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Choudhary R, Mahadevan R. DyMMM-LEAPS: An ML-based framework for modulating evenness and stability in synthetic microbial communities. Biophys J 2024:S0006-3495(24)00320-5. [PMID: 38733081 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
There have been a growing number of computational strategies to aid in the design of synthetic microbial consortia. A framework to identify regions in parametric space to maximize two essential properties, evenness and stability, is critical. In this study, we introduce DyMMM-LEAPS (dynamic multispecies metabolic modeling-locating evenness and stability in large parametric space), an extension of the DyMMM framework. Our method explores the large parametric space of genetic circuits in synthetic microbial communities to identify regions of evenness and stability. Due to the high computational costs of exhaustive sampling, we utilize adaptive sampling and surrogate modeling to reduce the number of simulations required to map the vast space. Our framework predicts engineering targets and computes their operating ranges to maximize the probability of the engineered community to have high evenness and stability. We demonstrate our approach by simulating five cocultures and one three-strain culture with different social interactions (cooperation, competition, and predation) employing quorum-sensing-based genetic circuits. In addition to guiding circuit tuning, our pipeline gives an opportunity for a detailed analysis of pockets of evenness and stability for the circuit under investigation, which can further help dissect the relationship between the two properties. DyMMM-LEAPS is easily customizable and can be expanded to a larger community with more complex interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruhi Choudhary
- University of Toronto, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Radhakrishnan Mahadevan
- University of Toronto, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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2
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Wielgoss S, Van Dyken JD, Velicer GJ. Mutation Rate and Effective Population Size of the Model Cooperative Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae066. [PMID: 38526062 PMCID: PMC11069108 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Intrinsic rates of genetic mutation have diverged greatly across taxa and exhibit statistical associations with several other parameters and features. These include effective population size (Ne), genome size, and gametic multicellularity, with the latter being associated with both increased mutation rates and decreased effective population sizes. However, data sufficient to test for possible relationships between microbial multicellularity and mutation rate (µ) are lacking. Here, we report estimates of two key population-genetic parameters, Ne and µ, for Myxococcus xanthus, a bacterial model organism for the study of aggregative multicellular development, predation, and social swarming. To estimate µ, we conducted an ∼400-day mutation accumulation experiment with 46 lineages subjected to regular single colony bottlenecks prior to clonal regrowth. Upon conclusion, we sequenced one clonal-isolate genome per lineage. Given collective evolution for 85,323 generations across all lines, we calculate a per base-pair mutation rate of ∼5.5 × 10-10 per site per generation, one of the highest mutation rates among free-living eubacteria. Given our estimate of µ, we derived Ne at ∼107 from neutral diversity at four-fold degenerate sites across two dozen M. xanthus natural isolates. This estimate is below average for eubacteria and strengthens an already clear negative correlation between µ and Ne in prokaryotes. The higher and lower than average mutation rate and Ne for M. xanthus, respectively, amplify the question of whether any features of its multicellular life cycle-such as group-size reduction during fruiting-body development-or its highly structured spatial distribution have significantly influenced how these parameters have evolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Wielgoss
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - James David Van Dyken
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Gregory J Velicer
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Han J, Dong Z, Ji W, Lv W, Luo M, Fu B. From predator to protector: Myxococcus fulvus WCH05 emerges as a potent biocontrol agent for fire blight. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1378288. [PMID: 38650871 PMCID: PMC11033317 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1378288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Fire blight, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora, poses a substantial threat to pome fruit production worldwide. Despite existing control strategies, a pressing need remains for sustainable and environmentally friendly fire blight management. Myxobacteria, renowned for their predatory behavior and potent enzymes, emerge as a groundbreaking biocontrol approach with significant potential. Here, we report the biocontrol potential of a novel Myxococcus fulvus WCH05, against E. amylovora. Using various in vitro and planta assays, we demonstrated the multifaceted biocontrol abilities of strain WCH05. In plate predation assays, strain WCH05 exhibited not only strong predation against E. amylovora but also broad-spectrum activities against other plant pathogenic bacteria. Pre-treatment with strain WCH05 significantly decreased pear blossom blight incidence in detached inflorescence assays, achieving a controlled efficacy of 76.02% that rivaled the antibiotic streptomycin (79.79%). In greenhouse trials, strain WCH05 effectively reduced the wilting rate and disease index in young pear seedlings, exhibiting both protective (73.68%) and curative (68.66%) control. Further investigation revealed that the biocontrol activity of strain WCH05 relies on both direct contact and extracellular enzyme secretion. While cell extracts lacked inhibitory activity, ammonium sulfate-precipitated secreted proteins displayed potent lytic activity against E. amylovora. Substrate spectrum analysis identified peptidases, lipases, and glycosidases among the secreted enzymes, suggesting their potential roles in pathogen degradation and biocontrol efficacy. This study presents the first evidence of Myxococcus fulvus WCH05 as a biocontrol agent against fire blight. Its potent predatory abilities and enzymatic arsenal highlight its potential for sustainable disease management in pome fruit production. Future research will focus on identifying and characterizing specific lytic enzymes and optimizing strain WCH05 application strategies for field efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Han
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agriculture University/Key Laboratory of the Pest Monitoring and Safety Control of Crops and Forests of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species in Agriculture and Forestry of the North-western Desert Oasis (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Urumqi, China
| | - Zhiming Dong
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agriculture University/Key Laboratory of the Pest Monitoring and Safety Control of Crops and Forests of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species in Agriculture and Forestry of the North-western Desert Oasis (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Urumqi, China
| | - Wenbo Ji
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agriculture University/Key Laboratory of the Pest Monitoring and Safety Control of Crops and Forests of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species in Agriculture and Forestry of the North-western Desert Oasis (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Urumqi, China
| | - Wen Lv
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agriculture University/Key Laboratory of the Pest Monitoring and Safety Control of Crops and Forests of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species in Agriculture and Forestry of the North-western Desert Oasis (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Urumqi, China
| | - Ming Luo
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agriculture University/Key Laboratory of the Pest Monitoring and Safety Control of Crops and Forests of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species in Agriculture and Forestry of the North-western Desert Oasis (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Urumqi, China
| | - Benzhong Fu
- Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agronomy, Xinjiang Agriculture University/Key Laboratory of the Pest Monitoring and Safety Control of Crops and Forests of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Invasive Alien Species in Agriculture and Forestry of the North-western Desert Oasis (Co-construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Urumqi, China
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Gao S, Jin W, Quan Y, Li Y, Shen Y, Yuan S, Yi L, Wang Y, Wang Y. Bacterial capsules: Occurrence, mechanism, and function. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2024; 10:21. [PMID: 38480745 PMCID: PMC10937973 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-024-00497-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In environments characterized by extended multi-stress conditions, pathogens develop a variety of immune escape mechanisms to enhance their ability to infect the host. The capsules, polymers that bacteria secrete near their cell wall, participates in numerous bacterial life processes and plays a crucial role in resisting host immune attacks and adapting to their niche. Here, we discuss the relationship between capsules and bacterial virulence, summarizing the molecular mechanisms of capsular regulation and pathogenesis to provide new insights into the research on the pathogenesis of pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuji Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Wenjie Jin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Yingying Quan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Yue Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Yamin Shen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Shuo Yuan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
| | - Li Yi
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China
- College of Life Science, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, 471934, China
| | - Yuxin Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China.
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China.
| | - Yang Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China.
- Henan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Detection and Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Livestock and Poultry, Luoyang, 471003, China.
