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Wang P, Du X, Zhao Y, Wang W, Cai T, Tang K, Wang X. Combining CRISPR/Cas9 and natural excision for the precise and complete removal of mobile genetic elements in bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0009524. [PMID: 38497640 PMCID: PMC11022536 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00095-24] [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: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer, facilitated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs), is an adaptive evolutionary process that contributes to the evolution of bacterial populations and infectious diseases. A variety of MGEs not only can integrate into the bacterial genome but also can survive or even replicate like plasmids in the cytoplasm, thus requiring precise and complete removal for studying their strategies in benefiting host cells. Existing methods for MGE removal, such as homologous recombination-based deletion and excisionase-based methods, have limitations in effectively eliminating certain MGEs. To overcome these limitations, we developed the Cas9-NE method, which combines the CRISPR/Cas9 system with the natural excision of MGEs. In this approach, a specialized single guide RNA (sgRNA) element is designed with a 20-nucleotide region that pairs with the MGE sequence. This sgRNA is expressed from a plasmid that also carries the Cas9 gene. By utilizing the Cas9-NE method, both the integrative and circular forms of MGEs can be precisely and completely eliminated through Cas9 cleavage, generating MGE-removed cells. We have successfully applied the Cas9-NE method to remove four representative MGEs, including plasmids, prophages, and genomic islands, from Vibrio strains. This new approach not only enables various investigations on MGEs but also has significant implications for the rapid generation of strains for commercial purposes.IMPORTANCEMobile genetic elements (MGEs) are of utmost importance for bacterial adaptation and pathogenicity, existing in various forms and multiple copies within bacterial cells. Integrated MGEs play dual roles in bacterial hosts, enhancing the fitness of the host by delivering cargo genes and potentially modifying the bacterial genome through the integration/excision process. This process can lead to alterations in promoters or coding sequences or even gene disruptions at integration sites, influencing the physiological functions of host bacteria. Here, we developed a new approach called Cas9-NE, allowing them to maintain the natural sequence changes associated with MGE excision. Cas9-NE allows the one-step removal of integrated and circular MGEs, addressing the challenge of eliminating various MGE forms efficiently. This approach simplifies MGE elimination in bacteria, expediting research on MGEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengxia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Guangzhou
- Guangdong Provincial Observation and Research Station for Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shantou, China
- China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong LaboratoryGuangzhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofei Du
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Guangzhou
- China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong LaboratoryGuangzhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Zhao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Weiquan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Guangzhou
- China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong LaboratoryGuangzhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tongxuan Cai
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Guangzhou
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Guangzhou
- China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong LaboratoryGuangzhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, Guangzhou
- China, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong LaboratoryGuangzhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Liu X, Li J, Zhang Z, He Y, Wang M, Zhao Y, Lin S, Liu T, Liao Y, Zhang N, Yuan K, Ling Y, Liu Z, Chen X, Chen Z, Chen R, Wang X, Gu B. Acetylation of xenogeneic silencer H-NS regulates biofilm development through the nitrogen homeostasis regulator in Shewanella. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:2886-2903. [PMID: 38142446 PMCID: PMC11014242 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Adjusting intracellular metabolic pathways and adopting suitable live state such as biofilms, are crucial for bacteria to survive environmental changes. Although substantial progress has been made in understanding how the histone-like nucleoid-structuring (H-NS) protein modulates the expression of the genes involved in biofilm formation, the precise modification that the H-NS protein undergoes to alter its DNA binding activity is still largely uncharacterized. This study revealed that acetylation of H-NS at Lys19 inhibits biofilm development in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 by downregulating the expression of glutamine synthetase, a critical enzyme in glutamine synthesis. We further found that nitrogen starvation, a likely condition in biofilm development, induces deacetylation of H-NS and the trimerization of nitrogen assimilation regulator GlnB. The acetylated H-NS strain exhibits significantly lower cellular glutamine concentration, emphasizing the requirement of H-NS deacetylation in Shewanella biofilm development. Moreover, we discovered in vivo that the activation of glutamine biosynthesis pathway and the concurrent suppression of the arginine synthesis pathway during both pellicle and attached biofilms development, further suggesting the importance of fine tune nitrogen assimilation by H-NS acetylation in Shewanella. In summary, posttranslational modification of H-NS endows Shewanella with the ability to respond to environmental needs by adjusting the intracellular metabolism pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Liu
