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Jian Y, Chen T, Yang Z, Xiang G, Xu K, Wang Y, Zhao N, He L, Liu Q, Li M. Small regulatory RNA RSaX28 promotes virulence by reinforcing the stability of RNAIII in community-associated ST398 clonotype Staphylococcus aureus. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2341972. [PMID: 38597192 PMCID: PMC11034457 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2341972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a notorious pathogen that cause metastatic or complicated infections. Hypervirulent ST398 clonotype strains, remarkably increased in recent years, dominated Community-associated S. aureus (CA-SA) infections in the past decade in China. Small RNAs like RNAIII have been demonstrated to play important roles in regulating the virulence of S. aureus, however, the regulatory roles played by many of these sRNAs in the ST398 clonotype strains are still unclear. Through transcriptome screening and combined with knockout phenotype analysis, we have identified a highly transcribed sRNA, RSaX28, in the ST398 clonotype strains. Sequence analysis revealed that RSaX28 is highly conserved in the most epidemic clonotypes of S. aureus, but its high transcription level is particularly prominent in the ST398 clonotype strains. Characterization of RSaX28 through RACE and Northern blot revealed its length to be 533nt. RSaX28 is capable of promoting the hemolytic ability, reducing biofilm formation capacity, and enhancing virulence of S. aureus in the in vivo murine infection model. Through IntaRNA prediction and EMSA validation, we found that RSaX28 can specifically interact with RNAIII, promoting its stability and positively regulating the translation of downstream alpha-toxin while inhibiting the translation of Sbi, thereby regulating the virulence and biofilm formation capacity of the ST398 clonotype strains. RSaX28 is an important virulence regulatory factor in the ST398 clonotype S. aureus and represents a potential important target for future treatment and immune intervention against S. aureus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Jian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tianchi Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziyu Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guoxiu Xiang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kai Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanan Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Na Zhao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei He
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
- Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science and Technology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
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Wang F, Sun H, Kang C, Yan J, Chen J, Feng X, Yang B. Genomic island-encoded regulatory proteins in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Virulence 2024; 15:2313407. [PMID: 38357901 PMCID: PMC10877973 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2313407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an important zoonotic pathogen that is a major cause of foodborne diseases in most developed and developing countries and can cause uncomplicated diarrhoea, haemorrhagic colitis, and haemolytic uraemic syndrome. O islands (OIs), which are unique genomic islands in EHEC O157:H7, are composed of 177 isolated genomic features and harbour 26% of the total genes that are absent in the non-pathogenic E. coli K-12 genome. In the last twenty years, many OI-encoded proteins have been characterized, including proteins regulating virulence, motility, and acid resistance. Given the critical role of regulatory proteins in the systematic and hierarchical regulation of bacterial biological processes, this review summarizes the OI-encoded regulatory proteins in EHEC O157:H7 characterized to date, emphasizing OI-encoded regulatory proteins for bacterial virulence, motility, and acid resistance. This summary will be significant for further exploration and understanding of the virulence and pathogenesis of EHEC O157:H7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
- Intensive Care Unit, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, Health Science Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongmin Sun
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Chenbo Kang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun Yan
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jingnan Chen
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xuequan Feng
- Tianjin First Central Hospital, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Bin Yang
- TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
