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Yueyue W, Feichen X, Yixuan X, Lu L, Yiwen C, Xiaoxing Y. Pathogenicity and virulence of Mycoplasma genitalium: Unraveling Ariadne's Thread. Virulence 2022; 13:1161-1183. [PMID: 35791283 PMCID: PMC9262362 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2095741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium, a pathogen from class Mollicutes, has been linked to sexually transmitted diseases and sparked widespread concern. To adapt to its environment, M. genitalium has evolved specific adhesins and motility mechanisms that allow it to adhere to and invade various eukaryotic cells, thereby causing severe damage to the cells. Even though traditional exotoxins have not been identified, secreted nucleases or membrane lipoproteins have been shown to cause cell death and inflammatory injury in M. genitalium infection. However, as both innate and adaptive immune responses are important for controlling infection, the immune responses that develop upon infection do not necessarily eliminate the organism completely. Antigenic variation, detoxifying enzymes, immunoglobulins, neutrophil extracellular trap-degrading enzymes, cell invasion, and biofilm formation are important factors that help the pathogen overcome the host defence and cause chronic infections in susceptible individuals. Furthermore, M. genitalium can increase the susceptibility to several sexually transmitted pathogens, which significantly complicates the persistence and chronicity of M. genitalium infection. This review aimed to discuss the virulence factors of M. genitalium to shed light on its complex pathogenicity and pathogenesis of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Yueyue
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical School; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control; Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Xiu Feichen
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical School; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control; Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Xi Yixuan
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical School; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control; Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Liu Lu
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical School; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control; Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Chen Yiwen
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical School; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control; Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - You Xiaoxing
- Institute of Pathogenic Biology, Hengyang Medical School; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control; Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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Martínez-Torró C, Torres-Puig S, Marcos-Silva M, Huguet-Ramón M, Muñoz-Navarro C, Lluch-Senar M, Serrano L, Querol E, Piñol J, Pich OQ. Functional Characterization of the Cell Division Gene Cluster of the Wall-less Bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:695572. [PMID: 34589065 PMCID: PMC8475190 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.695572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well-established that FtsZ drives peptidoglycan synthesis at the division site in walled bacteria. However, the function and conservation of FtsZ in wall-less prokaryotes such as mycoplasmas are less clear. In the genome-reduced bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium, the cell division gene cluster is limited to four genes: mraZ, mraW, MG_223, and ftsZ. In a previous study, we demonstrated that ftsZ was dispensable for growth of M. genitalium under laboratory culture conditions. Herein, we show that the entire cell division gene cluster of M. genitalium is non-essential for growth in vitro. Our analyses indicate that loss of the mraZ gene alone is more detrimental for growth of M. genitalium than deletion of ftsZ or the entire cell division gene cluster. Transcriptional analysis revealed a marked upregulation of ftsZ in the mraZ mutant. Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based proteomics confirmed the overexpression of FtsZ in MraZ-deprived cells. Of note, we found that ftsZ expression was upregulated in non-adherent cells of M. genitalium, which arise spontaneously at relatively high rates. Single cell analysis using fluorescent markers showed that FtsZ localization varied throughout the cell cycle of M. genitalium in a coordinated manner with the chromosome and the terminal organelle (TMO). In addition, our results indicate a possible role for the RNA methyltransferase MraW in the regulation of FtsZ expression at the post-transcriptional level. Altogether, this study provides an extensive characterization of the cell division gene cluster of M. genitalium and demonstrates the existence of regulatory elements controlling FtsZ expression at the temporal and spatial level in mycoplasmas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Martínez-Torró
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Torres-Puig
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marina Marcos-Silva
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Huguet-Ramón
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Muñoz-Navarro
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Piñol
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar Q. Pich
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratori de Recerca en Microbiologia i Malalties Infeccioses, Institut d’Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT), Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain
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3
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Piñero-Lambea C, Garcia-Ramallo E, Martinez S, Delgado J, Serrano L, Lluch-Senar M. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Genome Editing Based on Oligo Recombineering and Cas9-Mediated Counterselection. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:1693-1704. [PMID: 32502342 PMCID: PMC7372593 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Mycoplasma species
share a set of features, such as lack of a cell
wall, streamlined genomes, simplified metabolism, and the use of a
deviant genetic code, that make them attractive approximations of
what a chassis strain should ideally be. Among them, Mycoplasma
pneumoniae arises as a candidate for synthetic biology projects,
as it is one of the most deeply characterized bacteria. However, the
historical paucity of tools for editing Mycoplasma genomes has precluded
the establishment of M. pneumoniae as a suitable
chassis strain. Here, we developed an oligonucleotide recombineering
method for this strain based on GP35, a ssDNA recombinase originally
encoded by a Bacillus subtilis-associated phage.
