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New Platform for Screening Genetic Libraries at Elevated Temperatures: Biological and Genomic Information and Genetic Tools of Geobacillus thermodenitrificans K1041. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0105122. [PMID: 36069579 PMCID: PMC9499010 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01051-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Geobacillus thermodenitrificans K1041 is an unusual thermophile that is highly transformable via electroporation, making it a promising host for screening genetic libraries at elevated temperatures. In this study, we determined its biological properties, draft genome sequence, and effective vectors and also optimized the electroporation procedures in an effort to enhance its utilization. The organism exhibited swarming motility but not detectable endospore formation, and growth was rapid at 60°C under neutral and relatively low-salt conditions. Although the cells showed negligible acceptance of shuttle plasmids from general strains of Escherichia coli, methylation-controlled plasmids from dam mutant strains were efficiently accepted, suggesting circumvention of a restriction-modification system in G. thermodenitrificans K1041. We optimized the electroporation procedure to achieve efficiencies of 103 to 105 CFU/μg for five types of plasmids, which exhibited the different copy numbers and segregational stabilities in G. thermodenitrificans K1041. Some sets of plasmids were compatible. Moreover, we observed substantial plasmid-directed production of heterologous proteins in the intracellular or extracellular environments. Our successful construction of a library of promoter mutants using K1041 cells as hosts and subsequent screening at elevated temperatures to identify improved promoters revealed that G. thermodenitrificans K1041 was practical as a library host. The draft genomic sequence of the organism contained 3,384 coding genes, including resA and mcrB genes, which are involved in restriction-modification systems. Further examination revealed that in-frame deletions of resA increased transformation efficiencies, but mcrB deletion had no effect. The ΔresA mutant exhibited transformation efficiencies of >105 CFU/μg for some plasmids. IMPORTANCE Geobacillus thermodenitrificans K1041 has yet to be fully characterized. Although it is transformable via electroporation, it rarely accepts Escherichia coli-derived plasmids. This study clarified the biological and genomic properties of G. thermodenitrificans K1041. Additionally, we developed an electroporation procedure resulting in efficient acceptance of E. coli-derived plasmids. This procedure produced transformants using small amounts of plasmids immediately after the ligation reaction. Thus, G. thermodenitrificans K1041 was identified as a host for screening promoter mutants at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, because this strain efficiently produced heterologous proteins, it could serve as a host for screening thermostable proteins encoded in random mutant libraries or metagenomes. We also generated a ΔresA mutant that exhibited transformation efficiencies of >105 CFU/μg, which were highest in cases of electroporation-based transformation of Geobacillus spp. with E. coli-derived plasmids. Our findings provide a new platform for screening diverse genetic libraries at elevated temperatures.
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Krause AL, Stinear TP, Monk IR. Barriers to genetic manipulation of Enterococci: Current Approaches and Future Directions. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2022; 46:6650352. [PMID: 35883217 PMCID: PMC9779914 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuac036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are Gram-positive commensal gut bacteria that can also cause fatal infections. To study clinically relevant multi-drug resistant E. faecalis and E. faecium strains, methods are needed to overcome physical (thick cell wall) and enzymatic barriers that limit the transfer of foreign DNA and thus prevent facile genetic manipulation. Enzymatic barriers to DNA uptake identified in E. faecalis and E. faecium include type I, II and IV restriction modification systems and CRISPR-Cas. This review examines E. faecalis and E. faecium DNA defence systems and the methods with potential to overcome these barriers. DNA defence system bypass will allow the application of innovative genetic techniques to expedite molecular-level understanding of these important, but somewhat neglected, pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L Krause
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia
| | - Timothy P Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia
| | - Ian R Monk
- Corresponding author: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia. E-mail:
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System-Wide Analysis of the GATC-Binding Nucleoid-Associated Protein Gbn and Its Impact on
Streptomyces
Development. mSystems 2022; 7:e0006122. [PMID: 35575488 PMCID: PMC9239103 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00061-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A large part of the chemical space of bioactive natural products is derived from
Actinobacteria
. Many of the biosynthetic gene clusters for these compounds are cryptic; in others words, they are expressed in nature but not in the laboratory.