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Jun Li
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Zhixuan Zhang
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
- School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Yizhou He
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Mingfang Wang
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Yunhu Zhao
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Shituan Lin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tianlang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yiwen Liao
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Ni Zhang
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Kaixuan Yuan
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Yong Ling
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Ziyao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaozhong Chen
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Zhe Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ran Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Bing Gu
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510000, China
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Tan X, Zhang M, Liu S, Xiao X, Zhang Y, Jian H. Prophage enhances the ability of deep-sea bacterium Shewanella psychrophila WP2 to utilize D-amino acid. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0326323. [PMID: 38170979 PMCID: PMC10845958 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03263-23] [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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Prophages are prevalent in the marine bacterial genomes and reshape the physiology and metabolism of their hosts. However, whether and how prophages influence the microbial degradation of D-amino acids (D-AAs), which is one of the widely distributed recalcitrant dissolved organic matters (RDOMs) in the ocean, remain to be explored. In this study, we addressed this issue in a representative marine bacterium, Shewanella psychrophila WP2 (WP2), and its integrated prophage SP1. Notably, compared to the WP2 wild-type strain, the SP1 deletion mutant of WP2 (WP2ΔSP1) exhibited a significantly lower D-glutamate (D-Glu) consumption rate and longer lag phase when D-Glu was used as the sole nitrogen source. The subsequent transcriptome analysis identified 1,523 differentially expressed genes involved in diverse cellular processes, especially that multiple genes related to inorganic nitrogen metabolism were highly upregulated. In addition, the dynamic profiles of ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite were distinct between the culture media of WP2 and WP2ΔSP1. Finally, we provide evidence that SP1 conferred a competitive advantage to WP2 when D-Glu was used as the sole nitrogen source and SP1-like phages may be widely distributed in the global ocean. Taken together, these findings offer novel insight into the influences of prophages on host metabolism and RDOM cycling in marine environments.IMPORTANCEThis work represents the first exploration of the impact of prophages on the D-amino acid (D-AA) metabolism of deep-sea bacteria. By using S. psychrophila WP2 and its integrated prophage SP1 as a representative system, we found that SP1 can significantly increase the catabolism rate of WP2 to D-glutamate and produce higher concentrations of ammonium, resulting in faster growth and competitive advantages. Our findings not only deepen our understanding of the interaction between deep-sea prophages and hosts but also provide new insights into the ecological role of prophages in refractory dissolved organic matter and the nitrogen cycle in deep oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Tan
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mujie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Shunzhang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huahua Jian
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
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Liu Z, Tang K, Zhou Y, Liu T, Guo Y, Wu D, Wang X. Active prophages in coral-associated Halomonas capable of lateral transduction. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae085. [PMID: 38739683 PMCID: PMC11131426 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae085] [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: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Temperate phages can interact with bacterial hosts through lytic and lysogenic cycles via different mechanisms. Lysogeny has been identified as the major form of bacteria-phage interaction in the coral-associated microbiome. However, the lysogenic-to-lytic switch of temperate phages in ecologically important coral-associated bacteria and its ecological impact have not been extensively investigated. By studying the prophages in coral-associated Halomonas meridiana, we found that two prophages, Phm1 and Phm3, are inducible by the DNA-damaging agent mitomycin C and that Phm3 is spontaneously activated under normal cultivation conditions. Furthermore, Phm3 undergoes an atypical lytic pathway that can amplify and package adjacent host DNA, potentially resulting in lateral transduction. The induction of Phm3 triggered a process of cell lysis accompanied by the formation of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and Phm3 attached to OMVs. This unique cell-lysis process was controlled by a four-gene lytic module within Phm3. Further analysis of the Tara Ocean dataset revealed that Phm3 represents a new group of temperate phages that are widely distributed and transcriptionally active in the ocean. Therefore, the combination of lateral transduction mediated by temperate phages and OMV transmission offers a versatile strategy for host-phage coevolution in marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1, Yanqihu East Road, Huairou District, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1, Yanqihu East Road, Huairou District, Beijing 101408, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Yiqing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