GP35-mediated oligo recombineering is able to carry out point mutations
in the M. pneumoniae genome with an efficiency as
high as 2.7 × 10–2, outperforming oligo recombineering
protocols developed for other bacteria. Gene deletions of different
sizes showed a decreasing power trend between efficiency and the scale
of the attempted edition. However, the editing rates for all modifications
increased when CRISPR/Cas9 was used to counterselect nonedited cells.
This allowed edited clones carrying chromosomal deletions of up to
1.8 kb to be recovered with little to no screening of survivor cells.
We envision this technology as a major step toward the use of M. pneumoniae, and possibly other Mycoplasmas, as synthetic
biology chassis strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Piñero-Lambea
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Eva Garcia-Ramallo
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Sira Martinez
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Javier Delgado
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Luis Serrano
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona 08010, Spain
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona 08003, Spain
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Behaviors and Energy Source of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Gliding. J Bacteriol 2019; 201:JB.00397-19. [PMID: 31308069 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00397-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma gallisepticum, an avian-pathogenic bacterium, glides on host tissue surfaces by using a common motility system with Mycoplasma pneumoniae In the present study, we observed and analyzed the gliding behaviors of M. gallisepticum in detail by using optical microscopes. M. gallisepticum glided at a speed of 0.27 ± 0.09 μm/s with directional changes relative to the cell axis of 0.6 degree ± 44.6 degrees/5 s without the rolling of the cell body. To examine the effects of viscosity on gliding, we analyzed the gliding behaviors under viscous environments. The gliding speed was constant in various concentrations of methylcellulose but was affected by Ficoll. To investigate the relationship between binding and gliding, we analyzed the inhibitory effects of sialyllactose on binding and gliding. The binding and gliding speed sigmoidally decreased with sialyllactose concentration, indicating the cooperative binding of the cell. To determine the direct energy source of gliding, we used a membrane-permeabilized ghost model. We permeabilized M. gallisepticum cells with Triton X-100 or Triton X-100 containing ATP and analyzed the gliding of permeabilized cells. The cells permeabilized with Triton X-100 did not show gliding; in contrast, the cells permeabilized with Triton X-100 containing ATP showed gliding at a speed of 0.014 ± 0.007 μm/s. These results indicate that the direct energy source for the gliding motility of M. gallisepticum is ATP.IMPORTANCE Mycoplasmas, the smallest bacteria, are parasitic and occasionally commensal. Mycoplasma gallisepticum is related to human-pathogenic mycoplasmas-Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma genitalium-which cause so-called "walking pneumonia" and nongonococcal urethritis, respectively. These mycoplasmas trap sialylated oligosaccharides, which are common targets among influenza viruses, on host trachea or urinary tract surfaces and glide to enlarge the infected areas. Interestingly, this gliding motility is not related to other bacterial motilities or eukaryotic motilities. Here, we quantitatively analyze cell behaviors in gliding and clarify the direct energy source. The results provide clues for elucidating this unique motility mechanism.
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Seybert A, Gonzalez-Gonzalez L, Scheffer MP, Lluch-Senar M, Mariscal AM, Querol E, Matthaeus F, Piñol J, Frangakis AS. Cryo-electron tomography analyses of terminal organelle mutants suggest the motility mechanism of Mycoplasma genitalium. Mol Microbiol 2018; 108:319-329. [PMID: 29470847 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The terminal organelle of Mycoplasma genitalium is responsible for bacterial adhesion, motility and pathogenicity. Localized at the cell tip, it comprises an electron-dense core that is anchored to the cell membrane at its distal end and to the cytoplasm at its proximal end. The surface of the terminal organelle is also covered with adhesion proteins. We performed cellular cryoelectron tomography on deletion mutants of eleven proteins that are implicated in building the terminal organelle, to systematically analyze the ultrastructural effects. These data were correlated with microcinematographies, from which the motility patterns can be quantitatively assessed. We visualized diverse phenotypes, ranging from mild to severe cell adhesion, motility and segregation defects. Based on our observations, we propose a double-spring ratchet model for the motility mechanism that explains our current and previous observations. Our model, which expands and integrates the previously suggested inchworm model, allocates specific functions to each of the essential components of this unique bacterial motility system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Seybert
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biophysics, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 15, Frankfurt 60438, Germany
| | - Luis Gonzalez-Gonzalez
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Margot P Scheffer
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biophysics, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 15, Frankfurt 60438, Germany
| | - Maria Lluch-Senar
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Ana M Mariscal
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Franziska Matthaeus
- Faculty of Biological Sciences & FIAS, Goethe University Frankfurt, Ruth-Moufang-Straße 1, Frankfurt 60438, Germany
| | - Jaume Piñol
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Achilleas S Frangakis
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biophysics, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 15, Frankfurt 60438, Germany
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6
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Development of oriC-plasmids for use in Mycoplasma hyorhinis. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10596. [PMID: 28878274 PMCID: PMC5587638 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10519-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma hyorhinis (M. hyorhinis) is an opportunistic pig pathogen, belonging to the class Mollicutes. It causes polyserositis, arthritis and cancers in vitro, increasing attention of the researchers. Currently, there is no available genetic tool to manipulate its genome. This study describes a development of oriC-plasmids harboring either large (pGEMT-LoriC) or minimum (pGEMT-MoriC) origin of replication (oriC) of M. hyorhinis along with tetracycline resistance marker.These plasmids were successfully transformed into M. hyorhinis with average transformation frequency of 1.5 × 10-4 and 2.0 × 10-5 transformants/CFU for pGEMT-LoriC and pGEMT-MoriC respectively, and were integrated at the chromosomal oriC as well as remained freely replicating. We also constructed a Mini-oriC-HT1 targeting plasmid by inclusion of hlyC arms and was used to inactivate hlyC at average frequency of 50%. The efficiency of hlyC inactivation was further improved (by 90%) when Mini-oriC-HT2 that contains E. coli recA was used. In both cases, hemolysin mutant bacteria diminished the ability to lyse mouse RBCs compared to wild-type (P < 0.001). OriC-plasmids described in this study may, therefore open the way for functional genomics in M. hyorhinis. Furthermore, this is a first study demonstrated the gene associated with a hemolytic phenotype in mycoplasmas.