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Moore SJ, Lai HE, Chee SM, Toh M, Coode S, Chengan K, Capel P, Corre C, de los Santos ELC, Freemont PS. A Streptomyces venezuelae Cell-Free Toolkit for Synthetic Biology. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:402-411. [PMID: 33497199 PMCID: PMC7901020 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Prokaryotic
cell-free coupled transcription–translation
(TX-TL) systems are emerging as a powerful tool to examine natural
product biosynthetic pathways in a test tube. The key advantages of
this approach are the reduced experimental time scales and controlled
reaction conditions. To realize this potential, it is essential to
develop specialized cell-free systems in organisms enriched for biosynthetic
gene clusters. This requires strong protein production and well-characterized
synthetic biology tools. The Streptomyces genus is
a major source of natural products. To study enzymes and pathways
from Streptomyces, we originally developed a homologous Streptomyces cell-free system to provide a native protein
folding environment, a high G+C (%) tRNA pool, and an active background
metabolism. However, our initial yields were low (36 μg/mL)
and showed a high level of batch-to-batch variation. Here, we present
an updated high-yield and robust Streptomyces TX-TL
protocol, reaching up to yields of 266 μg/mL of expressed recombinant
protein. To complement this, we rapidly characterize a range of DNA
parts with different reporters, express high G+C (%) biosynthetic
genes, and demonstrate an initial proof of concept for combined transcription,
translation, and biosynthesis of Streptomyces metabolic
pathways in a single “one-pot” reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J. Moore
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease; Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, U.K
| | - Hung-En Lai
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease; Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Soo-Mei Chee
- Department Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease; Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- The London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, U.K
| | - Ming Toh
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease; Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Seth Coode
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, U.K
| | - Kameshwari Chengan
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, U.K
| | - Patrick Capel
- Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, U.K
| | - Christophe Corre
- Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, U.K
| | - Emmanuel LC de los Santos
- Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, U.K
| | - Paul S. Freemont
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease; Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K
- The London Biofoundry, Imperial College Translation & Innovation Hub, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, U.K
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0N, U.K
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5
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Riley LA, Guss AM. Approaches to genetic tool development for rapid domestication of non-model microorganisms. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:30. [PMID: 33494801 PMCID: PMC7830746 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-01872-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Non-model microorganisms often possess complex phenotypes that could be important for the future of biofuel and chemical production. They have received significant interest the last several years, but advancement is still slow due to the lack of a robust genetic toolbox in most organisms. Typically, "domestication" of a new non-model microorganism has been done on an ad hoc basis, and historically, it can take years to develop transformation and basic genetic tools. Here, we review the barriers and solutions to rapid development of genetic transformation tools in new hosts, with a major focus on Restriction-Modification systems, which are a well-known and significant barrier to efficient transformation. We further explore the tools and approaches used for efficient gene deletion, DNA insertion, and heterologous gene expression. Finally, more advanced and high-throughput tools are now being developed in diverse non-model microbes, paving the way for rapid and multiplexed genome engineering for biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Riley
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
- Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Adam M Guss
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
- Bredesen Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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Lutz T, Flodman K, Copelas A, Czapinska H, Mabuchi M, Fomenkov A, He X, Bochtler M, Xu SY. A protein architecture guided screen for modification dependent restriction endonucleases. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:9761-9776. [PMID: 31504772 PMCID: PMC6765204 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Modification dependent restriction endonucleases (MDREs) often have separate catalytic and modification dependent domains. We systematically looked for previously uncharacterized fusion proteins featuring a PUA or DUF3427 domain and HNH or PD-(D/E)XK catalytic domain. The enzymes were clustered by similarity of their putative modification sensing domains into several groups. The TspA15I (VcaM4I, CmeDI), ScoA3IV (MsiJI, VcaCI) and YenY4I groups, all featuring a PUA superfamily domain, preferentially cleaved DNA containing 5-methylcytosine or 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. ScoA3V, also featuring a PUA superfamily domain, but of a different clade, exhibited 6-methyladenine stimulated nicking activity. With few exceptions, ORFs for PUA-superfamily domain containing endonucleases were not close to DNA methyltransferase ORFs, strongly supporting modification dependent activity of the endonucleases. DUF3427 domain containing fusion proteins had very little or no endonuclease activity, despite the presence of a putative PD-(D/E)XK catalytic domain. However, their expression potently restricted phage T4gt in Escherichia coli cells. In contrast to the ORFs for PUA domain containing endonucleases, the ORFs for DUF3427 fusion proteins were frequently found in defense islands, often also featuring DNA methyltransferases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Lutz