| | - Tianlang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1, Yanqihu East Road, Huairou District, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Yunxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1, Yanqihu East Road, Huairou District, Beijing 101408, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Duoting Wu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou 510301, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1, Yanqihu East Road, Huairou District, Beijing 101408, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
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Cai T, Tang H, Du X, Wang W, Tang K, Wang X, Liu D, Wang P. Genomic Island-Encoded Diguanylate Cyclase from Vibrio alginolyticus Regulates Biofilm Formation and Motility in Pseudoalteromonas. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2725. [PMID: 38004737 PMCID: PMC10672970 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112725] [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: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Many bacteria use the second messenger c-di-GMP to regulate exopolysaccharide production, biofilm formation, motility, virulence, and other phenotypes. The c-di-GMP level is controlled by the complex network of diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) and phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that synthesize and degrade c-di-GMP. In addition to chromosomally encoded DGCs, increasing numbers of DGCs were found to be located on mobile genetic elements. Whether these mobile genetic element-encoded DGCs can modulate the physiological phenotypes in recipient bacteria after horizontal gene transfer should be investigated. In our previous study, a genomic island encoding three DGC proteins (Dgc137, Dgc139, and Dgc140) was characterized in Vibrio alginolyticus isolated from the gastric cavity of the coral Galaxea fascicularis. Here, the effect of the three DGCs in four Pseudoalteromonas strains isolated from coral Galaxea fascicularis and other marine environments was explored. The results showed that when dgc137 is present rather than the three DGC genes, it obviously modulates biofilm formation and bacterial motility in these Pseudoalteromonas strains. Our findings implied that mobile genetic element-encoded DGC could regulate the physiological status of neighboring bacteria in a microbial community by modulating the c-di-GMP level after horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongxuan Cai
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Huan Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaofei Du
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weiquan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dong Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Pengxia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China; (T.C.); (H.T.); (X.D.); (W.W.); (K.T.); (X.W.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Yi Y, Liu S, Hao Y, Sun Q, Lei X, Wang Y, Wang J, Zhang M, Tang S, Tang Q, Zhang Y, Liu X, Wang Y, Xiao X, Jian H. A systematic analysis of marine lysogens and proviruses. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6013. [PMID: 37758717 PMCID: PMC10533544 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41699-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses are ubiquitous in the oceans, exhibiting high abundance and diversity. Here, we systematically analyze existing genomic sequences of marine prokaryotes to compile a Marine Prokaryotic Genome Dataset (MPGD, consisting of over 12,000 bacterial and archaeal genomes) and a Marine Temperate Viral Genome Dataset (MTVGD). At least 40% of the MPGD genomes contain one or more proviral sequences, indicating that they are lysogens. The MTVGD includes over 12,900 viral contigs or putative proviruses, clustered into 10,897 viral genera. We show that lysogens and proviruses are abundant in marine ecosystems, particularly in the deep sea, and marine lysogens differ from non-lysogens in multiple genomic features and growth properties. We reveal several virus-host interaction networks of potential ecological relevance, and identify proviruses that appear to be able to infect (or to be transferred between) different bacterial classes and phyla. Auxiliary metabolic genes in the MTVGD are enriched in functions related to carbohydrate metabolism. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate the impact of a prophage on the transcriptome of a representative marine Shewanella bacterium. Our work contributes to a better understanding of the ecology of marine prokaryotes and their viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shunzhang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yali Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Qingyang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinjuan Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Yecheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiahua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mujie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Shan Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Qingxue Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xipeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
| | - Huahua Jian
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Development Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Yazhou Bay Institute of Deepsea Sci-Tech, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Sanya, China.
