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Mauffrey F, Bertelli C, Greub G, Senn L, Blanc DS. Genomic evolution of ST228 SCCmec-I MRSA 10 years after a major nosocomial outbreak. J Clin Microbiol 2024; 62:e0020324. [PMID: 38934681 PMCID: PMC11250417 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00203-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the genomic changes in a major methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clone following a significant outbreak at a hospital. Whole-genome sequencing of MRSA isolates was utilized to explore the genomic evolution of post-outbreak MRSA strains. The epidemicity of the clone declined over time, coinciding with the introduction of multimodal infection control measures. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified multiple genes significantly associated with either high or low epidemic success, indicating alterations in mobilome, virulence, and defense mechanisms. Random Forest models pinpointed a gene related to fibrinogen binding as the most influential predictor of epidemicity. The decline of the MRSA clone may be attributed to various factors, including the implementation of new infection control measures, single nucleotide polymorphisms accumulation, and the genetic drift of a given clone. This research underscores the complex dynamics of MRSA clones, emphasizing the multifactorial nature of their evolution. The decline in epidemicity seems linked to alterations in the clone's genetic profile, with a probable shift towards decreased virulence and adaptation to long-term carriage. Understanding the genomic basis for the decline of epidemic clones is crucial to develop effective strategies for their surveillance and management, as well as to gain insights into the evolutionary dynamics of pathogen genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Mauffrey
- Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Infectious Diseases Service, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claire Bertelli
- Institute of Microbiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gilbert Greub
- Institute of Microbiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laurence Senn
- Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Infectious Diseases Service, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dominique S. Blanc
- Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Infectious Diseases Service, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Microbiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Gonzalez-de-Miguel J, Montero-Blay A, Ciampi L, Rodriguez-Arce I, Serrano L. Developing a platform for secretion of biomolecules in Mycoplasma feriruminatoris. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:124. [PMID: 38689251 PMCID: PMC11059754 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02392-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Having a simple and fast dividing organism capable of producing and exposing at its surface or secreting functional complex biomolecules with disulphide bridges is of great interest. The mycoplasma bacterial genus offers a set of relevant properties that make it an interesting chassis for such purposes, the main one being the absence of a cell wall. However, due to their slow growth, they have rarely been considered as a potential platform in this respect. This notion may be challenged with the recent discovery of Mycoplasma feriruminatoris, a species with a dividing time close to that of common microbial workhorses. So far, no tools for heterologous protein expression nor secretion have been described for it. RESULTS The work presented here develops the fast-dividing M. feriruminatoris as a tool for secreting functional biomolecules of therapeutic interest that could be used for screening functional mutants as well as potentially for protein-protein interactions. Based on RNAseq, quantitative proteomics and promoter sequence comparison we have rationally designed optimal promoter sequences. Then, using in silico analysis, we have identified putative secretion signals that we validated using a luminescent reporter. The potential of the resulting secretion cassette has been shown with set of active clinically relevant proteins (interleukins and nanobodies). CONCLUSIONS We have engineered Mycoplasma feriruminatoris for producing and secreting functional proteins of medical interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Gonzalez-de-Miguel
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - Ariadna Montero-Blay
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- Orikine Bio, Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - Ludovica Ciampi
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irene Rodriguez-Arce
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
- ICREA, Pg. Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona, 08010, Spain.