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Buckingham LJ, Ashby B. Separation of evolutionary timescales in coevolving species. J Theor Biol 2024; 579:111688. [PMID: 38096978 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111688] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Many coevolutionary processes, including host-parasite and host-symbiont interactions, involve one species or trait which evolves much faster than the other. Whether or not a coevolutionary trajectory converges depends on the relative rates of evolutionary change in the two species, and so current adaptive dynamics approaches generally either determine convergence stability by considering arbitrary (often comparable) rates of evolutionary change or else rely on necessary or sufficient conditions for convergence stability. We propose a method for determining convergence stability in the case where one species is expected to evolve much faster than the other. This requires a second separation of timescales, which assumes that the faster evolving species will reach its evolutionary equilibrium (if one exists) before a new mutation arises in the more slowly evolving species. This method, which is likely to be a reasonable approximation for many coevolving species, both provides straightforward conditions for convergence stability and is less computationally expensive than traditional analysis of coevolution models, as it reduces the trait space from a two-dimensional plane to a one-dimensional manifold. In this paper, we present the theory underlying this new separation of timescales and provide examples of how it could be used to determine coevolutionary outcomes from models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia J Buckingham
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
| | - Ben Ashby
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Department of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; The Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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6
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Dixit T. A synthesis of coevolution across levels of biological organization. Evolution 2024; 78:211-220. [PMID: 38085659 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
In evolutionary ecology, coevolution is typically defined as reciprocal evolution of interacting species. However, outside the context of interacting species, the term "coevolution" is also used at levels of biological organization within species (e.g., between males and females, between cells, and between genes or proteins). Furthermore, although evolution is typically defined as "genetic change over time", coevolution need not involve genetic changes in the interacting parties, since cultures can also evolve. In this review, I propose that coevolution be defined more broadly as "reciprocal adaptive evolution at any level of biological organisation". The classification of reciprocal evolution at all levels of biological organization as coevolution would maintain consistency in terminology. More importantly, the broader definition should facilitate greater integration of coevolution research across disciplines. For example, principles usually discussed only in the context of coevolution between species or coevolution between genes (e.g., tight and diffuse coevolution, and compensatory coevolution, respectively) could be more readily applied to new fields. The application of coevolutionary principles to new contexts could also provide benefits to society, for instance in deducing the dynamics of coevolution between cancer cells and cells of the human immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmay Dixit
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
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Contreras-Moreno FJ, Pérez J, Muñoz-Dorado J, Moraleda-Muñoz A, Marcos-Torres FJ. Myxococcus xanthus predation: an updated overview. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1339696. [PMID: 38328431 PMCID: PMC10849154 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1339696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial predators are widely distributed across a variety of natural environments. Understanding predatory interactions is of great importance since they play a defining role in shaping microbial communities in habitats such as soils. Myxococcus xanthus is a soil-dwelling bacterial predator that can prey on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and even on eukaryotic microorganisms. This model organism has been studied for many decades for its unusual lifecycle, characterized by the formation of multicellular fruiting bodies filled with myxospores. However, less is known about its predatory behavior despite being an integral part of its lifecycle. Predation in M. xanthus is a multifactorial process that involves several mechanisms working synergistically, including motility systems to efficiently track and hunt prey, and a combination of short-range and contact-dependent mechanisms to achieve prey death and feed on them. In the short-range attack, M. xanthus is best known for the collective production of secondary metabolites and hydrolytic enzymes to kill prey and degrade cellular components. On the other hand, contact-dependent killing is a cell-to-cell process that relies on Tad-like and type III secretion systems. Furthermore, recent research has revealed that metals also play an important role during predation, either by inducing oxidative stress in the prey, or by competing for essential metals. In this paper, we review the current knowledge about M. xanthus predation, focusing on the different mechanisms used to hunt, kill, and feed on its prey, considering the most recent discoveries and the transcriptomic data available.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Aurelio Moraleda-Muñoz
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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8
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Chaudhary V, Kajla P, Lather D, Chaudhary N, Dangi P, Singh P, Pandiselvam R. Bacteriophages: a potential game changer in food processing industry. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2024:1-25. [PMID: 38228500 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2023.2299768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
In the food industry, despite the widespread use of interventions such as preservatives and thermal and non-thermal processing technologies to improve food safety, incidences of foodborne disease continue to happen worldwide, prompting the search for alternative strategies. Bacteriophages, commonly known as phages, have emerged as a promising alternative for controlling pathogenic bacteria in food. This review emphasizes the potential applications of phages in biological sciences, food processing, and preservation, with a particular focus on their role as biocontrol agents for improving food quality and preservation. By shedding light on recent developments and future possibilities, this review highlights the significance of phages in the food industry. Additionally, it addresses crucial aspects such as regulatory status and safety concerns surrounding the use of bacteriophages. The inclusion of up-to-date literature further underscores the relevance of phage-based strategies in reducing foodborne pathogenic bacteria's presence in both food and the production environment. As we look ahead, new phage products are likely to be targeted against emerging foodborne pathogens. This will further advance the efficacy of approaches that are based on phages in maintaining the safety and security of food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Chaudhary
- Department of Dairy Technology, College of Dairy Science and Technology, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana, India
| | - Priyanka Kajla
- Department of Food Technology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, India
| | - Deepika Lather
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana, India
| | - Nisha Chaudhary
- Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Agriculture University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Priya Dangi
- Department of Food and Nutrition and Food Technology, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Punit Singh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Engineering and Technology, GLA University Mathura, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ravi Pandiselvam
- Physiology, Biochemistry and Post-Harvest Technology Division, ICAR -Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
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Efferson C, Richerson PJ, Weinberger VP. Our fragile future under the cumulative cultural evolution of two technologies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220257. [PMID: 37952623 PMCID: PMC10645086 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0257] [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: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
We derive and analyse a model with unusual features characterizing human activities over the long-run. First, human population dynamics draw heavily on consumer-resource modelling in ecology in that humans must consume biological resources to produce new humans. Second, the model also draws heavily from economic growth theory in that humans do not simply consume biological resources; they also produce the resources they consume. Finally, humans use two types of technology. Consumption technology affects the rate at which humans can extract resources. Production technology controls how effectively humans convert labour into new resources. The dynamics of both types of technology are subject to cumulative cultural evolutionary processes that allow both technological progress and regress. The resulting model exhibits a wide range of dynamical regimes. That said, the system is routinely sensitive to initial conditions, with wildly different outcomes given the same parameter values. Moreover, the system exhibits a basic fragility in the sense that human activities often lead to the endogenous extinction of the human species. This can happen gently, or it can follow periods of explosive human activity with super-exponential growth that ends in collapse. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Efferson
- Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Peter J. Richerson
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Vanessa P. Weinberger
- Center for Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation (CReAM), Universidad Mayor, Temuco, 4801043, Chile
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Zhang N, Li T, Pan H, Wang Y, Li Q, Luan J, He X, Shi W, Li Y, Wang C, Zhang F, Hu W. Genetic components of Escherichia coli involved in its complex prey-predator interaction with Myxococcus xanthus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1304874. [PMID: 38116529 PMCID: PMC10728724 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1304874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Myxococcus xanthus and Escherichia coli represent a well-studied microbial predator-prey pair frequently examined in laboratory settings. While significant progress has been made in comprehending the mechanisms governing M. xanthus predation, various aspects of the response and defensive mechanisms of E. coli as prey remain elusive. In this study, the E. coli MG1655 large-scale chromosome deletion library was screened, and a mutant designated as ME5012 was identified to possess significantly reduced susceptibility to predation by M. xanthus. Within the deleted region of ME5012 encompassing seven genes, the significance of dusB and fis genes in driving the observed phenotype became apparent. Specifically, the deletion of fis resulted in a notable reduction in flagellum production in E. coli, contributing to a certain level of resistance against predation by M. xanthus. Meanwhile, the removal of dusB in E. coli led to diminished inducibility of myxovirescin A production by M. xanthus, accompanied by a slight decrease in susceptibility to myxovirescin A. These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the complex interaction between M. xanthus and E. coli in a predatory context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Tingyi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Hongwei Pan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yipeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Qi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Jia Luan
- Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Xuesong He
- Department of Microbiology, The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Wenyuan Shi
- Department of Microbiology, The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Yuezhong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Chuandong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Fengyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Wei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, China
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Müller S, DeLeon O, Atkinson SN, Saravia F, Kellogg S, Shank EA, Kirby JR. Thiocillin contributes to the ecological fitness of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 during interspecies interactions with Myxococcus xanthus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1295262. [PMID: 38075900 PMCID: PMC10704990 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1295262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The soil-dwelling delta-proteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus is a model organism to study predation and competition. M. xanthus preys on a broad range of bacteria mediated by lytic enzymes, exopolysaccharides, Type-IV pilus-based motility, and specialized metabolites. Competition between M. xanthus and prey bacterial strains with various specialized metabolite profiles indicates a range of fitness, suggesting that specialized metabolites contribute to prey survival. To expand our understanding of how specialized metabolites affect predator-prey dynamics, we assessed interspecies interactions between M. xanthus and two strains of Bacillus cereus. While strain ATCC 14579 resisted predation, strain T was found to be highly sensitive to M. xanthus predation. The interaction between B. cereus ATCC 14579 and M. xanthus appears to be competitive, resulting in population loss for both predator and prey. Genome analysis revealed that ATCC 14579 belongs to a clade that possesses the biosynthetic gene cluster for production of thiocillins, whereas B. cereus strain T lacks those genes. Further, purified thiocillin protects B. cereus strains unable to produce this specialized metabolite, strengthening the finding that thiocillin protects against predation and contributes to the ecological fitness of B. cereus ATCC 14579. Lastly, strains that produce thiocillin appear to confer some level of protection to their own antibiotic by encoding an additional copy of the L11 ribosomal protein, a known target for thiopeptides. This work highlights the importance of specialized metabolites affecting predator-prey dynamics in soil microenvironments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Müller
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Orlando DeLeon
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Samantha N. Atkinson
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Fatima Saravia
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Stephanie Kellogg
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. Shank
- Department of Systems Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worchester, MA, United States
| | - John R. Kirby
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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Pflanze S, Mukherji R, Ibrahim A, Günther M, Götze S, Chowdhury S, Reimer L, Regestein L, Stallforth P. Nonribosomal peptides protect Pseudomonas nunensis 4A2e from amoebal and nematodal predation. Chem Sci 2023; 14:11573-11581. [PMID: 37886094 PMCID: PMC10599466 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc03335j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The rhizosphere is a highly competitive environment forcing bacteria to evolve strategies to oppose their enemies. The production of toxic secondary metabolites allows bacteria to counteract predators. In this study, we describe the anti-predator armamentarium of the soil-derived bacterium Pseudomonas nunensis 4A2e. Based on a genome mining approach, we identified several biosynthetic gene clusters coding for nonribosomal peptide synthetases. Generation of gene deletion mutants of the respective clusters shows a loss of defense capabilities. We isolated the novel lipopeptides keanumycin D and nunapeptins B and C, and fully elucidated their structures by a combination of in-depth mass spectrometry experiments, stable isotope labelling, and chemical synthesis. Additionally, investigation of the quorum sensing-dependent biosynthesis allowed us to elucidate parts of the underlying regulation of the biosynthetic machinery. Ecology-inspired bioassays highlight the role of these peptides as a defence strategy against protozoans and led us to find a previously unknown function against the bacterivorous nematode Oscheius myriophilus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Pflanze
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Ruchira Mukherji
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Anan Ibrahim
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Markus Günther
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Sebastian Götze
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Somak Chowdhury
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Lisa Reimer
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Lars Regestein
- Bio Pilot Plant, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
| | - Pierre Stallforth
- Department of Paleobiotechnology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Leibniz-HKI Beutenbergstrasse 11a 07745 Jena Germany
- Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University (FSU) Jena Germany
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13
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Zanditenas E, Trebicz-Geffen M, Kolli D, Domínguez-García L, Farhi E, Linde L, Romero D, Chapman M, Kolodkin-Gal I, Ankri S. Digestive exophagy of biofilms by intestinal amoeba and its impact on stress tolerance and cytotoxicity. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2023; 9:77. [PMID: 37813896 PMCID: PMC10562373 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-023-00444-x] [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: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The human protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica is responsible for amebiasis, a disease endemic to developing countries. E. histolytica trophozoites colonize the large intestine, primarily feeding on bacteria. However, in the gastrointestinal tract, bacterial cells form aggregates or structured communities called biofilms too large for phagocytosis. Remarkably, trophozoites are still able to invade and degrade established biofilms, utilizing a mechanism that mimics digestive exophagy. Digestive exophagy refers to the secretion of digestive enzymes that promote the digestion of objects too large for direct phagocytosis by phagocytes. E. histolytica cysteine proteinases (CPs) play a crucial role in the degradation process of Bacillus subtilis biofilm. These proteinases target TasA, a major component of the B. subtilis biofilm matrix, also contributing to the adhesion of the parasite to the biofilm. In addition, they are also involved in the degradation of biofilms formed by Gram-negative and Gram-positive enteric pathogens. Furthermore, biofilms also play an important role in protecting trophozoites against oxidative stress. This specific mechanism suggests that the amoeba has adapted to prey on biofilms, potentially serving as an untapped reservoir for novel therapeutic approaches to treat biofilms. Consistently, products derived from the amoeba have been shown to restore antibiotic sensitivity to biofilm cells. In addition, our findings reveal that probiotic biofilms can act as a protective shield for mammalian cells, hindering the progression of the parasite towards them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Zanditenas
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Meirav Trebicz-Geffen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Divya Kolli
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Laura Domínguez-García
- Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea 'La Mayora', Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Einan Farhi
- Technion Genomics Center, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Liat Linde
- Technion Genomics Center, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Diego Romero
- Departamento de Microbiología, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea 'La Mayora', Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IHSM-UMA-CSIC), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Matthew Chapman
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Ilana Kolodkin-Gal
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food & Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
- Scojen Institute for Synthetic Biology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.
