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Complete Genome and Partial Megaplasmid Sequences of Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii Strain NJB1907-Z4, Isolated from an Aquarium-Reared Japanese Sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) in Japan. Microbiol Resour Announc 2022; 11:e0078522. [DOI: 10.1128/mra.00785-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii
, a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, has been isolated from wild and cultured fish. We report here the complete genome and partial megaplasmid sequences of a strain isolated from an aquarium-reared Japanese sardine (
Sardinops melanostictus
) in Japan,
M. pseudoshottsii
NJB1907-Z4.
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2
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Receveur JP, Bauer A, Pechal JL, Picq S, Dogbe M, Jordan HR, Rakestraw AW, Fast K, Sandel M, Chevillon C, Guégan JF, Wallace JR, Benbow ME. A need for null models in understanding disease transmission: the example of Mycobacterium ulcerans (Buruli ulcer disease). FEMS Microbiol Rev 2022; 46:fuab045. [PMID: 34468735 PMCID: PMC8767449 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuab045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the interactions of ecosystems, humans and pathogens is important for disease risk estimation. This is particularly true for neglected and newly emerging diseases where modes and efficiencies of transmission leading to epidemics are not well understood. Using a model for other emerging diseases, the neglected tropical skin disease Buruli ulcer (BU), we systematically review the literature on transmission of the etiologic agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU), within a One Health/EcoHealth framework and against Hill's nine criteria and Koch's postulates for making strong inference in disease systems. Using this strong inference approach, we advocate a null hypothesis for MU transmission and other understudied disease systems. The null should be tested against alternative vector or host roles in pathogen transmission to better inform disease management. We propose a re-evaluation of what is necessary to identify and confirm hosts, reservoirs and vectors associated with environmental pathogen replication, dispersal and transmission; critically review alternative environmental sources of MU that may be important for transmission, including invertebrate and vertebrate species, plants and biofilms on aquatic substrates; and conclude with placing BU within the context of other neglected and emerging infectious diseases with intricate ecological relationships that lead to disease in humans, wildlife and domestic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Receveur
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Alexandra Bauer
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jennifer L Pechal
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Sophie Picq
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Magdalene Dogbe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA
| | - Heather R Jordan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA
| | - Alex W Rakestraw
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, The University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL, USA
| | - Kayla Fast
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, The University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL, USA
| | - Michael Sandel
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, The University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL, USA
| | - Christine Chevillon
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs : Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-François Guégan
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs : Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle (MIVEGEC), Université de Montpellier (UM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement, Montpellier, France
- UMR Animal, santé, territoires, risques et écosystèmes, Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (INRAE), Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (Cirad), Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France
| | - John R Wallace
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA, USA
| | - M Eric Benbow
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- AgBioResearch, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Osteopathic Medical Specialties, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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3
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Amewu RK, Spangenberg T. Detection of Mycolactone by Thin Layer Chromatography. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2387:131-149. [PMID: 34643909 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1779-3_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
By means of thin layer chromatography coupled to a fluorescence enhancer, a highly sensitive and operationally simple method to detect the mycolactones stemming from the human pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans was developed and applied to various sample sources.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Spangenberg
- Global Health Institute of Merck, Ares Trading S.A. (a subsidiary of Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany), Eysins, Switzerland
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4
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Overview: Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease (Buruli Ulcer). Methods Mol Biol 2021. [PMID: 34643896 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1779-3_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Enhanced international research efforts since the establishment of the Global BU Initiative in 1998 by the WHO have helped to advance our understanding of the epidemiology, and pathogenesis of Mycobacterium ulcerans infections. Improved methods to cultivate the extremely slow-growing pathogen from BU lesions have laid the groundwork for a variety of studies using M. ulcerans isolates, including the analysis of the genome and proteome of the pathogen, as well as drug susceptibility testing and analyses of host-pathogen interactions in vitro and in animal models. The identification of specific, high-copy number target sequences in the genome of M. ulcerans has enabled the development of diagnostic tests and assays to detect the pathogen in the environment. Important research questions remain about the reservoir(s) of M. ulcerans in aquatic environments, factors leading to or promoting transmission to hosts, and host-pathogen interactions resulting in chronic infection versus spontaneous healing.
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5
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Miyazawa T, Fitzgerald BJ, Keatinge-Clay AT. Preparative production of an enantiomeric pair by engineered polyketide synthases. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:8762-8765. [PMID: 34378565 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc03073f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Using the updated module boundary of polyketide assembly lines, modules from the pikromycin synthase were recombined into engineered synthases that furnish an enantiomeric pair of 2-stereocenter triketide lactones at >99% ee with yields up to 0.39 g per liter of E. coli K207-3 in shake flasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Miyazawa
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 100 E. 24th St., Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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6
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Linking the Mycobacterium ulcerans environment to Buruli ulcer disease: Progress and challenges. One Health 2021; 13:100311. [PMID: 34485670 PMCID: PMC8403752 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Buruli ulcer (BU), the second most common mycobacterial disease in West Africa, is a necrotizing skin disease that can lead to high morbidity in affected patients. The disease is caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU), whose major virulence factor is mycolactone. Although early infection can be treated with antibiotics, an effective preventative strategy is challenging due to unknown reservoir(s) and unresolved mode(s) of transmission. Further, disease occurrence in remote locations with limited access to health facilities further complicates disease burden and associated costs. We discuss here MU transmission hypotheses and investigations into environmental reservoirs and discuss successes and challenges of studying MU and Buruli ulcer across human, animal, and environmental interfaces. We argue that a One Health approach is needed to advance the understanding of MU transmission and designing management scenarios that prevent and respond to epidemics. Although previous work has provided significant insights into risk factors, epidemiology and clinical perspectives of disease, understanding the bacterial ecology, environmental niches and role of mycolactone in natural environments and during infection of the human host remains equally important to better understanding and preventing this mysterious disease.