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Miravet-Verde S, Mazzolini R, Segura-Morales C, Broto A, Lluch-Senar M, Serrano L. ProTInSeq: transposon insertion tracking by ultra-deep DNA sequencing to identify translated large and small ORFs. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2091. [PMID: 38453908 PMCID: PMC10920889 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46112-2] [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: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Identifying open reading frames (ORFs) being translated is not a trivial task. ProTInSeq is a technique designed to characterize proteomes by sequencing transposon insertions engineered to express a selection marker when they occur in-frame within a protein-coding gene. In the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, ProTInSeq identifies 83% of its annotated proteins, along with 5 proteins and 153 small ORF-encoded proteins (SEPs; ≤100 aa) that were not previously annotated. Moreover, ProTInSeq can be utilized for detecting translational noise, as well as for relative quantification and transmembrane topology estimation of fitness and non-essential proteins. By integrating various identification approaches, the number of initially annotated SEPs in this bacterium increases from 27 to 329, with a quarter of them predicted to possess antimicrobial potential. Herein, we describe a methodology complementary to Ribo-Seq and mass spectroscopy that can identify SEPs while providing other insights in a proteome with a flexible and cost-effective DNA ultra-deep sequencing approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Miravet-Verde
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | | | - Carolina Segura-Morales
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alicia Broto
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- Pulmobiotics, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine "Vicent Villar Palasi" (IBB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
- ICREA, Pg. Lluis Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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4
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Nagy EZ, Kovács ÁB, Wehmann E, Bekő K, Földi D, Bányai K, Kreizinger Z, Gyuranecz M. Phenotypic and genetic insights into efflux pump mechanism in Mycoplasma anserisalpingitidis. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1216893. [PMID: 37502405 PMCID: PMC10371760 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1216893] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Mycoplasma anserisalpingitidis is one of the most important waterfowl-pathogenic mycoplasmas. Due to inadequate antibiotic treatment, many strains with high minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for multiple drugs have been isolated lately. Decreased antibiotic susceptibility in several Mycoplasma species are known to be associated with mutations in topoisomerase and ribosomal genes, but other strategies such as active efflux pump mechanisms were also described. The scope of this study was the phenotypic and genetic characterization of the active efflux mechanism in M. anserisalpingitidis. Methods We measured the MIC values in the presence and absence of different efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs), such as carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazine (CCCP), orthovanadate (OV), and reserpine (RSP). Moreover, bioinformatic tools were utilized to detect putative regulatory sequences of membrane transport proteins coding genes, while comparative genome analysis was performed to reveal potential markers of antibiotic resistance. Results Out of the three examined EPIs, CCCP decreased the MICs at least two-fold below the original MICs (in 23 cases out of 36 strains). In the presence of OV or RSP, MIC value differences could be seen only if modified dilution series (10% decrease steps were used instead of two-fold dilutions) were applied (in 24/36 cases with OV and 9/36 with RSP). During comparative genome analysis, non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) were identified in genes encoding ABC membrane transport proteins, which were displayed in higher percentages in M. anserisalpingitidis strains with increased MICs. In terms of other genes, a nsSNP was identified in DNA gyrase subunit A (gyrA) gene which can be related to decreased susceptibility to enrofloxacin. The present study is the first to highlight the importance of efflux pump mechanisms in M. anserisalpingitidis. Discussion Considering the observed effects of the EPI CCCP against this bacterium, it can be assumed, that the use of EPIs would increase the efficiency of targeted antibiotic therapy in the future control of this pathogen. However, further research is required to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of efflux pump mechanism in this bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eszter Zsófia Nagy
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Áron Botond Kovács
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Enikő Wehmann
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katinka Bekő
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dorottya Földi
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Bányai
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsa Kreizinger
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- MolliScience Kft., Biatorbágy, Hungary
| | - Miklós Gyuranecz
- Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- National Laboratory of Infectious Animal Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Veterinary Public Health and Food Chain Safety, Budapest, Hungary
- MolliScience Kft., Biatorbágy, Hungary
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
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5
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Ueno D, Yamasaki S, Sadakiyo Y, Teruyama T, Demura T, Kato K. Sequence features around cleavage sites are highly conserved among different species and a critical determinant for RNA cleavage position across eukaryotes. J Biosci Bioeng 2022; 134:450-461. [PMID: 36137896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2022.08.001] [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: 02/06/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
RNA degradation is one of the critical steps for control of gene expression, and endonucleolytic cleavage-dependent RNA degradation is conserved among eukaryotes. Some cleavage sites are secondarily capped in the cytoplasm and identified using the Cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) method. Although uncapped cleavage sites are widespread in eukaryotes, comparatively little information has been obtained about these sites using CAGE-based degradome analysis. Previously, we developed the truncated RNA-end sequencing (TREseq) method in plant species and used it to acquire comprehensive information about uncapped cleavage sites; we observed G-rich sequences near cleavage sites. However, it remains unclear whether this finding is general to other eukaryotes. In this study, we conducted TREseq analyses in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The results revealed specific sequence features related to RNA cleavage in D. melanogaster and S. cerevisiae that were similar to sequence patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana. Although previous studies suggest that ribosome movements are important for determining cleavage position, feature selection using a random forest classifier showed that sequences around cleavage sites were major determinant for cleaved or uncleaved sites. Together, our results suggest that sequence features around cleavage sites are critical for determining cleavage position, and that sequence-specific endonucleolytic cleavage-dependent RNA degradation is highly conserved across eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daishin Ueno
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Shotaro Yamasaki
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Yuta Sadakiyo
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Takumi Teruyama
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Taku Demura
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Ko Kato
- Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan.