| | - Serge Ankri
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
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Martínez-Calvo A, Wingreen NS, Datta SS. Pattern formation by bacteria-phage interactions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.19.558479. [PMID: 37786699 PMCID: PMC10541591 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.19.558479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between bacteria and phages-viruses that infect bacteria-play critical roles in agriculture, ecology, and medicine; however, how these interactions influence the spatial organization of both bacteria and phages remain largely unexplored. Here, we address this gap in knowledge by developing a theoretical model of motile, proliferating bacteria that aggregate via motility-induced phase separation (MIPS) and encounter phage that infect and lyse the cells. We find that the non-reciprocal predator-prey interactions between phage and bacteria strongly alter spatial organization, in some cases giving rise to a rich array of finite-scale stationary and dynamic patterns in which bacteria and phage coexist. We establish principles describing the onset and characteristics of these diverse behaviors, thereby helping to provide a biophysical basis for understanding pattern formation in bacteria-phage systems, as well as in a broader range of active and living systems with similar predator-prey or other non-reciprocal interactions.
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15
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Alkhalil SS. The role of bacteriophages in shaping bacterial composition and diversity in the human gut. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1232413. [PMID: 37795308 PMCID: PMC10546012 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1232413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbiota of the gut has continued to co-evolve alongside their human hosts conferring considerable health benefits including the production of nutrients, drug metabolism, modulation of the immune system, and playing an antagonistic role against pathogen invasion of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The gut is said to provide a habitat for diverse groups of microorganisms where they all co-habit and interact with one another and with the immune system of humans. Phages are bacterial parasites that require the host metabolic system to replicate via the lytic or lysogenic cycle. The phage and bacterial populations are regarded as the most dominant in the gut ecosystem. As such, among the various microbial interactions, the phage-bacteria interactions, although complex, have been demonstrated to co-evolve over time using different mechanisms such as predation, lysogenic conversion, and phage induction, alongside counterdefense by the bacterial population. With the help of models and dynamics of phage-bacteria interactions, the complexity behind their survival in the gut ecosystem was demystified, and their roles in maintaining gut homeostasis and promoting the overall health of humans were elucidated. Although the treatment of various gastrointestinal infections has been demonstrated to be successful against multidrug-resistant causative agents, concerns about this technique are still very much alive among researchers owing to the potential for phages to evolve. Since a dearth of knowledge exists regarding the use of phages for therapeutic purposes, more studies involving experimental models and clinical trials are needed to widen the understanding of bacteria-phage interactions and their association with immunological responses in the gut of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samia S. Alkhalil
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Alquwayiyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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16
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Ikram M, Peng G, Hassan QU, Basharat M, Li Y, Zeb S, Gao Y. Photoactive and Intrinsically Fuel Sensing Metal-Organic Framework Motors for Tailoring Collective Behaviors of Active-Passive Colloids. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2301625. [PMID: 37093209 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202301625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms display nonequilibrium predator-prey behaviors, such as chasing-escaping and schooling via chemotactic interactions. Even though artificial systems have revealed such biomimetic behaviors, switching between them by control over chemotactic interactions is rare. Here, a spindle-like iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) colloidal motor which self-propels in glucose and H2 O2 , triggered by UV light is reported. These motors display intrinsic UV light-triggered fuel-dependent chemotactic interactions, which are used to tailor the collective dynamics of active-passive colloidal mixtures. In particular, the mixtures of active MOF motors with passive colloids exhibit distinctive "chasing-escaping" or "schooling" behaviors, depending on glucose or hydrogen peroxide being used as the fuel. The transition in the collective behaviors is attributed to an alteration in the sign of ionic diffusiophoretic interactions, resulting from a change in the ionic clouds produced. This study offers a new strategy on tuning the communication between active and passive colloids, which holds substantial potentials for fundamental research in active matter and practical applications in cargo delivery, chemical sensing, and particle segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ikram
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
- Zhengzhou Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450000, China
| | - Guogan Peng
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Qadeer Ul Hassan
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Majid Basharat
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Yurou Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Shah Zeb
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Yongxiang Gao
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
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17
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Kaimer C, Weltzer ML, Wall D. Two reasons to kill: predation and kin discrimination in myxobacteria. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001372. [PMID: 37494115 PMCID: PMC10433427 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Myxobacteria are social microbial predators that use cell-cell contacts to identify bacterial or fungal prey and to differentiate kin relatives to initiate cellular responses. For prey killing, they assemble Tad-like and type III-like secretion systems at contact sites. For kin discrimination (KD), they assemble outer membrane exchange complexes composed of the TraA and TraB receptors at contacts sites. A type VI secretion system and Rhs proteins also mediate KD. Following cellular recognition, these systems deliver appropriate effectors into target cells. For prey, this leads to cell death and lysis for nutrient consumption by myxobacteria. In KD, a panel of effectors are delivered, and if adjacent cells are clonal cells, resistance ensues because they express a cognate panel of immunity factors; while nonkin lack complete immunity and are intoxicated. This review compares and contrasts recent findings from these systems in myxobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Kaimer
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Michael L. Weltzer
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Daniel Wall
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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18
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Yang Y, Tao H, Ma W, Wang N, Chen X, Wang W. Lysis profile and preference of Myxococcus sp. PT13 for typical soil bacteria. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1211756. [PMID: 37378286 PMCID: PMC10291197 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1211756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Myxococcus sp. PT13 is a wild strain with multiple predatory properties that prey on multiple model microorganisms preserved in the laboratory. However, the lysis spectrum of PT13 on typical soil bacteria and its driving effect on soil microecosystems are still unclear. Methods In this study, the lawn predation method was used to determine the predation diameter of 62 typical soil bacteria by myxobacteria PT13 and analyze their lysis spectra. Results and Discussion The results showed that PT13 had a predation diameter greater than 15 mm against typical soil microorganisms such as Aeromonas, Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Fictibacillus, Glutamicibacter, Herbaspirillum, and Leifsonia and had an outstanding lysis effect but a significant preference (p < 0.05). Absolute high-throughput sequencing results showed that PT13 predation drove the microcosmic system composed of 16 bacterial genera, with a significant decrease in the Shannon index by 11.8% (CK = 2.04, D = 1.80) and a significant increase in the Simpson index by 45.0% (CK = 0.20, D = 0.29). The results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that myxobacterial addition significantly disturbed the microcosmic microbial community structure (ANOSIM, p < 0.05). LEfSe analysis showed that the relative and absolute abundances (copy numbers) of Bacillus, Pedobacter, Staphylococcus, Streptomyces and Fictibacillus decreased significantly very likely due to myxobacterial predation (p < 0.05). However, the predatory effect of PT13 also increased the relative or absolute abundances of some species, such as Sphingobacterium, Paenarthrobacter, Microbacterium, and Leifsonia. It can be concluded that PT13 has a broad-spectrum lysis spectrum but poor cleavage ability for Streptomyces, and the interaction between complex microorganisms limits the predation effect of PT13 on some prey bacteria. This in turn allows some prey to coexist with myxobacteria. This paper will lay a theoretical foundation for the regulation of soil microecology dominated by myxobacteria.