- New England Biolabs, Inc. 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Kiersten Flodman
- New England Biolabs, Inc. 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Alyssa Copelas
- New England Biolabs, Inc. 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Honorata Czapinska
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Megumu Mabuchi
- New England Biolabs, Inc. 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Alexey Fomenkov
- New England Biolabs, Inc. 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Xinyi He
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240 Shanghai, China
| | - Matthias Bochtler
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Shuang-Yong Xu
- New England Biolabs, Inc. 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
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Woods C, Humphreys CM, Rodrigues RM, Ingle P, Rowe P, Henstra AM, Köpke M, Simpson SD, Winzer K, Minton NP. A novel conjugal donor strain for improved DNA transfer into Clostridium spp. Anaerobe 2019; 59:184-191. [PMID: 31269456 PMCID: PMC6866869 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium encompasses species which are relevant to human and animal disease as well as species which have industrial potential, for instance, as producers of chemicals and fuels or as tumour delivery vehicles. Genetic manipulation of these target organisms is critical for advances in these fields. DNA transfer efficiencies, however, vary between species. Low efficiencies can impede the progress of research efforts. A novel conjugal donor strain of Escherichia coli has been created which exhibits a greater than 10-fold increases in conjugation efficiency compared to the traditionally used CA434 strain in the three species tested; C. autoethanogenum DSM 10061, C. sporogenes NCIMB 10696 and C. difficile R20291. The novel strain, designated 'sExpress', does not methylate DNA at Dcm sites (CCWGG) which allows circumvention of cytosine-specific Type IV restriction systems. A robust protocol for conjugation is presented which routinely produces in the order of 105 transconjugants per millilitre of donor cells for C. autoethanogenum, 106 for C. sporogenes and 102 for C. difficile R20291. The novel strain created is predicted to be a superior conjugal donor in a wide range of species which possess Type IV restriction systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Woods
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Christopher M Humphreys
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Raquel Mesquita Rodrigues
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Patrick Ingle
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Peter Rowe
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Anne M Henstra
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Michael Köpke
- LanzaTech Inc., 8045 Lamon Avenue, Suite 400, Skokie, IL, USA
| | - Sean D Simpson
- LanzaTech Inc., 8045 Lamon Avenue, Suite 400, Skokie, IL, USA
| | - Klaus Winzer
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Nigel P Minton
- Clostridia Research Group, BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SBRC), School of Life Sciences, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
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8
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Musiol-Kroll EM, Tocchetti A, Sosio M, Stegmann E. Challenges and advances in genetic manipulation of filamentous actinomycetes - the remarkable producers of specialized metabolites. Nat Prod Rep 2019; 36:1351-1369. [PMID: 31517370 DOI: 10.1039/c9np00029a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Covering: up to February 2019Actinomycetes are Gram positive bacteria of the phylum Actinobacteria. These organisms are one of the most important sources of structurally diverse, clinically used antibiotics and other valuable bioactive products, as well as biotechnologically relevant enzymes. Most strains were discovered by their ability to produce a given molecule and were often poorly characterized, physiologically and genetically. The development of genetic methods for Streptomyces and related filamentous actinomycetes has led to the successful manipulation of antibiotic biosynthesis to attain structural modification of microbial metabolites that would have been inaccessible by chemical means and improved production yields. Moreover, genome mining reveals that actinomycete genomes contain multiple biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), however only a few of them are expressed under standard laboratory conditions, leading to the production of the respective compound(s). Thus, to access and activate the so-called "silent" BGCs, to improve their biosynthetic potential and to discover novel natural products methodologies for genetic manipulation are required. Although different methods have been applied for many actinomycete strains, genetic engineering is still remaining very challenging for some "underexplored" and poorly characterized actinomycetes. This review summarizes the strategies developed to overcome the obstacles to genetic manipulation of actinomycetes and allowing thereby rational genetic engineering of this industrially relevant group of microorganisms. At the end of this review we give some tips to researchers with limited or no previous experience in genetic manipulation of actinomycetes. The article covers the most relevant literature published until February 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa M Musiol-Kroll
- University of Tübingen, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, Microbiology/Biotechnology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen, 72076, Germany.
