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Komera I, Chen X, Liu L, Gao C. Microbial Synthetic Epigenetic Tools Design and Applications. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:1621-1632. [PMID: 38758631 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Microbial synthetic epigenetics offers significant opportunities for the design of synthetic biology tools by leveraging reversible gene control mechanisms without altering DNA sequences. However, limited understanding and a lack of technologies for thorough analysis of the mechanisms behind epigenetic modifications have hampered their utilization in biotechnological applications. In this review, we explore advancements in developing epigenetic-based synthetic gene regulatory tools at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Furthermore, we examine strategies developed to construct epigenetic-based circuits that provide controllable and stable gene regulation, aiming to boost the performance of microbial chassis cells. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and perspectives in the development of synthetic epigenetic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Komera
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Xiulai Chen
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Liming Liu
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Cong Gao
- School of Biotechnology and Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
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Villalba de la Peña M, Kronholm I. Antimicrobial resistance in the wild: Insights from epigenetics. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13707. [PMID: 38817397 PMCID: PMC11134192 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13707] [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: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Spreading of bacterial and fungal strains that are resistant to antimicrobials poses a serious threat to the well-being of humans, animals, and plants. Antimicrobial resistance has been mainly investigated in clinical settings. However, throughout their evolutionary history microorganisms in the wild have encountered antimicrobial substances, forcing them to evolve strategies to combat antimicrobial action. It is well known that many of these strategies are based on genetic mechanisms, but these do not fully explain important aspects of the antimicrobial response such as the rapid development of resistance, reversible phenotypes, and hetero-resistance. Consequently, attention has turned toward epigenetic pathways that may offer additional insights into antimicrobial mechanisms. The aim of this review is to explore the epigenetic mechanisms that confer antimicrobial resistance, focusing on those that might be relevant for resistance in the wild. First, we examine the presence of antimicrobials in natural settings. Then we describe the documented epigenetic mechanisms in bacteria and fungi associated with antimicrobial resistance and discuss innovative epigenetic editing techniques to establish causality in this context. Finally, we discuss the relevance of these epigenetic mechanisms on the evolutionary dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in the wild, emphasizing the critical role of priming in the adaptation process. We underscore the necessity of incorporating non-genetic mechanisms into our understanding of antimicrobial resistance evolution. These mechanisms offer invaluable insights into the dynamics of antimicrobial adaptation within natural ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ilkka Kronholm
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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Patel L, Ailloud F, Suerbaum S, Josenhans C. Single-base resolution quantitative genome methylation analysis in the model bacterium Helicobacter pylori by enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-Seq) reveals influence of strain, growth phase, and methyl homeostasis. BMC Biol 2024; 22:125. [PMID: 38807090 PMCID: PMC11134628 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01921-1] [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: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacterial epigenetics is a rapidly expanding research field. DNA methylation by diverse bacterial methyltransferases (MTases) contributes to genomic integrity and replication, and many recent studies extended MTase function also to global transcript regulation and phenotypic variation. Helicobacter pylori is currently one of those bacterial species which possess the highest number and the most variably expressed set of DNA MTases. Next-generation sequencing technologies can directly detect DNA base methylation. However, they still have limitations in their quantitative and qualitative performance, in particular for cytosine methylation. RESULTS As a complementing approach, we used enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-Seq), a technology recently established that has not yet been fully evaluated for bacteria. Thereby, we assessed quantitatively, at single-base resolution, whole genome cytosine methylation for all methylated cytosine motifs in two different H. pylori strains and isogenic MTase mutants. EM-Seq reliably detected both m5C and m4C methylation. We demonstrated that three different active cytosine MTases in H. pylori provide considerably different levels of average genome-wide single-base methylation, in contrast to isogenic mutants which completely lost specific motif methylation. We found that strain identity and changed environmental conditions, such as growth phase and interference with methyl donor homeostasis, significantly influenced quantitative global and local genome-wide methylation in H. pylori at specific motifs. We also identified significantly hyper- or hypo-methylated cytosines, partially linked to overlapping MTase target motifs. Notably, we revealed differentially methylated cytosines in genome-wide coding regions under conditions of methionine depletion, which can be linked to transcript regulation. CONCLUSIONS This study offers new knowledge on H. pylori global and local genome-wide methylation and establishes EM-Seq for quantitative single-site resolution analyses of bacterial cytosine methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lubna Patel
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute, Chair for Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Florent Ailloud
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute, Chair for Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Suerbaum
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute, Chair for Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Josenhans
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute, Chair for Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 9a, 80336, Munich, Germany.
