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Colomer-Winter C, Yong AMH, Chong KKL, Veleba M, Choo PY, Gao IH, Matysik A, Ho FK, Chen SL, Kline KA. The HtrA chaperone monitors sortase-assembled pilus biogenesis in Enterococcus faecalis. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011071. [PMID: 39102428 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Sortase-assembled pili contribute to virulence in many Gram-positive bacteria. In Enterococcus faecalis, the endocarditis and biofilm-associated pilus (Ebp) is polymerized on the membrane by sortase C (SrtC) and attached to the cell wall by sortase A (SrtA). In the absence of SrtA, polymerized pili remain anchored to the membrane (i.e. off-pathway). Here we show that the high temperature requirement A (HtrA) bifunctional chaperone/protease of E. faecalis is a quality control system that clears aberrant off-pathway pili from the cell membrane. In the absence of HtrA and SrtA, accumulation of membrane-bound pili leads to cell envelope stress and partially induces the regulon of the ceftriaxone resistance-associated CroRS two-component system, which in turn causes hyper-piliation and cell morphology alterations. Inactivation of croR in the OG1RF ΔsrtAΔhtrA background partially restores the observed defects of the ΔsrtAΔhtrA strain, supporting a role for CroRS in the response to membrane perturbations. Moreover, absence of SrtA and HtrA decreases basal resistance of E. faecalis against cephalosporins and daptomycin. The link between HtrA, pilus biogenesis and the CroRS two-component system provides new insights into the E. faecalis response to endogenous membrane perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Colomer-Winter
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Adeline M H Yong
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kelvin K L Chong
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mark Veleba
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pei Yi Choo
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Iris Hanxing Gao
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Artur Matysik
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Foo Kiong Ho
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Swaine L Chen
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Genome #02-01, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kimberly A Kline
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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2
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Jackson JJ, Heyer S, Bell G. Sortase-encoding genes, srtA and srtC, mediate Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF persistence in the Helicoverpa zea gastrointestinal tract. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1322303. [PMID: 38562482 PMCID: PMC10982312 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1322303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis is a commensal and opportunistic pathogen in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of mammals and insects. To investigate mechanisms of bacterial persistence in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), we developed a non-destructive sampling model using Helicoverpa zea, a destructive agricultural pest, as host to study the role of bacterial sortase enzymes in mitigating persistence in the gastrointestinal tract. E. faecalis OG1RF ΔsrtA and E. faecalis OG1RF ΔsrtC, isogenic E. faecalis OG1RF sortase mutants grew similarly under planktonic growth conditions relative to a streptomycin-resistant E. faecalis OG1RFS WT in vitro but displayed impaired biofilm formation under, both, physiological and alkaline conditions. In the H. zea GI model, both mutants displayed impaired persistence relative to the WT. This represents one of the initial reports in which a non-destructive insect model has been used to characterize mechanisms of bacterial persistence in the Lepidopteran midgut and, furthermore, sheds light on new molecular mechanisms employed by diverse microorganisms to associate with invertebrate hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerreme J. Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, United States
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3
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Walsh LH, Walsh AM, Garcia-Perez I, Crispie F, Costabile A, Ellis R, Finlayson J, Finnegan LA, Claesson MJ, Holmes E, Cotter PD. Comparison of the relative impacts of acute consumption of an inulin-enriched diet, milk kefir or a commercial probiotic product on the human gut microbiome and metabolome. NPJ Sci Food 2023; 7:41. [PMID: 37587110 PMCID: PMC10432396 DOI: 10.1038/s41538-023-00216-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been established that the human gut microbiota is central to health, and, consequently, there has been a growing desire to positively modulate its composition and/or function through, for example, the use of fermented foods, prebiotics or probiotics. Here, we compare the relative impact of the daily consumption of an inulin-enriched diet (n = 10), a commercial probiotic-containing fermented milk product (FMP) (n = 10), or a traditional kefir FMP (n = 9), over a 28-day period on the gut microbiome and urine metabolome of healthy human adults. None of the treatments resulted in significant changes to clinical parameters or biomarkers tested. However, shotgun metagenomic analysis revealed that kefir consumption resulted in a significant change in taxonomy, in the form of an increased abundance of the sub-dominant FMP-associated species Lactococcus raffinolactis, which further corresponded to shifts in the urine metabolome. Overall, our results indicated that daily consumption of a single portion of kefir alone resulted in detectable changes to the gut microbiota and metabolome of consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam H Walsh
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
| | - Aaron M Walsh
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland
- School of Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
| | - Isabel Garcia-Perez
- Section of Biomolecular Medicine, Division of Computational Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Fiona Crispie
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
| | - Adele Costabile
- School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton London, London, UK
| | - Richard Ellis
- Surveillance and Laboratory Services Department, APHA, Addlestone, UK
| | - Jim Finlayson
- NHS Highland, Highland Clinical Research Facility, University of the Highlands & Islands, Centre for Health Science, Inverness, UK
| | - Laura A Finnegan
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marcus J Claesson
- School of Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland
| | - Elaine Holmes
- Section of Biomolecular Medicine, Division of Computational Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul D Cotter
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland.
