1
|
Verguet N, Mondange L, Nolent F, Depeille A, Garnier A, Neulat-Ripoll F, Gorgé O, Tournier JN. Assessment of calcium hypochlorite for Bacillus anthracis spore surface's decontamination. Res Microbiol 2023; 174:104053. [PMID: 36925026 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2023.104053] [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: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Contamination with microorganisms occurs in laboratories but is also of high concern in the context of bioterrorism. Decontamination is a cornerstone that promotes good laboratory practices and occupational health and safety. Among the most resistant structures formed by microorganisms are spores, produced notably by Clostridium and Bacillus species. Here, we compared six products containing four different molecules (hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, sodium and calcium hypochlorite) on B. anthracis Sterne spores. We first selected the most efficient product based on its activity against spore suspensions using French and European standards. Four products showed sporicidal activity, of which only two did so in a time frame consistent with good laboratory practices. Then, we tested one of these two products under laboratory conditions on fully virulent B. anthracis spores, during common use and after contamination through a spill of a highly concentrated spore suspension. We, thus, robustly validated a decontaminant based on calcium hypochlorite not only on its ability to kill spores but also on its effectiveness under laboratory conditions. At the end, we were able to assure a complete disinfection in 1 min after spillover and in 2 min for common use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noémie Verguet
- Bacteriology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; CNR-LE Charbon, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France.
| | - Lou Mondange
- Bacteriology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; Yersinia Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Flora Nolent
- Bacteriology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France.
| | - Anne Depeille
- Bacteriology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; CNR-LE Charbon, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France.
| | - Annabelle Garnier
- Immunopathology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France.
| | - Fabienne Neulat-Ripoll
- Bacteriology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France.
| | - Olivier Gorgé
- Bacteriology Unit, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; CNR-LE Charbon, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France.
| | - Jean-Nicolas Tournier
- CNR-LE Charbon, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Department, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France; École du Val-de-Grâce, 75015 Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tomatsidou A, Krunic M, Missiakas D. Contribution of TagA-Like Glycosyltransferases to the Assembly of the Secondary Cell Wall Polysaccharide in Bacillus anthracis. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0025322. [PMID: 35997505 PMCID: PMC9487633 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00253-22] [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: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis elaborates a secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) made of 6 to 12 trisaccharide units. Pyruvyl and acetyl substitutions of the distal unit are prerequisites for the noncovalent retention of 22 secreted Bacillus S-layer (Bsl)-associated proteins bearing an S-layer homology (SLH) domain. Surface display of Bsl proteins contributes to cell separation as well as virulence. Earlier work suggested that TagO initiates the synthesis of SCWP while GneY and GneZ, two UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerases, synthesize ManNAc that is later incorporated in the repeat unit (→4)-ManNAc-(β1→4)-GlcNAc-(β1→6)-GlcNAc-(α1→). In organisms that synthesize wall teichoic acid, TagA catalysts have been shown to form the glycosidic bond ManNAc-(β1→4)-GlcNAc. Here, we show that genes bas2675 and bas5272, predicted to encode glycosyltransferases of the WecB/TagA/CpsF family (PFAM03808; CAZy GT26), are required for B. anthracis SCWP synthesis and S-layer assembly. Similar to tagO or gneY gneZ mutants, B. anthracis strains depleted of tagA1 (bas5272) cannot maintain cell shape, support vegetative growth, or synthesize SCWP. Expression of tagA2 (bas2675), or Staphylococcus aureus tagA on a plasmid, rescues the nonviable tagA1 mutant. We propose that TagA1 and TagA2 fulfill overlapping and key glycosyltransferase functions for the synthesis of repeat units of the SCWP of B. anthracis. IMPORTANCE Glycosyltransferases (GTs) catalyze the transfer of sugar moieties from activated donor molecules to acceptor molecules to form glycosidic bonds using a retaining or inverting mechanism. Based on the structural relatedness of their catalytic and carbohydrate-binding modules, GTs have been grouped into 115 families in the Carbohydrate-Active EnZyme (CAZy) database. For complex products, the functional assignment of GTs remains highly challenging without the knowledge of the chemical structure of the assembled polymer. Here, we propose that two uncharacterized GTs of B. anthracis belonging to the WecB/TagA/CpsF family incorporate ManNAc in repeat units of the secondary cell wall polymer of bacilli species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Tomatsidou