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Zhang W, Lyu L, Xu Z, Ni J, Wang D, Lu J, Yao YF. Integrative DNA methylome and transcriptome analysis reveals DNA adenine methylation is involved in Salmonella enterica Typhimurium response to oxidative stress. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0247923. [PMID: 37882553 PMCID: PMC10715015 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02479-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) comes across a wide variety of stresses from entry to dissemination, such as reactive oxygen species. To adapt itself to oxidative stress, Salmonella must adopt various and complex strategies. In this study, we revealed that DNA adenine methyltransferase was essential for S. Typhimurium to survive in hydrogen peroxide. We then screened out oxidative stress-responsive genes that were potentially regulated by DNA methylation in S. Typhimurium. Our results show that the DNA methylome is highly stable throughout the genome, and the coupled change of m6A GATC with gene expression is identified in only a few positions, which suggests the complexity of the DNA methylation and gene expression regulation networks. The results may shed light on our understanding of m6A-mediated gene expression regulation in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Zhang
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin Lyu
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhihiong Xu
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinjing Ni
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Danni Wang
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Lu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Feng Yao
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Emergency Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Infectious Diseases, Shanghai, China
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Stone CJ, Boyer GF, Behringer MG. Differential adenine methylation analysis reveals increased variability in 6mA in the absence of methyl-directed mismatch repair. mBio 2023; 14:e0128923. [PMID: 37796009 PMCID: PMC10653831 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01289-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Methylation greatly influences the bacterial genome by guiding DNA repair and regulating pathogenic and stress-response phenotypes. But, the rate of epigenetic changes and their consequences on molecular phenotypes are underexplored. Through a detailed characterization of genome-wide adenine methylation in a commonly used laboratory strain of Escherichia coli, we reveal that mismatch repair deficient populations experience an increase in epimutations resulting in a genome-wide reduction of 6mA methylation in a manner consistent with genetic drift. Our findings highlight how methylation patterns evolve and the constraints on epigenetic evolution due to post-replicative DNA repair, contributing to a deeper understanding of bacterial genome evolution and how epimutations may introduce semi-permanent variation that can influence adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl J. Stone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gwyneth F. Boyer
- Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Megan G. Behringer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Zhao J, Zhang M, Hui W, Zhang Y, Wang J, Wang S, Kwok LY, Kong J, Zhang H, Zhang W. Roles of adenine methylation in the physiology of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2635. [PMID: 37149616 PMCID: PMC10164179 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38291-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Lacticaseibacillus paracasei is an economically important bacterial species, used in the food industry and as a probiotic. Here, we investigate the roles of N6-methyladenine (6mA) modification in L. paracasei using multi-omics and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) analyses. The distribution of 6mA-modified sites varies across the genomes of 28 strains, and appears to be enriched near genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. A pglX mutant, defective in 6mA modification, shows transcriptomic alterations but only modest changes in growth and genomic spatial organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Wenyan Hui
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Shaojing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Lai-Yu Kwok
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Jian Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Heping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Wenyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
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Jingwen W, Jingxin W, Ye Z, Yan Z, Caozhi L, Yanyu C, Fanli Z, Su C, Yucheng W. Building an improved transcription factor-centered yeast one hybrid system to identify DNA motifs bound by protein comprehensively. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:236. [PMID: 37142946 PMCID: PMC10158250 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04241-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identification of the motifs bound by a transcription factor (TF) is important to reveal the function of TF. Previously, we built a transcription factor centered yeast one hybrid (TF-Centered Y1H) that could identify the motifs bound by a target TF. However, that method was difficult to comprehensively identify all the motifs bound by a TF. RESULTS Here, we build an improved TF-Centered Y1H to comprehensively determine the motifs bound by a target TF. Recombination-mediated cloning in yeast was performed to construct a saturated prey library that contains 7 random base insertions. After TF-Centered Y1H screening, all the positive clones were pooled together to isolate pHIS2 vector. The insertion regions of pHIS2 were PCR amplified and the PCR product was subjected to high-throughput sequencing. The insertion sequences were then retrieved and analyzed using MEME program to identify the potential motifs bound by the TF. Using this technology, we studied the motifs bound by an ethylene-responsive factor (BpERF2) from birch. In total, 22 conserved motifs were identified, and most of them are novel cis-acting elements. Both the yeast one hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay verified that the obtained motifs could be bound by BpERF2. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) study further suggested that the identified motifs can be bound by BpERF2 in cells of birch. These results together suggested that this technology is reliable and has biological significance. CONCLUSION This method will have wide application in DNA-protein interaction studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Jingwen
- Key Laboratory Forest Tree Genetics & Breeding of Liaoning Province, College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Wang Jingxin
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Zhu Ye
- Nanjing Ruiyuan Biotechnology Company Limited, Nanking, 210000, China
| | - Zhu Yan
- Key Laboratory Forest Tree Genetics & Breeding of Liaoning Province, College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China
| | - Liu Caozhi
- Nanjing Ruiyuan Biotechnology Company Limited, Nanking, 210000, China
| | - Chen Yanyu
- Nanjing Ruiyuan Biotechnology Company Limited, Nanking, 210000, China
| | - Zeng Fanli
- Nanjing Ruiyuan Biotechnology Company Limited, Nanking, 210000, China
| | - Chen Su
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.