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Kang W, Wang M, Yi X, Wang J, Zhang X, Wu Z, Wang Y, Sun H, Gottschalk M, Zheng H, Xu J. Investigation of genomic and pathogenicity characteristics of Streptococcus suis ST1 human strains from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GX) between 2005 and 2020 in China. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2339946. [PMID: 38578304 PMCID: PMC11034456 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2339946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is a significant and emerging zoonotic pathogen. ST1 and ST7 strains are the primary agents responsible for S. suis human infections in China, including the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GX). To enhance our understanding of S. suis ST1 population characteristics, we conducted an investigation into the phylogenetic structure, genomic features, and virulence levels of 73 S. suis ST1 human strains from GX between 2005 and 2020. The ST1 GX strains were categorized into three lineages in phylogenetic analysis. Sub-lineage 3-1a exhibited a closer phylogenetic relationship with the ST7 epidemic strain SC84. The strains from lineage 3 predominantly harboured 89K-like pathogenicity islands (PAIs) which were categorized into four clades based on sequence alignment. The acquirement of 89K-like PAIs increased the antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity of corresponding transconjugants. We observed significant diversity in virulence levels among the 37 representative ST1 GX strains, that were classified as follows: epidemic (E)/highly virulent (HV) (32.4%, 12/37), virulent plus (V+) (29.7%, 11/37), virulent (V) (18.9%, 7/37), and lowly virulent (LV) (18.9%, 7/37) strains based on survival curves and mortality rates at different time points in C57BL/6 mice following infection. The E/HV strains were characterized by the overproduction of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in serum and promptly established infection at the early phase of infection. Our research offers novel insights into the population structure, evolution, genomic features, and pathogenicity of ST1 strains. Our data also indicates the importance of establishing a scheme for characterizing and subtyping the virulence levels of S. suis strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiming Kang
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mingliu Wang
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanning, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xueli Yi
- Key Laboratory of Research on Clinical Molecular Diagnosis for High Incidence Diseases in Western Guangxi, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Youjiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianping Wang
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiyan Zhang
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zongfu Wu
- WOAH Reference Lab for Swine Streptococcosis, MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan Wang
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hui Sun
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Marcelo Gottschalk
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Han Zheng
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jianguo Xu
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Natonal key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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Li X, Feng R, Luo P, Zhang Y, Lu L. Synergistic effects of putative Ca 2+-binding sites of calmodulin in fungal development, temperature stress and virulence of Aspergillus fumigatus. Virulence 2024; 15:2290757. [PMID: 38085844 PMCID: PMC10761034 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2023.2290757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In pathogenic fungi, calcium-calmodulin-dependent serine-threonine-specific phosphatase calcineurin is involved in morphogenesis and virulence. Therefore, calcineurin and its tightly related protein complexes are attractive antifungal drug targets. However, there is limited knowledge available on the relationship between in vivo Ca2+-binding sites of calmodulin (CaM) and its functions in regulating stress responses, morphogenesis, and pathogenesis. In the current study, we demonstrated that calmodulin is required for hyphal growth, conidiation, and virulence in the human fungal pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus. Site-directed mutations of calmodulin revealed that a single Ca2+-binding site mutation had no significant effect on A. fumigatus hyphal development, but multiple Ca2+-binding site mutations exhibited synergistic effects, especially when cultured at 42 °C, indicating that calmodulin function in response to temperature stress depends on its Ca2+-binding sites. Western blotting implied that mutations in Ca2+-binding sites caused highly degraded calmodulin fragments, suggesting that the loss of Ca2+-binding sites results in reduced protein stability. Moreover, normal intracellular calcium homeostasis and the nuclear translocation of the transcriptional factor CrzA are dependent on Ca2+-binding sites of AfCaM, demonstrating that Ca2+-binding sites of calmodulin are required for calcium signalling and its major transcription factor CrzA. Importantly, in situ mutations for four Ca2+-binding sites of calmodulin resulted in an almost complete loss of virulence in the Galleria mellonella wax moth model. This study shed more light on the functional characterization of putative calcium-binding sites of calmodulin in the morphogenesis and virulence of A. fumigatus, which enhances our understanding of calmodulin biological functions in cells of opportunistic fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyue Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ruoyun Feng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Pan Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanwei Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ling Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Center for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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Dai Y, Liu R, Yue Y, Song N, Jia H, Ma Z, Gao X, Zhang M, Yuan X, Liu Q, Liu X, Li B, Wang W. A c-di-GMP binding effector STM0435 modulates flagellar motility and pathogenicity in Salmonella. Virulence 2024; 15:2331265. [PMID: 38532247 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2331265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Flagella play a crucial role in the invasion process of Salmonella and function as a significant antigen that triggers host pyroptosis. Regulation of flagellar biogenesis is essential for both pathogenicity and immune escape of Salmonella. We identified the conserved and unknown function protein STM0435 as a new flagellar regulator. The ∆stm0435 strain exhibited higher pathogenicity in both cellular and animal infection experiments than the wild-type Salmonella. Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses demonstrated dramatic increases in almost all flagellar genes in the ∆stm0435 strain compared to wild-type Salmonella. In a surface plasmon resonance assay, purified STM0435 protein-bound c-di-GMP had an affinity of ~8.383 µM. The crystal structures of apo-STM0435 and STM0435&c-di-GMP complex were determined. Structural analysis revealed that R33, R137, and D138 of STM0435 were essential for c-di-GMP binding. A Salmonella with STM1987 (GGDEF protein) or STM4264 (EAL protein) overexpression exhibits completely different motility behaviours, indicating that the binding of c-di-GMP to STM0435 promotes its inhibitory effect on Salmonella flagellar biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanji Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Ruirui Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yingying Yue
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Nannan Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Haihong Jia
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Zhongrui Ma
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xueyan Gao
- Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Xilu Yuan
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Bingqing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
- Key Lab for Biotech-Drugs of National Health Commission, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Key Lab for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Weiwei Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
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Yang J, Xiong Y, Barkema HW, Tong X, Lin Y, Deng Z, Kastelic JP, Nobrega DB, Wang Y, Han B, Gao J. Comparative genomic analyses of Klebsiella pneumoniae K57 capsule serotypes isolated from bovine mastitis in China. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:3114-3126. [PMID: 37944808 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae can cause severe clinical mastitis in dairy cows, with K. pneumoniae type K57 (K57-KP) being the most common capsular serotype. To identify virulence factors and antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) genes of K57-KP with varying virulence, Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) larvae were infected as a screening model to characterize virulence of 90 K57-KP strains, with 10 and 11 strains defined as virulent or attenuated, respectively, based on larval survival rates. Next, virulence of these 21 isolates was subsequently confirmed in adhesion and lactate dehydrogenase release assays, using bovine mammary epithelial cells cultured in vitro. Finally, genes associated with virulence and AMR were characterize with whole-genome sequencing. These 21 K57-KP strains were designated into 16 sequence types based on multi-locus sequence typing and allocated in phylogenetic analysis based on single nucleotide polymorphisms. We found great genetic diversity among isolates. In addition, adhesion-associated genes (e.g., fimA, sfaA, and focA) aminoglycoside-resistance genes (aph(6)-Id, strAB) were associated with virulence. This study provided new knowledge regarding virulence of K57-KP associated with bovine mastitis, which may inform development of novel diagnostic tools and prevention strategies for bovine mastitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyue Yang
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yindi Xiong
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Herman W Barkema
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Xiaofang Tong
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Yushan Lin
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhaoju Deng
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - John P Kastelic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Diego B Nobrega
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Bo Han
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
| | - Jian Gao
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
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Cao P, Shi H, Zhang S, Chen J, Wang R, Liu P, Zhu Y, An Y, Zhang M. A robust high-throughput functional screening assay for plant pathogen effectors using the TMV-GFP vector. Plant J 2024. [PMID: 38647454 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Uncovering the function of phytopathogen effectors is crucial for understanding mechanisms of pathogen pathogenicity and for improving our ability to protect plants from diseases. An increasing number of effectors have been predicted in various plant pathogens. Functional characterization of these effectors has become a major focus in the study of plant-pathogen interactions. In this study, we designed a novel screening system that combines the TMV (tobacco mosaic virus)-GFP vector and Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. This system enables the rapid identification of effectors that interfere with plant