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7
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Hirsch M, Kumru K, Desai RR, Fitzgerald BJ, Miyazawa T, Ray KA, Saif N, Spears S, Keatinge-Clay AT. Insights into modular polyketide synthase loops aided by repetitive sequences. Proteins 2021; 89:1099-1110. [PMID: 33843112 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26083] [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: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The loops of modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) serve diverse functions but are largely uncharacterized. They frequently contain amino acid repeats resulting from genetic events such as slipped-strand mispairing. Determining the tolerance of loops to amino acid changes would aid in understanding and engineering these multidomain molecule factories. Here, tandem repeats in the DNA encoding 949 modules within 129 cis-acyltransferase PKSs were cataloged, and the locations of the corresponding amino acids within the module were identified. The most frequently inserted interdomain loop corresponds with the updated module boundary immediately downstream of the ketosynthase (KS), while the loops bordering the dehydratase are nearly intolerant to such insertions. From the 949 modules, no repetitive sequence loop insertions are located within ACP, and only 2 reside within KS, indicating the sensitivity of these domains to alteration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Hirsch
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Kaan Kumru
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Ronak R Desai
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Brendan J Fitzgerald
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Takeshi Miyazawa
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Katherine A Ray
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Nisha Saif
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha Spears
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Adrian T Keatinge-Clay
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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8
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Fevereiro J, Fraga AG, Pedrosa J. Genetics in the Host-Mycobacterium ulcerans interaction. Immunol Rev 2021; 301:222-241. [PMID: 33682158 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Buruli ulcer is an emerging infectious disease associated with high morbidity and unpredictable outbreaks. It is caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, a slow-growing pathogen evolutionarily shaped by the acquisition of a plasmid involved in the production of a potent macrolide-like cytotoxin and by genome rearrangements and downsizing. These events culminated in an uncommon infection pattern, whereby M. ulcerans is both able to induce the initiation of the inflammatory cascade and the cell death of its proponents, as well as to survive within the phagosome and in the extracellular milieu. In such extreme conditions, the host is sentenced to rely on a highly orchestrated genetic landscape to be able to control the infection. We here revisit the dynamics of M. ulcerans infection, drawing parallels from other mycobacterioses and integrating the most recent knowledge on its evolution and pathogenicity in its interaction with the host immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Fevereiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Alexandra G Fraga
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Jorge Pedrosa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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9
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The diversity of mycolactone-producing mycobacteria. Microb Pathog 2020; 149:104362. [PMID: 32702376 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Mycolactone-producing mycobacteria (MPM) form an intriguing group of environmental opportunistic pathogens of mammals and human patients in whom they cause cutaneous and subcutaneous ulcers known as "Buruli ulcer" when they occur in humans. We reviewed whole genome sequence data and ecological and phenotypic characteristics from 44 MPMs and closely related Mycobacterium marinum. This analysis indicated that all the 24 M. marinum isolates were delineated into seven taxa and our comprehensive, polyphasic taxonomic approach led to the proposal of delineating M. marinum genomospecies, 01-07. Likewise, 20 MPMs isolates were delineated into seven additional M. ulcerans genomospecies, 01-07. A taxonomic card explaining the ecology, hosts of isolation and the plasmid harboured is provided for each taxon.
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10
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Drufva EE, Hix EG, Bailey CB. Site directed mutagenesis as a precision tool to enable synthetic biology with engineered modular polyketide synthases. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2020; 5:62-80. [PMID: 32637664 PMCID: PMC7327777 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2020.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) are a multidomain megasynthase class of biosynthetic enzymes that have great promise for the development of new compounds, from new pharmaceuticals to high value commodity and specialty chemicals. Their colinear biosynthetic logic has been viewed as a promising platform for synthetic biology for decades. Due to this colinearity, domain swapping has long been used as a strategy to introduce molecular diversity. However, domain swapping often fails because it perturbs critical protein-protein interactions within the PKS. With our increased level of structural elucidation of PKSs, using judicious targeted mutations of individual residues is a more precise way to introduce molecular diversity with less potential for global disruption of the protein architecture. Here we review examples of targeted point mutagenesis to one or a few residues harbored within the PKS that alter domain specificity or selectivity, affect protein stability and interdomain communication, and promote more complex catalytic reactivity.
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Key Words
- ACP, acyl carrier protein
- AT, acyltransferase
- DEBS, 6-deoxyerthronolide B synthase
- DH, dehydratase
- EI, enoylisomerase
- ER, enoylreductase
- KR, ketoreductase
- KS, ketosynthase
- LM, loading module
- MT, methyltransferase
- Mod, module
- PKS, polyketide synthase
- PS, pyran synthase
- Polyketide synthase
- Protein engineering
- Rational design
- SNAC, N-acetyl cysteamine
- Saturation mutagenesis
- Site directed mutagenesis
- Synthetic biology
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Drufva
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Elijah G. Hix
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Constance B. Bailey
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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11
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Vaccine-Specific Immune Responses against Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection in a Low-Dose Murine Challenge Model. Infect Immun 2020; 88:IAI.00753-19. [PMID: 31818964 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00753-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The neglected tropical disease Buruli ulcer (BU) is an infection of subcutaneous tissue with Mycobacterium ulcerans There is no effective vaccine. Here, we assessed an experimental prime-boost vaccine in a low-dose murine tail infection model. We used the enoyl reductase (ER) domain of the M. ulcerans mycolactone polyketide synthases electrostatically coupled with a previously described Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) agonist-based lipopeptide adjuvant, R4Pam2Cys. Mice were vaccinated and then challenged via tail inoculation with 14 to 20 CFU of a bioluminescent strain of M. ulcerans Mice receiving either the experimental ER vaccine or Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) were equally protected, with both groups faring significantly better than nonvaccinated animals (P < 0.05). To explore potential correlates of protection, a suite of 29 immune parameters were assessed in the mice at the end of the experimental period. Multivariate statistical approaches were used to interrogate the immune response data to develop disease-prognostic models. High levels of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and low gamma interferon (IFN-γ) produced in the spleen best predicted control of infection across all vaccine groups. Univariate logistic regression revealed vaccine-specific profiles of protection. High titers of ER-specific IgG serum antibodies together with IL-2 and IL-4 in the draining lymph node (DLN) were associated with protection induced by the ER vaccine. In contrast, high titers of IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IFN-γ, and IL-10 in the DLN and low IFN-γ titers in the spleen were associated with protection following BCG vaccination. This study suggests that an effective BU vaccine must induce localized, tissue-specific immune profiles with controlled inflammatory responses at the site of infection.
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12
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Nivina A, Yuet KP, Hsu J, Khosla C. Evolution and Diversity of Assembly-Line Polyketide Synthases. Chem Rev 2019; 119:12524-12547. [PMID: 31838842 PMCID: PMC6935866 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Assembly-line polyketide synthases (PKSs) are among the most complex protein machineries known in nature, responsible for the biosynthesis of numerous compounds used in the clinic. Their present-day diversity is the result of an evolutionary path that has involved the emergence of a multimodular architecture and further diversification of assembly-line PKSs. In this review, we provide an overview of previous studies that investigated PKS evolution and propose a model that challenges the currently prevailing view that gene duplication has played a major role in the emergence of multimodularity. We also analyze the ensemble of orphan PKS clusters sequenced so far to evaluate how large the entire diversity of assembly-line PKS clusters and their chemical products could be. Finally, we examine the existing techniques to access the natural PKS diversity in natural and heterologous hosts and describe approaches to further expand this diversity through engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Nivina
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford ChEM-H, Department of Chemical Engineering Stanford
University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Kai P. Yuet
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford ChEM-H, Department of Chemical Engineering Stanford
University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jake Hsu
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford ChEM-H, Department of Chemical Engineering Stanford
University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Chaitan Khosla
- Department
of Chemistry, Stanford ChEM-H, Department of Chemical Engineering Stanford
University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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13
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Extensive genomic diversity among Mycobacterium marinum strains revealed by whole genome sequencing. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12040. [PMID: 30104693 PMCID: PMC6089878 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30152-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium marinum is the causative agent for the tuberculosis-like disease mycobacteriosis in fish and skin lesions in humans. Ubiquitous in its geographical distribution, M. marinum is known to occupy diverse fish as hosts. However, information about its genomic diversity is limited. Here, we provide the genome sequences for 15 M. marinum strains isolated from infected humans and fish. Comparative genomic analysis of these and four available genomes of the M. marinum strains M, E11, MB2 and Europe reveal high genomic diversity among the strains, leading to the conclusion that M. marinum should be divided into two different clusters, the "M"- and the "Aronson"-type. We suggest that these two clusters should be considered to represent two M. marinum subspecies. Our data also show that the M. marinum pan-genome for both groups is open and expanding and we provide data showing high number of mutational hotspots in M. marinum relative to other mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This high genomic diversity might be related to the ability of M. marinum to occupy different ecological niches.
