1
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Guo Q, Liu B, Guo X, Yan P, Cao B, Liu R, Liu X. Characterization and application of LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 as potential biocontrol agents against planktonic and biofilm cells of common pathogenic bacteria. Int J Food Microbiol 2024; 425:110848. [PMID: 39208563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance represents a global health emergency, necessitating the introduction of novel antimicrobial agents. In the present study, lysozyme and holin from Shigella flexneri 1.1868 phage SGF2, named LysSGF2 and HolSGF2, respectively, were cloned, expressed, and characterized. LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 showed lytic activities against S. flexneri 1.1868 cells at 4-55 °C and pH 3.1-10.3. LysSGF2 exhibited antimicrobial activity against five gram-negative and two gram-positive bacteria. HolSGF2 showed antimicrobial activity against four gram-negative and one gram-positive species. The antibacterial activities of LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 were determined in liquid beverages, including bottled water and milk. The relative lytic activity of LysSGF2 combined with HolSGF2 against the tested bacteria was approximately 46-77 % in water. Furthermore, the combination markedly decreased the viable counts of tested bacteria by approximately 3-5 log CFU/mL. LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 could efficiently remove biofilms on polystyrene, glass, and stainless-steel. The efficacy of the LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 combination against the tested bacteria on polystyrene was 58-71 %. Combination treatment effectively killed biofilm cells formed on stainless-steel and glass by 1-4 log CFU/mL. ese results indicate that LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 can successfully control both the planktonic and biofilm cells of common pathogenic bacteria, suggesting that the combined or single use of LysSGF2 and HolSGF2 may be of great value in food processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiucui Guo
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Bingxin Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Guo
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Peihan Yan
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Bing Cao
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Ruyin Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China.
| | - Xinchun Liu
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China.
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2
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Bai S, Luo H, Tong H, Wu Y, Yuan Y. Advances on transfer and maintenance of large DNA in bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 76:108421. [PMID: 39127411 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Advances in synthetic biology allow the design and manipulation of DNA from the scale of genes to genomes, enabling the engineering of complex genetic information for application in biomanufacturing, biomedicine and other areas. The transfer and subsequent maintenance of large DNA are two core steps in large scale genome rewriting. Compared to small DNA, the high molecular weight and fragility of large DNA make its transfer and maintenance a challenging process. This review outlines the methods currently available for transferring and maintaining large DNA in bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells. It highlights their mechanisms, capabilities and applications. The transfer methods are categorized into general methods (e.g., electroporation, conjugative transfer, induced cell fusion-mediated transfer, and chemical transformation) and specialized methods (e.g., natural transformation, mating-based transfer, virus-mediated transfection) based on their applicability to recipient cells. The maintenance methods are classified into genomic integration (e.g., CRISPR/Cas-assisted insertion) and episomal maintenance (e.g., artificial chromosomes). Additionally, this review identifies the major technological advantages and disadvantages of each method and discusses the development for large DNA transfer and maintenance technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Bai
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072 Tianjin, China; Frontiers Research Institute for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Han Luo
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072 Tianjin, China; Frontiers Research Institute for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Hanze Tong
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072 Tianjin, China; Frontiers Research Institute for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yi Wu
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072 Tianjin, China; Frontiers Research Institute for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. @tju.edu.cn
| | - Yingjin Yuan
- Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, 300072 Tianjin, China; Frontiers Research Institute for Synthetic Biology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
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3
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Sun Z, Hong W, Xue C, Dong N. A comprehensive review of antibiotic resistance gene contamination in agriculture: Challenges and AI-driven solutions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 953:175971. [PMID: 39236811 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2024] [Revised: 08/24/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Since their discovery, the prolonged and widespread use of antibiotics in veterinary and agricultural production has led to numerous problems, particularly the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). In addition, other anthropogenic factors accelerate the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and amplify their impact. In agricultural environments, animals, manure, and wastewater are the vectors of ARGs that facilitate their spread to the environment and humans via animal products, water, and other environmental pathways. Therefore, this review comprehensively analyzed the current status, removal methods, and future directions of ARGs on farms. This article 1) investigates the origins of ARGs on farms, the pathways and mechanisms of their spread to surrounding environments, and various strategies to mitigate their spread; 2) determines the multiple factors influencing the abundance of ARGs on farms, the pathways through which ARGs spread from farms to the environment, and the effects and mechanisms of non-antibiotic factors on the spread of ARGs; 3) explores methods for controlling ARGs in farm wastes; and 4) provides a comprehensive summary and integration of research across various fields, proposing that in modern smart farms, emerging technologies can be integrated through artificial intelligence to control or even eliminate ARGs. Moreover, challenges and future research directions for controlling ARGs on farms are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhendong Sun
- The Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, PR China
| | - Weichen Hong
- The Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, PR China
| | - Chenyu Xue
- The Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, PR China
| | - Na Dong
- The Laboratory of Molecular Nutrition and Immunity, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, PR China.
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4
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He W, Russel J, Klincke F, Nesme J, Sørensen SJ. Insights into the ecology of the infant gut plasmidome. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6924. [PMID: 39138199 PMCID: PMC11322291 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51398-3] [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: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are small DNA molecules that enable bacteria to share beneficial traits, influencing microbial communities. However, their role within the human gut microbiome remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the gut microbiomes of 34 mother-child cohorts, employing a plasmid analysis workflow to understand the impact of plasmids on the gut microbiome. We create a plasmid phylogenetic tree, devise a method for assigning plasmid hosts, and examine potential plasmid transfer networks. Our research discovers a wide variety of previously unidentified plasmid sequences, indicating that current databases do not fully represent the gut plasmidome. Interestingly, infants display greater plasmid diversity compared to mothers and other healthy adults. We find that Bacteroidota, a major bacterial phylum, serves as the primary host for gut plasmids and plays a dominant role in gut plasmid transfer events. Additionally, plasmids broaden the genetic capabilities of bacteria, with their influence on bacterial function becoming more apparent as children's gut microbiomes develop. This study sheds light on the role of plasmids in the infant gut microbiome, making a significant contribution to our understanding of plasmid biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanli He
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jakob Russel
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Franziska Klincke
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Joseph Nesme
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Søren Johannes Sørensen
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Parra B, Lutz VT, Brøndsted L, Carmona JL, Palomo A, Nesme J, Van Hung Le V, Smets BF, Dechesne A. Characterization and Abundance of Plasmid-Dependent Alphatectivirus Bacteriophages. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2024; 87:85. [PMID: 38935220 PMCID: PMC11211187 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-024-02401-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health threat, exacerbated by the ability of bacteria to rapidly disseminate antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG). Since conjugative plasmids of the incompatibility group P (IncP) are ubiquitous mobile genetic elements that often carry ARG and are broad-host-range, they are important targets to prevent the dissemination of AMR. Plasmid-dependent phages infect plasmid-carrying bacteria by recognizing components of the conjugative secretion system as receptors. We sought to isolate plasmid-dependent phages from wastewater using an avirulent strain of Salmonella enterica carrying the conjugative IncP plasmid pKJK5. Irrespective of the site, we only obtained bacteriophages belonging to the genus Alphatectivirus. Eleven isolates were sequenced, their genomes analyzed, and their host range established using S. enterica, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas putida carrying diverse conjugative plasmids. We confirmed that Alphatectivirus are abundant in domestic and hospital wastewater using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. However, these results are not consistent with their low or undetectable occurrence in metagenomes. Therefore, overall, our results emphasize the importance of performing phage isolation to uncover diversity, especially considering the potential of plasmid-dependent phages to reduce the spread of ARG carried by conjugative plasmids, and to help combat the AMR crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Parra
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- Laboratorio de Investigación de Agentes Antibacterianos (LIAA), Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía, Universidad de las Américas, Concepción, Chile
| | - Veronika T Lutz
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lone Brøndsted
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Javiera L Carmona
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Palomo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Joseph Nesme
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vuong Van Hung Le
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Barth F Smets
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Arnaud Dechesne
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofs Plads, Building 221, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark.
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Muñoz-Gutiérrez I, Cantu L, Shanahan J, Girguis M, de la Cruz M, Mota-Bravo L. Cryptic environmental conjugative plasmid recruits a novel hybrid transposon resulting in a new plasmid with higher dispersion potential. mSphere 2024; 9:e0025224. [PMID: 38771049 PMCID: PMC11332342 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00252-24] [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: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Cryptic conjugative plasmids lack antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). These plasmids can capture ARGs from the vast pool of the environmental metagenome, but the mechanism to recruit ARGs remains to be elucidated. To investigate the recruitment of ARGs by a cryptic plasmid, we sequenced and conducted mating experiments with Escherichia coli SW4848 (collected from a lake) that has a cryptic IncX (IncX4) plasmid and an IncF (IncFII/IncFIIB) plasmid with five genes that confer resistance to aminoglycosides (strA and strB), sulfonamides (sul2), tetracycline [tet(A)], and trimethoprim (dfrA5). In a conjugation experiment, a novel hybrid Tn21/Tn1721 transposon of 22,570 bp (designated Tn7714) carrying the five ARG mobilized spontaneously from the IncF plasmid to the cryptic IncX plasmid. The IncF plasmid was found to be conjugative when it was electroporated into E. coli DH10B (without the IncX plasmid). Two parallel conjugations with the IncF and the new IncX (carrying the novel Tn7714 transposon) plasmids in two separate E. coli DH10B as donors and E. coli J53 as the recipient revealed that the conjugation rate of the new IncX plasmid (with the novel Tn7714 transposon and five ARGs) is more than two orders of magnitude larger than the IncF plasmid. For the first time, this study shows experimental evidence that cryptic environmental plasmids can capture and transfer transposons with ARGs to other bacteria, creating novel multidrug-resistant conjugative plasmids with higher dispersion potential. IMPORTANCE Cryptic conjugative plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules without antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). Environmental bacteria carrying cryptic plasmids with a high conjugation rate threaten public health because they can capture clinically relevant ARGs and rapidly spread them to pathogenic bacteria. However, the mechanism to recruit ARG by cryptic conjugative plasmids in environmental bacteria has not been observed experimentally. Here, we document the first translocation of a transposon with multiple clinically relevant ARGs to a cryptic environmental conjugative plasmid. The new multidrug-resistant conjugative plasmid has a conjugation rate that is two orders of magnitude higher than the original plasmid that carries the ARG (i.e., the new plasmid from the environment can spread ARG more than two orders of magnitude faster). Our work illustrates the importance of studying the mobilization of ARGs in environmental bacteria. It sheds light on how cryptic conjugative plasmids recruit ARGs, a phenomenon at the root of the antibiotic crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Muñoz-Gutiérrez
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Luis Cantu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Jack Shanahan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Miray Girguis
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Marlene de la Cruz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Luis Mota-Bravo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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7
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Meng J, Ding J, Wang W, Gu B, Zhou F, Wu D, Fu X, Liu J. Reversal of gentamicin sulfate resistance in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli by matrine combined with berberine hydrochloride. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:292. [PMID: 38849633 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-04021-4] [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: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, the evolution of antibiotic resistance has led to the inefficacy of several antibiotics, and the reverse of resistance was a novel method to solve this problem. We previously demonstrated that matrine (Mat) and berberine hydrochloride (Ber) had a synergistic effect against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (MDREC). This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of Mat combined with Ber in reversing the resistance of MDREC. The MDREC was sequenced passaged in the presence of Mat, Ber, and a combination of Mat and Ber, which did not affect its growth. The reverse rate was up to 39.67% after MDREC exposed to Mat + Ber for 15 days. The strain that reversed resistance was named drug resistance reversed E. coli (DRREC) and its resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, gentamicin, and tetracycline was reversed. The MIC of Gentamicin Sulfate (GS) against DRREC decreased 128-fold to 0.63 µg/mL, and it was stable within 20 generations. Furthermore, the susceptible phenotype of DRREC remained stable within 20 generations, as well. The LD50 of DRREC for chickens was 8.69 × 109 CFU/mL. qRT-PCR assays revealed that the transcript levels of antibiotic-resistant genes and virulence genes in the DRREC strain were significantly lower than that in the MDREC strain (P < 0.05). In addition, GS decreased the death, decreased the bacterial loading in organs, alleviated the injury of the spleen and liver, and decreased the cytokine levels in the chickens infected by the DRREC strain. In contrast, the therapeutic effect of GS in chickens infected with MDREC was not as evident. These findings suggest that the combination of Mat and Ber has potential for reversing resistance to MDREC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwu Meng
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Jinxue Ding
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Weiran Wang
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Bolin Gu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Fanting Zhou
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Desheng Wu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Xiang Fu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China
| | - Jiaguo Liu
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety and Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, P R China.
