct human nasal Corynebacterium strain genomes: 31 from Botswana and 56 from the USA. C. pseudodiphtheriticum had geographically distinct clades consistent with localized strain circulation, whereas some strains from the other species had wide geographic distribution spanning Africa and North America. All species had similar genomic and pangenomic structures. Gene clusters assigned to all COG metabolic categories were overrepresented in the persistent versus accessory genome of each species indicating limited strain-level variability in metabolic capacity. Based on prevalence data, at least two Corynebacterium species likely coexist in the nasal microbiota of 82% of adults. So, it was surprising that core metabolic capabilities were highly conserved among the four species indicating limited species-level metabolic variation. Strikingly, strains in the USA clade of C. pseudodiphtheriticum lacked genes for assimilatory sulfate reduction present in most of the strains in the Botswana clade and in the other studied species, indicating a recent, geographically related loss of assimilatory sulfate reduction. Overall, the minimal species and strain variability in metabolic capacity implies coexisting strains might have limited ability to occupy distinct metabolic niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy H. Tran
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics & Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Isabel F. Escapa
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics & Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ari Q. Roberts
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics & Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Wei Gao
- The Forsyth Institute (Microbiology), Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Abiola C. Obawemimo
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics & Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Julia A. Segre
- Microbial Genomics Section, Translational and Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Heidi H. Kong
- Dermatology Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sean Conlan
- Microbial Genomics Section, Translational and Functional Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Matthew S. Kelly
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Katherine P. Lemon
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics & Microbiome Research, Department of Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Texas Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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3
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Ares-Arroyo M, Coluzzi C, Moura de Sousa JA, Rocha EPC. Hijackers, hitchhikers, or co-drivers? The mysteries of mobilizable genetic elements. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002796. [PMID: 39208359 PMCID: PMC11389934 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements shape microbial gene repertoires and populations. Recent results reveal that many, possibly most, microbial mobile genetic elements require helpers to transfer between genomes, which we refer to as Hitcher Genetic Elements (hitchers or HGEs). They may be a large fraction of pathogenicity and resistance genomic islands, whose mechanisms of transfer have remained enigmatic for decades. Together with their helper elements and their bacterial hosts, hitchers form tripartite networks of interactions that evolve rapidly within a parasitism-mutualism continuum. In this emerging view of microbial genomes as communities of mobile genetic elements many questions arise. Which elements are being moved, by whom, and how? How often are hitchers costly hyper-parasites or beneficial mutualists? What is the evolutionary origin of hitchers? Are there key advantages associated with hitchers' lifestyle that justify their unexpected abundance? And why are hitchers systematically smaller than their helpers? In this essay, we start answering these questions and point ways ahead for understanding the principles, origin, mechanisms, and impact of hitchers in bacterial ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Ares-Arroyo
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, France
| | - Charles Coluzzi
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, France
| | - Jorge A Moura de Sousa
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, France
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, France
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4
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Li X, Gallardo O, August E, Dassa B, Court DL, Stavans J, Arbel-Goren R. Stability and gene strand bias of lambda prophages and chromosome organization in Escherichia coli. mBio 2024; 15:e0207823. [PMID: 38888367 PMCID: PMC11253608 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02078-23] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Temperate phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer is a potent driver of genetic diversity in the evolution of bacteria. Most lambdoid prophages in Escherichia coli are integrated into the chromosome with the same orientation with respect to the direction of chromosomal replication, and their location on the chromosome is far from homogeneous. To better understand these features, we studied the interplay between lysogenic and lytic states of phage lambda in both native and inverted integration orientations at the wild-type integration site as well as at other sites on the bacterial chromosome. Measurements of free phage released by spontaneous induction showed that the stability of lysogenic states is affected by location and orientation along the chromosome, with stronger effects near the origin of replication. Competition experiments and range expansions between lysogenic strains with opposite orientations and insertion loci indicated that there are no major differences in growth. Moreover, measurements of the level of transcriptional bursts of the cI gene coding for the lambda phage repressor using single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization resulted in similar levels of transcription for both orientations and prophage location. We postulate that the preference for a given orientation and location is a result of a balance between the maintenance of lysogeny and the ability to lyse.IMPORTANCEThe integration of genetic material of temperate bacterial viruses (phages) into the chromosomes of bacteria is a potent evolutionary force, allowing bacteria to acquire in one stroke new traits and restructure the information in their chromosomes. Puzzlingly, this genetic material is preferentially integrated in a particular orientation and at non-random sites on the bacterial chromosome. The work described here reveals that the interplay between the maintenance of the stability of the integrated phage, its ability to excise, and its localization along the chromosome plays a key role in setting chromosomal organization in Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xintian Li
- Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Oscar Gallardo
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Elias August
- Department of Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Bareket Dassa
- Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Donald L. Court
- Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Joel Stavans
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rinat Arbel-Goren
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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5
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Beamud B, Benz F, Bikard D. Going viral: The role of mobile genetic elements in bacterial immunity. Cell Host Microbe 2024; 32:804-819. [PMID: 38870898 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2024.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Bacteriophages and other mobile genetic elements (MGEs) pose a significant threat to bacteria, subjecting them to constant attacks. In response, bacteria have evolved a sophisticated immune system that employs diverse defensive strategies and mechanisms. Remarkably, a growing body of evidence suggests that most of these defenses are encoded by MGEs themselves. This realization challenges our traditional understanding of bacterial immunity and raises intriguing questions about the evolutionary forces at play. Our review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest findings on the main families of MGEs and the defense systems they encode. We also highlight how a vast diversity of defense systems remains to be discovered and their mechanism of mobility understood. Altogether, the composition and distribution of defense systems in bacterial genomes only makes sense in the light of the ecological and evolutionary interactions of a complex network of MGEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Beamud
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Fabienne Benz
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, 75015 Paris, France
| | - David Bikard
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France.
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6
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Tomasch J, Kopejtka K, Shivaramu S, Mujakić I, Koblížek M. On the evolution of chromosomal regions with high gene strand bias in bacteria. mBio 2024; 15:e0060224. [PMID: 38752745 PMCID: PMC11237797 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00602-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
On circular bacterial chromosomes, the majority of genes are coded on the leading strand. This gene strand bias (GSB) ranges from up to 85% in some Bacillota to a little more than 50% in other phyla. The factors determining the extent of the strand bias remain to be found. Here, we report that species in the phylum Gemmatimonadota share a unique chromosome architecture, distinct from neighboring phyla: in a conserved 600-kb region around the terminus of replication, almost all genes were located on the leading strands, while on the remaining part of the chromosome, the strand preference was more balanced. The high strand bias (HSB) region harbors the rRNA clusters, core, and highly expressed genes. Selective pressure for reduction of collisions with DNA replication to minimize detrimental mutations can explain the conservation of essential genes in this region. Repetitive and mobile elements are underrepresented, suggesting reduced recombination frequency by structural isolation from other parts of the chromosome. We propose that the HSB region forms a distinct chromosomal domain. Gemmatimonadota chromosomes evolved mainly by expansion through horizontal gene transfer and duplications outside of the ancient high strand bias region. In support of our hypothesis, we could further identify two Spiroplasma strains on a similar evolutionary path.IMPORTANCEOn bacterial chromosomes, a preferred location of genes on the leading strand has evolved to reduce conflicts between replication and transcription. Despite a vast body of research, the question why bacteria show large differences in their gene strand bias is still not solved. The discovery of "hybrid" chromosomes in different phyla, including Gemmatimonadota, in which a conserved high strand bias is found exclusively in a region at ter, points toward a role of nucleoid structure, additional to replication, in the evolution of strand preferences. A fine-grained structural analysis of the ever-increasing number of available bacterial genomes could help to better understand the forces that shape the sequential and spatial organization of the cell's information content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Tomasch
- Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Karel Kopejtka
- Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Sahana Shivaramu
- Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Izabela Mujakić
- Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Michal Koblížek
- Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czechia
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Torrance EL, Diop A, Bobay LM. Homologous Recombination Shapes the Architecture and Evolution of Bacterial Genomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.31.596828. [PMID: 38895235 PMCID: PMC11185547 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.31.596828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Homologous recombination is a key evolutionary force that varies considerably across bacterial species. However, how the landscape of homologous recombination varies across genes and within individual genomes has only been studied in a few species. Here, we used Approximate Bayesian Computation to estimate the recombination rate along the genomes of 145 bacterial species. Our results show that homologous recombination varies greatly along bacterial genomes and shapes many aspects of genome architecture and evolution. The genomic landscape of recombination presents several key signatures: rates are highest near the origin of replication in most species, patterns of recombination generally appear symmetrical in both replichores (i.e. replicational halves of circular chromosomes) and most species have genomic hotpots of recombination. Furthermore, many closely related species share conserved landscapes of recombination across orthologs indicating that recombination landscapes are conserved over significant evolutionary distances. We show evidence that recombination drives the evolution of GC-content through increasing the effectiveness of selection and not through biased gene conversion, thereby contributing to an ongoing debate. Finally, we demonstrate that the rate of recombination varies across gene function and that many hotspots of recombination are associated with adaptive and mobile regions often encoding genes involved in pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellis L Torrance
- Dept. of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412
- Systems Biology Dept., Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94551
| | - Awa Diop
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
| | - Louis-Marie Bobay
- Dept. of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
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8
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Haas D, Barba M, Vicente C, Nezbedová Š, Garénaux A, Bury-Moné S, Lorenzi JN, Hôtel L, Laureti L, Thibessard A, Le Goff G, Ouazzani J, Leblond P, Aigle B, Pernodet JL, Lespinet O, Lautru S. Synteruptor: mining genomic islands for non-classical specialized metabolite gene clusters. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae069. [PMID: 38915823 PMCID: PMC11195616 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial specialized metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SMBGCs) are a formidable source of natural products of pharmaceutical interest. With the multiplication of genomic data available, very efficient bioinformatic tools for automatic SMBGC detection have been developed. Nevertheless, most of these tools identify SMBGCs based on sequence similarity with enzymes typically involved in specialised metabolism and thus may miss SMBGCs coding for undercharacterised enzymes. Here we present Synteruptor (https://bioi2.i2bc.paris-saclay.fr/synteruptor), a program that identifies genomic islands, known to be enriched in SMBGCs, in the genomes of closely related species. With this tool, we identified a SMBGC in the genome of Streptomyces ambofaciens ATCC23877, undetected by antiSMASH versions prior to antiSMASH 5, and experimentally demonstrated that it directs the biosynthesis of two metabolites, one of which was identified as sphydrofuran. Synteruptor is also a valuable resource for the delineation of individual SMBGCs within antiSMASH regions that may encompass multiple clusters, and for refining the boundaries of these SMBGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drago Haas
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Matthieu Barba
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | | | - Šarká Nezbedová
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Amélie Garénaux
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Stéphanie Bury-Moné
