Comparative genomics of Mycoplasma feriruminatoris, a fast-growing pathogen of wild Caprinae

Mycoplasma feriruminatoris is a fast-growing Mycoplasma species isolated from wild Caprinae and first described in 2013. M. feriruminatoris isolates have been associated with arthritis, kerato conjunctivitis, pneumonia and septicemia, but were also recovered from apparently healthy animals. To better understand what defines this species, we performed a genomic survey on 14 strains collected from free-ranging or zoo-housed animals between 1987 and 2017, mostly in Europe. The average chromosome size of the M. feriruminatoris strains was 1,040±0,024 kbp, with 24 % G+C and 852±31 CDS. The core genome and pan-genome of the M. feriruminatoris species contained 628 and 1312 protein families, respectively. The M. feriruminatoris strains displayed a relatively closed pan-genome, with many features and putative virulence factors shared with species from the M. mycoides cluster, including the MIB-MIP Ig cleavage system, a repertoire of DUF285 surface proteins and a complete biosynthetic pathway for galactan. M. feriruminatoris genomes were found to be mostly syntenic, although repertoires of mobile genetic elements, including Mycoplasma Integrative and Conjugative Elements, insertion sequences, and a single plasmid varied. Phylogenetic- and gene content analyses confirmed that M. feriruminatoris was closer to the M. mycoides cluster than to the ruminant species M. yeatsii and M. putrefaciens. Ancestral genome reconstruction showed that the emergence of the M. feriruminatoris species was associated with the gain of 17 gene families, some of which encode defence enzymes and surface proteins, and the loss of 25 others, some of which are involved in sugar transport and metabolism. This comparative study suggests that the M. mycoides cluster could be extended to include M. feriruminatoris. We also find evidence that the specific organization and structure of the DnaA boxes around the oriC of M. feriruminatoris may contribute to drive the remarkable fast growth of this minimal bacterium.

The Mycoplasma spp. ‘Releasome’: A New Concept for a Long-Known Phenomenon

The bacterial secretome comprises polypeptides expressed at the cell surface or released into the extracellular environment as well as the corresponding secretion machineries. Despite their reduced coding capacities, Mycoplasma spp. are able to produce and release several components into their environment, including polypeptides, exopolysaccharides and extracellular vesicles. Technical difficulties in purifying these elements from the complex broth media used to grow mycoplasmas have recently been overcome by optimizing growth conditions and switching to chemically defined culture media. However, the secretion pathways responsible for the release of these structurally varied elements are still poorly described in mycoplasmas. We propose the use of the term ‘releasome,’ instead of secretome, to refer to molecules released by mycoplasmas into their environment. The aim of this review is to more precisely delineate the elements that should be considered part of the mycoplasmal releasome and their role in the interplay of mycoplasmas with host cells and tissues.

Efflux Might Participate in Decreased Susceptibility to Oxytetracycline in Contagious Agalactia-Causative Mycoplasma spp

Contagious agalactia is associated with mastitis, keratoconjunctivitis, arthritis, pneumonia, and septicemia in small ruminants in countries with large dairy industries worldwide. The causative agents belong to four (sub)species of the Mycoplasma genus that have remained essentially susceptible to antimicrobials, including to the widely-used tetracycline family. However, some clinical isolates have been detected that show increased minimum inhibitory concentrations of tetracyclines, although they do not harbor the mutation in the 16SrRNA gene usually associated with resistance. The present work aimed to assess whether efflux pumps, infrequently described in mycoplasmas, could participate in the observed moderate loss of susceptibility. General efflux mechanisms were measured (i) using the fluorescence property of ethidium bromide when accumulated intracellularly and intercalated in the mycoplasma genomes, its active extrusion resulting in a temperature-dependent decrease in fluorescence and (ii) monitoring the growth inhibition of mycoplasmas by subinhibitory concentrations of tetracycline with or without reserpine, a known inhibitor of efflux in other bacteria. Both methods revealed non-specific efflux phenomena in most of the isolates tested, although their efficacy was difficult to quantify. This property could contribute to the acquisition of mutations conferring resistance by maintaining intracellular concentrations of tetracyclines at subinhibitory levels.

