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Elg CA, Mack E, Rolfsmeier M, McLean TC, Kosterlitz O, Soderling E, Narum S, Rowley PA, Thomas CM, Top EM. Evolution of a Plasmid Regulatory Circuit Ameliorates Plasmid Fitness Cost. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.579024. [PMID: 38370613 PMCID: PMC10871194 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.579024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Plasmids play a major role in rapid adaptation of bacteria by facilitating horizontal transfer of diverse genes, most notably those conferring antibiotic resistance. While most plasmids that replicate in a broad range of bacteria also persist well in diverse hosts, there are exceptions that are poorly understood. We investigated why a broad-host range plasmid, pBP136, originally found in clinical Bordetella pertussis isolates, quickly became extinct in laboratory Escherichia coli populations. Through experimental evolution we found that inactivation of a previously uncharacterized plasmid gene, upf31, drastically improved plasmid maintenance in E. coli. This gene inactivation resulted in decreased transcription of the global plasmid regulators (korA, korB, and korC) and numerous genes in their regulons. It also caused transcriptional changes in many chromosomal genes primarily related to metabolism. In silico analyses suggested that the change in plasmid transcriptome may be initiated by Upf31 interacting with the plasmid regulator KorB. Expression of upf31 in trans negatively affected persistence of pBP136Δupf31 as well as the closely related archetypal IncP-1β plasmid R751, which is stable in E. coli and natively encodes a truncated upf31 allele. Our results demonstrate that while the upf31 allele in pBP136 might advantageously modulate gene expression in its original host, B. pertussis, it has harmful effects in E. coli. Thus, evolution of a single plasmid gene can change the range of hosts in which that plasmid persists, due to effects on the regulation of plasmid gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clinton A. Elg
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Erin Mack
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Michael Rolfsmeier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Thomas C. McLean
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
| | - Olivia Kosterlitz
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Solana Narum
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Paul A. Rowley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | | | - Eva M. Top
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
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2
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Zhu S, Hong J, Wang T. Horizontal gene transfer is predicted to overcome the diversity limit of competing microbial species. Nat Commun 2024; 15:800. [PMID: 38280843 PMCID: PMC10821886 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45154-w] [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] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural microbial ecosystems harbor substantial diversity of competing species. Explaining such diversity is challenging, because in classic theories it is extremely infeasible for a large community of competing species to stably coexist in homogeneous environments. One important aspect mostly overlooked in these theories, however, is that microbes commonly share genetic materials with their neighbors through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), which enables the dynamic change of species growth rates due to the fitness effects of the mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Here, we establish a framework of species competition by accounting for the dynamic gene flow among competing microbes. Combining theoretical derivation and numerical simulations, we show that in many conditions HGT can surprisingly overcome the biodiversity limit predicted by the classic model and allow the coexistence of many competitors, by enabling dynamic neutrality of competing species. In contrast with the static neutrality proposed by previous theories, the diversity maintained by HGT is highly stable against random perturbations of microbial fitness. Our work highlights the importance of considering gene flow when addressing fundamental ecological questions in the world of microbes and has broad implications for the design and engineering of complex microbial consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiben Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Juken Hong
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Teng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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3
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Castañeda-Barba S, Top EM, Stalder T. Plasmids, a molecular cornerstone of antimicrobial resistance in the One Health era. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:18-32. [PMID: 37430173 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-023-00926-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a substantial threat to human health. The widespread prevalence of AMR is, in part, due to the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), typically mediated by plasmids. Many of the plasmid-mediated resistance genes in pathogens originate from environmental, animal or human habitats. Despite evidence that plasmids mobilize ARGs between these habitats, we have a limited understanding of the ecological and evolutionary trajectories that facilitate the emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) plasmids in clinical pathogens. One Health, a holistic framework, enables exploration of these knowledge gaps. In this Review, we provide an overview of how plasmids drive local and global AMR spread and link different habitats. We explore some of the emerging studies integrating an eco-evolutionary perspective, opening up a discussion about the factors that affect the ecology and evolution of plasmids in complex microbial communities. Specifically, we discuss how the emergence and persistence of MDR plasmids can be affected by varying selective conditions, spatial structure, environmental heterogeneity, temporal variation and coexistence with other members of the microbiome. These factors, along with others yet to be investigated, collectively determine the emergence and transfer of plasmid-mediated AMR within and between habitats at the local and global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvador Castañeda-Barba
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Eva M Top
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
- Institute for Modelling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Thibault Stalder
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
- Institute for Modelling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.
