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Mallawaarachchi S, Tonkin-Hill G, Pöntinen A, Calland J, Gladstone R, Arredondo-Alonso S, MacAlasdair N, Thorpe H, Top J, Sheppard S, Balding D, Croucher N, Corander J. Detecting co-selection through excess linkage disequilibrium in bacterial genomes. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae061. [PMID: 38846349 PMCID: PMC11155488 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Population genomics has revolutionized our ability to study bacterial evolution by enabling data-driven discovery of the genetic architecture of trait variation. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have more recently become accompanied by genome-wide epistasis and co-selection (GWES) analysis, which offers a phenotype-free approach to generating hypotheses about selective processes that simultaneously impact multiple loci across the genome. However, existing GWES methods only consider associations between distant pairs of loci within the genome due to the strong impact of linkage-disequilibrium (LD) over short distances. Based on the general functional organisation of genomes it is nevertheless expected that majority of co-selection and epistasis will act within relatively short genomic proximity, on co-variation occurring within genes and their promoter regions, and within operons. Here, we introduce LDWeaver, which enables an exhaustive GWES across both short- and long-range LD, to disentangle likely neutral co-variation from selection. We demonstrate the ability of LDWeaver to efficiently generate hypotheses about co-selection using large genomic surveys of multiple major human bacterial pathogen species and validate several findings using functional annotation and phenotypic measurements. Our approach will facilitate the study of bacterial evolution in the light of rapidly expanding population genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Anna K Pöntinen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jessica K Calland
- Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | | - Harry A Thorpe
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Janetta Top
- Department of Medical Microbiology, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Samuel K Sheppard
- Ineos Oxford Institute of Antimicrobial Research, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Balding
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics, School of BioSciences and School of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Croucher
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Jukka Corander
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Helsinki Institute of Information Technology, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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2
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Johnson CN, Wilde S, Tuomanen E, Rosch JW. Convergent impact of vaccination and antibiotic pressures on pneumococcal populations. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:195-206. [PMID: 38052216 PMCID: PMC10938186 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a remarkably adaptable and successful human pathogen, playing dual roles of both asymptomatic carriage in the nasopharynx and invasive disease including pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis. Efficacious vaccines and effective antibiotic therapies are critical to mitigating morbidity and mortality. However, clinical interventions can be rapidly circumvented by the pneumococcus by its inherent proclivity for genetic exchange. This leads to an underappreciated interplay between vaccine and antibiotic pressures on pneumococcal populations. Circulating populations have undergone dramatic shifts due to the introduction of capsule-based vaccines of increasing valency imparting strong selective pressures. These alterations in population structure have concurrent consequences on the frequency of antibiotic resistance profiles in the population. This review will discuss the interactions of these two selective forces. Understanding and forecasting the drivers of antibiotic resistance and capsule switching are of critical importance for public health, particularly for such a genetically promiscuous pathogen as S. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cydney N Johnson
- Department of Host-Microbe Interactions, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Shyra Wilde
- Department of Host-Microbe Interactions, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Elaine Tuomanen
- Department of Host-Microbe Interactions, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
| | - Jason W Rosch
- Department of Host-Microbe Interactions, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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3