| | | | | | - Evi Stegmann
- University of Tübingen, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, Microbiology/Biotechnology, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen, 72076, Germany.
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The SCO1731 methyltransferase modulates actinorhodin production and morphological differentiation of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Sci Rep 2018; 8:13686. [PMID: 30209340 PMCID: PMC6135851 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32027-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptomyces coelicolor is a Gram-positive microorganism often used as a model of physiological and morphological differentiation in streptomycetes, prolific producers of secondary metabolites with important biological activities. In the present study, we analysed Streptomyces coelicolor growth and differentiation in the presence of the hypo-methylating agent 5′-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) in order to investigate whether cytosine methylation has a role in differentiation. We found that cytosine demethylation caused a delay in spore germination, aerial mycelium development, sporulation, as well as a massive impairment of actinorhodin production. Thus, we searched for putative DNA methyltransferase genes in the genome and constructed a mutant of the SCO1731 gene. The analysis of the SCO1731::Tn5062 mutant strain demonstrated that inactivation of SCO1731 leads to a strong decrease of cytosine methylation and almost to the same phenotype obtained after 5-aza-dC treatment. Altogether, our data demonstrate that cytosine methylation influences morphological differentiation and actinorhodin production in S. coelicolor and expand our knowledge on this model bacterial system.
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Weigele P, Raleigh EA. Biosynthesis and Function of Modified Bases in Bacteria and Their Viruses. Chem Rev 2016; 116:12655-12687. [PMID: 27319741 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring modification of the canonical A, G, C, and T bases can be found in the DNA of cellular organisms and viruses from all domains of life. Bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) are a particularly rich but still underexploited source of such modified variant nucleotides. The modifications conserve the coding and base-pairing functions of DNA, but add regulatory and protective functions. In prokaryotes, modified bases appear primarily to be part of an arms race between bacteriophages (and other genomic parasites) and their hosts, although, as in eukaryotes, some modifications have been adapted to convey epigenetic information. The first half of this review catalogs the identification and diversity of DNA modifications found in bacteria and bacteriophages. What is known about the biogenesis, context, and function of these modifications are also described. The second part of the review places these DNA modifications in the context of the arms race between bacteria and bacteriophages. It focuses particularly on the defense and counter-defense strategies that turn on direct recognition of the presence of a modified base. Where modification has been shown to affect other DNA transactions, such as expression and chromosome segregation, that is summarized, with reference to recent reviews.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Weigele
- Chemical Biology, New England Biolabs , Ipswich, Massachusetts 01938, United States
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11
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Hoskisson PA, Sumby P, Smith MCM. The phage growth limitation system in Streptomyces coelicolor A(3)2 is a toxin/antitoxin system, comprising enzymes with DNA methyltransferase, protein kinase and ATPase activity. Virology 2015; 477:100-109. [PMID: 25592393 PMCID: PMC4365076 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2014.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Revised: 12/20/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The phage growth limitation system of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) is an unusual bacteriophage defence mechanism. Progeny ϕC31 phage from an initial infection are thought to be modified such that subsequent infections are attenuated in a Pgl(+) host but normal in a Pgl(-) strain. Earlier work identified four genes required for phage resistance by Pgl. Here we demonstrate that Pgl is an elaborate and novel phage restriction system that, in part, comprises a toxin/antitoxin system where PglX, a DNA methyltransferase is toxic in the absence of a functional PglZ. In addition, the ATPase activity of PglY and a protein kinase activity in PglW are shown to be essential for phage resistance by Pgl. We conclude that on infection of a Pgl(+) cell by bacteriophage ϕC31, PglW transduces a signal, probably via phosphorylation, to other Pgl proteins resulting in the activation of the DNA methyltransferase, PglX and this leads to phage restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Hoskisson
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Science, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Paul Sumby
- Department of Genetics, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Margaret C M Smith
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Science, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK.