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4
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Geoffroy F, Uecker H. Limits to evolutionary rescue by conjugative plasmids. Theor Popul Biol 2023; 154:102-117. [PMID: 37923145 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2023.10.001] [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] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Plasmids may carry genes coding for beneficial traits and thus contribute to adaptation of bacterial populations to environmental stress. Conjugative plasmids can horizontally transfer between cells, which a priori facilitates the spread of adaptive alleles. However, if the potential recipient cell is already colonized by another incompatible plasmid, successful transfer may be prevented. Competition between plasmids can thus limit horizontal transfer. Previous modeling has indeed shown that evolutionary rescue by a conjugative plasmid is hampered by incompatible resident plasmids in the population. If the rescue plasmid is a mutant variant of the resident plasmid, both plasmids transfer at the same rates. A high conjugation rate then has two, potentially opposing, effects - a direct positive effect on spread of the rescue plasmid and an increase in the fraction of resident plasmid cells. This raises the question whether a high conjugation rate always benefits evolutionary rescue. In this article, we systematically analyze three models of increasing complexity to disentangle the benefits and limits of increasing horizontal gene transfer in the presence of plasmid competition and plasmid costs. We find that the net effect can be positive or negative and that the optimal transfer rate is thus not always the highest one. These results can contribute to our understanding of the many facets of plasmid-driven adaptation and the wide range of transfer rates observed in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix Geoffroy
- Research group Stochastic Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.
| | - Hildegard Uecker
- Research group Stochastic Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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5
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Kosterlitz O, Grassi N, Werner B, McGee RS, Top EM, Kerr B. Evolutionary "Crowdsourcing": Alignment of Fitness Landscapes Allows for Cross-species Adaptation of a Horizontally Transferred Gene. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad237. [PMID: 37931146 PMCID: PMC10657783 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Genes that undergo horizontal gene transfer (HGT) evolve in different genomic backgrounds. Despite the ubiquity of cross-species HGT, the effects of switching hosts on gene evolution remains understudied. Here, we present a framework to examine the evolutionary consequences of host-switching and apply this framework to an antibiotic resistance gene commonly found on conjugative plasmids. Specifically, we determined the adaptive landscape of this gene for a small set of mutationally connected genotypes in 3 enteric species. We uncovered that the landscape topographies were largely aligned with minimal host-dependent mutational effects. By simulating gene evolution over the experimentally gauged landscapes, we found that the adaptive evolution of the mobile gene in one species translated to adaptation in another. By simulating gene evolution over artificial landscapes, we found that sufficient alignment between landscapes ensures such "adaptive equivalency" across species. Thus, given adequate landscape alignment within a bacterial community, vehicles of HGT such as plasmids may enable a distributed form of genetic evolution across community members, where species can "crowdsource" adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Kosterlitz
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Nathan Grassi
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Bailey Werner
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Ryan Seamus McGee
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University, St.Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Eva M Top
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Benjamin Kerr
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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6
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Yang J, Wu R, Xia Q, Yu J, Yi LX, Huang Y, Deng M, He WY, Bai Y, Lv L, Burrus V, Wang C, Liu JH. The evolution of infectious transmission promotes the persistence of mcr-1 plasmids. mBio 2023; 14:e0044223. [PMID: 37314200 PMCID: PMC10470590 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00442-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Conjugative plasmids play a vital role in bacterial evolution and promote the spread of antibiotic resistance. They usually cause fitness costs that diminish the growth rates of the host bacteria. Compensatory mutations are known as an effective evolutionary solution to reduce the fitness cost and improve plasmid persistence. However, whether the plasmid transmission by conjugation is sufficient to improve plasmid persistence is debated since it is an inherently costly process. Here, we experimentally evolved an unstable and costly mcr-1 plasmid pHNSHP24 under laboratory conditions and assessed the effects of plasmid cost and transmission on the plasmid maintenance by the plasmid population dynamics model and a plasmid invasion experiment designed to measure the plasmid's ability to invade a plasmid-free bacterial population. The persistence of pHNSHP24 improved after 36 days evolution due to the plasmid-borne mutation A51G in the 5'UTR of gene traJ. This mutation largely increased the infectious transmission of the