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jean-Noël Lorenzi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Laurence Hôtel
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, DynAMic, Nancy 54000, France
| | - Luisa Laureti
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, DynAMic, Nancy 54000, France
| | | | - Géraldine Le Goff
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles ICSN, CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Jamal Ouazzani
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles ICSN, CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette 91198, France
| | - Pierre Leblond
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, DynAMic, Nancy 54000, France
| | - Bertrand Aigle
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, DynAMic, Nancy 54000, France
| | - Jean-Luc Pernodet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Olivier Lespinet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Sylvie Lautru
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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9
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Feng NX, Li DW, Zhang F, Bin H, Huang YT, Xiang L, Liu BL, Cai QY, Li YW, Xu DL, Xie Y, Mo CH. Biodegradation of phthalate acid esters and whole-genome analysis of a novel Streptomyces sp. FZ201 isolated from natural habitats. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 469:133972. [PMID: 38461665 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133972] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most extensively used phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and is considered to be an emerging, globally concerning pollutant. The genus Streptomyces holds promise as a degrader of various organic pollutants, but PAE biodegradation mechanisms by Streptomyces species remain unsolved. In this study, a novel PAE-degrading Streptomyces sp. FZ201 isolated from natural habitats efficiently degraded various PAEs. FZ201 had strong resilience against DBP and exhibited immediate degradation, with kinetics adhering to a first-order model. The comprehensive biodegradation of DBP involves de-esterification, β-oxidation, trans-esterification, and aromatic ring cleavage. FZ201 contains numerous catabolic genes that potentially facilitate PAE biodegradation. The DBP metabolic pathway was reconstructed by genome annotation and intermediate identification. Streptomyces species have an open pangenome with substantial genome expansion events during the evolutionary process, enabling extensive genetic diversity and highly plastic genomes within the Streptomyces genus. FZ201 had a diverse array of highly expressed genes associated with the degradation of PAEs, potentially contributing significantly to its adaptive advantage and efficiency of PAE degradation. Thus, FZ201 is a promising candidate for remediating highly PAE-contaminated environments. These findings enhance our preliminary understanding of the molecular mechanisms employed by Streptomyces for the removal of PAEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nai-Xian Feng
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Da-Wei Li
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Hui Bin
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yi-Tong Huang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Lei Xiang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Bai-Lin Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Quan-Ying Cai
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yan-Wen Li
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - De-Lin Xu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yunchang Xie
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.
| | - Ce-Hui Mo
- College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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10
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Dmitrijeva M, Tackmann J, Matias Rodrigues JF, Huerta-Cepas J, Coelho LP, von Mering C. A global survey of prokaryotic genomes reveals the eco-evolutionary pressures driving horizontal gene transfer. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:986-998. [PMID: 38443606 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02357-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer, the exchange of genetic material through means other than reproduction, is a fundamental force in prokaryotic genome evolution. Genomic persistence of horizontally transferred genes has been shown to be influenced by both ecological and evolutionary factors. However, there is limited availability of ecological information about species other than the habitats from which they were isolated, which has prevented a deeper exploration of ecological contributions to horizontal gene transfer. Here we focus on transfers detected through comparison of individual gene trees to the species tree, assessing the distribution of gene-exchanging prokaryotes across over a million environmental sequencing samples. By analysing detected horizontal gene transfer events, we show distinct functional profiles for recent versus old events. Although most genes transferred are part of the accessory genome, genes transferred earlier in evolution tend to be more ubiquitous within present-day species. We find that co-occurring, interacting and high-abundance species tend to exchange more genes. Finally, we show that host-associated specialist species are most likely to exchange genes with other host-associated specialist species, whereas species found across different habitats have similar gene exchange rates irrespective of their preferred habitat. Our study covers an unprecedented scale of integrated horizontal gene transfer and environmental information, highlighting broad eco-evolutionary trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Dmitrijeva
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Janko Tackmann
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Jaime Huerta-Cepas
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Campus de Montegancedo-UPM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Pedro Coelho
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Christian von Mering
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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11
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Wolf YI, Schurov IV, Makarova KS, Katsnelson MI, Koonin EV. Long range segmentation of prokaryotic genomes by gene age and functionality. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.26.591304. [PMID: 38903122 PMCID: PMC11188115 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.26.591304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial and archaeal genomes encompass numerous operons that typically consist of two to five genes. On larger scales, however, gene order is poorly conserved through the evolution of prokaryotes. Nevertheless, non-random localization of different classes of genes on prokaryotic chromosomes could reflect important functional and evolutionary constraints. We explored the patterns of genomic localization of evolutionarily conserved (ancient) and variable (young) genes across the diversity of bacteria and archaea. Nearly all bacterial and archaeal chromosomes were found to encompass large segments of 100-300 kilobases that were significantly enriched in either ancient or young genes. Similar clustering of genes with lethal knockout phenotype (essential genes) was observed as well. Mathematical modeling of genome evolution suggests that this long-range gene clustering in prokaryotic chromosomes reflects perpetual genome rearrangement driven by a combination of selective and neutral processes rather than evolutionary conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri I. Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Ilya V. Schurov
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Mikhail I. Katsnelson
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525AJ, The Netherlands
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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12
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Ren Z, Li H, Luo W. Unraveling the mystery of antibiotic resistance genes in green and red Antarctic snow. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 915:170148. [PMID: 38246373 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Antarctic snow is a thriving habitat for a diverse array of complex microorganisms, and can present in different colors due to algae blooms. However, the potential role of Antarctic snow as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has not been studied. Using metagenomic sequencing, we studied ARGs in green-snow and red-snow on the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica. Alpha and beta diversities of ARGs, as well as co-occurrence between ARGs and bacteria were assessed. The results showed that a total of 525 ARGs conferring resistance to 30 antibiotic classes were detected across the samples, with half of the ARGs presented in all samples. Green-snow exhibited a higher number of ARGs compared to red-snow. The most abundant ARGs conferring resistance to commonly used antibiotics, including disinfecting agents and antiseptics, peptide, isoniazid, MLS, fluoroquinolone, aminocoumarin, etc. Multidrug resistance genes stood out as the most diverse and abundant, with antibiotic efflux emerging as the dominant resistance mechanism. Interestingly, the composition of ARGs in green-snow markedly differed from that in red-snow, highlighting distinct ARG profiles. Beta-diversity partitioning showed a higher contribution of nestedness for ARG's variation in green-snow, while higher contribution of turnover in red-snow. Furthermore, the co-occurrence analysis between ARGs and bacteria unveiled intricate relationships, indicating that certain ARGs may have multiple potential hosts. The observed differences in co-occurrence networks between green-snow and red-snow suggested distinct host relationships between ARGs and bacteria in these colored snows. Given the increasing appearance of the colored snow around the world due to the climate change, the results shed light on the mystery and potential implication of ARGs in green and red Antarctic snow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Huirong Li
- Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai 200136, China; Key Laboratory of Polar Ecosystem and Climate Change, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200030, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Polar Life and Environment Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Wei Luo
- Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Polar Research Institute of China, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai 200136, China; Key Laboratory of Polar Ecosystem and Climate Change, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200030, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Polar Life and Environment Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
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13
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Liu Z, Good BH. Dynamics of bacterial recombination in the human gut microbiome. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002472. [PMID: 38329938 PMCID: PMC10852326 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a ubiquitous force in microbial evolution. Previous work has shown that the human gut is a hotspot for gene transfer between species, but the more subtle exchange of variation within species-also known as recombination-remains poorly characterized in this ecosystem. Here, we show that the genetic structure of the human gut microbiome provides an opportunity to measure recent recombination events from sequenced fecal samples, enabling quantitative comparisons across diverse commensal species that inhabit a common environment. By analyzing recent recombination events in the core genomes of 29 human gut bacteria, we observed widespread heterogeneities in the rates and lengths of transferred fragments, which are difficult to explain by existing models of ecological isolation or homology-dependent recombination rates. We also show that natural selection helps facilitate the spread of genetic variants across strain backgrounds, both within individual hosts and across the broader population. These results shed light on the dynamics of in situ recombination, which can strongly constrain the adaptability of gut microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiru Liu
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Benjamin H. Good
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub–San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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14
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Boyer C, Lefeuvre P, Richard D, Lobin KK, Pruvost O. Complete Genome Sequence of a Copper-Resistant Xanthomonas campestris pv . campestris Strain Isolated from Broccoli in Mauritius Suggests Adaptive Gene Gain Through Horizontal Gene Transfer. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2024; 114:328-333. [PMID: 37584505 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-05-23-0177-sc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial adaptation is facilitated by the presence of mobile genetic elements and horizontal gene transfer of genes, such as those coding for virulence factors or resistance to antimicrobial compounds. A hybrid assembly of Nanopore MinIon long-read and Illumina short-read data was produced from a copper-resistant Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris strain isolated from symptomatic broccoli leaves in Mauritius. We obtained a 5.2-Mb high-quality chromosome and no plasmid. We found four genomic islands, three of which were characterized as integrative conjugative elements or integrative mobilizable elements. These genomic islands carried type III effectors and the copper resistance copLABMGF system involved in pathogenicity and environmental adaptation, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudine Boyer
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, F-97410 Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
| | | | - Damien Richard
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, F-97410 Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
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15
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Rosani U, De Felice S, Frizzo R, Kawato S, Wegner KM. FicD genes in invertebrates: A tale of transposons, pathogenic and integrated viruses. Gene 2024; 893:147895. [PMID: 37832807 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Many gene families are shared across the tree of life between distantly related species because of horizontal gene transfers (HGTs). However, the frequency of HGTs varies strongly between gene families and biotic realms suggesting differential selection pressures and functional bias. One gene family with a wide distribution are FIC-domain containing enzymes (FicDs). FicDs catalyze AMPylation, a post-translational protein modification consisting in the addition of adenosine monophosphate to accessible residues of target proteins. Beside the well-known conservation of FicDs in deuterostomes, we report the presence of a conserved FicD gene ortholog in a large number of protostomes and microbial eukaryotes. We also reported additional FicD gene copies in the genomes of some rotifers, parasitic worms and bivalves. A few dsDNA viruses of these invertebrates, including White spot syndrome virus, Cherax quadricarinatus iridovirus, Ostreid herpesvirus-1 and the beetle nudivirus, carry copies of FicDs, with phylogenetic analysis suggesting a common origin of these FicD copies and the duplicated FicDs of their invertebrate hosts. HGTs and gene duplications possibly mediated by endogenous viruses or genetic mobile elements seem to have contributed to the transfer of AMPylation ability from bacteria and eukaryotes to pathogenic viruses, where this pathway could have been hijacked to promote viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umberto Rosani
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy.
