1
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Forquet R, Nasser W, Reverchon S, Meyer S. Quantitative contribution of the spacer length in the supercoiling-sensitivity of bacterial promoters. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:7287-7297. [PMID: 35776118 PMCID: PMC9303308 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA supercoiling acts as a global transcriptional regulator in bacteria, but the promoter sequence or structural determinants controlling its effect remain unclear. It was previously proposed to modulate the torsional angle between the −10 and −35 hexamers, and thereby regulate the formation of the closed-complex depending on the length of the ‘spacer’ between them. Here, we develop a thermodynamic model of this notion based on DNA elasticity, providing quantitative and parameter-free predictions of the relative activation of promoters containing a short versus long spacer when the DNA supercoiling level is varied. The model is tested through an analysis of in vitro and in vivo expression assays of mutant promoters with variable spacer lengths, confirming its accuracy for spacers ranging from 15 to 19 nucleotides, except those of 16 nucleotides where other regulatory mechanisms likely overcome the effect of this specific step. An analysis at the whole-genome scale in Escherichia coli then demonstrates a significant effect of the spacer length on the genomic expression after transient or inheritable superhelical variations, validating the model’s predictions. Altogether, this study shows an example of mechanical constraints associated to promoter binding by RNA Polymerase underpinning a basal and global regulatory mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Forquet
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240 MAP, F-69622, France
| | - William Nasser
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240 MAP, F-69622, France
| | - Sylvie Reverchon
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240 MAP, F-69622, France
| | - Sam Meyer
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240 MAP, F-69622, France
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2
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Muskhelishvili G, Sobetzko P, Travers A. Spatiotemporal Coupling of DNA Supercoiling and Genomic Sequence Organization-A Timing Chain for the Bacterial Growth Cycle? Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12060831. [PMID: 35740956 PMCID: PMC9221221 DOI: 10.3390/biom12060831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In this article we describe the bacterial growth cycle as a closed, self-reproducing, or autopoietic circuit, reestablishing the physiological state of stationary cells initially inoculated in the growth medium. In batch culture, this process of self-reproduction is associated with the gradual decline in available metabolic energy and corresponding change in the physiological state of the population as a function of "travelled distance" along the autopoietic path. We argue that this directional alteration of cell physiology is both reflected in and supported by sequential gene expression along the chromosomal OriC-Ter axis. We propose that during the E. coli growth cycle, the spatiotemporal order of gene expression is established by coupling the temporal gradient of supercoiling energy to the spatial gradient of DNA thermodynamic stability along the chromosomal OriC-Ter axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgi Muskhelishvili
- School of Natural Sciences, Biology Program, Agricultural University of Georgia, 0159 Tbilisi, Georgia
- Correspondence:
| | - Patrick Sobetzko
- Synmikro, Loewe Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany;
| | - Andrew Travers
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK;
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3
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Shaheen C, Hastie C, Metera K, Scott S, Zhang Z, Chen S, Gu G, Weber L, Munsky B, Kouzine F, Levens D, Benham C, Leslie S. Non-equilibrium structural dynamics of supercoiled DNA plasmids exhibits asymmetrical relaxation. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:2754-2764. [PMID: 35188541 PMCID: PMC8934633 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many cellular processes occur out of equilibrium. This includes site-specific unwinding in supercoiled DNA, which may play an important role in gene regulation. Here, we use the Convex Lens-induced Confinement (CLiC) single-molecule microscopy platform to study these processes with high-throughput and without artificial constraints on molecular structures or interactions. We use two model DNA plasmid systems, pFLIP-FUSE and pUC19, to study the dynamics of supercoiling-induced secondary structural transitions after perturbations away from equilibrium. We find that structural transitions can be slow, leading to long-lived structural states whose kinetics depend on the duration and direction of perturbation. Our findings highlight the importance of out-of-equilibrium studies when characterizing the complex structural dynamics of DNA and understanding the mechanisms of gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Shaheen
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Cameron Hastie
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Kimberly Metera
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - Shane Scott
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- Institute of Materials Science, Kiel University, 24142 Kiel, Germany
| | - Zhi Zhang
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - Sitong Chen
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - Gracia Gu
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - Lisa Weber
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Brian Munsky
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Fedor Kouzine
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David Levens
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Craig Benham
- Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sabrina Leslie
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8, Canada
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
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4
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Li D, Wyrsch ER, Elankumaran P, Dolejska M, Marenda MS, Browning GF, Bushell RN, McKinnon J, Chowdhury PR, Hitchick N, Miller N, Donner E, Drigo B, Baker D, Charles IG, Kudinha T, Jarocki VM, Djordjevic SP. Genomic comparisons of Escherichia coli ST131 from Australia. Microb Genom 2021; 7:000721. [PMID: 34910614 PMCID: PMC8767332 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli ST131 is a globally dispersed extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli lineage contributing significantly to hospital and community acquired urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Here we describe a detailed phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome sequences of 284 Australian ST131 E. coli isolates from diverse sources, including clinical, food and companion animals, wildlife and the environment. Our phylogeny and the results of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis show the typical ST131 clade distribution with clades A, B and C clearly displayed, but no niche associations were observed. Indeed, interspecies relatedness was a feature of this study. Thirty-five isolates (29 of human and six of wild bird origin) from clade A (32 fimH41, 2 fimH89, 1 fimH141) were observed to differ by an average of 76 SNPs. Forty-five isolates from clade C1 from four sources formed a cluster with an average of 46 SNPs. Within this cluster, human sourced isolates differed by approximately 37 SNPs from isolates sourced from canines, approximately 50 SNPs from isolates from wild birds, and approximately 52 SNPs from isolates from wastewater. Many ST131 carried resistance genes to multiple antibiotic classes and while 41 (14 %) contained the complete class one integron-integrase intI1, 128 (45 %) isolates harboured a truncated intI1 (462-1014 bp), highlighting the ongoing evolution of this element. The module intI1-dfrA17-aadA5-qacEΔ1-sul1-ORF-chrA-padR-IS1600-mphR-mrx-mphA, conferring resistance to trimethoprim, aminoglycosides, quaternary ammonium compounds, sulphonamides, chromate and macrolides, was the most common structure. Most (73 %) Australian ST131 isolates carry at least one extended spectrum β-lactamase gene, typically blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-27. Notably, dual parC-1aAB and gyrA-1AB fluoroquinolone resistant mutations, a unique feature of clade C ST131 isolates, were identified in some clade A isolates. The results of this study indicate that the the ST131 population in Australia carries diverse antimicrobial resistance genes and plasmid replicons and indicate cross-species movement of ST131 strains across diverse reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitriy Li
- iThree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Ethan R. Wyrsch
- iThree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Monika Dolejska
- CEITEC VETUNI, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic,Department of Biology and Wildlife Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Czech Republic,Biomedical Center, Charles University, Czech Republic,Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, The University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marc S. Marenda
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Glenn F. Browning
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rhys N. Bushell
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessica McKinnon
- iThree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Nola Hitchick
- San Pathology, Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga, NSW 2076, Australia
| | - Natalie Miller
- San Pathology, Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga, NSW 2076, Australia
| | - Erica Donner
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Barbara Drigo
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | | | | | - Timothy Kudinha
- Central West Pathology Laboratory, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia
| | - Veronica M. Jarocki
- iThree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia,*Correspondence: Veronica M. Jarocki,
| | - Steven Philip Djordjevic
- iThree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia,*Correspondence: Steven Philip Djordjevic,
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5
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Thani ASB. Interference of novobiocin in the expression of a truncated blaCTX-M gene causes a phenotypic variation in the production of β-lactamases in Escherichia coli strain EC1091. GENE REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2021.101390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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6
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Restoring Global Gene Regulation through Experimental Evolution Uncovers a NAP (Nucleoid-Associated Protein)-Like Behavior of Crp/Cap. mBio 2021; 12:e0202821. [PMID: 34700380 PMCID: PMC8546631 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02028-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
How do hierarchical gene regulation networks evolve in bacteria? Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) influence the overall structure of bacterial genomes, sigma factors and global transcription factors (TFs) control thousands of genes, and many operons are regulated by highly specific TFs that in turn are controlled allosterically by cellular metabolites. These regulatory hierarchies have been shaped by millions of years of evolution to optimize fitness in response to changing environmental conditions, but it is unclear how NAPs and TFs relate and have evolved together. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (Crp) is the paradigmatic global TF in Escherichia coli, and here we report that mutations in the topA gene compensate for loss of cAMP, showing that the interplay between Crp and the supercoiling status of promoters is key to global stress response. Furthermore, we observed an effect of apoCrp on gene expression in the absence of its effector cAMP. This provides support for the proposed NAP-like role for Crp, suggesting that it represents an intermediate point in the evolution of a ligand-controlled TF from a NAP.