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14
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Djouaka R, Zeukeng F, Bigoga JD, Kakou-Ngazoa SE, Akoton R, Tchigossou G, Coulibaly DN, Tchebe SJE, Aboubacar S, Nguepdjo CN, Tossou E, Adeoti R, Ngo Nsonga TM, Akpo Y, Djegbe I, Tamo M, Mbacham WF, Ablordey A. Domestic animals infected with Mycobacterium ulcerans-Implications for transmission to humans. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006572. [PMID: 29965961 PMCID: PMC6044547 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The environmental pathogen, Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU) can infect both humans and animals and cause Buruli ulcer (BU) disease. However, its mode(s) of transmission from the colonized environment to human/animal hosts remain unclear. In Australia, MU can infect both wildlife and domestic mammals. Till date, BU-like lesions have only been reported in wildlife in Africa. This warrants a thorough assessment of possible MU in domestic animals in Africa. Here, we screened roaming domesticated animals that share the human microhabitat in two different BU endemic sites, Sedje-Denou in Benin and Akonolinga in Cameroon, for MU lesions. Methodology/Principal findings We screened roaming mammals and birds across 3 endemic villages of Sedje-Denou in Southern Benin and 6 endemic villages of Akonolinga in Cameroon. After approval from relevant authorities, specimens (wound swabs and tissue fragments) were collected from animals with open or active lesion and systematically screened to detect the presence of MU though the diagnostic DNA targets IS2404, IS2606 and KR-B. Out of 397 animals surveyed in Akonolinga, 44 (11.08%) carried skin lesions and all were negative for MU DNA. For Sedje-Denou, only 25 (6.93%) out of 361 animals surveyed carried external skin lesions of which 2 (8%) were positive for MU DNA targets. These MU infected lesions were found in two different villages on a goat (abdominal part) and on a dog (nape area of the neck). Source-tracking of MU isolates within infected animal lesions was performed using VNTR genotyping and further confirmed with sequencing. One MU VNTR genotype (Z) was successfully typed from the goat lesion. The evolutionary history inferred from sequenced data revealed a clustering of animal MU isolates within isolates from human lesions. Conclusion/Significance This study describes the first report of two MU infected lesions in domestic animals in Africa. Their DNA sequence analyses show close relationship to isolates from human cases. It suggests that MU infection should be suspected in domestic hosts and these could play a role in transmission. The findings further support the hypothesis that MU is a ubiquitous environmental pathogen found in endemic areas, and probably involved in a multiple transmission pathway. Buruli ulcer (BU) remains a major Public Health problem in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. There are several reports of the occurrence of BU in Wildlife as well as domestic animals in Australia leading to the suggestion that animals may play a role in the transmission of MU to humans. Report of BU in animals is however scanty in Africa and no significant link has been made between BU in humans and animals. BU-like lesions were investigated in 397 and 361 roaming domestic animals respectively from Sedje-Denou and Akonolinga. Wound swabs, and tissue fragments were collected from animals with active lesions. Overall, 2 (8%) type I (<5 cm) animal lesions (localized on the abdominal part of a goat and the nape area of a dog) were colonized by MU in Benin. MU VNTR genotypes Z (4, 1, 2, 2) and C- (3, 1, 2, 0) were identified in the lesions of the goat and dog respectively. Significant homology was found between orthologous sequences of MU strains infecting animals and humans. The evolutionary history inferred from sequenced data revealed a clustering of animal MU isolates within isolates from human lesions. New reservoirs of MU were found through this study and allowed to a new interpretation of the life cycle of this mycobacterium from the risk environment to humans in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rousseau Djouaka
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Francis Zeukeng
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- * E-mail:
| | - Jude Daiga Bigoga
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Solange E. Kakou-Ngazoa
- Department of Technics and Technology, Platform of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute Abidjan, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Romaric Akoton
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
- University of Abomey-Calavi, Faculty of Science and Technics, Calavi, Benin
| | - Genevieve Tchigossou
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
- University of Abomey-Calavi, Faculty of Science and Technics, Calavi, Benin
| | - David N’golo Coulibaly
- Department of Technics and Technology, Platform of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute Abidjan, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
| | | | - Sylla Aboubacar
- Department of Technics and Technology, Platform of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute Abidjan, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
| | | | - Eric Tossou
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
- University of Abomey-Calavi, Faculty of Science and Technics, Calavi, Benin
| | - Razack Adeoti
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
| | | | - Yao Akpo
- Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Laboratory of Ecology, Health and Animal Production (LESPA), Parakou, Bénin
| | - Innocent Djegbe
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Manuele Tamo
- The AgroEcoHealth Platform, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Wilfred Fon Mbacham
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Anthony Ablordey
- Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
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Buruli Ulcer, a Prototype for Ecosystem-Related Infection, Caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Clin Microbiol Rev 2017; 31:31/1/e00045-17. [PMID: 29237707 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00045-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Buruli ulcer is a noncontagious disabling cutaneous and subcutaneous mycobacteriosis reported by 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America. The causative agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans, derives from Mycobacterium marinum by genomic reduction and acquisition of a plasmid-borne, nonribosomal cytotoxin mycolactone, the major virulence factor. M. ulcerans-specific sequences have been readily detected in aquatic environments in food chains involving small mammals. Skin contamination combined with any type of puncture, including insect bites, is the most plausible route of transmission, and skin temperature of <30°C significantly correlates with the topography of lesions. After 30 years of emergence and increasing prevalence between 1970 and 2010, mainly in Africa, factors related to ongoing decreasing prevalence in the same countries remain unexplained. Rapid diagnosis, including laboratory confirmation at the point of care, is mandatory in order to reduce delays in effective treatment. Parenteral and potentially toxic streptomycin-rifampin is to be replaced by oral clarithromycin or fluoroquinolone combined with rifampin. In the absence of proven effective primary prevention, avoiding skin contamination by means of clothing can be implemented in areas of endemicity. Buruli ulcer is a prototype of ecosystem pathology, illustrating the impact of human activities on the environment as a source for emerging tropical infectious diseases.