| | - Wang Yucheng
- Key Laboratory Forest Tree Genetics & Breeding of Liaoning Province, College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, China.
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Kim H, Kim JH, Cho H, Ko KS. Overexpression of a DNA Methyltransferase Increases Persister Cell Formation in Acinetobacter baumannii. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0265522. [PMID: 36416541 PMCID: PMC9769888 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02655-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Many mechanisms have been proposed to be involved in the formation of bacterial persister cells. In this study, we investigated the impact of dam encoding DNA methylation on persister cell formation in Acinetobacter. We constructed plasmids overexpressing dam encoding DNA-(adenine N6)-methyltransferase and four genes as possibly involved in persistence and introduced them into three A. baumannii strains. For persister cell formation assays, bacteria were exposed to ciprofloxacin, imipenem, cefotaxime, and rifampin, and the transcription levels of the genes were measured by qRT-PCR. In addition, growth curves of strains were determined. We found that all five genes were upregulated following antibiotic exposure. Dam overexpression increased persister cell formation rates and activated the four persister cell-involved genes. Among the four persister cell-involved genes, only RecC overexpression increase persister cell formation rates. While recC-overexpressing strains showed higher growth rates, dam-overexpressing strains showed decreased growth rates. In this study, we revealed that a DNA methyltransferase may regulate persister cell formation in A. baumannii, while RecC seems to mediate epigenetic regulation of persister cell formation. However, Dam and RecC may act at different persister cell formation states. IMPORTANCE Bacterial persister cells are not killed by high concentration of antibiotics, despite its antibiotic susceptibility. It has been known that they may cause antibiotic treatment failure and contribute to the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Although many mechanisms have been suggested and verified for persister cell formation, many remains to be uncovered. In this study, we report that DNA methyltransferase leads to an increase in persister cell formation, through transcriptional activation of several regulatory genes. Our results suggest that DNA methyltransferases could be target proteins to prevent formation of persister cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunkeun Kim
- Department of Microbiology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee Hong Kim
- Department of Microbiology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hongbaek Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwan Soo Ko
- Department of Microbiology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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Fernández-Fernández R, Olivenza DR, Sánchez-Romero MA. Identifying Bacterial Lineages in Salmonella by Flow Cytometry. EcoSal Plus 2022; 10:eESP00182021. [PMID: 35148202 PMCID: PMC10729938 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0018-2021] [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: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Advances in technologies that permit high-resolution analysis of events in single cells have revealed that phenotypic heterogeneity is a widespread phenomenon in bacteria. Flow cytometry has the potential to describe the distribution of cellular properties within a population of bacterial cells and has yielded invaluable information about the ability of isogenic cells to diversify into phenotypic subpopulations. This review will discuss several single-cell approaches that have recently been applied to define phenotypic heterogeneity in populations of Salmonella enterica.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David R. Olivenza
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
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10
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Fang JL, Gao WL, Xu WF, Lyu ZY, Ma L, Luo S, Chen XA, Mao XM, Li YQ. m4C DNA methylation regulates biosynthesis of daptomycin in Streptomyces roseosporus L30. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2022; 7:1013-1023. [PMID: 35801092 PMCID: PMC9240718 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2022.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jiao-Le Fang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Wen-Li Gao
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Wei-Feng Xu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Zhong-Yuan Lyu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Lie Ma
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Shuai Luo
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Xin-Ai Chen
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Xu-Ming Mao
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
| | - Yong-Quan Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering, 310058, Hangzhou, PR China
- Corresponding author. Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, PR China.