immunity. The biological function of these effectors can be easily evaluated by observing the GFP fluorescence signal using a UV lamp within just a few days. To evaluate the TMV-GFP system, we initially tested it with well-described virulence and avirulence type III effectors from the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. After proving the accuracy and efficiency of the TMV-GFP system, we successfully screened a novel virulence effector, RipS1, using this approach. Furthermore, using the TMV-GFP system, we reproduced consistent results with previously known cytoplasmic effectors from a diverse array of pathogens. Additionally, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the TMV-GFP system in identifying apoplastic effectors. The easy operation, time-saving nature, broad effectiveness, and low technical requirements of the TMV-GFP system make it a promising approach for high-throughput screening of effectors with immune interference activity from various pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Cao
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
| | - Haotian Shi
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Shuangxi Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
| | - Jialan Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Rongbo Wang
- Fujian Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Integrated Management of Crop Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003, China
| | - Peiqing Liu
- Fujian Key Laboratory for Monitoring and Integrated Management of Crop Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350003, China
| | - Yingfang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475001, China
| | - Yuyan An
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
| | - Meixiang Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China
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Poudel B, Mullins J, Fiedler JD, Zhong S. Genome-Wide Association Study of Fungicide Sensitivity in a Fusarium graminearum Population Collected from North Dakota. Phytopathology 2024:PHYTO05230180KC. [PMID: 38079375 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-05-23-0180-kc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Fusarium head blight is a destructive disease of small grains. The disease is predominantly caused by the haploid ascomycete fungus Fusarium graminearum in North America. To understand the genetics of quantitative traits for sensitivity to fungicides in this fungal pathogen, we conducted a genome-wide association study of sensitivity to two demethylation inhibition class fungicides, tebuconazole and prothioconazole, using an F. graminearum population of 183 isolates collected between 1981 and 2013 from North Dakota. Baseline sensitivity to tebuconazole and prothioconazole was established using 21 isolates collected between 1981 and 1994. Most fungal isolates were sensitive to both tebuconazole and prothioconazole; however, five isolates showed significantly reduced sensitivity to prothioconazole. The genome-wide association study identified one significant marker-trait association on chromosome 3 for tebuconazole resistance, whereas six significant marker-trait associations, one on chromosome 1, three on chromosome 2, and two on chromosome 4, were detected for prothioconazole resistance. Functional annotation of the marker-trait association for tebuconazole revealed a candidate gene encoding a basic helix-loop-helix domain-containing protein that reinforces sterol in the fungal membrane. Putative genes for prothioconazole resistance were also identified, which are involved in RNA interference, the detoxification by ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and membrane integrity reinforcement. Considering the potential of the pathogen toward overcoming chemical control, continued monitoring of fungal sensitivities to commercially applied fungicides, especially those containing prothioconazole, is warranted to reduce risks of fungicide resistance in the pathogen populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bikash Poudel
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102
| | - Joseph Mullins
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102
| | - Jason D Fiedler
- Cereal Crops Research Unit, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Fargo, ND 58102
| | - Shaobin Zhong
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102
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Thunes NC, Evenhuis JP, Lipscomb RS, Pérez-Pascual D, Stevick RJ, Birkett C, Ghigo JM, McBride MJ. Gliding motility proteins GldJ and SprB contribute to Flavobacterium columnare virulence. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0006824. [PMID: 38517170 PMCID: PMC11025331 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00068-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Flavobacterium columnare causes columnaris disease in fish. Columnaris disease is incompletely understood, and adequate control measures are lacking. The type IX secretion system (T9SS) is required for F. columnare gliding motility and virulence. The T9SS and gliding motility machineries share some, but not all, components. GldN (required for gliding and for secretion) and PorV (involved in secretion but not required for gliding) are both needed for virulence, implicating T9SS-mediated secretion in virulence. The role of motility in virulence is uncertain. We constructed and analyzed sprB, sprF, and gldJ mutants that were defective for motility but that maintained T9SS function to understand