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Henrich B, Hammerlage S, Scharf S, Haberhausen D, Fürnkranz U, Köhrer K, Peitzmann L, Fiori PL, Spergser J, Pfeffer K, Dilthey AT. Characterisation of mobile genetic elements in Mycoplasma hominis with the description of ICEHo-II, a variant mycoplasma integrative and conjugative element. Mob DNA 2020; 11:30. [PMID: 33292499 PMCID: PMC7648426 DOI: 10.1186/s13100-020-00225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mobile genetic elements are found in genomes throughout the microbial world, mediating genome plasticity and important prokaryotic phenotypes. Even the cell wall-less mycoplasmas, which are known to harbour a minimal set of genes, seem to accumulate mobile genetic elements. In Mycoplasma hominis, a facultative pathogen of the human urogenital tract and an inherently very heterogeneous species, four different MGE-classes had been detected until now: insertion sequence ISMhom-1, prophage MHoV-1, a tetracycline resistance mediating transposon, and ICEHo, a species-specific variant of a mycoplasma integrative and conjugative element encoding a T4SS secretion system (termed MICE). RESULTS To characterize the prevalence of these MGEs, genomes of 23 M. hominis isolates were assembled using whole genome sequencing and bioinformatically analysed for the presence of mobile genetic elements. In addition to the previously described MGEs, a new ICEHo variant was found, which we designate ICEHo-II. Of 15 ICEHo-II genes, five are common MICE genes; eight are unique to ICEHo-II; and two represent a duplication of a gene also present in ICEHo-I. In 150 M. hominis isolates and based on a screening PCR, prevalence of ICEHo-I was 40.7%; of ICEHo-II, 28.7%; and of both elements, 15.3%. Activity of ICEHo-I and -II was demonstrated by detection of circularized extrachromosomal forms of the elements through PCR and subsequent Sanger sequencing. CONCLUSIONS Nanopore sequencing enabled the identification of mobile genetic elements and of ICEHo-II, a novel MICE element of M. hominis, whose phenotypic impact and potential impact on pathogenicity can now be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Henrich
- Institute of Med. Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
| | - Stephanie Hammerlage
- Institute of Med. Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Sebastian Scharf
- Institute of Med. Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Diana Haberhausen
- Institute of Med. Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ursula Fürnkranz
- Institute for Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Centre for Pathophysiology, Immunology and Infectiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karl Köhrer
- Biological and Medical Research Centre (BMFZ) of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Lena Peitzmann
- Biological and Medical Research Centre (BMFZ) of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Pier Luigi Fiori
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Joachim Spergser
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus Pfeffer
- Institute of Med. Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Alexander T Dilthey
- Institute of Med. Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene of the Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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