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Luu LDW, Kasimov V, Phillips S, Myers GSA, Jelocnik M. Genome organization and genomics in Chlamydia: whole genome sequencing increases understanding of chlamydial virulence, evolution, and phylogeny. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1178736. [PMID: 37287464 PMCID: PMC10242142 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1178736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Chlamydia contains important obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens to humans and animals, including C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae. Since 1998, when the first Chlamydia genome was published, our understanding of how these microbes interact, evolved and adapted to different intracellular host environments has been transformed due to the expansion of chlamydial genomes. This review explores the current state of knowledge in Chlamydia genomics and how whole genome sequencing has revolutionised our understanding of Chlamydia virulence, evolution, and phylogeny over the past two and a half decades. This review will also highlight developments in multi-omics and other approaches that have complemented whole genome sequencing to advance knowledge of Chlamydia pathogenesis and future directions for chlamydial genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Don Wai Luu
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Vasilli Kasimov
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Samuel Phillips
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
| | - Garry S. A. Myers
- Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Martina Jelocnik
- Centre for Bioinnovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
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Bachmann NL, Fraser TA, Bertelli C, Jelocnik M, Gillett A, Funnell O, Flanagan C, Myers GSA, Timms P, Polkinghorne A. Comparative genomics of koala, cattle and sheep strains of Chlamydia pecorum. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:667. [PMID: 25106440 PMCID: PMC4137089 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chlamydia pecorum is an important pathogen of domesticated livestock including sheep, cattle and pigs. This pathogen is also a key factor in the decline of the koala in Australia. We sequenced the genomes of three koala C. pecorum strains, isolated from the urogenital tracts and conjunctiva of diseased koalas. The genome of the C. pecorum VR629 (IPA) strain, isolated from a sheep with polyarthritis, was also sequenced. RESULTS Comparisons of the draft C. pecorum genomes against the complete genomes of livestock C. pecorum isolates revealed that these strains have a conserved gene content and order, sharing a nucleotide sequence similarity > 98%. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) appear to be key factors in understanding the adaptive process. Two regions of the chromosome were found to be accumulating a large number of SNPs within the koala strains. These regions include the Chlamydia plasticity zone, which contains two cytotoxin genes (toxA and toxB), and a 77 kbp region that codes for putative type III effector proteins. In one koala strain (MC/MarsBar), the toxB gene was truncated by a premature stop codon but is full-length in IPTaLE and DBDeUG. Another five pseudogenes were also identified, two unique to the urogenital strains C. pecorum MC/MarsBar and C. pecorum DBDeUG, respectively, while three were unique to the koala C. pecorum conjunctival isolate IPTaLE. An examination of the distribution of these pseudogenes in C. pecorum strains from a variety of koala populations, alongside a number of sheep and cattle C. pecorum positive samples from Australian livestock, confirmed the presence of four predicted pseudogenes in koala C. pecorum clinical samples. Consistent with our genomics analyses, none of these pseudogenes were observed in the livestock C. pecorum samples examined. Interestingly, three SNPs resulting in pseudogenes identified in the IPTaLE isolate were not found in any other C. pecorum strain analysed, raising questions over the origin of these point mutations. CONCLUSIONS The genomic data revealed that variation between C. pecorum strains were mainly due to the accumulation of SNPs, some of which cause gene inactivation. The identification of these genetic differences will provide the basis for further studies to understand the biology and evolution of this important animal pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Adam Polkinghorne
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs 4558, Queensland, Australia.