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Shi X, Patil S, Wang Q, Liu Z, Zhu C, Wang H, Chen Y, Li L, Yang L, Zheng Y, Dong S, Bao Y. Prevalence and resistance characteristics of multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from the respiratory tracts of hospitalized children in Shenzhen, China. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 13:1332472. [PMID: 38268793 PMCID: PMC10806184 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1332472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background PCV13 introduction in China has led to a significant reduction of vaccine serotype Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, non-vaccine serotypes with highly resistance and invasiveness were often reported in the post-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era and there was regional differences. Methods A total of 669 S. pneumoniae strains were collected from the respiratory tracts of hospitalized children at Shenzhen Children's Hospital in 2021 and 2022. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) characteristics were assessed through antibiotic susceptibility testing performed with the VITEK 2 compact system. AMR genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pbp1a, pbp2b, and pbp2x were identified via analysis of whole genome sequencing data. Statistical examination of the data was conducted employing chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results We found that non-vaccine serotypes strains had accounted for 46.6% of all the pneumococcal isolated strains. The most common non-vaccine serotype is 23A, with a prevalence rate of 8.9%, followed by 15A (6.6%), 6E (5.7%), 34 (3.2%), and 15B (2.9%). The multidrug resistance rates (MDR) of vaccine serotypes were 19F (99.36%), 19A (100%), 23F (98.08%), 6B (100%), and 6C (100%). Meanwhile, the MDR of non-vaccine serotypes were 15B (100.00%), 6E (100%), 15C (100%), 34 (95.24%), and 23A (98.31%). Resistance rates of 6E to more than six antibiotic classes reached 89.47%, which is similar to 19F (83.33%) and 19A (90%). Unique resistance profiles were also identified for non-vaccine serotypes, including significantly higher resistance to chloramphenicol in 6E, 15B, and 15C than in 19F and 19A. Furthermore, through genome sequencing, we revealed strong correlation of cat-TC with chloramphenicol resistance, patA/patB with tetracycline resistance, ermB and pmrA with erythromycin resistance. Conclusion The introduction of PCV13 into China from 2017 has led to a shift in the dominant composition of pneumococcal strains. There has been a notable rise and spread of multidrug-resistant non-vaccine serotypes among children. Specifically, the non-vaccine serotype 6E, which was not widely reported in China previously, has emerged. To comprehend the resistance mechanisms, it is crucial to further investigate the molecular and genetic characteristics of these non-vaccine serotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Shi
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Institute of Shenzhen Respiratory Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital (Shenzhen People’s Hospital), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Sandip Patil
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Qing Wang
- School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zihao Liu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Chunqin Zhu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Heping Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yunshen Chen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Liqiang Li
- Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Liang Yang
- Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuejie Zheng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Shaowei Dong
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanmin Bao
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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4
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Croucher NJ, Campo JJ, Le TQ, Pablo JV, Hung C, Teng AA, Turner C, Nosten F, Bentley SD, Liang X, Turner P, Goldblatt D. Genomic and panproteomic analysis of the development of infant immune responses to antigenically-diverse pneumococci. Nat Commun 2024; 15:355. [PMID: 38191887 PMCID: PMC10774285 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44584-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a nasopharyngeal commensal and respiratory pathogen. This study characterises the immunoglobulin G (IgG) repertoire recognising pneumococci from birth to 24 months old (mo) in a prospectively-sampled cohort of 63 children using a panproteome array. IgG levels are highest at birth, due to transplacental transmission of maternal antibodies. The subsequent emergence of responses to individual antigens exhibit distinct kinetics across the cohort. Stable differences in the strength of individuals' responses, correlating with maternal IgG concentrations, are established by 6 mo. By 12 mo, children develop unique antibody profiles that are boosted by re-exposure. However, some proteins only stimulate substantial responses in adults. Integrating genomic data on nasopharyngeal colonisation demonstrates rare pneumococcal antigens can elicit strong IgG levels post-exposure. Quantifying such responses to the diverse core loci (DCL) proteins is complicated by cross-immunity between variants. In particular, the conserved N terminus of DCL protein zinc metalloprotease B provokes the strongest early IgG responses. DCL proteins' ability to inhibit mucosal immunity likely explains continued pneumococcal carriage despite hosts' polyvalent antibody repertoire. Yet higher IgG levels are associated with reduced incidence, and severity, of pneumonia, demonstrating the importance of the heterogeneity in response strength and kinetics across antigens and individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Croucher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK.