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DNA Methyltransferase Regulates Nitric Oxide Homeostasis and Virulence in a Chronically Adapted Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain. mSystems 2022; 7:e0043422. [PMID: 36106744 PMCID: PMC9600465 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00434-22] [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] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa adapt their genomes rapidly during chronic infections. Understanding their epigenetic regulation may provide biomarkers for diagnosis and reveal novel regulatory mechanisms. We performed single-molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT-seq) to characterize the methylome of a chronically adapted P. aeruginosa clinical strain, TBCF10839. Two N6-methyladenine (6mA) methylation recognition motifs (RCCANNNNNNNTGAR and TRGANNNNNNTGC [modification sites are in bold]) were identified and predicted as new type I methylation sites using REBASE analysis. We confirmed that the motif TRGANNNNNNTGC was methylated by the methyltransferase (MTase) M.PaeTBCFII, according to methylation sensitivity assays in vivo and vitro. Transcriptomic analysis showed that a ΔpaeTBCFIIM knockout mutant significantly downregulated nitric oxide reductase (NOR) regulation and expression of coding genes such as nosR and norB, which contain methylated motifs in their promoters or coding regions. The ΔpaeTBCFIIM strain exhibited reduced intercellular survival capacity in NO-producing RAW264.7 macrophages and attenuated virulence in a Galleria mellonella infection model; the complemented strain recovered these defective phenotypes. Further phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that homologs of M.PaeTBCFII occur frequently in P. aeruginosa as well as other bacterial species. Our work therefore provided new insights into the relationship between DNA methylation, NO detoxification, and bacterial virulence, laying a foundation for further exploring the molecular mechanism of DNA methyltransferase in regulating the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen which causes acute and chronic infections that are difficult to treat. Comparative genomic analysis has showed broad genome diversity among P. aeruginosa clinical strains and revealed their different regulatory traits compared to the laboratory strains. While current investigation of the epigenetics of P. aeruginosa is still lacking, understanding epigenetic regulation may provide biomarkers for diagnosis and facilitate development of novel therapies. Denitrification capability is critical for microbial versatility in response to different environmental stress conditions, including the bacterial infection process, where nitric oxide (NO) can be generated by phagocytic cells. The denitrification regulation mechanisms have been studied intensively at genetic and biochemical levels. However, there is very little evidence about the epigenetic regulation of bacterial denitrification mechanism. P. aeruginosa TBCF10839 is a chronically host-adapted strain isolated from a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient with special antiphagocytosis characteristics. Here, we investigated the regulatory effect of an orphan DNA MTase, M.PaeTBCFII, in P. aeruginosa TBCF10839. We demonstrated that the DNA MTase regulates the transcription of denitrification genes represented by NOR and affects antiphagocytic ability in bacteria. In silico analysis suggested that DNA methylation modification may enhance gene expression by affecting the binding of transacting factors such as DNR and RpoN. Our findings not only deepen the understanding of the role of DNA MTase in transcriptional regulation in P. aeruginosa but also provide a theoretical foundation for the in-depth study of the molecular mechanism of the epigenetic regulation on denitrification, virulence, and host-pathogen interaction.