A European inter-laboratory trial to evaluate the performance of three serological methods for diagnosis of Mycoplasma bovis infection in cattle using latent class analysis

Background

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is an emerging bovine pathogen, leading to significant economic losses in the livestock industry worldwide. Infection can result in a variety of clinical signs, such as arthritis, pneumonia, mastitis and keratoconjunctivitis, none of which are M. bovis-specific. Laboratory diagnosis is therefore important. Serological tests to detect M. bovis antibodies is considered an effective indicator of infection in a herd and often used as a herd test. Combined with clinical judgement, it can also be used to implement control strategies and/or to estimate the disease prevalence within a country. However, due to lack of harmonisation of approaches to testing, and serological tests used by different laboratories, comparisons of prevalence data between countries is often difficult. A network of researchers from six European countries designed and participated in an inter-laboratory trial, with the aim of evaluating the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of two commercially available ELISA tests (ID Screen® ELISA (IDvet) and BIO K302 ELISA (BIO-X Diagnostics)) for diagnosis of M. bovis infection. Each laboratory received a blinded panel of bovine sera and tested independently, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Western blot analyses (WB) performed by one of the participating laboratories was used as a third diagnostic test in the statistical evaluation of Se and Sp values using latent class analysis.

Results

The Se of WB, the ID Screen® ELISA and the BIO K302 ELISA were determined to be 91.8, 93.5 and 49.1% respectively, and corresponding Sp of the three tests were 99.6, 98.6 and 89.6%, respectively.

Conclusions

The present study is, to our knowledge, the first to present an inter-laboratory comparison of the BIO K302 ELISA and the ID Screen® ELISA. Based on our results, the ID Screen® ELISA showed high consistency with WB and performed with higher precision and accuracy than the BIO K302 ELISA.

Mycoplasmas are no exception to extracellular vesicles release: Revisiting old concepts

Release of extracellular vesicles (EV) by Gram-negative and positive bacteria is being frequently reported. EV are nano-sized, membrane-derived, non-self-replicating, spherical structures shed into the extracellular environment that could play a role in bacteria-host interactions. Evidence of EV production in bacteria belonging to the class Mollicutes, which are wall-less, is mainly restricted to the genus Acholeplasma and is scanty for the Mycoplasma genus that comprises major human and animal pathogens. Here EV release by six Mycoplasma (sub)species of clinical importance was investigated. EV were obtained under nutritional stress conditions, purified by ultracentrifugation and observed by electron microscopy. The membrane proteins of EV from three different species were further identified by mass spectrometry as a preliminary approach to determining their potential role in host-pathogen interactions. EV were shown to be released by all six (sub)species although their quantities and sizes (30-220 nm) were very variable. EV purification was complicated by the minute size of viable mycoplasmal cells. The proteins of EV-membranes from three (sub)species included major components of host-pathogen interactions, suggesting that EV could contribute to make the host-pathogen interplay more complex. The process behind EV release has yet to be deciphered, although several observations demonstrated their active release from the plasma membrane of living cells. This work shed new light on old concepts of "elementary bodies" and "not-cell bound antigens".

Identification and Characterization of Mycoplasma feriruminatoris sp. nov. Strains Isolated from Alpine Ibex: A 4th Species in the Mycoplasma mycoides Cluster Hosted by Non-domesticated Ruminants?

