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Díaz-Rullo J, González-Pastor JE. tRNA queuosine modification is involved in biofilm formation and virulence in bacteria. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:9821-9837. [PMID: 37638766 PMCID: PMC10570037 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
tRNA modifications are crucial for fine-tuning of protein translation. Queuosine (Q) modification of tRNAs is thought to modulate the translation rate of NAU codons, but its physiological role remains elusive. Therefore, we hypothesize that Q-tRNAs control those physiological processes involving NAU codon-enriched genes (Q-genes). Here, we report a novel bioinformatic strategy to predict Q-genes, revealing a widespread enrichment in functions, especially those related to biofilm formation and virulence in bacteria, and particularly in human pathogens. Indeed, we experimentally verified that these processes were significantly affected by altering the degree of tRNA Q-modification in different model bacteria, representing the first report of a general mechanism controlling biofilm formation and virulence in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria possibly through the coordination of the expression of functionally related genes. Furthermore, we propose that changes in Q availability in a microbiome would affect its functionality. Our findings open the door to the control of bacterial infections and biofilm formation by inhibition of tRNA Q-modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Díaz-Rullo
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz 28850, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Eduardo González-Pastor
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Carretera de Ajalvir km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz 28850, Madrid, Spain
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Díaz-Rullo J, Rodríguez-Valdecantos G, Torres-Rojas F, Cid L, Vargas IT, González B, González-Pastor JE. Mining for Perchlorate Resistance Genes in Microorganisms From Sediments of a Hypersaline Pond in Atacama Desert, Chile. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:723874. [PMID: 34367123 PMCID: PMC8343002 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.723874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Perchlorate is an oxidative pollutant toxic to most of terrestrial life by promoting denaturation of macromolecules, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. However, several microorganisms, especially hyperhalophiles, are able to tolerate high levels of this compound. Furthermore, relatively high quantities of perchlorate salts were detected on the Martian surface, and due to its strong hygroscopicity and its ability to substantially decrease the freezing point of water, perchlorate is thought to increase the availability of liquid brine water in hyper-arid and cold environments, such as the Martian regolith. Therefore, perchlorate has been proposed as a compound worth studying to better understanding the habitability of the Martian surface. In the present work, to study the molecular mechanisms of perchlorate resistance, a functional metagenomic approach was used, and for that, a small-insert library was constructed with DNA isolated from microorganisms exposed to perchlorate in sediments of a hypersaline pond in the Atacama Desert, Chile (Salar de Maricunga), one of the regions with the highest levels of perchlorate on Earth. The metagenomic library was hosted in Escherichia coli DH10B strain and exposed to sodium perchlorate. This technique allowed the identification of nine perchlorate-resistant clones and their environmental DNA fragments were sequenced. A total of seventeen ORFs were predicted, individually cloned, and nine of them increased perchlorate resistance when expressed in E. coli DH10B cells. These genes encoded hypothetical conserved proteins of unknown functions and proteins similar to other not previously reported to be involved in perchlorate resistance that were related to different cellular processes such as RNA processing, tRNA modification, DNA protection and repair, metabolism, and protein degradation. Furthermore, these genes also conferred resistance to UV-radiation, 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO) and/or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), other stress conditions that induce oxidative stress, and damage in proteins and nucleic acids. Therefore, the novel genes identified will help us to better understand the molecular strategies of microorganisms to survive in the presence of perchlorate and may be used in Mars exploration for creating perchlorate-resistance strains interesting for developing Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) based on in situ resource utilization (ISRU).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Díaz-Rullo
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Polytechnic School, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Gustavo Rodríguez-Valdecantos
- Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Torres-Rojas
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis Cid
- Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ignacio T. Vargas
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable (CEDEUS), Santiago, Chile
| | - Bernardo González
- Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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