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Miller EF, Vaish S, Maier RJ. Efficiency of purine utilization by Helicobacter pylori: roles for adenosine deaminase and a NupC homolog. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38727. [PMID: 22701700 PMCID: PMC3368855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to synthesize and salvage purines is crucial for colonization by a variety of human bacterial pathogens. Helicobacter pylori colonizes the gastric epithelium of humans, yet its specific purine requirements are poorly understood, and the transport mechanisms underlying purine uptake remain unknown. Using a fully defined synthetic growth medium, we determined that H. pylori 26695 possesses a complete salvage pathway that allows for growth on any biological purine nucleobase or nucleoside with the exception of xanthosine. Doubling times in this medium varied between 7 and 14 hours depending on the purine source, with hypoxanthine, inosine and adenosine representing the purines utilized most efficiently for growth. The ability to grow on adenine or adenosine was studied using enzyme assays, revealing deamination of adenosine but not adenine by H. pylori 26695 cell lysates. Using mutant analysis we show that a strain lacking the gene encoding a NupC homolog (HP1180) was growth-retarded in a defined medium supplemented with certain purines. This strain was attenuated for uptake of radiolabeled adenosine, guanosine, and inosine, showing a role for this transporter in uptake of purine nucleosides. Deletion of the GMP biosynthesis gene guaA had no discernible effect on mouse stomach colonization, in contrast to findings in numerous bacterial pathogens. In this study we define a more comprehensive model for purine acquisition and salvage in H. pylori that includes purine uptake by a NupC homolog and catabolism of adenosine via adenosine deaminase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica F. Miller
- Microbiology Department, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Soumya Vaish
- Microbiology Department, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Maier
- Microbiology Department, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
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Gurumurthy RK, Mäurer AP, Machuy N, Hess S, Pleissner KP, Schuchhardt J, Rudel T, Meyer TF. A loss-of-function screen reveals Ras- and Raf-independent MEK-ERK signaling during Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Sci Signal 2010; 3:ra21. [PMID: 20234004 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2000651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that have a major effect on human health. Because of their intimate association with their host, chlamydiae depend on various host cell functions for their survival. Here, we present an RNA-interference-based screen in human epithelial cells that identified 59 host factors that either positively or negatively influenced the replication of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr). Two factors, K-Ras and Raf-1, which are members of the canonical Ras-Raf-MEK (mitogen-activated or extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase kinase)-ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway, were identified as central components of signaling networks associated with hits from the screen. Depletion of Ras or Raf in HeLa cells increased pathogen growth. Mechanistic analyses revealed that ERK was activated independently of K-Ras and Raf-1. Infection with Ctr led to the Akt-dependent, increased phosphorylation (and inactivation) of Raf-1 at serine-259. Furthermore, phosphorylated Raf-1 relocalized from the cytoplasm to the intracellular bacterial inclusion in an Akt- and 14-3-3beta-dependent manner. Together, these findings not only show that Chlamydia regulates components of an important host cell signaling pathway, but also provide mechanistic insights into how this is achieved.
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Acquisition of nutrients by Chlamydiae: unique challenges of living in an intracellular compartment. Curr Opin Microbiol 2009; 13:4-10. [PMID: 20006538 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2009.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2009] [Accepted: 11/14/2009] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular pathogens that replicate within a membrane-bound vacuole, termed the 'inclusion'. From this compartment, bacteria acquire essential nutrients by selectively redirecting transport vesicles and hijacking intracellular organelles. Rerouting is achieved by several mechanisms including proteolysis-mediated fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus, recruitment of Rab GTPases and SNAREs, and translocation of cytoplasmic organelles into the inclusion lumen. Given Chlamydiae's extended coevolution with eukaryotic cells, it is likely that co-option of multiple cellular pathways is a strategy to provide redundancy in the acquisition of essential nutrients from the host and has contributed to the success of these highly adapted pathogens.
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Ralli P, Srivastava AC, O'Donovan G. Regulation of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in apyrD knockout mutant ofPseudomonas aeruginosa. J Basic Microbiol 2007; 47:165-73. [PMID: 17440919 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.200610248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In research to date, regulation of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway at the level of gene expression has not been shown for wild type Pseudomonas aeruginosa. No repression was observed when uracil was added to the growth medium nor was any derepression seen when Pyr(-) auxotrophs were limited for pyrimidines. Here we show that the addition of uracil to Pseudomonas minimal medium influenced the synthesis of pyrimidine enzymes, while starvation of a pyrimidine knockout mutant (pyrD) elicited derepression of the pyrimidine enzymes. Moreover, the inclusion of orotate in the growth medium induced the synthesis of dihydroorotase in both wild type and mutant. These results suggest that the pyrimidine pathway in P. aeruginosa is regulated at the level of enzyme synthesis in a manner similar to a number of other Pseudomonas species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Ralli
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203-5220, USA.