the role of motility in virulence. Wild-type cells moved rapidly and formed spreading colonies. In contrast, sprB and sprF deletion mutants were partially defective in gliding and formed nonspreading colonies. Both mutants exhibited reduced virulence in rainbow trout fry. A gldJ deletion mutant was nonmotile, secretion deficient, and avirulent in rainbow trout fry. To separate the roles of GldJ in secretion and in motility, we generated gldJ truncation mutants that produce nearly full-length GldJ. Mutant gldJ563, which produces GldJ truncated at amino acid 563, was defective for gliding but was competent for secretion as measured by extracellular proteolytic activity. This mutant displayed reduced virulence in rainbow trout fry, suggesting that motility contributes to virulence. Fish that survived exposure to the sprB deletion mutant or the gldJ563 mutant exhibited partial resistance to later challenge with wild-type cells. The results aid our understanding of columnaris disease and may suggest control strategies.IMPORTANCEFlavobacterium columnare causes columnaris disease in many species of freshwater fish in the wild and in aquaculture systems. Fish mortalities resulting from columnaris disease are a major problem for aquaculture. F. columnare virulence is incompletely understood, and control measures are inadequate. Gliding motility and protein secretion have been suggested to contribute to columnaris disease, but evidence directly linking motility to disease was lacking. We isolated and analyzed mutants that were competent for secretion but defective for motility. Some of these mutants exhibited decreased virulence. Fish that had been exposed to these mutants were partially protected from later exposure to the wild type. The results contribute to our understanding of columnaris disease and may aid development of control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C. Thunes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jason P. Evenhuis
- National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Kearneysville, West Virginia, USA
| | - Ryan S. Lipscomb
- National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Kearneysville, West Virginia, USA
| | - David Pérez-Pascual
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Genetics of Biofilms Laboratory, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca J. Stevick
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Genetics of Biofilms Laboratory, Paris, France
| | - Clayton Birkett
- National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Kearneysville, West Virginia, USA
| | - Jean-Marc Ghigo
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Genetics of Biofilms Laboratory, Paris, France
| | - Mark J. McBride
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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10
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Wang Y, Fan J, Zhou Z, Goldman GH, Lu L, Zhang Y. Histone acetyltransferase Sas3 contributes to fungal development, cell wall integrity, and virulence in Aspergillus fumigatus. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0188523. [PMID: 38451077 PMCID: PMC11022558 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01885-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Histone acetyltransferase (HAT)-mediated epigenetic modification is essential for diverse cellular processes in eukaryotes. However, the functions of HATs in the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus remain poorly understood. In this study, we characterized the functions of MOZ, Ybf2/Sas3, Sas2, and Tip60 (MYST)-family histone acetyltransferase something about silencing (Sas3) in A. fumigatus. Phenotypic analysis revealed that loss of Sas3 results in significant impairments in colony growth, conidiation, and virulence in the Galleria mellonella model. Subcellular localization and Western blot analysis demonstrated that Sas3 localizes to nuclei and is capable of acetylating lysine 9 and 14 of histone H3 in vivo. Importantly, we found that Sas3 is critical for the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway in A. fumigatus as evidenced by hypersensitivity to cell wall-perturbing agents, altered cell wall thickness, and abnormal phosphorylation levels of CWI protein kinase MpkA. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis studies revealed that the conserved glycine residues G641 and G643 and glutamate residue E664 are crucial for the acetylation activity of Sas3. Unexpectedly, only triple mutations of Sas3 (G641A/G643A/E664A) displayed defective phenotypes similar to the Δsas3 mutant, while double or single mutations did not. This result implies that the role of Sas3 may extend beyond histone acetylation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that MYST-family HAT Sas3 plays an important role in the fungal development, virulence, and cell wall integrity in A. fumigatus. IMPORTANCE Epigenetic modification governed by HATs is indispensable for various cellular processes in eukaryotes. Nonetheless, the precise functions of HATs in the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus remain elusive. In this study, we unveil the roles of MYST-family HAT Sas3 in colony growth, conidiation, virulence, and cell wall stress response in A. fumigatus. Particularly, our findings demonstrate that Sas3 can function through mechanisms unrelated to histone acetylation, as evidenced by site-directed mutagenesis experiments. Overall, this study broadens our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of HATs in fungal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamei Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Centre for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jialu Fan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Centre for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhengyu Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Centre for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gustavo H. Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Ling Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Centre for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanwei Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Research Centre for Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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11