The genus Mycoplasma, a group of free-living, wall-less prokaryotes includes more than 100 species of which dozens are primary pathogens of humans and domesticated animals. Mycoplasma species isolated from wildlife are rarely investigated but could provide a fuller picture of the evolutionary history and diversity of this genus. In 2013 several isolates from wild Caprinae were tentatively assigned to a new species, Mycoplasma (M.) feriruminatoris sp. nov., characterized by an unusually rapid growth in vitro and close genetic proximity to ruminant pathogenic species. We suspected that atypical isolates recently collected from Alpine ibex in France belonged to this new species. The present study was undertaken to verify this hypothesis and to further characterize the French ibex isolates. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to identify the isolates and position them in trees containing several other mycoplasma species pathogenic to domesticated ruminants. Population diversity was characterized by genomic macrorestriction and by examining the capacity of different strains to produce capsular polysaccharides, a feature now known to vary amongst mycoplasma species pathogenic to ruminants. This is the first report of M. feriruminatoris isolation from Alpine ibex in France. Phylogenetic analyses further suggested that M. feriruminatoris might constitute a 4th species in a genetic cluster that so far contains only important ruminant pathogens, the so-called Mycoplasma mycoides cluster. A PCR assay for specific identification is proposed. These French isolates were not clonal, despite being collected in a restricted region of the Alps, which signifies a considerable diversity of the new species. Strains were able to concomitantly produce two types of capsular polysaccharides, β-(1→6)-galactan and β-(1→6)-glucan, with variation in their respective ratio, a feature never before described in mycoplasmas.

Comparison of in vivo and in vitro properties of capsulated and noncapsulated variants of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides strain Afadé: a potential new insight into the biology of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) strain Afadé had previously been shown to undergo spontaneous phase variations between an opaque capsulated variant and a translucent (TR) variant devoid of a capsule but able to secrete cell-free exopolysaccharides. This phase variation is associated with an ON/OFF genetic switch in a glucose permease gene. In this study, in vivo and in vitro assays were conducted to compare the virulence of the two variants and their abilities to resist host defence. Capsulated variants were shown, in a mouse model, to induce longer bacteraemia that was correlated with better serum resistance in vitro. In contrast, TR variants displayed better ability to adhere to an inert support, linked to the absence of a capsule, changes in cell surface hydrophobicity and increased resistance to antimicrobial peptide and hydrogen peroxide. The switch from one variant population to another, which was observed both in vivo and in vitro under stress conditions, is further discussed as a means for Mmm to modulate its interactions with animal hosts during different stages of the disease.

Comparative assessment of two commonly used commercial ELISA tests for the serological diagnosis of contagious agalactia of small ruminants caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae

Background

Contagious agalactia (CA) of sheep and goats caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae is a widely occurring economically important disease that is difficult to control. The ELISA is commonly used for the serological detection of CA but it has some limitations and the performance of the available tests have not been properly evaluated.

Two commercial ELISA kits are widely used, one involving a fusion protein as target antigen and the other a total antigen. The objectives were to compare these tests by evaluating:

i. Their diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, the relevance of the recommended cut-off points, the correlation between the two tests, and, the correlation between serology data and the milk shedding of M. agalatiae;

ii. The influence of extrinsic factors such as the targeted animal species, geographical origin of the samples, intra-specific variability of M. agalactiae and concurrent mycoplasma infections.

A sample of 5900 animals from 211 farms with continuous CA monitoring for 20 years and no prior vaccination history was used. The infection status was known from prior bacteriological, epidemiological and serological monitoring with a complementary immunoblotting test.

Results

The average diagnostic sensitivity was 56% [51.8–59.8] for the fusion protein ELISA and 84% [81.3–87.2] for the total antigen ELISA, with noteworthy flock-related variations. The average diagnostic specificity for the fusion protein ELISA was 100% [99.9–100], and for the total antigen ELISA differed significantly between goats and sheep: 99.3% [97.4–99.9] and 95.7% [93.8–97.2] respectively.

Experimental inoculations with different M. agalactiae strains revealed that the ELISA kits poorly detected the antibody response to certain strains. Furthermore, test performances varied according to the host species or geographical origin of the samples.

Finally, the correlation between milk shedding of M. agalactiae and the presence of detectable antibodies in the blood was poor.

Conclusions

These serological tests are not interchangeable. The choice of a test will depend on the objectives (early detection of infection or disease control program), on the prevalence of infection and the control protocol used. Given the variety of factors that may influence performance, a preliminary assessment of the test in a given situation is recommended prior to widespread use.