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Moussa J, Gargallo-Viola D, Thomsen LE. A novel high-throughput screening method for identifying compounds that inhibit plasmid conjugation. MethodsX 2024; 12:102740. [PMID: 38737486 PMCID: PMC11087957 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmid conjugation is an important contributing factor to the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria, posing a significant global health threat. Our method introduces an innovative high-throughput screening approach to identify compounds that inhibit or reduce conjugation, addressing the need for new strategies against the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Using Escherichia coli strains as donor and recipient, we screened 3500 compounds from a library provided by ABAC Therapeutics. Each 96 -well plate was loaded with 88 different compounds and bacterial cultures. Every plate also included negative and positive controls of conjugation. After an hour, cultures from wells were spotted on agar plates and assessed visually. Compounds that showed a visible effect on conjugation were retested. Six compounds targeting conjugation were found, showing promise for further analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Moussa
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | - Line Elnif Thomsen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
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9
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Zhu DM, Yan YS, Wang H, Zhong Y, Inam, Gao YH, Li GM, Mu GD, Dong HF, Li Y, Liu DK, Ma HX, Kong LC. Transmission of human-pet antibiotic resistance via aerosols in pet hospitals of Changchun. One Health 2024; 18:100765. [PMID: 38855194 PMCID: PMC11157275 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, aerosols have been recognized as a prominent medium for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes. Among these, particles with a particle size of 2 μm (PM2.5) can directly penetrate the alveoli. However, the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes in aerosols from pet hospitals and the potential risks posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in these aerosols to humans and animals need to be investigated. In this study, cefotaxime-resistant bacteria were collected from 5 representative pet hospitals in Changchun using a Six-Stage Andersen Cascade Impactor. The distribution of bacteria in each stage was analyzed, and bacteria from stage 5 and 6 were isolated and identified. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of isolates against 12 antimicrobials were determined using broth microdilution method. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction was employed to detect resistance genes and mobile genetic elements that could facilitate resistance spread. The results indicated that ARBs were enriched in stage 5 (1.1-2.1 μm) and stage 3 (3.3-4.7 μm) of the sampler. A total of 159 isolates were collected from stage 5 and 6. Among these isolates, the genera Enterococcus spp. (51%), Staphylococcus spp. (19%), and Bacillus spp. (14%) were the most prevalent. The isolates exhibited the highest resistance to tetracycline and the lowest resistance to cefquinome. Furthermore, 56 (73%) isolates were multidrug-resistant. Quantitative PCR revealed the expression of 165 genes in these isolates, with mobile genetic elements showing the highest expression levels. In conclusion, PM2.5 from pet hospitals harbor a significant number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and carry mobile genetic elements, posing a potential risk for alveolar infections and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dao Mi Zhu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Ya Song Yan
- The Key Laboratory of New Veterinary Drug Research and Development of Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Hao Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Yue Zhong
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Inam
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Yun Hang Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Gong Mei Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Guo Dong Mu
- Jilin Provincial Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Jilin Animal Husbandry Building, Xi'an Road No. 4510, Changchun, PR China
| | - Hui Feng Dong
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biological Feed Additive Enterprise, S&E Burgeoning Biotechnology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd, No.27, Shengda Second Branch Road, Wangwenzhuang Industrial Park, Xiqing District, Tianjin 300383, PR China
| | - Yuan Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biological Feed Additive Enterprise, S&E Burgeoning Biotechnology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd, No.27, Shengda Second Branch Road, Wangwenzhuang Industrial Park, Xiqing District, Tianjin 300383, PR China
| | - Ding Kuo Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biological Feed Additive Enterprise, S&E Burgeoning Biotechnology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd, No.27, Shengda Second Branch Road, Wangwenzhuang Industrial Park, Xiqing District, Tianjin 300383, PR China
| | - Hong Xia Ma
- The Engineering Research Center of Bioreactor and Drug Development, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
- The Key Laboratory of New Veterinary Drug Research and Development of Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
| | - Ling Cong Kong
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
- The Key Laboratory of New Veterinary Drug Research and Development of Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun 130118, PR China
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10
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Elg CA, Mack E, Rolfsmeier M, McLean TC, Kosterlitz O, Soderling E, Narum S, Rowley PA, Thomas CM, Top EM. Evolution of a Plasmid Regulatory Circuit Ameliorates Plasmid Fitness Cost. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.579024. [PMID: 38370613 PMCID: PMC10871194 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.579024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Plasmids play a major role in rapid adaptation of bacteria by facilitating horizontal transfer of diverse genes, most notably those conferring antibiotic resistance. While most plasmids that replicate in a broad range of bacteria also persist well in diverse hosts, there are exceptions that are poorly understood. We investigated why a broad-host range plasmid, pBP136, originally found in clinical Bordetella pertussis isolates, quickly became extinct in laboratory Escherichia coli populations. Through experimental evolution we found that inactivation of a previously uncharacterized plasmid gene, upf31, drastically improved plasmid maintenance in E. coli. This gene inactivation resulted in decreased transcription of the global plasmid regulators (korA, korB, and korC) and numerous genes in their regulons. It also caused transcriptional changes in many chromosomal genes primarily related to metabolism. In silico analyses suggested that the change in plasmid transcriptome may be initiated by Upf31 interacting with the plasmid regulator KorB. Expression of upf31 in trans negatively affected persistence of pBP136Δupf31 as well as the closely related archetypal IncP-1β plasmid R751, which is stable in E. coli and natively encodes a truncated upf31 allele. Our results demonstrate that while the upf31 allele in pBP136 might advantageously modulate gene expression in its original host, B. pertussis, it has harmful effects in E. coli. Thus, evolution of a single plasmid gene can change the range of hosts in which that plasmid persists, due to effects on the regulation of plasmid gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clinton A. Elg
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Erin Mack
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Michael Rolfsmeier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Thomas C. McLean
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
| | - Olivia Kosterlitz
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Solana Narum
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Paul A. Rowley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | | | - Eva M. Top
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
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11
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Peng X, Zhou J, Lan Z, Tan R, Chen T, Shi D, Li H, Yang Z, Zhou S, Jin M, Li JW, Yang D. Carbonaceous particulate matter promotes the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2024; 26:915-927. [PMID: 38618896 DOI: 10.1039/d3em00547j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
There is growing concern about the transfer of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in airborne particulate matter. In this study, we investigated the effects of various types of carbonaceous particulate matter (CPM) on the transfer of ARGs in vitro. The results showed that CPM promoted the transfer of ARGs, which was related to the concentration and particle size. Compared with the control group, the transfer frequency was 95.5, 74.7, 65.4, 14.7, and 3.8 times higher in G (graphene), CB (carbon black), NGP (nanographite powder), GP1.6 (graphite powder 1.6 micron), and GP45 (graphite powder 45 micron) groups, respectively. Moreover, the transfer frequency gradually increased with the increase in CPM concentration, while there was a negative relationship between the CPM particle size and conjugative transfer frequency. In addition, the results showed that CPM could promote the transfer of ARGs by increasing ROS, as well as activating the SOS response and expression of conjugative transfer-related genes (trbBp, trfAp, korA, kroB, and trbA). These findings are indicative of the potential risk of CPM for the transfer of ARGs in the environment, enriching our understanding of environmental pollution and further raising awareness of environmental protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuexia Peng
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Jiake Zhou
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Zishu Lan
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Rong Tan
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Tianjiao Chen
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Danyang Shi
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Haibei Li
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Zhongwei Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Shuqing Zhou
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Min Jin
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Jun-Wen Li
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
| | - Dong Yang
- Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, No. 1 Dali Road, Tianjin 300050, P. R. China.