| | - Sofia De Felice
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Riccardo Frizzo
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy
| | - Satoshi Kawato
- Laboratory of Genome Science, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 108-8477 Tokyo, Japan
| | - K Mathias Wegner
- Alfred Wegener Institute - Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Waddensea Station Sylt, 25992 List, Germany
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16
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Pradel N, Chifflet S, Beavogui A, Bartoli M, Chu Van T, Aouane A, Bui Van V, Mari X, Pham The T, Oliveira PH, Cayol JL. Tepidibacter aestuarii sp. nov., isolated from the Bach Dang Estuary, Haiphong, Vietnam. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2024; 74. [PMID: 38226566 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
A mesophilic, anaerobic, endospore-forming, fermentative bacterium designated strain 8C15bT was isolated from bank sediment of the Bach Dang Estuary, Haiphong, Vietnam. The Bach Dang Estuary, where Haiphong harbour is located, is subject to strong anthropogenic influence, resulting in high concentrations of black carbon and heavy metals. Strain 8C15bT grew optimally at 30 °C, pH 7.5 and with 2.5 % (w/v) NaCl. The main cellular fatty acids consisted of iso-C15 : 0 (51 %), iso-C15:1 ω7c (32 %) and iso-C13 : 0 (5 %). Genomic considerations of strain 8C15bT and comparisons with the phylogenetically closest strains of the genus Tepidibacter provide evidence that Tepidibacter thalassicus SC562T (=DSM 15285T), Tepidibacter formicigenes DV1184T (=DSM 15518T), Tepidibacter mesophilus B1T (=JCM 16806T) and strain 8C15bT could be differentiated at the species level. We propose the name Tepidibacter aestuarii sp. nov. for the type strain 8C15bT (=JCM 35983T=KCTC 25692T). Finally, the nickel-tolerance properties of strain 8C15bT are highlighted in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Pradel
- Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Sandrine Chifflet
- Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Angelina Beavogui
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Évry, Université Paris-Saclay, Évry, France
| | - Manon Bartoli
- Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - Thuoc Chu Van
- Institute of Marine Environment and Resources (IMER-VAST), Haiphong, Vietnam
| | - Aicha Aouane
- Electronic Microscopy Platform, IBDM, UMR 7288, Case 907, Faculté des Sciences de Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - Vuong Bui Van
- Institute of Marine Environment and Resources (IMER-VAST), Haiphong, Vietnam
| | - Xavier Mari
- Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
- Department Water-Environment-Oceanography, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Thu Pham The
- Institute of Marine Environment and Resources (IMER-VAST), Haiphong, Vietnam
| | - Pedro H Oliveira
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Évry, Université Paris-Saclay, Évry, France
| | - Jean-Luc Cayol
- Aix Marseille Univ., Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille, France
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17
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Tamayo-Leiva J, Alcorta J, Sepúlveda F, Fuentes-Alburquenque S, Arroyo JI, González-Pastor JE, Díez B. Structure and dispersion of the conjugative mobilome in surface ocean bacterioplankton. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae059. [PMID: 38770060 PMCID: PMC11104534 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), collectively referred to as the "mobilome", can have a significant impact on the fitness of microbial communities and therefore on ecological processes. Marine MGEs have mainly been associated with wide geographical and phylogenetic dispersal of adaptative traits. However, whether the structure of this mobilome exhibits deterministic patterns in the natural community is still an open question. The aim of this study was to characterize the structure of the conjugative mobilome in the ocean surface bacterioplankton by searching the publicly available marine metagenomes from the TARA Oceans survey, together with molecular markers, such as relaxases and type IV coupling proteins of the type IV secretion system (T4SS). The T4SS machinery was retrieved in more abundance than relaxases in the surface marine bacterioplankton. Moreover, among the identified MGEs, mobilizable elements were the most abundant, outnumbering self-conjugative sequences. Detection of a high number of incomplete T4SSs provides insight into possible strategies related to trans-acting activity between MGEs, and accessory functions of the T4SS (e.g. protein secretion), allowing the host to maintain a lower metabolic burden in the highly dynamic marine system. Additionally, the results demonstrate a wide geographical dispersion of MGEs throughout oceanic regions, while the Southern Ocean appears segregated from other regions. The marine mobilome also showed a high similarity of functions present in known plasmid databases. Moreover, cargo genes were mostly related to DNA processing, but scarcely associated with antibiotic resistance. Finally, within the MGEs, integrative and conjugative elements showed wider marine geographic dispersion than plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Tamayo-Leiva
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jaime Alcorta
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG) , Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Sepúlveda
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG) , Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastián Fuentes-Alburquenque
- Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Matemáticas y Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Facultad de Ingeniería, Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - José Ignacio Arroyo
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- The Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87131, United States
- Centro de Modelamiento Matemático, Universidad de Chile, IRL 2807 CNRS Beauchef 851, Santiago, Chile
| | - José Eduardo González-Pastor
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA. Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Díez
- Biological Sciences Faculty, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG) , Santiago, Chile
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18
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Greenrod STE, Stoycheva M, Elphinstone J, Friman VP. Influence of insertion sequences on population structure of phytopathogenic bacteria in the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001364. [PMID: 37458734 PMCID: PMC10433421 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) is a destructive group of plant pathogenic bacteria and the causative agent of bacterial wilt disease. Experimental studies have attributed RSSC virulence to insertion sequences (IS), transposable genetic elements which can both disrupt and activate host genes. Yet, the global diversity and distribution of RSSC IS are unknown. In this study, IS were bioinformatically identified in a diverse collection of 356 RSSC isolates representing five phylogenetic lineages and their diversity investigated based on genetic distance measures and comparisons with the ISFinder database. IS phylogenetic associations were determined based on their distribution across the RSSC phylogeny. Moreover, IS positions within genomes were characterised and their potential gene disruptions determined based on IS proximity to coding sequences. In total, we found 24732 IS belonging to eleven IS families and 26 IS subgroups with over half of the IS found in the megaplasmid. While IS families were generally widespread across the RSSC phylogeny, IS subgroups showed strong lineage-specific distributions and genetically similar bacterial isolates had similar IS contents. Similar associations with bacterial host genetic background were also observed with IS insertion positions which were highly conserved in closely related bacterial isolates. Finally, IS were found to disrupt genes with predicted functions in virulence, stress tolerance, and metabolism suggesting that they might be adaptive. This study highlights that RSSC insertion sequences track the evolution of their bacterial hosts potentially contributing to both intra- and inter-lineage genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T. E. Greenrod
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Present address: Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - John Elphinstone
- Fera Science Ltd, National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York, UK
| | - Ville-Petri Friman
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Present address: Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
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19
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Vogelgsang L, Nisar A, Scharf SA, Rommerskirchen A, Belick D, Dilthey A, Henrich B. Characterisation of Type II DNA Methyltransferases of Metamycoplasma hominis. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1591. [PMID: 37375093 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial virulence, persistence and defence are affected by epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation. Solitary DNA methyltransferases modulate a variety of cellular processes and influence bacterial virulence; as part of a restriction-modification (RM) system, they act as a primitive immune system in methylating the own DNA, while unmethylated foreign DNA is restricted. We identified a large family of type II DNA methyltransferases in Metamycoplasma hominis, comprising six solitary methyltransferases and four RM systems. Motif-specific 5mC and 6mA methylations were identified with a tailored Tombo analysis on Nanopore reads. Selected motifs with methylation scores >0.5 fit with the gene presence of DAM1 and DAM2, DCM2, DCM3, and DCM6, but not for DCM1, whose activity was strain-dependent. The activity of DCM1 for CmCWGG and of both DAM1 and DAM2 for GmATC was proven in methylation-sensitive restriction and finally for recombinant rDCM1 and rDAM2 against a dam-, dcm-negative background. A hitherto unknown dcm8/dam3 gene fusion containing a (TA) repeat region of varying length was characterized within a single strain, suggesting the expression of DCM8/DAM3 phase variants. The combination of genetic, bioinformatics, and enzymatic approaches enabled the detection of a huge family of type II DNA MTases in M. hominis, whose involvement in virulence and defence can now be characterized in future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Vogelgsang
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Azlan Nisar
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Sebastian Alexander Scharf
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Anna Rommerskirchen
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Dana Belick
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Alexander Dilthey
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Birgit Henrich
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany
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20
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Noll N, Molari M, Shaw LP, Neher RA. PanGraph: scalable bacterial pan-genome graph construction. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen001034. [PMID: 37278719 PMCID: PMC10327495 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The genomic diversity of microbes is commonly parameterized as SNPs relative to a reference genome of a well-characterized, but arbitrary, isolate. However, any reference genome contains only a fraction of the microbial pangenome, the total set of genes observed in a given species. Reference-based approaches are thus blind to the dynamics of the accessory genome, as well as variation within gene order and copy number. With the widespread usage of long-read sequencing, the number of high-quality, complete genome assemblies has increased dramatically. In addition to pangenomic approaches that focus on the variation in the sets of genes present in different genomes, complete assemblies allow investigations of the evolution of genome structure and gene order. This latter problem, however, is computationally demanding with few tools available that shed light on these dynamics. Here, we present PanGraph, a Julia-based library and command line interface for aligning whole genomes into a graph. Each genome is represented as a path along vertices, which in turn encapsulate homologous multiple sequence alignments. The resultant data structure succinctly summarizes population-level nucleotide and structural polymorphisms and can be exported into several common formats for either downstream analysis or immediate visualization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Noll
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Marco Molari
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Liam P. Shaw
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Richard A. Neher
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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21