- School of Microbiology Department, University College Cork, Co, Cork, Ireland.
- VistaMilk SFI Research Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland.
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4
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Gu M, Yin W, Zhang J, Yin J, Tang X, Ling J, Tang Z, Yin W, Wang X, Ni Q, Zhu Y, Chen T. Role of gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites in mucins of colorectal cancer. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1119992. [PMID: 37265504 PMCID: PMC10229905 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1119992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health burden, accounting for approximately 10% of all new cancer cases worldwide. Accumulating evidence suggests that the crosstalk between the host mucins and gut microbiota is associated with the occurrence and development of CRC. Mucins secreted by goblet cells not only protect the intestinal epithelium from microorganisms and invading pathogens but also provide a habitat for commensal bacteria. Conversely, gut dysbiosis results in the dysfunction of mucins, allowing other commensals and their metabolites to pass through the intestinal epithelium, potentially triggering host responses and the subsequent progression of CRC. In this review, we summarize how gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites regulate the function and expression of mucin in CRC and novel treatment strategies for CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xiangjun Wang
- *Correspondence: Xiangjun Wang, ; Qing Ni, ; Yunxiang Zhu, ; Tuo Chen,
| | - Qing Ni
- *Correspondence: Xiangjun Wang, ; Qing Ni, ; Yunxiang Zhu, ; Tuo Chen,
| | - Yunxiang Zhu
- *Correspondence: Xiangjun Wang, ; Qing Ni, ; Yunxiang Zhu, ; Tuo Chen,
| | - Tuo Chen
- *Correspondence: Xiangjun Wang, ; Qing Ni, ; Yunxiang Zhu, ; Tuo Chen,
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5
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Subramanian DA, Langer R, Traverso G. Mucus interaction to improve gastrointestinal retention and pharmacokinetics of orally administered nano-drug delivery systems. J Nanobiotechnology 2022; 20:362. [PMID: 35933341 PMCID: PMC9356434 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-022-01539-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral delivery of therapeutics is the preferred route of administration due to ease of administration which is associated with greater patient medication adherence. One major barrier to oral delivery and intestinal absorption is rapid clearance of the drug and the drug delivery system from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. To address this issue, researchers have investigated using GI mucus to help maximize the pharmacokinetics of the therapeutic; while mucus can act as a barrier to effective oral delivery, it can also be used as an anchoring mechanism to improve intestinal residence. Nano-drug delivery systems that use materials which can interact with the mucus layers in the GI tract can enable longer residence time, improving the efficacy of oral drug delivery. This review examines the properties and function of mucus in the GI tract, as well as diseases that alter mucus. Three broad classes of mucus-interacting systems are discussed: mucoadhesive, mucus-penetrating, and mucolytic drug delivery systems. For each class of system, the basis for mucus interaction is presented, and examples of materials that inform the development of these systems are discussed and reviewed. Finally, a list of FDA-approved mucoadhesive, mucus-penetrating, and mucolytic drug delivery systems is reviewed. In summary, this review highlights the progress made in developing mucus-interacting systems, both at a research-scale and commercial-scale level, and describes the theoretical basis for each type of system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak A Subramanian
- Department of Chemical Engineering and David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robert Langer
- Department of Chemical Engineering and David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Giovanni Traverso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. .,Division of Gastroenterology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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6
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Inhibitors of Sortases of Gram-Positive Bacteria and their Role in the Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Review). Pharm Chem J 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11094-021-02488-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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7