- Department of Microbiology, Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, The University of Chicago, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Maria Krunic
- Department of Microbiology, Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, The University of Chicago, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Dominique Missiakas
- Department of Microbiology, Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, The University of Chicago, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Carroll LM, Cheng RA, Wiedmann M, Kovac J. Keeping up with the Bacillus cereus group: taxonomy through the genomics era and beyond. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2021; 62:7677-7702. [PMID: 33939559 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1916735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The Bacillus cereus group, also known as B. cereus sensu lato (s.l.), is a species complex that contains numerous closely related lineages, which vary in their ability to cause illness in humans and animals. The classification of B. cereus s.l. isolates into species-level taxonomic units is thus essential for informing public health and food safety efforts. However, taxonomic classification of these organisms is challenging. Numerous-often conflicting-taxonomic changes to the group have been proposed over the past two decades, making it difficult to remain up to date. In this review, we discuss the major nomenclatural changes that have accumulated in the B. cereus s.l. taxonomic space prior to 2020, particularly in the genomic sequencing era, and outline the resulting problems. We discuss several contemporary taxonomic frameworks as applied to B. cereus s.l., including (i) phenotypic, (ii) genomic, and (iii) hybrid nomenclatural frameworks, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. We offer suggestions as to how readers can avoid B. cereus s.l. taxonomic ambiguities, regardless of the nomenclatural framework(s) they choose to employ. Finally, we discuss future directions and open problems in the B. cereus s.l. taxonomic realm, including those that cannot be solved by genomic approaches alone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Carroll
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rachel A Cheng
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Martin Wiedmann
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Jasna Kovac
- Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Chateau A, Van der Verren SE, Remaut H, Fioravanti A. The Bacillus anthracis Cell Envelope: Composition, Physiological Role, and Clinical Relevance. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E1864. [PMID: 33255913 PMCID: PMC7759979 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8121864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthrax is a highly resilient and deadly disease caused by the spore-forming bacterial pathogen Bacillus anthracis. The bacterium presents a complex and dynamic composition of its cell envelope, which changes in response to developmental and environmental conditions and host-dependent signals. Because of their easy to access extracellular locations, B. anthracis cell envelope components represent interesting targets for the identification and development of novel therapeutic and vaccine strategies. This review will focus on the novel insights regarding the composition, physiological role, and clinical relevance of B. anthracis cell envelope components.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Chateau
- Avignon Université, INRAE, UMR SQPOV, F-84914 Avignon, France;
| | - Sander E. Van der Verren
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.E.V.d.V.); (H.R.)
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Han Remaut
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.E.V.d.V.); (H.R.)
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Antonella Fioravanti
- Structural and Molecular Microbiology, Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; (S.E.V.d.V.); (H.R.)
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chateau A, Oh SY, Tomatsidou A, Brockhausen I, Schneewind O, Missiakas D. Distinct Pathways Carry Out α and β Galactosylation of Secondary Cell Wall Polysaccharide in Bacillus anthracis. J Bacteriol 2020; 202:e00191-20. [PMID: 32457049 PMCID: PMC7348550 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00191-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax disease, elaborates a secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) that is required for the retention of surface layer (S-layer) and S-layer homology (SLH) domain proteins. Genetic disruption of the SCWP biosynthetic pathway impairs growth and cell division. B. anthracis SCWP is comprised of trisaccharide repeats composed of one ManNAc and two GlcNAc residues with O-3-α-Gal and O-4-β-Gal substitutions. UDP-Gal, synthesized by GalE1, is the substrate of galactosyltransferases that modify the SCWP repeat. Here, we show that the gtsE gene, which encodes a predicted glycosyltransferase with a GT-A fold, is required for O-4-β-Gal modification