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Tu T, Ren Y, Gong W, Huang J, Zhu C, Salah M, Zhao L, Xia X, Wang Y. Endoglucanase H from Aspergillus westerdijkiae Plays an Important Role in the Virulence on Pear Fruits. J Agric Food Chem 2024; 72:8415-8422. [PMID: 38573226 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c08486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Aspergillus westerdijkiae can infect many agricultural products including cereals, grapes, and pear. Pathogenic fungi secrete diverse effectors as invasive weapons for successful invasion the host plant. During the pathogen-host interaction, 4486 differentially expressed genes were observed in A. westerdijkiae with 2773 up-regulated and 1713 down-regulated, whereas 8456 differentially expressed genes were detected in pear fruits with 4777 up-regulated and 3679 down-regulated. A total of 309 effector candidate genes were identified from the up-regulated genes in A. westerdijkiae. Endoglucanase H (AwEGH) was significantly induced during the pathogen-host interaction. Deletion of AwEGH resulted in altered fungal growth and morphology and reduced conidia production and germination compared to the wild-type. Further experiments demonstrated that AwEGH plays a role in cell wall integrity. Importantly, disruption of AwEGH significantly reduced the fungal virulence on pear fruits, and this defect can be partly explained by the impaired ability of A. westerdijkiae to penetrate host plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Tu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Yun Ren
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Weifeng Gong
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Juanying Huang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Chenyang Zhu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Mahmoud Salah
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
- Department of Environmental Agricultural Science, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Environmental Research, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Luning Zhao
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Xiaoshuang Xia
- Center of Analysis, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
| | - Yun Wang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
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12
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Ahator SD, Wenzl K, Hegstad K, Lentz CS, Johannessen M. Comprehensive virulence profiling and evolutionary analysis of specificity determinants in Staphylococcus aureus two-component systems. mSystems 2024; 9:e0013024. [PMID: 38470253 PMCID: PMC11019936 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00130-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
In the Staphylococcus aureus genome, a set of highly conserved two-component systems (TCSs) composed of histidine kinases (HKs) and their cognate response regulators (RRs) sense and respond to environmental stimuli, which drive the adaptation of the bacteria. This study investigates the complex interplay between TCSs in S. aureus USA300, a predominant methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain, revealing shared and unique virulence regulatory pathways and genetic variations mediating signal specificity within TCSs. Using TCS-related mutants from the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library, we analyzed the effects of inactivated TCS HKs and RRs on the production of various virulence factors, in vitro infection abilities, and adhesion assays. We found that the TCSs' influence on virulence determinants was not associated with their phylogenetic relationship, indicating divergent functional evolution. Using the co-crystallized structure of the DesK-DesR from Bacillus subtilis and the modeled structures of the four NarL TCSs in S. aureus, we identified interacting residues, revealing specificity determinants and conservation within the same TCS, even from different strain backgrounds. The interacting residues were highly conserved within strains but varied between species due to selection pressures and the coevolution of cognate pairs. This study unveils the complex interplay and divergent functional evolution of TCSs, highlighting their potential for future experimental exploration of phosphotransfer between cognate and non-cognate recombinant HK and RRs.IMPORTANCEGiven the widespread conservation of two-component systems (TCSs) in bacteria and their pivotal role in regulating metabolic and virulence pathways, they present a compelling target for anti-microbial agents, especially in the face of rising multi-drug-resistant infections. Harnessing TCSs therapeutically necessitates a profound understanding of their evolutionary trajectory in signal transduction, as this underlies their unique or shared virulence regulatory pathways. Such insights are critical for effectively targeting TCS components, ensuring an optimized impact on bacterial virulence, and mitigating the risk of resistance emergence via the evolution of alternative pathways. Our research offers an in-depth exploration of virulence determinants controlled by TCSs in S. aureus, shedding light on the evolving specificity determinants that orchestrate interactions between their cognate pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Dela Ahator