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Rios-Fuster B, Compa M, Alomar C, Morató M, Ryfer D, Villalonga M, Deudero S. Are seafloor habitats influencing the distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of a Marine Protected Area? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:49875-49888. [PMID: 36787062 PMCID: PMC9925937 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25536-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The marine environment is affected by the increasing presence of microplastics (MPs; < 5 mm), and the seafloor acts as a sink for these particles. Locations with different predominant seafloor habitat and protection level applied were selected from Cabrera Marine-Terrestrial National Park (henceforth, Cabrera MPA) (western Mediterranean Sea) with the aim to assess the distribution of MPs along the sediments of this Mediterranean MPA. A total of 37 samples were collected. A high diversity of sediment between locations was detected according to the Udden-Wentworth classification and locations were clustered into two main groups according to the predominance of different particle size fractions. The identification of MPs was carried out according to the sediment particle size classification. A total of 1431 MPs and a mean value (± SD) of 314.53 ± 409.94 items kg-1 D.W. were identified, and 70% of the particles were fibers. Statistically higher abundances of MPs were found in sediments collected from sandy habitats, with a mean value of 630.80 ± 636.87 items kg-1 D.W., compared to the abundances of MPs found in locations with different predominant seafloor habitats, that ranged from 136.79 ± 156.33 items kg-1 D.W. in habitats with similar predominance of seagrass and sand to 223.02 ± 113.35 items kg-1 D.W. in habitats with similar predominance of rocks and sand. The abundance of MPs regarding each sediment particle size fraction differed between years and locations, and the abundance of MPs according to each identified shape differed between sampling years, particle size fraction, and predominant seafloor habitat. The present study highlights the ubiquitous presence of MPs in seafloor sediments from a MPA. Furthermore, the results suggest that the predominant seafloor habitat can modulate the presence of MPs in marine environments in both general abundances and shape of items.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Rios-Fuster
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Montserrat Compa
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Carme Alomar
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Mercè Morató
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Diane Ryfer
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Margarita Villalonga
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Salud Deudero
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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22
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Hochhauser D, Millman A, Sorek R. The defense island repertoire of the Escherichia coli pan-genome. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010694. [PMID: 37023146 PMCID: PMC10121019 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It has become clear in recent years that anti-phage defense systems cluster non-randomly within bacterial genomes in so-called "defense islands". Despite serving as a valuable tool for the discovery of novel defense systems, the nature and distribution of defense islands themselves remain poorly understood. In this study, we comprehensively mapped the defense system repertoire of >1,300 strains of Escherichia coli, the most widely studied organism for phage-bacteria interactions. We found that defense systems are usually carried on mobile genetic elements including prophages, integrative conjugative elements and transposons, which preferentially integrate at several dozens of dedicated hotspots in the E. coli genome. Each mobile genetic element type has a preferred integration position but can carry a diverse variety of defensive cargo. On average, an E. coli genome has 4.7 hotspots occupied by defense system-containing mobile elements, with some strains possessing up to eight defensively occupied hotspots. Defense systems frequently co-localize with other systems on the same mobile genetic element, in agreement with the observed defense island phenomenon. Our data show that the overwhelming majority of the E. coli pan-immune system is carried on mobile genetic elements, explaining why the immune repertoire varies substantially between different strains of the same species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Hochhauser
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Adi Millman
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rotem Sorek
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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23
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Irfan M, Almotiri A, AlZeyadi ZA. Antimicrobial Resistance and β-Lactamase Production in Clinically Significant Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Hospital and Municipal Wastewater. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12040653. [PMID: 37107015 PMCID: PMC10135027 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12040653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hospital and municipal wastewater contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes in the environment. This study aimed to examine the antibiotic resistance and β-lactamase production in clinically significant Gram-negative bacteria isolated from hospital and municipal wastewater. The susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics was tested using the disk diffusion method, and the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases was determined using an enzyme inhibitor and standard multiplex PCR. Analysis of antimicrobial resistance of total bacterial strains (n = 23) revealed that most of them were resistant to cefotaxime (69.56%), imipenem (43.47%), meropenem (47.82%) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (43.47%), gentamicin (39.13%), cefepime and ciprofloxacin (34.78%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (30.43%). A total of 8 of 11 phenotypically confirmed isolates were found to have ESBL genes. The blaTEM gene was present in 2 of the isolates, while the blaSHV gene was found in 2 of the isolates. Furthermore, the blaCTX-M gene was found in 3 of the isolates. In one isolate, both the blaTEM and blaSHV genes were identified. Furthermore, of the 9 isolates that have been phenotypically confirmed to have carbapenemase, 3 were confirmed by PCR. Specifically, 2 isolates have the blaOXA-48 type gene and 1 have the blaNDM-1 gene. In conclusion, our investigation shows that there is a significant rate of bacteria that produce ESBL and carbapenemase, which can promote the spread of bacterial resistance. Identifying ESBL and carbapenemase production genes in wastewater samples and their resistance patterns can provide valuable data and guide the development of pathogen management strategies that could potentially help reduce the occurrence of multidrug resistance.
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24
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Yu F, Zhang D, Zhao C, Zhao Q, Jiang G, Wang H. Flanking strand separation activity of RecA nucleoprotein filaments in DNA strand exchange reactions. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:2270-2283. [PMID: 36807462 PMCID: PMC10018334 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The recombinase RecA/Rad51 ATPase family proteins catalyze paramount DNA strand exchange reactions that are critically involved in maintaining genome integrity. However, it remains unclear how DNA strand exchange proceeds when encountering RecA-free defects in recombinase nucleoprotein filaments. Herein, by designing a series of unique substrates (e.g. truncated or conjugated incoming single-stranded DNA, and extended donor double-stranded DNA) and developing a two-color alternating excitation-modified single-molecule real-time fluorescence imaging assay, we resolve the two key steps (donor strand separation and new base-pair formation) that are usually inseparable during the reaction, revealing a novel long-range flanking strand separation activity of synaptic RecA nucleoprotein filaments. We further evaluate the kinetics and free energetics of strand exchange reactions mediated by various substrates, and elucidate the mechanism of flanking strand separation. Based on these findings, we propose a potential fundamental molecular model involved in flanking strand separation, which provides new insights into strand exchange mechanism and homologous recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangzhi Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Dapeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chubin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Qiang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guibin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou 310024, China
- School of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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25
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Colizzi ES, van Dijk B, Merks RMH, Rozen DE, Vroomans RMA. Evolution of genome fragility enables microbial division of labor. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e11353. [PMID: 36727665 PMCID: PMC9996244 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202211353] [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: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Division of labor can evolve when social groups benefit from the functional specialization of its members. Recently, a novel means of coordinating the division of labor was found in the antibiotic-producing bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, where specialized cells are generated through large-scale genomic re-organization. We investigate how the evolution of a genome architecture enables such mutation-driven division of labor, using a multiscale computational model of bacterial evolution. In this model, bacterial behavior-antibiotic production or replication-is determined by the structure and composition of their genome, which encodes antibiotics, growth-promoting genes, and fragile genomic loci that can induce chromosomal deletions. We find that a genomic organization evolves, which partitions growth-promoting genes and antibiotic-coding genes into distinct parts of the genome, separated by fragile genomic loci. Mutations caused by these fragile sites mostly delete growth-promoting genes, generating sterile, and antibiotic-producing mutants from weakly-producing progenitors, in agreement with experimental observations. This division of labor enhances the competition between colonies by promoting antibiotic diversity. These results show that genomic organization can co-evolve with genomic instabilities to enable reproductive division of labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Sandro Colizzi
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Origins Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Bram van Dijk
- Department of Microbial Population Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Roeland M H Merks
- Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Origins Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel E Rozen
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Renske M A Vroomans
- Origins Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK.,Informatic Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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26
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Sonnenberg CB, Haugen P. Bipartite Genomes in Enterobacterales: Independent Origins of Chromids, Elevated Openness and Donors of Horizontally Transferred Genes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054292. [PMID: 36901726 PMCID: PMC10002438 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Multipartite bacteria have one chromosome and one or more chromid. Chromids are believed to have properties that enhance genomic flexibility, making them a favored integration site for new genes. However, the mechanism by which chromosomes and chromids jointly contribute to this flexibility is not clear. To shed light on this, we analyzed the openness of chromosomes and chromids of the two bacteria, Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas, both which belong to the Enterobacterales order of Gammaproteobacteria, and compared the genomic openness with that of monopartite genomes in the same order. We applied pangenome analysis, codon usage analysis and the HGTector software to detect horizontally transferred genes. Our findings suggest that the chromids of Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas originated from two separate plasmid acquisition events. Bipartite genomes were found to be more open compared to monopartite. We found that the shell and cloud pangene categories drive the openness of bipartite genomes in Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas. Based on this and our two recent studies, we propose a hypothesis that explains how chromids and the chromosome terminus region contribute to the genomic plasticity of bipartite genomes.