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Nair RR, Andersson DI. Interspecies interaction reduces selection for antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli. Commun Biol 2023; 6:331. [PMID: 36973402 PMCID: PMC10043022 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04716-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolution of microbial traits depends on the interaction of a species with its environment as well as with other coinhabiting species. However, our understanding of the evolution of specific microbial traits, such as antibiotic resistance in complex environments is limited. Here, we determine the role of interspecies interactions on the dynamics of nitrofurantoin (NIT) resistance selection among Escherichia coli. We created a synthetic two-species community comprised of two variants of E. coli (NIT susceptible and resistant) and Bacillus subtilis in minimal media with glucose as the sole carbon source. We show that the presence of B. subtilis significantly slows down the selection for the resistant E. coli mutant when NIT is present and that this slowdown is not due to competition for resources. Instead, the dampening of NIT resistance enrichment is largely mediated by extracellular compounds produced by B. subtilis with the peptide YydF playing a significant role. Our results not only demonstrate the impact of interspecies interactions on the evolution of microbial traits but also show the importance of using synthetic microbial systems in unravelling relevant interactions and mechanisms affecting the evolution of antibiotic resistance. This finding implies that interspecies interactions should be considered to better understand and predict resistance evolution in the clinic as well as in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramith R Nair
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE-75123, Sweden.
| | - Dan I Andersson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE-75123, Sweden
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20
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Parallel Evolution in Predatory Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 during Long-Term Coculture with a Single Prey Strain. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0177622. [PMID: 36598482 PMCID: PMC9888234 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01776-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Experimental evolution provides a powerful tool for examining how Bdellovibrio evolves in response to unique selective pressures associated with its predatory lifestyle. We tested how Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 adapts to long-term coculture with Pseudomonas sp. NC02, which is less susceptible to predation compared to other Gram-negative bacteria. Analyzing six replicate Bdellovibrio populations across six time points spanning 40 passages and 2,880 h of coculture, we detected 30 to 40 new mutations in each population that exceeded a frequency of 5%. Nonsynonymous substitutions were the most abundant type of new mutation, followed by small indels and synonymous substitutions. After completing the final passage, we detected 20 high-frequency (>75%) mutations across all six evolved Bdellovibrio populations. Eighteen of these alter protein sequences, and most increased in frequency rapidly. Four genes acquired a high-frequency mutation in two or more evolved Bdellovibrio populations, reflecting parallel evolution and positive selection. The genes encode a sodium/phosphate cotransporter family protein (Bd2221), a metallophosphoesterase (Bd0054), a TonB family protein (Bd0396), and a hypothetical protein (Bd1601). Tested prey range and predation efficiency phenotypes did not differ significantly between evolved Bdellovibrio populations and the ancestor; however, all six evolved Bdellovibrio populations demonstrated enhanced starvation survival compared to the ancestor. These results suggest that, instead of evolving improved killing of Pseudomonas sp. NC02, Bdellovibrio evolved to better withstand nutrient limitation in the presence of this prey strain. The mutations identified here point to genes and functions that may be important for Bdellovibrio adaptation to the different selective pressures of long-term coculture with Pseudomonas. IMPORTANCE Bdellovibrio attack and kill Gram-negative bacteria, including drug-resistant pathogens of animals and plants. This lifestyle is unusual among bacteria, and it imposes unique selective pressures on Bdellovibrio. Determining how Bdellovibrio evolve in response to these pressures is valuable for understanding the mechanisms that govern predation. We applied experimental evolution to test how Bdellovibrio sp. NC01 evolved in response to long-term coculture with a single Pseudomonas strain, which NC01 can kill, but with low efficiency. Our experimental design imposed different selective pressures on the predatory bacteria and tracked the evolutionary trajectories of replicate Bdellovibrio populations. Using genome sequencing, we identified Bdellovibrio genes that acquired high-frequency mutations in two or more populations. Using phenotype assays, we determined that evolved Bdellovibrio populations did not improve their ability to kill Pseudomonas, but rather are better able to survive starvation. Overall, our results point to functions that may be important for Bdellovibrio adaptation.
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Mononen T, Kuosmanen T, Cairns J, Mustonen V. Understanding cellular growth strategies via optimal control. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220744. [PMID: 36596459 PMCID: PMC9810423 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary prediction and control are increasingly interesting research topics that are expanding to new areas of application. Unravelling and anticipating successful adaptations to different selection pressures becomes crucial when steering rapidly evolving cancer or microbial populations towards a chosen target. Here we introduce and apply a rich theoretical framework of optimal control to understand adaptive use of traits, which in turn allows eco-evolutionarily informed population control. Using adaptive metabolism and microbial experimental evolution as a case study, we show how demographic stochasticity alone can lead to lag time evolution, which appears as an emergent property in our model. We further show that the cycle length used in serial transfer experiments has practical importance as it may cause unintentional selection for specific growth strategies and lag times. Finally, we show how frequency-dependent selection can be incorporated to the state-dependent optimal control framework allowing the modelling of complex eco-evolutionary dynamics. Our study demonstrates the utility of optimal control theory in elucidating organismal adaptations and the intrinsic decision making of cellular communities with high adaptive potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommi Mononen
- Department of Computer Science, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Teemu Kuosmanen
- Department of Computer Science, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Johannes Cairns
- Department of Computer Science, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - Ville Mustonen
- Department of Computer Science, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
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22
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Soto W. Emerging Research Topics in the Vibrionaceae and the Squid- Vibrio Symbiosis. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10101946. [PMID: 36296224 PMCID: PMC9607633 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10101946] [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: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The Vibrionaceae encompasses a cosmopolitan group that is mostly aquatic and possesses tremendous metabolic and genetic diversity. Given the importance of this taxon, it deserves continued and deeper research in a multitude of areas. This review outlines emerging topics of interest within the Vibrionaceae. Moreover, previously understudied research areas are highlighted that merit further exploration, including affiliations with marine plants (seagrasses), microbial predators, intracellular niches, and resistance to heavy metal toxicity. Agarases, phototrophy, phage shock protein response, and microbial experimental evolution are also fields discussed. The squid-Vibrio symbiosis is a stellar model system, which can be a useful guiding light on deeper expeditions and voyages traversing these "seas of interest". Where appropriate, the squid-Vibrio mutualism is mentioned in how it has or could facilitate the illumination of these various subjects. Additional research is warranted on the topics specified herein, since they have critical relevance for biomedical science, pharmaceuticals, and health care. There are also practical applications in agriculture, zymology, food science, and culinary use. The tractability of microbial experimental evolution is explained. Examples are given of how microbial selection studies can be used to examine the roles of chance, contingency, and determinism (natural selection) in shaping Earth's natural history.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Soto
- Integrated Science Center Rm 3035, Department of Biology, College of William & Mary, 540 Landrum Dr., Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
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Phillips KE, Akbar S, Stevens DC. Concepts and conjectures concerning predatory performance of myxobacteria. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1031346. [PMID: 36246230 PMCID: PMC9556981 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1031346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Myxobacteria are excellent model organisms for investigation of predator-prey interactions and predatory shaping of microbial communities. This review covers interdisciplinary topics related to myxobacterial predation and provides current concepts and challenges for determining predatory performance. Discussed topics include the role of specialized metabolites during predation, genetic determinants for predatory performance, challenges associated with methodological differences, discrepancies between sequenced and environmental myxobacteria, and factors that influence predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh E. Phillips
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States
| | - Shukria Akbar
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States,Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - D. Cole Stevens
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States,*Correspondence: D. Cole Stevens,
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Xie Z, Xu G, Miao F, Kong H, Hu M, Wang Y. Predator Presence Alters Intestinal Microbiota in Mussel. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022:10.1007/s00248-022-02106-5. [PMID: 36068360 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02106-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Intestinal microbes are essential participants in host vital activities. The composition of the microbiota is closely related to the environmental factors. Predator presence may impact on intestinal microbiota of prey. In the present study, stone crab Charybdis japonica was used as potential predator, an external stress on mussel Mytilus coruscus, to investigate the intestinal microbiota alteration in M. coruscus. We set up two forms of predator presence including free crab and trapped crab, with a blank treatment without crab. The composition of intestinal microbiota in mussels among different treatments showed significant differences by 16S rRNA techniques. The biodiversity increased with trapped crab presence, but decreased with free crab presence. Neisseria, the most abundant genus, fell with the presence of crabs. Besides, the Arcobacter, a kind of pathogenic bacteria, increased with free crab presence. Regarding PICRUTs analysis, Environmental Information Processing, Genetic Information Processing and Metabolism showed differences in crab presence treatments compared with the blank, with a bit higher in the presence of free crab than trapped crab. In conclusion, trapped crab effects activated the metabolism and immunity of the intestinal flora, but free crabs made mussels more susceptible to disease and mortality, corresponding to the decreased biodiversity and the increased Arcobacter in their intestine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Xie
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, China
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Guangen Xu
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, China
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Fengze Miao
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, China
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Hui Kong
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, China
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Menghong Hu
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, China.
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
| | - Youji Wang
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, China.
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
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Nucci A, Rocha EPC, Rendueles O. Adaptation to novel spatially-structured environments is driven by the capsule and alters virulence-associated traits. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4751. [PMID: 35963864 PMCID: PMC9376106 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32504-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The extracellular capsule is a major virulence factor, but its ubiquity in free-living bacteria with large environmental breadths suggests that it shapes adaptation to novel niches. Yet, how it does so, remains unexplored. Here, we evolve three Klebsiella strains and their capsule mutants in parallel. Their comparison reveals different phenotypic and genotypic evolutionary changes that alter virulence-associated traits. Non-capsulated populations accumulate mutations that reduce exopolysaccharide production and increase biofilm formation and yield, whereas most capsulated populations become hypermucoviscous, a signature of hypervirulence. Hence, adaptation to novel environments primarily occurs by fine-tuning expression of the capsular locus. The same evolutionary conditions selecting for mutations in the capsular gene wzc leading to hypermucoviscosity also result in increased susceptibility to antibiotics by mutations in the ramA regulon. This implies that general adaptive processes outside the host can affect capsule evolution and its role in virulence and infection outcomes may be a by-product of such adaptation. Phenotypic and genotypic evolution in worrisome Klebsiella spp. is influenced by the capsule. Here the authors show that adaptation outside the host can impact virulence-associated traits, including de novo emergence of hypermucoviscosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Nucci
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, F-75015, Paris, France
| | - Olaya Rendueles
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, F-75015, Paris, France.