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Li WT, Chang HW, Pang VF, Wang FI, Liu CH, Chen TY, Guo JC, Wada T, Jeng CR. Mycolactone-producing Mycobacterium marinum infection in captive Hong Kong warty newts and pathological evidence of impaired host immune function. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2017; 123:239-249. [PMID: 28322210 DOI: 10.3354/dao03092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A mass mortality event of captive Hong Kong warty newts Paramesotriton hongkongensis with non-granulomatous necrotic lesions occurred in Taipei Zoo, Taiwan, in 2014. Clinically, the sick newts were lethargic and often covered with water mold Saprolegnia sp. on the skin of the body trunk or extremities. Predominant pathological findings were multifocal non-granulomatous necrotic lesions in the liver, spleen, and kidneys and severe skin infection with Saprolegnia sp., with deep invasion and involvement of underlying muscles. The possibility of ranavirus infection was ruled out by negative PCR results. Unexpectedly, abundant intralesional acid-fast positive bacilli were found in the necrotic lesions of the liver, spleen, and kidney in all 14 sick newts. PCR targeting the hsp65, ITS region, and partial 16S rRNA genes was performed, and the sequence identity from amplified amplicons of hsp65 and partial 16S rRNA genes was 100% identical to that of the corresponding gene fragment of Mycobacterium marinum. Further molecular investigations demonstrated that the current M. marinum was a mycolactone-producing mycobacterium with the presence of esxA/esxB genes. Mycolactone is a plasmid-encoded, immunosuppressive, and cytotoxic toxin. The possible immunosuppression phenomenon characterized by systemic non-granulomatous necrotic lesions caused by M. marinum and the unusual deep invasive infection caused by water mold might be associated with the immunosuppressive effect of mycolactone. Therefore, it should be noted that non-granulomatous necrotic lesions in amphibians can be caused not only by ranavirus infection but also by mycobacteriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Ta Li
- Graduate Institute of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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Sarfo FS, Phillips R, Wansbrough-Jones M, Simmonds RE. Recent advances: role of mycolactone in the pathogenesis and monitoring of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection/Buruli ulcer disease. Cell Microbiol 2016; 18:17-29. [PMID: 26572803 PMCID: PMC4705457 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Infection of subcutaneous tissue with Mycobacterium ulcerans can lead to chronic skin ulceration known as Buruli ulcer. The pathogenesis of this neglected tropical disease is dependent on a lipid‐like toxin, mycolactone, which diffuses through tissue away from the infecting organisms. Since its identification in 1999, this molecule has been intensely studied to elucidate its cytotoxic and immunosuppressive properties. Two recent major advances identifying the underlying molecular targets for mycolactone have been described. First, it can target scaffolding proteins (such as Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein), which control actin dynamics in adherent cells and therefore lead to detachment and cell death by anoikis. Second, it prevents the co‐translational translocation (and therefore production) of many proteins that pass through the endoplasmic reticulum for secretion or placement in cell membranes. These pleiotropic effects underpin the range of cell‐specific functional defects in immune and other cells that contact mycolactone during infection. The dose and duration of mycolactone exposure for these different cells explains tissue necrosis and the paucity of immune cells in the ulcers. This review discusses recent advances in the field, revisits older findings in this context and highlights current developments in structure‐function studies as well as methodology that make mycolactone a promising diagnostic biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred Stephen Sarfo
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Richard Phillips
- Department of Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Mark Wansbrough-Jones
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, St George's, University of London, London, UK
| | - Rachel E Simmonds
- School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
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Identification of Ser/Thr kinase and forkhead associated domains in Mycobacterium ulcerans: characterization of novel association between protein kinase Q and MupFHA. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e3315. [PMID: 25412098 PMCID: PMC4238996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer in humans, is unique among the members of Mycobacterium genus due to the presence of the virulence determinant megaplasmid pMUM001. This plasmid encodes multiple virulence-associated genes, including mup011, which is an uncharacterized Ser/Thr protein kinase (STPK) PknQ. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we have characterized PknQ and explored its interaction with MupFHA (Mup018c), a FHA domain containing protein also encoded by pMUM001. MupFHA was found to interact with PknQ and suppress its autophosphorylation. Subsequent protein-protein docking and molecular dynamic simulation analyses showed that this interaction involves the FHA domain of MupFHA and PknQ activation loop residues Ser170 and Thr174. FHA domains are known to recognize phosphothreonine residues, and therefore, MupFHA may be acting as one of the few unusual FHA-domain having overlapping specificity. Additionally, we elucidated the PknQ-dependent regulation of MupDivIVA (Mup012c), which is a DivIVA domain containing protein encoded by pMUM001. MupDivIVA interacts with MupFHA and this interaction may also involve phospho-threonine/serine residues of MupDivIVA. Conclusions/Significance Together, these results describe novel signaling mechanisms in M. ulcerans and show a three-way regulation of PknQ, MupFHA, and MupDivIVA. FHA domains have been considered to be only pThr specific and our results indicate a novel mechanism of pSer as well as pThr interaction exhibited by MupFHA. These results signify the need of further re-evaluating the FHA domain –pThr/pSer interaction model. MupFHA may serve as the ideal candidate for structural studies on this unique class of modular enzymes. Mycobacterium ulcerans is a slow growing pathogen, which is prevalent in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. M. ulcerans possesses unique signaling pathways with only 13 STPK containing genes. This is strikingly different from its closest homolog Mycobacterium marinum and surprisingly closer to the human pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PknQ, MupFHA and MupDivIVA are regulatory proteins encoded by the virulence determining plasmid pMUM001 of M. ulcerans. In addition to characterizing the STPK, we focused on deciphering the basis of interaction between the three partner proteins leading to the identification of critical residues. Present study describes the newly identified phosphoserine-based interactions, which is unique amongst the FHA-domain containing proteins. We confirmed our results using structural analysis via specific mutants and their interaction profiles. Importantly, these data highlight the significance of FHA domains and their role in understanding cellular signaling. This work will encourage further studies to elucidate role of M. ulcerans signaling systems. It will also raise questions like how less studied tropical bacterial pathogens acquire eukaryotic-like Ser/Thr protein kinase and exhibit unusual mechanisms to interact with its partner domains.