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Broto A, Gaspari E, Miravet-Verde S, Dos Santos VAPM, Isalan M. A genetic toolkit and gene switches to limit Mycoplasma growth for biosafety applications. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1910. [PMID: 35393441 PMCID: PMC8991246 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29574-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasmas have exceptionally streamlined genomes and are strongly adapted to their many hosts, which provide them with essential nutrients. Owing to their relative genomic simplicity, Mycoplasmas have been used to develop chassis for biotechnological applications. However, the dearth of robust and precise toolkits for genomic manipulation and tight regulation has hindered any substantial advance. Herein we describe the construction of a robust genetic toolkit for M. pneumoniae, and its successful deployment to engineer synthetic gene switches that control and limit Mycoplasma growth, for biosafety containment applications. We found these synthetic gene circuits to be stable and robust in the long-term, in the context of a minimal cell. With this work, we lay a foundation to develop viable and robust biosafety systems to exploit a synthetic Mycoplasma chassis for live attenuated vectors for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Broto
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Erika Gaspari
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Samuel Miravet-Verde
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vitor A P Martins Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- LifeGlimmer GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark Isalan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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7
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Martinez GS, Sarkar S, Kumar A, Pérez‐Rueda E, de Avila e Silva S. Characterization of promoters in archaeal genomes based on DNA structural parameters. Microbiologyopen 2021; 10:e1230. [PMID: 34713600 PMCID: PMC8553660 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription machinery of archaea can be roughly classified as a simplified version of eukaryotic organisms. The basal transcription factor machinery binds to the TATA box found around 28 nucleotides upstream of the transcription start site; however, some transcription units lack a clear TATA box and still have TBP/TFB binding over them. This apparent absence of conserved sequences could be a consequence of sequence divergence associated with the upstream region, operon, and gene organization. Furthermore, earlier studies have found that a structural analysis gains more information compared with a simple sequence inspection. In this work, we evaluated and coded 3630 archaeal promoter sequences of three organisms, Haloferax volcanii, Thermococcus kodakarensis, and Sulfolobus solfataricus into DNA duplex stability, enthalpy, curvature, and bendability parameters. We also split our dataset into conserved TATA and degenerated TATA promoters to identify differences among these two classes of promoters. The structural analysis reveals variations in archaeal promoter architecture, that is, a distinctive signal is observed in the TFB, TBP, and TFE binding sites independently of these being TATA-conserved or TATA-degenerated. In addition, the promoter encountering method was validated with upstream regions of 13 other archaea, suggesting that there might be promoter sequences among them. Therefore, we suggest a novel method for locating promoters within the genome of archaea based on DNA energetic/structural features.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharmilee Sarkar
- Department of Molecular Biology and BiotechnologyTezpur UniversityTezpurAssamIndia
| | - Aditya Kumar
- Department of Molecular Biology and BiotechnologyTezpur UniversityTezpurAssamIndia
| | - Ernesto Pérez‐Rueda
- Unidad Académica de YucatánInstituto de Investigaciones en Matemáticas Aplicadas y en SistemasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMéridaYucatánMéxico
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Martinez GS, de Ávila e Silva S, Kumar A, Pérez-Rueda E. DNA structural and physical properties reveal peculiarities in promoter sequences of the bacterium Escherichia coli K-12. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-021-04713-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe gene transcription of bacteria starts with a promoter sequence being recognized by a transcription factor found in the RNAP enzyme, this process is assisted through the conservation of nucleotides as well as other factors governing these intergenic regions. Faced with this, the coding of genetic information into physical aspects of the DNA such as enthalpy, stability, and base-pair stacking could suggest promoter activity as well as protrude differentiation of promoter and non-promoter data. In this work, a total of 3131 promoter sequences associated to six different sigma factors in the bacterium E. coli were converted into numeric attributes, a strong set of control sequences referring to a shuffled version of the original sequences as well as coding regions is provided. Then, the parameterized genetic information was normalized, exhaustively analyzed through statistical tests. The results suggest that strong signals in the promoter sequences match the binding site of transcription factor proteins, indicating that promoter activity is well represented by its conversion into physical attributes. Moreover, the features tested in this report conveyed significant variances between promoter and control data, enabling these features to be employed in bacterial promoter classification. The results produced here may aid in bacterial promoter recognition by providing a robust set of biological inferences.