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Ishag HZA, Xiong Q, Liu M, Feng Z, Shao G. E. coli recA gene improves gene targeted homologous recombination in Mycoplasma hyorhinis. J Microbiol Methods 2017; 136:49-56. [PMID: 28285864 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Mycoplasma hyorhinis is an opportunistic pathogen of pigs. Recently, it has been shown to transform cell cultures, increasing the attention of the researchers. Studies on the pathogenesis require specific genetic tool that is not yet available for the pathogen. To address this limitation, we constructed two suicide plasmids pGEMT-tetM/LR and pGEMT-recA-tetM/LR having a tetracycline resistance marker flanked by two hemolysin gene arms. The latter plasmid encodes an E. coli recA, a gene involved in DNA recombination, repair and maintenance of DNA. Using inactivation of the hemolysin gene, which results in a detectable and measurable phenotype, we found that each plasmid can disrupt the hemolysin gene of M. hyorhinis through a double cross-over homologous recombination. However, inclusion of the E. coli recA gene in the construct resulted in 9-fold increase in the frequency of hemolysin gene mutants among the screened tetracycline resistance colonies. The resultant hemolysin mutant strain lacks the ability to lyse mouse bed blood cells (RBC) when tested in vitro (p<0.001). The host-plasmid system described in this study, has applications for the genetic manipulation of this pathogen and potentially other mycoplasmas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Z A Ishag
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, National Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Veterinary Bio-products, Nanjing 210014, China; College of Veterinary Sciences, University of Nyala, Nyala, Sudan
| | - Qiyan Xiong
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, National Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Veterinary Bio-products, Nanjing 210014, China.
| | - Maojun Liu
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, National Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Veterinary Bio-products, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Zhixin Feng
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, National Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Veterinary Bio-products, Nanjing 210014, China
| | - Guoqing Shao
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biological Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture, National Research Center for Engineering and Technology of Veterinary Bio-products, Nanjing 210014, China
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8
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Miyata M, Hamaguchi T. Integrated Information and Prospects for Gliding Mechanism of the Pathogenic Bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:960. [PMID: 27446003 PMCID: PMC4923136 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma pneumoniae forms a membrane protrusion at a cell pole and is known to adhere to solid surfaces, including animal cells, and can glide on these surfaces with a speed up to 1 μm per second. Notably, gliding appears to be involved in the infectious process in addition to providing the bacteria with a means of escaping the host's immune systems. However, the genome of M. pneumoniae does not encode any of the known genes found in other bacterial motility systems or any conventional motor proteins that are responsible for eukaryotic motility. Thus, further analysis of the mechanism underlying M. pneumoniae gliding is warranted. The gliding machinery formed as the membrane protrusion can be divided into the surface and internal structures. On the surface, P1 adhesin, a 170 kDa transmembrane protein forms an adhesin complex with other two proteins. The internal structure features a terminal button, paired plates, and a bowl (wheel) complex. In total, the organelle is composed of more than 15 proteins. By integrating the currently available information by genetics, microscopy, and structural analyses, we have suggested a working model for the architecture of the organelle. Furthermore, in this article, we suggest and discuss a possible mechanism of gliding based on the structural model, in which the force generated around the bowl complex transmits through the paired plates, reaching the adhesin complex, resulting in the repeated catch of sialylated oligosaccharides on the host surface by the adhesin complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Miyata
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City UniversityOsaka, Japan; The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka City UniversityOsaka, Japan
| | - Tasuku Hamaguchi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City UniversityOsaka, Japan; The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka City UniversityOsaka, Japan
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Martinelli L, García-Morales L, Querol E, Piñol J, Fita I, Calisto BM. Structure-Guided Mutations in the Terminal Organelle Protein MG491 Cause Major Motility and Morphologic Alterations on Mycoplasma genitalium. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005533. [PMID: 27082435 PMCID: PMC4833410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergent human pathogen Mycoplasma genitalium, with one of the smallest genomes among cells capable of growing in axenic cultures, presents a flask-shaped morphology due to a protrusion of the cell membrane, known as the terminal organelle, that is involved in cell adhesion and motility and is an important virulence factor of this microorganism. The terminal organelle is supported by a cytoskeleton complex of about 300 nm in length that includes three substructures: the terminal button, the rod and the wheel complex. The crystal structure of the MG491 protein, a proposed component of the wheel complex, has been determined at ~3 Å resolution. MG491 subunits are composed of a 60-residue N-terminus, a central three-helix-bundle spanning about 150 residues and a C-terminal region that appears to be quite flexible and contains the region that interacts with MG200, another key protein of the terminal organelle. The MG491 molecule is a tetramer presenting a unique organization as a dimer of asymmetric pairs of subunits. The asymmetric arrangement results in two very different intersubunit interfaces between the central three-helix-bundle domains, which correlates with the formation of only ~50% of the intersubunit disulfide bridges of the single cysteine residue found in MG491 (Cys87). Moreover, M. genitalium cells with a point mutation in the MG491 gene causing the change of Cys87 to Ser present a drastic reduction in motility (as determined by microcinematography) and important alterations in morphology (as determined by electron microscopy), while preserving normal levels of the terminal organelle proteins. Other variants of MG491, designed also according to the structural information, altered significantly the motility and/or the cell morphology. Together, these results indicate that MG491 plays a key role in the functioning, organization and stabilization of the terminal organelle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Martinelli
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis García-Morales
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Piñol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Fita
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bárbara M. Calisto
- Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CS 40220, Grenoble, France and Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- * E-mail:
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10
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Mariscal AM, González-González L, Querol E, Piñol J. All-in-one construct for genome engineering using Cre-lox technology. DNA Res 2016; 23:263-70. [PMID: 27084897 PMCID: PMC4909314 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsw015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium is an appealing model of a minimal cell and synthetic biology study, and it was one of the first organisms whose genome was fully sequenced and chemically synthesized. Despite its usefulness as a model organism, many genetic tools well established for other microorganisms are not currently available in mycoplasmas. We have developed several vectors to adapt the Cre-lox technology for genome engineering in M. genitalium, providing an all-in-one construct that could be also useful to obtain unmarked genetic modifications in many other slow growing microorganisms. This construct contains a modified promoter sequence based in TetR system that exhibits an enhanced control on Cre recombinase expression, virtually abolishing the presence of this recombinase in the absence of inducer. This allows to introduce the Cre recombinase gene and the desired genetic modification in a single transformation step. In addition, this inducible promoter may be a very promising tool for a wide range of molecular applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Mariscal
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 0819, Spain
| | - Luis González-González
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 0819, Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 0819, Spain
| | - Jaume Piñol
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular and Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 0819, Spain
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11
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García-Morales L, González-González L, Querol E, Piñol J. A minimized motile machinery forMycoplasma genitalium. Mol Microbiol 2016; 100:125-38. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luis García-Morales
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
| | - Luis González-González
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
| | | | - Jaume Piñol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
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Gliding Direction of Mycoplasma mobile. J Bacteriol 2015; 198:283-90. [PMID: 26503848 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00499-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Mycoplasma mobile glides in the direction of its cell pole by a unique mechanism in which hundreds of legs, each protruding from its own gliding unit, catch, pull, and release sialylated oligosaccharides fixed on a solid surface. In this study, we found that 77% of cells glided to the left with a change in direction of 8.4° ± 17.6° μm(-1) displacement. The cell body did not roll around the cell axis, and elongated, thinner cells also glided while tracing a curved trajectory to the left. Under viscous conditions, the range of deviation of the gliding direction decreased. In the presence of 250 μM free sialyllactose, in which the binding of the legs (i.e., the catching of sialylated oligosaccharides) was reduced, 70% and 30% of cells glided to the left and the right, respectively, with changes in direction of ∼30° μm(-1). The gliding ghosts, in which a cell was permeabilized by Triton X-100 and reactivated by ATP, glided more straightly. These results can be explained by the following assumptions based on the suggested gliding machinery and mechanism: (i) the units of gliding machinery may be aligned helically around the cell, (ii) the legs extend via the process of thermal fluctuation and catch the sialylated oligosaccharides, and (iii) the legs generate a propulsion force that is tilted from the cell axis to the left in 70% and to the right in 30% of cells. IMPORTANCE Mycoplasmas are bacteria that are generally parasitic to animals and plants. Some Mycoplasma species form a protrusion at a pole, bind to solid surfaces, and glide. Although these species appear to consistently glide in the direction of the protrusion, their exact gliding direction has not been examined. This study analyzed the gliding direction in detail under various conditions and, based on the results, suggested features of the machinery and the mechanism of gliding.
