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Almeida MM, Bastos LR, Firmida MC, Albano RM, Marques EA, Leão RS. Genomic Comparative of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Small Colony Variant, Mucoid and Non-mucoid Phenotypes Obtained from a Patient with Cystic Fibrosis During Respiratory Exacerbations. Curr Microbiol 2024; 81:274. [PMID: 39017880 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-024-03769-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the most prevalent opportunistic pathogen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), is practically impossible to be eradicated from the airways in chronicity. Its extraordinary genomic plasticity is possibly associated with high antimicrobial resistance, virulence factors, and its phenotypic diversity. The occurrence of P. aeruginosa isolates promoting airway infection, showing mucoid, non-mucoid, and small colony variant (SCV) phenotypes, was observed simultaneously, in the present study, in sputum cultures obtained from a male CF young patient with chronic pulmonary infection for over a decade. The isolates belonged to a new ST (2744) were obtained in two moments of exacerbation of the respiratory disease, in which he was hospitalized. Genetic background and phenotypic analysis indicated that the isolates exhibited multi- and pan-antimicrobial resistant profiles, as well as non-susceptible to polymyxin and predominantly hypermutable (HPM) phenotypes. Whole genome sequencing showed variations in genome sizes, coding sequences and their determinants of resistance and virulence. The annotated genomes were compared for antimicrobial resistance, hypermutability, and SCV characteristics. We highlight the lack of reported genetic determinants of SCV emergence and HPM phenotypes, which can be explained in part due to the very short time between collections of isolates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genome sequencing of P. aeruginosa SCV from a CF patient in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mila M Almeida
- Departamentode Microbiologia, Imunologia E Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de Setembro, 87, S/N, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
| | - Leonardo R Bastos
- Departamentode Microbiologia, Imunologia E Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de Setembro, 87, S/N, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
| | - Mônica C Firmida
- Departamentode Doenças Do Tórax, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de Setembro, 87, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rodolpho M Albano
- Departamentode Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de Setembro, 87, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth A Marques
- Departamentode Microbiologia, Imunologia E Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de Setembro, 87, S/N, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil
| | - Robson S Leão
- Departamentode Microbiologia, Imunologia E Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de Setembro, 87, S/N, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil.
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2
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Klockgether J, Pust MM, Davenport CF, Bunk B, Spröer C, Overmann J, Tümmler B. Structural genome variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clone C and PA14 strains. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1095928. [PMID: 36992927 PMCID: PMC10040652 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1095928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chromosomes is mainly driven by an extended accessory genome that is shaped by insertion and deletion events. Further modification of the genome composition can be induced by chromosomal inversion events which lead to relocation of genes in the affected genomic DNA segments, modify the otherwise highly conserved core genome synteny and could even alter the location of the replication terminus. Although the genome of the first sequenced strain, PAO1, displayed such a large genomic inversion, knowledge on such recombination events in the P. aeruginosa population is limited. Several large inversions had been discovered in the late 1990s in cystic fibrosis isolates of the major clonal lineage C by physical genome mapping, and subsequent work on these examples led to the characterization of the DNA at the recombination breakpoints and a presumed recombination mechanism. Since then, the topic was barely addressed in spite of the compilation of thousands of P. aeruginosa genome sequences that are deposited in databases. Due to the use of second-generation sequencing, genome contig assembly had usually followed synteny blueprints provided by the existing reference genome sequences. Inversion detection was not feasible by these approaches, as the respective read lengths did not allow reliable resolution of sequence repeats that are typically found at the borders of inverted segments. In this study, we applied PacBio and MinION long-read sequencing to isolates of the mentioned clone C collection. Confirmation of inversions predicted from the physical mapping data demonstrated that unbiased sequence assembly of such read datasets allows the detection of genomic inversions and the resolution of the recombination breakpoint regions. Additional long-read sequencing of representatives of the other major clonal lineage, PA14, revealed large inversions in several isolates, from cystic fibrosis origin as well as from other sources. These findings indicated that inversion events are not restricted to strains from chronic infection background, but could be widespread in the P. aeruginosa population and contribute to genome plasticity. Moreover, the monitored examples emphasized the role of small mobile DNA units, such as IS elements or transposons, and accessory DNA elements in the inversion-related recombination processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Klockgether
- Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- *Correspondence: Jens Klockgether,
| | - Marie-Madlen Pust
- Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Colin F. Davenport
- Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Boyke Bunk
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Cathrin Spröer
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jörg Overmann
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Burkhard Tümmler
- Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- German Center for Lung Research, Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease (BREATH), Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
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3
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Lorenzi JN, Thibessard A, Lioy VS, Boccard F, Leblond P, Pernodet JL, Bury-Moné S. Ribosomal RNA operons define a central functional compartment in the Streptomyces chromosome. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:11654-11669. [PMID: 36408918 PMCID: PMC9723626 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptomyces are prolific producers of specialized metabolites with applications in medicine and agriculture. These bacteria possess a large linear chromosome genetically compartmentalized: core genes are grouped in the central part, while terminal regions are populated by poorly conserved genes. In exponentially growing cells, chromosome conformation capture unveiled sharp boundaries formed by ribosomal RNA (rrn) operons that segment the chromosome into multiple domains. Here we further explore the link between the genetic distribution of rrn operons and Streptomyces genetic compartmentalization. A large panel of genomes of species representative of the genus diversity revealed that rrn operons and core genes form a central skeleton, the former being identifiable from their core gene environment. We implemented a new nomenclature for Streptomyces genomes and trace their rrn-based evolutionary history. Remarkably, rrn operons are close to pericentric inversions. Moreover, the central compartment delimited by rrn operons has a very dense, nearly invariant core gene content. Finally, this compartment harbors genes with the highest expression levels, regardless of gene persistence and distance to the origin of replication. Our results highlight that rrn operons are structural boundaries of a central functional compartment prone to transcription in Streptomyces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Noël Lorenzi
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | | | - Virginia S Lioy
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Frédéric Boccard
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pierre Leblond
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, DynAMic, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Jean-Luc Pernodet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains from Both Clinical and Environmental Origins Readily Adopt a Stable Small-Colony-Variant Phenotype Resulting from Single Mutations in c-di-GMP Pathways. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0018522. [PMID: 36102640 PMCID: PMC9578426 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00185-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A subpopulation of small-colony variants (SCVs) is a frequently observed feature of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates obtained from colonized cystic fibrosis lungs. Since most SCVs have until now been isolated from clinical samples, it remains unclear how widespread the ability of P. aeruginosa strains to develop this phenotype is and what the genetic mechanism(s) behind the emergence of SCVs are according to the origin of the isolate. In the present work, we investigated the ability of 22 P. aeruginosa isolates from various environmental origins to spontaneously adopt an SCV-like smaller alternative morphotype distinguishable from that of the ancestral parent strain under laboratory culture conditions. We found that all the P. aeruginosa strains tested could adopt an SCV phenotype, regardless of their origin. Whole-genome sequencing of SCVs obtained from clinical and environmental sources revealed single mutations exclusively in two distinct c-di-GMP signaling pathways, the Wsp and YfiBNR pathways. We conclude that the ability to switch to an SCV phenotype is a conserved feature of P. aeruginosa and results from the acquisition of a stable genetic mutation, regardless of the origin of the strain. IMPORTANCE P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that thrives in many environments. It poses a significant health concern, notably because this bacterium is the most prevalent pathogen found in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. In infected hosts, its persistence is considered related to the emergence of an alternative small-colony-variant (SCV) phenotype. By reporting the distribution of P. aeruginosa SCVs in various nonclinical environments and the involvement of c-di-GMP in SCV emergence from both clinical and environmental strains, this work contributes to understanding a conserved adaptation mechanism used by P. aeruginosa to adapt readily in all environments. Hindering this adaptation strategy could help control persistent infection by P. aeruginosa.