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7
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Lin S, Guo Y, Huang Z, Tang K, Wang X. Comparative Genomic Analysis of Cold-Water Coral-Derived Sulfitobacter faviae: Insights into Their Habitat Adaptation and Metabolism. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:md21050309. [PMID: 37233503 DOI: 10.3390/md21050309] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfitobacter is one of the major sulfite-oxidizing alphaproteobacterial groups and is often associated with marine algae and corals. Their association with the eukaryotic host cell may have important ecological contexts due to their complex lifestyle and metabolism. However, the role of Sulfitobacter in cold-water corals remains largely unexplored. In this study, we explored the metabolism and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in two closely related Sulfitobacter faviae strains isolated from cold-water black corals at a depth of ~1000 m by comparative genomic analysis. The two strains shared high sequence similarity in chromosomes, including two megaplasmids and two prophages, while both contained several distinct MGEs, including prophages and megaplasmids. Additionally, several toxin-antitoxin systems and other types of antiphage elements were also identified in both strains, potentially helping Sulfitobacter faviae overcome the threat of diverse lytic phages. Furthermore, the two strains shared similar secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters and genes involved in dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) degradation pathways. Our results provide insight into the adaptive strategy of Sulfitobacter strains to thrive in ecological niches such as cold-water corals at the genomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shituan Lin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yunxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Zixian Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
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8
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Onodera H, Niwa T, Taguchi H, Chadani Y. Prophage excision switches the primary ribosome rescue pathway and rescue-associated gene regulations in Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol 2023; 119:44-58. [PMID: 36471624 PMCID: PMC10107115 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli has multiple pathways to release nonproductive ribosome complexes stalled at the 3' end of nonstop mRNA: tmRNA (SsrA RNA)-mediated trans-translation and stop codon-independent termination by ArfA/RF2 or ArfB (YaeJ). The arfA mRNA lacks a stop codon and its expression is repressed by trans-translation. Therefore, ArfA is considered to complement the ribosome rescue activity of trans-translation, but the physiological situations in which ArfA is expressed have not been elucidated. Here, we found that the excision of CP4-57 prophage adjacent to E. coli ssrA leads to the inactivation of tmRNA and switches the primary rescue pathway from trans-translation to ArfA/RF2. This "rescue-switching" rearranges not only the proteome landscape in E. coli but also the phenotype such as motility. Furthermore, among the proteins with significantly increased abundance in the ArfA+ cells, we found ZntR, whose mRNA is transcribed together as the upstream part of nonstop arfA mRNA. Repression of ZntR and reconstituted model genes depends on the translation of the downstream nonstop ORFs that trigger the trans-translation-coupled exonucleolytic degradation by polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). Namely, our studies provide a novel example of trans-translation-dependent regulation and re-define the physiological roles of prophage excision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Onodera
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Niwa
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.,Cell Biology Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Hideki Taguchi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.,Cell Biology Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yuhei Chadani
- Cell Biology Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
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9
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Xu S, Cao Q, Liu Z, Chen J, Yan P, Li B, Xu Y. Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Role of tmRNA on Biofilm Formation in Bacillus subtilis. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10071338. [PMID: 35889057 PMCID: PMC9319509 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10071338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus strains are widely distributed in terrestrial and marine environments, and some of them are used as biocontrol organisms for their biofilm-formation ability. In Bacillus subtilis, biofilm formation is fine-tuned by a complex network, a clear understanding of which still requires study. In bacteria, tmRNA, encoded by the ssrA gene, catalyzes trans-translation that can rescue ribosomes stalled on mRNA transcripts lacking a functional stop codon. tmRNA also affects physiological bioprocesses in some bacteria. In this study, we constructed a ssrA mutant in B. subtilis and found that the biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant was largely impaired. Moreover, we isolated a biofilm-formation suppressor of ssrA, in which the biofilm formation was restored to a level even stronger than that in the wild type. We further performed RNAseq assays with the wild type, ssrA mutant, and suppressor of ssrA for comparisons of their transcriptomes. By analyzing the transcriptomic data, we predicted the possible functions of some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the tmRNA regulation of biofilm formation in B. subtilis. Finally, we found that the overexpression of two DEGs, acoA and yhjR, could restore the biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant, indicating that AcoA and YhjR were immediate regulators involved in the tmRNA regulatory web controlling biofilm formation in B. subtilis. Our data can improve the knowledge about the molecular network involved in Bacillus biofilm formation and provide new targets for manipulation of Bacillus biofilms for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Xu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Qianqian Cao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Zengzhi Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Junpeng Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Peiguang Yan
- College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Bingyu Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Genome Stability and Disease Prevention, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Correspondence: (B.L.); (Y.X.)