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12
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Han T, Yamada-Mabuchi M, Zhao G, Li L, Liu G, Ou HY, Deng Z, Zheng Y, He X. Recognition and cleavage of 5-methylcytosine DNA by bacterial SRA-HNH proteins. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:1147-59. [PMID: 25564526 PMCID: PMC4333417 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku1376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
SET and RING-finger-associated (SRA) domain is involved in establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation in eukaryotes. Proteins containing SRA domains exist in mammals, plants, even microorganisms. It has been established that mammalian SRA domain recognizes 5-methylcytosine (5mC) through a base-flipping mechanism. Here, we identified and characterized two SRA domain-containing proteins with the common domain architecture of N-terminal SRA domain and C-terminal HNH nuclease domain, Sco5333 from Streptomyces coelicolor and Tbis1 from Thermobispora bispora. Both sco5333 and tbis1 cannot establish in methylated Escherichia coli hosts (dcm+), and this in vivo toxicity requires both SRA and HNH domain. Purified Sco5333 and Tbis1 displayed weak DNA cleavage activity in the presence of Mg2+, Mn2+ and Co2+ and the cleavage activity was suppressed by Zn2+. Both Sco5333 and Tbis1 bind to 5mC-containing DNA in all sequence contexts and have at least a preference of 100 folds in binding affinity for methylated DNA over non-methylated one. We suggest that linkage of methyl-specific SRA domain and weakly active HNH domain may represent a universal mechanism in competing alien methylated DNA but to maximum extent minimizing damage to its own chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiesheng Han
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, China
| | | | - Gong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Li Li
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Hong-Yu Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Yu Zheng
- New England BioLabs, Inc., 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, USA
| | - Xinyi He
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, China
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Abstract
The 1952 observation of host-induced non-hereditary variation in bacteriophages by Salvador Luria and Mary Human led to the discovery in the 1960s of modifying enzymes that glucosylate hydroxymethylcytosine in T-even phages and of genes encoding corresponding host activities that restrict non-glucosylated phage DNA: rglA and rglB (restricts glucoseless phage). In the 1980’s, appreciation of the biological scope of these activities was dramatically expanded with the demonstration that plant and animal DNA was also sensitive to restriction in cloning experiments. The rgl genes were renamed mcrA and mcrBC (modified cytosine restriction). The new class of modification-dependent restriction enzymes was named Type IV, as distinct from the familiar modification-blocked Types I–III. A third Escherichia coli enzyme, mrr (modified DNA rejection and restriction) recognizes both methylcytosine and methyladenine. In recent years, the universe of modification-dependent enzymes has expanded greatly. Technical advances allow use of Type IV enzymes to study epigenetic mechanisms in mammals and plants. Type IV enzymes recognize modified DNA with low sequence selectivity and have emerged many times independently during evolution. Here, we review biochemical and structural data on these proteins, the resurgent interest in Type IV enzymes as tools for epigenetic research and the evolutionary pressures on these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wil A M Loenen
- Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands and New England Biolabs Inc., 240 County Road Ipswich, MA 01938-2723, USA
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Transforming the untransformable: application of direct transformation to manipulate genetically Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. mBio 2012; 3:mBio.00277-11. [PMID: 22434850 PMCID: PMC3312211 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00277-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 381] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The strong restriction barrier present in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis has limited functional genomic analysis to a small subset of strains that are amenable to genetic manipulation. Recently, a conserved type IV restriction system termed SauUSI (which specifically recognizes cytosine methylated DNA) was identified as the major barrier to transformation with foreign DNA. Here we have independently corroborated these findings in a widely used laboratory