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Quadri LEN. Biosynthesis of mycobacterial lipids by polyketide synthases and beyond. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2014; 49:179-211. [DOI: 10.3109/10409238.2014.896859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Chany AC, Tresse C, Casarotto V, Blanchard N. History, biology and chemistry of Mycobacterium ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer disease). Nat Prod Rep 2014; 30:1527-67. [PMID: 24178858 DOI: 10.1039/c3np70068b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mycobacterium ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer disease) have a long history that can be traced back 150 years. The successive discoveries of the mycobacteria in 1948 and of mycolactone A/B in 1999, the toxin responsible for this dramatic necrotic skin disease, resulted in a paradigm shift concerning the disease itself and in a broader sense, delineated an entirely new role for bioactive polyketides as virulence factors. The fascinating history, biology and chemistry of M. ulcerans infections are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Caroline Chany
- Université de Haute Alsace, Laboratoire de Chimie Organique et Bioorganique, EA4566, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Mulhouse, 3 rue Alfred Werner, 68093 Mulhouse Cedex, France
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21
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Narh CA, Mosi L, Quaye C, Tay SC, Bonfoh B, de Souza DK. Genotyping Tools for Mycobacterium ulcerans-Drawbacks and Future Prospects. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 4:1000149. [PMID: 24900947 PMCID: PMC4040416 DOI: 10.4172/2161-1068.1000149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Mycobacterium ulcerans infection (Buruli ulcer) is a neglected but treatable skin disease endemic in over 30 countries. M. ulcerans is an environmental mycobacteria with an elusive mode of transmission to humans. Ecological and Molecular epidemiological studies to identify reservoirs and transmission vectors are important for source tracking infections especially during outbreaks and elucidating transmission routes. Research efforts have therefore focused on genotyping strains of the mycobacteria from clinical and environmental samples. This review discusses genotyping tools for differentiating M. ulcerans strains from other environmental and Mycolactone Producing Mycobacteria (MPMs). We highlight tools that have been adapted from related fields and propose ways these could be enhanced to resolve intra-species variation for epidemiological, transmission, evolutionary studies, and detection of emerging drug resistant strains. In the wake of increasing cases of Buruli ulcer, cumulative efforts including improvement in diagnostic methods and fine-tuning of genotyping tools are crucial to complement public health efforts in reducing infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A Narh
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana ; Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast ; Clinical Microbiology Department, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
| | - Lydia Mosi
- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast ; Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Department, University of Ghana
| | - Charles Quaye
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana ; Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast
| | - Samuel Ck Tay
- Clinical Microbiology Department, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
| | - Bassirou Bonfoh
- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast
| | - Dziedzom K de Souza
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Ghana
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Nakanaga K, Yotsu RR, Hoshino Y, Suzuki K, Makino M, Ishii N. Buruli ulcer and mycolactone-producing mycobacteria. Jpn J Infect Dis 2013; 66:83-8. [PMID: 23514902 DOI: 10.7883/yoken.66.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Buruli ulcer (BU) is an emerging human disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, which mainly affects the extremities. It is most endemic in sub-Saharan Africa; however, it has been reported worldwide, including in some non-tropical areas. "M. ulcerans subsp. shinshuense" is proposed as a subspecies of M. ulcerans, which have been reported from Japan and China. A total of 35 BU cases have been reported as of November 2012. Although M. ulcerans is categorized as nontuberculous mycobacteria, it has some unique characteristics that could only be observed in this bacterium. It possesses a giant virulent plasmid, composed of 174-kbp nucleotides, coding polyketide synthase to produce macrolide toxin called mycolactone. The discovery of such a linkage of plasmid and its pathogenesis has not been reported in other human disease-causing mycobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazue Nakanaga
- Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 189-0002, Japan. nakanaga@nih.go.jp
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23
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Porter JL, Tobias NJ, Pidot SJ, Falgner S, Tuck KL, Vettiger A, Hong H, Leadlay PF, Stinear TP. The cell wall-associated mycolactone polyketide synthases are necessary but not sufficient for mycolactone biosynthesis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70520. [PMID: 23894666 PMCID: PMC3720922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycolactones are polyketide-derived lipid virulence factors made by the slow-growing human pathogen, Mycobacterium ulcerans. Three unusually large and homologous plasmid-borne genes (mlsA1: 51 kb, mlsB: 42 kb and mlsA2: 7 kb) encode the mycolactone type I polyketide synthases (PKS). The extreme size and low sequence diversity of these genes has posed significant barriers for exploration of the genetic and biochemical basis of mycolactone synthesis. Here, we have developed a truncated, more tractable 3-module version of the 18-module mycolactone PKS and we show that this engineered PKS functions as expected in the natural host M. ulcerans to produce an additional polyketide; a triketide lactone (TKL). Cell fractionation experiments indicated that this 3-module PKS and the putative accessory enzymes encoded by mup045 and mup038 associated with the mycobacterial cell wall, a finding supported by confocal microscopy. We then assessed the capacity of the faster growing, Mycobacterium marinum to harbor and express the 3-module Mls PKS and accessory enzymes encoded by mup045 and mup038. RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and cell fractionation experiments confirmed that the truncated Mls PKS multienzymes were expressed and also partitioned with the cell wall material in M. marinum. However, this heterologous host failed to produce TKL. The systematic deconstruction of the mycolactone PKS presented here suggests that the Mls multienzymes are necessary but not sufficient for mycolactone synthesis and that synthesis is likely to occur (at least in part) within the mycobacterial cell wall. This research is also the first proof-of-principle demonstration of the potential of this enzyme complex to produce tailored small molecules through genetically engineered rearrangements of the Mls modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Porter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicholas J. Tobias
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sacha J. Pidot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steffen Falgner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kellie L. Tuck
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrea Vettiger
- Molecular Immunology Unit, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hui Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Peter F. Leadlay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy P. Stinear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
In 2004, a previously undiscovered mycobacterium resembling Mycobacterium ulcerans (the agent of Buruli ulcer) was reported in an outbreak of a lethal mycobacteriosis in a laboratory colony of the African clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis. This mycobacterium makes mycolactone and is one of several strains of M. ulcerans-like mycolactone-producing mycobacteria recovered from ectotherms around the world. Here, we describe the complete 6,399,543-bp genome of this frog pathogen (previously unofficially named "Mycobacterium liflandii"), and we show that it has undergone an intermediate degree of reductive evolution between the M. ulcerans Agy99 strain and the fish pathogen Mycobacterium marinum M strain. Like M. ulcerans Agy99, it has the pMUM mycolactone plasmid, over 200 chromosomal copies of the insertion sequence IS2404, and a high proportion of pseudogenes. However, M. liflandii has a larger genome that is closer in length, sequence, and architecture to M. marinum M than to M. ulcerans Agy99, suggesting that the M. ulcerans Agy99 strain has undergone accelerated evolution. Scrutiny of the genes specifically lost suggests that M. liflandii is a tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine auxotroph. A once-extensive M. marinum-like secondary metabolome has also been diminished through reductive evolution. Our analysis shows that M. liflandii, like M. ulcerans Agy99, has the characteristics of a niche-adapted mycobacterium but also has several distinctive features in important metabolic pathways that suggest that it is responding to different environmental pressures, supporting earlier proposals that it could be considered an M. ulcerans ecotype, hence the name M. ulcerans ecovar Liflandii.