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12
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Malaterre C. Is Life Binary or Gradual? Life (Basel) 2024; 14:564. [PMID: 38792586 PMCID: PMC11121977 DOI: 10.3390/life14050564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The binary nature of life is deeply ingrained in daily experiences, evident in the stark distinctions between life and death and the living and the inert. While this binary perspective aligns with disciplines like medicine and much of biology, uncertainties emerge in fields such as microbiology, virology, synthetic biology, and systems chemistry, where intermediate entities challenge straightforward classification as living or non-living. This contribution explores the motivations behind both binary and non-binary conceptualizations of life. Despite the perceived necessity to unequivocally define life, especially in the context of origin of life research and astrobiology, mounting evidence indicates a gray area between what is intuitively clearly alive and what is distinctly not alive. This prompts consideration of a gradualist perspective, depicting life as a spectrum with varying degrees of "lifeness". Given the current state of science, the existence or not of a definite threshold remains open. Nevertheless, shifts in epistemic granularity and epistemic perspective influence the framing of the question, and scientific advancements narrow down possible answers: if a threshold exists, it can only be at a finer level than what is intuitively taken as living or non-living. This underscores the need for a more refined distinction between the inanimate and the living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Malaterre
- Département de Philosophie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada;
- Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche sur la Science et la Technologie (CIRST), Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
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13
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Zorea A, Pellow D, Levin L, Pilosof S, Friedman J, Shamir R, Mizrahi I. Plasmids in the human gut reveal neutral dispersal and recombination that is overpowered by inflammatory diseases. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3147. [PMID: 38605009 PMCID: PMC11009399 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47272-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are pivotal in driving bacterial evolution through horizontal gene transfer. Here, we investigated 3467 human gut microbiome samples across continents and disease states, analyzing 11,086 plasmids. Our analyses reveal that plasmid dispersal is predominantly stochastic, indicating neutral processes as the primary driver of their wide distribution. We find that only 20-25% of plasmid DNA is being selected in various disease states, constraining its distribution across hosts. Selective pressures shape specific plasmid segments with distinct ecological functions, influenced by plasmid mobilization lifestyle, antibiotic usage, and inflammatory gut diseases. Notably, these elements are more commonly shared within groups of individuals with similar health conditions, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), regardless of geographic location across continents. These segments contain essential genes such as iron transport mechanisms- a distinctive gut signature of IBD that impacts the severity of inflammation. Our findings shed light on mechanisms driving plasmid dispersal and selection in the human gut, highlighting their role as carriers of vital gene pools impacting bacterial hosts and ecosystem dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvah Zorea
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - David Pellow
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Liron Levin
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, llse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Shai Pilosof
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Jonathan Friedman
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ron Shamir
- Blavatnik School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Itzhak Mizrahi
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
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14
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Moreira da Silva J, Menezes J, Fernandes L, Santos Costa S, Amaral A, Pomba C. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales strains causing infections in companion animals-Portugal. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0341623. [PMID: 38446073 PMCID: PMC10986603 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03416-23] [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: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
An increase in Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenem-resistant human nosocomial strains is occurring in Europe, namely with the blaOXA-48-like and blaKPC-like genes. We determined the prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales clinical strains in companion animals in Portugal and characterized their mobile genetic elements. Susceptibility data of a consecutive collection of 977 Enterobacterales clinical strains from a Portuguese private veterinary diagnostic laboratory were evaluated (January-December 2020). Additional phenotypical and genotypical assays were performed in a subset of 261 strains with a resistant phenotype. Whole-genome sequencing was performed for carbapenemase-producing strains. The frequency of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales clinical strains in companion animals in Portugal was 0.51% (n = 5/977). Thus, five strains were characterized: (i) one OXA-181-producing K. pneumoniae ST273, (ii) two KPC-3-producing K. pneumoniae ST147; (iii) one KPC-3-producing K. pneumoniae ST392; and (iv) one OXA-48-producing E. coli ST127. The blaKPC-3 gene was located on transposon Tn4401d on IncFIA type plasmid for the K. pneumoniae ST147 strains and on a IncN-type plasmid for the K. pneumoniae ST392 strain, while blaOXA-181 gene was located on an IncX3 plasmid. All de novo assembled plasmids and plasmid-encoded transposons harboring carbapenemase genes were homologous to those previously described in the human healthcare. No plasmid replicons were detected on the OXA-48-producing E. coli ST127. The dissemination of carbapenem resistance is occurring horizontally via plasmid spreading from the human high burden carbapenem resistance setting to the companion animal sector. Furthermore, companion animals may act as reservoirs of carbapenem resistance. Implementation of carbapenemase detection methods in routine clinical veterinary microbiology is urgently needed. IMPORTANCE This is the first study on the prevalence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) clinical strains from companion animals in Portugal. Despite the generally low prevalence of CPE in companion animals, it is imperative for veterinary diagnostic laboratories to employ diagnostic methods for carbapenemase detection. The resemblance found in the mobile genetic elements transporting carbapenemase genes between veterinary medicine and human medicine implies a potential circulation within a One Health framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Moreira da Silva
- CIISA—Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- AL4AnimalS—Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Juliana Menezes
- CIISA—Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- AL4AnimalS—Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Laura Fernandes
- CIISA—Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- AL4AnimalS—Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Sofia Santos Costa
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreia Amaral
- CIISA—Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- AL4AnimalS—Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Constança Pomba
- CIISA—Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- AL4AnimalS—Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Vila Real, Portugal
- Genevet, Veterinary Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Carnaxide, Portugal
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15
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Haudiquet M, Le Bris J, Nucci A, Bonnin RA, Domingo-Calap P, Rocha EPC, Rendueles O. Capsules and their traits shape phage susceptibility and plasmid conjugation efficiency. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2032. [PMID: 38448399 PMCID: PMC10918111 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46147-5] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial evolution is affected by mobile genetic elements like phages and conjugative plasmids, offering new adaptive traits while incurring fitness costs. Their infection is affected by the bacterial capsule. Yet, its importance has been difficult to quantify because of the high diversity of confounding mechanisms in bacterial genomes such as anti-viral systems and surface receptor modifications. Swapping capsule loci between Klebsiella pneumoniae strains allowed us to quantify their impact on plasmid and phage infection independently of genetic background. Capsule swaps systematically invert phage susceptibility, revealing serotypes as key determinants of phage infection. Capsule types also influence conjugation efficiency in both donor and recipient cells, a mechanism shaped by capsule volume and conjugative pilus structure. Comparative genomics confirmed that more permissive serotypes in the lab correspond to the strains acquiring more conjugative plasmids in nature. The least capsule-sensitive pili (F-like) are the most frequent in the species' plasmids, and are the only ones associated with both antibiotic resistance and virulence factors, driving the convergence between virulence and antibiotics resistance in the population. These results show how traits of cellular envelopes define slow and fast lanes of infection by mobile genetic elements, with implications for population dynamics and horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Haudiquet
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, 75015, France.
- Ecole Doctoral FIRE-Programme Bettencourt, CRI, Paris, France.
| | - Julie Le Bris
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, 75015, France
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, Ecole Doctorale Complexité du Vivant, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Amandine Nucci
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, 75015, France
| | - Rémy A Bonnin
- Team Resist UMR1184 Université Paris Saclay, CEA, Inserm, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France
- Service de bactériologie, Hôpital Bicêtre, Université Paris Saclay, AP-HP, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France
- Centre National de Référence Associé de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France
| | - Pilar Domingo-Calap
- Instituto de Biología Integrativa de Sistemas, Universitat de València-CSIC, 46980, Paterna, Spain
| | - Eduardo P C Rocha
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, 75015, France.
| | - Olaya Rendueles
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3525, Microbial Evolutionary Genomics, Paris, 75015, France.
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16
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Klose SM, Legione AR, Bushell RN, Browning GF, Vaz PK. Unveiling genome plasticity and a novel phage in Mycoplasma felis: Genomic investigations of four feline isolates. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001227. [PMID: 38546735 PMCID: PMC11004492 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001227] [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: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma felis has been isolated from diseased cats and horses, but to date only a single fully assembled genome of this species, of an isolate from a horse, has been characterized. This study aimed to characterize and compare the completely assembled genomes of four clinical isolates of M. felis from three domestic cats, assembled with the aid of short- and long-read sequencing methods. The completed genomes encoded a median of 759 ORFs (range 743-777) and had a median average nucleotide identity of 98.2 % with the genome of the available equid origin reference strain. Comparative genomic analysis revealed the occurrence of multiple horizontal gene transfer events and significant genome reassortment. This had resulted in the acquisition or loss of numerous genes within the Australian felid isolate genomes, encoding putative proteins involved in DNA transfer, metabolism, DNA replication, host cell interaction and restriction modification systems. Additionally, a novel mycoplasma phage was detected in one Australian felid M. felis isolate by genomic analysis and visualized using cryo-transmission electron microscopy. This study has highlighted the complex genomic dynamics in different host environments. Furthermore, the sequences obtained in this work will enable the development of new diagnostic tools, and identification of future infection control and treatment options for the respiratory disease complex in cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M. Klose
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, NRW, Germany
| | - Alistair R. Legione
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Rhys N. Bushell
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Glenn F. Browning
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Paola K. Vaz
- Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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17
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Paganini JA, Kerkvliet JJ, Vader L, Plantinga NL, Meneses R, Corander J, Willems RJL, Arredondo-Alonso S, Schürch AC. PlasmidEC and gplas2: an optimized short-read approach to predict and reconstruct antibiotic resistance plasmids in Escherichia coli. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001193. [PMID: 38376388 PMCID: PMC10926690 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Accurate reconstruction of Escherichia coli antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) plasmids from Illumina sequencing data has proven to be a challenge with current bioinformatic tools. In this work, we present an improved method to reconstruct E. coli plasmids using short reads. We developed plasmidEC, an ensemble classifier that identifies plasmid-derived contigs by combining the output of three different binary classification tools. We showed that plasmidEC is especially suited to classify contigs derived from ARG plasmids with a high recall of 0.941. Additionally, we optimized gplas, a graph-based tool that bins plasmid-predicted contigs into distinct plasmid predictions. Gplas2 is more effective at recovering plasmids with large sequencing coverage variations and can be combined with the output of any binary classifier. The combination of plasmidEC with gplas2 showed a high completeness (median=0.818) and F1-Score (median=0.812) when reconstructing ARG plasmids and exceeded the binning capacity of the reference-based method MOB-suite. In the absence of long-read data, our method offers an excellent alternative to reconstruct ARG plasmids in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian A. Paganini
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jesse J. Kerkvliet
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lisa Vader
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nienke L. Plantinga
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rodrigo Meneses
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Helsinki Institute of Information Technology, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rob J. L. Willems
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sergio Arredondo-Alonso
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anita C. Schürch
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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18
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Murata T, Gotoh Y, Hayashi T. A comprehensive list of genes required for the efficient conjugation of plasmid Rts1 was determined by systematic deletion analysis. DNA Res 2024; 31:dsae002. [PMID: 38300630 PMCID: PMC10838148 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
While conjugation-related genes have been identified in many plasmids by genome sequencing, functional analyses have not yet been performed in most cases, and a full set of conjugation genes has been identified for only a few plasmids. Rts1, a prototype IncT plasmid, is a conjugative plasmid that was originally isolated from Proteus vulgaris. Here, we conducted a systematic deletion analysis of Rts1 to fully understand its conjugation system. Through this analysis along with complementation assays, we identified 32 genes that are required for the efficient conjugation of Rts1 from Escherichia coli to E. coli. In addition, the functions of the 28 genes were determined or predicted; 21 were involved in mating-pair formation, three were involved in DNA transfer and replication, including a relaxase gene belonging to the MOBH12 family, one was involved in coupling, and three were involved in transcriptional regulation. Among the functionally well-analysed conjugation systems, most of the 28 genes showed the highest similarity to those of the SXT element, which is an integrative conjugative element of Vibrio cholerae. The Rts1 conjugation gene set included all 23 genes required for the SXT system. Two groups of plasmids with conjugation systems nearly identical or very similar to that of Rts1 were also identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Murata
- Department of Pediatrics, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Mizonokuchi Hospital, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-8507, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Gotoh
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Hayashi
- Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
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19
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Abebe AA, Birhanu AG. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Drug Resistance Development and Novel Strategies to Combat. Infect Drug Resist 2023; 16:7641-7662. [PMID: 38111667 PMCID: PMC10726795 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s428103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a major threat to global health. Infection caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the well-recognized global public health problem globally. In some regions, as many as 90% of S. aureus infections are reported to be MRSA, which cannot be treated with standard antibiotics. WHO reports indicated that MRSA is circulating in every province worldwide, significantly increasing the risk of death by 64% compared to drug-sensitive forms of the infection which is attributed to its antibiotic resistance. The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant MRSA strains have contributed to its increased prevalence in both healthcare and community settings. The resistance of S. aureus to methicillin is due to expression of penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which renders it impervious to the action of β-lactam antibiotics including methicillin. The other is through the production of beta-lactamases. Although the treatment options for MRSA are limited, there are promising alternatives to antibiotics to combat the infections. Innovative therapeutic strategies with wide range of activity and modes of action are yet to be explored. The review highlights the global challenges posed by MRSA, elucidates the mechanisms underlying its resistance development, and explores mitigation strategies. Furthermore, it focuses on alternative therapies such as bacteriophages, immunotherapy, nanobiotics, and antimicrobial peptides, emphasizing their synergistic effects and efficacy against MRSA. By examining these alternative approaches, this review provides insights into the potential strategies for tackling MRSA infections and combatting the escalating threat of AMR. Ultimately, a multifaceted approach encompassing both conventional and novel interventions is imperative to mitigate the impact of MRSA and ensure a sustainable future for global healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assefa Asnakew Abebe
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Medical laboratory Sciences, Institute of Health, Bule Hora University, Bule Hora, Ethiopia
| | - Alemayehu Godana Birhanu
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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20
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AL-Muzahmi M, Rizvi M, AL-Quraini M, AL-Muharrmi Z, AL-Jabri Z. Comparative Genomic Analysis Reveals the Emergence of ST-231 and ST-395 Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Associated with the High Transmissibility of blaKPC Plasmids. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2411. [PMID: 37894068 PMCID: PMC10608898 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Conjugative transposons in Gram-negative bacteria have a significant role in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance-conferring genes between bacteria. This study aims to genomically characterize plasmids and conjugative transposons carrying integrons in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The genetic composition of conjugative transposons and phenotypic assessment of 50 multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates from a tertiary-care hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman, were investigated. Horizontal transferability was investigated by filter mating conjugation experiments. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to determine the sequence type (ST), acquired resistome, and plasmidome of integron-carrying strains. Class 1 integrons were detected in 96% of isolates and, among integron-positive isolates, 18 stains contained variable regions. Horizontal transferability by conjugation confirmed the successful transfer of integrons between cells and WGS confirmed their presence in conjugative plasmids. Dihydrofolate reductase (dfrA14) was the most prevalent (34.8%) gene cassette in class 1 integrons. MLST analysis detected predominantly ST-231 and ST-395. BlaOXA-232 and blaCTX-M-15 were the most frequently detected carbapenemases and beta-lactamases in the sequenced isolates. This study highlighted the high transmissibility of MDR-conferring conjugative plasmids in clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae. Therefore, the wise use of antibiotics and the adherence to effective infection control measures are necessary to limit the further dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meher Rizvi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman;
| | - Munawr AL-Quraini
- Microbiology and Immunology Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat 123, Oman; (M.A.-Q.); (Z.A.-M.)