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Makiuchi T, Nara T, Annoura T, Hashimoto T, Aoki T. Occurrence of multiple, independent gene fusion events for the fifth and sixth enzymes of pyrimidine biosynthesis in different eukaryotic groups. Gene 2007; 394:78-86. [PMID: 17383832 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2007.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2006] [Revised: 02/13/2007] [Accepted: 02/13/2007] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The genes encoding orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) and orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC), the fifth and sixth enzymes in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, are fused as OPRT-OMPDC in most eukaryotic groups. On the other hand, the inversely linked OMPDC-OPRT fusion is present in trypanosomatids, belonging to kinetoplastids together with bodonids in a supergroup, Euglenozoa. Here, we show the presence of OMPDC-OPRT in the bodonid, Bodo caudatus, while OPRT-OMPDC in Euglena gracilis, another euglenozoan species belonging to euglenoids. These results suggest that the OMPDC-OPRT fusion event occurred in a common ancestor of kinetoplastids. Genome sequence database searches further revealed the presence of OMPDC-OPRT in stramenopiles and cyanobacteria. Phylogenetic reconstruction of OPRT and OMPDC rejected statistically the monophyly of the OPRT domains of stramenopile and kinetoplastid OMPDC-OPRT, demonstrating that these gene fusions do not share a common evolutionary origin, despite the identical gene order. Thus, the OMPDC-OPRT fusion is likely to have emerged independently in these eukaryotic groups. Phylogenetic analyses also suggested that cyanobacterial OMPDC-OPRT arose via lateral transfer. We conclude that gene fusion events occur more frequently than previously thought and that lateral gene transfer has made a marked contribution to establishment of the rearranged structure of OPRT and OMPDC genes in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Makiuchi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Parasitology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
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Nelson DE, Crane DD, Taylor LD, Dorward DW, Goheen MM, Caldwell HD. Inhibition of chlamydiae by primary alcohols correlates with the strain-specific complement of plasticity zone phospholipase D genes. Infect Immun 2006; 74:73-80. [PMID: 16368959 PMCID: PMC1346656 DOI: 10.1128/iai.74.1.73-80.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the genus Chlamydia are obligate intracellular pathogens that have a unique biphasic developmental cycle and interactions with host cells. Many genes that dictate host infection tropism and, putatively, pathogenic manifestations of disease are clustered in a hypervariable region of the genome termed the plasticity zone (PZ). Comparative genomics studies have determined that an uncharacterized family of PZ genes encoding orthologs of eukaryotic and prokaryotic members of the phospholipase D (PLD) enzyme family varies among chlamydiae. Here, we show that the PZ PLD (pzPLD) of Chlamydia trachomatis are transcribed during both normal and persistent infection and that the corresponding PLD proteins are predominantly localized in reticulate bodies on the inner leaflet of the inclusion membrane. Further, we show that strains of chlamydiae encoding the pzPLD, but not a strain lacking these genes, are inhibited by primary alcohols, potent PLD inhibitors, during growth in HeLa 229 cells. This inhibitory effect is amplified approximately 5,000-fold during recovery from persistent infection. These findings suggest that the chlamydial pzPLD may be important, strain-specific, pathogenesis factors in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Nelson
- Laboratory of Intracellular Parasites, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
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9
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Hughes LE, Beck DA, O'Donovan GA. Pathways of pyrimidine salvage in Streptomyces. Curr Microbiol 2004; 50:8-10. [PMID: 15696258 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-004-4386-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2004] [Accepted: 06/28/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Using 5-fluoropyrimidine analogues, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the feeding of pyrimidine compounds to pyrimidine auxotrophs, the pathways for salvage of exogenous pyrimidine nucleosides and bases in Streptomyces were established. Selection for resistance to the analogues resulted in the isolation of strains of S. griseus lacking the following enzyme activities: uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (upp) and cytidine deaminase (cdd). The conversion of substrates in the pathway was followed using reverse-phase HPLC. The strains deficient in salvage enzymes were also verified by this method. In addition, feeding of exogenous pyrimidines to strains lacking the biosynthetic pathway confirmed the salvage pathway. Data from the analogue, HPLC, and feeding experiments showed that Streptomyces recycles the pyrimidine base uracil, as well as the nucleosides uridine and cytidine. Cytosine is not recycled due to a lack of cytosine deaminase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee E Hughes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, PO 305220, Denton, TX 76203, USA.