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12
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Ginibre N, Legrand L, Bientz V, Ogier JC, Lanois A, Pages S, Brillard J. Diverse Roles for a Conserved DNA-Methyltransferase in the Entomopathogenic Bacterium Xenorhabdus. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911981. [PMID: 36233296 PMCID: PMC9570324 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, DNA-methyltransferase are responsible for DNA methylation of specific motifs in the genome. This methylation usually occurs at a very high rate. In the present study, we studied the MTases encoding genes found in the entomopathogenic bacteria Xenorhabdus. Only one persistent MTase was identified in the various species of this genus. This MTase, also broadly conserved in numerous Gram-negative bacteria, is called Dam: DNA-adenine MTase. Methylome analysis confirmed that the GATC motifs recognized by Dam were methylated at a rate of >99% in the studied strains. The observed enrichment of unmethylated motifs in putative promoter regions of the X. nematophila F1 strain suggests the possibility of epigenetic regulations. The overexpression of the Dam MTase responsible for additional motifs to be methylated was associated with impairment of two major phenotypes: motility, caused by a downregulation of flagellar genes, and hemolysis. However, our results suggest that dam overexpression did not modify the virulence properties of X. nematophila. This study increases the knowledge on the diverse roles played by MTases in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadège Ginibre
- DGIMI, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Ludovic Legrand
- LIPME, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CNRS, 31320 Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Victoria Bientz
- DGIMI, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | | | - Anne Lanois
- DGIMI, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvie Pages
- DGIMI, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Brillard
- DGIMI, INRAE, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-467144711
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13
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Integration of the Salmonella Typhimurium Methylome and Transcriptome Reveals That DNA Methylation and Transcriptional Regulation Are Largely Decoupled under Virulence-Related Conditions. mBio 2022; 13:e0346421. [PMID: 35658533 PMCID: PMC9239280 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03464-21] [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] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite being in a golden age of bacterial epigenomics, little work has systematically examined the plasticity and functional impacts of the bacterial DNA methylome. Here, we leveraged single-molecule, real-time sequencing (SMRT-seq) to examine the m6A DNA methylome of two Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains: 14028s and a ΔmetJ mutant with derepressed methionine metabolism, grown in Luria broth or medium that simulates the intracellular environment. We found that the methylome is remarkably static: >95% of adenosine bases retain their methylation status across conditions. Integration of methylation with transcriptomic data revealed limited correlation between changes in methylation and gene expression. Further, examination of the transcriptome in ΔyhdJ bacteria lacking the m6A methylase with the most dynamic methylation pattern in our data set revealed little evidence of YhdJ-mediated gene regulation. Curiously, despite G(m6A)TC motifs being particularly resistant to change across conditions, incorporating dam mutants into our analyses revealed two examples where changes in methylation and transcription may be linked across conditions. This includes the novel finding that the ΔmetJ motility defect may be partially driven by hypermethylation of the chemotaxis gene tsr. Together, these data redefine the S. Typhimurium epigenome as a highly stable system that has rare but important roles in transcriptional regulation. Incorporating these lessons into future studies will be critical as we progress through the epigenomic era.
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14
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Bakkeren E, Gül E, Huisman JS, Steiger Y, Rocker A, Hardt WD, Diard M. Impact of horizontal gene transfer on emergence and stability of cooperative virulence in Salmonella Typhimurium. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1939. [PMID: 35410999 PMCID: PMC9001671 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29597-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Intestinal inflammation fuels the transmission of Salmonella Typhimurium (S.Tm). However, a substantial fitness cost is associated with virulence expression. Mutations inactivating transcriptional virulence regulators generate attenuated variants profiting from inflammation without enduring virulence cost. Such variants interfere with the transmission of fully virulent clones. Horizontal transfer of functional regulatory genes (HGT) into attenuated variants could nevertheless favor virulence evolution. To address this hypothesis, we cloned hilD, coding for the master regulator of virulence, into a conjugative plasmid that is highly transferrable during intestinal colonization. The resulting mobile hilD allele allows virulence to emerge from avirulent populations, and to be restored in attenuated mutants competing against virulent clones within-host. However, mutations inactivating the mobile hilD allele quickly arise. The stability of virulence mediated by HGT is strongly limited by its cost, which depends on the hilD expression level, and by the timing of transmission. We conclude that robust evolution of costly virulence expression requires additional selective forces such as narrow population bottlenecks during transmission. Salmonella Typhimurium virulence is costly and can be lost by mutation during infection. Bakkeren et al. show that virulence restoration via horizontal gene transfer is only transient while transmission bottlenecks promote long-term virulence stability.