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Martinelli L, Lalli D, García-Morales L, Ratera M, Querol E, Piñol J, Fita I, Calisto BM. A major determinant for gliding motility in Mycoplasma genitalium: the interaction between the terminal organelle proteins MG200 and MG491. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:1699-711. [PMID: 25471372 PMCID: PMC4340413 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.594762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Several mycoplasmas, such as the emergent human pathogen Mycoplasma genitalium, developed a complex polar structure, known as the terminal organelle (TO), responsible for a new type of cellular motility, which is involved in a variety of cell functions: cell division, adherence to host cells, and virulence. The TO cytoskeleton is organized as a multisubunit dynamic motor, including three main ultrastructures: the terminal button, the electrodense core, and the wheel complex. Here, we describe the interaction between MG200 and MG491, two of the main components of the TO wheel complex that connects the TO with the cell body and the cell membrane. The interaction between MG200 and MG491 has a KD in the 80 nm range, as determined by surface plasmon resonance. The interface between the two partners was confined to the "enriched in aromatic and glycine residues" (EAGR) box of MG200, previously described as a protein-protein interaction domain, and to a 25-residue-long peptide from the C-terminal region of MG491 by surface plasmon resonance and NMR spectroscopy studies. An atomic description of the MG200 EAGR box binding surface was also provided by solution NMR. An M. genitalium mutant lacking the MG491 segment corresponding to the peptide reveals specific alterations in cell motility and cell morphology indicating that the MG200-MG491 interaction plays a key role in the stability and functioning of the TO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Martinelli
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniela Lalli
- the Magnetic Resonance Center and Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Via Luigi Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Luis García-Morales
- the Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mercè Ratera
- the Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- the Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Piñol
- the Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Fita
- From the Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac 10, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bárbara M Calisto
- the Structural Biology Group, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, CS 40220, 38043 Grenoble, France, and the Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
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Chandran S, Noskov VN, Segall-Shapiro TH, Ma L, Whiteis C, Lartigue C, Jores J, Vashee S, Chuang RY. TREC-IN: gene knock-in genetic tool for genomes cloned in yeast. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:1180. [PMID: 25539750 PMCID: PMC4407568 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-1180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the development of several new technologies using synthetic biology, it is possible to engineer genetically intractable organisms including Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri (Mmc), by cloning the intact bacterial genome in yeast, using the host yeast's genetic tools to modify the cloned genome, and subsequently transplanting the modified genome into a recipient cell to obtain mutant cells encoded by the modified genome. The recently described tandem repeat coupled with endonuclease cleavage (TREC) method has been successfully used to generate seamless deletions and point mutations in the mycoplasma genome using the yeast DNA repair machinery. But, attempts to knock-in genes in some cases have encountered a high background of transformation due to maintenance of unwanted circularization of the transforming DNA, which contains possible autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) activity. To overcome this issue, we incorporated a split marker system into the TREC method, enabling seamless gene knock-in with high efficiency. The modified method is called TREC-assisted gene knock-in (TREC-IN). Since a gene to be knocked-in is delivered by a truncated non-functional marker, the background caused by an incomplete integration is essentially eliminated. RESULTS In this paper, we demonstrate applications of the TREC-IN method in gene complementation and genome minimization studies in Mmc. In the first example, the Mmc dnaA gene was seamlessly replaced by an orthologous gene, which shares a high degree of identity at the nucleotide level with the original Mmc gene, with high efficiency and low background. In the minimization example, we replaced an essential gene back into the genome that was present in the middle of a cluster of non-essential genes, while deleting the non-essential gene cluster, again with low backgrounds of transformation and high efficiency. CONCLUSION Although we have demonstrated the feasibility of TREC-IN in gene complementation and genome minimization studies in Mmc, the applicability of TREC-IN ranges widely. This method proves to be a valuable genetic tool that can be extended for genomic engineering in other genetically intractable organisms, where it may be implemented in elucidating specific metabolic pathways and in rationale vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ray-Yuan Chuang
- The J, Craig Venter Institute, 9704 Medical Center Drive, Rockville 20850, MD, USA.