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7
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Deatherage DE, Barrick JE. High-throughput characterization of mutations in genes that drive clonal evolution using multiplex adaptome capture sequencing. Cell Syst 2021; 12:1187-1200.e4. [PMID: 34536379 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2021.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how cells are likely to evolve can guide medical interventions and bioengineering efforts that must contend with unwanted mutations. The adaptome of a cell-the neighborhood of genetic changes that are most likely to drive adaptation in a given environment-can be mapped by tracking rare beneficial variants during the early stages of clonal evolution. We used multiplex adaptome capture sequencing (mAdCap-seq), a procedure that combines unique molecular identifiers and hybridization-based enrichment, to characterize mutations in eight Escherichia coli genes known to be under selection in a laboratory environment. We tracked 301 mutations at frequencies as low as 0.01% and inferred the fitness effects of 240 of these mutations. There were distinct molecular signatures of selection on protein structure and function for the three genes with the most beneficial mutations. Our results demonstrate how mAdCap-seq can be used to deeply profile a targeted portion of a cell's adaptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Deatherage
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Barrick
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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8
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Forquet R, Pineau M, Nasser W, Reverchon S, Meyer S. Role of the Discriminator Sequence in the Supercoiling Sensitivity of Bacterial Promoters. mSystems 2021; 6:e0097821. [PMID: 34427530 PMCID: PMC8422995 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00978-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA supercoiling acts as a global transcriptional regulator that contributes to the rapid transcriptional response of bacteria to many environmental changes. Although a large fraction of promoters from phylogenetically distant species respond to superhelical variations, the sequence or structural determinants of this behavior remain elusive. Here, we focus on the sequence of the "discriminator" element that was shown to modulate this response in several promoters. We develop a quantitative thermodynamic model of this regulatory effect, focusing on open complex formation during transcription initiation independently from promoter-specific regulatory proteins. We analyze previous and new expression data and show that the model predictions quantitatively match the in vitro and in vivo supercoiling response of selected promoters with mutated discriminator sequences. We then test the universality of this mechanism by a statistical analysis of promoter sequences from transcriptomes of phylogenetically distant bacteria under conditions of supercoiling variations (i) by gyrase inhibitors, (ii) by environmental stresses, or (iii) inherited in the longest-running evolution experiment. In all cases, we identify a robust and significant sequence signature in the discriminator region, suggesting that supercoiling-modulated promoter opening underpins a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism in the prokaryotic kingdom based on the fundamental mechanical properties of DNA and its basal interaction with RNA polymerase. IMPORTANCE In this study, we highlight the role of the discriminator as a global sensor of supercoiling variations and propose the first quantitative regulatory model of this principle, based on the specific step of promoter opening during transcription initiation. It defines the predictive rule by which DNA supercoiling quantitatively modulates the expression rate of bacterial promoters, depending on the G/C content of their discriminator and independently from promoter-specific regulatory proteins. This basal mechanism affects a wide range of species, which is tested by an extensive analysis of global high-throughput expression data. Altogether, ours results confirm and provide a quantitative framework for the long-proposed notion that the discriminator sequence is a significant determinant of promoter supercoiling sensitivity, underpinning the ubiquitous regulatory action of DNA supercoiling on the core transcriptional machinery, in particular in response to quick environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Forquet
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240, MAP, Lyon, France
| | - Maïwenn Pineau
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240, MAP, Lyon, France
| | - William Nasser
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240, MAP, Lyon, France
| | - Sylvie Reverchon
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240, MAP, Lyon, France
| | - Sam Meyer
- Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5240, MAP, Lyon, France
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9
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Amemiya HM, Schroeder J, Freddolino PL. Nucleoid-associated proteins shape chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation across the bacterial kingdom. Transcription 2021; 12:182-218. [PMID: 34499567 PMCID: PMC8632127 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2021.1973865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome architecture has proven to be critical in determining gene regulation across almost all domains of life. While many of the key components and mechanisms of eukaryotic genome organization have been described, the interplay between bacterial DNA organization and gene regulation is only now being fully appreciated. An increasing pool of evidence has demonstrated that the bacterial chromosome can reasonably be thought of as chromatin, and that bacterial chromosomes contain transcriptionally silent and transcriptionally active regions analogous to heterochromatin and euchromatin, respectively. The roles played by histones in eukaryotic systems appear to be shared across a range of nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) in bacteria, which function to compact, structure, and regulate large portions of bacterial chromosomes. The broad range of extant NAPs, and the extent to which they differ from species to species, has raised additional challenges in identifying and characterizing their roles in all but a handful of model bacteria. Here we review the regulatory roles played by NAPs in several well-studied bacteria and use the resulting state of knowledge to provide a working definition for NAPs, based on their function, binding pattern, and expression levels. We present a screening procedure which can be applied to any species for which transcriptomic data are available. Finally, we note that NAPs tend to play two major regulatory roles - xenogeneic silencers and developmental regulators - and that many unrecognized potential NAPs exist in each bacterial species examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley M. Amemiya
- University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jeremy Schroeder
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter L. Freddolino
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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10
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Maddamsetti R, Grant NA. Divergent Evolution of Mutation Rates and Biases in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1591-1603. [PMID: 32853353 PMCID: PMC7523724 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms encode enzymes that replicate, maintain, pack, recombine, and repair their genetic material. For this reason, mutation rates and biases also evolve by mutation, variation, and natural selection. By examining metagenomic time series of the Lenski long-term evolution experiment (LTEE) with Escherichia coli (Good BH, McDonald MJ, Barrick JE, Lenski RE, Desai MM. 2017. The dynamics of molecular evolution over 60,000 generations. Nature 551(7678):45–50.), we find that local mutation rate variation has evolved during the LTEE. Each LTEE population has evolved idiosyncratic differences in their rates of point mutations, indels, and mobile element insertions, due to the fixation of various hypermutator and antimutator alleles. One LTEE population, called Ara+3, shows a strong, symmetric wave pattern in its density of point mutations, radiating from the origin of replication. This pattern is largely missing from the other LTEE populations, most of which evolved missense, indel, or structural mutations in topA, fis, and dusB—loci that all affect DNA topology. The distribution of mutations in those genes over time suggests epistasis and historical contingency in the evolution of DNA topology, which may have in turn affected local mutation rates. Overall, the replicate populations of the LTEE have largely diverged in their mutation rates and biases, even though they have adapted to identical abiotic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nkrumah A Grant
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University.,Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University
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11
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Evolution of default genetic control mechanisms. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251568. [PMID: 33984070 PMCID: PMC8118313 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a model of the evolution of control systems in a genome under environmental constraints. The model conceptually follows the Jacob and Monod model of gene control. Genes contain control elements which respond to the internal state of the cell as well as the environment to control expression of a coding region. Control and coding regions evolve to maximize a fitness function between expressed coding sequences and the environment. The model was run 118 times to an average of 1.4∙106 ‘generations’ each with a range of starting parameters probed the conditions under which genomes evolved a ‘default style’ of control. Unexpectedly, the control logic that evolved was not significantly correlated to the complexity of the environment. Genetic logic was strongly correlated with genome complexity and with the fraction of genes active in the cell at any one time. More complex genomes correlated with the evolution of genetic controls in which genes were active (‘default on’), and a low fraction of genes being expressed correlated with a genetic logic in which genes were biased to being inactive unless positively activated (‘default off’ logic). We discuss how this might relate to the evolution of the complex eukaryotic genome, which operates in a ‘default off’ mode.
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12
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Abstract
For bacteria, maintaining higher internal solute concentrations than those present in the environment allows cells to take up water. As a result, survival is challenging in high-osmolarity environments. To investigate how bacteria adapt to high-osmolarity environments, we maintained Escherichia coli in a variety of high-osmolarity solutions for hundreds of generations. We found that the evolved populations adopted different strategies to improve their growth rates depending on the osmotic passaging condition, either generally adapting to high-osmolarity conditions or better metabolizing the osmolyte as a carbon source. Single-cell imaging demonstrated that enhanced fitness was coupled to faster growth, and metagenomic sequencing revealed mutations that reflected growth trade-offs across osmolarities. Our study demonstrated the utility of long-term evolution experiments for probing adaptation occurring during environmental stress. Bacteria must maintain a cytosolic osmolarity higher than that of their environment in order to take up water. High-osmolarity environments therefore present formidable stress to bacteria. To explore the evolutionary mechanisms by which bacteria adapt to high-osmolarity environments, we selected Escherichia coli in media with a variety of osmolytes and concentrations for 250 generations. Adaptation was osmolyte dependent, with sorbitol stress generally resulting in increased fitness under conditions with higher osmolarity, while selection in high concentrations of proline resulted in increased fitness specifically on proline. Consistent with these phenotypes, sequencing of the evolved populations showed that passaging in proline resulted in specific mutations in an associated metabolic pathway that increased the ability to utilize proline for growth, while evolution in sorbitol resulted in mutations in many different genes that generally resulted in improved growth under high-osmolarity conditions at the expense of growth at low osmolarity. High osmolarity decreased the growth rate but increased the mean cell volume compared with growth on proline as the sole carbon source, demonstrating that osmolarity-induced changes in growth rate and cell size follow an orthogonal relationship from the classical Growth Law relating cell size and nutrient quality. Isolates from a sorbitol-evolved population that captured the likely temporal sequence of mutations revealed by metagenomic sequencing demonstrated a trade-off between growth at high osmolarity and growth at low osmolarity. Our report highlights the utility of experimental evolution for dissecting complex cellular networks and environmental interactions, particularly in the case of behaviors that can involve both specific and general metabolic stressors.