| | - Zakariya AL-Muharrmi
- Microbiology and Immunology Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat 123, Oman; (M.A.-Q.); (Z.A.-M.)
| | - Zaaima AL-Jabri
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman;
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21
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Tang X, Shang J, Ji Y, Sun Y. PLASMe: a tool to identify PLASMid contigs from short-read assemblies using transformer. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:e83. [PMID: 37427782 PMCID: PMC10450166 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are mobile genetic elements that carry important accessory genes. Cataloging plasmids is a fundamental step to elucidate their roles in promoting horizontal gene transfer between bacteria. Next generation sequencing (NGS) is the main source for discovering new plasmids today. However, NGS assembly programs tend to return contigs, making plasmid detection difficult. This problem is particularly grave for metagenomic assemblies, which contain short contigs of heterogeneous origins. Available tools for plasmid contig detection still suffer from some limitations. In particular, alignment-based tools tend to miss diverged plasmids while learning-based tools often have lower precision. In this work, we develop a plasmid detection tool PLASMe that capitalizes on the strength of alignment and learning-based methods. Closely related plasmids can be easily identified using the alignment component in PLASMe while diverged plasmids can be predicted using order-specific Transformer models. By encoding plasmid sequences as a language defined on the protein cluster-based token set, Transformer can learn the importance of proteins and their correlation through positionally token embedding and the attention mechanism. We compared PLASMe and other tools on detecting complete plasmids, plasmid contigs, and contigs assembled from CAMI2 simulated data. PLASMe achieved the highest F1-score. After validating PLASMe on data with known labels, we also tested it on real metagenomic and plasmidome data. The examination of some commonly used marker genes shows that PLASMe exhibits more reliable performance than other tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xubo Tang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jiayu Shang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yongxin Ji
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yanni Sun
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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22
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Alav I, Buckner MMC. Non-antibiotic compounds associated with humans and the environment can promote horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes. Crit Rev Microbiol 2023:1-18. [PMID: 37462915 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2023.2233603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer plays a key role in the global dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR genes are often carried on self-transmissible plasmids, which are shared amongst bacteria primarily by conjugation. Antibiotic use has been a well-established driver of the emergence and spread of AMR. However, the impact of commonly used non-antibiotic compounds and environmental pollutants on AMR spread has been largely overlooked. Recent studies found common prescription and over-the-counter drugs, artificial sweeteners, food preservatives, and environmental pollutants, can increase the conjugative transfer of AMR plasmids. The potential mechanisms by which these compounds promote plasmid transmission include increased membrane permeability, upregulation of plasmid transfer genes, formation of reactive oxygen species, and SOS response gene induction. Many questions remain around the impact of most non-antibiotic compounds on AMR plasmid conjugation in clinical isolates and the long-term impact on AMR dissemination. By elucidating the role of routinely used pharmaceuticals, food additives, and pollutants in the dissemination of AMR, action can be taken to mitigate their impact by closely monitoring use and disposal. This review will discuss recent progress on understanding the influence of non-antibiotic compounds on plasmid transmission, the mechanisms by which they promote transfer, and the level of risk they pose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilyas Alav
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Michelle M C Buckner
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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23
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Li L, Liu Y, Xiao Q, Xiao Z, Meng D, Yang Z, Deng W, Yin H, Liu Z. Dissecting the HGT network of carbon metabolic genes in soil-borne microbiota. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1173748. [PMID: 37485539 PMCID: PMC10361621 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1173748] [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: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbiota inhabiting soil plays a significant role in essential life-supporting element cycles. Here, we investigated the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and established the HGT network of carbon metabolic genes in 764 soil-borne microbiota genomes. Our study sheds light on the crucial role of HGT components in microbiological diversification that could have far-reaching implications in understanding how these microbial communities adapt to changing environments, ultimately impacting agricultural practices. In the overall HGT network of carbon metabolic genes in soil-borne microbiota, a total of 6,770 nodes and 3,812 edges are present. Among these nodes, phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, and Firmicutes are predominant. Regarding specific classes, Actinobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, Actinomycetia, Betaproteobacteria, and Clostridia are dominant. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional assignments of glycosyltransferase (18.5%), glycolysis/gluconeogenesis (8.8%), carbohydrate-related transporter (7.9%), fatty acid biosynthesis (6.5%), benzoate degradation (3.1%) and butanoate metabolism (3.0%) are primarily identified. Glycosyltransferase involved in cell wall biosynthesis, glycosylation, and primary/secondary metabolism (with 363 HGT entries), ranks first overwhelmingly in the list of most frequently identified carbon metabolic HGT enzymes, followed by pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester carboxylesterase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase. Such HGT events mainly occur in the peripheral functions of the carbon metabolic pathway instead of the core section. The inter-microbe HGT genetic traits in soil-borne microbiota genetic sequences that we recognized, as well as their involvement in the metabolism and regulation processes of carbon organic, suggest a pervasive and substantial effect of HGT on the evolution of microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangzhi Li
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yongjun Liu
- Hunan Tobacco Science Institute, Changsha, China
| | - Qinzhi Xiao
- Yongzhou Tobacco Company of Hunan Province, Yongzhou, China
| | - Zhipeng Xiao
- Hengyang Tobacco Company of Hunan Province, Hengyang, China
| | - Delong Meng
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhaoyue Yang
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wenqiao Deng
- Changsha Institute of Agricultural Science, Changsha, China
| | - Huaqun Yin
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhenghua Liu
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
- Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, China
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24
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Witzany C, Rolff J, Regoes RR, Igler C. The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling framework as a tool to predict drug resistance evolution. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001368. [PMID: 37522891 PMCID: PMC10433423 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) models, which describe how drug concentrations change over time and how that affects pathogen growth, have proven highly valuable in designing optimal drug treatments aimed at bacterial eradication. However, the fast rise of antimicrobial resistance calls for increased focus on an additional treatment optimization criterion: avoidance of resistance evolution. We demonstrate here how coupling PKPD and population genetics models can be used to determine treatment regimens that minimize the potential for antimicrobial resistance evolution. Importantly, the resulting modelling framework enables the assessment of resistance evolution in response to dynamic selection pressures, including changes in antimicrobial concentration and the emergence of adaptive phenotypes. Using antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides as an example, we discuss the empirical evidence and intuition behind individual model parameters. We further suggest several extensions of this framework that allow a more comprehensive and realistic prediction of bacterial escape from antimicrobials through various phenotypic and genetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jens Rolff
- Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland R. Regoes
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Igler
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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25
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Murthy AC, Aleksanyan N, Morton GM, Toyoda HC, Kalashyan M, Chen S, Ragucci AE, Broulidakis MP, Swerdlow KJ, Bui MNN, Muccioli M, Berkmen MB. Characterization of ConE, the VirB4 Homolog of the Integrative and Conjugative Element ICE Bs1 of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0003323. [PMID: 37219457 PMCID: PMC10294652 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00033-23] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Conjugation is a major form of horizontal gene transfer, contributing to bacterial evolution and the acquisition of new traits. During conjugation, a donor cell transfers DNA to a recipient through a specialized DNA translocation channel classified as a type IV secretion system (T4SS). Here, we focused on the T4SS of ICEBs1, an integrative and conjugative element in Bacillus subtilis. ConE, encoded by ICEBs1, is a member of the VirB4 family of ATPases, the most conserved component of T4SSs. ConE is required for conjugation and localizes to the cell membrane, predominantly at the cell poles. In addition to Walker A and B boxes, VirB4 homologs have conserved ATPase motifs C, D, and E. Here, we created alanine substitutions in five conserved residues within or near ATPase motifs in ConE. Mutations in all five residues drastically decreased conjugation frequency but did not affect ConE protein levels or localization, indicating that an intact ATPase domain is critical for DNA transfer. Purified ConE is largely monomeric with some oligomers and lacks enzymatic activity, suggesting that ATP hydrolysis may be regulated or require special solution conditions. Finally, we investigated which ICEBs1 T4SS components interact with ConE using a bacterial two-hybrid assay. ConE interacts with itself, ConB, and ConQ, but these interactions are not required to stabilize ConE protein levels and largely do not depend on conserved residues within the ATPase motifs of ConE. The structure-function characterization of ConE provides more insight into this conserved component shared by all T4SSs. IMPORTANCE Conjugation is a major form of horizontal gene transfer and involves the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another through the conjugation machinery. Conjugation contributes to bacterial evolution by disseminating genes involved in antibiotic resistance, metabolism, and virulence. Here, we characterized ConE, a protein component of the conjugation machinery of the conjugative element ICEBs1 of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We found that mutations in the conserved ATPase motifs of ConE disrupt mating but do not alter ConE localization, self-interaction, or levels. We also explored which conjugation proteins ConE interacts with and whether these interactions contribute to stabilizing ConE. Our work contributes to the understanding of the conjugative machinery of Gram-positive bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia C. Murthy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Naira Aleksanyan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Georgeanna M. Morton
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hunter C. Toyoda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Meri Kalashyan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sirui Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adelyn E. Ragucci
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Cancer Immunology and Virology Department, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew P. Broulidakis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kyle J. Swerdlow
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Minh N. N. Bui
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria Muccioli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melanie B. Berkmen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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26
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Mayo-Muñoz D, Pinilla-Redondo R, Birkholz N, Fineran PC. A host of armor: Prokaryotic immune strategies against mobile genetic elements. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112672. [PMID: 37347666 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic adaptation is strongly influenced by the horizontal acquisition of beneficial traits via mobile genetic elements (MGEs), such as viruses/bacteriophages and plasmids. However, MGEs can also impose a fitness cost due to their often parasitic nature and differing evolutionary trajectories. In response, prokaryotes have evolved diverse immune mechanisms against MGEs. Recently, our understanding of the abundance and diversity of prokaryotic immune systems has greatly expanded. These defense systems can degrade the invading genetic material, inhibit genome replication, or trigger abortive infection, leading to population protection. In this review, we highlight these strategies, focusing on the most recent discoveries. The study of prokaryotic defenses not only sheds light on microbial evolution but also uncovers novel enzymatic activities with promising biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Mayo-Muñoz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Genetics Otago, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Rafael Pinilla-Redondo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nils Birkholz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Genetics Otago, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Bioprotection Aotearoa, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Peter C Fineran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Genetics Otago, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; Bioprotection Aotearoa, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
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27