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Rebelo A, Mourão J, Freitas AR, Duarte B, Silveira E, Sanchez-Valenzuela A, Almeida A, Baquero F, Coque TM, Peixe L, Antunes P, Novais C. Diversity of metal and antibiotic resistance genes in Enterococcus spp. from the last century reflects multiple pollution and genetic exchange among phyla from overlapping ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 787:147548. [PMID: 34000557 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and copper (Cu) are among the major historical and contemporary metal pollutants linked to global anthropogenic activities. Enterococcus have been considered indicators of fecal pollution and antibiotic resistance for years, but its largely underexplored metallome precludes understanding their role as metal pollution bioindicators as well. Our goal was to determine the occurrence, diversity, and phenotypes associated with known acquired genes/operons conferring tolerance to As, Hg or Cu among Enterococcus and to identify their genetic context (381 field isolates from diverse epidemiological and genetic backgrounds; 3547 enterococcal genomes available in databases representing a time span during 1900-2019). Genes conferring tolerance to As (arsA), Hg (merA) or Cu (tcrB) were used as biomarkers of widespread metal tolerance operons. Different variants of metal tolerance (MeT) genes (13 arsA, 6 merA, 1 tcrB) were more commonly recovered from the food-chain (arsA, tcrB) or humans (merA), and were shared with 49 other bacterial taxa. Comparative genomics analysis revealed that MeT genes occurred in heterogeneous operons, at least since the 1900s, with an increasing accretion of antibiotic resistance genes since the 1960's, reflecting diverse antimicrobial pollution. Multiple MeT genes were co-located on the chromosome or conjugative plasmids flanked by elements with high potential for recombination, often along with antibiotic resistance genes. Phenotypic analysis of some isolates carrying MeT genes revealed up to 128× fold increase in the minimum inhibitory concentrations to metals. The main distribution of functional MeT genes among Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis from different sources, time spans, and clonal lineages, and their ability to acquire diverse genes from multiple taxa bacterial communities places these species as good candidates to be used as model organisms in future projects aiming at the identification and quantification of bioindicators of metal polluted environments by anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Rebelo
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Área Técnico-científica de Saúde Ambiental, Escola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Mourão
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; Centro de Inovação em Biomedicina e Biotecnologia, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Duarte
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Silveira
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Centro de Investigação Vasco da Gama (CIVG), Departamento de Ciências Veterinárias, Escola Universitária Vasco da Gama, Coimbra, Portugal; Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Antonio Sanchez-Valenzuela
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Servicio de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agostinho Almeida
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Química Aplicada, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Fernando Baquero
- Servicio de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBER-ESP), Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana asociada al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Teresa M Coque
- Servicio de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBER-ESP), Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Resistencia a Antibióticos y Virulencia Bacteriana asociada al Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Antunes
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Carla Novais
- UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
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8
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Mucolytic bacteria: prevalence in various pathological diseases. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 37:176. [PMID: 34519941 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-021-03145-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
All mucins are highly glycosylated and a key constituent of the mucus layer that is vigilant against pathogens in many organ systems of animals and humans. The viscous layer is organized in bilayers, i.e., an outer layer that is loosely arranged, variable in thickness, home to the commensal microbiota that grows in the complex environment, and an innermost layer that is stratified, non-aspirated, firmly adherent to the epithelial cells and devoid of any microorganisms. The O-glycosylation moiety represents the site of adhesion for pathogens and due to the increase of motility, mucolytic activity, and upregulation of virulence factors, some microorganisms can circumvent the component of the mucus layer and cause disruption in organ homeostasis. A dysbiotic microbiome, defective mucus barrier, and altered immune response often result in various diseases. In this review, paramount emphasis is given to the role played by the bacterial species directly or indirectly involved in mucin degradation, alteration in mucus secretion or its composition or mucin gene expression, which instigates many diseases in the digestive, respiratory, and other organ systems. A systematic view can help better understand the etiology of some complex disorders such as cystic fibrosis, ulcerative colitis and expand our knowledge about mucin degraders to develop new therapeutic approaches to correct ill effects caused by these mucin-dwelling pathogens.