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13
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Bachar A, Itzhaki E, Gleizer S, Shamshoom M, Milo R, Antonovsky N. Point mutations in topoisomerase I alter the mutation spectrum in E. coli and impact the emergence of drug resistance genotypes. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:761-769. [PMID: 31777935 PMCID: PMC6954433 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the molecular mechanisms that give rise to genetic variation is essential for the understanding of evolutionary processes. Previously, we have used adaptive laboratory evolution to enable biomass synthesis from CO2 in Escherichia coli. Genetic analysis of adapted clones from two independently evolving populations revealed distinct enrichment for insertion and deletion mutational events. Here, we follow these observations to show that mutations in the gene encoding for DNA topoisomerase I (topA) give rise to mutator phenotypes with characteristic mutational spectra. Using genetic assays and mutation accumulation lines, we find that point mutations in topA increase the rate of sequence deletion and duplication events. Interestingly, we observe that a single residue substitution (R168C) results in a high rate of head-to-tail (tandem) short sequence duplications, which are independent of existing sequence repeats. Finally, we show that the unique mutation spectrum of topA mutants enhances the emergence of antibiotic resistance in comparison to mismatch-repair (mutS) mutators, and leads to new resistance genotypes. Our findings highlight a potential link between the catalytic activity of topoisomerases and the fundamental question regarding the emergence of de novo tandem repeats, which are known modulators of bacterial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Bachar
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Elad Itzhaki
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Shmuel Gleizer
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Melina Shamshoom
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Ron Milo
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Niv Antonovsky
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.,Laboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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14
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The fitness challenge of studying molecular adaptation. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 47:1533-1542. [PMID: 31642877 DOI: 10.1042/bst20180626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Advances in bioinformatics and high-throughput genetic analysis increasingly allow us to predict the genetic basis of adaptive traits. These predictions can be tested and confirmed, but the molecular-level changes - i.e. the molecular adaptation - that link genetic differences to organism fitness remain generally unknown. In recent years, a series of studies have started to unpick the mechanisms of adaptation at the molecular level. In particular, this work has examined how changes in protein function, activity, and regulation cause improved organismal fitness. Key to addressing molecular adaptations is identifying systems and designing experiments that integrate changes in the genome, protein chemistry (molecular phenotype), and fitness. Knowledge of the molecular changes underpinning adaptations allow new insight into the constraints on, and repeatability of adaptations, and of the basis of non-additive interactions between adaptive mutations. Here we critically discuss a series of studies that examine the molecular-level adaptations that connect genetic changes and fitness.
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15
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The evolutionary puzzle of Escherichia coli ST131. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 81:104265. [PMID: 32112974 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The abrupt expansion of Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131 is unmatched among Gram negative bacteria. In many ways, ST131 can be considered a real-world model for the complexities involved in the evolution of a multidrug resistant pathogen. While much progress has been made on our insights into the organism's population structure, pathogenicity and drug resistance profile, significant gaps in our knowledge remain. Whole genome studies have shed light on key mutations and genes that have been selected against the background of antibiotics, but in most cases such events are inferred and not supported by experimental data. Notable examples include the unknown fitness contribution made by specific plasmids, genomic islands and compensatory mutations. Furthermore, questions remain like why this organism in particular achieved such considerable success in such a short time span, compared to other more pathogenic and resistant clones. Herein, we document what is known regarding the genetics of this organism since its first description in 2008, but also highlight where work remains to be done for a truly comprehensive understanding of the biology of ST131, in order to account for its dramatic rise to prominence.
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Defez R, Valenti A, Andreozzi A, Romano S, Ciaramella M, Pesaresi P, Forlani S, Bianco C. New Insights into Structural and Functional Roles of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA): Changes in DNA Topology and Gene Expression in Bacteria. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9100522. [PMID: 31547634 PMCID: PMC6843775 DOI: 10.3390/biom9100522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
: Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a major plant hormone that affects many cellular processes in plants, bacteria, yeast, and human cells through still unknown mechanisms. In this study, we demonstrated that the IAA-treatment of two unrelated bacteria, the Ensifer meliloti 1021 and Escherichia coli, harboring two different host range plasmids, influences the supercoiled state of the two plasmid DNAs in vivo. Results obtained from in vitro assays show that IAA interacts with DNA, leading to DNA conformational changes commonly induced by intercalating agents. We provide evidence that IAA inhibits the activity of the type IA topoisomerase, which regulates the DNA topological state in bacteria, through the relaxation of the negative supercoiled DNA. In addition, we demonstrate that the treatment of E. meliloti cells with IAA induces the expression of some genes, including the ones related to nitrogen fixation. In contrast, these genes were significantly repressed by the treatment with novobiocin, which reduces the DNA supercoiling in bacterial cells. Taking into account the overall results reported, we hypothesize that the IAA action and the DNA structure/function might be correlated and involved in the regulation of gene expression. This work points out that checking whether IAA influences the DNA topology under physiological conditions could be a useful strategy to clarify the mechanism of action of this hormone, not only in plants but also in other unrelated organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Defez
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Anna Valenti
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Anna Andreozzi
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Silvia Romano
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Maria Ciaramella
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Paolo Pesaresi
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Sara Forlani
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Carmen Bianco
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
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Hall AE, Karkare K, Cooper VS, Bank C, Cooper TF, Moore FB. Environment changes epistasis to alter trade‐offs along alternative evolutionary paths. Evolution 2019; 73:2094-2105. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne E. Hall
- Department of Biology University of Akron Akron Ohio 44325
- Current address: Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology Baylor College of Medicine Houston Texas 77030
| | - Kedar Karkare
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences Massey University Auckland 1025 New Zealand
| | - Vaughn S. Cooper
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15219
| | - Claudia Bank
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência 2780‐156 Oeiras Portugal
| | - Tim F. Cooper
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences Massey University Auckland 1025 New Zealand
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18
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Martis B S, Forquet R, Reverchon S, Nasser W, Meyer S. DNA Supercoiling: an Ancestral Regulator of Gene Expression in Pathogenic Bacteria? Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2019; 17:1047-1055. [PMID: 31452857 PMCID: PMC6700405 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2019.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA supercoiling acts as a global and ancestral regulator of bacterial gene expression. In this review, we advocate that it plays a pivotal role in host-pathogen interactions by transducing environmental signals to the bacterial chromosome and coordinating its transcriptional response. We present available evidence that DNA supercoiling is modulated by environmental stress conditions relevant to the infection process according to ancestral mechanisms, in zoopathogens as well as phytopathogens. We review the results of transcriptomics studies obtained in widely distant bacterial species, showing that such structural transitions of the chromosome are associated to a complex transcriptional response affecting a large fraction of the genome. Mechanisms and computational models of the transcriptional regulation by DNA supercoiling are then discussed, involving both basal interactions of RNA Polymerase with promoter DNA, and more specific interactions with regulatory proteins. A final part is specifically focused on the regulation of virulence genes within pathogenicity islands of several pathogenic bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiny Martis B
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 11 avenue Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Raphaël Forquet
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 11 avenue Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sylvie Reverchon
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 11 avenue Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - William Nasser
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 11 avenue Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sam Meyer
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 11 avenue Jean Capelle, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
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19
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Lamrabet O, Plumbridge J, Martin M, Lenski RE, Schneider D, Hindré T. Plasticity of Promoter-Core Sequences Allows Bacteria to Compensate for the Loss of a Key Global Regulatory Gene. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:1121-1133. [PMID: 30825312 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription regulatory networks (TRNs) are of central importance for both short-term phenotypic adaptation in response to environmental fluctuations and long-term evolutionary adaptation, with global regulatory genes often being targets of natural selection in laboratory experiments. Here, we combined evolution experiments, whole-genome resequencing, and molecular genetics to investigate the driving forces, genetic constraints, and molecular mechanisms that dictate how bacteria can cope with a drastic perturbation of their TRNs. The crp gene, encoding a major global regulator in Escherichia coli, was deleted in four different genetic backgrounds, all derived from the Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) but with different TRN architectures. We confirmed that crp deletion had a more deleterious effect on growth rate in the LTEE-adapted genotypes; and we showed that the ptsG gene, which encodes the major glucose-PTS transporter, gained CRP (cyclic AMP receptor protein) dependence over time in the LTEE. We then further evolved the four crp-deleted genotypes in glucose minimal medium, and we found that they all quickly recovered from their growth defects by increasing glucose uptake. We showed that this recovery was specific to the selective environment and consistently relied on mutations in the cis-regulatory region of ptsG, regardless of the initial genotype. These mutations affected the interplay of transcription factors acting at the promoters, changed the intrinsic properties of the existing promoters, or produced new transcription initiation sites. Therefore, the plasticity of even a single promoter region can compensate by three different mechanisms for the loss of a key regulatory hub in the E. coli TRN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otmane Lamrabet