Extended surveillance for CBPP in a free country: Challenges and solutions regarding the potential caprine reservoir

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a severe respiratory disease of cattle and buffalo caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides "Small Colony" (MmmSC). The agent of CBPP has been isolated from goats in different countries including CBPP-free areas. Goats can therefore be regarded as a putative MmmSC reservoir. No diagnostic test for CBPP surveillance in goats has been proposed as yet. Furthermore, serological tests could be seriously hampered by a widespread caprine infection due to the subspecies M. mycoides subsp. capri (Mmc), which is antigenically very close to MmmSC and displays high levels of genetic variability. A competition ELISA (cELISA) is currently used to screen for CBPP in cattle at the herd level in infected areas. The aim of this study was to see if the same cELISA would be specific enough to be used to screen goats despite the potential concomitant infection with Mmc. The cELISA titers of goats from Mmc-infected and non-infected herds were comparable and negative using the accepted cutoff for bovine sera. In contrast, seroconversion was observed in goats experimentally inoculated with an Mmc strain that cross-reacted with a monoclonal antibody targeting the same epitope as that used in cELISA. The probability of such false positivity occurring under field conditions is very low since Mmc strains with such an atypical antigenic profile emerge only rarely as a result of random nucleotide variation of the epitope-coding region. In conclusion, the commercially available cELISA can be considered specific enough to be used as a primary test to monitor passage of the CBPP agent in goats, but its sensitivity in goats requires further investigation.

Partial chromosome sequence of Spiroplasma citri reveals extensive viral invasion and important gene decay

The assembly of 20,000 sequencing reads obtained from shotgun and chromosome-specific libraries of the Spiroplasma citri genome yielded 77 chromosomal contigs totaling 1,674 kbp (92%) of the 1,820-kbp chromosome. The largest chromosomal contigs were positioned on the physical and genetic maps constructed from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern blot hybridizations. Thirty-eight contigs were annotated, resulting in 1,908 predicted coding sequences (CDS) representing an overall coding density of only 74%. Cellular processes, cell metabolism, and structural-element CDS account for 29% of the coding capacity, CDS of external origin such as viruses and mobile elements account for 24% of the coding capacity, and CDS of unknown function account for 47% of the coding capacity. Among these, 21% of the CDS group into 63 paralog families. The organization of these paralogs into conserved blocks suggests that they represent potential mobile units. Phage-related sequences were particularly abundant and include plectrovirus SpV1 and SVGII3 and lambda-like SpV2 sequences. Sixty-nine copies of transposases belonging to four insertion sequence (IS) families (IS30, IS481, IS3, and ISNCY) were detected. Similarity analyses showed that 21% of chromosomal CDS were truncated compared to their bacterial orthologs. Transmembrane domains, including signal peptides, were predicted for 599 CDS, of which 58 were putative lipoproteins. S. citri has a Sec-dependent protein export pathway. Eighty-four CDS were assigned to transport, such as phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase systems (PTS), the ATP binding cassette (ABC), and other transporters. Besides glycolytic and ATP synthesis pathways, it is noteworthy that S. citri possesses a nearly complete pathway for the biosynthesis of a terpenoid.

Epidemiological surveillance of mycoplasmas belonging to the 'Mycoplasma mycoides' cluster: is DGGE fingerprinting of 16S rRNA genes suitable?

AIMS

The analysis by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of the PCR-amplified V3 region of 16S rRNA gene was previously shown to detect and differentiate a large number of human and animal mycoplasmas. In this study, we further assessed the suitability of the technique for epidemiological surveillance of mycoplasmas belonging to the 'Mycoplasma mycoides' cluster, a phylogenetic group that includes major ruminant pathogens.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The V3 region of 16S rRNA genes from approx. 50 field strains was amplified and analysed by DGGE. Detection and identification results were compared with the ones obtained by antigenic testing and sequence analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The DGGE technique is robust and valuable as a first-line test, but the patterns obtained for strains belonging to the 'M. mycoides' cluster were too variable within a taxon and in contrast too conserved between taxa to allow an unequivocal identification of isolates without further analysis.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Issues raised by the quest for a single universal test able to detect and identify any mycoplasma in one clinical sample are thoroughly documented.