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Quan J, Hu H, Zhang H, Meng Y, Liao W, Zhou J, Han X, Shi Q, Zhao D, Wang Q, Jiang Y, Yu Y. Investigating Possible Interspecies Communication of Plasmids Associated with Transfer of Third-Generation Cephalosporin, Quinolone, and Colistin Resistance Between Simultaneously Isolated Escherichia Coli and Klebsiella Pneumoniae. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0355422. [PMID: 37125932 PMCID: PMC10269620 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03554-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The coinfection process producing multiple species of pathogens provides a specific ecological niche for the exchange of genetic materials between pathogens, in which plasmids play a vital role in horizontal gene transfer, especially for drug resistance, but the underlying transfer pathway remains unclear. Interspecies communication of the plasmids associated with the transfer of third-generation cephalosporins, quinolones, and colistin resistance has been observed in simultaneously isolated Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from abdominal drainage following surgery. The MICs of antimicrobial agents were determined by the broth microdilution method. The complete chromosome and plasmid sequences were obtained by combining Illumina paired-end short reads and MinION long reads. S1-PFGE, southern blot analysis and conjugation assay confirmed the transferability of the mcr-1-harboring plasmid. Both the E. coli isolate EC15255 and K. pneumoniae isolate KP15255 from the same specimen presented multidrug resistance. Each of them harbored one chromosome and three plasmids, and two plasmids and their mediated resistance could be transferred to the recipient by conjugation. Comparison of their genome sequences suggested that several genetic communication events occurred between species, especially among their plasmids, such as whole-plasmid transfer, insertion, deletion, amplification, or inversion. Exchange of plasmids or the genetic elements they harbor plays a critical role in antimicrobial resistance gene transmission and poses a substantial threat to nosocomial infection control, necessitating the continued surveillance of multidrug resistant pathogens, especially during coinfection. IMPORTANCE The genome sequence of bacterial pathogens commonly provides a detailed clue of genetic communication among clones or even distinct species. The intestinal microecological environment is a representative ecological niche for genetic communication. However, it is still difficult to describe the details of horizontal gene transfer or other genetic events within them because the evidence in the genome sequence is incomplete and limited. In this study, the simultaneously isolated Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from a coinfection process provided an excellent example for observation of interspecies communication between the two genomes and the plasmids they harbor. A complete genome sequence acquired by combining the Illumina and MinION sequencing platforms facilitated the understanding of genetic communication events, such as whole-plasmid transfer, insertion, deletion, amplification, or inversion, which contribute to antimicrobial resistance gene transmission and are a substantial threat to nosocomial infection control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Quan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huangdu Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huichuan Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Ningbo Institute of Innovation for Combined Medicine and Engineering
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yan Meng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhejiang Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weichao Liao
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Junxin Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xinhong Han
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qiucheng Shi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Dongdong Zhao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of General Practice, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yan Jiang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yunsong Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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28
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Ma Y, Ramoneda J, Johnson DR. Timing of antibiotic administration determines the spread of plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance during microbial range expansion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3530. [PMID: 37316482 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39354-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are the main vector by which antibiotic resistance is transferred between bacterial cells within surface-associated communities. In this study, we ask whether there is an optimal time to administer antibiotics to minimize plasmid spread in new bacterial genotypes during community expansion across surfaces. We address this question using consortia of Pseudomonas stutzeri strains, where one is an antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmid donor and the other a potential recipient. We allowed the strains to co-expand across a surface and administered antibiotics at different times. We find that plasmid transfer and transconjugant proliferation have unimodal relationships with the timing of antibiotic administration, where they reach maxima at intermediate times. These unimodal relationships result from the interplay between the probabilities of plasmid transfer and loss. Our study provides mechanistic insights into the transfer and proliferation of antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmids within microbial communities and identifies the timing of antibiotic administration as an important determinant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinyin Ma
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Josep Ramoneda
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - David R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.
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29
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Pulianmackal LT, Limcaoco JMI, Ravi K, Yang S, Zhang J, Tran MK, Ghalmi M, O'Meara MJ, Vecchiarelli AG. Multiple ParA/MinD ATPases coordinate the positioning of disparate cargos in a bacterial cell. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3255. [PMID: 37277398 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39019-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotes, linear motor proteins govern intracellular transport and organization. In bacteria, where linear motors involved in spatial regulation are absent, the ParA/MinD family of ATPases organize an array of genetic- and protein-based cellular cargos. The positioning of these cargos has been independently investigated to varying degrees in several bacterial species. However, it remains unclear how multiple ParA/MinD ATPases can coordinate the positioning of diverse cargos in the same cell. Here, we find that over a third of sequenced bacterial genomes encode multiple ParA/MinD ATPases. We identify an organism (Halothiobacillus neapolitanus) with seven ParA/MinD ATPases, demonstrate that five of these are each dedicated to the spatial regulation of a single cellular cargo, and define potential specificity determinants for each system. Furthermore, we show how these positioning reactions can influence each other, stressing the importance of understanding how organelle trafficking, chromosome segregation, and cell division are coordinated in bacterial cells. Together, our data show how multiple ParA/MinD ATPases coexist and function to position a diverse set of fundamental cargos in the same bacterial cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa T Pulianmackal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jose Miguel I Limcaoco
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Keerthikka Ravi
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Sinyu Yang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jeffrey Zhang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Mimi K Tran
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Maria Ghalmi
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Matthew J O'Meara
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Anthony G Vecchiarelli
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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30
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Bottery M, Brockhurst MA. Rapid evolution helps bacteria to pick up a plasmid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304474120. [PMID: 37126690 PMCID: PMC10175833 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304474120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Bottery
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, University of Manchester, ManchesterM13 9PT, UK
| | - Michael A. Brockhurst
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, University of Manchester, ManchesterM13 9PT, UK
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Urquhart AS, Vogan AA, Gardiner DM, Idnurm A. Starships are active eukaryotic transposable elements mobilized by a new family of tyrosine recombinases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2214521120. [PMID: 37023132 PMCID: PMC10104507 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2214521120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements in eukaryotic organisms have historically been considered "selfish," at best conferring indirect benefits to their host organisms. The Starships are a recently discovered feature in fungal genomes that are, in some cases, predicted to confer beneficial traits to their hosts and also have hallmarks of being transposable elements. Here, we provide experimental evidence that Starships are indeed autonomous transposons, using the model Paecilomyces variotii, and identify the HhpA "Captain" tyrosine recombinase as essential for their mobilization into genomic sites with a specific target site consensus sequence. Furthermore, we identify multiple recent horizontal gene transfers of Starships, implying that they jump between species. Fungal genomes have mechanisms to defend against mobile elements, which are frequently detrimental to the host. We discover that Starships are also vulnerable to repeat-induced point mutation defense, thereby having implications on the evolutionary stability of such elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Urquhart
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, St Lucia, QLD4067, Australia
- Applied Biosciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW2109, Australia
| | - Aaron A. Vogan
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Donald M. Gardiner
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, St Lucia, QLD4067, Australia
- University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD4067, Australia
| | - Alexander Idnurm
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC3010, Australia
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Kreida S, Narita A, Johnson MD, Tocheva EI, Das A, Ghosal D, Jensen GJ. Cryo-EM structure of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens T4SS-associated T-pilus reveals stoichiometric protein-phospholipid assembly. Structure 2023; 31:385-394.e4. [PMID: 36870333 PMCID: PMC10168017 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes crown gall disease in plants by the horizontal transfer of oncogenic DNA. The conjugation is mediated by the VirB/D4 type 4 secretion system (T4SS) that assembles an extracellular filament, the T-pilus, and is involved in mating pair formation between A. tumefaciens and the recipient plant cell. Here, we present a 3 Å cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the T-pilus solved by helical reconstruction. Our structure reveals that the T-pilus is a stoichiometric assembly of the VirB2 major pilin and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) phospholipid with 5-start helical symmetry. We show that PG head groups and the positively charged Arg 91 residues of VirB2 protomers form extensive electrostatic interactions in the lumen of the T-pilus. Mutagenesis of Arg 91 abolished pilus formation. While our T-pilus structure is architecturally similar to previously published conjugative pili structures, the T-pilus lumen is narrower and positively charged, raising questions of whether the T-pilus is a conduit for ssDNA transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Kreida
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Akihiro Narita
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Matthew D Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Elitza I Tocheva
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Anath Das
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, and Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Debnath Ghosal
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - Grant J Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84604, USA.
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Qi Q, Kamruzzaman M, Iredell JR. A Streamlined Approach for Fluorescence Labelling of Low-Copy-Number Plasmids for Determination of Conjugation Frequency by Flow Cytometry. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040878. [PMID: 37110299 PMCID: PMC10144549 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial conjugation plays a major role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence traits through horizontal transfer of plasmids. Robust measurement of conjugation frequency of plasmids between bacterial strains and species is therefore important for understanding the transfer dynamics and epidemiology of conjugative plasmids. In this study, we present a streamlined experimental approach for fluorescence labelling of low-copy-number conjugative plasmids that allows plasmid transfer frequency during filter mating to be measured by flow cytometry. A blue fluorescent protein gene is inserted into a conjugative plasmid of interest using a simple homologous recombineering procedure. A small non-conjugative plasmid, which carries a red fluorescent protein gene with a toxin–antitoxin system that functions as a plasmid stability module, is used to label the recipient bacterial strain. This offers the dual advantage of circumventing chromosomal modifications of recipient strains and ensuring that the red fluorescent protein gene-bearing plasmid can be stably maintained in recipient cells in an antibiotic-free environment during conjugation. A strong constitutive promoter allows the two fluorescent protein genes to be strongly and constitutively expressed from the plasmids, thus allowing flow cytometers to clearly distinguish between donor, recipient, and transconjugant populations in a conjugation mix for monitoring conjugation frequencies more precisely over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Qi
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Muhammad Kamruzzaman
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia
- Correspondence: (M.K.); (J.R.I.)
| | - Jonathan R. Iredell
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia
- Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Sydney, NSW 2145, Australia
- Correspondence: (M.K.); (J.R.I.)