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Mutation to
ispA
Produces Stable Small-Colony Variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa That Have Enhanced Aminoglycoside Resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0062122. [PMID: 35852364 PMCID: PMC9295567 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00621-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major pathogen in burn wound infections. We present one of the first reports of small-colony variant (SCV) emergence of P. aeruginosa, taken from a patient under aminoglycosides for a persistent burn wound infection. We confirm the causative role of a single ispA mutation in SCV emergence and increased aminoglycoside resistance. IspA is involved in the synthesis of ubiquinone, providing a possible link between electron transport and SCV formation in P. aeruginosa.
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Žiemytė M, Carda-Diéguez M, Rodríguez-Díaz JC, Ventero MP, Mira A, Ferrer MD. Real-time monitoring of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm growth dynamics and persister cells' eradication. Emerg Microbes Infect 2021; 10:2062-2075. [PMID: 34663186 PMCID: PMC8583918 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2021.1994355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Biofilm formation and the appearance of persister cells with low metabolic rates are key factors affecting conventional treatment failure and antibiotic resistance. Using impedance-based measurements, crystal violet staining and traditional culture we have studied the biofilm growth dynamics of 13 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains under the effect of seven conventional antibiotics. Real-time growth quantifications revealed that the exposure of established P. aeruginosa biofilms to certain concentrations of ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime and tobramycin induced the emergence of persister cells, that showed different morphology and pigmentation, as well increased antibiotic resistance. Whole-genome sequencing of wildtype and persister cells identified several SNPs, a genomic inversion and a genomic duplication in one of the strains. However, these mutations were not uniquely associated with persisters, suggesting that the persistent phenotype may be related to metabolic and transcriptional changes. Given that mannitol has been proposed to activate bacterial metabolism, the synergistic combination of mannitol and ciprofloxacin was evaluated on clinical 48 h P. aeruginosa biofilms. When administered at doses ≥320 mg/L, mannitol was capable of preventing persister cell formation by efficiently activating dormant bacteria and making them susceptible to the antibiotic. These results were confirmed using viable colony counting. As the tested ciprofloxacin-mannitol combination appeared to fully eradicate mature biofilms, we conclude that impedance-based biofilm diagnostics, which permits antibiotic susceptibility testing and the identification of persister cells, is of great potential for the clinical practice and could aid in establishing treatment breakpoints for emerging biofilm-related infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miglė Žiemytė
- Genomics & Health Department, FISABIO Foundation, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Juan C. Rodríguez-Díaz
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, ISABIAL, Alicante, Spain
| | - Maria P. Ventero
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, ISABIAL, Alicante, Spain
| | - Alex Mira
- Genomics & Health Department, FISABIO Foundation, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain
| | - María D. Ferrer
- Genomics & Health Department, FISABIO Foundation, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain
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Zabelkin A, Yakovleva Y, Bochkareva O, Alexeev N. PaReBrick: PArallel REarrangements and BReaks identification toolkit. Bioinformatics 2021; 38:357-363. [PMID: 34601581 PMCID: PMC8723149 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION High plasticity of bacterial genomes is provided by numerous mechanisms including horizontal gene transfer and recombination via numerous flanking repeats. Genome rearrangements such as inversions, deletions, insertions and duplications may independently occur in different strains, providing parallel adaptation or phenotypic diversity. Specifically, such rearrangements might be responsible for virulence, antibiotic resistance and antigenic variation. However, identification of such events requires laborious manual inspection and verification of phyletic pattern consistency. RESULTS Here, we define the term 'parallel rearrangements' as events that occur independently in phylogenetically distant bacterial strains and present a formalization of the problem of parallel rearrangements calling. We implement an algorithmic solution for the identification of parallel rearrangements in bacterial populations as a tool PaReBrick. The tool takes a collection of strains represented as a sequence of oriented synteny blocks and a phylogenetic tree as input data. It identifies rearrangements, tests them for consistency with a tree, and sorts the events by their parallelism score. The tool provides diagrams of the neighbors for each block of interest, allowing the detection of horizontally transferred blocks or their extra copies and the inversions in which copied blocks are involved. We demonstrated PaReBrick's efficiency and accuracy and showed its potential to detect genome rearrangements responsible for pathogenicity and adaptation in bacterial genomes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION PaReBrick is written in Python and is available on GitHub: https://github.com/ctlab/parallel-rearrangements. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Zabelkin