strain of S. aureus. Additionally, we have constructed a DNA cytosine methyltransferase mutant in the high-efficiency Escherichia coli cloning strain DH10B (called DC10B). Plasmids isolated from DC10B can be directly transformed into clinical isolates of S. aureus and S. epidermidis. We also show that the loss of restriction (both type I and IV) in an S. aureus USA300 strain does not have an impact on virulence. Circumventing the SauUSI restriction barrier, combined with an improved deletion and transformation protocol, has allowed the genetic manipulation of previously untransformable strains of these important opportunistic pathogens. IMPORTANCE Staphylococcal infections place a huge burden on the health care sector due both to their severity and also to the economic impact of treating the infections because of prolonged hospitalization. To improve the understanding of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, we have developed a series of improved techniques that allow the genetic manipulation of strains that were previously refractory to transformation. These developments will speed up the process of mutant construction and increase our understanding of these species as a whole, rather than just a small subset of strains that could previously be manipulated.
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Gomez-Escribano JP, Bibb MJ. Streptomyces coelicolor as an expression host for heterologous gene clusters. Methods Enzymol 2012; 517:279-300. [PMID: 23084944 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-404634-4.00014-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The expression of a gene or a set of genes from one organism in a different species is known as "heterologous expression." In actinomycetes, prolific producers of natural products, heterologous gene expression has been used to confirm the clustering of secondary metabolite biosynthetic genes, to analyze natural product biosynthesis, to produce variants of natural products by genetic engineering, and to discover new compounds by screening genomic libraries. Recent advances in DNA sequencing have enabled the rapid and affordable sequencing of actinomycete genomes and revealed a large number of secondary metabolite gene clusters with no known products. Heterologous expression of these cryptic gene clusters combined with comparative metabolic profiling provides an important means to identify potentially novel compounds. In this chapter, the methods and strategies used to heterologously express actinomycete gene clusters, including the techniques used for cloning secondary metabolite gene clusters, the Streptomyces hosts used for their expression, and the techniques employed to analyze their products by metabolic profiling, are described.
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A Non-Restricting and Non-Methylating Escherichia coli Strain for DNA Cloning and High-Throughput Conjugation to Streptomyces coelicolor. Curr Microbiol 2011; 64:185-90. [DOI: 10.1007/s00284-011-0048-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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Liu G, Ou HY, Wang T, Li L, Tan H, Zhou X, Rajakumar K, Deng Z, He X. Cleavage of phosphorothioated DNA and methylated DNA by the type IV restriction endonuclease ScoMcrA. PLoS Genet 2010; 6:e1001253. [PMID: 21203499 PMCID: PMC3009677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/18/2010] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Many taxonomically diverse prokaryotes enzymatically modify their DNA by replacing a non-bridging oxygen with a sulfur atom at specific sequences. The biological implications of this DNA S-modification (phosphorothioation) were unknown. We observed that simultaneous expression of the dndA-E gene cluster from Streptomyces lividans 66, which is responsible for the DNA S-modification, and the putative Streptomyces coelicolor A(3)2 Type IV methyl-dependent restriction endonuclease ScoA3McrA (Sco4631) leads to cell death in the same host. A His-tagged derivative of ScoA3McrA cleaved S-modified DNA and also Dcm-methylated DNA in vitro near the respective modification sites. Double-strand cleavage occurred 16–28 nucleotides away from the phosphorothioate links. DNase I footprinting demonstrated binding of ScoA3McrA to the Dcm methylation site, but no clear binding could be detected at the S-modified site under cleavage conditions. This is the first report of in vitro endonuclease activity of a McrA homologue and also the first demonstration of an enzyme that specifically cleaves S-modified DNA. Bacteria frequently exchange genetic information among themselves. DNA from one species can be transferred efficiently to unrelated microbes. Bacteria have developed systems that restrict gene transfer. Many restriction systems