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27
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Zhang S, Hill RT, Wang H. Genomic characterization and molecular dating of the novel bacterium Permianibacter aggregans HW001 T, which originated from Permian ground water. MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 5:12-27. [PMID: 37077290 PMCID: PMC10077173 DOI: 10.1007/s42995-023-00164-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The Permian Basin is a unique ecosystem located in the southwest of the USA. An unanswered question is whether the bacteria in the Permian Basin adapted to the changing paleomarine environment and survived in the remnants of Permian groundwater. In our previous study, a novel bacterial strain, Permianibacter aggregans HW001T, was isolated from microalgae cultures incubated with Permian Basin waters, and was shown to originate from the Permian Ocean. In this study, strain HW001T was shown to be the representative strain of a novel family, classified as 'Permianibacteraceae'. The results of molecular dating suggested that the strain HW001T diverged ~ 447 million years ago (mya), which is the early Permian period (~ 250 mya). Genome analysis was used to access its potential energy utilization and biosynthesis capacity. A large number of transporters, carbohydrate-active enzymes and protein-degradation related genes have been annotated in the genome of strain HW001T. In addition, a series of important metabolic pathways, such as peptidoglycan biosynthesis, osmotic stress response system and multifunctional quorum sensing were annotated, which may confer the ability to adapt to various unfavorable environmental conditions. Finally, the evolutionary history of strain HW001T was reconstructed and the horizontal transfer of genes was predicted, indicating that the adaptation of P. aggregans to a changing marine environment depends on the evolution of their metabolic capabilities, especially in signal transmission. In conclusion, the results of this study provide genomic information for revealing the adaptive mechanism of strain HW001T to the changing ancient oceans. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-023-00164-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangfei Zhang
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458 China
- Biology Department, College of Science, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063 China
| | - Russell T. Hill
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
| | - Hui Wang
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458 China
- Biology Department, College of Science, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063 China
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28
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Nieves C, Vincent AT, Zarantonelli L, Picardeau M, Veyrier FJ, Buschiazzo A. Horizontal transfer of the rfb cluster in Leptospira is a genetic determinant of serovar identity. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:6/2/e202201480. [PMID: 36622346 PMCID: PMC9736851 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospira bacteria comprise numerous species, several of which cause serious disease to a broad range of hosts including humans. These spirochetes exhibit large intraspecific variation, resulting in complex tabulations of serogroups/serovars that crisscross the species classification. Serovar identity, linked to biological/clinical phenotypes, depends on the structure of surface-exposed LPS. Many LPS biosynthesis-encoding genes reside within the chromosomic rfb gene cluster. However, the genetic basis of intraspecies variability is not fully understood, constraining diagnostics/typing methods to cumbersome serologic procedures. We now show that the gene content of the rfb cluster strongly correlates with Leptospira serovar designation. Whole-genome sequencing of pathogenic L. noguchii, including strains of different serogroups, reveals that the rfb cluster undergoes extensive horizontal gene transfer. The rfb clusters from several Leptospira species disclose a univocal correspondence between gene composition and serovar identity. This work paves the way to genetic typing of Leptospira serovars, and to pinpointing specific genes within the distinct rfb clusters, encoding host-specific virulence traits. Further research shall unveil the molecular mechanism of rfb transfer among Leptospira strains and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Nieves
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Canada
| | - Antony T Vincent
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Canada.,Département des Sciences Animales, Faculté des Sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Leticia Zarantonelli
- Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Microbiology, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mathieu Picardeau
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Biology of Spirochetes Unit, Paris, France.,Integrative Microbiology of Zoonotic Agents, Pasteur International Joint Research Unit, Paris/Montevideo, France/Uruguay
| | - Frédéric J Veyrier
- Bacterial Symbionts Evolution, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Canada
| | - Alejandro Buschiazzo
- Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Microbiology, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay .,Integrative Microbiology of Zoonotic Agents, Pasteur International Joint Research Unit, Paris/Montevideo, France/Uruguay
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29
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Genetic and Structural Diversity of Prokaryotic Ice-Binding Proteins from the Central Arctic Ocean. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14020363. [PMID: 36833289 PMCID: PMC9957290 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are a group of ecologically and biotechnologically relevant enzymes produced by psychrophilic organisms. Although putative IBPs containing the domain of unknown function (DUF) 3494 have been identified in many taxa of polar microbes, our knowledge of their genetic and structural diversity in natural microbial communities is limited. Here, we used samples from sea ice and sea water collected in the central Arctic Ocean as part of the MOSAiC expedition for metagenome sequencing and the subsequent analyses of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). By linking structurally diverse IBPs to particular environments and potential functions, we reveal that IBP sequences are enriched in interior ice, have diverse genomic contexts and cluster taxonomically. Their diverse protein structures may be a consequence of domain shuffling, leading to variable combinations of protein domains in IBPs and probably reflecting the functional versatility required to thrive in the extreme and variable environment of the central Arctic Ocean.
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30
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Hackl T, Laurenceau R, Ankenbrand MJ, Bliem C, Cariani Z, Thomas E, Dooley KD, Arellano AA, Hogle SL, Berube P, Leventhal GE, Luo E, Eppley JM, Zayed AA, Beaulaurier J, Stepanauskas R, Sullivan MB, DeLong EF, Biller SJ, Chisholm SW. Novel integrative elements and genomic plasticity in ocean ecosystems. Cell 2023; 186:47-62.e16. [PMID: 36608657 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer accelerates microbial evolution. The marine picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus exhibits high genomic plasticity, yet the underlying mechanisms are elusive. Here, we report a novel family of DNA transposons-"tycheposons"-some of which are viral satellites while others carry cargo, such as nutrient-acquisition genes, which shape the genetic variability in this globally abundant genus. Tycheposons share distinctive mobile-lifecycle-linked hallmark genes, including a deep-branching site-specific tyrosine recombinase. Their excision and integration at tRNA genes appear to drive the remodeling of genomic islands-key reservoirs for flexible genes in bacteria. In a selection experiment, tycheposons harboring a nitrate assimilation cassette were dynamically gained and lost, thereby promoting chromosomal rearrangements and host adaptation. Vesicles and phage particles harvested from seawater are enriched in tycheposons, providing a means for their dispersal in the wild. Similar elements are found in microbes co-occurring with Prochlorococcus, suggesting a common mechanism for microbial diversification in the vast oligotrophic oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hackl
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700CC Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Raphaël Laurenceau
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Markus J Ankenbrand
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; University of Würzburg, Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christina Bliem
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Zev Cariani
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Elaina Thomas
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Keven D Dooley
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aldo A Arellano
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Shane L Hogle
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Paul Berube
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Gabriel E Leventhal
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Elaine Luo
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography, Research and Education, University of Hawai'i Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - John M Eppley
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography, Research and Education, University of Hawai'i Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Ahmed A Zayed
- EMERGE Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center of Microbiome Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | | | | | - Matthew B Sullivan
- Department of Microbiology & Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; EMERGE Biology Integration Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center of Microbiome Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Edward F DeLong
- Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography, Research and Education, University of Hawai'i Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Steven J Biller
- Wellesley College, Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA
| | - Sallie W Chisholm
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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31
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Hackl T, Laurenceau R, Ankenbrand MJ, Bliem C, Cariani Z, Thomas E, Dooley KD, Arellano AA, Hogle SL, Berube P, Leventhal GE, Luo E, Eppley JM, Zayed AA, Beaulaurier J, Stepanauskas R, Sullivan MB, DeLong EF, Biller SJ, Chisholm SW. Novel integrative elements and genomic plasticity in ocean ecosystems. Cell 2023. [DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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32
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Intensification in Genetic Information and Acquisition of Resistant Genes in Genome of Acinetobacter baumannii: A Pan-Genomic Analysis. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:3186343. [PMID: 36605106 PMCID: PMC9810410 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3186343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) attributes 26% of the mortality rate in hospitalized patients, and the percentage can rise to 46 in patients admitted to ICU as it is a major cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. It has been nominated as the critical priority organism by WHO for which new therapeutic drugs are urgently required. To understand the genomic identification of different strains, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and epidemiological typing of organisms, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis provides insight to explore new epitopes to develop new drugs against the organism. Therefore, the study is aimed at investigating the whole genome sequence of A. baumannii strains to report the new intensifications in its genomic profile. The genome sequences were retrieved from the NCBI database system. Pan-genome BPGA (Bacterial Pan-genome Analysis Tool) was used to analyze the core, pan, and species-specific genome analysis. The pan and core genome curves were extrapolated using the empirical power law equation f(x) = a.xb and the exponential equation f1(x) = c.e (d.x). To identify the resistant genes with resistant mutations against antibiotics, ResFinder and Galaxy Community hub bioinformatics tools were used. According to pan-genome analysis, there were 2227 core genes present in each species of the A. baumannii genome. Furthermore, the number of accessory genes ranged from 1182 to 1460, and the unique genes in the genome were 931. There were 325 exclusively absent genes in the genome of Acinetobacter baumannii. The pan-genome analysis showed that there is a 5-fold increase in the genome of A. baumannii in 5 years, and the genome is still open. There is the addition of multiple unique genes; among them, genes participating in the function of information and processing are increased.