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, Grenoble, France
| | - Jacqueline Plumbridge
- CNRS UMR8261, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de Biologie Physico-chimique, Paris, France
| | - Mikaël Martin
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, Grenoble, France
| | - Richard E Lenski
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | | | - Thomas Hindré
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, Grenoble, France
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20
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El Houdaigui B, Forquet R, Hindré T, Schneider D, Nasser W, Reverchon S, Meyer S. Bacterial genome architecture shapes global transcriptional regulation by DNA supercoiling. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:5648-5657. [PMID: 31216038 PMCID: PMC6582348 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA supercoiling acts as a global transcriptional regulator in bacteria, that plays an important role in adapting their expression programme to environmental changes, but for which no quantitative or even qualitative regulatory model is available. Here, we focus on spatial supercoiling heterogeneities caused by the transcription process itself, which strongly contribute to this regulation mode. We propose a new mechanistic modeling of the transcription-supercoiling dynamical coupling along a genome, which allows simulating and quantitatively reproducing in vitro and in vivo transcription assays, and highlights the role of genes' local orientation in their supercoiling sensitivity. Consistently with predictions, we show that chromosomal relaxation artificially induced by gyrase inhibitors selectively activates convergent genes in several enterobacteria, while conversely, an increase in DNA supercoiling naturally selected in a long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli favours divergent genes. Simulations show that these global expression responses to changes in DNA supercoiling result from fundamental mechanical constraints imposed by transcription, independently from more specific regulation of each promoter. These constraints underpin a significant and predictable contribution to the complex rules by which bacteria use DNA supercoiling as a global but fine-tuned transcriptional regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal El Houdaigui
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Raphaël Forquet
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Thomas Hindré
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Dominique Schneider
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, TIMC-IMAG, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - William Nasser
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sylvie Reverchon
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sam Meyer
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR5240, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
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21
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Liu R, Liang L, Choudhury A, Garst AD, Eckert CA, Oh EJ, Winkler J, Gill RT. Multiplex navigation of global regulatory networks (MINR) in yeast for improved ethanol tolerance and production. Metab Eng 2019; 51:50-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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22
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Reuß DR, Rath H, Thürmer A, Benda M, Daniel R, Völker U, Mäder U, Commichau FM, Stülke J. Changes of DNA topology affect the global transcription landscape and allow rapid growth of a Bacillus subtilis mutant lacking carbon catabolite repression. Metab Eng 2017; 45:171-179. [PMID: 29242163 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria are able to prioritize preferred carbon sources from complex mixtures. This is achieved by the regulatory phenomenon of carbon catabolite repression. To allow the simultaneous utilization of multiple carbon sources and to prevent the time-consuming adaptation to each individual nutrient in biotechnological applications, mutants lacking carbon catabolite repression can be used. However, such mutants often exhibit pleiotropic growth defects. We have isolated and characterized mutations that overcome the growth defect of Bacillus subtilis ccpA mutants lacking the major regulator of catabolite repression, in particular their glutamate auxotrophy. Here we show, that distinct mutations affecting the essential DNA topoisomerase I (TopA) cause glutamate prototrophy of the ccpA mutant. These suppressing variants of the TopA enzyme exhibit increased activity resulting in enhanced relaxation of the DNA. Reduced DNA supercoiling results in enhanced expression of the gltAB operon encoding the biosynthetic glutamate synthase. This is achieved by a significant re-organization of the global transcription network accompanied by re-routing of metabolism, which results in inactivation of the glutamate dehydrogenase. Our results provide a link between DNA topology, the global transcriptional network, and glutamate metabolism and suggest that specific topA mutants may be well suited for biotechnological purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Reuß
- Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hermann Rath
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Andrea Thürmer
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Benda
- Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Fabian M Commichau
- Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
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23
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Ubiquitous Nature of Fluoroquinolones: The Oscillation between Antibacterial and Anticancer Activities. Antibiotics (Basel) 2017; 6:antibiotics6040026. [PMID: 29112154 PMCID: PMC5745469 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics6040026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluoroquinolones are synthetic antibacterial agents that stabilize the ternary complex of prokaryotic topoisomerase II enzymes (gyrase and Topo IV), leading to extensive DNA fragmentation and bacteria death. Despite the similar structural folds within the critical regions of prokaryotic and eukaryotic topoisomerases, clinically relevant fluoroquinolones display a remarkable selectivity for prokaryotic topoisomerase II, with excellent safety records in humans. Typical agents that target human topoisomerases (such as etoposide, doxorubicin and mitoxantrone) are associated with significant toxicities and secondary malignancies, whereas clinically relevant fluoroquinolones are not known to exhibit such propensities. Although many fluoroquinolones have been shown to display topoisomerase-independent antiproliferative effects against various human cancer cells, those that are significantly active against eukaryotic topoisomerase show the same DNA damaging properties as other topoisomerase poisons. Empirical models also show that fluoroquinolones mediate some unique immunomodulatory activities of suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines and super-inducing interleukin-2. This article reviews the extended roles of fluoroquinolones and their prospects as lead for the unmet needs of "small and safe" multimodal-targeting drug scaffolds.
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de la Campa AG, Ferrándiz MJ, Martín-Galiano AJ, García MT, Tirado-Vélez JM. The Transcriptome of Streptococcus pneumoniae Induced by Local and Global Changes in Supercoiling. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1447. [PMID: 28824578 PMCID: PMC5534458 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterial chromosome is compacted in a manner optimal for DNA transactions to occur. The degree of compaction results from the level of DNA-supercoiling and the presence of nucleoid-binding proteins. DNA-supercoiling is homeostatically maintained by the opposing activities of relaxing DNA topoisomerases and negative supercoil-inducing DNA gyrase. DNA-supercoiling acts as a general cis regulator of transcription, which can be superimposed upon other types of more specific trans regulatory mechanism. Transcriptomic studies on the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae, which has a relatively small genome (∼2 Mb) and few nucleoid-binding proteins, have been performed under conditions of local and global changes in supercoiling. The response to local changes induced by fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which target DNA gyrase subunit A and/or topoisomerase IV, involves an increase in oxygen radicals which reduces cell viability, while the induction of global supercoiling changes by novobiocin (a DNA gyrase subunit B inhibitor), or by seconeolitsine (a topoisomerase I inhibitor), has revealed the existence of topological domains that specifically respond to such changes. The control of DNA-supercoiling in S. pneumoniae occurs mainly via the regulation of topoisomerase gene transcription: relaxation triggers the up-regulation of gyrase and the down-regulation of topoisomerases I and IV, while hypernegative supercoiling down-regulates the expression of topoisomerase I. Relaxation affects 13% of the genome, with the majority of the genes affected located in 15 domains. Hypernegative supercoiling affects 10% of the genome, with one quarter of the genes affected located in 12 domains. However, all the above domains overlap, suggesting that the chromosome is organized into topological domains with fixed locations. Based on its response to relaxation, the pneumococcal chromosome can be said to be organized into five types of domain: up-regulated, down-regulated, position-conserved non-regulated, position-variable non-regulated, and AT-rich. The AT content is higher in the up-regulated than in the down-regulated domains. Genes within the different domains share structural and functional characteristics. It would seem that a topology-driven selection pressure has defined the chromosomal location of the metabolism, virulence and competence genes, which suggests the existence of topological rules that aim to improve bacterial fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adela G de la Campa
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadrid, Spain.,Presidencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
| | - María J Ferrándiz
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadrid, Spain
| | - Antonio J Martín-Galiano
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadrid, Spain
| | - María T García
- Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad ComplutenseMadrid, Spain
| | - Jose M Tirado-Vélez
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadrid, Spain
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25
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Abstract
Bacteria gain antibiotic resistance genes by horizontal acquisition of mobile genetic elements (MGE) from other lineages. Newly acquired MGEs are often poorly adapted causing intragenomic conflicts, resolved by compensatory adaptation of the chromosome, the MGE or reciprocal coadaptation. The footprints of such intragenomic coevolution are present in bacterial genomes, suggesting an important role promoting genomic integration of horizontally acquired genes, but direct experimental evidence of the process is limited. Here we show adaptive modulation of tetracycline resistance via intragenomic coevolution between Escherichia coli and the multi-drug resistant (MDR) plasmid RK2. Tetracycline treatments, including monotherapy or combination therapies with ampicillin, favoured de novo chromosomal resistance mutations coupled with mutations on RK2 impairing the plasmid-encoded tetracycline efflux-pump. These mutations together provided increased tetracycline resistance at reduced cost. Additionally, the chromosomal resistance mutations conferred cross-resistance to chloramphenicol. Reciprocal coadaptation was not observed under ampicillin-only or no antibiotic selection. Intragenomic coevolution can create genomes comprised of multiple replicons that together provide high-level, low-cost resistance, but the resulting co-dependence may limit the spread of coadapted MGEs to other lineages.
