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Bourgeois JS, Hu LT. Hitchhiker's Guide to Borrelia burgdorferi. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0011624. [PMID: 39140751 PMCID: PMC11411949 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00116-24] [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] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Don't Panic. In the nearly 50 years since the discovery of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi has emerged as an unlikely workhorse of microbiology. Interest in studying host-pathogen interactions fueled significant progress in making the fastidious microbe approachable in laboratory settings, including the development of culture methods, animal models, and genetic tools. By developing these systems, insight has been gained into how the microbe is able to survive its enzootic cycle and cause human disease. Here, we discuss the discovery of B. burgdorferi and its development as a model organism before diving into the critical lessons we have learned about B. burgdorferi biology at pivotal stages of its lifecycle: gene expression changes during the tick blood meal, colonization of a new vertebrate host, and developing a long-lasting infection in that vertebrate until a new tick feeds. Our goal is to highlight the advancements that have facilitated B. burgdorferi research and identify gaps in our current understanding of the microbe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Bourgeois
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University Lyme Disease Initiative, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Linden T Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University Lyme Disease Initiative, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Lemieux JE. Analysis of the Borreliaceae Pangenome Reveals a Distinct Genomic Architecture Conserved Across Phylogenetic Scales. J Infect Dis 2024; 230:S51-S61. [PMID: 39140725 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae256] [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] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The family Borreliaceae contains arthropod-borne spirochetes that cause two widespread human diseases, Lyme disease and relapsing fever. Lyme disease is a subacute, progressive illness with variable stage and tissue manifestations. Relapsing fever is an acute febrile illness with prominent bacteremia that may recur and disseminate, particularly to the nervous system. Clinical heterogeneity is a hallmark of both diseases. While human clinical manifestations are influenced by a wide variety of factors, including immune status and host genetic susceptibility, there is evidence that Borreliaceae microbial factors influence the clinical manifestations of human disease caused by this family of spirochetes. Despite these associations, the spirochete genes that influence the severity and manifestations of human disease are, for the most part, unknown. Recent work has identified lineage-specific expansions of lipoproteome-rich accessory genome elements in virulent clones of Borrelia burgdorferi. Using publicly available genome assemblies, it is shown that all Borreliaceae lineages for which sufficient sequence data are available harbor a similar pattern of strongly structured, lineage-specific expansions in their accessory genomes, particularly among lipoproteins, and that this pattern holds across phylogenetic scales including genera, species, and genotypes. The relationships among pangenome elements suggest that infrequent episodes of marked genomic change followed by clonal expansion in geographically and enzootically structured populations may account for the unique lineage structure of Borreliaceae. This analysis informs future genotype-phenotype studies among Borreliaceae and lays a foundation for studies of individual gene function guided by phylogenetic patterns of conservation, diversification, gain, and/or loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E Lemieux
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Zamudio R, Boerlin P, Mulvey MR, Haenni M, Beyrouthy R, Madec JY, Schwarz S, Cormier A, Chalmers G, Bonnet R, Zhanel GG, Kaspar H, Mather AE. Global transmission of extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance in Escherichia coli driven by epidemic plasmids. EBioMedicine 2024; 103:105097. [PMID: 38608515 PMCID: PMC11024496 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105097] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) are third and fourth generation cephalosporin antimicrobials used in humans and animals to treat infections due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Resistance to ESCs (ESC-R) in Enterobacterales is predominantly due to the production of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases (AmpCs). The dynamics of ESBLs and AmpCs are changing across countries and host species, the result of global transmission of ESC-R genes. Plasmids are known to play a key role in this dissemination, but the relative importance of different types of plasmids is not fully understood. METHODS In this study, Escherichia coli with the major ESC-R genes blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-14 (ESBLs) and blaCMY-2 (AmpC), were selected from diverse host species and other sources across Canada, France and Germany, collected between 2003 and 2017. To examine in detail the vehicles of transmission of the ESC-R genes, long- and short-read sequences were generated to obtain complete contiguous chromosome and plasmid sequences (n = 192 ESC-R E. coli). The types, gene composition and genetic relatedness of these plasmids were investigated, along with association with isolate year, source and geographical origin, and put in context with publicly available plasmid sequences. FINDINGS We identified five epidemic resistance plasmid subtypes with distinct genetic properties that are associated with the global dissemination of ESC-R genes across multiple E. coli lineages and host species. The IncI1 pST3 blaCTX-M-1 plasmid subtype was found in more diverse sources than the other main plasmid subtypes, whereas IncI1 pST12 blaCMY-2 was more frequent in Canadian and German human and chicken isolates. Clonal expansion also contributed to the dissemination of the IncI1 pST12 blaCMY-2 plasmid in ST131 and ST117 E. coli harbouring this plasmid. The IncI1 pST2 blaCMY-2 subtype was predominant in isolates from humans in France, while the IncF F31:A4:B1 blaCTX-M-15 and F2:A-:B- blaCTX-M-14 plasmid subtypes were frequent in human and cattle isolates across multiple countries. Beyond their epidemic nature with respect to ESC-R genes, in