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33
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Matilla MA, Monson RE, Murphy A, Schicketanz M, Rawlinson A, Duncan C, Mata J, Leeper F, Salmond GPC. Solanimycin: Biosynthesis and Distribution of a New Antifungal Antibiotic Regulated by Two Quorum-Sensing Systems. mBio 2022; 13:e0247222. [PMID: 36214559 PMCID: PMC9765074 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02472-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing emergence of drug-resistant fungal infections has necessitated a search for new compounds capable of combating fungal pathogens of plants, animals, and humans. Microorganisms represent the main source of antibiotics with applicability in agriculture and in the clinic, but many aspects of their metabolic potential remain to be explored. This report describes the discovery and characterization of a new antifungal compound, solanimycin, produced by a hybrid polyketide/nonribosomal peptide (PKS/NRPS) system in Dickeya solani, the enterobacterial pathogen of potato. Solanimycin was active against a broad range of plant-pathogenic fungi of global economic concern and the human pathogen Candida albicans. The genomic cluster responsible for solanimycin production was defined and analyzed to identify the corresponding biosynthetic proteins, which include four multimodular PKS/NRPS proteins and several tailoring enzymes. Antifungal production in D. solani was enhanced in response to experimental conditions found in infected potato tubers and high-density fungal cultures. Solanimycin biosynthesis was cell density dependent in D. solani and was controlled by both the ExpIR acyl-homoserine lactone and Vfm quorum-sensing systems of the bacterial phytopathogen. The expression of the solanimycin cluster was also regulated at the post-transcriptional level, with the regulator RsmA playing a major role. The solanimycin biosynthetic cluster was conserved across phylogenetically distant bacterial genera, and multiple pieces of evidence support that the corresponding gene clusters were acquired by horizontal gene transfer. Given its potent broad-range antifungal properties, this study suggests that solanimycin and related molecules may have potential utility for agricultural and clinical exploitation. IMPORTANCE Fungal infections represent a major clinical, agricultural, and food security threat worldwide, which is accentuated due to the difficult treatment of these infections. Microorganisms represent a prolific source of antibiotics, and current data support that this enormous biosynthetic potential has been scarcely explored. To improve the performance in the discovery of novel antimicrobials, there is a need to diversify the isolation niches for new antibiotic-producing microorganisms as well as to scrutinize novel phylogenetic positions. With the identification of the antifungal antibiotic solanimycin in a broad diversity of phytopathogenic Dickeya spp., we provide further support for the potential of plant-associated bacteria for the biosynthesis of novel antimicrobials. The complex regulatory networks involved in solanimycin production reflect the high metabolic cost of bacterial secondary metabolism. This metabolic regulatory control makes many antibiotics cryptic under standard laboratory conditions, and mimicking environmental conditions, as shown here, is a strategy to activate cryptic antibiotic clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Matilla
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - Rita E. Monson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel Murphy
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Muriel Schicketanz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Rawlinson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Caia Duncan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Juan Mata
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Finian Leeper
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Mutua TM, Kulohoma BW. Differences in genetic flux in invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae associated with bacteraemia and meningitis. Heliyon 2022; 8:e12229. [PMID: 36593853 PMCID: PMC9803773 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genetic flux, a crucial process of pneumococcal evolution, is an essential aspect of bacterial physiology during human pathogenesis. However, the role of these genetic changes and the selective forces that drive them is not fully understood. Elucidating the underlying selective forces that determine the magnitude and direction (gene gain or loss) of gene transfer is important for better understanding the pathogenesis process, and may also highlight potential therapeutic and diagnostic targets. Methods Here, we leveraged data from high throughput genome sequencing and robust probabilistic models to discover the magnitude and likely direction of genetic flux events, but not the source, in 209 multi-lineage invasive pneumococcal genomes generated from blood (n = 147) and CSF (n = 62) isolates, associated with bacteremia and meningitis respectively. The Gain and Loss Mapping Engine (GLOOME) was used to infer gene gain and loss more accurately by taking into account differences in rates of gene gain and loss among gene families, as well as independent evolution within and across lineages. Results Our results show the likely extent and direction of gene fluctuations at different niche, during pneumococcal pathogenesis, highlighting that evolutionary dynamics are important for tissue-specific host invasion and survival. Conclusion These findings improve insights on evolutionary dynamics during invasive pneumococcal disease, and highlight potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
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Analysis of multipartite bacterial genomes using alignment free and alignment-based pipelines. Arch Microbiol 2022; 205:25. [PMID: 36515719 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-022-03354-2] [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: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Since the discovery of second chromosome in Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 in 1989, multipartite genomes have been reported in over three hundred bacterial species under nine different phyla. This has shattered the unipartite (single chromosome) genome dogma in bacteria. Since then, many questions on various aspects of multipartite genomes in bacteria have been addressed. However, our understanding of how multipartite genomes emerge and evolve is still lacking. Importantly, the knowledge of genetic factors underlying the differences in multipartite and single-chromosome genomes is lacking. In this work, we have performed comparative evolutionary and functional genomics analyses to identify molecular factors that discriminate multipartite from unipartite bacteria, with the goal to decipher taxon-specific factors, and those that are prevalent across the taxa, underlying these traits. We assessed the roles of evolutionary mechanisms, specifically gene gain, in driving the divergence of bacteria with single and multiple chromosomes. In addition, we performed functional genomic analysis to garner support for our findings from comparative evolutionary analysis. We found genes such as those encoding conserved hypothetical proteins in Deinococcus radiodurans R1, and putative phage phi-C31 gp36 major capsid like and hypothetical proteins in Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1, which are located on accessory chromosomes in these bacteria but were not found in the inferred ancestral sequences, and on the primary chromosomes, as well as were not found in their closest relatives with single chromosome within the same clade. Our study shines a new light on the potential roles of the secondary chromosomes in helping bacteria with multipartite genomes to adapt to specialized environments or growth conditions.
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Hao C, Dewar AE, West SA, Ghoul M. Gene transferability and sociality do not correlate with gene connectivity. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221819. [PMID: 36448285 PMCID: PMC9709509 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The connectivity of a gene, defined as the number of interactions a gene's product has with other genes' products, is a key characteristic of a gene. In prokaryotes, the complexity hypothesis predicts that genes which undergo more frequent horizontal transfer will be less connected than genes which are only very rarely transferred. We tested the role of horizontal gene transfer, and other potentially important factors, by examining the connectivity of chromosomal and plasmid genes, across 134 diverse prokaryotic species. We found that (i) genes on plasmids were less connected than genes on chromosomes; (ii) connectivity of plasmid genes was not correlated with plasmid mobility; and (iii) the sociality of genes (cooperative or private) was not correlated with gene connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhui Hao
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Anna E. Dewar
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Stuart A. West
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Melanie Ghoul
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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Cauduro GP, Marmitt M, Ferraz M, Arend SN, Kern G, Modolo RCE, Leal AL, Valiati VH. Burkholderia vietnamiensis G4 as a biological agent in bioremediation processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sludge farms. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 195:116. [PMID: 36394643 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10733-1] [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: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the main pollutants generated by the refining and use of oil. To search bioremediation alternatives for these compounds, mainly in situ, considering the biotic and abiotic variables that affect the contaminated sites is determinant for the success of bioremediation techniques. In this study, bioremediation strategies were evaluated in situ, including biostimulation and bioaugmentation for 16 priority PAHs present in activated sludge farms. B. vietnamiensis G4 was used as a biodegradation agent for bioaugmentation tests. The analyses occurred for 12 months, and temperature and humidity were measured to verify the effects of these factors on the biodegradation. We used the technique GC-MS to evaluate and quantify the degradation of PAHs over the time of the experiment. Of the four treatments applied, bioaugmentation with quarterly application proved to be the best strategy, showing the degradation of compounds of high (34.4% annual average) and low (21.9% annual average) molecular weight. A high degradation rate for high molecular weight compounds demonstrates that this technique can be successfully applied in bioremediation of areas with compounds considered toxic and stable in nature, contributing to the mitigation of impacts generated by PAHs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Pinto Cauduro
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-750, Brazil
| | - Marcela Marmitt
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-750, Brazil
| | - Marlon Ferraz
- Laboratory of Fish Ecology, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil
| | - Sabrina Nicole Arend
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-750, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Kern
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-750, Brazil
| | - Regina Célia Espinosa Modolo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Engenharia Civil, Escola Politécnica, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Lusia Leal
- Superintendence for the Treatment of Wastewater, SITEL/CORSAN, Companhia Riograndense de Saneamento, Polo Petroquímico Do Sul, Triunfo, RS, Brazil
| | - Victor Hugo Valiati
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia, Universidade Do Vale Do Rio Dos Sinos (UNISINOS), Av. Unisinos 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-750, Brazil.