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Abstract
In recent decades, bacterial cell biology has seen great advances, and numerous model systems have been developed to study a wide variety of cellular processes, including cell division, motility, assembly of macromolecular structures, and biogenesis of cell polarity. Considerable attention has been given to these model organisms, which include Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Caulobacter crescentus, and Myxococcus xanthus. Studies of these processes in the pathogenic bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae and its close relatives have also been carried out on a smaller scale, but this work is often overlooked, in part due to this organism's reputation as minimalistic and simple. In this minireview, I discuss recent work on the role of the M. pneumoniae attachment organelle (AO), a structure required for adherence to host cells, in these processes. The AO is constructed from proteins that generally lack homology to those found in other organisms, and this construction occurs in coordination with cell cycle events. The proteins of the M. pneumoniae AO share compositional features with proteins with related roles in model organisms. Once constructed, the AO becomes activated for its role in a form of gliding motility whose underlying mechanism appears to be distinct from that of other gliding bacteria, including Mycoplasma mobile. Together with the FtsZ cytoskeletal protein, motility participates in the cell division process. My intention is to bring this deceptively complex organism into alignment with the better-known model systems.
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Characterization of the operon encoding the Holliday junction helicase RuvAB from Mycoplasma genitalium and its role in mgpB and mgpC gene variation. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:1608-18. [PMID: 24532771 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01385-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium is an emerging sexually transmitted pathogen associated with reproductive tract disease in men and women, and it can persist for months to years despite the development of a robust antibody response. Mechanisms that may contribute to persistence in vivo include phase and antigenic variation of the MgpB and MgpC adhesins. These processes occur by segmental recombination between discrete variable regions within mgpB and mgpC and multiple archived donor sequences termed MgPa repeats (MgPars). The molecular factors governing mgpB and mgpC variation are poorly understood and obscured by the paucity of recombination genes conserved in the M. genitalium genome. Recently, we demonstrated the requirement for RecA using a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay developed to measure recombination between the mgpB and mgpC genes and MgPars. Here, we expand these studies by examining the roles of M. genitalium ruvA and ruvB homologs. Deletion of ruvA and ruvB impaired the ability to generate mgpB and mgpC phase and sequence variants, and these deficiencies could be complemented with wild-type copies, including the ruvA gene from Mycoplasma pneumoniae. In contrast, ruvA and ruvB deletions did not affect the sensitivity to UV irradiation, reinforcing our previous findings that the recombinational repair pathway plays a minor role in M. genitalium. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and primer extension analyses also revealed a complex transcriptional organization of the RuvAB system of M. genitalium, which is cotranscribed with two novel open reading frames (ORFs) (termed ORF1 and ORF2 herein) conserved only in M. pneumoniae. These findings suggest that these novel ORFs may play a role in recombination in these two closely related bacteria.
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Persistence, immune response, and antigenic variation of Mycoplasma genitalium in an experimentally infected pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina). Infect Immun 2013; 81:2938-51. [PMID: 23732170 DOI: 10.1128/iai.01322-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted pathogen associated with several acute and chronic reproductive tract disease syndromes in men and women. To evaluate the suitability of a pig-tailed macaque model of M. genitalium infection, we inoculated a pilot animal with M. genitalium strain G37 in the uterine cervix and in salpingeal pockets generated by transplanting autologous Fallopian tube tissue subcutaneously. Viable organisms were recovered throughout the 8-week experiment in cervicovaginal specimens and up to 2 weeks postinfection in salpingeal pockets. Humoral and cervicovaginal antibodies reacting to MgpB were induced postinoculation and persisted throughout the infection. The immunodominance of the MgpB adhesin and the accumulation of mgpB sequence diversity previously observed in persistent human infections prompted us to evaluate sequence variation in this animal model. We found that after 8 weeks of infection, sequences within mgpB variable region B were replaced by novel sequences generated by reciprocal recombination with an archived variant sequence located elsewhere on the chromosome. In contrast, mgpB region B of the same inoculum propagated for 8 weeks in vitro remained unchanged. Notably, serum IgG reacted strongly with a recombinant protein spanning MgpB region B of the inoculum, while reactivity to a recombinant protein representing the week 8 variant was reduced, suggesting that antibodies were involved in the clearance of bacteria expressing the original infecting sequence. Together these results suggest that the pig-tailed macaque is a suitable model to study M. genitalium pathogenesis, antibody-mediated selection of antigenic variants in vivo, and immune escape.