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9
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RecT Recombinase Expression Enables Efficient Gene Editing in Enterococcus spp. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0084421. [PMID: 34232061 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00844-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium is a ubiquitous Gram-positive bacterium that has been recovered from the environment, food, and microbiota of mammals. Commensal strains of E. faecium can confer beneficial effects on host physiology and immunity, but antibiotic usage has afforded antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic isolates from livestock and humans. However, the dissection of E. faecium functions and mechanisms has been restricted by inefficient gene-editing methods. To address these limitations, here, we report that the expression of E. faecium RecT recombinase significantly improves the efficiency of recombineering technologies in both commensal and antibiotic-resistant strains of E. faecium and other Enterococcus species such as E. durans and E. hirae. Notably, the expression of RecT in combination with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas9 and guide RNAs (gRNAs) enabled highly efficient scarless single-stranded DNA recombineering to generate specific gene-editing mutants in E. faecium. Moreover, we demonstrate that E. faecium RecT expression facilitated chromosomal insertions of double-stranded DNA templates encoding antibiotic-selectable markers to generate gene deletion mutants. As a further proof of principle, we use CRISPR-Cas9-mediated recombineering to knock out both sortase A genes in E. faecium for downstream functional characterization. The general RecT-mediated recombineering methods described here should significantly enhance genetic studies of E. faecium and other closely related species for functional and mechanistic studies. IMPORTANCE Enterococcus faecium is widely recognized as an emerging public health threat with the rise of drug resistance and nosocomial infections. Nevertheless, commensal Enterococcus strains possess beneficial health functions in mammals to upregulate host immunity and prevent microbial infections. This functional dichotomy of Enterococcus species and strains highlights the need for in-depth studies to discover and characterize the genetic components underlying its diverse activities. However, current genetic engineering methods in E. faecium still require passive homologous recombination from plasmid DNA. This involves the successful cloning of multiple homologous fragments into a plasmid, introducing the plasmid into E. faecium, and screening for double-crossover events that can collectively take up to multiple weeks to perform. To alleviate these challenges, we show that RecT recombinase enables the rapid and efficient integration of mutagenic DNA templates to generate substitutions, deletions, and insertions in the genomic DNA of E. faecium. These improved recombineering methods should facilitate functional and mechanistic studies of Enterococcus.
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10
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Soni R, Nanjani S, Keharia H. Genome analysis reveals probiotic propensities of Paenibacillus polymyxa HK4. Genomics 2020; 113:861-873. [PMID: 33096257 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The legislations on the usage of antibiotics as growth promoters and prophylactic agents have compelled to develop alternative tools to upsurge the animal protection and contain antibiotic usage. Probiotics have emerged as an effective antibiotic substitute in animal farming. The present study explores the probiotic perspective of Paenibacillus polymyxa HK4 interlinking the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. The draft genome of HK4 revealed the presence of ORFs encoding the functions associated with tolerance to gastrointestinal stress and adhesion. The biosynthetic gene clusters encoding non-ribosomally synthesized peptides, polyketides and lanthipeptides such as fusaricidin, tridecaptin, polymyxin, paenilan and paenibacillin were annotated in HK4 genome. The strain harbored the chromosomal gene conferring the resistance to lincosamides. No functional gene encoding virulence or toxins could be identified in the genome of HK4. The genome analysis data was complemented by the in vitro experiments confirming its survival during gastrointestinal transit, antimicrobial potential and antibiotic sensitivity. NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE ACCESSION NUMBER: The draft-genome sequence of Paenibacillus polymyxa HK4 has been deposited as whole-genome shotgun project at GenBank under the accession number PRJNA603023.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riteshri Soni
- Post Graduate Department of Biosciences, UGC Center of Advanced Study, Sardar Patel University, Vadtal road, Bakrol 388315, Gujarat, India
| | - Sandhya Nanjani
- Post Graduate Department of Biosciences, UGC Center of Advanced Study, Sardar Patel University, Vadtal road, Bakrol 388315, Gujarat, India
| | - Hareshkumar Keharia
- Post Graduate Department of Biosciences, UGC Center of Advanced Study, Sardar Patel University, Vadtal road, Bakrol 388315, Gujarat, India.