evolved plasmid, presumably by impairing the inhibitory effect of FinP on the expression of traJ. We showed that increased conjugation rate of the evolved plasmid could compensate for the plasmid loss. Furthermore, we determined that the evolved high transmissibility had little effect on the mcr-1-deficient ancestral plasmid, implying that high conjugation transfer is vital for maintaining the mcr-1-bearing plasmid. Altogether, our findings emphasized that, besides compensatory evolution that reduces fitness costs, the evolution of infectious transmission can improve the persistence of antibiotic-resistant plasmids, indicating that inhibition of the conjugation process could be useful to combat the spread of antibiotic-resistant plasmids. IMPORTANCE Conjugative plasmids play a key role in the spread of antibiotic resistance, and they are well-adapted to the host bacteria. However, the evolutionary adaptation of plasmid-bacteria associations is not well understood. In this study, we experimentally evolved an unstable colistin resistance (mcr-1) plasmid under laboratory conditions and found that increased conjugation rate was crucial for the persistence of this plasmid. Interestingly, the evolved conjugation was caused by a single-base mutation, which could rescue the unstable plasmid from extinction in bacterial populations. Our findings imply that inhibition of the conjugation process could be necessary for combating the persistence of antibiotic-resistance plasmids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
| | - Renjie Wu
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiang Xia
- College of Mathematics and Informatics, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Yu
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling-Xian Yi
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Huang
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meixin Deng
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wan-Yun He
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuman Bai
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Luchao Lv
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Vincent Burrus
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
| | - Chengzhen Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Hua Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistant of Microorganisms in Animals, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutics Development and Safety Evaluation, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, China
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7
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Alexander HK. Quantifying stochastic establishment of mutants in microbial adaptation. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001365. [PMID: 37561015 PMCID: PMC10482372 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Studies of microbial evolution, especially in applied contexts, have focused on the role of selection in shaping predictable, adaptive responses to the environment. However, chance events - the appearance of novel genetic variants and their establishment, i.e. outgrowth from a single cell to a sizeable population - also play critical initiating roles in adaptation. Stochasticity in establishment has received little attention in microbiology, potentially due to lack of awareness as well as practical challenges in quantification. However, methods for high-replicate culturing, mutant labelling and detection, and statistical inference now make it feasible to experimentally quantify the establishment probability of specific adaptive genotypes. I review methods that have emerged over the past decade, including experimental design and mathematical formulas to estimate establishment probability from data. Quantifying establishment in further biological settings and comparing empirical estimates to theoretical predictions represent exciting future directions. More broadly, recognition that adaptive genotypes may be stochastically lost while rare is significant both for interpreting common lab assays and for designing interventions to promote or inhibit microbial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen K. Alexander
- Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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8
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Dewan I, Uecker H. A mathematician's guide to plasmids: an introduction to plasmid biology for modellers. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001362. [PMID: 37505810 PMCID: PMC10433428 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Plasmids, extrachromosomal DNA molecules commonly found in bacterial and archaeal cells, play an important role in bacterial genetics and evolution. Our understanding of plasmid biology has been furthered greatly by the development of mathematical models, and there are many questions about plasmids that models would be useful in answering. In this review, we present an introductory, yet comprehensive, overview of the biology of plasmids suitable for modellers unfamiliar with plasmids who want to get up to speed and to begin working on plasmid-related models. In addition to reviewing the diversity of plasmids and the genes they carry, their key physiological functions, and interactions between plasmid and host, we also highlight selected plasmid topics that may be of particular interest to modellers and areas where there is a particular need for theoretical development. The world of plasmids holds a great variety of subjects that will interest mathematical biologists, and introducing new modellers to the subject will help to expand the existing body of plasmid theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Dewan