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Endrizzi JA, Kim H, Anderson PM, Baldwin EP. Crystal structure of Escherichia coli cytidine triphosphate synthetase, a nucleotide-regulated glutamine amidotransferase/ATP-dependent amidoligase fusion protein and homologue of anticancer and antiparasitic drug targets. Biochemistry 2004; 43:6447-63. [PMID: 15157079 PMCID: PMC2891762 DOI: 10.1021/bi0496945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cytidine triphosphate synthetases (CTPSs) produce CTP from UTP and glutamine, and regulate intracellular CTP levels through interactions with the four ribonucleotide triphosphates. We solved the 2.3-A resolution crystal structure of Escherichia coli CTPS using Hg-MAD phasing. The structure reveals a nearly symmetric 222 tetramer, in which each bifunctional monomer contains a dethiobiotin synthetase-like amidoligase N-terminal domain and a Type 1 glutamine amidotransferase C-terminal domain. For each amidoligase active site, essential ATP- and UTP-binding surfaces are contributed by three monomers, suggesting that activity requires tetramer formation, and that a nucleotide-dependent dimer-tetramer equilibrium contributes to the observed positive cooperativity. A gated channel that spans 25 A between the glutamine hydrolysis and amidoligase active sites provides a path for ammonia diffusion. The channel is accessible to solvent at the base of a cleft adjoining the glutamine hydrolysis active site, providing an entry point for exogenous ammonia. Guanine nucleotide binding sites of structurally related GTPases superimpose on this cleft, providing insights into allosteric regulation by GTP. Mutations that confer nucleoside drug resistance and release CTP inhibition map to a pocket that neighbors the UTP-binding site and can accommodate a pyrimidine ring. Its location suggests that competitive feedback inhibition is affected via a distinct product/drug binding site that overlaps the substrate triphosphate binding site. Overall, the E. coli structure provides a framework for homology modeling of other CTPSs and structure-based design of anti-CTPS therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Enoch P. Baldwin
- Corresponding author. . Phone: (530) 752–1108. Fax: (530) 752–3085
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11
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Miller JD, Thompson HA. Permeability of Coxiella burnetii to ribonucleosides. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2002; 148:2393-2403. [PMID: 12177333 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-148-8-2393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge about transport in Coxiella burnetii, an obligate phagolysosomal parasite, is incomplete. The authors investigated the capability of isolated, intact, host-free Coxiella to transport ribonucleosides while incubated at a pH value typical of lysosomes. Because of the low activities and limitations of obtaining experimental quantities of isolated, purified Coxiella, incorporation of substrate into nucleic acid was used as a trap for determination of uptake abilities. Virulent wild-type (phase I) organisms possessed uptake capability for all ribonucleosides. Both phase I and phase II (avirulent) organisms incorporated the purine nucleosides guanosine, adenosine and inosine, and showed a more limited uptake of thymidine and uridine. Both phases were poorly active in cytidine uptake. Neither phase of the organism was capable of transport and incorporation of NTPs, CMP, cytosine or uracil. Water space experiments confirmed that the uptake process concentrated the purine nucleosides within the cytoplasm of both wild-type and phase II Coxiella via a low-pH-dependent mechanism. Comparison of uptake rates in Escherichia coli versus Coxiella verified that the incorporation of ribonucleosides by Coxiella is a slow process. It is concluded that Coxiella possesses some transport pathways consistent with utilization of pools of nucleosides found within its host cell lysosomal pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Miller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Robert E. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA1
| | - Herbert A Thompson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Robert E. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA1
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Abstract
Our understanding of both membrane traffic in mammalian cells and the cell biology of infection with intracellular pathogens has increased dramatically in recent years. In this review, we discuss the cell biology of the host-microbe interaction for four intracellular pathogens: Chlamydia spp., Legionella pneumophila, Mycobacterium spp., and the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. All of these organisms reside in vacuoles inside cells that have restricted fusion with host organelles of the endocytic cascade. Despite this restricted fusion, the vacuoles surrounding each pathogen display novel interactions with other host cell organelles. In addition to the effect of infection on host membrane traffic, we focus on these novel interactions and relate them where possible to nutrient acquisition by the intracellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Sinai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
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Vanrompay D, Ducatelle R, Haesebrouck F. Chlamydia psittaci infections: a review with emphasis on avian chlamydiosis. Vet Microbiol 1995; 45:93-119. [PMID: 7571380 DOI: 10.1016/0378-1135(95)00033-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the first part of this article the general characteristics of Chlamydia psittaci namely the history, taxonomy, morphology, reproductive cycle, metabolism and genetics are reviewed. For the taxonomy in particular, a considerable amount of new information has become available in recent years, following the application of monoclonal antibodies and restriction enzymes. Using these techniques isolates of Chlamydia psittaci from birds have been subdivided in different serovars, a number of isolates have been classified in a new species (Chlamydia pecorum) and isolates from animals have been classified as Chlamydia trachomatis. In the second part of the article, the current knowledge on avian chlamydiosis is summarized. Emphasis is put on clinical signs, lesions, pathogenesis, epizootiology, immunity, diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Also the public health considerations are reviewed. It is concluded that the diagnosis of avian chlamydiosis is laborious and that there is still a need for more accurate, simple and rapid diagnostic tools, both for antigen and antibody detection in various species of birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Vanrompay