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Strain-specific predation of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a higher range for cystic fibrosis than for bacteremia isolates. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10523. [PMID: 35732651 PMCID: PMC9217795 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14378-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This work aimed to evaluate the predatory activity of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J on clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa selected from well-characterized collections of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung colonization (n = 30) and bloodstream infections (BSI) (n = 48) including strains selected by genetic lineage (frequent and rare sequence types), antibiotic resistance phenotype (susceptible and multidrug-resistant isolates), and colony phenotype (mucoid and non-mucoid isolates). The intraspecies predation range (I-PR) was defined as the proportion of susceptible strains within the entire collection. In contrast, the predation efficiency (PE) is the ratio of viable prey cells remaining after predation compared to the initial inoculum. I-PR was significantly higher for CF (67%) than for BSI P. aeruginosa isolates (35%) probably related to an environmental origin of CF strains whereas invasive strains are more adapted to humans. I-PR correlation with bacterial features such as mucoid morphotype, genetic background, or antibiotic susceptibility profile was not detected. To test the possibility of increasing I-PR of BSI isolates, a polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerase deficient B. bacteriovorus bd2637 mutant was used. Global median I-PR and PE values remained constant for both predators, but 31.2% of 109J-resistant isolates were susceptible to the mutant, and 22.9% of 109J-susceptible isolates showed resistance to predation by the mutant, pointing to a predator–prey specificity process. The potential use of predators in the clinical setting should be based on the determination of the I-PR for each species, and the PE of each particular target strain.
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Eisner SA, Velicer GJ, Yu YTN. Mutation of rpoB Shifts the Nutrient Threshold Triggering Myxococcus Multicellular Development. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:817080. [PMID: 35359737 PMCID: PMC8963815 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.817080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to perceive and respond to environmental change is essential to all organisms. In response to nutrient depletion, cells of the soil-dwelling δ-proteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus undergo collective morphogenesis into multicellular fruiting bodies and transform into stress-resistant spores. This process is strictly regulated by gene networks that incorporate both inter- and intracellular signals. While commonly studied M. xanthus reference strains and some natural isolates undergo development only in nutrient-poor conditions, some lab mutants and other natural isolates commit to development at much higher nutrient levels, but mechanisms enabling such rich medium development remain elusive. Here we investigate the genetic basis of rich medium development in one mutant and find that a single amino acid change (S534L) in RpoB, the β-subunit of RNA polymerase, is responsible for the phenotype. Ectopic expression of the mutant rpoB allele was sufficient to induce nutrient-rich development. These results suggest that the universal bacterial transcription machinery bearing the altered β-subunit can relax regulation of developmental genes that are normally strictly controlled by the bacterial stringent response. Moreover, the mutation also pleiotropically mediates a tradeoff in fitness during vegetative growth between high vs. low nutrient conditions and generates resistance to exploitation by a developmental cheater. Our findings reveal a previously unknown connection between the universal transcription machinery and one of the most behaviorally complex responses to environmental stress found among bacteria.
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Huang W, Meng L, Chen Y, Dong Z, Peng Q. Bacterial outer membrane vesicles as potential biological nanomaterials for antibacterial therapy. Acta Biomater 2022; 140:102-115. [PMID: 34896632 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic therapy is one of the most important approaches against bacterial infections. However, the improper use of antibiotics and the emergence of drug resistance have compromised the efficacy of traditional antibiotic therapy. In this regard, it is of great importance and significance to develop more potent antimicrobial therapies, including the development of functionalized antibiotics delivery systems and antibiotics-independent antimicrobial agents. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), secreted by Gram-negative bacteria and with similar structure to cell-derived exosomes, are natural functional nanomaterials and known to play important roles in many bacterial life events, such as communication, biofilm formation and pathogenesis. Recently, more and more reports have demonstrated the use of OMVs as either active antibacterial agents or antibiotics delivery carriers, implying the great potentials of OMVs in antibacterial therapy. Herein, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of OMV and its antibacterial applications, including its biogenesis, biofunctions, isolation, purification and its potentials in killing bacteria, delivering antibiotics and developing vaccine or immunoadjuvants. In addition, the concerns in clinical use of OMVs and the possible solutions are discussed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led to the failure of traditional antibiotic therapy, and thus become a big threat to human beings. In this regard, developing more potent antibacterial approaches is of great importance and significance. Recently, bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which are natural functional nanomaterials secreted by Gram-negative bacteria, have been used as active agents, drug carriers and vaccine adjuvant for antibacterial therapy. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of OMVs and summarizes the recent progress of OMVs in antibacterial applications. The concerns of OMVs in clinical use and the possible solutions are also discussed. As such, this review may guide the future works in antibacterial OMVs and appeal to both scientists and clinicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Lingxi Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zaiquan Dong
- Mental Health Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Qiang Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Dong H, Xu X, Gao R, Li Y, Li A, Yao Q, Zhu H. Myxococcus xanthus R31 Suppresses Tomato Bacterial Wilt by Inhibiting the Pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum With Secreted Proteins. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:801091. [PMID: 35197943 PMCID: PMC8859152 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.801091] [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: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum caused tomato bacterial wilt (TBW), a destructive soil-borne disease worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop effective control methods. Myxobacteria are microbial predators and are widely distributed in the soil. Compared with other biocontrol bacteria that produce antibacterial substances, the myxobacteria have great potential for biocontrol. This study reports a strain of Myxococcus xanthus R31 that exhibits high antagonistic activity to R. solanacearum. Plate test indicated that the strain R31 efficiently predated R. solanacearum. Pot experiments showed that the biocontrol efficacy of strain R31 against TBW was 81.9%. Further study found that the secreted protein precipitated by ammonium sulfate had significant lytic activity against R. solanacearum cells, whereas the ethyl acetate extract of strain R31 had no inhibitory activity against R. solanacearum. Substrate spectroscopy assay and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of secreted proteins showed that some peptidases, lipases, and glycoside hydrolases might play important roles and could be potential biocontrol factors involved in predation. The present study reveals for the first time that the use of strain M. xanthus R31 as a potential biocontrol agent could efficiently control TBW by predation and secreting extracellular lyase proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honghong Dong
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Xu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ruixiang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yueqiu Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anzhang Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qing Yao
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Honghui Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiomics and Precision Application – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC), Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Honghui Zhu,
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The genetic architecture underlying prey-dependent performance in a microbial predator. Nat Commun 2022; 13:319. [PMID: 35031602 PMCID: PMC8760311 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27844-x] [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: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural selection should favour generalist predators that outperform specialists across all prey types. Two genetic solutions could explain why intraspecific variation in predatory performance is, nonetheless, widespread: mutations beneficial on one prey type are costly on another (antagonistic pleiotropy), or mutational effects are prey-specific, which weakens selection, allowing variation to persist (relaxed selection). To understand the relative importance of these alternatives, we characterised natural variation in predatory performance in the microbial predator Dictyostelium discoideum. We found widespread nontransitive differences among strains in predatory success across different bacterial prey, which can facilitate stain coexistence in multi-prey environments. To understand the genetic basis, we developed methods for high throughput experimental evolution on different prey (REMI-seq). Most mutations (~77%) had prey-specific effects, with very few (~4%) showing antagonistic pleiotropy. This highlights the potential for prey-specific effects to dilute selection, which would inhibit the purging of variation and prevent the emergence of an optimal generalist predator. What prevents a generalist predator from evolving and outperforming specialist predators? By combing analyses of natural variation with experimental evolution, Stewart et al. suggest that predator variation persists because most mutations have prey-specific effects, which results in relaxed selection
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Romdhane S, Spor A, Aubert J, Bru D, Breuil MC, Hallin S, Mounier A, Ouadah S, Tsiknia M, Philippot L. Unraveling negative biotic interactions determining soil microbial community assembly and functioning. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:296-306. [PMID: 34321619 PMCID: PMC8692615 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01076-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microbial communities play important roles in all ecosystems and yet a comprehensive understanding of the ecological processes governing the assembly of these communities is missing. To address the role of biotic interactions between microorganisms in assembly and for functioning of the soil microbiota, we used a top-down manipulation approach based on the removal of various populations in a natural soil microbial community. We hypothesized that removal of certain microbial groups will strongly affect the relative fitness of many others, therefore unraveling the contribution of biotic interactions in shaping the soil microbiome. Here we show that 39% of the dominant bacterial taxa across treatments were subjected to competitive interactions during soil recolonization, highlighting the importance of biotic interactions in the assembly of microbial communities in soil. Moreover, our approach allowed the identification of microbial community assembly rule as exemplified by the competitive exclusion between members of Bacillales and Proteobacteriales. Modified biotic interactions resulted in greater changes in activities related to N- than to C-cycling. Our approach can provide a new and promising avenue to study microbial interactions in complex ecosystems as well as the links between microbial community composition and ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Romdhane
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | - Aymé Spor
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | - Julie Aubert
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR MIA-Paris, Paris, France
| | - David Bru
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | - Marie-Christine Breuil
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | - Sara Hallin
- grid.6341.00000 0000 8578 2742Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arnaud Mounier
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | - Sarah Ouadah
- Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR MIA-Paris, Paris, France
| | - Myrto Tsiknia
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France ,grid.10985.350000 0001 0794 1186Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Lab, Department of Natural Resources and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Laurent Philippot
- grid.462299.20000 0004 0445 7139Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, AgroSup Dijon, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
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La Fortezza M, Velicer GJ. Social selection within aggregative multicellular development drives morphological evolution. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211522. [PMID: 34814750 PMCID: PMC8611335 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregative multicellular development is a social process involving complex forms of cooperation among unicellular organisms. In some aggregative systems, development culminates in the construction of spore-packed fruiting bodies and often unfolds within genetically and behaviourally diverse conspecific cellular environments. Here, we use the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus to test whether the character of the cellular environment during aggregative development shapes its morphological evolution. We manipulated the cellular composition of Myxococcus development in an experiment in which evolving populations initiated from a single ancestor repeatedly co-developed with one of several non-evolving partners-a cooperator, three cheaters and three antagonists. Fruiting body morphology was found to diversify not only as a function of partner genotype but more broadly as a function of partner social character, with antagonistic partners selecting for greater fruiting body formation than cheaters or the cooperator. Yet even small degrees of genetic divergence between distinct cheater partners sufficed to drive treatment-level morphological divergence. Co-developmental partners also determined the magnitude and dynamics of stochastic morphological diversification and subsequent convergence. In summary, we find that even just a few genetic differences affecting developmental and social features can greatly impact morphological evolution of multicellular bodies and experimentally demonstrate that microbial warfare can promote cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco La Fortezza
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
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33
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Blair EM, Dickson KL, O'Malley MA. Microbial communities and their enzymes facilitate degradation of recalcitrant polymers in anaerobic digestion. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 64:100-108. [PMID: 34700124 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Microbial consortia efficiently degrade complex biopolymers found in the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Through enzyme production and division of labor during anaerobic digestion, microbial communities break down recalcitrant polymers and make fermentation products, including methane. However, microbial communities remain underutilized for waste degradation as it remains difficult to characterize and predict microbial interactions during waste breakdown, especially as cultivation conditions change drastically throughout anaerobic digestion. This review discusses recent progress and opportunities in cultivating natural and engineered consortia for OFMSW hydrolysis, including how recalcitrant substrates are degraded by enzymes as well as the critical factors that govern microbial interactions and culture stability. Methods to measure substrate degradation are also reviewed, and we demonstrate the need for increased standardization to enable comparisons across different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaina M Blair
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Katharine L Dickson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Michelle A O'Malley
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA; Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA, 94608, USA.