recognize and destroy foreign DNA entering the cells, but there are also enzymes inducing suicide of cells that have been invaded by foreign genes that modify the host DNA. We describe a restriction endonuclease from an antibiotic-producing soil bacterium that cuts foreign methylated DNA and also foreign DNA containing sulfur. DNA sulfur modification occurs in diverse medically or industrially important microbes and has been shown to prevent cleavage of DNA. The most similar enzyme in the databases is the putative restriction endonuclease McrA from Escherichia coli which has not been observed to cleave DNA in a test tube. Our endonuclease showed no activity with magnesium, but it cleaved DNA in the presence of manganese ions. Therefore, we present two novelties: an unusual restriction endonuclease that cleaves sulfur-modified DNA and conditions that allow the study of the enzyme in a test tube.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Liu
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong-Yu Ou
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Li
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huarong Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiufen Zhou
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kumar Rajakumar
- Department of Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, Leicester Medical School, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service Trust, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Zixin Deng
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (XH); (ZD) (ZD)
| | - Xinyi He
- Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism and School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (XH); (ZD) (ZD)
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Lewis RA, Laing E, Allenby N, Bucca G, Brenner V, Harrison M, Kierzek AM, Smith CP. Metabolic and evolutionary insights into the closely-related species Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces lividans deduced from high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:682. [PMID: 21122120 PMCID: PMC3017869 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2010] [Accepted: 12/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Whilst being closely related to the model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), S. lividans 66 differs from it in several significant and phenotypically observable ways, including antibiotic production. Previous comparative gene hybridization studies investigating such differences have used low-density (one probe per gene) PCR-based spotted arrays. Here we use new experimentally optimised 104,000 × 60-mer probe arrays to characterize in detail the genomic differences between wild-type S. lividans 66, a derivative industrial strain, TK24, and S. coelicolor M145. Results The high coverage and specificity (detection of three nucleotide differences) of the new microarrays used has highlighted the macroscopic genomic differences between two S. lividans strains and S. coelicolor. In a series of case studies we have validated the microarray and have identified subtle changes in genomic structure which occur in the Asp-activating adenylation domains of CDA non-ribosomal peptide synthetase genes which provides evidence of gene shuffling between these domains. We also identify single nucleotide sequence inter-species differences which exist in the actinorhodin biosynthetic gene cluster. As the glyoxylate bypass is non-functional in both S. lividans strains due to the absence of the gene encoding isocitrate lyase it is likely that the ethylmalonyl-CoA pathway functions as the alternative mechanism for the assimilation of C2 compounds. Conclusions This study provides evidence for widespread genetic recombination, rather than it being focussed at 'hotspots', suggesting that the previously proposed 'archipelago model' of genomic differences between S. coelicolor and S. lividans is unduly simplistic. The two S. lividans strains investigated differ considerably in genetic complement, with TK24 lacking 175 more genes than its wild-type parent when compared to S. coelicolor. Additionally, we confirm the presence of bldB in S. lividans and deduce that S. lividans 66 and TK24, both deficient in the glyoxylate bypass, possess an alternative metabolic mechanism for the assimilation of C2 compounds. Given that streptomycetes generally display high genetic instability it is envisaged that these high-density arrays will find application for rapid assessment of genome content (particularly amplifications/deletions) in mutational studies of S. coelicolor and related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Lewis
- Microbial Sciences Division, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
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