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Doig KD, Holt KE, Fyfe JAM, Lavender CJ, Eddyani M, Portaels F, Yeboah-Manu D, Pluschke G, Seemann T, Stinear TP. On the origin of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer. BMC Genomics 2012; 13:258. [PMID: 22712622 PMCID: PMC3434033 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2012] [Accepted: 05/30/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mycobacterium ulcerans is an unusual bacterial pathogen with elusive origins. While closely related to the aquatic dwelling M. marinum, M. ulcerans has evolved the ability to produce the immunosuppressive polyketide toxin mycolactone and cause the neglected tropical disease Buruli ulcer. Other mycolactone-producing mycobacteria (MPM) have been identified in fish and frogs and given distinct species designations (M. pseudoshottsii, M. shinshuense, M. liflandii and M. marinum), however the evolution of M. ulcerans and its relationship to other MPM has not been defined. Here we report the comparative analysis of whole genome sequences from 30 MPM and five M. marinum. Results A high-resolution phylogeny based on genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed that M. ulcerans and all other MPM represent a single clonal group that evolved from a common M. marinum progenitor. The emergence of the MPM was driven by the acquisition of the pMUM plasmid encoding genes for the biosynthesis of mycolactones. This change was accompanied by the loss of at least 185 genes, with a significant overrepresentation of genes associated with cell wall functions. Cell wall associated genes also showed evidence of substantial adaptive selection, suggesting cell wall remodeling has been critical for the survival of MPM. Fine-grain analysis of the MPM complex revealed at least three distinct lineages, one of which comprised a highly clonal group, responsible for Buruli ulcer in Africa and Australia. This indicates relatively recent transfer of M. ulcerans between these continents, which represent the vast majority of the global Buruli ulcer burden. Our data provide SNPs and gene sequences that can differentiate M. ulcerans lineages, suitable for use in the diagnosis and surveillance of Buruli ulcer. Conclusions M. ulcerans and all mycolactone-producing mycobacteria are specialized variants of a common Mycobacterium marinum progenitor that have adapted to live in restricted environments. Examination of genes lost or retained and now under selective pressure suggests these environments might be aerobic, and extracellular, where slow growth, production of an immune suppressor, cell wall remodeling, loss or modification of cell wall antigens, and biofilm-forming ability provide a survival advantage. These insights will guide our efforts to find the elusive reservoir(s) of M. ulcerans and to understand transmission of Buruli ulcer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth D Doig
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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Röltgen K, Stinear TP, Pluschke G. The genome, evolution and diversity of Mycobacterium ulcerans. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2012; 12:522-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2011] [Revised: 01/18/2012] [Accepted: 01/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Gersbach P, Jantsch A, Feyen F, Scherr N, Dangy JP, Pluschke G, Altmann KH. A ring-closing metathesis (RCM)-based approach to mycolactones A/B. Chemistry 2011; 17:13017-31. [PMID: 21971832 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201101799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The total synthesis of the mycobacterial toxins mycolactones A/B (1 a/b) has been accomplished based on a strategy built around the construction of the mycolactone core through ring-closing metathesis. By employing the Grubbs second-generation catalyst, the 12-membered core macrocycle of mycolactones, with a functionalized C2 handle attached to C11, was obtained in 60-80 % yield. The C-linked upper side chain (comprising C12-C20) was completed by a highly efficient modified Suzuki coupling between C13 and C14, while the attachment of the C5-O-linked polyunsaturated acyl side chain was achieved by Yamaguchi esterification. Surprisingly, a diene containing a simple isopropyl group attached to C11 could not be induced to undergo ring-closing metathesis. By employing fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry techniques, the synthetic mycolactones A/B (1 a/b) were demonstrated to display similar apoptosis-inducing and cytopathic effects as mycolactones A/B extracted from Mycobacterium ulcerans. In contrast, a simplified analogue with truncated upper and lower side chains was found to be inactive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Gersbach
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, HCI H405, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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Abstract
The etiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of 19 sporadic cases of Buruli ulcer (BU) in Japan are described. The cases originated in different regions of Honshu Island, with no evidence of patient contact with an aquatic environment. The majority (73.7%) of cases occurred in females, with an average age of 39.1 years for females and 56.8 years for males. All patients developed ulcers on exposed areas of the skin (e.g., face, extremities). Most ulcers were <5 cm in diameter (category I), except in one severe progressive case (category II). Pain was absent in 10 of the 19 cases. Fourteen ulcers were surgically excised, and nine patients needed skin grafting. All cases were treated with various antibiotic regimens, with no reported recurrences as of March 2011. Mycobacterium ulcerans-specific IS2404 was detected in all cases. Ten isolates had identical 16S rRNA gene sequences, which were similar to those of M. ulcerans. However, the rpoB gene showed a closer resemblance to Mycobacterium marinum or Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii. PCR identified pMUM001 in all isolates but failed to detect one marker. DNA-DNA hybridization misidentified all isolates as M. marinum. The drug susceptibility profile of the isolates also differed from that of M. ulcerans. Sequence analysis revealed "Mycobacterium ulcerans subsp. shinshuense" as the etiologic agent of BU in Japan. Clinical manifestations were comparable to those of M. ulcerans but differed as follows: (i) cases were not concentrated in a particular area; (ii) there was no suspected connection to an aquatic environment; (iii) drug susceptibility was different; and (iv) bacteriological features were different.
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Dittmar T, Zänker KS. Horizontal gene transfers with or without cell fusions in all categories of the living matter. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2011; 714:5-89. [PMID: 21506007 PMCID: PMC7120942 DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-0782-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This article reviews the history of widespread exchanges of genetic segments initiated over 3 billion years ago, to be part of their life style, by sphero-protoplastic cells, the ancestors of archaea, prokaryota, and eukaryota. These primordial cells shared a hostile anaerobic and overheated environment and competed for survival. "Coexist with, or subdue and conquer, expropriate its most useful possessions, or symbiose with it, your competitor" remain cellular life's basic rules. This author emphasizes the role of viruses, both in mediating cell fusions, such as the formation of the first eukaryotic cell(s) from a united crenarchaeon and prokaryota, and the transfer of host cell genes integrated into viral (phages) genomes. After rising above the Darwinian threshold, rigid rules of speciation and vertical inheritance in the three domains of life were established, but horizontal gene transfers with or without cell fusions were never abolished. The author proves with extensive, yet highly selective documentation, that not only unicellular microorganisms, but the most complex multicellular entities of the highest ranks resort to, and practice, cell fusions, and donate and accept horizontally (laterally) transferred genes. Cell fusions and horizontally exchanged genetic materials remain the fundamental attributes and inherent characteristics of the living matter, whether occurring accidentally or sought after intentionally. These events occur to cells stagnating for some 3 milliard years at a lower yet amazingly sophisticated level of evolution, and to cells achieving the highest degree of differentiation, and thus functioning in dependence on the support of a most advanced multicellular host, like those of the human brain. No living cell is completely exempt from gene drains or gene insertions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dittmar
- Inst. Immunologie, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Stockumer Str. 10, Witten, 58448 Germany
| | - Kurt S. Zänker
- Institute of Immunologie, University of Witten/Herdecke, Stockumer Str. 10, Witten, 58448 Germany
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Using bioluminescence to monitor treatment response in real time in mice with Mycobacterium ulcerans infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2010; 55:56-61. [PMID: 21078940 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01260-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium ulcerans causes Buruli ulcer, a potentially disabling ulcerative skin disease. Only recently was antimicrobial therapy proven effective. Treatment for 2 months with rifampin plus streptomycin was first proposed after experiments in the mouse footpad model demonstrated bactericidal activity. This treatment is now considered the treatment of choice, although larger ulcers may require adjunctive surgery. Shorter, oral regimens are desired, but evaluating drug activity in mice is hampered by the very slow growth of M. ulcerans, which takes 3 months to produce countable colonies. We created a recombinant bioluminescent M. ulcerans strain expressing luxAB from Vibrio harveyi for real-time evaluation of antimicrobial effects in vivo. Mouse footpads were injected with wild-type M. ulcerans 1059 (WtMu) or the recombinant bioluminescent strain (rMu). Two weeks later, mice received rifampin plus streptomycin, kanamycin alone (to which rMu is resistant), or streptomycin alone for 4 weeks and were observed for footpad swelling (preventive model). Untreated controls and kanamycin-treated rMu-infected mice received rifampin plus streptomycin for 4 weeks after developing footpad swelling (curative model). Compared to WtMu, rMu exhibited similar growth and virulence in vivo and similar drug susceptibility. A good correlation was observed between luminescence (measured as relative light units) and number of viable bacteria (measured by CFU) in footpad homogenates. Proof of concept was also shown for serial real-time evaluation of drug activity in live mice. These results indicate the potential of bioluminescence as a real-time surrogate marker for viable bacteria in mouse footpads to accelerate the identification of new treatments for Buruli ulcer.