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Colicins of Escherichia coli Lead to Resistance against the Diarrhea-Causing Pathogen Enterotoxigenic E. coli in Pigs. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0139622. [PMID: 36190425 PMCID: PMC9603048 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01396-22] [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: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Gut microbes can affect host adaptation to various environment conditions. Escherichia coli is a common gut species, including pathogenic strains and nonpathogenic strains. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different E. coli strains in the gut on the health of pigs. In this study, the complete genomes of two E. coli strains isolated from pigs were sequenced. The whole genomes of Y18J and the enterotoxigenic E. coli strain W25K were compared to determine their roles in pig adaptation to disease. Y18J was isolated from feces of healthy piglets and showed strong antimicrobial activity against W25K in vitro. Gene knockout experiments and complementation analysis followed by modeling the microbe-microbe interactions demonstrated that the antagonistic mechanism of Y18J against W25K relied on the bacteriocins colicin B and colicin M. Compared to W25K, Y18J is devoid of exotoxin-coding genes and has more secondary-metabolite-biosynthetic gene clusters. W25K carries more genes involved in genome replication, in accordance with a shorter cell cycle observed during a growth experiment. The analysis of gut metagenomes in different pig breeds showed that colicins B and M were enriched in Laiwu pigs, a Chinese local breed, but were scarce in boars and Duroc pigs. IMPORTANCE This study revealed the heterogeneity of E. coli strains from pigs, including two strains studied by both in silico and wet experiments in detail and 14 strains studied by bioinformatics analysis. E. coli Y18J may improve the adaptability of pigs toward disease resistance through the production of colicins B and M. Our findings could shed light on the pathogenic and harmless roles of E. coli in modern animal husbandry, leading to a better understanding of intestinal-microbe-pathogen interactions in the course of evolution.
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Haudiquet M, de Sousa JM, Touchon M, Rocha EPC. Selfish, promiscuous and sometimes useful: how mobile genetic elements drive horizontal gene transfer in microbial populations. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210234. [PMID: 35989606 PMCID: PMC9393566 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) drives microbial adaptation but is often under the control of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) whose interests are not necessarily aligned with those of their hosts. In general, transfer is costly to the donor cell while potentially beneficial to the recipients. The diversity and plasticity of cell–MGEs interactions, and those among MGEs, result in complex evolutionary processes where the source, or even the existence of selection for maintaining a function in the genome, is often unclear. For example, MGE-driven HGT depends on cell envelope structures and defense systems, but many of these are transferred by MGEs themselves. MGEs can spur periods of intense gene transfer by increasing their own rates of horizontal transmission upon communicating, eavesdropping, or sensing the environment and the host physiology. This may result in high-frequency transfer of host genes unrelated to the MGE. Here, we review how MGEs drive HGT and how their transfer mechanisms, selective pressures and genomic traits affect gene flow, and therefore adaptation, in microbial populations. The encoding of many adaptive niche-defining microbial traits in MGEs means that intragenomic conflicts and alliances between cells and their MGEs are key to microbial functional diversification. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Genomic population structures of microbial pathogens’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Haudiquet
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
| | - Jorge Moura de Sousa
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
| | - Marie Touchon
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
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40
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Metagenomic methylation patterns resolve bacterial genomes of unusual size and structural complexity. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1921-1931. [PMID: 35459792 PMCID: PMC9296519 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01242-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The plasticity of bacterial and archaeal genomes makes examining their ecological and evolutionary dynamics both exciting and challenging. The same mechanisms that enable rapid genomic change and adaptation confound current approaches for recovering complete genomes from metagenomes. Here, we use strain-specific patterns of DNA methylation to resolve complex bacterial genomes from long-read metagenomic data of a marine microbial consortium, the “pink berries” of the Sippewissett Marsh (USA). Unique combinations of restriction-modification (RM) systems encoded by the bacteria produced distinctive methylation profiles that were used to accurately bin and classify metagenomic sequences. Using this approach, we finished the largest and most complex circularized bacterial genome ever recovered from a metagenome (7.9 Mb with >600 transposons), the finished genome of Thiohalocapsa sp. PB-PSB1 the dominant bacteria in the consortia. From genomes binned by methylation patterns, we identified instances of horizontal gene transfer between sulfur-cycling symbionts (Thiohalocapsa sp. PB-PSB1 and Desulfofustis sp. PB-SRB1), phage infection, and strain-level structural variation. We also linked the methylation patterns of each metagenome-assembled genome with encoded DNA methyltransferases and discovered new RM defense systems, including novel associations of RM systems with RNase toxins.
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41
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Bordenstein SR, Bordenstein SR. Widespread phages of endosymbionts: Phage WO genomics and the proposed taxonomic classification of Symbioviridae. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010227. [PMID: 35666732 PMCID: PMC9203015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are the most common obligate, intracellular bacteria in animals. They exist worldwide in arthropod and nematode hosts in which they commonly act as reproductive parasites or mutualists, respectively. Bacteriophage WO, the largest of Wolbachia’s mobile elements, includes reproductive parasitism genes, serves as a hotspot for genetic divergence and genomic rearrangement of the bacterial chromosome, and uniquely encodes a Eukaryotic Association Module with eukaryotic-like genes and an ensemble of putative host interaction genes. Despite WO’s relevance to genome evolution, selfish genetics, and symbiotic applications, relatively little is known about its origin, host range, diversification, and taxonomic classification. Here we analyze the most comprehensive set of 150 Wolbachia and phage WO assemblies to provide a framework for discretely organizing and naming integrated phage WO genomes. We demonstrate that WO is principally in arthropod Wolbachia with relatives in diverse endosymbionts and metagenomes, organized into four variants related by gene synteny, often oriented opposite the putative origin of replication in the Wolbachia chromosome, and the large serine recombinase is an ideal typing tool to distinguish the four variants. We identify a novel, putative lytic cassette and WO’s association with a conserved eleven gene island, termed Undecim Cluster, that is enriched with virulence-like genes. Finally, we evaluate WO-like Islands in the Wolbachia genome and discuss a new model in which Octomom, a notable WO-like Island, arose from a split with WO. Together, these findings establish the first comprehensive Linnaean taxonomic classification of endosymbiont phages, including non-Wolbachia phages from aquatic environments, that includes a new family and two new genera to capture the collective relatedness of these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Seth R. Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Institute of Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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42
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Weisberg AJ, Sachs JL, Chang JH. Dynamic interactions between mega symbiosis ICEs and bacterial chromosomes maintain genome architecture. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:6593308. [PMID: 35639596 PMCID: PMC9174649 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac078] [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] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquisition of mobile genetic elements can confer novel traits to bacteria. Some integrative and conjugative elements confer upon members of Bradyrhizobium the capacity to fix nitrogen in symbiosis with legumes. These so-called symbiosis integrative conjugative elements (symICEs) can be extremely large and vary as monopartite and polypartite configurations within chromosomes of related strains. These features are predicted to impose fitness costs and have defied explanation. Here, we show that chromosome architecture is largely conserved despite diversity in genome composition, variations in locations of attachment sites recognized by integrases of symICEs, and differences in large-scale chromosomal changes that occur upon integration. Conversely, many simulated nonnative chromosome–symICE combinations are predicted to result in lethal deletions or disruptions to architecture. Findings suggest that there is compatibility between chromosomes and symICEs. We hypothesize that the size and structural flexibility of symICEs are important for generating combinations that maintain chromosome architecture across a genus of nitrogen-fixing bacteria with diverse and dynamic genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra J Weisberg
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Joel L Sachs
- Department of Evolution Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.,Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jeff H Chang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
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Becker P, Döhmann A, Wöhlbrand L, Thies D, Hinrichs C, Buschen R, Wünsch D, Neumann-Schaal M, Schomburg D, Winklhofer M, Reinhardt R, Rabus R. Complex and flexible catabolism in Aromatoleum aromaticum pCyN1. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:3195-3211. [PMID: 35590445 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Large quantities of organic matter are continuously deposited, and (a)biotic gradients intersect in the soil-rhizosphere, where biodegradation contributes to the global cycles of elements. The betaproteobacterial genus Aromatoleum comprises cosmopolitan, facultative denitrifying degradation specialists. A. aromaticum pCyN1 stands out for anaerobically decomposing plant-derived monoterpenes in addition to monoaromatic hydrocarbons, polar aromatics and aliphatics. The catabolic network's structure and flexibility in A. aromaticum pCyN1 was studied across 34 growth conditions by superimposing proteome profiles onto the manually annotated 4.37 Mbp genome. Strain pCyN1 employs three fundamentally different enzymes for C-H-bond cleavage at the methyl groups of p-cymene/4-ethyltoluene, toluene and p-cresol, respectively. Regulation of degradation modules displayed substrate specificities ranging from narrow (toluene and cyclohexane carboxylate) via medium-wide (one module shared by p-cymene, 4-ethyltoluene, α-phellandrene, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene and limonene) to broad (central benzoyl-CoA pathway serving 16 aromatic substrates). Remarkably, three variants of ATP-dependent (class I) benzoyl-CoA reductase and four different β-oxidation routes establish a degradation hub that accommodates the substrate diversity. The respiratory system displayed several conspicuous profiles, e.g., the presence of nitrous oxide reductase under oxic and of low-affinity oxidase under anoxic conditions. Overall, nutritional versatility in conjunction with network regulation endow A. aromaticum pCyN1 with broad adaptability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Becker
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Annemieke Döhmann
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Lars Wöhlbrand
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Thies
- Department of Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christina Hinrichs
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ramona Buschen
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Wünsch
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Meina Neumann-Schaal
- Research Group Bacterial Metabolism, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.,Department of Analytics, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schomburg
- Research Group Bacterial Metabolism, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany.,Department of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Institute for Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Michael Winklhofer
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Sensory Biology of Animals, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Richard Reinhardt
- Max-Planck-Genome-Centre Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ralf Rabus
- General and Molecular Microbiology, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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Rousset F, Depardieu F, Miele S, Dowding J, Laval AL, Lieberman E, Garry D, Rocha EPC, Bernheim A, Bikard D. Phages and their satellites encode hotspots of antiviral systems. Cell Host Microbe 2022; 30:740-753.e5. [PMID: 35316646 PMCID: PMC9122126 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2022.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria carry diverse genetic systems to defend against viral infection, some of which are found within prophages where they inhibit competing viruses. Phage satellites pose additional pressures on phages by hijacking key viral elements to their own benefit. Here, we show that E. coli P2-like phages and their parasitic P4-like satellites carry hotspots of genetic variation containing reservoirs of anti-phage systems. We validate the activity of diverse systems and describe PARIS, an abortive infection system triggered by a phage-encoded anti-restriction protein. Antiviral hotspots participate in inter-viral competition and shape dynamics between the bacterial host, P2-like phages, and P4-like satellites. Notably, the anti-phage activity of satellites can benefit the helper phage during competition with virulent phages, turning a parasitic relationship into a mutualistic one. Anti-phage hotspots are present across distant species and constitute a substantial source of systems that participate in the competition between mobile genetic elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Rousset
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 6047, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Florence Depardieu
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 6047, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Solange Miele
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 6047, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Julien Dowding
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 6047, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Anne-Laure Laval
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 6047, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France
| | | | | | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Aude Bernheim
- Université de Paris, INSERM, IAME, 75006 Paris, France
| | - David Bikard
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 6047, Synthetic Biology, 75015 Paris, France.