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Soil Component: A Potential Factor Affecting the Occurrence and Spread of Antibiotic Resistance Genes. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12020333. [PMID: 36830244 PMCID: PMC9952537 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12020333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in soil have become research hotspots in the fields of public health and environmental ecosystems, but the effects of soil types and soil components on the occurrence and spread of ARGs still lack systematic sorting and in-depth research. Firstly, investigational information about ARB and ARGs contamination of soil was described. Then, existing laboratory studies about the influence of the soil component on ARGs were summarized in the following aspects: the influence of soil types on the occurrence of ARGs during natural or human activities and the control of exogenously added soil components on ARGs from the macro perspectives, the effects of soil components on the HGT of ARGs in a pure bacterial system from the micro perspectives. Following that, the similarities in pathways by which soil components affect HGT were identified, and the potential mechanisms were discussed from the perspectives of intracellular responses, plasmid activity, quorum sensing, etc. In the future, related research on multi-component systems, multi-omics methods, and microbial communities should be carried out in order to further our understanding of the occurrence and spread of ARGs in soil.
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Aratboni HA, Rafiei N, Allaf MM, Abedini S, Rasheed RN, Seif A, Wang S, Ramirez JRM. Nanotechnology: An outstanding tool for increasing and better exploitation of microalgae valuable compounds. ALGAL RES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2023.103019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
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Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: Virulence Factors, Molecular Epidemiology and Latest Updates in Treatment Options. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12020234. [PMID: 36830145 PMCID: PMC9952820 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12020234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen responsible for a variety of community and hospital infections. Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) constitute a major threat for public health and are strongly associated with high rates of mortality, especially in immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Adhesive fimbriae, capsule, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and siderophores or iron carriers constitute the main virulence factors which contribute to the pathogenicity of K. pneumoniae. Colistin and tigecycline constitute some of the last resorts for the treatment of CRKP infections. Carbapenemase production, especially K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) and metallo-β-lactamase (MBL), constitutes the basic molecular mechanism of CRKP emergence. Knowledge of the mechanism of CRKP appearance is crucial, as it can determine the selection of the most suitable antimicrobial agent among those most recently launched. Plazomicin, eravacycline, cefiderocol, temocillin, ceftolozane-tazobactam, imipenem-cilastatin/relebactam, meropenem-vaborbactam, ceftazidime-avibactam and aztreonam-avibactam constitute potent alternatives for treating CRKP infections. The aim of the current review is to highlight the virulence factors and molecular pathogenesis of CRKP and provide recent updates on the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial treatment options.
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Li W, Guo H, Gao Y, Yang X, Li R, Li S, Sun C, Du W, Chen S, Xu P, Huang W, Shi J, Yi X, Li X. Comparative genomic analysis of plasmids harboring bla OXA-48-like genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1082813. [PMID: 36605127 PMCID: PMC9807924 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1082813] [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: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a serious medical problem worldwide. Acquired OXA-48-like carbapenemases encoded by plasmids are important causes of carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae. To explore the links between plasmids and bla OXA-48-like genes in K. pneumoniae, we systematically analyzed the variants of bla OXA-48-like plasmid replicon types, phylogenetic patterns, geographic distribution, conjugative transfer regions, and the genetic environments surrounding bla OXA-48-like of 191 bla OXA-48-like-harboring plasmids, which were identified from 4451 plasmids of K. pneumoniae downloaded from GenBank. Our results showed that seven different variants of bla OXA-48-like genes were identified from the 191 bla OXA-48-like-harboring plasmids in K. pneumoniae, with bla OXA-48, bla OXA-232, and bla OXA-181 being highly prevalent. In K. pneumoniae, bla OXA-48 was mainly carried by the composite transposon Tn1999.2 located on IncL/M-type conjugative plasmids, which were mainly geographically distributed in Switzerland, Germany, and China. In K. pneumoniae, the blaOXA-232 gene was mainly carried by 6.1-kb ColKP3-type mobilizable plasmids, which were mainly isolated in India. In K. pneumoniae, bla OXA-181 was mainly carried by a group of 50-kb ColKP3-IncX3 hybrid conjugative plasmids and a group of small ColKP3-type mobilizable plasmids with lengths of 5.9-9.3 kb, the former was sporadically discovered in China, South Korea, India, and Czech Republic, while the latter was almost all isolated in India. In addition, five bla OXA-245-harboring 65.9-kb IncL plasmids of K. pneumoniae isolated in Spain were found to have the genetic context of bla OXA-245 more complicated than that of bla OXA-48-harboring IncL/M-type plasmids, with two copies of IS1R inserted both upstream and downstream of bla OXA-245-lysR. These findings enhance our understanding of the genetic diversity of bla OXA-48-like-harboring plasmids in K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Li
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China,Binzhou Key Laboratory of Chemical Drug R&D and Quality Control (preparation), Binzhou, China
| | - Hengzhao Guo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai hospital affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China
| | - Yi Gao
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China
| | - Xiaofan Yang
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China
| | - Ruirui Li
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China
| | - Shuangyu Li
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China
| | - Chunlong Sun
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China,Binzhou Key Laboratory of Chemical Drug R&D and Quality Control (preparation), Binzhou, China
| | - Wen Du
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China,Binzhou Key Laboratory of Chemical Drug R&D and Quality Control (preparation), Binzhou, China
| | - Shaopeng Chen
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China,Binzhou Key Laboratory of Chemical Drug R&D and Quality Control (preparation), Binzhou, China
| | - Pengpeng Xu
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China,Binzhou Key Laboratory of Chemical Drug R&D and Quality Control (preparation), Binzhou, China
| | - Wenwen Huang
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Wild Plant Resources Development and Application of Yellow River Delta, College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China,Binzhou Key Laboratory of Chemical Drug R&D and Quality Control (preparation), Binzhou, China
| | - Jia Shi
- Department of Stomatology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai hospital affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China,*Correspondence: Xiaobin Li, ; Xinfeng Yi, ; Jia Shi,
| | - Xinfeng Yi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai hospital affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China,*Correspondence: Xiaobin Li, ; Xinfeng Yi, ; Jia Shi,
| | - Xiaobin Li
- Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai hospital affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China,*Correspondence: Xiaobin Li, ; Xinfeng Yi, ; Jia Shi,
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The Mobilizable Plasmid P3 of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium SL1344 Depends on the P2 Plasmid for Conjugative Transfer into a Broad Range of Bacteria In Vitro and In Vivo. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0034722. [PMID: 36383016 PMCID: PMC9765291 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00347-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The global rise of drug-resistant bacteria is of great concern. Conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance plasmids contributes to the emerging resistance crisis. Despite substantial progress in understanding the molecular basis of conjugation in vitro, the in vivo dynamics of intra- and interspecies conjugative plasmid transfer are much less understood. In this study, we focused on the streptomycin resistance-encoding mobilizable plasmid pRSF1010SL1344 (P3) of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain SL1344. We show that P3 is mobilized by interacting with the conjugation machinery of the conjugative plasmid pCol1B9SL1344 (P2) of SL1344. Thereby, P3 can be transferred into a broad range of relevant environmental and clinical bacterial isolates in vitro and in vivo. Our data suggest that S. Typhimurium persisters in host tissues can serve as P3 reservoirs and foster transfer of both P2 and P3 once they reseed the gut lumen. This adds to our understanding of resistance plasmid transfer in ecologically relevant niches, including the mammalian gut. IMPORTANCE S. Typhimurium is a globally abundant bacterial species that rapidly occupies new niches and survives unstable environmental conditions. As an enteric pathogen, S. Typhimurium interacts with a broad range of bacterial species residing in the mammalian gut. High abundance of bacteria in the gut lumen facilitates conjugation and spread of plasmid-carried antibiotic resistance genes. By studying the transfer dynamics of the P3 plasmid in vitro and in vivo, we illustrate the impact of S. Typhimurium-mediated antibiotic resistance spread via conjugation to relevant environmental and clinical bacterial isolates. Plasmids are among the most critical vehicles driving antibiotic resistance spread. Further understanding of the dynamics and drivers of antibiotic resistance transfer is needed to develop effective solutions for slowing down the emerging threat of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
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Alam M, Bano N, Upadhyay TK, Binsuwaidan R, Alshammari N, Sharangi AB, Kaushal RS, Saeed M. Enzymatic Activity and Horizontal Gene Transfer of Heavy Metals and Antibiotic Resistant Proteus vulgaris from Hospital Wastewater: An Insight. THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY = JOURNAL CANADIEN DES MALADIES INFECTIEUSES ET DE LA MICROBIOLOGIE MEDICALE 2022; 2022:3399137. [PMID: 36523753 PMCID: PMC9747306 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3399137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Globally, the issue of microbial resistance to medicines and heavy metals is getting worse. There are few reports or data available for Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris), particularly in India. This investigation intends to reveal the bacteria's ability to transmit genes and their level of resistance as well. The wastewater samples were taken from several hospitals in Lucknow City, India, and examined for the presence of Gram-negative bacteria that were resistant to antibiotics and heavy metals. The microbial population count in different hospital wastewaters decreases with increasing concentrations of metal and antibiotics. Among all the examined metals, Ni and Zn had the highest viable counts, whereas Hg, Cd, and Co had the lowest viable counts. Penicillin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin, among the antibiotics, demonstrated higher viable counts, whereas tetracycline and erythromycin exhibited lower viable counts. The MIC values for the P. vulgaris isolates tested ranged from 50 to 16,00 μg/ml for each metal tested. The multiple metal resistance (MMR) index, which ranged from 0.04 to 0.50, showed diverse heavy metal resistance patterns in all P. vulgaris isolates (in the case of 2-7 metals in various combinations). All of the tested isolates had methicillin resistance, whereas the least number of isolates had ofloxacin, gentamycin, or neomycin resistance. The P. vulgaris isolates displayed multidrug resistance patterns (2-12 drugs) in various antibiotic combinations. The MAR indexes were shown to be between (0.02-0.7). From the total isolates, 98%, 84%, and 80% had urease, gelatinase, and amylase activity, whereas 68% and 56% displayed protease and beta-lactamase activity. Plasmids were present in all the selected resistant isolates and varied in size from 42.5 to 57.0 kb and molecular weight from 27.2 to 37.0 MD. The transmission of the antibiotic/metal resistance genes was evaluated between a total of 7 pairs of isolates. A higher transfer frequency (4.4 × 10-1) was observed among antibiotics, although a lower transfer frequency (1.0 × 10-2) was observed against metals in both the media from the entire site tested. According to exponential decay, the population of hospital wastewater declined in the following order across all sites: Site II > Site IV > Site III > Site I for antibiotics and site IV > site II > site I >site III for metal. Different metal and antibiotic concentrations have varying effects on the population. The metal-tolerant P. vulgaris from hospital wastewater was studied in the current study had multiple distinct patterns of antibiotic resistance. It could provide cutting-edge methods for treating infectious diseases, which are essential for managing and assessing the risks associated with hospital wastewater, especially in the case of P. vulgaris.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manzar Alam
- Department of Biosciences, Integral University, Lucknow 226026, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nilofer Bano
- Department of Bioengineering, Integral University, Lucknow 226026, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Tarun Kumar Upadhyay
- Department of Biotechnology, Parul Institute of Applied Sciences and Centre of Research for Development, Parul University, Vadodara 391760, Gujarat, India
| | - Reem Binsuwaidan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nawaf Alshammari
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, P.O. Box 2440, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amit Baran Sharangi
- Department of Plantation Spices Medicinal and Aromatic Crops, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur 741252, West Bengal, India
| | - Radhey Shyam Kaushal
- Department of Biotechnology, Parul Institute of Applied Sciences and Centre of Research for Development, Parul University, Vadodara 391760, Gujarat, India
| | - Mohd Saeed
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, P.O. Box 2440, Saudi Arabia