A PCR for the detection of mycoplasmas belonging to the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster: application to the diagnosis of contagious agalactia

Contagious agalactia is a mycoplasmal infection caused by Mycoplasma agalactiae, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC, M. mycoides subsp. capri, Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum and Mycoplasma putrefaciens. Identification of the causative organisms is usually performed by isolation and classical biochemical and serological tests, though this is a lengthy and cumbersome process for mycoplasmas. Specific PCR assays have been developed for the identification of Mycoplasma agalactiae and M. putrefaciens. For members of the M. mycoides cluster existing PCR tests are based on the amplification of highly conserved genes coding for ribosomal proteins, hence a possibility of cross-reactions. The gene glk, coding for a glucokinase, that is found in this cluster is very distantly related to any other bacterial glucokinase described so far. It was therefore chosen as target to design a new PCR test. The validation was performed independently in three laboratories in France and India using over 100 mycoplasma strains of various geographical origins. All strains belonging to the M. mycoides cluster were detected by amplification of the expected PCR product (428 bp) while no amplification was obtained from M. agalactiae strains. Our results demonstrate the universality of this PCR in spite of the great heterogeneity found within this cluster. This new tool may be of great help for the implementation of control measures directed towards contagious agalactia.

Disruption of Xylella fastidiosa CVC gumB and gumF genes affects biofilm formation without a detectable influence on exopolysaccharide production

Xylella fastidiosa causes citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC), a destructive disease of citrus. Xylella fastidiosa forms a biofilm inside plants and insect vectors. Biofilms are complex structures involving X. fastidiosa cells and an extracellular matrix which blocks water and nutrient transport in diseased plants. It is hypothesized that the matrix might be composed of an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS), coded by a cluster of nine genes closely related to the xanthan gum operon of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. To understand the role of X. fastidiosa gum genes on biofilm formation and EPS biosynthesis, we produced gumB and gumF mutants. Xylella fastidiosa mutants were obtained by insertional duplication mutagenesis and recovered after triply cloning the cells. Xylella fastidiosa gumB and gumF mutants exhibited normal cell characteristics; typical colony morphology and EPS biosynthesis were not altered. It was of note that X. fastidiosa mutants showed a reduced capacity to form biofilm when BCYE was used as the sustaining medium, a difference not observed with PW medium. Unlike X. campestris pv. campestris, the expression of the X. fastidiosa gumB or gumF genes was not regulated by glucose.

Variability of a glucose phosphotransferase system permease in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Small Colony

Intraclonal antigenic variation in pathogenic mycoplasma species is considered an important feature of host-pathogen interaction. Such intraclonal protein variation was observed for the interaction of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Small Colony, the agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, with mAb 3F3. Colony immunostaining allows the definition of 3F3 ON- and 3F3 OFF-type variants, which revert at low frequency. Targets of mAb 3F3 were shown to be surface located, and resided on multiple polypeptides in the 58-68 kDa size range. Phage display and a genomic database were combined to determine the gene encoding the proteins recognized by mAb 3F3. A gene encoding the putative permease of the glucose phosphotransferase system was identified. Genome sequence analysis of strain PG1 revealed two highly similar copies of this gene, resulting from duplication of the chromosomal region carrying the gene. Southern blot analysis demonstrated the presence of this duplication in almost every African strain tested, but not in European strains. DNA analysis revealed that ON/OFF switching is governed by a base substitution occurring upstream of the coding region for the 3F3 epitope. This event generates a stop codon that results in the premature termination of the PtsG protein.

Gene disruption by homologous recombination in the Xylella fastidiosa citrus variegated chlorosis strain

Mutagenesis by homologous recombination was evaluated in Xylella fastidiosa by using the bga gene, coding for beta-galactosidase, as a model. Integration of replicative plasmids by homologous recombination between the cloned truncated copy of bga and the endogenous gene was produced by one or two crossover events leading to beta-galactosidase mutants. A promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene was used to monitor the expression of the target gene and to select a cvaB mutant.