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26
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Experimental evolution and the dynamics of adaptation and genome evolution in microbial populations. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:2181-2194. [PMID: 28509909 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.69] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Evolution is an on-going process, and it can be studied experimentally in organisms with rapid generations. My team has maintained 12 populations of Escherichia coli in a simple laboratory environment for >25 years and 60 000 generations. We have quantified the dynamics of adaptation by natural selection, seen some of the populations diverge into stably coexisting ecotypes, described changes in the bacteria's mutation rate, observed the new ability to exploit a previously untapped carbon source, characterized the dynamics of genome evolution and used parallel evolution to identify the genetic targets of selection. I discuss what the future might hold for this particular experiment, briefly highlight some other microbial evolution experiments and suggest how the fields of experimental evolution and microbial ecology might intersect going forward.
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27
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Finn TJ, Shewaramani S, Leahy SC, Janssen PH, Moon CD. Dynamics and genetic diversification of Escherichia coli during experimental adaptation to an anaerobic environment. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3244. [PMID: 28480139 PMCID: PMC5419217 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Many bacteria are facultative anaerobes, and can proliferate in both anoxic and oxic environments. Under anaerobic conditions, fermentation is the primary means of energy generation in contrast to respiration. Furthermore, the rates and spectra of spontaneous mutations that arise during anaerobic growth differ to those under aerobic growth. A long-term selection experiment was undertaken to investigate the genetic changes that underpin how the facultative anaerobe, Escherichia coli, adapts to anaerobic environments. Methods Twenty-one populations of E. coli REL4536, an aerobically evolved 10,000th generation descendent of the E. coli B strain, REL606, were established from a clonal ancestral culture. These were serially sub-cultured for 2,000 generations in a defined minimal glucose medium in strict aerobic and strict anaerobic environments, as well as in a treatment that fluctuated between the two environments. The competitive fitness of the evolving lineages was assessed at approximately 0, 1,000 and 2,000 generations, in both the environment of selection and the alternative environment. Whole genome re-sequencing was performed on random colonies from all lineages after 2,000-generations. Mutations were identified relative to the ancestral genome, and based on the extent of parallelism, traits that were likely to have contributed towards adaptation were inferred. Results There were increases in fitness relative to the ancestor among anaerobically evolved lineages when tested in the anaerobic environment, but no increases were found in the aerobic environment. For lineages that had evolved under the fluctuating regime, relative fitness increased significantly in the anaerobic environment, but did not increase in the aerobic environment. The aerobically-evolved lineages did not increase in fitness when tested in either the aerobic or anaerobic environments. The strictly anaerobic lineages adapted more rapidly to the anaerobic environment than did the fluctuating lineages. Two main strategies appeared to predominate during adaptation to the anaerobic environment: modification of energy generation pathways, and inactivation of non-essential functions. Fermentation pathways appeared to alter through selection for mutations in genes such as nadR, adhE, dcuS/R, and pflB. Mutations were frequently identified in genes for presumably dispensable functions such as toxin-antitoxin systems, prophages, virulence and amino acid transport. Adaptation of the fluctuating lineages to the anaerobic environments involved mutations affecting traits similar to those observed in the anaerobically evolved lineages. Discussion There appeared to be strong selective pressure for activities that conferred cell yield advantages during anaerobic growth, which include restoring activities that had previously been inactivated under long-term continuous aerobic evolution of the ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Finn
- Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, New Zealand.,New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sonal Shewaramani
- Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, New Zealand.,New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
| | - Sinead C Leahy
- Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Peter H Janssen
- Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Christina D Moon
- Grasslands Research Centre, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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28
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Abstract
Ever since Darwin, the role of natural selection in shaping the morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations of animals and plants across generations has been central to understanding life and its diversity. New discoveries have shown with increasing precision how genetic, molecular, and biochemical processes produce and express those organismal features during an individual's lifetime. When it comes to microorganisms, however, understanding the role of natural selection in producing adaptive solutions has historically been, and sometimes continues to be, contentious. This tension is curious because microbes enable one to observe the power of adaptation by natural selection with exceptional rigor and clarity, as exemplified by the burgeoning field of experimental microbial evolution. I trace the development of this field, describe an experiment with Escherichia coli that has been running for almost 30 years, and highlight other experiments in which natural selection has led to interesting dynamics and adaptive changes in microbial populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard E Lenski
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
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29
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Maddamsetti R, Hatcher PJ, Green AG, Williams BL, Marks DS, Lenski RE. Core Genes Evolve Rapidly in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:1072-1083. [PMID: 28379360 PMCID: PMC5406848 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria can evolve rapidly under positive selection owing to their vast numbers, allowing their genes to diversify by adapting to different environments. We asked whether the same genes that evolve rapidly in the long-term evolution experiment (LTEE) with Escherichia coli have also diversified extensively in nature. To make this comparison, we identified ∼2000 core genes shared among 60 E. coli strains. During the LTEE, core genes accumulated significantly more nonsynonymous mutations than flexible (i.e., noncore) genes. Furthermore, core genes under positive selection in the LTEE are more conserved in nature than the average core gene. In some cases, adaptive mutations appear to modify protein functions, rather than merely knocking them out. The LTEE conditions are novel for E. coli, at least in relation to its evolutionary history in nature. The constancy and simplicity of the environment likely favor the complete loss of some unused functions and the fine-tuning of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan Maddamsetti
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Philip J Hatcher
- Department of Computer Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
| | - Anna G Green
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Barry L Williams
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Debora S Marks
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Richard E Lenski
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
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30
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Japaridze A, Muskhelishvili G, Benedetti F, Gavriilidou AFM, Zenobi R, De Los Rios P, Longo G, Dietler G. Hyperplectonemes: A Higher Order Compact and Dynamic DNA Self-Organization. NANO LETTERS 2017; 17:1938-1948. [PMID: 28191853 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b05294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial chromosome has a compact structure that dynamically changes its shape in response to bacterial growth rate and growth phase. Determining how chromatin remains accessible to DNA binding proteins, and transcription machinery is crucial to understand the link between genetic regulation, DNA structure, and topology. Here, we study very large supercoiled dsDNA using high-resolution characterization, theoretical modeling, and molecular dynamics calculations. We unveil a new type of highly ordered DNA organization forming in the presence of attractive DNA-DNA interactions, which we call hyperplectonemes. We demonstrate that their formation depends on DNA size, supercoiling, and bacterial physiology. We compare structural, nanomechanic, and dynamic properties of hyperplectonemes bound by three highly abundant nucleoid-associated proteins (FIS, H-NS, and HU). In all these cases, the negative supercoiling of DNA determines molecular dynamics, modulating their 3D shape. Overall, our findings provide a mechanistic insight into the critical role of DNA topology in genetic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandre Japaridze
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Georgi Muskhelishvili
- Jacobs University , D-28759 Bremen, Germany
- Agricultural University of Georgia , 0159 Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Fabrizio Benedetti
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Vital-IT, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Agni F M Gavriilidou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich , 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Renato Zenobi
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich , 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paolo De Los Rios
- Vital-IT, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Laboratoire de Biophysique Statistique, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Longo
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Istituto di Struttura della Materia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Dietler
- Laboratory of Physics of Living Matter, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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31
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Blount ZD. A case study in evolutionary contingency. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 2016; 58:82-92. [PMID: 26787098 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Biological evolution is a fundamentally historical phenomenon in which intertwined stochastic and deterministic processes shape lineages with long, continuous histories that exist in a changing world that has a history of its own. The degree to which these characteristics render evolution historically contingent, and evolutionary outcomes thereby unpredictably sensitive to history has been the subject of considerable debate in recent decades. Microbial evolution experiments have proven among the most fruitful means of empirically investigating the issue of historical contingency in evolution. One such experiment is the Escherichia coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE), in which twelve populations founded from the same clone of E. coli have evolved in parallel under identical conditions. Aerobic growth on citrate (Cit(+)), a novel trait for E. coli, evolved in one of these populations after more than 30,000 generations. Experimental replays of this population's evolution from various points in its history showed that the Cit(+) trait was historically contingent upon earlier mutations that potentiated the trait by rendering it mutationally accessible. Here I review this case of evolutionary contingency and discuss what it implies about the importance of historical contingency arising from the core processes of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary D Blount
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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32
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Ferrándiz MJ, Martín-Galiano AJ, Arnanz C, Camacho-Soguero I, Tirado-Vélez JM, de la Campa AG. An increase in negative supercoiling in bacteria reveals topology-reacting gene clusters and a homeostatic response mediated by the DNA topoisomerase I gene. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:7292-303. [PMID: 27378778 PMCID: PMC5009749 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We studied the transcriptional response to an increase in DNA supercoiling in Streptococcus pneumoniae by using seconeolitsine, a new topoisomerase I inhibitor. A homeostatic response allowing recovery of supercoiling was observed in cells treated with subinhibitory seconeolitsine concentrations. Supercoiling increases of 40.7% (6 μM) and 72.9% (8 μM) were lowered to 8.5% and 44.1%, respectively. Likewise, drug removal facilitated the recovery of cell viability and DNA-supercoiling. Transcription of topoisomerase I depended on the supercoiling level. Also specific binding of topoisomerase I to the gyrase A gene promoter was detected by chromatin-immunoprecipitation. The transcriptomic response to 8 μM seconeolitsine had two stages. An early stage, associated to an increase in supercoiling, affected 10% of the genome. A late stage, manifested by supercoiling recovery, affected 2% of the genome. Nearly 25% of the early responsive genes formed 12 clusters with a coordinated transcription. Clusters were 6.7–31.4 kb in length and included 9–22 responsive genes. These clusters partially overlapped with those observed under DNA relaxation, suggesting that bacteria manage supercoiling stress using pathways with common components. This is the first report of a coordinated global transcriptomic response that is triggered by an increase in DNA supercoiling in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- María-José Ferrándiz
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio J Martín-Galiano
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Arnanz
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Camacho-Soguero
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - José-Manuel Tirado-Vélez
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adela G de la Campa
- Unidad de Genética Bacteriana, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain Presidencia. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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33
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Fisher KJ, Lang GI. Experimental evolution in fungi: An untapped resource. Fungal Genet Biol 2016; 94:88-94. [PMID: 27375178 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2016.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Historically, evolutionary biology has been considered an observational science. Examining populations and inferring evolutionary histories mold evolutionary theories. In contrast, laboratory evolution experiments make use of the amenability of traditional model organisms to study fundamental processes underlying evolution in real time in simple, but well-controlled, environments. With advances in high-throughput biology and next generation sequencing, it is now possible to propagate hundreds of parallel populations over thousands of generations and to quantify precisely the frequencies of various mutations over time. Experimental evolution combines the ability to simultaneously monitor replicate populations with the power to vary individual parameters to test specific evolutionary hypotheses, something that is impractical or infeasible in natural populations. Many labs are now conducting laboratory evolution experiments in nearly all model systems including viruses, bacteria, yeast, nematodes, and fruit flies. Among these systems, fungi occupy a unique niche: with a short generation time, small compact genomes, and sexual cycles, fungi are a particularly valuable and largely untapped resource for propelling future growth in the field of experimental evolution. Here, we describe the current state of fungal experimental evolution and why fungi are uniquely positioned to answer many of the outstanding questions in the field. We also review which fungal species are most well suited for experimental evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin J Fisher
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA.