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Downing T, Rahm A. Bacterial plasmid-associated and chromosomal proteins have fundamentally different properties in protein interaction networks. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19203. [PMID: 36357451 PMCID: PMC9649638 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20809-0] [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: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids facilitate horizontal gene transfer, which enables the diversification of pathogens into new anatomical and environmental niches, implying that plasmid-encoded genes can cooperate well with chromosomal genes. We hypothesise that such mobile genes are functionally different to chromosomal ones due to this ability to encode proteins performing non-essential functions like antimicrobial resistance and traverse distinct host cells. The effect of plasmid-driven gene gain on protein-protein interaction network topology is an important question in this area. Moreover, the extent to which these chromosomally- and plasmid-encoded proteins interact with proteins from their own groups compared to the levels with the other group remains unclear. Here, we examined the incidence and protein-protein interactions of all known plasmid-encoded proteins across representative specimens from most bacteria using all available plasmids. We found that plasmid-encoded genes constitute ~ 0.65% of the total number of genes per bacterial sample, and that plasmid genes are preferentially associated with different species but had limited taxonomical power beyond this. Surprisingly, plasmid-encoded proteins had both more protein-protein interactions compared to chromosomal proteins, countering the hypothesis that genes with higher mobility rates should have fewer protein-level interactions. Nonetheless, topological analysis and investigation of the protein-protein interaction networks' connectivity and change in the number of independent components demonstrated that the plasmid-encoded proteins had limited overall impact in > 96% of samples. This paper assembled extensive data on plasmid-encoded proteins, their interactions and associations with diverse bacterial specimens that is available for the community to investigate in more detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Downing
- grid.15596.3e0000000102380260School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland ,grid.63622.330000 0004 0388 7540Present Address: The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, UK
| | - Alexander Rahm
- grid.449688.f0000 0004 0647 1487GAATI Lab, University of French Polynesia, Tahiti, French Polynesia
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Yang M, Xu G, Ruan Z, Wang Y. Genomic Characterization of a Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolate Co-Carrying blaNDM-5 and blaCTX-M-14 Genes Recovered from a Pediatric Patient in China. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:6405-6412. [PMID: 36345540 PMCID: PMC9636857 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s388797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Public health is seriously threatened by the rise of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). However, the genomic characteristics of CRE detected in pediatric patients are largely unknown. Here, we reported the genomic characteristics of a multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strain containing the plasmid-borne blaNDM-5 and blaCTX-M-14 genes recovered from a Chinese pediatric patient. Methods The genome sequence of E. coli strain B379 was determined using Illumina NovaSeq 6000 and Oxford Nanopore MinION. Multiple bioinformatics tools were used to annotate the genome sequence, identify antimicrobial resistance genes and plasmid replicons and perform the in silico multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. Using BacWGSTdb 2.0 server, a core genome MLST (cgMLST) comparison was made between E. coli B379 and all ST746 E. coli strains downloaded from the public database. Results The E. coli B379 genome sequence is comprised of six contigs totaling 5,152,502 bp, including one chromosome and five plasmids. Nineteen antimicrobial resistance genes were predicted. The blaNDM-5, which is located on a 46,161 bp IncX3 plasmid and the blaCTX-M-14 gene which is located on a 147,204 bp IncFII/IncFIA/IncFIB plasmid are two examples of these 19 genes. E. coli B379 was resistant to ampicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, imipenem, cefepime, ciprofloxacin, ertapenem, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. This isolate belonged to ST746 and the closest relative was another one originating from a human material specimen in Denmark, which differed by 273 cgMLST alleles. Conclusion Our study reports the emergence of a multidrug-resistant E. coli strain co-carrying blaNDM-5 and blaCTX-M-14 recovered from a pediatric patient in China. These data would help us better understand the prevalence, genetic characteristics, and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance of this recently identified multidrug-resistant bacteria in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Yang
- Department of Ambulatory Surgery, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Gufeng Xu
- Department of Ambulatory Surgery, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhi Ruan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhi Ruan, Sir Run Run Shaw hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310016, People’s Republic of China, Email
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Ambulatory Surgery, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Yue Wang, Women’s hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 1 Xueshi Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, People’s Republic of China, Email
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Gómez-Martínez J, Rocha-Gracia RDC, Bello-López E, Cevallos MA, Castañeda-Lucio M, López-García A, Sáenz Y, Jiménez-Flores G, Cortés-Cortés G, Lozano-Zarain P. A Plasmid Carrying blaIMP-56 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Belonging to a Novel Resistance Plasmid Family. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10091863. [PMID: 36144465 PMCID: PMC9501424 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10091863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
blaIMP and blaVIM are the most detected plasmid-encoded carbapenemase genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Previous studies have reported plasmid sequences carrying blaIMP variants, except blaIMP-56. In this study, we aimed to characterize a plasmid carrying blaIMP-56 in a P. aeruginosa strain isolated from a Mexican hospital. The whole genome of P. aeruginosa strain PE52 was sequenced using Illumina Miseq 2 × 150 bp, with 5 million paired-end reads. We characterized a 27 kb plasmid (pPE52IMP) that carried blaIMP-56. The phylogenetic analysis of RepA in pPE52IMP and 33 P. aeruginosa plasmids carrying resistance genes reported in the GenBank revealed that pPE52IMP and four plasmids (pMATVIM-7, unnamed (FDAARGOS_570), pD5170990, and pMRVIM0713) were in the same clade. These closely related plasmids belonged to the MOBP11 subfamily and had similar backbones. Another plasmid (p4130-KPC) had a similar backbone to pPE52IMP; however, its RepA was truncated. In these plasmids, the resistance genes blaKPC-2, blaVIM variants, aac(6′)-Ib4, blaOXA variants, and blaIMP-56 were inserted between phd and resolvase genes. This study describes a new family of plasmids carrying resistance genes, with a similar backbone, the same RepA, and belonging to the MOBP11 subfamily in P. aeruginosa. In addition, our characterized plasmid harboring blaIMP-56 (pPE52IMP) belongs to this family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Gómez-Martínez
- Posgrado en Microbiología, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
| | - Rosa del Carmen Rocha-Gracia
- Posgrado en Microbiología, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
| | - Elena Bello-López
- Programa de Genómica Evolutiva, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca 62210, Mexico
| | - Miguel Angel Cevallos
- Programa de Genómica Evolutiva, Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca 62210, Mexico
| | - Miguel Castañeda-Lucio
- Posgrado en Microbiología, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
| | - Alma López-García
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
| | - Yolanda Sáenz
- Área de Microbiología Molecular, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de La Rioja (CIBIR), 26006 Logroño, Spain
| | - Guadalupe Jiménez-Flores
- Laboratorio Clínico. Área de Microbiología, Hospital Regional Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado, Puebla 72570, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Cortés-Cortés
- Posgrado en Microbiología, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Patricia Lozano-Zarain
- Posgrado en Microbiología, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +52-222-2-29-55-00 (ext. 2543)
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43
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Yu Z, Zhang Z, Shi L, Hua S, Luan T, Lin Q, Zheng Z, Feng X, Liu M, Li X. In silico characterization of IncX3 plasmids carrying blaOXA-181 in Enterobacterales. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:988236. [PMID: 36159637 PMCID: PMC9492964 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.988236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales poses a global urgent antibiotic resistance threat because of its ability to transfer carbapenemase genes to other bacteria via horizontal gene transfer mediated by mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Oxacillinase-181 (OXA-181) is one of the most common OXA-48-like carbapenemases, and OXA-181-producing Enterobacterales has been reported in many countries worldwide. However, systematic research concerning the overall picture of plasmids harboring blaOXA-181 in Enterobacterales is currently scarce. In this study, we aimed to determine the phylogeny and evolution of blaOXA-181-positive (gene encoding OXA-181) plasmids. To characterize the plasmids harboring blaOXA-181 in Enterobacterales, we identified 81 blaOXA-181-positive plasmids from 35,150 bacterial plasmids downloaded from the NCBI RefSeq database. Our results indicated that diverse plasmid types harbored blaOXA-181 but was predominantly carried by IncX3-type plasmids. We systematically compared the host strains, plasmid types, conjugative transfer regions, and genetic contexts of blaOXA-181 among the 66 blaOXA-181-positive IncX3 plasmids. We found that IncX3 plasmids harboring blaOXA-181 were mostly ColKP3-IncX3 hybrid plasmids with a length of 51 kb each and were mainly distributed in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Most of the IncX3 plasmids harboring blaOXA-181 were human origin. Almost all the blaOXA-181-positive IncX3 plasmids were found to carry genes coding for relaxases of the MOBP family and VirB-like type IV secretion system (T4SS) gene clusters, and all the 66 IncX3 plasmids were found to carry the genes encoding type IV coupling proteins (T4CPs) of the VirD4/TraG subfamily. Most IncX3 plasmids harbored both blaOXA-181 and qnrS1 in their genomes, and the two antibiotic resistance genes were found to a composite transposon bracketed by two copies of insertion sequence IS26 in the same orientation. Our findings provide important insights into the phylogeny and evolution of blaOXA-181-positive IncX3 plasmids and further address their role in acquiring and spreading blaOXA-181 genes in Enterobacterales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijian Yu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhengrong Zhang
- Department of Urology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Lile Shi
- Department of Cardiology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Shengni Hua
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Ting Luan
- Community Health Service Center of Xinkou Town, Tianjin, China
| | - Qiuping Lin
- Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhixiong Zheng
- Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Xiaosan Feng
- Department of Neonatology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaobin Li, ; Mubiao Liu, ; Xiaosan Feng,
| | - Mubiao Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaobin Li, ; Mubiao Liu, ; Xiaosan Feng,
| | - Xiaobin Li
- Zhuhai Precision Medical Center, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University, Zhuhai, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaobin Li, ; Mubiao Liu, ; Xiaosan Feng,
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44
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Martinez J, Ant TH, Murdochy SM, Tong L, da Silva Filipe A, Sinkins SP. Genome sequencing and comparative analysis of Wolbachia strain wAlbA reveals Wolbachia-associated plasmids are common. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010406. [PMID: 36121852 PMCID: PMC9560607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Wolbachia are widespread maternally-transmitted bacteria of arthropods that often spread by manipulating their host's reproduction through cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI). Their invasive potential is currently being harnessed in field trials aiming to control mosquito-borne diseases. Wolbachia genomes commonly harbour prophage regions encoding the cif genes which confer their ability to induce CI. Recently, a plasmid-like element was discovered in wPip, a Wolbachia strain infecting Culex mosquitoes; however, it is unclear how common such extra-chromosomal elements are in Wolbachia. Here we sequenced the complete genome of wAlbA, a strain of the symbiont found in Aedes albopictus, after eliminating the co-infecting and higher density wAlbB strain that previously made sequencing of wAlbA challenging. We show that wAlbA is associated with two new plasmids and identified additional Wolbachia plasmids and related chromosomal islands in over 20% of publicly available Wolbachia genome datasets. These plasmids encode a variety of accessory genes, including several phage-like DNA packaging genes as well as genes potentially contributing to host-symbiont interactions. In particular, we recovered divergent homologues of the cif genes in both Wolbachia- and Rickettsia-associated plasmids. Our results indicate that plasmids are common in Wolbachia and raise fundamental questions around their role in symbiosis. In addition, our comparative analysis provides useful information for the future development of genetic tools to manipulate and study Wolbachia symbionts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Martinez
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas H. Ant
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Shivan M. Murdochy
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lily Tong
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Ana da Silva Filipe
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Steven P. Sinkins
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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45
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Repeat sequences limit the effectiveness of lateral gene transfer and favored the evolution of meiotic sex in early eukaryotes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205041119. [PMID: 35994648 PMCID: PMC9436333 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205041119] [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: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition from prokaryotic lateral gene transfer to eukaryotic meiotic sex is poorly understood. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that it was tightly linked to eukaryogenesis, which involved an unprecedented rise in both genome size and the density of genetic repeats. Expansion of genome size raised the severity of Muller's ratchet, while limiting the effectiveness of lateral gene transfer (LGT) at purging deleterious mutations. In principle, an increase in recombination length combined with higher rates of LGT could solve this problem. Here, we show using a computational model that this solution fails in the presence of genetic repeats prevalent in early eukaryotes. The model demonstrates that dispersed repeat sequences allow ectopic recombination, which leads to the loss of genetic information and curtails the capacity of LGT to prevent mutation accumulation. Increasing recombination length in the presence of repeat sequences exacerbates the problem. Mutational decay can only be resisted with homology along extended sequences of DNA. We conclude that the transition to homologous pairing along linear chromosomes was a key innovation in meiotic sex, which was instrumental in the expansion of eukaryotic genomes and morphological complexity.