| | - Ying Xu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource and Eco-Environmental Science, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Marine Algal Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China; (S.X.); (Q.C.); (Z.L.); (J.C.)
- Correspondence: (B.L.); (Y.X.)
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10
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The coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus kills non-pathogenic holobiont competitors by triggering prophage induction. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1132-1144. [PMID: 35773344 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01795-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The coral reef microbiome is central to reef health and resilience. Competitive interactions between opportunistic coral pathogens and other commensal microbes affect the health of coral. Despite great advances over the years in sequencing-based microbial profiling of healthy and diseased coral, the molecular mechanism underlying colonization competition has been much less explored. In this study, by examining the culturable bacteria inhabiting the gastric cavity of healthy Galaxea fascicularis, a scleractinian coral, we found that temperate phages played a major role in mediating colonization competition in the coral microbiota. Specifically, the non-toxigenic Vibrio sp. inhabiting the healthy coral had a much higher colonization capacity than the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus, yet this advantage was diminished by the latter killing the former. Pathogen-encoded LodAB, which produces hydrogen peroxide, triggers the lytic cycle of prophage in the non-toxicogenic Vibrio sp. Importantly, V. coralliilyticus could outcompete other coral symbiotic bacteria (for example, Endozoicomonas sp.) through LodAB-dependent prophage induction. Overall, we reveal that LodAB can be used by pathogens as an important weapon to gain a competitive advantage over lysogenic competitors when colonizing corals.
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11
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Guo Y, Lin J, Wang X. Rapid detection of temperate bacteriophage using a simple motility assay. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2021; 13:728-734. [PMID: 34245219 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Phage contamination is a common complication for the fermentation and pharmaceutical industries. The risk of bacteriophage contamination in laboratory processes increases with multiple rounds of genetic manipulation such as deletion and complementation. The contamination of temperate phages does not lead to immediate host cell lysis but could become a serious issue when the lytic cycle is activated under specific conditions. Our objective was to develop a quick and reliable detection method for checking possible temperate phage contamination. Here, using motility plates, we found that when the strain carries a newly acquired temperate phage, its presence can be easily detected by the formation of a clear 'lysis zone' when swimming against the original strain on the same swimming plates. Compared to the traditional double agar layer method and genomic sequencing-based methods, the duration of the motility-based assay is shorter and the procedure is simplified. More importantly, for the bacterial strains that already contain active prophages, this method can still easily detect the newly acquired phages without tedious phage identification procedure. These features make this method highly applicable to laboratory and industrial processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jianzhong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, 511458, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, 511458, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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12
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Tang K, Wang W, Sun Y, Zhou Y, Wang P, Guo Y, Wang X. Prophage Tracer: precisely tracing prophages in prokaryotic genomes using overlapping split-read alignment. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:e128. [PMID: 34551431 PMCID: PMC8682789 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab824] [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: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The life cycle of temperate phages includes a lysogenic cycle stage when the phage integrates into the host genome and becomes a prophage. However, the identification of prophages that are highly divergent from known phages remains challenging. In this study, by taking advantage of the lysis-lysogeny switch of temperate phages, we designed Prophage Tracer, a tool for recognizing active prophages in prokaryotic genomes using short-read sequencing data, independent of phage gene similarity searching. Prophage Tracer uses the criterion of overlapping split-read alignment to recognize discriminative reads that contain bacterial (attB) and phage (attP) att sites representing prophage excision signals. Performance testing showed that Prophage Tracer could predict known prophages with precise boundaries, as well as novel prophages. Two novel prophages, dsDNA and ssDNA, encoding highly divergent major capsid proteins, were identified in coral-associated bacteria. Prophage Tracer is a reliable data mining tool for the identification of novel temperate phages and mobile genetic elements. The code for the Prophage Tracer is publicly available at https://github.com/WangLab-SCSIO/Prophage_Tracer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Weiquan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yamin Sun
- Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochip, 23 Hongda St., Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yiqing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Pengxia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yunxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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13
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Liu X, Lin S, Liu T, Zhou Y, Wang W, Yao J, Guo Y, Tang K, Chen R, Benedik MJ, Wang X. Xenogeneic silencing relies on temperature-dependent phosphorylation of the host H-NS protein in Shewanella. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3427-3440. [PMID: 33693785 PMCID: PMC8034616 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateral gene transfer (LGT) plays a key role in shaping the genome evolution and environmental adaptation of bacteria. Xenogeneic silencing is crucial to ensure the safe acquisition of LGT genes into host pre-existing regulatory networks. We previously found that the host nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) silences prophage CP4So at warm temperatures yet enables this prophage to excise at cold temperatures in Shewanella oneidensis. However, whether H-NS silences other genes and how bacteria modulate H-NS to regulate the expression of genes have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we discovered that the H-NS silences many LGT genes and the xenogeneic silencing of H-NS relies on a temperature-dependent phosphorylation at warm temperatures in S. oneidensis. Specifically, phosphorylation of H-NS at Ser42 is critical for silencing the cold-inducible genes including the excisionase of CP4So prophage, a cold shock protein, and a stress-related chemosensory system. By contrast, nonphosphorylated H-NS derepresses the promoter activity of these genes/operons to enable their expression at cold temperatures. Taken together, our results reveal that the posttranslational modification of H-NS can function as a regulatory switch to control LGT gene expression in host genomes to enable the host bacterium to react and thrive when environmental temperature changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Shituan Lin
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tianlang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yiqing Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Weiquan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jianyun Yao
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Yunxue Guo
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kaihao Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Ran Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Michael J Benedik
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No.1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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14
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Shao M, Sun C, Liu X, Wang X, Li W, Wei X, Li Q, Ju J. Upregulation of a marine fungal biosynthetic gene cluster by an endobacterial symbiont. Commun Biol 2020; 3:527. [PMID: 32968175 PMCID: PMC7511336 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01239-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal-bacterial associations are present in nature, playing important roles in ecological, evolutionary and medicinal processes. Here we report a fungus-bacterial symbiont from marine sediment. The bacterium lives inside the fungal mycelium yet is robust enough to survive independent of its host; the independently grown bacterium can infect the fungal host in vitro and continue to grow progenitively. The bacterial symbiont modulates the fungal host to biosynthesize a polyketide antimicrobial, spiromarmycin. Spiromarmycin appears to endow upon the symbiont pair a protective/defensive means of warding off competitor organisms, be they prokaryotic or eukaryotic microorganisms. Genomic analyses revealed the spiromarmycin biosynthetic machinery to be encoded, not by the bacterium, but rather the fungal host. This unique fungal-bacterial symbiotic relationship and the molecule/s resulting from it dramatically expand our knowledge of marine microbial diversity and shed important insights into endosymbionts and fungal-bacterial relationships. Shao et al. show that a bacterial symbiont drives its fungal host to biosynthesize a polyketide antimicrobial, spiromarmycin, fending off their competitors. They find that the spiromarmycin biosynthetic machinery is encoded by the fungal host. This study provides insights into the evolution of marine microbial diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingwei Shao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China.,College of Oceanology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Changli Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Xiaoxue Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China.,College of Oceanology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Wenli Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education of China, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.,Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Xiaoyi Wei
- Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Qinglian Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China. .,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China.
| | - Jianhua Ju
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, RNAM Center for Marine Microbiology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 West Xingang Road, Guangzhou, 510301, China. .,College of Oceanology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. .,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China.
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