| | - Joseph J Campo
- Antigen Discovery Inc, 1 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Timothy Q Le
- Antigen Discovery Inc, 1 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Jozelyn V Pablo
- Antigen Discovery Inc, 1 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Christopher Hung
- Antigen Discovery Inc, 1 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Andy A Teng
- Antigen Discovery Inc, 1 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Claudia Turner
- Cambodia Oxford Medical Research Unit, Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, 9V54+8FQ, Cambodia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - François Nosten
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, 63110, Thailand
| | - Stephen D Bentley
- Parasites & Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Xiaowu Liang
- Antigen Discovery Inc, 1 Technology Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA
| | - Paul Turner
- Cambodia Oxford Medical Research Unit, Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, 9V54+8FQ, Cambodia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - David Goldblatt
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
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Wu X, Alibayov B, Xiang X, Lattar SM, Sakai F, Medders AA, Antezana B, Keller L, Vidal AGJ, Tzeng YL, Robinson DA, Stephens D, Yu Y, Vidal JE. Ultrastructural, metabolic and genetic determinants of the acquisition of macrolide resistance by Streptococcus pneumoniae. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.27.573471. [PMID: 38234816 PMCID: PMC10793443 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.27.573471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Aim Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) acquires genes for macrolide resistance, MEGA or ermB, in the human host. These genes are carried either in the chromosome, or on integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). Here, we investigated molecular determinants of the acquisition of macrolide resistance. Methods and Results Whole genome analysis was conducted for 128 macrolide-resistant pneumococcal isolates to identify the presence of MEGA (44.5%, 57/128) or ermB (100%), and recombination events in Tn916-related elements or in the locus comCDE encoding competence genes. Confocal and electron microscopy studies demonstrated that, during the acquisition of macrolide resistance, pneumococcal strains formed clusters of varying size, with the largest aggregates having a median size of ~1600 μm2. Remarkably, these pneumococcal aggregates comprise both encapsulated and nonencapsulated pneumococci, exhibited physical interaction, and spanned extracellular and intracellular compartments. We assessed the recombination frequency (rF) for the acquisition of macrolide resistance by a recipient D39 strain, from pneumococcal strains carrying MEGA (~5.4 kb) in the chromone, or in large ICEs (>23 kb). Notably, the rF for the acquisition of MEGA, whether in the chromosome or carried on an ICE was similar. However, the rF adjusted to the acquisition of the full-length ICE (~52 kb), compared to that of the capsule locus (~23 kb) that is acquired by transformation, was three orders of magnitude higher. Finally, metabolomics studies revealed a link between the acquisition of ICE and the metabolic pathways involving nicotinic acid and sucrose. Conclusions Extracellular and intracellular pneumococcal clusters facilitate the acquisition of full-length ICE at a rF higher than that of typical transformation events, involving distinct metabolic changes that present potential targets for interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqing Wu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Babek Alibayov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson MS 39056, United States
| | - Xi Xiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua 321000, China
| | - Santiago M. Lattar
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, United States
| | - Fuminori Sakai
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, United States
| | - Austin A. Medders
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson MS 39056, United States
| | - Brenda Antezana
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, United States
| | - Lance Keller
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson MS 39056, United States
| | - Ana G. J. Vidal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson MS 39056, United States
| | - Yih-Ling Tzeng
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, United States
| | - D. Ashley Robinson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson MS 39056, United States
| | - David Stephens
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322, United States
| | - Yunsong Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Regional Medical Center for National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310052, China
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Bioinformatics of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310052, China
| | - Jorge E. Vidal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson MS 39056, United States
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Chen YY, Chi H, Liao WC, Li SW, Yang YC, Lin HC, Chang HP, Pan YJ, Chiang RL, Hsieh YC. Genomic analysis of penicillin-binding proteins and recombination events in an emerging amoxicillin- and meropenem-resistant PMEN3 (Spain 9V-3, ST156) variant in Taiwan and comparison with global descendants of this lineage. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0184023. [PMID: 37930013 PMCID: PMC10715136 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01840-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