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Pidot SJ, Porter JL, Marsollier L, Chauty A, Migot-Nabias F, Badaut C, Bénard A, Ruf MT, Seemann T, Johnson PDR, Davies JK, Jenkin GA, Pluschke G, Stinear TP. Serological evaluation of Mycobacterium ulcerans antigens identified by comparative genomics. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2010; 4:e872. [PMID: 21072233 PMCID: PMC2970529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2009] [Accepted: 10/06/2010] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
A specific and sensitive serodiagnostic test for Mycobacterium ulcerans infection would greatly assist the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer and would also facilitate seroepidemiological surveys. By comparative genomics, we identified 45 potential M. ulcerans specific proteins, of which we were able to express and purify 33 in E. coli. Sera from 30 confirmed Buruli ulcer patients, 24 healthy controls from the same endemic region and 30 healthy controls from a non-endemic region in Benin were screened for antibody responses to these specific proteins by ELISA. Serum IgG responses of Buruli ulcer patients were highly variable, however, seven proteins (MUP045, MUP057, MUL_0513, Hsp65, and the polyketide synthase domains ER, AT propionate, and KR A) showed a significant difference between patient and non-endemic control antibody responses. However, when sera from the healthy control subjects living in the same Buruli ulcer endemic area as the patients were examined, none of the proteins were able to discriminate between these two groups. Nevertheless, six of the seven proteins showed an ability to distinguish people living in an endemic area from those in a non-endemic area with an average sensitivity of 69% and specificity of 88%, suggesting exposure to M. ulcerans. Further validation of these six proteins is now underway to assess their suitability for use in Buruli ulcer seroepidemiological studies. Such studies are urgently needed to assist efforts to uncover environmental reservoirs and understand transmission pathways of the M. ulcerans. Buruli ulcer is a slowly progressive but potentially devastating disease of skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans. The disease is widespread throughout West and Central Africa, and some countries in the region have established Buruli ulcer control programs. Buruli ulcer is difficult to distinguish from other chronic skin conditions that require different treatments, and there is an urgent need for an accurate point-of-care diagnostic test. In this study, we have used genomic techniques to identify 45 potential M. ulcerans–specific antigens, 33 of which we have been able to produce and purify. We tested these proteins against sera from patients, healthy people living in the same region as the patients and from individuals living in a region with no cases of Buruli ulcer. We found that seven proteins were able to elicit antibody responses that were significantly different between patients and the control subjects from the non-endemic region but not from the healthy individuals in the same Buruli ulcer endemic region. Further analysis showed that six of these M. ulcerans proteins might be useful as markers of exposure to M. ulcerans and could be developed into tools to uncover environmental reservoirs and understand transmission pathways of the bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sacha J. Pidot
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessica L. Porter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laurent Marsollier
- Groupe d'Étude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Annick Chauty
- Centre de Dépistage et de Traitement de l'ulcère de Buruli, Pobè, Benin
| | - Florence Migot-Nabias
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UMR216, Mère et enfant face aux infections tropicales, Paris, France
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Cyril Badaut
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UMR216, Mère et enfant face aux infections tropicales, Paris, France
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Angèle Bénard
- Swiss Tropical Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Torsten Seemann
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul D. R. Johnson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - John K. Davies
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Grant A. Jenkin
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gerd Pluschke
- Swiss Tropical Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Timothy P. Stinear
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Ko KS, Alexander MD, Fontaine SD, Biggs-Houck JE, La Clair JJ, Burkart MD. Synthetic studies on the mycolactone core. Org Biomol Chem 2010; 8:5159-65. [DOI: 10.1039/c0ob00540a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Tobias NJ, Seemann T, Pidot SJ, Porter JL, Marsollier L, Marion E, Letournel F, Zakir T, Azuolas J, Wallace JR, Hong H, Davies JK, Howden BP, Johnson PDR, Jenkin GA, Stinear TP. Mycolactone gene expression is controlled by strong SigA-like promoters with utility in studies of Mycobacterium ulcerans and buruli ulcer. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2009; 3:e553. [PMID: 19936295 PMCID: PMC2775157 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2009] [Accepted: 10/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycolactone A/B is a lipophilic macrocyclic polyketide that is the primary virulence factor produced by Mycobacterium ulcerans, a human pathogen and the causative agent of Buruli ulcer. In M. ulcerans strain Agy99 the mycolactone polyketide synthase (PKS) locus spans a 120 kb region of a 174 kb megaplasmid. Here we have identified promoter regions of this PKS locus using GFP reporter assays, in silico analysis, primer extension, and site-directed mutagenesis. Transcription of the large PKS genes mlsA1 (51 kb), mlsA2 (7 kb) and mlsB (42 kb) is driven by a novel and powerful SigA-like promoter sequence situated 533 bp upstream of both the mlsA1 and mlsB initiation codons, which is also functional in Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium marinum. Promoter regions were also identified upstream of the putative mycolactone accessory genes mup045 and mup053. We transformed M. ulcerans with a GFP-reporter plasmid under the control of the mls promoter to produce a highly green-fluorescent bacterium. The strain remained virulent, producing both GFP and mycolactone and causing ulcerative disease in mice. Mosquitoes have been proposed as a potential vector of M. ulcerans so we utilized M. ulcerans-GFP in microcosm feeding experiments with captured mosquito larvae. M. ulcerans-GFP accumulated within the mouth and midgut of the insect over four instars, whereas the closely related, non-mycolactone-producing species M. marinum harbouring the same GFP reporter system did not. This is the first report to identify M. ulcerans toxin gene promoters, and we have used our findings to develop M. ulcerans-GFP, a strain in which fluorescence and toxin gene expression are linked, thus providing a tool for studying Buruli ulcer pathogenesis and potential transmission to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Tobias
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Torsten Seemann
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sacha J. Pidot
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessica L. Porter
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laurent Marsollier
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, UPRES-EA 3142, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Estelle Marion
- Groupe d'Etude des Interactions Hôte-Pathogène, UPRES-EA 3142, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Angers, France
| | - Franck Letournel
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Transgénèse, UPRES-EA 3143, Université d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Tasnim Zakir
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Joseph Azuolas
- Department of Primary Industries, Mickleham Road, Attwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - John R. Wallace
- Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Hui Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - John K. Davies
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Benjamin P. Howden
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul D. R. Johnson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Grant A. Jenkin
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy P. Stinear