| | - Gregory I Lang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA.
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34
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Junier I, Rivoire O. Conserved Units of Co-Expression in Bacterial Genomes: An Evolutionary Insight into Transcriptional Regulation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155740. [PMID: 27195891 PMCID: PMC4873041 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide measurements of transcriptional activity in bacteria indicate that the transcription of successive genes is strongly correlated beyond the scale of operons. Here, we analyze hundreds of bacterial genomes to identify supra-operonic segments of genes that are proximal in a large number of genomes. We show that these synteny segments correspond to genomic units of strong transcriptional co-expression. Structurally, the segments contain operons with specific relative orientations (co-directional or divergent) and nucleoid-associated proteins are found to bind at their boundaries. Functionally, operons inside a same segment are highly co-expressed even in the apparent absence of regulatory factors at their promoter regions. Remote operons along DNA can also be co-expressed if their corresponding segments share a transcriptional or sigma factor, without requiring these factors to bind directly to the promoters of the operons. As evidence that these results apply across the bacterial kingdom, we demonstrate them both in the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and in the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The underlying process that we propose involves only RNA-polymerases and DNA: it implies that the transcription of an operon mechanically enhances the transcription of adjacent operons. In support of a primary role of this regulation by facilitated co-transcription, we show that the transcription en bloc of successive operons as a result of transcriptional read-through is strongly and specifically enhanced in synteny segments. Finally, our analysis indicates that facilitated co-transcription may be evolutionary primitive and may apply beyond bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Junier
- CNRS, TIMC-IMAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,Univ. Grenoble Alpes, TIMC-IMAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Olivier Rivoire
- CNRS, LIPhy, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,Univ. Grenoble Alpes, LIPhy, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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35
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Čejková D, Strouhal M, Norris SJ, Weinstock GM, Šmajs D. A Retrospective Study on Genetic Heterogeneity within Treponema Strains: Subpopulations Are Genetically Distinct in a Limited Number of Positions. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0004110. [PMID: 26436423 PMCID: PMC4593590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pathogenic uncultivable treponemes comprise human and animal pathogens including agents of syphilis, yaws, bejel, pinta, and venereal spirochetosis in rabbits and hares. A set of 10 treponemal genome sequences including those of 4 Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA) strains (Nichols, DAL-1, Mexico A, SS14), 4 T. p. ssp. pertenue (TPE) strains (CDC-2, Gauthier, Samoa D, Fribourg-Blanc), 1 T. p. ssp. endemicum (TEN) strain (Bosnia A) and one strain (Cuniculi A) of Treponema paraluisleporidarum ecovar Cuniculus (TPLC) were examined with respect to the presence of nucleotide intrastrain heterogeneous sites. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The number of identified intrastrain heterogeneous sites in individual genomes ranged between 0 and 7. Altogether, 23 intrastrain heterogeneous sites (in 17 genes) were found in 5 out of 10 investigated treponemal genomes including TPA strains Nichols (n = 5), DAL-1 (n = 4), and SS14 (n = 7), TPE strain Samoa D (n = 1), and TEN strain Bosnia A (n = 5). Although only one heterogeneous site was identified among 4 tested TPE strains, 16 such sites were identified among 4 TPA strains. Heterogeneous sites were mostly strain-specific and were identified in four tpr genes (tprC, GI, I, K), in genes involved in bacterial motility and chemotaxis (fliI, cheC-fliY), in genes involved in cell structure (murC), translation (prfA), general and DNA metabolism (putative SAM dependent methyltransferase, topA), and in seven hypothetical genes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Heterogeneous sites likely represent both the selection of adaptive changes during infection of the host as well as an ongoing diversifying evolutionary process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darina Čejková
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Immunology, Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Strouhal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Steven J. Norris
- Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - George M. Weinstock
- The Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - David Šmajs
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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36
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Lagomarsino MC, Espéli O, Junier I. From structure to function of bacterial chromosomes: Evolutionary perspectives and ideas for new experiments. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:2996-3004. [PMID: 26171924 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The link between chromosome structure and function is a challenging open question because chromosomes in vivo are highly dynamic and arduous to manipulate. Here, we examine several promising approaches to tackle this question specifically in bacteria, by integrating knowledge from different sources. Toward this end, we first provide a brief overview of experimental tools that have provided insights into the description of the bacterial chromosome, including genetic, biochemical and fluorescence microscopy techniques. We then explore the possibility of using comparative genomics to isolate functionally important features of chromosome organization, exploiting the fact that features shared between phylogenetically distant bacterial species reflect functional significance. Finally, we discuss possible future perspectives from the field of experimental evolution. Specifically, we propose novel experiments in which bacteria could be screened and selected on the basis of the structural properties of their chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olivier Espéli
- CIRB-Collège de France, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U1050, Paris, France
| | - Ivan Junier
- Laboratoire Adaptation et Pathogénie des Micro-organismes - UMR 5163, Université Grenoble 1, CNRS, BP 170, F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France; Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
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37
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Adaptation, Clonal Interference, and Frequency-Dependent Interactions in a Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli. Genetics 2015; 200:619-31. [PMID: 25911659 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.115.176677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Twelve replicate populations of Escherichia coli have been evolving in the laboratory for >25 years and 60,000 generations. We analyzed bacteria from whole-population samples frozen every 500 generations through 20,000 generations for one well-studied population, called Ara-1. By tracking 42 known mutations in these samples, we reconstructed the history of this population's genotypic evolution over this period. The evolutionary dynamics of Ara-1 show strong evidence of selective sweeps as well as clonal interference between competing lineages bearing different beneficial mutations. In some cases, sets of several mutations approached fixation simultaneously, often conveying no information about their order of origination; we present several possible explanations for the existence of these mutational cohorts. Against a backdrop of rapid selective sweeps both earlier and later, two genetically diverged clades coexisted for >6000 generations before one went extinct. In that time, many additional mutations arose in the clade that eventually prevailed. We show that the clades evolved a frequency-dependent interaction, which prevented the immediate competitive exclusion of either clade, but which collapsed as beneficial mutations accumulated in the clade that prevailed. Clonal interference and frequency dependence can occur even in the simplest microbial populations. Furthermore, frequency dependence may generate dynamics that extend the period of coexistence that would otherwise be sustained by clonal interference alone.