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9
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Matteau D, Lachance J, Grenier F, Gauthier S, Daubenspeck JM, Dybvig K, Garneau D, Knight TF, Jacques P, Rodrigue S. Integrative characterization of the near-minimal bacterium Mesoplasma florum. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9844. [PMID: 33331123 PMCID: PMC7745072 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The near-minimal bacterium Mesoplasma florum is an interesting model for synthetic genomics and systems biology due to its small genome (~ 800 kb), fast growth rate, and lack of pathogenic potential. However, fundamental aspects of its biology remain largely unexplored. Here, we report a broad yet remarkably detailed characterization of M. florum by combining a wide variety of experimental approaches. We investigated several physical and physiological parameters of this bacterium, including cell size, growth kinetics, and biomass composition of the cell. We also performed the first genome-wide analysis of its transcriptome and proteome, notably revealing a conserved promoter motif, the organization of transcription units, and the transcription and protein expression levels of all protein-coding sequences. We converted gene transcription and expression levels into absolute molecular abundances using biomass quantification results, generating an unprecedented view of the M. florum cellular composition and functions. These characterization efforts provide a strong experimental foundation for the development of a genome-scale model for M. florum and will guide future genome engineering endeavors in this simple organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominick Matteau
- Département de biologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | | | - Frédéric Grenier
- Département de biologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | - Samuel Gauthier
- Département de biologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | | | - Kevin Dybvig
- Department of GeneticsUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamALUSA
| | - Daniel Garneau
- Département de biologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
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10
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Thornburg ZR, Melo MCR, Bianchi D, Brier TA, Crotty C, Breuer M, Smith HO, Hutchison CA, Glass JI, Luthey-Schulten Z. Kinetic Modeling of the Genetic Information Processes in a Minimal Cell. Front Mol Biosci 2019; 6:130. [PMID: 31850364 PMCID: PMC6892953 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2019.00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
JCVI-syn3A is a minimal bacterial cell with a 543 kbp genome consisting of 493 genes. For this slow growing minimal cell with a 105 min doubling time, we recently established the essential metabolism including the transport of required nutrients from the environment, the gene map, and genome-wide proteomics. Of the 452 protein-coding genes, 143 are assigned to metabolism and 212 are assigned to genetic information processing. Using genome-wide proteomics and experimentally measured kinetic parameters from the literature we present here kinetic models for the genetic information processes of DNA replication, replication initiation, transcription, and translation which are solved stochastically and averaged over 1,000 replicates/cells. The model predicts the time required for replication initiation and DNA replication to be 8 and 50 min on average respectively and the number of proteins and ribosomal components to be approximately doubled in a cell cycle. The model of genetic information processing when combined with the essential metabolic and cell growth networks will provide a powerful platform for studying the fundamental principles of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zane R Thornburg
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Marcelo C R Melo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Machine Biology Group, Department of Psychiatry, Microbiology, and Bioengineering, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David Bianchi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Troy A Brier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Cole Crotty
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Marian Breuer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.,Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MaCSBio), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Hamilton O Smith
- Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy Group, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Clyde A Hutchison
- Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy Group, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - John I Glass
- Synthetic Biology and Bioenergy Group, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Zaida Luthey-Schulten
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
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11