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15
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O’Brown ZK, Greer EL. N6-methyladenine: A Rare and Dynamic DNA Mark. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1389:177-210. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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16
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DNA Methylation in Prokaryotes. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1389:21-43. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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17
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Anton BP, Roberts RJ. Beyond Restriction Modification: Epigenomic Roles of DNA Methylation in Prokaryotes. Annu Rev Microbiol 2021; 75:129-149. [PMID: 34314594 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-040521-035040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The amount of bacterial and archaeal genome sequence and methylome data has greatly increased over the last decade, enabling new insights into the functional roles of DNA methylation in these organisms. Methyltransferases (MTases), the enzymes responsible for DNA methylation, are exchanged between prokaryotes through horizontal gene transfer and can function either as part of restriction-modification systems or in apparent isolation as single (orphan) genes. The patterns of DNA methylation they confer on the host chromosome can have significant effects on gene expression, DNA replication, and other cellular processes. Some processes require very stable patterns of methylation, resulting in conservation of persistent MTases in a particular lineage. Other processes require patterns that are more dynamic yet more predictable than what is afforded by horizontal gene transfer and gene loss, resulting in phase-variable or recombination-driven MTase alleles. In this review, we discuss what is currently known about the functions of DNA methylation in prokaryotes in light of these evolutionary patterns. 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)
- Brian P Anton
- New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Massachusetts 01938, USA; ,
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18
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El Mouali Y, Gerovac M, Mineikaitė R, Vogel J. In vivo targets of Salmonella FinO include a FinP-like small RNA controlling copy number of a cohabitating plasmid. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:5319-5335. [PMID: 33939833 PMCID: PMC8136791 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
FinO-domain proteins represent an emerging family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with diverse roles in bacterial post-transcriptional control and physiology. They exhibit an intriguing targeting spectrum, ranging from an assumed single RNA pair (FinP/traJ) for the plasmid-encoded FinO protein, to transcriptome-wide activity as documented for chromosomally encoded ProQ proteins. Thus, the shared FinO domain might bear an unusual plasticity enabling it to act either selectively or promiscuously on the same cellular RNA pool. One caveat to this model is that the full suite of in vivo targets of the assumedly highly selective FinO protein is unknown. Here, we have extensively profiled cellular transcripts associated with the virulence plasmid-encoded FinO in Salmonella enterica. While our analysis confirms the FinP sRNA of plasmid pSLT as the primary FinO target, we identify a second major ligand: the RepX sRNA of the unrelated antibiotic resistance plasmid pRSF1010. FinP and RepX are strikingly similar in length and structure, but not in primary sequence, and so may provide clues to understanding the high selectivity of FinO-RNA interactions. Moreover, we observe that the FinO RBP encoded on the Salmonella virulence plasmid controls the replication of a cohabitating antibiotic resistance plasmid, suggesting cross-regulation of plasmids on the RNA level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youssef El Mouali
- Institute for Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), D-97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Milan Gerovac
- Institute for Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Raminta Mineikaitė
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), D-97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Vogel
- Institute for Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), D-97080 Würzburg, Germany
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19
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Sánchez-Romero MA, Casadesús J. Waddington's Landscapes in the Bacterial World. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:685080. [PMID: 34149674 PMCID: PMC8212987 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.685080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Conrad Waddington’s epigenetic landscape, a visual metaphor for the development of multicellular organisms, is appropriate to depict the formation of phenotypic variants of bacterial cells. Examples of bacterial differentiation that result in morphological change have been known for decades. In addition, bacterial populations contain phenotypic cell variants that lack morphological change, and the advent of fluorescent protein technology and single-cell analysis has unveiled scores of examples. Cell-specific gene expression patterns can have a random origin or arise as a programmed event. When phenotypic cell-to-cell differences are heritable, bacterial lineages are formed. The mechanisms that transmit epigenetic states to daughter cells can have strikingly different levels of complexity, from the propagation of simple feedback loops to the formation of complex DNA methylation patterns. Game theory predicts that phenotypic heterogeneity can facilitate bacterial adaptation to hostile or unpredictable environments, serving either as a division of labor or as a bet hedging that anticipates future challenges. Experimental observation confirms the existence of both types of strategies in the bacterial world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Josep Casadesús
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
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20
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Payelleville A, Brillard J. Novel Identification of Bacterial Epigenetic Regulations Would Benefit From a Better Exploitation of Methylomic Data. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:685670. [PMID: 34054792 PMCID: PMC8160106 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.685670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation can be part of epigenetic mechanisms, leading to cellular subpopulations with heterogeneous phenotypes. While prokaryotic phenotypic heterogeneity is of critical importance for a successful infection by several major pathogens, the exact mechanisms involved in this phenomenon remain unknown in many cases. Powerful sequencing tools have been developed to allow the detection of the DNA methylated bases at the genome level, and they have recently been extensively applied on numerous bacterial species. Some of these tools are increasingly used for metagenomics analysis but only a limited amount of the available methylomic data is currently being exploited. Because newly developed tools now allow the detection of subpopulations differing in their genome methylation patterns, it is time to emphasize future strategies based on a more extensive use of methylomic data. This will ultimately help to discover new epigenetic gene regulations involved in bacterial phenotypic heterogeneity, including during host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaury Payelleville
- DGIMI, INRAE, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Cellular and Molecular Microbiology, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
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