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Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is arguably the most conspicuous feature of bacterial evolution. Evidence for HGT is found in most bacterial genomes. Although HGT can considerably alter bacterial genomes, not all transfer events may be biologically significant and may instead represent the outcome of an incessant evolutionary process that only occasionally has a beneficial purpose. When adaptive transfers occur, HGT and positive selection may result in specific, detectable signatures in genomes, such as gene-specific sweeps or increased transfer rates for genes that are ecologically relevant. In this Review, we first discuss the various mechanisms whereby HGT occurs, how the genetic signatures shape patterns of genomic variation and the distinct bioinformatic algorithms developed to detect these patterns. We then discuss the evolutionary theory behind HGT and positive selection in bacteria, and discuss the approaches developed over the past decade to detect transferred DNA that may be involved in adaptation to new environments.
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46
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Tsalgatidou PC, Thomloudi EE, Baira E, Papadimitriou K, Skagia A, Venieraki A, Katinakis P. Integrated Genomic and Metabolomic Analysis Illuminates Key Secreted Metabolites Produced by the Novel Endophyte Bacillus halotolerans Cal.l.30 Involved in Diverse Biological Control Activities. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10020399. [PMID: 35208854 PMCID: PMC8877463 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The endophytic strain Cal.l.30, isolated from the medicinal plant Calendula officinalis, was selected among seven Bacillus strains with plant growth promoting activity and strong biological potential against the postharvest fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. Treatment by inoculating Cal.l.30 bacterial cell culture or cell free supernatant on harvested grapes and cherry tomato fruits, significantly reduced gray mold disease severity index and disease incidence. Based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis and whole genome phylogeny, Cal.l.30 was identified as Bacillus halotolerans. Genome mining revealed that B. halotolerans Cal.l.30 is endowed with a diverse arsenal of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SM-BGCs) responsible for metabolite production with antimicrobial properties. A sub-set of the identified SM-BGCs (mojavensin A, ‘bacillunoic acid’) appears to be the result of recent horizontal gene transfer events. Its genome was also mined for CAZymes associated with antifungal activity. Further UHPLC-HRMS analysis indicated that Cal.l.30 synthesizes and secretes secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity, including the lipopeptides, fengycin, surfactin and mojavensin A, bacillaene isoforms, L-dihydroanticapsin and bacillibactin. Other compounds with known antimicrobial activity were also detected, such as azelaic acid, 15- hydroxypentadecanoid acid and 2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. The genomic and metabolomic features of the B. halotolerans Cal.l.30 provided new perspectives on the exploitation of novel Bacillus sp. as a biocontrol agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polina C. Tsalgatidou
- Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology, Crop Science Department, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece; (P.C.T.); (E.-E.T.); (A.S.)
- Department of Agriculture, University of the Peloponnese, 24100 Kalamata, Greece
| | - Eirini-Evangelia Thomloudi
- Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology, Crop Science Department, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece; (P.C.T.); (E.-E.T.); (A.S.)
| | - Eirini Baira
- Laboratory of Toxicological Control of Pesticides, Scientific Directorate of Pesticides’ Control and Phytopharmacy, Benaki Phytopathological Institute (BPI), Kifissia, 14561 Athens, Greece;
| | | | - Aggeliki Skagia
- Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology, Crop Science Department, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece; (P.C.T.); (E.-E.T.); (A.S.)
| | - Anastasia Venieraki
- Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Crop Science Department, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (P.K.)
| | - Panagiotis Katinakis
- Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology, Crop Science Department, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece; (P.C.T.); (E.-E.T.); (A.S.)
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (P.K.)
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Intraspecific Diversity of Microbial Anti-Inflammatory Molecule (MAM) from Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031705. [PMID: 35163630 PMCID: PMC8836110 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The commensal bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has unique anti-inflammatory properties, at least some of which have been attributed to its production of MAM, the Microbial Anti-inflammatory Molecule. Previous phylogenetic studies of F. prausnitzii strains have revealed the existence of various phylogroups. In this work, we address the question of whether MAMs from different phylogroups display distinct anti-inflammatory properties. We first performed wide-scale identification, classification, and phylogenetic analysis of MAM-like proteins encoded in different genomes of F. prausnitzii. When combined with a gene context analysis, this approach distinguished at least 10 distinct clusters of MAMs, providing evidence for functional diversity within this protein. We then selected 11 MAMs from various clusters and evaluated their anti-inflammatory capacities in vitro. A wide range of anti-inflammatory activity was detected. MAM from the M21/2 strain had the highest inhibitory effect (96% inhibition), while MAM from reference strain A2-165 demonstrated only 56% inhibition, and MAM from strain CNCM4541 was almost inactive. These results were confirmed in vivo in murine models of acute and chronic colitis. This study provides insights into the family of MAM proteins and generates clues regarding the choice of F. prausnitzii strains as probiotics for use in targeting chronic inflammatory diseases.
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Fang H, Zeng G, Gu W, Wang Y, Zhao J, Zheng T, Xu L, Liu Y, Zhang J, Sun X, Zhang G. Genome Recombination-Mediated tRNA Up-Regulation Conducts General Antibiotic Resistance of Bacteria at Early Stage. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:793923. [PMID: 35126332 PMCID: PMC8811037 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.793923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial antibiotic resistance sets a great challenge to human health. It seems that the bacteria can spontaneously evolve resistance against any antibiotic within a short time without the horizontal transfer of heterologous genes and before accumulating drug-resistant mutations. We have shown that the tRNA-mediated translational regulation counteracts the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bacteria. In this study, we demonstrated that isolated and subcultured Escherichia coli elevated its tRNAs under antibiotic stress to rapidly provide antibiotic resistance, especially at the early stage, before upregulating the efflux pump and evolving resistance mutations. The DNA recombination system repaired the antibiotic-induced DNA breakage in the genome, causing numerous structural variations. These structural variations are overrepresented near the tRNA genes, which indicated the cause of tRNA up-regulation. Knocking out the recombination system abolished the up-regulation of tRNAs, and coincidently, they could hardly evolve antibiotic resistance in multiple antibiotics, respectively. With these results, we proposed a multi-stage model of bacterial antibiotic resistance in an isolated scenario: the early stage (recombination—tRNA up-regulation—translational regulation); the medium stage (up-regulation of efflux pump); the late stage (resistant mutations). These results also indicated that the bacterial DNA recombination system and tRNA could be targeted to retard the bacterial spontaneous drug resistance.
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Moura de Sousa JA, Rocha EPC. To catch a hijacker: abundance, evolution and genetic diversity of P4-like bacteriophage satellites. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200475. [PMID: 34839713 PMCID: PMC8628076 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are bacterial parasites that can themselves be parasitized by phage satellites. The molecular mechanisms used by satellites to hijack phages are sometimes understood in great detail, but the origins, abundance, distribution and composition of these elements are poorly known. Here, we show that P4-like elements are present in more than 30% of the genomes of Enterobacterales, and in almost half of those of Escherichia coli, sometimes in multiple distinct copies. We identified over 1000 P4-like elements with very conserved genetic organization of the core genome and a few hotspots with highly variable genes. These elements are never found in plasmids and have very little homology to known phages, suggesting an independent evolutionary origin. Instead, they are scattered across chromosomes, possibly because their integrases are often exchanged with other elements. The rooted phylogenies of hijacking functions are correlated and suggest longstanding coevolution. They also reveal broad host ranges in P4-like elements, as almost identical elements can be found in distinct bacterial genera. Our results show that P4-like phage satellites constitute a very distinct, widespread and ancient family of mobile genetic elements. They pave the way for studying the molecular evolution of antagonistic interactions between phages and their satellites. This article is part of the theme issue 'The secret lives of microbial mobile genetic elements'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A Moura de Sousa
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris 75015, France
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50
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Abstract
Naturally occurring plasmids come in different sizes. The smallest are less than a kilobase of DNA, while the largest can be over three orders of magnitude larger. Historically, research has tended to focus on smaller plasmids that are usually easier to isolate, manipulate and sequence, but with improved genome assemblies made possible by long-read sequencing, there is increased appreciation that very large plasmids—known as megaplasmids—are widespread, diverse, complex, and often encode key traits in the biology of their host microorganisms. Why are megaplasmids so big? What other features come with large plasmid size that could affect bacterial ecology and evolution? Are megaplasmids 'just' big plasmids, or do they have distinct characteristics? In this perspective, we reflect on the distribution, diversity, biology, and gene content of megaplasmids, providing an overview to these large, yet often overlooked, mobile genetic elements. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The secret lives of microbial mobile genetic elements’.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P J Hall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - João Botelho
- Antibiotic Resistance Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Zoological Institute, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Adrian Cazares
- EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK.,Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - David A Baltrus
- School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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