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34
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Akbar S, Phillips KE, Misra SK, Sharp JS, Stevens DC. Differential response to prey quorum signals indicates predatory specialization of myxobacteria and ability to predate Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Environ Microbiol 2021; 24:1263-1278. [PMID: 34674390 PMCID: PMC9257966 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Multiomic analysis of transcriptional and metabolic responses from the predatory myxobacteria Myxococcus xanthus and Cystobacter ferrugineus exposed to prey signalling molecules of the acylhomoserine lactone and quinolone quorum signalling classes provided insight into predatory specialization. Acylhomoserine lactone quorum signals elicited a general response from both myxobacteria. We suggest that this is likely due to the generalist predator lifestyles of myxobacteria and ubiquity of acylhomoserine lactone signals. We also provide data that indicates the core homoserine lactone moiety included in all acylhomoserine lactone scaffolds to be sufficient to induce this general response. Comparing both myxobacteria, unique transcriptional and metabolic responses were observed from Cystobacter ferrugineus exposed to the quinolone signal 2‐heptylquinolin‐4(1H)‐one (HHQ) natively produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We suggest that this unique response and ability to metabolize quinolone signals contribute to the superior predation of P. aeruginosa observed from C. ferrugineus. These results further demonstrate myxobacterial eavesdropping on prey signalling molecules and provide insight into how responses to exogenous signals might correlate with prey range of myxobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shukria Akbar
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Kayleigh E Phillips
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Sandeep K Misra
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - Joshua S Sharp
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, University, MS, USA
| | - D Cole Stevens
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
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Myxobacterial Genomics and Post-Genomics: A Review of Genome Biology, Genome Sequences and Related 'Omics Studies. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9102143. [PMID: 34683464 PMCID: PMC8538405 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9102143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Myxobacteria are fascinating and complex microbes. They prey upon other members of the soil microbiome by secreting antimicrobial proteins and metabolites, and will undergo multicellular development if starved. The genome sequence of the model myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus DK1622 was published in 2006 and 15 years later, 163 myxobacterial genome sequences have now been made public. This explosion in genomic data has enabled comparative genomics analyses to be performed across the taxon, providing important insights into myxobacterial gene conservation and evolution. The availability of myxobacterial genome sequences has allowed system-wide functional genomic investigations into entire classes of genes. It has also enabled post-genomic technologies to be applied to myxobacteria, including transcriptome analyses (microarrays and RNA-seq), proteome studies (gel-based and gel-free), investigations into protein–DNA interactions (ChIP-seq) and metabolism. Here, we review myxobacterial genome sequencing, and summarise the insights into myxobacterial biology that have emerged as a result. We also outline the application of functional genomics and post-genomic approaches in myxobacterial research, highlighting important findings to emerge from seminal studies. The review also provides a comprehensive guide to the genomic datasets available in mid-2021 for myxobacteria (including 24 genomes that we have sequenced and which are described here for the first time).
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Predatory Bacteria Select for Sustained Prey Diversity. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9102079. [PMID: 34683400 PMCID: PMC8540638 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9102079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Predator impacts on prey diversity are often studied among higher organisms over short periods, but microbial predator-prey systems allow examination of prey-diversity dynamics over evolutionary timescales. We previously showed that Escherichia coli commonly evolved minority mucoid phenotypes in response to predation by the bacterial predator Myxococcus xanthus by one time point of a coevolution experiment now named MyxoEE-6. Here we examine mucoid frequencies across several MyxoEE-6 timepoints to discriminate between the hypotheses that mucoids were increasing to fixation, stabilizing around equilibrium frequencies, or heading to loss toward the end of MyxoEE-6. In four focal coevolved prey populations, mucoids rose rapidly early in the experiment and then fluctuated within detectable minority frequency ranges through the end of MyxoEE-6, generating frequency dynamics suggestive of negative frequency-dependent selection. However, a competition experiment between mucoid and non-mucoid clones found a predation-specific advantage of the mucoid clone that was insensitive to frequency over the examined range, leaving the mechanism that maintains minority mucoidy unresolved. The advantage of mucoidy under predation was found to be associated with reduced population size after growth (productivity) in the absence of predators, suggesting a tradeoff between productivity and resistance to predation that we hypothesize may reverse mucoid vs non-mucoid fitness ranks within each MyxoEE-6 cycle. We also found that mucoidy was associated with diverse colony phenotypes and diverse candidate mutations primarily localized in the exopolysaccharide operon yjbEFGH. Collectively, our results show that selection from predatory bacteria can generate apparently stable sympatric phenotypic polymorphisms within coevolving prey populations and also allopatric diversity across populations by selecting for diverse mutations and colony phenotypes associated with mucoidy. More broadly, our results suggest that myxobacterial predation increases long-term diversity within natural microbial communities.
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Scheuerl T, Kaitala V. The effect of dilution on eco-evolutionary dynamics of experimental microbial communities. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13430-13444. [PMID: 34646480 PMCID: PMC8495831 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Changing environmental conditions can infer structural modifications of predator-prey communities. New conditions often increase mortality which reduces population sizes. Following this, predation pressure may decrease until populations are dense again. Dilution may thus have substantial impact not only on ecological but also on evolutionary dynamics because it amends population densities. Experimental studies, in which microbial populations are maintained by a repeated dilution into fresh conditions after a certain period, are extensively used approaches allowing us to obtain mechanistic insights into fundamental processes. By design, dilution, which depends on transfer volume (modifying mortality) and transfer interval (determining the time of interaction), is an inherent feature of these experiments, but often receives little attention. We further explore previously published data from a live predator-prey (bacteria and ciliates) system which investigated eco-evolutionary principles and apply a mathematical model to predict how various transfer volumes and transfer intervals would affect such an experiment. We find not only the ecological dynamics to be modified by both factors but also the evolutionary rates to be affected. Our work predicts that the evolution of the anti-predator defense in the bacteria, and the evolution of the predation efficiency in the ciliates, both slow down with lower transfer volume, but speed up with longer transfer intervals. Our results provide testable hypotheses for future studies of predator-prey systems, and we hope this work will help improve our understanding of how ecological and evolutionary processes together shape composition of microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Scheuerl
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Research Department for LimnologyUniversity of InnsbruckMondseeAustria
| | - Veijo Kaitala
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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38
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Aharon E, Mookherjee A, Pérez-Montaño F, Mateus da Silva G, Sathyamoorthy R, Burdman S, Jurkevitch E. Secretion systems play a critical role in resistance to predation by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. Res Microbiol 2021; 172:103878. [PMID: 34492337 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2021.103878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, a Gram-negative predatory bacterium belonging to the Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs), predate on Gram-negative bacteria. BALO strains differ in prey range but so far, the genetic basis of resistance against BALO predation is hardly understood. We developed a loss-of-function approach to screen for sensitive mutants in a library of strain M6, a predation-resistant strain of the plant pathogen Acidovorax citrulli. The screen is based on tracking the growth of a B. bacteriovorus strain expressing the fluorescent reporter Tdtomato in mutant pools to reveal predation-sensitive variants. Two independent loci were identified in mutant strains exhibiting significant levels of susceptibility to the predator. Genes in the two loci were analysed using both protein sequence homology and protein structure modeling. Both were secretion-related proteins and thus associated to the bacterial cell wall. Successful complementation of gspK, a gene encoding for a minor pseudopilin protein confirmed the involvement of the type II secretion system in A. citrulli M6 resistance. This proof of concept study shows that our approach can identify key elements of the BALO-prey interaction, and it validates the hypothesis that mutational changes in a single gene can drastically impact prey resistance to BALO predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Einav Aharon
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Abhirup Mookherjee
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Francisco Pérez-Montaño
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel; Department of Microbiology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.