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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Jenke-Kodama H, Dittmann E. Evolution of metabolic diversity: insights from microbial polyketide synthases. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2009; 70:1858-1866. [PMID: 19619887 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2009.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2009] [Revised: 05/26/2009] [Accepted: 05/27/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Polyketides are a family of complex natural products that are built from simple carboxylic acid building blocks. In microorganisms, the majority of these secondary metabolites are produced by exceptionally large, multifunctional proteins termed polyketide synthases (PKSs). Each unit of a type I PKS assembly line resembles a mammalian type fatty acid synthase (FAS), although certain domains are optionally missing. The evolutionary analysis of microbial PKS has revealed a long joint evolution process of PKSs and FASs. The phylogenomic analysis of modular type I PKSs as the most widespread PKS type in bacteria showed a large impact of gene duplications and gene losses on the evolution of type I PKS in different bacterial groups. The majority of type I PKSs in actinobacteria and cyanobacteria may have evolved from a common ancestor, whereas in proteobacteria most type I PKSs were acquired from other bacterial groups. The modularization of type I PKSs almost unexceptionally started with multiple duplications of a single ancestor module. The repeating modules represent ideal platforms for recombination events that can lead to corresponding changes in the actual chemistry of the products. The analysis of these "natural reprogramming" events of PKSs may assist in the development of concepts for the biocombinatorial design of bioactive compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Jenke-Kodama
- Humboldt University Berlin, Institute of Biology, Department of Molecular Ecology, Berlin, Germany
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Brady SF, Simmons L, Kim JH, Schmidt EW. Metagenomic approaches to natural products from free-living and symbiotic organisms. Nat Prod Rep 2009; 26:1488-503. [PMID: 19844642 DOI: 10.1039/b817078a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sean F Brady
- The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.
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Large sequence polymorphisms unveil the phylogenetic relationship of environmental and pathogenic mycobacteria related to Mycobacterium ulcerans. Appl Environ Microbiol 2009; 75:5667-75. [PMID: 19592526 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00446-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycolactone is an immunosuppressive cytotoxin responsible for the clinical manifestation of Buruli ulcer in humans. It was believed to be confined to its etiologic agent, Mycobacterium ulcerans. However, the identification of other mycolactone-producing mycobacteria (MPMs) in other species, including Mycobacterium marinum, indicated a more complex taxonomic relationship. This highlighted the need for research on the biology, evolution, and distribution of such emerging and potentially infectious strains. The reliable genetic fingerprinting analyses presented here aim at both the unraveling of phylogenetic relatedness and of dispersal between environmental and pathogenic mycolactone producers and the identification of genetic prerequisites that enable lateral gene transfer of such plasmids. This will allow for the identification of environmental reservoirs of virulence plasmids that encode enzymes required for the synthesis of mycolactone. Based on dynamic chromosomal loci identified earlier in M. ulcerans, we characterized large sequence polymorphisms for the phylogenetic analysis of MPMs. Here, we identify new insertional-deletional events and single-nucleotide polymorphisms that confirm and redefine earlier strain differentiation markers. These results support other data showing that all MPMs share a common ancestry. In addition, we found unique genetic features specific for M. marinum strain M, the genome sequence strain which is used widely in research.
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Porter JL, Tobias NJ, Hong H, Tuck KL, Jenkin GA, Stinear TP. Transfer, stable maintenance and expression of the mycolactone polyketide megasynthase mls genes in a recombination-impaired Mycobacterium marinum. Microbiology (Reading) 2009; 155:1923-1933. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.027029-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The human pathogenMycobacterium ulceransproduces a polyketide metabolite called mycolactone with potent immunomodulatory activity.M. ulceransstrain Agy99 has a 174 kb plasmid called pMUM001 with three large genes (mlsA1, 51 kb;mlsA2, 7.2 kb;mlsB, 43 kb) that encode type I polyketide synthases (PKS) required for the biosynthesis of mycolactone, as demonstrated by transposon mutagenesis. However, there have been no reports of transfer of themlslocus to another mycobacterium to demonstrate that these genes are sufficient for mycolactone production because in addition to their large size, themlsgenes contain a high level of internal sequence repetition, such that the entire 102 kb locus is composed of only 9.5 kb of unique DNA. The combination of their large size and lack of stability during laboratory passage makes them a challenging prospect for transfer to a more rapidly growing and genetically tractable host. Here we describe the construction of two bacterial artificial chromosomeEscherichia coli/Mycobacteriumshuttle vectors, one based on the pMUM001 origin of replication bearingmlsB, and the other based on the mycobacteriophage L5 integrase, bearingmlsA1andmlsA2. The combination of these two constructs permitted the two-step transfer of the entire 174 kb pMUM001 plasmid toMycobacterium marinum, a rapidly growing non-mycolactone-producing mycobacterium that is a close genetic relative ofM. ulcerans. To improve the stability of themlslocus inM. marinum,recAwas inactivated by insertion of a hygromycin-resistance gene using double-crossover allelic exchange. As expected, the ΔrecAmutant displayed increased susceptibility to UV killing and a decreased frequency of homologous recombination. Southern hybridization and RT-PCR confirmed the stable transfer and expression of themlsgenes in both wild-typeM. marinumand therecAmutant. However, neither mycolactone nor its predicted precursor metabolites were detected in either strain. These experiments show that it is possible to successfully manipulate and stably transfer the largemlsgenes, but that other bacterial host factors appear to be required to facilitate mycolactone production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Porter
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicholas J. Tobias
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hui Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kellie L. Tuck
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Grant A. Jenkin
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy P. Stinear
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia
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Kim HJ, Jackson KL, Kishi Y, Williamson HR, Mosi L, Small PLC. Heterogeneity in the stereochemistry of mycolactones isolated from M. marinum: toxins produced by fresh vs. saltwater fish pathogens. Chem Commun (Camb) 2009:7402-4. [DOI: 10.1039/b917014f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Schmidt EW, Donia MS. Chapter 23. Cyanobactin ribosomally synthesized peptides--a case of deep metagenome mining. Methods Enzymol 2009; 458:575-96. [PMID: 19374999 PMCID: PMC2810138 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(09)04823-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Deep metagenome mining is a new method for engineering natural product pathways, focusing on examining symbiotic organisms. The method has been applied to a family of compounds known as cyanobactins, which are ribosomally synthesized peptides produced by cyanobacteria. Often, these cyanobacteria live symbiotically with marine animals, leading to production of natural products in whole animal samples. Here, we focus on methods to identify, clone, and study cyanobactin natural product genes from axenic organisms and metagenomic environments. The application to deep metagenome mining is described, along with other potential targets of this methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric W Schmidt
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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