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46
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Macedo G, Olesen AK, Maccario L, Hernandez Leal L, v. d. Maas P, Heederik D, Mevius D, Sørensen SJ, Schmitt H. Horizontal Gene Transfer of an IncP1 Plasmid to Soil Bacterial Community Introduced by Escherichia coli through Manure Amendment in Soil Microcosms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:11398-11408. [PMID: 35896060 PMCID: PMC9387108 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The quantification and identification of new plasmid-acquiring bacteria in representative mating conditions is critical to characterize the risk of horizontal gene transfer in the environment. This study aimed to quantify conjugation events resulting from manure application to soils and identify the transconjugants resulting from these events. Conjugation was quantified at multiple time points by plating and flow cytometry, and the transconjugants were recovered by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Overall, transconjugants were only observed within the first 4 days after manure application and at values close to the detection limits of this experimental system (1.00-2.49 log CFU/g of manured soil, ranging between 10-5 and 10-4 transconjugants-to-donor ratios). In the pool of recovered transconjugants, we found amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of genera whose origin was traced to soils (Bacillus and Nocardioides) and manure (Comamonas and Rahnella). This work showed that gene transfer from fecal to soil bacteria occurred despite the less-than-optimal conditions faced by manure bacteria when transferred to soils, but these events were rare, mainly happened shortly after manure application, and the plasmid did not colonize the soil community. This study provides important information to determine the risks of AMR spread via manure application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonçalo Macedo
- Department
of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Wetsus,
European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Asmus K. Olesen
- Department
of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Lorrie Maccario
- Department
of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Lucia Hernandez Leal
- Wetsus,
European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter v. d. Maas
- Van
Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Sciences, Agora 1, 8901 BV Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Dick Heederik
- Institute
for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dik Mevius
- Department
of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department
of Bacteriology and Epidemiology, Wageningen
Bioveterinary Research, Houtribweg 39, 8221 RA Lelystad, The Netherlands
| | - Søren J. Sørensen
- Department
of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Heike Schmitt
- Wetsus,
European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
- Institute
for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Centre
for Infectious Disease Control, National
Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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47
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Orevi T, Sørensen SJ, Kashtan N. Droplet size and surface hydrophobicity enhance bacterial plasmid transfer rates in microscopic surface wetness. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:72. [PMID: 37938682 PMCID: PMC9723546 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00159-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Conjugal plasmids constitute a major engine for horizontal gene transfer in bacteria, and are key drivers of the spread of antibiotic resistance, virulence, and metabolic functions. Bacteria in terrestrial habitats often inhabit surfaces that are not constantly water-saturated, where microscopic surface wetness (MSW), comprised of thin liquid films and microdroplets, permanently or intermittently occurs. How physical properties of microdroplets, and of the surfaces they reside on, affect plasmid transfer rates is not well understood. Here, building on microscopy-based microdroplet experiments, we examined the relation between droplet properties (size and spread) and plasmid transfer rates at single-cell and individual droplet resolution, using Pseudomonas putida as a model species. We show that transfer rates increase with droplet size, due to higher densities of cells on the surface in larger droplets, resulting from lower ratio between the area of the liquid-solid interface and droplet volumes. We further show that surface hydrophobicity promotes transfer rates via the same mechanism. Our results provide new insights into how physical properties of surfaces and MSW affect plasmid transfer rates, and more generally, microbial interactions mediated by cell-to-cell contact, with important implications for our understanding of the ecology and evolution of bacteria in unsaturated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomer Orevi
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Søren J Sørensen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nadav Kashtan
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Hebrew University, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
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48
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Malaka De Silva P, Stenhouse GE, Blackwell GA, Bengtsson RJ, Jenkins C, Hall JPJ, Baker KS. A tale of two plasmids: contributions of plasmid associated phenotypes to epidemiological success among Shigella. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220581. [PMID: 35919999 PMCID: PMC9346365 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0581] [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: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated through plasmids is a major global concern. Genomic epidemiology studies have shown varying success of different AMR plasmids during outbreaks, but the underlying reasons for these differences are unclear. Here, we investigated two Shigella plasmids (pKSR100 and pAPR100) that circulated in the same transmission network but had starkly contrasting epidemiological outcomes to identify plasmid features that may have contributed to the differences. We used plasmid comparative genomics to reveal divergence between the two plasmids in genes encoding AMR, SOS response alleviation and conjugation. Experimental analyses revealed that these genomic differences corresponded with reduced conjugation efficiencies for the epidemiologically successful pKSR100, but more extensive AMR, reduced fitness costs, and a reduced SOS response in the presence of antimicrobials, compared with the less successful pAPR100. The discrepant phenotypes between the two plasmids are consistent with the hypothesis that plasmid-associated phenotypes contribute to determining the epidemiological outcome of AMR HGT and suggest that phenotypes relevant in responding to antimicrobial pressure and fitness impact may be more important than those around conjugation in this setting. Plasmid phenotypes could thus be valuable tools in conjunction with genomic epidemiology for predicting AMR dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Malaka De Silva
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - George E. Stenhouse
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Grace A. Blackwell
- EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB101SA, UK,Department of Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB101SA, UK
| | - Rebecca J. Bengtsson
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Claire Jenkins
- Gastro and Food Safety (One Health) Division, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Colindale, London, UK
| | - James P. J. Hall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kate S. Baker
- Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Bottery MJ. Ecological dynamics of plasmid transfer and persistence in microbial communities. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 68:102152. [PMID: 35504055 PMCID: PMC9586876 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids are a major driver of horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes, allowing the sharing of ecologically important accessory traits between distantly related bacterial taxa. Within microbial communities, interspecies transfer of conjugative plasmids can rapidly drive the generation genomic innovation and diversification. Recent studies are starting to shed light on how the microbial community context, that is, the bacterial diversity together with interspecies interactions that occur within a community, can alter the dynamics of conjugative plasmid transfer and persistence. Here, I summarise the latest research exploring how community ecology can both facilitate and impose barriers to the spread of conjugative plasmids within complex microbial communities. Ultimately, the fate of plasmids within communities is unlikely to be determined by any one individual host, rather it will depend on the interacting factors imposed by the community in which it is embedded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Bottery
- Division of Evolution Infection and Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
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50
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Kosterlitz O, Muñiz Tirado A, Wate C, Elg C, Bozic I, Top EM, Kerr B. Estimating the transfer rates of bacterial plasmids with an adapted Luria–Delbrück fluctuation analysis. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001732. [PMID: 35877684 PMCID: PMC9352209 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
To increase our basic understanding of the ecology and evolution of conjugative plasmids, we need reliable estimates of their rate of transfer between bacterial cells. Current assays to measure transfer rate are based on deterministic modeling frameworks. However, some cell numbers in these assays can be very small, making estimates that rely on these numbers prone to noise. Here, we take a different approach to estimate plasmid transfer rate, which explicitly embraces this noise. Inspired by the classic fluctuation analysis of Luria and Delbrück, our method is grounded in a stochastic modeling framework. In addition to capturing the random nature of plasmid conjugation, our new methodology, the Luria–Delbrück method (“LDM”), can be used on a diverse set of bacterial systems, including cases for which current approaches are inaccurate. A notable example involves plasmid transfer between different strains or species where the rate that one type of cell donates the plasmid is not equal to the rate at which the other cell type donates. Asymmetry in these rates has the potential to bias or constrain current transfer estimates, thereby limiting our capabilities for estimating transfer in microbial communities. In contrast, the LDM overcomes obstacles of traditional methods by avoiding restrictive assumptions about growth and transfer rates for each population within the assay. Using stochastic simulations and experiments, we show that the LDM has high accuracy and precision for estimation of transfer rates compared to the most widely used methods, which can produce estimates that differ from the LDM estimate by orders of magnitude. Plasmid transfer can often spread resistance between important clinical pathogens. This study shows that widely used methods can lead to biased estimates of plasmid transfer rate by several orders of magnitude, and presents a new approach, inspired by the classic Luria-Delbrück approach, for accurately assessing this fundamental rate parameter
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Kosterlitz
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail: (OK); (BK)
| | - Adamaris Muñiz Tirado
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Claire Wate
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Clint Elg
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Ivana Bozic
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Eva M. Top
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Kerr
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail: (OK); (BK)
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