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Yus E, Lloréns-Rico V, Martínez S, Gallo C, Eilers H, Blötz C, Stülke J, Lluch-Senar M, Serrano L. Determination of the Gene Regulatory Network of a Genome-Reduced Bacterium Highlights Alternative Regulation Independent of Transcription Factors. Cell Syst 2019; 9:143-158.e13. [PMID: 31445891 PMCID: PMC6721554 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Here, we determined the relative importance of different transcriptional mechanisms in the genome-reduced bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, by employing an array of experimental techniques under multiple genetic and environmental perturbations. Of the 143 genes tested (21% of the bacterium’s annotated proteins), only 55% showed an altered phenotype, highlighting the robustness of biological systems. We identified nine transcription factors (TFs) and their targets, representing 43% of the genome, and 16 regulators that indirectly affect transcription. Only 20% of transcriptional regulation is mediated by canonical TFs when responding to perturbations. Using a Random Forest, we quantified the non-redundant contribution of different mechanisms such as supercoiling, metabolic control, RNA degradation, and chromosome topology to transcriptional changes. Model-predicted gene changes correlate well with experimental data in 95% of the tested perturbations, explaining up to 70% of the total variance when also considering noise. This analysis highlights the importance of considering non-TF-mediated regulation when engineering bacteria. Full comprehensive reconstruction of a bacterial gene regulatory network achieved Genome-reduced bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae is robust to genetic perturbations Large part of transcription regulation in bacteria is transcription-factor independent Transcription-factor-independent regulation has a smaller dynamic range
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Yus
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
| | - Verónica Lloréns-Rico
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
| | - Sira Martínez
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Carolina Gallo
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Hinnerk Eilers
- Department for General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cedric Blötz
- Department for General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department for General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona 08010, Spain.
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12
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Montero-Blay A, Miravet-Verde S, Lluch-Senar M, Piñero-Lambea C, Serrano L. SynMyco transposon: engineering transposon vectors for efficient transformation of minimal genomes. DNA Res 2019; 26:327-339. [PMID: 31257417 PMCID: PMC6704405 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsz012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasmas are important model organisms for Systems and Synthetic Biology, and are pathogenic to a wide variety of species. Despite their relevance, many of the tools established for genome editing in other microorganisms are not available for Mycoplasmas. The Tn4001 transposon is the reference tool to work with these bacteria, but the transformation efficiencies (TEs) reported for the different species vary substantially. Here, we explore the mechanisms underlying these differences in four Mycoplasma species, Mycoplasma agalactiae, Mycoplasma feriruminatoris, Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, selected for being representative members of each cluster of the Mycoplasma genus. We found that regulatory regions (RRs) driving the expression of the transposase and the antibiotic resistance marker have a major impact on the TEs. We then designed a synthetic RR termed SynMyco RR to control the expression of the key transposon vector elements. Using this synthetic RR, we were able to increase the TE for M. gallisepticum, M. feriruminatoris and M. agalactiae by 30-, 980- and 1036-fold, respectively. Finally, to illustrate the potential of this new transposon, we performed the first essentiality study in M. agalactiae, basing our study on more than 199,000 genome insertions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariadna Montero-Blay
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Samuel Miravet-Verde
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Piñero-Lambea
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,ICREA, Pg. Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Yin F, Shao X, Zhao L, Li X, Zhou J, Cheng Y, He X, Lei S, Li J, Wang J. Predicting prognosis of endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma on the basis of gene expression and clinical features using Random Forest. Oncol Lett 2019; 18:1597-1606. [PMID: 31423227 PMCID: PMC6607378 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.10504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditional clinical features are not sufficient to accurately judge the prognosis of endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma (EEA). Molecular biological characteristics and traditional clinical features are particularly important in the prognosis of EEA. The aim of the present study was to establish a predictive model that considers genes and clinical features for the prognosis of EEA. The clinical and RNA sequencing expression data of EEA were derived from samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Peking University People's Hospital (PKUPH; Beijing, China). Samples from TCGA were used as the training set, and samples from the PKUPH were used as the testing set. Variable selection using Random Forests (VSURF) was used to select the genes and clinical features on the basis of TCGA samples. The RF classification method was used to establish the prediction model. Kaplan-Meier curves were tested with the log-rank test. The results from this study demonstrated that on the basis of TCGA samples, 11 genes and the grade were selected as the input features. In the training set, the out-of-bag (OOB) error of RF model-1, which was established using the '11 genes', was 0.15; the OOB error of RF model-2, which was established using the 'grade', was 0.39; and the OOB error of RF model-3, established using the '11 genes and grade', was 0.15. In the testing set, the classification accuracy of RF model-1, model-2 and model-3 was 71.43, 66.67 and 80.95%, respectively. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, the VSURF was used to select features relevant to EEA prognosis, and an EEA predictive model combining genes and traditional features was established for the first time in the present study. The prediction accuracy of the RF model on the basis of the 11 genes and grade was markedly higher than that of the RF models established by either the 11 genes or grade alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fufen Yin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Xingyang Shao