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11
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Alhajjar N, Chatterjee A, Spencer BL, Burcham LR, Willett JLE, Dunny GM, Duerkop BA, Doran KS. Genome-Wide Mutagenesis Identifies Factors Involved in Enterococcus faecalis Vaginal Adherence and Persistence. Infect Immun 2020; 88:e00270-20. [PMID: 32778611 PMCID: PMC7504943 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00270-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive commensal bacterium native to the gastrointestinal tract and an opportunistic pathogen of increasing clinical concern. E. faecalis also colonizes the female reproductive tract, and reports suggest vaginal colonization increases following antibiotic treatment or in patients with aerobic vaginitis. Currently, little is known about specific factors that promote E. faecalis vaginal colonization and subsequent infection. We modified an established mouse vaginal colonization model to explore E. faecalis vaginal carriage and demonstrate that both vancomycin-resistant and -sensitive strains colonize the murine vaginal tract. Following vaginal colonization, we observed E. faecalis in vaginal, cervical, and uterine tissue. A mutant lacking endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pili (Ebp) exhibited a decreased ability to associate with human vaginal and cervical cells in vitro but did not contribute to colonization in vivo Thus, we screened a low-complexity transposon (Tn) mutant library to identify novel genes important for E. faecalis colonization and persistence in the vaginal tract. This screen revealed 383 mutants that were underrepresented during vaginal colonization at 1, 5, and 8 days postinoculation compared to growth in culture medium. We confirmed that mutants deficient in ethanolamine catabolism or in the type VII secretion system were attenuated in persisting during vaginal colonization. These results reveal the complex nature of vaginal colonization and suggest that multiple factors contribute to E. faecalis persistence in the reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norhan Alhajjar
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Anushila Chatterjee
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Brady L Spencer
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Lindsey R Burcham
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Julia L E Willett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gary M Dunny
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Breck A Duerkop
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Kelly S Doran
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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12
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Enterococcus faecalis Manganese Exporter MntE Alleviates Manganese Toxicity and Is Required for Mouse Gastrointestinal Colonization. Infect Immun 2020; 88:IAI.00058-20. [PMID: 32229614 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00058-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens encounter a variety of nutritional environments in the human host, including nutrient metal restriction and overload. Uptake of manganese (Mn) is essential for Enterococcus faecalis growth and virulence; however, it is not known how this organism prevents Mn toxicity. In this study, we examine the role of the highly conserved MntE transporter in E. faecalis Mn homeostasis and virulence. We show that inactivation of mntE results in growth restriction in the presence of excess Mn, but not other metals, demonstrating its specific role in Mn detoxification. Upon growth in the presence of excess Mn, an mntE mutant accumulates intracellular Mn, iron (Fe), and magnesium (Mg), supporting a role for MntE in Mn and Fe export and a role for Mg in offsetting Mn toxicity. Growth of the mntE mutant in excess Fe also results in increased levels of intracellular Fe, but not Mn or Mg, providing further support for MntE in Fe efflux. Inactivation of mntE in the presence of excess iron also results in the upregulation of glycerol catabolic genes and enhanced biofilm growth, and addition of glycerol is sufficient to augment biofilm growth for both the mntE mutant and its wild-type parental strain, demonstrating that glycerol availability significantly enhances biofilm formation. Finally, we show that mntE contributes to colonization of the antibiotic-treated mouse gastrointestinal (GI) tract, suggesting that E. faecalis encounters excess Mn in this niche. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the manganese exporter MntE plays a crucial role in E. faecalis metal homeostasis and virulence.
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