From 2008 to 2020, the Taiwan National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System database demonstrated that the incidence of non-vaccine serotype 23A invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) approximately doubled. In this study, 276 non-repetitive pneumococcal clinical isolates were collected from two medical centers in Taiwan between 2019 and 2021. Of these 267 pneumococci, 60 were serotype 23A. Among them, 50 (83%) of serotype 23A isolates belonged to the sequence type (ST) 166 variant of the Spain9V-3 clone. Pneumococcal 23A-ST166 isolates were collected to assess their evolutionary relationships using whole-genome sequencing. All 23A-ST166 isolates were resistant to amoxicillin and meropenem, and 96% harbored a novel combination of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) (1a:2b:2x):15:11:299, the newly identified PBP2x-299 in Taiwan. Transformation of the pbp1a, pbp2b, and pbp2x alleles into the β-lactam-susceptible R6 strain revealed that PBP2x-299 and PBP2b-11 increased the MIC of ceftriaxone and meropenem by 16-fold, respectively. Prediction analysis of recombination sites in PMEN3 descendants (23A-ST166 in Taiwan, 35B-ST156 in the United States, and 11A-ST838/ST6521 in Europe) showed that adaptive evolution involved repeated, selectively favored convergent recombination in the capsular polysaccharide synthesis region, PBPs, murM, and folP genome sites. In the late 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era, PMEN3 continuously displayed an evolutionary capacity for global dissemination and persistence, increasing IPD incidence, leading to an offset in the decrease of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotype-related diseases, and contributing to high antibiotic resistance. A clonal shift with a highly β-lactam-resistant non-vaccine serotype 23A, from ST338 to ST166, increased in Taiwan. ST166 is a single-locus variant of the Spain9V-3 clone, which is also called the PMEN3 lineage. All 23A-ST166 isolates, in this study, were resistant to amoxicillin and meropenem, and 96% harbored a novel combination of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) (1a:2b:2x):15:11:299. PBP2x-299 and PBP2b-11 contributed to the increasing MIC of ceftriaxone and meropenem, respectively. Prediction analysis of recombination sites in PMEN3 descendants showed that adaptive evolution involved repeated, selectively favored convergent recombination in the capsular polysaccharide synthesis region, PBPs, murM, and folP genome sites. In the late 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era, PMEN3 continuously displays the evolutionary capacity for dissemination, leading to an offset in the decrease of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotype-related diseases and contributing to high antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Yin Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsin Chi
- Department of Medicine, MacKay Medicine College, New Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Children’s Hospital and MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chao Liao
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Shiao-Wen Li
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ching Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ho-Chen Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Pei Chang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Jiun Pan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Lin Chiang
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chia Hsieh
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children’s Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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7
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Kwun MJ, Ion AV, Oggioni MR, Bentley S, Croucher N. Diverse regulatory pathways modulate bet hedging of competence induction in epigenetically-differentiated phase variants of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:10375-10394. [PMID: 37757859 PMCID: PMC10602874 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite enabling Streptococcus pneumoniae to acquire antibiotic resistance and evade vaccine-induced immunity, transformation occurs at variable rates across pneumococci. Phase variants of isolate RMV7, distinguished by altered methylation patterns driven by the translocating variable restriction-modification (tvr) locus, differed significantly in their transformation efficiencies and biofilm thicknesses. These differences were replicated when the corresponding tvr alleles were introduced into an RMV7 derivative lacking the locus. RNA-seq identified differential expression of the type 1 pilus, causing the variation in biofilm formation, and inhibition of competence induction in the less transformable variant, RMV7domi. This was partly attributable to RMV7domi's lower expression of ManLMN, which promoted competence induction through importing N-acetylglucosamine. This effect was potentiated by analogues of some proteobacterial competence regulatory machinery. Additionally, one of RMV7domi's phage-related chromosomal island was relatively active, which inhibited transformation by increasing expression of the stress response proteins ClpP and HrcA. However, HrcA increased competence induction in the other variant, with its effects depending on Ca2+ supplementation and heat shock. Hence the heterogeneity in transformation efficiency likely reflects the diverse signalling pathways by which it is affected. This regulatory complexity will modulate population-wide responses to synchronising quorum sensing signals to produce co-ordinated yet stochastic bet hedging behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Jung Kwun
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Alexandru V Ion
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Marco R Oggioni
- Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Università di Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stephen D Bentley
- Parasites & Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Nicholas J Croucher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
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8