- Computer Technologies Laboratory, ITMO University, St Petersburg 197101, Russia
- Bioinformatics Institute, St Petersburg 194100, Russia
| | - Yulia Yakovleva
- Bioinformatics Institute, St Petersburg 194100, Russia
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199034, Russia
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Niu WA, Rivera SL, Siegrist MS, Santore MM. Depletion forces drive reversible capture of live bacteria on non-adhesive surfaces. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:8185-8194. [PMID: 34525168 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00631b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Because bacterial adhesion to surfaces is associated with infections and biofilm growth, it has been a longstanding goal to develop coatings that minimize biomolecular adsorption and eliminate bacteria adhesion. We demonstrate that, even on carefully-engineered non-bioadhesive coatings such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) layers that prevent biomolecule adsorption and cell adhesion, depletion interactions from non-adsorbing polymer in solution (such as 10 K PEG or 100 K PEO) can cause adhesion and retention of Escherichia coli cells, defeating the antifouling functionality of the coating. The cells are immobilized and remain viable on the timescale of the study, at least up to 45 minutes. When the polymer solution is replaced by buffer, cells rapidly escape from the surface, consistent with expectations for the reversibility of depletion attractions. The dissolved polymer additionally causes cells to aggregate in solution and aggregates rapidly dissociate to singlets upon tenfold dilution in buffer, also consistent with depletion. Hydrodynamic forces can substantially reduce the adhesion of aggregates on surfaces in conditions where single cells adhere via depletion. The findings reported here suggest that because bacteria thrive in polymer-rich environments both in vivo and in situ, depletion interactions may make it impossible to avoid bacterial retention on surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuqi Amy Niu
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Governors Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
| | - Sylvia L Rivera
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - M Sloan Siegrist
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Maria M Santore
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Governors Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
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Liu J, Shen Z, Tang J, Huang Q, Jian Y, Liu Y, Wang Y, Ma X, Liu Q, He L, Li M. Extracellular DNA released by glycine-auxotrophic Staphylococcus epidermidis small colony variant facilitates catheter-related infections. Commun Biol 2021; 4:904. [PMID: 34294851 PMCID: PMC8298460 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02423-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Though a definitive link between small colony variants (SCVs) and implant-related staphylococcal infections has been well-established, the specific underlying mechanism remains an ill-explored field. The present study analyzes the role SCVs play in catheter infection by performing genomic and metabolic analyses, as well as analyzing biofilm formation and impacts of glycine on growth and peptidoglycan-linking rate, on a clinically typical Staphylococcus epidermidis case harboring stable SCV, normal counterpart (NC) and nonstable SCV. Our findings reveal that S. epidermidis stable SCV carries mutations involved in various metabolic processes. Metabolome analyses demonstrate that two biosynthetic pathways are apparently disturbed in SCV. One is glycine biosynthesis, which contributes to remarkable glycine shortage, and supplementation of glycine restores growth and peptidoglycan-linking rate of SCV. The other is overflow of pyruvic acid and acetyl-CoA, leading to excessive acetate. SCV demonstrates higher biofilm-forming ability due to rapid autolysis and subsequent eDNA release. Despite a remarkable decline in cell viability, SCV can facilitate in vitro biofilm formation and in vivo survival of NC when co-infected with its normal counterparts. This work illustrates an intriguing strategy utilized by a glycine-auxotrophic clinical S. epidermidis SCV isolate to facilitate biofilm-related infections, and casts a new light on the role of SCV in persistent infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junlan Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Zhen Shen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Jin Tang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Qian Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Ying Jian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Yao Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Yanan Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Xiaowei Ma
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Lei He
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China.