- College of Automation, Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, P.R. China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent System, Beijing 100124, P.R. China
| | - Lijun Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoping Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Jingyi Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Cheng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Xiangjun He
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Shu Lei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
| | - Jiangeng Li
- College of Automation, Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, P.R. China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent System, Beijing 100124, P.R. China
| | - Jianliu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing 100044, P.R. China
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14
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Miravet-Verde S, Lloréns-Rico V, Serrano L. Alternative transcriptional regulation in genome-reduced bacteria. Curr Opin Microbiol 2017; 39:89-95. [PMID: 29154025 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transcription is a core process of bacterial physiology, and as such it must be tightly controlled, so that bacterial cells maintain steady levels of each RNA molecule in homeostasis and modify them in response to perturbations. The major regulators of transcription in bacteria (and in eukaryotes) are transcription factors. However, in genome-reduced bacteria, the limited number of these proteins is insufficient to explain the variety of responses shown upon changes in their environment. Thus, alternative regulators may play a central role in orchestrating RNA levels in these microorganisms. These alternative mechanisms rely on intrinsic features within DNA and RNA molecules, suggesting they are ancestral mechanisms shared among bacteria that could have an increased relevance on transcriptional regulation in minimal cells. In this review, we summarize the alternative elements that can regulate transcript abundance in genome-reduced bacteria and how they contribute to the RNA homeostasis at different levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Miravet-Verde
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Verónica Lloréns-Rico
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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15
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Yus E, Yang JS, Sogues A, Serrano L. A reporter system coupled with high-throughput sequencing unveils key bacterial transcription and translation determinants. Nat Commun 2017; 8:368. [PMID: 28848232 PMCID: PMC5573727 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00239-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative analysis of the sequence determinants of transcription and translation regulation is relevant for systems and synthetic biology. To identify these determinants, researchers have developed different methods of screening random libraries using fluorescent reporters or antibiotic resistance genes. Here, we have implemented a generic approach called ELM-seq (expression level monitoring by DNA methylation) that overcomes the technical limitations of such classic reporters. ELM-seq uses DamID (Escherichia coli DNA adenine methylase as a reporter coupled with methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme digestion and high-throughput sequencing) to enable in vivo quantitative analyses of upstream regulatory sequences. Using the genome-reduced bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, we show that ELM-seq has a large dynamic range and causes minimal toxicity. We use ELM-seq to determine key sequences (known and putatively novel) of promoter and untranslated regions that influence transcription and translation efficiency. Applying ELM-seq to other organisms will help us to further understand gene expression and guide synthetic biology. Quantitative analysis of how DNA sequence determines transcription and translation regulation is of interest to systems and synthetic biologists. Here the authors present ELM-seq, which uses Dam activity as reporter for high-throughput analysis of promoter and 5’-UTR regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Yus
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jae-Seong Yang
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adrià Sogues
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.,Institut Pasteur, Unité de Microbiologie Structurale (CNRS) UMR 3528, Université Paris Diderot, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, Paris, 75724, France
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, 08003, Spain. .,Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. .,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona, 08010, Spain.