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Kobras CM, Monteith W, Somerville S, Delaney JM, Khan I, Brimble C, Corrigan RM, Sheppard SK, Fenton AK. Loss of Pde1 function acts as an evolutionary gateway to penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308029120. [PMID: 37796984 PMCID: PMC10576035 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308029120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen and rising resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin, is a significant threat to global public health. Mutations occurring in the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) can confer high-level penicillin resistance but other poorly understood genetic factors are also important. Here, we combined strictly controlled laboratory experiments and population analyses to identify a new penicillin resistance pathway that is independent of PBP modification. Initial laboratory selection experiments identified high-frequency pde1 mutations conferring S. pneumoniae penicillin resistance. The importance of variation at the pde1 locus was confirmed in natural and clinical populations in an analysis of >7,200 S. pneumoniae genomes. The pde1 mutations identified by these approaches reduce the hydrolytic activity of the Pde1 enzyme in bacterial cells and thereby elevate levels of cyclic-di-adenosine monophosphate and penicillin resistance. Our results reveal rapid de novo loss of function mutations in pde1 as an evolutionary gateway conferring low-level penicillin resistance. This relatively simple genomic change allows cells to persist in populations on an adaptive evolutionary pathway to acquire further genetic changes and high-level penicillin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin M. Kobras
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - William Monteith
- Department of Biology, Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 3SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Somerville
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - James M. Delaney
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Imran Khan
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Camilla Brimble
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca M. Corrigan
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel K. Sheppard
- Department of Biology, Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 3SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew K. Fenton
- School for Biosciences, Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions, University of Sheffield, SheffieldS10 2TN, United Kingdom
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9
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Horsfield ST, Tonkin-Hill G, Croucher NJ, Lees JA. Accurate and fast graph-based pangenome annotation and clustering with ggCaller. Genome Res 2023; 33:1622-1637. [PMID: 37620118 PMCID: PMC10620059 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277733.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial genomes differ in both gene content and sequence mutations, which underlie extensive phenotypic diversity, including variation in susceptibility to antimicrobials or vaccine-induced immunity. To identify and quantify important variants, all genes within a population must be predicted, functionally annotated, and clustered, representing the "pangenome." Despite the volume of genome data available, gene prediction and annotation are currently conducted in isolation on individual genomes, which is computationally inefficient and frequently inconsistent across genomes. Here, we introduce the open-source software graph-gene-caller (ggCaller). ggCaller combines gene prediction, functional annotation, and clustering into a single workflow using population-wide de Bruijn graphs, removing redundancy in gene annotation and resulting in more accurate gene predictions and orthologue clustering. We applied ggCaller to simulated and real-world bacterial data sets containing hundreds or thousands of genomes, comparing it to current state-of-the-art tools. ggCaller has considerable speed-ups with equivalent or greater accuracy, particularly with data sets containing complex sources of error, such as assembly contamination or fragmentation. ggCaller is also an important extension to bacterial genome-wide association studies, enabling querying of annotated graphs for functional analyses. We highlight this application by functionally annotating DNA sequences with significant associations to tetracycline and macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, identifying key resistance determinants that were missed when using only a single reference genome. ggCaller is a novel bacterial genome analysis tool with applications in bacterial evolution and epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T Horsfield
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom;
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
| | - Gerry Tonkin-Hill
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Blindern, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Nicholas J Croucher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - John A Lees
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
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10
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Kwun MJ, Ion AV, Cheng HC, D’Aeth JC, Dougan S, Oggioni MR, Goulding DA, Bentley SD, Croucher NJ. Post-vaccine epidemiology of serotype 3 pneumococci identifies transformation inhibition through prophage-driven alteration of a non-coding RNA. Genome Med 2022; 14:144. [PMID: 36539881 PMCID: PMC9764711 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-022-01147-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a genetically diverse bacterium associated with over 101 immunologically distinct polysaccharide capsules (serotypes). Polysaccharide conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have successfully eliminated multiple targeted serotypes, yet the mucoid serotype 3 has persisted despite its inclusion in PCV13. This capsule type is predominantly associated with a single globally disseminated strain, GPSC12 (clonal complex 180). METHODS A genomic epidemiology study combined previous surveillance datasets of serotype 3 pneumococci to analyse the population structure, dynamics, and differences in rates of diversification within GPSC12 during the period of PCV introductions. Transcriptomic analyses, whole genome sequencing, mutagenesis, and electron microscopy were used to characterise the phenotypic impact of