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38
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Rosenblum EB, Parent CE, Brandt EE. The Molecular Basis of Phenotypic Convergence. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erica Bree Rosenblum
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720; ,
| | - Christine E. Parent
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720; ,
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844;
| | - Erin E. Brandt
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720; ,
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39
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Abstract
Large-scale rearrangements may be important in evolution because they can alter chromosome organization and gene expression in ways not possible through point mutations. In a long-term evolution experiment, twelve Escherichia coli populations have been propagated in a glucose-limited environment for over 25 years. We used whole-genome mapping (optical mapping) combined with genome sequencing and PCR analysis to identify the large-scale chromosomal rearrangements in clones from each population after 40,000 generations. A total of 110 rearrangement events were detected, including 82 deletions, 19 inversions, and 9 duplications, with lineages having between 5 and 20 events. In three populations, successive rearrangements impacted particular regions. In five populations, rearrangements affected over a third of the chromosome. Most rearrangements involved recombination between insertion sequence (IS) elements, illustrating their importance in mediating genome plasticity. Two lines of evidence suggest that at least some of these rearrangements conferred higher fitness. First, parallel changes were observed across the independent populations, with ~65% of the rearrangements affecting the same loci in at least two populations. For example, the ribose-utilization operon and the manB-cpsG region were deleted in 12 and 10 populations, respectively, suggesting positive selection, and this inference was previously confirmed for the former case. Second, optical maps from clones sampled over time from one population showed that most rearrangements occurred early in the experiment, when fitness was increasing most rapidly. However, some rearrangements likely occur at high frequency and may have simply hitchhiked to fixation. In any case, large-scale rearrangements clearly influenced genomic evolution in these populations. Bacterial chromosomes are dynamic structures shaped by long histories of evolution. Among genomic changes, large-scale DNA rearrangements can have important effects on the presence, order, and expression of genes. Whole-genome sequencing that relies on short DNA reads cannot identify all large-scale rearrangements. Therefore, deciphering changes in the overall organization of genomes requires alternative methods, such as optical mapping. We analyzed the longest-running microbial evolution experiment (more than 25 years of evolution in the laboratory) by optical mapping, genome sequencing, and PCR analyses. We found multiple large genome rearrangements in all 12 independently evolving populations. In most cases, it is unclear whether these changes were beneficial themselves or, alternatively, hitchhiked to fixation with other beneficial mutations. In any case, many genome rearrangements accumulated over decades of evolution, providing these populations with genetic plasticity reminiscent of that observed in some pathogenic bacteria.
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40
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Population dynamics of an Acinetobacter baumannii clonal complex during colonization of patients. J Clin Microbiol 2014; 52:3200-8. [PMID: 24951812 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00921-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as one of the leading pathogens causing hospital-acquired infection. The success of A. baumannii as a pathogen has to a large extent been attributed to its capacity to remodel its genome. Several major epidemic clonal complexes of A. baumannii spread across different health care facilities around the world, each of which contains a subset of diversified strains. However, little is known about the population dynamics during colonization of A. baumannii within hosts. Here, whole-genome sequencing was used to analyze population dynamics of A. baumannii strains isolated from a group of patients at different time points as well as from different sites of a particular patient. Seven out of nine of the sampled A. baumannii strains belonged to the international clone II (CC92 clonal complex). While the A. baumannii strains were found to be stable in three patients, there was a change of A. baumannii strains in one patient. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that the accessory genome of these strains contained a large set of virulence-encoding genes and these virulence factors might play a role in determining population dynamics. Microscale genome modification has been revealed by analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between A. baumannii strains isolated from the same patient. Parallel evolutionary traits have been observed during genome diversification when A. baumannii colonize in different patients. Our study suggested that both antibiotic usage and host environment might impose selective forces that drive the rapid adaptive evolution in colonizing A. baumannii.
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41
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Redgrave LS, Sutton SB, Webber MA, Piddock LJV. Fluoroquinolone resistance: mechanisms, impact on bacteria, and role in evolutionary success. Trends Microbiol 2014; 22:438-45. [PMID: 24842194 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2014.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 573] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Revised: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Quinolone and fluoroquinolone antibiotics are potent, broad-spectrum agents commonly used to treat a range of infections. Resistance to these agents is multifactorial and can be via one or a combination of target-site gene mutations, increased production of multidrug-resistance (MDR) efflux pumps, modifying enzymes, and/or target-protection proteins. Fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical isolates of bacteria have emerged readily and recent data have shown that resistance to this class of antibiotics can have diverse, species-dependent impacts on host-strain fitness. Here we outline the impacts of quinolone-resistance mutations in relation to the fitness and evolutionary success of mutant strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam S Redgrave
- School of Immunity and Infection, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, Biosciences Building, University Road West, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Sam B Sutton
- School of Immunity and Infection, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, Biosciences Building, University Road West, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Mark A Webber
- School of Immunity and Infection, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, Biosciences Building, University Road West, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Laura J V Piddock
- School of Immunity and Infection, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, Biosciences Building, University Road West, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
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42
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Le Gac M, Cooper TF, Cruveiller S, Médigue C, Schneider D. Evolutionary history and genetic parallelism affect correlated responses to evolution. Mol Ecol 2014; 22:3292-3303. [PMID: 24624420 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the relationship between genomic and phenotypic evolution among replicate populations of Escherichia coli evolved for 1000 generations in four different environments. By resequencing evolved genomes, we identified parallel changes in genes encoding transcription regulators within and between environments. Depending on both the environment and the altered gene, genetic parallelism at the gene level involved mutations that affected identical codons, protein domains or were widely distributed across the gene. Evolved clones were characterized by parallel phenotypic changes in their respective evolution environments but also in the three alternative environments. Phenotypic parallelism was high for clones that evolved in the same environment, even in the absence of genetic parallelism. By contrast, clones that evolved in different environments revealed a higher parallelism in correlated responses when they shared mutated genes. Altogether, this work shows that after an environmental change or the colonization of a new habitat, similar ecological performance might be expected from individuals that share mutated genes or that experienced similar past selective pressures.
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Kvitek DJ, Sherlock G. Whole genome, whole population sequencing reveals that loss of signaling networks is the major adaptive strategy in a constant environment. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003972. [PMID: 24278038 PMCID: PMC3836717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular signaling networks are ubiquitous across life and likely evolved to allow organisms to sense and respond to environmental change in dynamic environments. Few examples exist regarding the dispensability of signaling networks, and it remains unclear whether they are an essential feature of a highly adapted biological system. Here, we show that signaling network function carries a fitness cost in yeast evolving in a constant environment. We performed whole-genome, whole-population Illumina sequencing on replicate evolution experiments and find the major theme of adaptive evolution in a constant environment is the disruption of signaling networks responsible for regulating the response to environmental perturbations. Over half of all identified mutations occurred in three major signaling networks that regulate growth control: glucose signaling, Ras/cAMP/PKA and HOG. This results in a loss of environmental sensitivity that is reproducible across experiments. However, adaptive clones show reduced viability under starvation conditions, demonstrating an evolutionary tradeoff. These mutations are beneficial in an environment with a constant and predictable nutrient supply, likely because they result in constitutive growth, but reduce fitness in an environment where nutrient supply is not constant. Our results are a clear example of the myopic nature of evolution: a loss of environmental sensitivity in a constant environment is adaptive in the short term, but maladaptive should the environment change. When a population of organisms is faced with a selective pressure, such as a limiting nutrient, mutations that arise randomly may confer a fitness benefit on the individual carrying that mutation. If that individual reproduces before it is lost from the population, the frequency of that mutation may increase. Over time, many beneficial mutations will arise in a large population, but there are few high resolution experiments tracking the frequency of such mutations in an evolving population. We evolved populations of the baker's yeast in a constant environment in the presence of limiting amounts of sugar, and then used DNA sequencing to identify mutations that reached at least a 1% frequency in the population, and tracked them over time. We identified 120 mutations over three experiments, and determined that the genes and pathways that had gained beneficial mutations were largely reproducible across experiments, and that many of the mutations led to the loss of signaling pathways that usually sense a changing environment, allowing the cell to respond appropriately. When these mutant cells were faced with uncertain environments, the mutations proved to be deleterious. Environmental sensing must carry a fitness cost in a constant environment, but is essential in a changing one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Kvitek
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Gavin Sherlock
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Clinically relevant mutant DNA gyrase alters supercoiling, changes the transcriptome, and confers multidrug resistance. mBio 2013; 4:mBio.00273-13. [PMID: 23882012 PMCID: PMC3735185 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00273-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial DNA is maintained in a supercoiled state controlled by the action of topoisomerases. Alterations in supercoiling affect fundamental cellular processes, including transcription. Here, we show that substitution at position 87 of GyrA of Salmonella influences sensitivity to antibiotics, including nonquinolone drugs, alters global supercoiling, and results in an altered transcriptome with increased expression of stress response pathways. Decreased susceptibility to multiple antibiotics seen with a GyrA Asp87Gly mutant was not a result of increased efflux activity or reduced reactive-oxygen production. These data show that a frequently observed and clinically relevant substitution within GyrA results in altered expression of numerous genes, including those important in bacterial survival of stress, suggesting that GyrA mutants may have a selective advantage under specific conditions. Our findings help contextualize the high rate of quinolone resistance in pathogenic strains of bacteria and may partly explain why such mutant strains are evolutionarily successful. Fluoroquinolones are a powerful group of antibiotics that target bacterial enzymes involved in helping bacteria maintain the conformation of their chromosome. Mutations in the target enzymes allow bacteria to become resistant to these antibiotics, and fluoroquinolone resistance is common. We show here that these mutations also provide protection against a broad range of other antimicrobials by triggering a defensive stress response in the cell. This work suggests that fluoroquinolone resistance mutations may be beneficial under a range of conditions.