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Calisto BM, Broto A, Martinelli L, Querol E, Piñol J, Fita I. The EAGR box structure: a motif involved in mycoplasma motility. Mol Microbiol 2012; 86:382-93. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08200.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara M. Calisto
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC) and Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Parc Científic de Barcelona; Baldiri Reixac 10; 08028; Barcelona; Spain
| | - Alícia Broto
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra; Barcelona; Spain
| | - Luca Martinelli
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC) and Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Parc Científic de Barcelona; Baldiri Reixac 10; 08028; Barcelona; Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra; Barcelona; Spain
| | - Jaume Piñol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra; Barcelona; Spain
| | - Ignacio Fita
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC) and Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Parc Científic de Barcelona; Baldiri Reixac 10; 08028; Barcelona; Spain
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Párraga-Niño N, Colomé-Calls N, Canals F, Querol E, Ferrer-Navarro M. A comprehensive proteome of Mycoplasma genitalium. J Proteome Res 2012; 11:3305-16. [PMID: 22582988 DOI: 10.1021/pr300084c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium is a human pathogen associated with several sexually transmitted diseases. Proteomic technologies, along with other methods for global gene expression analysis, play a key role in understanding the mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis and physiology. The proteome of M. genitalium, model of a minimal cell, has been extended using a combination of different proteomic approaches and technologies. The total proteome of this microorganism has been analyzed using gel-based and gel-free approaches, achieving the identification of 85.3% of the predicted ORFs. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of membrane subproteome has been performed. For this purpose, the TX-114 soluble fraction has been analyzed as well as the surface proteins, using cell-surface protein labeling with CyDye. Finally, the serological response of M. genitalium-infected patients and healthy donors has been analyzed to identify proteins that trigger immunological response. Here, we present the most extensive M. genitalium proteome analysis (85.3% of predicted ORFs), a comprehensive M. genitalium membrane analysis, and a study of the human serological response to M. genitalium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemí Párraga-Niño
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina (IBB) and Dpt Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), E-08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain
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20
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Abstract
The cell wall-less prokaryote Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired bronchitis and pneumonia in humans. Colonization is mediated largely by a differentiated terminal organelle, which is also the leading end in gliding motility. Cytadherence-associated proteins P30 and P65 appear to traffic concurrently to the distal end of developing terminal organelles. Here, truncation of P65 due to transposon insertion in the corresponding gene resulted in lower gliding velocity, reduced cytadherence, and decreased steady-state levels of several terminal organelle proteins, including P30. Utilizing fluorescent protein fusions, we followed terminal organelle development over time. New P30 foci appeared at nascent terminal organelles in P65 mutants, as in the wild type. However, with forward cell motility, P30 in the P65 mutants appeared to drag toward the trailing cell pole, where it was released, yielding a fluorescent trail to which truncated P65 colocalized. In contrast, P30 was only rarely observed at the trailing end of gliding wild-type cells. Complementation with the recombinant wild-type P65 allele by transposon delivery restored P65 levels and stabilized P30 localization to the terminal organelle.
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Relich RF, Balish MF. Insights into the function of Mycoplasma pneumoniae protein P30 from orthologous gene replacement. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2011; 157:2862-2870. [PMID: 21778204 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.052464-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The attachment organelles of bacterial species belonging to the Mycoplasma pneumoniae phylogenetic cluster are required for host cytadherence, gliding motility and virulence. Despite being closely related, these bacteria possess distinct cellular morphologies and gliding characteristics. The molecular mechanisms for most attachment organelle phenotypes, including shape and ability to power motility, are obscure. The attachment organelle-associated P30 protein of M. pneumoniae is implicated in both adherence and motility, with mutations negatively impacting cell morphology, adherence, gliding and virulence. To test whether the P30 alleles of different mycoplasma species confer species-specific attachment organelle properties, we created an M. pneumoniae strain in which the Mycoplasma genitalium P30 orthologue, P32, was substituted for the native P30. Selected clones were visualized by scanning electron microscopy to assess morphology and by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy to localize P32. Cytadherence ability and gliding motility were assessed by haemadsorption assay and phase-contrast microcinematography, respectively. Cell and attachment organelle morphologies were indistinguishable from wild-type M. pneumoniae as well as M. pneumoniae II-3 expressing a C-terminally 6×His-tagged P30 construct. P32 was localized to the tip of the attachment organelle of transformant cells. Although a specific role for P30 in species-specific phenotypes was not identified, this first test of orthologous gene replacement in different mycoplasma species demonstrates that the differences in the M. pneumoniae and M. genitalium proteins contribute little if anything to the different attachment organelle phenotypes between these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan F Relich
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
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22
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Abstract
Mycoplasma, a genus of pathogenic bacteria, forms a membrane protrusion at a cell pole. It binds to solid surfaces with this protrusion and then glides. The mechanism is not related to known bacterial motility systems, such as flagella or pili, or to conventional motor proteins, including myosin. We have studied the fastest species, Mycoplasma mobile, and have proposed a working model as follows. The gliding machinery is composed of four huge proteins at the base of the membrane protrusion and supported by a cytoskeletal architecture from the cell inside. Many flexible legs approximately 50 nm long are sticking out from the machinery. The movements generated by the ATP hydrolysis cell inside are transmitted to the "leg" protein through a "gear" protein, resulting in repeated binding, pull, and release of the sialylgalactose fixed on the surface by the legs. The gliding of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a species distantly related to M. mobile, is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Miyata
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.