loci hypothesised to affect this strain's evolution. RESULTS GPSC12 was split into clades by a genomic analysis. Clade I, the most common, rarely underwent transformation, but was typically infected with the prophage ϕOXC141. Prior to the introduction of PCV13, this clade's composition shifted towards a ϕOXC141-negative subpopulation in a systematically sampled UK collection. In the post-PCV13 era, more rapidly recombining non-Clade I isolates, also ϕOXC141-negative, have risen in prevalence. The low in vitro transformation efficiency of a Clade I isolate could not be fully explained by the ~100-fold reduction attributable to the serotype 3 capsule. Accordingly, prophage ϕOXC141 was found to modify csRNA3, a non-coding RNA that inhibits the induction of transformation. This alteration was identified in ~30% of all pneumococci and was particularly common in the unusually clonal serotype 1 GPSC2 strain. RNA-seq and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR experiments using a genetically tractable pneumococcus demonstrated the altered csRNA3 was more effective at inhibiting production of the competence-stimulating peptide pheromone. This resulted in a reduction in the induction of competence for transformation. CONCLUSION This interference with the quorum sensing needed to induce competence reduces the risk of the prophage being deleted by homologous recombination. Hence the selfish prophage-driven alteration of a regulatory RNA limits cell-cell communication and horizontal gene transfer, complicating the interpretation of post-vaccine population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Jung Kwun
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ UK
| | - Alexandru V. Ion
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ UK
| | - Hsueh-Chien Cheng
- grid.10306.340000 0004 0606 5382Parasites & Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Joshua C. D’Aeth
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ UK
| | - Sam Dougan
- grid.10306.340000 0004 0606 5382Parasites & Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Marco R. Oggioni
- grid.9918.90000 0004 1936 8411Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH UK ,grid.6292.f0000 0004 1757 1758Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Università di Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - David A. Goulding
- grid.10306.340000 0004 0606 5382Parasites & Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Stephen D. Bentley
- grid.10306.340000 0004 0606 5382Parasites & Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
| | - Nicholas J. Croucher
- grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ UK
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11
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González-Díaz A, Berbel D, Ercibengoa M, Cercenado E, Larrosa N, Quesada MD, Casabella A, Cubero M, Marimón JM, Domínguez MÁ, Carrera-Salinas A, Càmara J, Martín-Galiano AJ, Yuste J, Martí S, Ardanuy C. Genomic features of predominant non-PCV13 serotypes responsible for adult invasive pneumococcal disease in Spain. J Antimicrob Chemother 2022; 77:2389-2398. [PMID: 35815569 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkac199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) effectively prevent invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), serotype replacement has occurred. OBJECTIVES We studied the pangenome, antibiotic resistance mechanisms and presence of mobile elements in predominant non-PCV13 serotypes causing adult IPD after PCV13 vaccine introduction in Spain. METHODS We conducted a multicentre study comparing three periods in six Spanish hospitals and analysed through whole genome sequencing representative strains collected in the pre-PCV13, early-PCV13 and late-PCV13 periods. RESULTS Among 2197 cases of adult IPD identified, 110 pneumococci expressing non-PCV13 capsules were sequenced. Seven predominant serotypes accounted for 42.6% of IPD episodes in the late-PCV13 period: serotypes 8 (14.4%), 12F (7.5%), 9N (5.2%), 11A (4.1%), 22F (3.9%), 24F (3.9%) and 16F (3.6%). All predominant non-PCV13 serotypes were highly clonal, comprising one or two clonal complexes (CC). In general, CC538, CC4048, CC3016F, CC43322F and CC669N, related to predominant non-PCV13 serotypes, were antibiotic susceptible. CC15611A was associated with resistance to co-trimoxazole, penicillin and amoxicillin. CC23024F was non-susceptible to penicillin and resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline. Six composite transposon structures of the Tn5252-family were found in CC23024F, CC98912F and CC3016F carrying different combinations of erm(B), tet(M), and cat. Pangenome analysis revealed differences in accessory genomes among the different CC, with most variety in CC3016F (23.9%) and more conservation in CC15611A (8.5%). CONCLUSIONS We identified highly clonal predominant serotypes responsible for IPD in adults. The detection of not only conjugative elements carrying resistance determinants but also clones previously associated with vaccine serotypes (CC15611A and CC23024F) highlights the importance of the accessory genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida González-Díaz
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Dàmaris Berbel
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Ercibengoa
- Biodonostia, Infectious Diseases Area, Respiratory Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance Group, Osakidetza Basque Health, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Emilia Cercenado
- Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Department, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nieves Larrosa
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, UAB, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mª Dolores Quesada
- Research Network for Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Casabella
- Microbiology Department, Clinical Laboratory North Metropolitan Area, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, UAB, Badalona, Spain
| | - Meritxell Cubero
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - José María Marimón