| | - Gustavo Mateus da Silva
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Rajesh Sathyamoorthy
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Saul Burdman
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Edouard Jurkevitch
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Institute of Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
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39
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Akbar S, Stevens DC. Functional genomics study of Pseudomonas putida to determine traits associated with avoidance of a myxobacterial predator. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16445. [PMID: 34385565 PMCID: PMC8360965 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96046-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation contributes to the structure and diversity of microbial communities. Predatory myxobacteria are ubiquitous to a variety of microbial habitats and capably consume a broad diversity of microbial prey. Predator-prey experiments utilizing myxobacteria have provided details into predatory mechanisms and features that facilitate consumption of prey. However, prey resistance to myxobacterial predation remains underexplored, and prey resistances have been observed exclusively from predator-prey experiments that included the model myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus. Utilizing a predator-prey pairing that instead included the myxobacterium, Cystobacter ferrugineus, with Pseudomonas putida as prey, we observed surviving phenotypes capable of eluding predation. Comparative transcriptomics between P. putida unexposed to C. ferrugineus and the survivor phenotype suggested that increased expression of efflux pumps, genes associated with mucoid conversion, and various membrane features contribute to predator avoidance. Unique features observed from the survivor phenotype when compared to the parent P. putida include small colony variation, efflux-mediated antibiotic resistance, phenazine-1-carboxylic acid production, and increased mucoid conversion. These results demonstrate the utility of myxobacterial predator-prey models and provide insight into prey resistances in response to predatory stress that might contribute to the phenotypic diversity and structure of bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shukria Akbar
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA
| | - D Cole Stevens
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA.
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40
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Li YP, Fekih IB, Fru EC, Moraleda-Munoz A, Li X, Rosen BP, Yoshinaga M, Rensing C. Antimicrobial Activity of Metals and Metalloids. Annu Rev Microbiol 2021; 75:175-197. [PMID: 34343021 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032921-123231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Competition shapes evolution. Toxic metals and metalloids have exerted selective pressure on life since the rise of the first organisms on the Earth, which has led to the evolution and acquisition of resistance mechanisms against them, as well as mechanisms to weaponize them. Microorganisms exploit antimicrobial metals and metalloids to gain competitive advantage over other members of microbial communities. This exerts a strong selective pressure that drives evolution of resistance. This review describes, with a focus on arsenic and copper, how microorganisms exploit metals and metalloids for predation and how metal- and metalloid-dependent predation may have been a driving force for evolution of microbial resistance against metals and metalloids. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Ping Li
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 35002, China;
| | - Ibtissem Ben Fekih
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 35002, China;
| | - Ernest Chi Fru
- Centre for Geobiology and Geochemistry, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, CF10 3AT Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Aurelio Moraleda-Munoz
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Xuanji Li
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Barry P Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
| | - Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Institute of Environmental Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 35002, China;
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41
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Huang D, Yu P, Ye M, Schwarz C, Jiang X, Alvarez PJJ. Enhanced mutualistic symbiosis between soil phages and bacteria with elevated chromium-induced environmental stress. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:150. [PMID: 34183048 PMCID: PMC8240259 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01074-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microbe-virus interactions have broad implications on the composition, function, and evolution of microbiomes. Elucidating the effects of environmental stresses on these interactions is critical to identify the ecological function of viral communities and understand microbiome environmental adaptation. Heavy metal-contaminated soils represent a relevant ecosystem to study the interplay between microbes, viruses, and environmental stressors. RESULTS Metagenomic analysis revealed that Cr pollution adversely altered the abundance, diversity, and composition of viral and bacterial communities. Host-phage linkage based on CRISPR indicated that, in soils with high Cr contamination, the abundance of phages associated with heavy metal-tolerant hosts increased, as did the relative abundance of phages with broad host ranges (identified as host-phage linkages across genera), which would facilitate transfection and broader distribution of heavy metal resistance genes in the bacterial community. Examining variations along the pollutant gradient, enhanced mutualistic phage-bacterium interactions were observed in the face of greater environmental stresses. Specifically, the fractions of lysogens in bacterial communities (identified by integrase genes within bacterial genomes and prophage induction assay by mitomycin-C) were positively correlated with Cr contamination levels. Furthermore, viral genomic analysis demonstrated that lysogenic phages under higher Cr-induced stresses carried more auxiliary metabolic genes regulating microbial heavy metal detoxification. CONCLUSION With the intensification of Cr-induced environmental stresses, the composition, replication strategy, and ecological function of the phage community all evolve alongside the bacterial community to adapt to extreme habitats. These result in a transformation of the phage-bacterium interaction from parasitism to mutualism in extreme environments and underscore the influential role of phages in bacterial adaptation to pollution-related stress and in related biogeochemical processes. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Pingfeng Yu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, 77005, USA.
| | - Mao Ye
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
| | - Cory Schwarz
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, 77005, USA
| | - Xin Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China
| | - Pedro J J Alvarez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, 77005, USA
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42
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Fisher AM. The evolutionary impact of population size, mutation rate and virulence on pathogen niche width. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1256-1265. [PMID: 34101932 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the evolution of pathogen niche width is important for predicting disease spread and the probability that pathogens can emerge in novel hosts. Findings from previous theoretical studies often suggest that pathogens will evolve to be specialists in specific host environments. However, several of these studies make unrealistic assumptions regarding demographic stochasticity and the ability of pathogens to select their hosts. Here, an individual-based model was used to predict how population size, virulence and pathogen mutation rate affects the evolution niche specialism in pathogens. Pathogen specialism evolved regardless of virulence or populations size; thus, the findings of this study are somewhat consistent with those of previous work. However, because specialist pathogens had only a weak selective advantage over generalist pathogens, high mutation rates caused random trait variation to accumulate, preventing the evolution of specialism. Mutation rate varies greatly across different species and strains of pathogen. By showing that high mutation rates may prevent pathogen specialism evolving, this study highlights an intrinsic pathogen trait that may influence the evolution of pathogen niche width.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Fisher
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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43
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Behavioral Interactions between Bacterivorous Nematodes and Predatory Bacteria in a Synthetic Community. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9071362. [PMID: 34201688 PMCID: PMC8307948 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory and empirical studies in metazoans predict that apex predators should shape the behavior and ecology of mesopredators and prey at lower trophic levels. Despite the ecological importance of microbial communities, few studies of predatory microbes examine such behavioral res-ponses and the multiplicity of trophic interactions. Here, we sought to assemble a three-level microbial food chain and to test for behavioral interactions between the predatory nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the predatory social bacterium Myxococcus xanthus when cultured together with two basal prey bacteria that both predators can eat—Escherichia coli and Flavobacterium johnsoniae. We found that >90% of C. elegans worms failed to interact with M. xanthus even when it was the only potential prey species available, whereas most worms were attracted to pure patches of E. coli and F. johnsoniae. In addition, M. xanthus altered nematode predatory behavior on basal prey, repelling C. elegans from two-species patches that would be attractive without M. xanthus, an effect similar to that of C. elegans pathogens. The nematode also influenced the behavior of the bacterial predator: M. xanthus increased its predatory swarming rate in response to C. elegans in a manner dependent both on basal-prey identity and on worm density. Our results suggest that M. xanthus is an unattractive prey for some soil nematodes and is actively avoided when other prey are available. Most broadly, we found that nematode and bacterial predators mutually influence one another’s predatory behavior, with likely consequences for coevolution within complex microbial food webs.