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Enhancement of targeted homologous recombination in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri by inclusion of heterologous recA. Appl Environ Microbiol 2010; 76:6951-4. [PMID: 20802067 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00056-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A suicide plasmid, pExp1-ctpA::tetM-recAec, employing recA from Escherichia coli and tetM as a selection marker, was used to generate ctpA knockout mutants in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri through targeted gene disruption. Inclusion of E. coli recA greatly enhanced both the consistency and the recovery of mutants generated by homologous recombination.
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Lluch-Senar M, Querol E, Piñol J. Cell division in a minimal bacterium in the absence of ftsZ. Mol Microbiol 2010; 78:278-89. [PMID: 20735775 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07306.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Mycoplasma genomes exhibit an impressively low amount of genes involved in cell division and some species even lack the ftsZ gene, which is found widespread in the microbial world and is considered essential for cell division by binary fission. We constructed a Mycoplasma genitalium ftsZ null mutant by gene replacement to investigate the role of this gene and the presence of alternative cell division mechanisms in this minimal bacterium. Our results demonstrate that ftsZ is non-essential for cell growth and reveal that, in the absence of the FtsZ protein, M. genitalium can manage feasible cell divisions and cytokinesis using the force generated by its motile machinery. This is an alternative mechanism, completely independent of the FtsZ protein, to perform cell division by binary fission in a microorganism. We also propose that the mycoplasma cytoskeleton, a complex network of proteins involved in many aspects of the biology of these microorganisms, may have taken over the function of many genes involved in cell division, allowing their loss in the regressive evolution of the streamlined mycoplasma genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lluch-Senar
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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Pich OQ, Burgos R, Querol E, Piñol J. P110 and P140 cytadherence-related proteins are negative effectors of terminal organelle duplication in Mycoplasma genitalium. PLoS One 2009; 4:e7452. [PMID: 19829712 PMCID: PMC2759538 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2009] [Accepted: 09/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The terminal organelle is a complex structure involved in many aspects of the biology of mycoplasmas such as cell adherence, motility or cell division. Mycoplasma genitalium cells display a single terminal organelle and duplicate this structure prior to cytokinesis in a coordinated manner with the cell division process. Despite the significance of the terminal organelle in mycoplasma virulence, little is known about the mechanisms governing its duplication. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study we describe the isolation of a mutant, named T192, with a transposon insertion close to the 3' end of the mg192 gene encoding for P110 adhesin. This mutant shows a truncated P110, low levels of P140 and P110 adhesins, a large number of non-motile cells and a high frequency of new terminal organelle formation. Further analyses revealed that the high rates of new terminal organelle formation in T192 cells are a direct consequence of the reduced levels of P110 and P140 rather than to the expression of a truncated P110. Consistently, the phenotype of the T192 mutant was successfully complemented by the reintroduction of the mg192 WT allele which restored the levels of P110 and P140 to those of the WT strain. Quantification of DAPI-stained DNA also showed that the increase in the number of terminal organelles in T192 cells is not accompanied by a higher DNA content, indicating that terminal organelle duplication does not trigger DNA replication in mycoplasmas. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our results demonstrate the existence of a mechanism regulating terminal organelle duplication in M. genitalium and strongly suggest the implication of P110 and P140 adhesins in this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Q. Pich
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raul Burgos
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique Querol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Piñol
- Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina and Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Cytoskeletal asymmetrical dumbbell structure of a gliding mycoplasma, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, revealed by negative-staining electron microscopy. J Bacteriol 2009; 191:3256-64. [PMID: 19286806 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01823-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Several mycoplasma species feature a membrane protrusion at a cell pole, and unknown mechanisms provide gliding motility in the direction of the pole defined by the protrusion. Mycoplasma gallisepticum, an avian pathogen, is known to form a membrane protrusion composed of bleb and infrableb and to glide. Here, we analyzed the gliding motility of M. gallisepticum cells in detail. They glided in the direction of the bleb at an average speed of 0.4 microm/s and remained attached around the bleb to a glass surface, suggesting that the gliding mechanism is similar to that of a related species, Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Next, to elucidate the cytoskeletal structure of M. gallisepticum, we stripped the envelopes by treatment with Triton X-100 under various conditions and observed the remaining structure by negative-staining transmission electron microscopy. A unique cytoskeletal structure, about 300 nm long and 100 nm wide, was found in the bleb and infrableb. The structure, resembling an asymmetrical dumbbell, is composed of five major parts from the distal end: a cap, a small oval, a rod, a large oval, and a bowl. Sonication likely divided the asymmetrical dumbbell into a core and other structures. The cytoskeletal structures of M. gallisepticum were compared with those of M. pneumoniae in detail, and the possible protein components of these structures were considered.
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