our collection almost all IncI1 pST3 blaCTX-M-1 and IncF F31:A4:B1 blaCTX-M-15 epidemic plasmids also carried multiple antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes conferring resistance to other antimicrobial classes. Finally, we found genetic signatures in the regions surrounding specific ESC-R genes, identifying the predominant mechanisms of ESC-R gene movement, and using publicly available databases, we identified these epidemic plasmids from widespread bacterial species, host species, countries and continents. INTERPRETATION We provide evidence that epidemic resistance plasmid subtypes contribute to the global dissemination of ESC-R genes, and in addition, some of these epidemic plasmids confer resistance to multiple other antimicrobial classes. The success of these plasmids suggests that they may have a fitness advantage over other plasmid types and subtypes. Identification and understanding of the vehicles of AMR transmission are crucial to develop and target strategies and interventions to reduce the spread of AMR. FUNDING This project was supported by the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR), through the Medical Research Council (MRC, MR/R000948/1), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CFC-150770), and the Genomics Research and Development Initiative (Government of Canada), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) grant no. 01KI1709, the French Agency for food environmental and occupational health & safety (Anses), and the French National Reference Center (CNR) for antimicrobial resistance. Support was also provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) through the BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme Microbes in the Food ChainBB/R012504/1 and its constituent project BBS/E/F/000PR10348 (Theme 1, Epidemiology and Evolution of Pathogens in the Food Chain).
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxana Zamudio
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UQ, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Boerlin
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Michael R Mulvey
- National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3R2, Canada
| | - Marisa Haenni
- Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes, Anses - Université de Lyon, Lyon 69007, France
| | - Racha Beyrouthy
- Microbes Intestin Inflammation et Susceptibilité de l'Hôte (M2ISH), Faculté de Médecine, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand 63001, France; Centre National de Référence de la Résistance Aux Antibiotiques, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand 63000, France
| | - Jean-Yves Madec
- Unité Antibiorésistance et Virulence Bactériennes, Anses - Université de Lyon, Lyon 69007, France
| | - Stefan Schwarz
- Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14163, Germany; Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14163, Germany
| | - Ashley Cormier
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Gabhan Chalmers
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Richard Bonnet
- Microbes Intestin Inflammation et Susceptibilité de l'Hôte (M2ISH), Faculté de Médecine, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand 63001, France; Centre National de Référence de la Résistance Aux Antibiotiques, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand 63000, France
| | - George G Zhanel
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 0J9, Canada
| | - Heike Kaspar
- Department Method Standardisation, Resistance to Antibiotics Unit Monitoring of Resistance to Antibiotics, Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Berlin 12277, Germany
| | - Alison E Mather
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UQ, United Kingdom; University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
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Liu ZX, Zhang S, Zhu HZ, Chen ZH, Yang Y, Li LQ, Lei Y, Liu Y, Li DY, Sun A, Li CP, Tan SQ, Wang GL, Shen JY, Jin S, Gao C, Liu JJG. Hydrolytic endonucleolytic ribozyme (HYER) is programmable for sequence-specific DNA cleavage. Science 2024; 383:eadh4859. [PMID: 38301022 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh4859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Ribozymes are catalytic RNAs with diverse functions including self-splicing and polymerization. This work aims to discover natural ribozymes that behave as hydrolytic and sequence-specific DNA endonucleases, which could be repurposed as DNA manipulation tools. Focused on bacterial group II-C introns, we found that many systems without intron-encoded protein propagate multiple copies in their resident genomes. These introns, named HYdrolytic Endonucleolytic Ribozymes (HYERs), cleaved RNA, single-stranded DNA, bubbled double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), and plasmids in vitro. HYER1 generated dsDNA breaks in the mammalian genome. Cryo-electron microscopy analysis revealed a homodimer structure for HYER1, where each monomer contains a Mg2+-dependent hydrolysis pocket and captures DNA complementary to the target recognition site (TRS). Rational designs including TRS extension, recruiting sequence insertion, and heterodimerization yielded engineered HYERs showing improved specificity and flexibility for DNA manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Xian Liu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shouyue Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Han-Zhou Zhu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhi-Hang Chen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yun Yang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Long-Qi Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yuan Lei
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Center for Genome Editing, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Liu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Dan-Yuan Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Ao Sun
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Cheng-Ping Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shun-Qing Tan
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Gao-Li Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jie-Yi Shen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shuai Jin
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Center for Genome Editing, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Caixia Gao
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Center for Genome Editing, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jun-Jie Gogo Liu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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