| | - Min Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China. .,Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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10
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Tomasch J, Koppenhöfer S, Lang AS. Connection Between Chromosomal Location and Function of CtrA Phosphorelay Genes in Alphaproteobacteria. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:662907. [PMID: 33995326 PMCID: PMC8116508 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.662907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Most bacterial chromosomes are circular, with replication starting at one origin (ori) and proceeding on both replichores toward the terminus (ter). Several studies have shown that the location of genes relative to ori and ter can have profound effects on regulatory networks and physiological processes. The CtrA phosphorelay is a gene regulatory system conserved in most alphaproteobacteria. It was first discovered in Caulobacter crescentus where it controls replication and division into a stalked and a motile cell in coordination with other factors. The locations of the ctrA gene and targets of this response regulator on the chromosome affect their expression through replication-induced DNA hemi-methylation and specific positioning along a CtrA activity gradient in the dividing cell, respectively. Here we asked to what extent the location of CtrA regulatory network genes might be conserved in the alphaproteobacteria. We determined the locations of the CtrA phosphorelay and associated genes in closed genomes with unambiguously identifiable ori from members of five alphaproteobacterial orders. The location of the phosphorelay genes was the least conserved in the Rhodospirillales followed by the Sphingomonadales. In the Rhizobiales a trend toward certain chromosomal positions could be observed. Compared to the other orders, the CtrA phosphorelay genes were conserved closer to ori in the Caulobacterales. In contrast, the genes were highly conserved closer to ter in the Rhodobacterales. Our data suggest selection pressure results in differential positioning of CtrA phosphorelay and associated genes in alphaproteobacteria, particularly in the orders Rhodobacterales, Caulobacterales and Rhizobiales that is worth deeper investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Tomasch
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sonja Koppenhöfer
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Andrew S Lang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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de Oliveira Luz AC, da Silva Junior WJ, do Nascimento Junior JB, da Silva JMA, de Queiroz Balbino V, Leal-Balbino TC. Genetic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of Brazilian clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa harboring CRISPR/Cas systems. Curr Genet 2021; 67:663-672. [PMID: 33751147 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-021-01173-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas are adaptive immune systems found in archaea and bacteria, responsible for providing sequence-specific resistance against foreign DNA. Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa may carry CRISPR/Cas system types I-F, I-E and/or I-C; however, several aspects related to the epidemiology and functionality of these systems have not yet been revealed. Here, we report 13 genomes of clinical strains of P. aeruginosa from Brazil that were positive for CRISPR/Cas system types I-F and I-E, a rare feature in this species. The phylogenetic tree, which was constructed with 161 other publicly available genomes, suggested no direct relationship between positive strains, and the various types of CRISPR/Cas systems were spread throughout the tree. Comparative analysis of the genetic locations of type I-F and a specific orphan CRISPR array (without cas genes), named the LES locus, showed sequence similarities between this orphan locus and type I-F, but these LES loci were inserted in a different genomic location. We also report the presence of prophages, the presence of anti-CRISPR genes, and possibly the presence of self-targeting spacers. Here, we conclude that CRISPR/Cas is highly associated with certain lineages and is spread throughout the phylogenetic tree, showing no clear pattern of evolutionary distribution. Moreover, the LES locus might be a CRISPR1 locus related to type I-F that may have been misplaced and maintained over time. Furthermore, strains carrying I-F and I-E are rare, and not all of them are closely related. Further functional work is needed to better comprehend if aspects reported in this study are functional, including the LES locus, self-targeting spacers, anti-CRISPR protection, and I-F/I-E-carrying lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wilson José da Silva Junior
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - José Bandeira do Nascimento Junior
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Valdir de Queiroz Balbino
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
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