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16
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Kumar A, Bansal M. Unveiling DNA structural features of promoters associated with various types of TSSs in prokaryotic transcriptomes and their role in gene expression. DNA Res 2017; 24:25-35. [PMID: 27803028 PMCID: PMC5381344 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsw045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing studies have revealed that a variety of transcripts are present in the prokaryotic transcriptome and a significant fraction of them are functional, being involved in various regulatory activities apart from coding for proteins. Identification of promoters associated with different transcripts is necessary for characterization of the transcriptome. Promoter regions have been shown to have unique structural features as compared with their flanking region, in organisms covering all domains of life. Here we report an in silico analysis of DNA sequence dependent structural properties like stability, bendability and curvature in the promoter region of six different prokaryotic transcriptomes. Using these structural features, we predicted promoters associated with different categories of transcripts (mRNA, internal, antisense and non-coding), which constitute the transcriptome. Promoter annotation using structural features is fairly accurate and reliable with about 50% of the primary promoters being characterized by all three structural properties while at least one property identifies 95%. We also studied the relative differences of these structural features in terms of gene expression and found that the features, viz. lower stability, lesser bendability and higher curvature are more prominent in the promoter regions which are associated with high gene expression as compared with low expression genes. Hence, promoters, which are associated with higher gene expression, get annotated well using DNA structural features as compared with those, which are linked to lower gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manju Bansal
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012 Karnataka, India
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17
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Kumar A, Manivelan V, Bansal M. Structural features of DNA are conserved in the promoter region of orthologous genes across different strains ofHelicobacter pylori. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2016; 363:fnw207. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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18
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Junier I, Unal EB, Yus E, Lloréns-Rico V, Serrano L. Insights into the Mechanisms of Basal Coordination of Transcription Using a Genome-Reduced Bacterium. Cell Syst 2016; 2:391-401. [PMID: 27237741 PMCID: PMC4920955 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2016.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Revised: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Coordination of transcription in bacteria occurs at supra-operonic scales, but the extent, specificity, and mechanisms of such regulation are poorly understood. Here, we tackle this problem by profiling the transcriptome of the model organism Mycoplasma pneumoniae across 115 growth conditions. We identify three qualitatively different levels of co-expression corresponding to distinct relative orientations and intergenic properties of adjacent genes. We reveal that the degree of co-expression between co-directional adjacent operons, and more generally between genes, is tightly related to their capacity to be transcribed en bloc into the same mRNA. We further show that this genome-wide pervasive transcription of adjacent genes and operons is specifically repressed by DNA regions preferentially bound by RNA polymerases, by intrinsic terminators, and by large intergenic distances. Taken together, our findings suggest that the basal coordination of transcription is mediated by the physical entities and mechanical properties of the transcription process itself, and that operon-like behaviors may strongly vary from condition to condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Junier
- CNRS & Université Grenoble Alpes TIMC-IMAG, 38000 Grenoble, France.
| | - E Besray Unal
- Institut für Pathologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Yus
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Verónica Lloréns-Rico
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08002 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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