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44
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Manriquez B, Muller D, Prigent-Combaret C. Experimental Evolution in Plant-Microbe Systems: A Tool for Deciphering the Functioning and Evolution of Plant-Associated Microbial Communities. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:619122. [PMID: 34025595 PMCID: PMC8137971 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.619122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In natural environments, microbial communities must constantly adapt to stressful environmental conditions. The genetic and phenotypic mechanisms underlying the adaptive response of microbial communities to new (and often complex) environments can be tackled with a combination of experimental evolution and next generation sequencing. This combination allows to analyse the real-time evolution of microbial populations in response to imposed environmental factors or during the interaction with a host, by screening for phenotypic and genotypic changes over a multitude of identical experimental cycles. Experimental evolution (EE) coupled with comparative genomics has indeed facilitated the monitoring of bacterial genetic evolution and the understanding of adaptive evolution processes. Basically, EE studies had long been done on single strains, allowing to reveal the dynamics and genetic targets of natural selection and to uncover the correlation between genetic and phenotypic adaptive changes. However, species are always evolving in relation with other species and have to adapt not only to the environment itself but also to the biotic environment dynamically shaped by the other species. Nowadays, there is a growing interest to apply EE on microbial communities evolving under natural environments. In this paper, we provide a non-exhaustive review of microbial EE studies done with systems of increasing complexity (from single species, to synthetic communities and natural communities) and with a particular focus on studies between plants and plant-associated microorganisms. We highlight some of the mechanisms controlling the functioning of microbial species and their adaptive responses to environment changes and emphasize the importance of considering bacterial communities and complex environments in EE studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Claire Prigent-Combaret
- UMR 5557 Ecologie Microbienne, VetAgro Sup, CNRS, INRAE, University of Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
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45
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Freund L, Vasse M, Velicer GJ. Hidden paths to endless forms most wonderful: parasite-blind diversification of host quality. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210456. [PMID: 33906400 PMCID: PMC8080016 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary diversification can occur in allopatry or sympatry, can be driven by selection or unselected, and can be phenotypically manifested immediately or remain latent until manifested in a newly encountered environment. Diversification of host-parasite interactions is frequently studied in the context of intrinsically selective coevolution, but the potential for host-parasite interaction phenotypes to diversify latently during parasite-blind host evolution is rarely considered. Here, we use a social bacterium experimentally adapted to several environments in the absence of phage to analyse allopatric diversification of host quality-the degree to which a host population supports a viral epidemic. Phage-blind evolution reduced host quality overall, with some bacteria becoming completely resistant to growth suppression by phage. Selective-environment differences generated only mild divergence in host quality. However, selective environments nonetheless played a major role in shaping evolution by determining the degree of stochastic diversification among replicate populations within treatments. Ancestral motility genotype was also found to strongly shape patterns of latent host-quality evolution and diversification. These outcomes show that (i) adaptive landscapes can differ in how they constrain stochastic diversification of a latent phenotype and (ii) major effects of selection on biological diversification can be missed by focusing on trait means. Collectively, our findings suggest that latent-phenotype evolution should inform host-parasite evolution theory and that diversification should be conceived broadly to include latent phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Freund
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marie Vasse
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
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46
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Bell TH, Bell T. Many roads to bacterial generalism. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6006266. [PMID: 33238305 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The fundamental niches of bacteria can be defined along many environmental axes, including temperature tolerance and resources consumed, while interactions with other organisms can constrain (e.g. competition) or enlarge (e.g. cross-feeding) realized niches. Organisms are often categorized as generalists or specialists, corresponding to broad or narrow niche requirements, which can then be linked to their functional role in an ecosystem. We show how these terms are applied to bacteria, make predictions about how the type and extent of generalism displayed by an organism relates to its functional potential and discuss the value of collecting different types of generalist bacteria. We believe that new approaches that take advantage of both high-throughput sequencing and environmental manipulation can allow us to understand the many types of generalism found within both cultivated and yet-to-be-cultivated bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrence H Bell
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Thomas Bell
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK
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47
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Sydney N, Swain MT, So JMT, Hoiczyk E, Tucker NP, Whitworth DE. The Genetics of Prey Susceptibility to Myxobacterial Predation: A Review, Including an Investigation into Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mutations Affecting Predation by Myxococcus xanthus. Microb Physiol 2021; 31:57-66. [PMID: 33794538 DOI: 10.1159/000515546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial predation is a ubiquitous and fundamental biological process, which influences the community composition of microbial ecosystems. Among the best characterised bacterial predators are the myxobacteria, which include the model organism Myxococcus xanthus. Predation by M. xanthus involves the secretion of antibiotic metabolites and hydrolytic enzymes, which results in the lysis of prey organisms and release of prey nutrients into the extracellular milieu. Due to the generalist nature of this predatory mechanism, M. xanthus has a broad prey range, being able to kill and consume Gram-negative/positive bacteria and fungi. Potential prey organisms have evolved a range of behaviours which protect themselves from attack by predators. In recent years, several investigations have studied the molecular responses of a broad variety of prey organisms to M. xanthus predation. It seems that the diverse mechanisms employed by prey belong to a much smaller number of general "predation resistance" strategies. In this mini-review, we present the current state of knowledge regarding M. xanthus predation, and how prey organisms resist predation. As previous molecular studies of prey susceptibility have focussed on individual genes/metabolites, we have also undertaken a genome-wide screen for genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which contribute to its ability to resist predation. P. aeruginosa is a World Health Organisation priority 1 antibiotic-resistant pathogen. It is metabolically versatile and has an array of pathogenic mechanisms, leading to its prevalence as an opportunistic pathogen. Using a library of nearly 5,500 defined transposon insertion mutants, we screened for "prey genes", which when mutated allowed increased predation by a fluorescent strain of M. xanthus. A set of candidate "prey proteins" were identified, which shared common functional roles and whose nature suggested that predation resistance by P. aeruginosa requires an effective metal/oxidative stress system, an intact motility system, and mechanisms for de-toxifying antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natashia Sydney
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Martin T Swain
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - Jeffery M T So
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Egbert Hoiczyk
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas P Tucker
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - David E Whitworth
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
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48
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Zea L, McLean RJ, Rook TA, Angle G, Carter DL, Delegard A, Denvir A, Gerlach R, Gorti S, McIlwaine D, Nur M, Peyton BM, Stewart PS, Sturman P, Velez Justiniano YA. Potential biofilm control strategies for extended spaceflight missions. Biofilm 2020; 2:100026. [PMID: 33447811 PMCID: PMC7798464 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2020.100026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofilms, surface-adherent microbial communities, are associated with microbial fouling and corrosion in terrestrial water-distribution systems. Biofilms are also present in human spaceflight, particularly in the Water Recovery System (WRS) on the International Space Station (ISS). The WRS is comprised of the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) and the Water Processor Assembly (WPA) which together recycles wastewater from human urine and recovered humidity from the ISS atmosphere. These wastewaters and various process streams are continually inoculated with microorganisms primarily arising from the space crew microbiome. Biofilm-related fouling has been encountered and addressed in spacecraft in low Earth orbit, including ISS and the Russian Mir Space Station. However, planned future missions beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars present additional challenges, as resupplying spare parts or support materials would be impractical and the mission timeline would be in the order of years in the case of a mission to Mars. In addition, future missions are expected to include a period of dormancy in which the WRS would be unused for an extended duration. The concepts developed in this review arose from a workshop including NASA personnel and representatives with biofilm expertise from a wide range of industrial and academic backgrounds. Here, we address current strategies that are employed on Earth for biofilm control, including antifouling coatings and biocides and mechanisms for mitigating biofilm growth and damage. These ideas are presented in the context of their applicability to spaceflight and identify proposed new topics of biofilm control that need to be addressed in order to facilitate future extended, crewed, spaceflight missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Zea
- BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Robin Gerlach
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Sridhar Gorti
- NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | | | - Mononita Nur
- NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Brent M. Peyton
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Philip S. Stewart
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Paul Sturman
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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49
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Naureen Z, Malacarne D, Anpilogov K, Dautaj A, Camilleri G, Cecchin S, Bressan S, Casadei A, Albion E, Sorrentino E, Beccari T, Dundar M, Bertelli M. Comparison between American and European legislation in the therapeutical and alimentary bacteriophage usage. ACTA BIO-MEDICA : ATENEI PARMENSIS 2020; 91:e2020023. [PMID: 33170166 PMCID: PMC8023134 DOI: 10.23750/abm.v91i13-s.10815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages, though discovered a century ago, still lag behind in the race of antimicrobials due to scarce information about their biology, pharmacology, safety and suitability as therapeutic agents. Although they possess several capabilities of practical utility in medicine, they are still unable to satisfy the regulatory standards set by the regulatory authorities in both United States (US) and European Union (EU). Bacteriophages and their products (lysins) are considered as drugs, therefore they should follow the same route of the chemical drugs in order to achieve regulatory approvals for commercial production and application. However, lack of definitive guidelines and regulations has rendered bacteriophages less attractive to pharmaceutical companies and funding agencies, making it difficult for clinicians and researchers to set up wide scale clinical trials in order to prove efficacy, safety and stability of bacteriophages and their products. In this review, we will discuss the current regulations for developing phages and phage-based products for therapeutic purposes in the US and EU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakira Naureen
- Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tommaso Beccari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
| | - Munis Dundar
- Department of Medical Genetics, Erciyes University Medical School, Kayseri, Turkey.
| | - Matteo Bertelli
- MAGI'S LAB, Rovereto (TN), Italy; MAGI EUREGIO, Bolzano, Italy; EBTNA-LAB, Rovereto (TN), Italy.
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Rendueles O, Velicer GJ. Hidden paths to endless forms most wonderful: Complexity of bacterial motility shapes diversification of latent phenotypes. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:145. [PMID: 33148179 PMCID: PMC7641858 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01707-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evolution in one selective environment often latently generates phenotypic change that is manifested only later in different environments, but the complexity of behavior important to fitness in the original environment might influence the character of such latent-phenotype evolution. Using Myxococcus xanthus, a bacterium possessing two motility systems differing in effectiveness on hard vs. soft surfaces, we test (i) whether and how evolution while swarming on one surface-the selective surface-latently alters motility on the alternative surface type and (ii) whether patterns of such latent-phenotype evolution depend on the complexity of ancestral motility, specific ancestral motility genotypes and/or the selective surface of evolution. We analysze an experiment in which populations established from three ancestral genotypes-one with both motility systems intact and two others with one system debilitated-evolved while swarming across either hard or soft agar in six evolutionary treatments. We then compare motility-phenotype patterns across selective vs. alternative surface types. RESULTS Latent motility evolution was pervasive but varied in character as a function of the presence of one or two functional motility systems and, for some individual-treatment comparisons, the specific ancestral genotype and/or selective surface. Swarming rates on alternative vs. selective surfaces were positively correlated generally among populations with one functional motility system but not among those with two. This suggests that opportunities for pleiotropy and epistasis generated by increased genetic complexity underlying behavior can alter the character of latent-phenotype evolution. No tradeoff between motility performance across surface types was detected in the dual-system treatments, even after adaptation on a surface on which one motility system dominates strongly over the other in driving movement, but latent-phenotype evolution was instead idiosyncratic in these treatments. We further find that the magnitude of stochastic diversification at alternative-surface swarming among replicate populations greatly exceeded diversification of selective-surface swarming within some treatments and varied across treatments. CONCLUSION Collectively, our results suggest that increases in the genetic and mechanistic complexity of behavior can increase the complexity of latent-phenotype evolution outcomes and illustrate that diversification manifested during evolution in one environment can be augmented greatly by diversification of latent phenotypes manifested later.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaya Rendueles
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland. .,Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Institut Pasteur, CNRS, UMR3525, 75015, Paris, France.
| | - Gregory J Velicer
- Institute for Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
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