Mycoplasmas, plants, insect vectors: a matrimonial triangle

Plant pathogenic mycoplasmas were discovered by electron microscopy, in 1967, long after the discovery and culture in 1898 of the first pathogenic mycoplasma of animal origin, Mycoplasma mycoides. Mycoplasmas are Eubacteria of the class Mollicutes, a group of organisms phylogenetically related to Gram-positive bacteria. Their more characteristic features reside in the small size of their genomes, the low guanine (G) plus cytosine (C) content of their genomic DNA and the lack of a cell wall. Plant pathogenic mycoplasmas are responsible for several hundred diseases and belong to two groups: the phytoplasmas and the spiroplasmas. The phytoplasmas (previously called MLOs, for mycoplasma like organisms) were discovered first; they are pleiomorphic, and have so far resisted in vitro cultivation. Phytoplasmas represent the largest group of plant pathogenic Mollicutes. Only three plant pathogenic spiroplasmas are known today. Spiroplasma citri, the agent of citrus stubborn was discovered and cultured in 1970 and shown to be helical and motile. S. kunkelii is the causal agent of corn stunt. S. phoeniceum, responsible for periwinkle yellows, was discovered in Syria. There are many other spiroplasmas associated with insects and ticks. Plant pathogenic mycoplasmas are restricted to the phloem sieve tubes in which circulates the photosynthetically-enriched sap, the food for many phloem-feeding insects (aphids, leafhoppers, psyllids, etc.). Interestingly, phytopathogenic mycoplasmas are very specifically transmitted by leafhoppers or psyllid species. In this paper, the most recent knowledge on phytopathogenic mycoplasmas in relation with their insect and plant habitats is presented as well as the experiments carried out to control plant mycoplasma diseases, by expression of mycoplasma-directed-antibodies in plants (plantibodies).

Characterization of FruR as a putative activator of the fructose operon of Spiroplasma citri

The role of fruR, the first gene of the Spiroplasma citri fructose operon, was investigated. In vivo transcription of the fructose operon is greatly enhanced by the presence of fructose in the growth medium while glucose has no effect. When fruR is not expressed, transcription of the fructose operon is not stimulated by fructose, and fructose fermentation is decreased, indicating that FruR is an activator of the fructose operon. The promoter of the fructose operon was localized by primer extension, and a direct T-rich repeat was found to overlap the -35 box. This repeat could be the binding site of FruR. The presence of fructose in the culture medium also decreases the toxicity of methyl alpha-glucoside, however FruR is not involved in this regulation. This is the first description of transcription regulation of a mollicute operon.

Fructose utilization and phytopathogenicity of Spiroplasma citri

Spiroplasma citri is a plant-pathogenic mollicute. Recently, the so-called nonphytopathogenic S. citri mutant GMT 553 was obtained by insertion of transposon Tn4001 into the first gene of the fructose operon. Additional fructose operon mutants were produced either by gene disruption or selection of spontaneous xylitol-resistant strains. The behavior of these spiroplasma mutants in the periwinkle plants has been studied. Plants infected via leafhoppers with the wild-type strain GII-3 began to show symptoms during the first week following the insect-transmission period, and the symptoms rapidly became severe. With the fructose operon mutants, symptoms appeared only during the fourth week and remained mild, except when reversion to a fructose+ phenotype occurred. In this case, the fructose+ revertants quickly overtook the fructose- mutants and the symptoms soon became severe. When mutant GMT 553 was complemented with the fructose operon genes that restore fructose utilization, severe pathogenicity, similar to that of the wild-type strain, was also restored. Finally, plants infected with the wild-type strain and grown at 23 degrees C instead of 30 degrees C showed late symptoms, but these rapidly became severe. These results are discussed in light of the role of fructose in plants. Fructose utilization by the spiroplasmas could impair sucrose loading into the sieve tubes by the companion cells and result in accumulation of carbohydrates in source leaves and depletion of carbon sources in sink tissues.