- Biodonostia, Infectious Diseases Area, Respiratory Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance Group, Osakidetza Basque Health, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - M Ángeles Domínguez
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain
| | - Anna Carrera-Salinas
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Càmara
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio J Martín-Galiano
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Yuste
- Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Intrahospital Infections Laboratory, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Sara Martí
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Ardanuy
- Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, IDIBELL-UB, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Research Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Microbiology Department, Hospital Universitari Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain
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12
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Vitamin K3 inhibits FtsZ assembly, disrupts the Z-ring in Streptococcus pneumoniae, and displays anti-pneumococcal activity. Biochem J 2022; 479:1543-1558. [PMID: 35789252 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20220077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The respiratory pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae has acquired multiple-drug resistance over the years. An attractive strategy to combat pneumococcal infection is to target cell division to inhibit the proliferation of S. pneumoniae. This work presents Vitamin K3 as a potential anti-pneumococcal drug that targets FtsZ, the master coordinator of bacterial cell division. Vitamin K3 strongly inhibited S. pneumoniae proliferation with a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and a Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of 6 μg/mL. Vitamin K3 disrupted the Z-ring localization in both S. pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis within 30 minutes of treatment, while the membrane integrity and nucleoid segregation remain unchanged. Several complementary experiments showed that Vitamin K3 inhibits the assembly of purified S. pneumoniae FtsZ (SpnFtsZ) and induces conformational changes in the protein. Interestingly, Vitamin K3 interfered with GTP-binding onto FtsZ and increased the GTPase activity of FtsZ polymers. The intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of SpnFtsZ revealed that Vitamin K3 delays the nucleation of FtsZ polymers and reduces the rate of polymerization. In the presence of a non-hydrolyzable analog of GTP, Vitamin K3 did not show inhibition of FtsZ polymerization. These results indicated that Vitamin K3 induces conformational changes in FtsZ that increase GTP hydrolysis and thereby, destabilize the FtsZ polymers. Together, our data provide evidence that Vitamin K3 derives its potent anti-pneumococcal activity by inhibiting FtsZ assembly.
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13
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Løchen A, Truscott JE, Croucher NJ. Analysing pneumococcal invasiveness using Bayesian models of pathogen progression rates. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009389. [PMID: 35176026 PMCID: PMC8901055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The disease burden attributable to opportunistic pathogens depends on their prevalence in asymptomatic colonisation and the rate at which they progress to cause symptomatic disease. Increases in infections caused by commensals can result from the emergence of "hyperinvasive" strains. Such pathogens can be identified through quantifying progression rates using matched samples of typed microbes from disease cases and healthy carriers. This study describes Bayesian models for analysing such datasets, implemented in an RStan package (https://github.com/nickjcroucher/progressionEstimation). The models converged on stable fits that accurately reproduced observations from meta-analyses of Streptococcus pneumoniae datasets. The estimates of invasiveness, the progression rate from carriage to invasive disease, in cases per carrier per year correlated strongly with the dimensionless values from meta-analysis of odds ratios when sample sizes were large. At smaller sample sizes, the Bayesian models produced more informative estimates. This identified historically rare but high-risk S. pneumoniae serotypes that could be problematic following vaccine-associated disruption of the bacterial population. The package allows for hypothesis testing through model comparisons with Bayes factors. Application to datasets in which strain and serotype information were available for S. pneumoniae found significant evidence for within-strain and within-serotype variation in invasiveness. The heterogeneous geographical distribution of these genotypes is therefore likely to contribute to differences in the impact of vaccination in between locations. Hence genomic surveillance of opportunistic pathogens is crucial for quantifying the effectiveness of public health interventions, and enabling ongoing meta-analyses that can identify new, highly invasive variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Løchen
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, St. Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James E. Truscott
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, St. Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J. Croucher
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, St. Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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14
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Abstract
In recognition that evolutionary theory is critical for understanding modern human health, eLife is publishing a special issue on evolutionary medicine to showcase recent research in this growing and increasingly interdisciplinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- George H Perry
- Departments of Anthropology and Biology, and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, United States
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