- Research Group Stochastic Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Hildegard Uecker
- Research Group Stochastic Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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9
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Kosterlitz O, Huisman JS. Guidelines for the estimation and reporting of plasmid conjugation rates. Plasmid 2023; 126:102685. [PMID: 37121291 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Conjugation is a central characteristic of plasmid biology and an important mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. However, there is little consensus on how to accurately estimate and report plasmid conjugation rates, in part due to the wide range of available methods. Given the similarity between approaches, we propose general reporting guidelines for plasmid conjugation experiments. These constitute best practices based on recent literature about plasmid conjugation and methods to measure conjugation rates. In addition to the general guidelines, we discuss common theoretical assumptions underlying existing methods to estimate conjugation rates and provide recommendations on how to avoid violating these assumptions. We hope this will aid the implementation and evaluation of conjugation rate measurements, and initiate a broader discussion regarding the practice of quantifying plasmid conjugation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Kosterlitz
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, 3747 W Stevens Way NE, Life Sciences Bldg, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
| | - Jana S Huisman
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
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10
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Botts RT, Page DM, Bravo JA, Brown ML, Castilleja CC, Guzman VL, Hall S, Henderson JD, Kenney SM, Lensink ME, Paternoster MV, Pyle SL, Ustick L, Walters-Laird CJ, Top EM, Cummings DE. Polluted wetlands contain multidrug-resistance plasmids encoding CTX-M-type extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Plasmid 2023; 126:102682. [PMID: 37023995 PMCID: PMC10213127 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2023.102682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
While most detailed analyses of antibiotic resistance plasmids focus on those found in clinical isolates, less is known about the vast environmental reservoir of mobile genetic elements and the resistance and virulence factors they encode. We selectively isolated three strains of cefotaxime-resistant Escherichia coli from a wastewater-impacted coastal wetland. The cefotaxime-resistant phenotype was transmissible to a lab strain of E. coli after one hour, with frequencies as high as 10-3 transconjugants per recipient. Two of the plasmids also transferred cefotaxime resistance to Pseudomonas putida, but these were unable to back-transfer this resistance from P. putida to E. coli. In addition to the cephalosporins, E. coli transconjugants inherited resistance to at least seven distinct classes of antibiotics. Complete nucleotide sequences revealed large IncF-type plasmids with globally distributed replicon sequence types F31:A4:B1 and F18:B1:C4 carrying diverse antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. The plasmids encoded extended-spectrum β-lactamases blaCTX-M-15 or blaCTX-M-55, each associated with the insertion sequence ISEc9, although in different local arrangements. Despite similar resistance profiles, the plasmids shared only one resistance gene in common, the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase aac(3)-IIe. Plasmid accessory cargo also included virulence factors involved in iron acquisition and defense against host immunity. Despite their sequence similarities, several large-scale recombination events were detected, including rearrangements and inversions. In conclusion, selection with a single antibiotic, cefotaxime, yielded conjugative plasmids conferring multiple resistance and virulence factors. Clearly, efforts to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance and virulence among bacteria must include a greater understanding of mobile elements in the natural and human-impacted environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan T Botts
- Department of Mathematics, Information, and Computer Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Dawne M Page
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Joseph A Bravo
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Madelaine L Brown
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Claudia C Castilleja
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Victoria L Guzman
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Samantha Hall
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Jacob D Henderson
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Shelby M Kenney
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Mariele E Lensink
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Megan V Paternoster
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Sarah L Pyle
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Lucas Ustick
- Department of Mathematics, Information, and Computer Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America; Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Chara J Walters-Laird
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - Eva M Top
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences (IIDS), University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr., Moscow, ID 83844, United States of America
| | - David E Cummings
- Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Dr., San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America.
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