Fructose operon mutants of Spiroplasma citri

Fructose-negative mutants of Spiroplasma citri wild-type strain GII-3 were selected by two methods. The first method is based on the selection of spontaneous xylitol-resistant mutants, xylitol being a toxic fructose analogue. Five such mutants were obtained, but only one, xyl3, was unable to use fructose and had no phosphoenolpuryvate:fructose phosphotransferase system (fructose-PTS) activity. Amplification and sequencing of the fructose permease gene of mutant xyl3 revealed the presence of an adenylic insertion leading to a truncated permease. The second method is based on inactivation of fruA and/or fruK by homologous recombination involving one crossing-over between the chromosomal genes and inactivated genes carried by replicative plasmids. Fructose-negative mutants were obtained at a frequency of about 10%. Fructose-PTS activity and 1-phosphofructokinase activity were not detected in four representative mutants that were characterized (H31, H45, E38 and E53). In strain H31, Southern blot analysis and PCR showed that the result of homologous recombination was, as expected, the presence in the chromosome of two mutated fruA-fruK copies with the plasmid sequence in between. Only the mutated copy, under control of the fructose operon promoter, was transcribed. This work describes for the first time the use of two methods to obtain fructose-auxotrophic mutants of S. citri. The method involving homologous recombination is a general procedure for gene disruption in S. citri.

Fructose utilization and pathogenicity of Spiroplasma citri: characterization of the fructose operon

Transposon Tn4001 mutagenesis of Spiroplasma citri wild-type (wt) strain GII-3 led to the isolation and characterization of non-phytopathogenic mutant GMT 553. In this mutant, transposon Tn4001 is inserted within the first gene of the fructose operon. This operon comprises three genes. The first gene (fruR) codes for a putative transcriptional regulator protein belonging to the deoxyribonucleoside repressor (DeoR) family. Sequence similarities and functional complementation of mutant GMT 553 with different combinations of the wt genes of the fructose operon showed that the second gene (fruA) codes for the permease of the phosphoenolpyruvate:fructose phosphotransferase system (fructose PTS), and the third, fruK, for the 1-phosphofructokinase (1-PFK). Transcription of the fructose operon in wt strain GII-3 resulted in two messenger RNAs, one of 2.8kb and one of 3.8kb. Insertion of Tn4001 in the genome of mutant GMT 553 abolished transcription of the fructose operon, and resulted in the inability of this mutant to use fructose. Functional complementation experiments demonstrated that fructose utilization was restored with fruR-fruA-fruK, fruA-fruK or fruA only, but not with fruR or fruR-fruA. This is the first time that an operon for sugar utilization has been functionally characterized in the mollicutes.

The unique organization of the rpoB region of Spiroplasma citri: a restriction and modification system gene is adjacent to rpoB

A 6.5-kb DNA fragment containing the gene (rpoB) encoding the RNA polymerase (RNAP) beta subunit, from the mollicute Spiroplasma citri (Sc), was cloned and sequenced. The classical eubacterial organization, with the genes (rplK, A, J and L) encoding ribosomal proteins L11, L1, L10 and L12 located immediately upstream from rpoB, was not found in the Sc DNA. Instead, an open reading frame (hsdS) potentially encoding a component of a type I restriction and modification system was identified upstream from rpoB, and sequences showing similarities with insertion elements were found between hsdS and rpoB.

Insusceptibility of members of the class Mollicutes to rifampin: studies of the Spiroplasma citri RNA polymerase beta-subunit gene

In order to study the mechanism of insusceptibility of Spiroplasma citri to rifampin, we have cloned and sequenced its rpoB gene, which encodes the beta subunit of RNA polymerase. By comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with sequences of beta subunits from susceptible and resistant bacteria, it was possible to identify several differences in the so-called Rif region (encompassing rpoB codons 500 to 575 in the Escherichia coli sequence). We constructed a chimeric rpoB gene made of the E. coli rpoB gene in which the Rif region was replaced by the equivalent region from S. citri. E. coli cells harboring this chimeric gene were resistant to rifampin. Subsequent experiments involving site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated that a single amino acid substitution (asparagine at position 526) was able to provide high-level rifampin resistance in E. coli.