of trisaccharide repeats. We identify a DXD motif critical for GtsE activity. Three distinct genes, gtsA, gtsB, and gtsC, are required for O-3-α-Gal modification of trisaccharide repeats. Based on the similarity with other three-component glycosyltransferase systems, we propose that GtsA transfers Gal from cytosolic UDP-Gal to undecaprenyl phosphate (C55-P), GtsB flips the C55-P-Gal intermediate to the trans side of the membrane, and GtsC transfers Gal onto trisaccharide repeats. The deletion of galE1 does not affect growth in vitro, suggesting that galactosyl modifications are dispensable for the function of SCWP. The deletion of gtsA, gtsB, or gtsC leads to a loss of viability, yet gtsA and gtsC can be deleted in strains lacking galE1 or gtsE We propose that the loss of viability is caused by the accumulation of undecaprenol-bound precursors and present an updated model for SCWP assembly in B. anthracis to account for the galactosylation of repeat units.IMPORTANCE Peptidoglycan is a conserved extracellular macromolecule that protects bacterial cells from turgor pressure. Peptidoglycan of Gram-positive bacteria serves as a scaffold for the attachment of polymers that provide defined bacterial interactions with their environment. One such polymer, B. anthracis SCWP, is pyruvylated at its distal end to serve as a receptor for secreted proteins bearing the S-layer homology domain. Repeat units of SCWP carry three galactoses in B. anthracis Glycosylation is a recurring theme in nature and often represents a means to mask or alter conserved molecular signatures from intruders such as bacteriophages. Several glycosyltransferase families have been described based on bioinformatics prediction, but few have been studied. Here, we describe the glycosyltransferases that mediate the galactosylation of B. anthracis SCWP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Chateau
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - So Young Oh
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Anastasia Tomatsidou
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Inka Brockhausen
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Olaf Schneewind
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Dominique Missiakas
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chateau A, Lunderberg JM, Oh SY, Abshire T, Friedlander A, Quinn CP, Missiakas DM, Schneewind O. Galactosylation of the Secondary Cell Wall Polysaccharide of Bacillus anthracis and Its Contribution to Anthrax Pathogenesis. J Bacteriol 2018; 200:e00562-17. [PMID: 29229702 PMCID: PMC5809694 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00562-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax disease, elaborates a secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) that is essential for bacterial growth and cell division. B. anthracis SCWP is comprised of trisaccharide repeats with the structure, [→4)-β-ManNAc-(1→4)-β-GlcNAc(O3-α-Gal)-(1→6)-α-GlcNAc(O3-α-Gal, O4-β-Gal)-(1→]6-12 The genes whose products promote the galactosylation of B. anthracis SCWP are not yet known. We show here that the expression of galE1, encoding a UDP-glucose 4-epimerase necessary for the synthesis of UDP-galactose, is required for B. anthracis SCWP galactosylation. The galE1 mutant assembles surface (S) layer and S layer-associated proteins that associate with ketal-pyruvylated SCWP via their S layer homology domains similarly to wild-type B. anthracis, but the mutant displays a defect in γ-phage murein hydrolase binding to SCWP. Furthermore, deletion of galE1 diminishes the capsulation of B. anthracis with poly-d-γ-glutamic acid (PDGA) and causes a reduction in bacterial virulence. These data suggest that SCWP galactosylation is required for the physiologic assembly of the B. anthracis cell wall envelope and for the pathogenesis of anthrax disease.IMPORTANCE Unlike virulent Bacillus anthracis isolates, B. anthracis strain CDC684 synthesizes secondary cell wall polysaccharide (SCWP) trisaccharide repeats without galactosyl modification, exhibits diminished growth in vitro in broth cultures, and is severely attenuated in an animal model of anthrax. To examine whether SCWP galactosylation is a requirement for anthrax disease, we generated variants of B. anthracis strains Sterne 34F2 and Ames lacking UDP-glucose 4-epimerase by mutating the genes galE1 and galE2 We identified galE1 as necessary for SCWP galactosylation. Deletion of galE1 decreased the poly-d-γ-glutamic acid (PDGA) capsulation of the vegetative form of B. anthracis and increased the bacterial inoculum required to produce lethal disease in mice, indicating that SCWP galactosylation is indeed a determinant of anthrax disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Chateau
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Justin Mark Lunderberg
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - So Young Oh
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Teresa Abshire
- Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Arthur Friedlander
- Headquarters, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Conrad P Quinn
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Dominique M Missiakas
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Olaf Schneewind
- Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| |
Collapse
|