- Department of Avian Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, R.U.G., Merelbeke, Belgium
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Tipples G, McClarty G. Cloning and expression of the Chlamydia trachomatis gene for CTP synthetase. J Biol Chem 1995; 270:7908-14. [PMID: 7713886 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.270.14.7908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A HindIII partial digest Chlamydia trachomatis L2 library in pUC19 was screened for the CTP synthetase gene by functional complementation in CTP synthetase-deficient Escherichia coli JF646. A complementing clone was isolated and contained a recombinant plasmid (pH-1) with a 2.7-kilobase C. trachomatis DNA insert. The entire insert was sequenced and found to encode two complete open reading frames (ORFs) that overlapped by 25 bases and the start of a third ORF that overlapped with ORF2 by 14 bases. The derived amino acid sequence of ORFs 1 and 2 shows 37% identity to kdsB, an E. coli gene that codes for CMP-2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid synthetase and 48% identity to pyrG, an E. coli gene that codes for CTP synthetase, respectively. To obtain downstream sequence data for ORF3, colony hybridization screening of the HindIII chlamydial DNA library was used to isolate a second recombinant plasmid (pH-11) that contained a 1.7-kilobase chlamydial DNA insert. The deduced amino acid sequence of ORF3 is not significantly homologous to any protein in the translated GenBank data base. Recombinant chlamydial CTP synthetase appears to be similar to the E. coli enzyme in that it is sensitive to inhibition by CTP, requires UTP, ATP, Mg2+, GTP, and glutamine for activity, and can also utilize ammonia as an amidogroup donor.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Tipples
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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Wang LL, Henson E, McClarty G. Characterization of trimethoprim- and sulphisoxazole-resistant Chlamydia trachomatis. Mol Microbiol 1994; 14:271-81. [PMID: 7530318 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1994.tb01288.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Trimethoprim and sulphisoxazole were used as selective agents in culture to isolate, by a stepwise procedure, a series of Chlamydia trachomatis L2 populations resistant to the cytotoxic effects of the drugs. Two trimethoprim-resistant populations, L2TriR-60 and L2TriR-100, and one sulphonamide-resistant population, L2SulfR-100, were characterized in more detail. In addition to being resistant to trimethoprim, L2TriR-60 was cross-resistant to methotrexate, sensitive to sulphisoxazole and displayed a ribonucleotide auxotrophy similar to that of its parental wild type, C. trachomatis L2. Surprisingly, L2TriR-100 and L2SulfR-100 appeared phenotypically identical. Both mutants were highly resistant to trimethoprim, sulphisoxazole, and methotrexate. In contrast to wild-type C. trachomatis L2, these populations were sensitive to 5-fluorouracil. L2TriR-100 and L2SulfR-100 were incapable of taking pyrimidine ribonucleotides from the host cell and no longer synthesized thymidine nucleotides de novo. The pyrimidine requirement of these mutants was met by salvaging host-cell uracil and thymidine, a property which can account for their drug-resistant characteristics. L2TriR-100 and L2SulfR-100 could also salvage adenine and guanine. Using L2TriR-100 as a starting stock, a mutant population resistant to the cytotoxic effects of trimethoprim and 5-fluorouracil (L2Tri/5-FU) was selected. L2Tri/5-FU was resistant to 5-fluorouracil because it had regained the capacity to take pyrimidine ribonucleotides from the host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- L L Wang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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Abstract
Despite the clinical and economic importance of chlamydial infections, many aspects of their basic biology, biochemistry and genetics have not been studied, and the metabolic relationships that exist between chlamydiae and their hosts are just beginning to be elucidated. While chlamydiae can biosynthesize some metabolic intermediates, they appear to be dependent on the host cell for others, which probably restricts them to an intracellular habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- G McClarty
- Dept of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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Abstract
Purine metabolism was studied in the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia psittaci AA Mp in the wild type and a variety of mutant host cell lines with well-defined deficiencies in purine metabolism. C. psittaci AA Mp cannot synthesize purines de novo, as assessed by its inability to incorporate exogenous glycine into nucleic acid purines. C. psittaci AA Mp can take ATP and GTP, but not dATP or dGTP, directly from the host cell. Exogenous hypoxanthine and inosine were not utilized by the parasite. In contrast, exogenous adenine, adenosine, and guanine were directly salvaged by C. psittaci AA Mp. Crude extract prepared from highly purified C. psittaci AA Mp reticulate bodies contained adenine and guanine but no hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase activity. Adenosine kinase activity was detected, but guanosine kinase activity was not. There was no competition for incorporation into nucleic acid between adenine and guanine, and high-performance liquid chromatography profiles of radiolabelled nucleic acid nucleobases indicated that adenine, adenosine, and deoxyadenosine were incorporated only into adenine and that guanine, guanosine, and deoxyguanosine were incorporated only into guanine. Thus, there is no interconversion of nucleotides. Deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine were cleaved to adenine and guanine before being utilized, and purine (deoxy)nucleoside phosphorylase activity was present in reticulate body extract.
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Affiliation(s)
- G McClarty
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
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