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Hottes AK, Freddolino PL, Khare A, Donnell ZN, Liu JC, Tavazoie S. Bacterial adaptation through loss of function. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003617. [PMID: 23874220 PMCID: PMC3708842 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The metabolic capabilities and regulatory networks of bacteria have been optimized by evolution in response to selective pressures present in each species' native ecological niche. In a new environment, however, the same bacteria may grow poorly due to regulatory constraints or biochemical deficiencies. Adaptation to such conditions can proceed through the acquisition of new cellular functionality due to gain of function mutations or via modulation of cellular networks. Using selection experiments on transposon-mutagenized libraries of bacteria, we illustrate that even under conditions of extreme nutrient limitation, substantial adaptation can be achieved solely through loss of function mutations, which rewire the metabolism of the cell without gain of enzymatic or sensory function. A systematic analysis of similar experiments under more than 100 conditions reveals that adaptive loss of function mutations exist for many environmental challenges. Drawing on a wealth of examples from published articles, we detail the range of mechanisms through which loss-of-function mutations can generate such beneficial regulatory changes, without the need for rare, specific mutations to fine-tune enzymatic activities or network connections. The high rate at which loss-of-function mutations occur suggests that null mutations play an underappreciated role in the early stages of adaption of bacterial populations to new environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison K. Hottes
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Peter L. Freddolino
- Joint Centers for Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Anupama Khare
- Joint Centers for Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Zachary N. Donnell
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Julia C. Liu
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Saeed Tavazoie
- Joint Centers for Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Beaume M, Monina N, Schrenzel J, François P. Bacterial genome evolution within a clonal population: from in vitro investigations to in vivo observations. Future Microbiol 2013; 8:661-74. [PMID: 23642119 DOI: 10.2217/fmb.13.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria are faced with a diversity of environmental stresses that include high salt concentrations, heavy metals and pH fluctuations. Adaptation to resist such stresses is a complex phenomenon that involves global pathways and simultaneous acquisition of multiple unrelated properties. During the last 3 years, the development of new technologies in the field of molecular biology has led to numerous fundamental and quantitative in vitro and in vivo evolutionary studies that have improved our understanding of the principles underlying bacterial adaptations, and helped us develop strategies to cope with the health burden of bacterial virulence. In this review, the authors discuss the evolution of bacteria in the laboratory and in human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Beaume
- Genomic Research Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Service, University of Geneva Hospitals, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland
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Flynn KM, Cooper TF, Moore FBG, Cooper VS. The environment affects epistatic interactions to alter the topology of an empirical fitness landscape. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003426. [PMID: 23593024 PMCID: PMC3616912 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The fitness effect of mutations can be influenced by their interactions with the environment, other mutations, or both. Previously, we constructed 32 ( = 25) genotypes that comprise all possible combinations of the first five beneficial mutations to fix in a laboratory-evolved population of Escherichia coli. We found that (i) all five mutations were beneficial for the background on which they occurred; (ii) interactions between mutations drove a diminishing returns type epistasis, whereby epistasis became increasingly antagonistic as the expected fitness of a genotype increased; and (iii) the adaptive landscape revealed by the mutation combinations was smooth, having a single global fitness peak. Here we examine how the environment influences epistasis by determining the interactions between the same mutations in two alternative environments, selected from among 1,920 screened environments, that produced the largest increase or decrease in fitness of the most derived genotype. Some general features of the interactions were consistent: mutations tended to remain beneficial and the overall pattern of epistasis was of diminishing returns. Other features depended on the environment; in particular, several mutations were deleterious when added to specific genotypes, indicating the presence of antagonistic interactions that were absent in the original selection environment. Antagonism was not caused by consistent pleiotropic effects of individual mutations but rather by changing interactions between mutations. Our results demonstrate that understanding adaptation in changing environments will require consideration of the combined effect of epistasis and pleiotropy across environments. The fitness effect of beneficial mutations can depend on how they interact with their genetic and external environment. The form of these interactions is important because it can alter adaptive outcomes, selecting for or against certain combinations of beneficial mutations. Here, we examine how interactions between beneficial mutations favored during adaptation of a lab strain of Escherichia coli to one simple environment are altered when the strain is grown in two novel environments. We found that fitness effects were greatly influenced by both the genetic and external environments. In several instances a change in environment reversed the effect of a mutation from beneficial to deleterious or caused combinations of beneficial mutations to become deleterious. Our results suggest that a complex or fluctuating environment may favor combinations of mutations whose interactions may be less sensitive to external conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth M. Flynn
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States of America
| | - Tim F. Cooper
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Francisco B-G. Moore
- Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Vaughn S. Cooper
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Sobetzko P, Glinkowska M, Travers A, Muskhelishvili G. DNA thermodynamic stability and supercoil dynamics determine the gene expression program during the bacterial growth cycle. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2013; 9:1643-51. [PMID: 23493878 DOI: 10.1039/c3mb25515h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The chromosomal DNA polymer constituting the cellular genetic material is primarily a device for coding information. Whilst the gene sequences comprise the digital (discontinuous) linear code, physiological alterations of the DNA superhelical density generate in addition analog (continuous) three-dimensional information essential for regulation of both chromosome compaction and gene expression. Insight into the relationship between the DNA analog information and the digital linear code is of fundamental importance for understanding genetic regulation. Our previous study in the model organism Escherichia coli suggested that the chromosomal gene order and a spatiotemporal gradient of DNA superhelicity associated with DNA replication determine the growth phase-dependent gene transcription. In this study we reveal a general gradient of DNA thermodynamic stability correlated with the polarity of chromosomal replication and manifest in the spatiotemporal pattern of gene transcription during the bacterial growth cycle. Furthermore, by integrating the physical and dynamic features of the transcribed sequences with their functional content we identify spatiotemporal domains of gene expression encompassing different functions. We thus provide both an insight into the organisational principle of the bacterial growth program and a novel holistic methodology for exploring chromosomal dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Sobetzko
- Jacobs University Bremen, School of Engineering and Science, Campus Ring 1, D-28759 Bremen, Germany
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Rovinskiy N, Agbleke AA, Chesnokova O, Pang Z, Higgins NP. Rates of gyrase supercoiling and transcription elongation control supercoil density in a bacterial chromosome. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002845. [PMID: 22916023 PMCID: PMC3420936 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Gyrase catalyzes negative supercoiling of DNA in an ATP-dependent reaction that helps condense bacterial chromosomes into a compact interwound "nucleoid." The supercoil density (σ) of prokaryotic DNA occurs in two forms. Diffusible supercoil density (σ(D)) moves freely around the chromosome in 10 kb domains, and constrained supercoil density (σ(C)) results from binding abundant proteins that bend, loop, or unwind DNA at many sites. Diffusible and constrained supercoils contribute roughly equally to the total in vivo negative supercoil density of WT cells, so σ = σ(C)+σ(D). Unexpectedly, Escherichia coli chromosomes have a 15% higher level of σ compared to Salmonella enterica. To decipher critical mechanisms that can change diffusible supercoil density of chromosomes, we analyzed strains of Salmonella using a 9 kb "supercoil sensor" inserted at ten positions around the genome. The sensor contains a complete Lac operon flanked by directly repeated resolvase binding sites, and the sensor can monitor both supercoil density and transcription elongation rates in WT and mutant strains. RNA transcription caused (-) supercoiling to increase upstream and decrease downstream of highly expressed genes. Excess upstream supercoiling was relaxed by Topo I, and gyrase replenished downstream supercoil losses to maintain an equilibrium state. Strains with TS gyrase mutations growing at permissive temperature exhibited significant supercoil losses varying from 30% of WT levels to a total loss of σ(D) at most chromosome locations. Supercoil losses were influenced by transcription because addition of rifampicin (Rif) caused supercoil density to rebound throughout the chromosome. Gyrase mutants that caused dramatic supercoil losses also reduced the transcription elongation rates throughout the genome. The observed link between RNA polymerase elongation speed and gyrase turnover suggests that bacteria with fast growth rates may generate higher supercoil densities than slow growing species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Rovinskiy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Andrews Akwasi Agbleke
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Olga Chesnokova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Zhenhua Pang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
- Cathay Industrial Biotech, Shanghai, China
| | - N. Patrick Higgins
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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50
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Abstract
The predominant protein-centric perspective in protein-DNA-binding studies assumes that the protein drives the interaction. Research focuses on protein structural motifs, electrostatic surfaces and contact potentials, while DNA is often ignored as a passive polymer to be manipulated. Recent studies of DNA topology, the supercoiling, knotting, and linking of the helices, have shown that DNA has the capability to be an active participant in its transactions. DNA topology-induced structural and geometric changes can drive, or at least strongly influence, the interactions between protein and DNA. Deformations of the B-form structure arise from both the considerable elastic energy arising from supercoiling and from the electrostatic energy. Here, we discuss how these energies are harnessed for topology-driven, sequence-specific deformations that can allow DNA to direct its own metabolism.
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