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies (CANS), Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Karoline Wenzl
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies (CANS), Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristin Hegstad
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies (CANS), Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Christian S. Lentz
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies (CANS), Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mona Johannessen
- Research Group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies (CANS), Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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13
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Ma Z, Sun Y, Liu Y, Jiao J, Li N, Zuo Y, Li Z, Li Y, Cai X, Meng Q, Qiao J. STM1863, a Member of the DUFs Protein Family, Is Involved in Environmental Adaptation, Biofilm Formation, and Virulence in Salmonella Typhimurium. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2024. [PMID: 38625018 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2023.0139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Salmonella Typhimurium (STM) is an important zoonotic Gram-negative pathogen that can cause infection in a variety of livestock and poultry. Meanwhile, as an important foodborne pathogen, the bacterium can survive in various stressful environments and transmits through the fecal-oral route, posing a serious threat to global food safety. To investigate the roles of STM1863, a member of the DUFs protein family, involved in STM environmental adaptation, biofilm formation, and virulence. We analyzed the molecular characteristics of the protein encoded by STM1863 gene and examined intra- and extracellular expression levels of STM1863 gene in mouse macrophages. Furthermore, we constructed STM1863 gene deletion and complementation strains and determined its environmental adaptation under stressful conditions such as acid, alkali, high salt, bile salt, and oxidation. And the capacity of biofilm formation and pathogenicity of those strains were analyzed and compared. In addition, the interaction between the promoter of STM1863 gene and RcsB protein was analyzed using DNA gel electrophoresis migration assay (electrophoretic mobility shift assay [EMSA]). The experiments revealed that acid adaptability and biofilm formation ability of STM1863 gene deletion strain were significantly weakened compared with the parental and complementary strains. Moreover, the adhesion and invasion ability of STM1863 deletion strain to mouse macrophages was significantly decreased, while the median lethal dose (LD50) increased by 2.148-fold compared with the parental strain. In addition, EMSA confirmed that RcsB protein could bind to the promoter sequence of STM1863 gene, suggesting that the expression of STM1863 gene might be modulated by RcsB. The present study demonstrated for the first time that STM1863, a member of the DUFs protein family, is involved in the modulation of environmental adaptation, biofilm formation, and virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongmei Ma
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yaoqiang Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yuchen Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jian Jiao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Nengxiu Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yufei Zuo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Zhiyuan Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yaling Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Xuepeng Cai
- State Key Lab of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Qingling Meng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jun Qiao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
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14
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Manson DE, Ananiev GE, Guo S, Ericksen SS, Santa EE, Blackwell HE. Abiotic Small Molecule Inhibitors and Activators of the LasR Quorum Sensing Receptor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Potencies Comparable or Surpassing N-Acyl Homoserine Lactones. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1212-1221. [PMID: 38506163 PMCID: PMC11014758 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa controls almost 10% of its genome, including myriad virulence genes, via a cell-to-cell chemical communication system called quorum sensing (QS). Small molecules that either inhibit or activate QS in P. aeruginosa represent useful research tools to study the role of this signaling pathway in infection and interrogate its viability as an antivirulence target. However, despite active research in this area over the past 20+ years, there are relatively few synthetic compounds known to strongly inhibit or activate QS in P. aeruginosa. Most reported QS modulators in this pathogen are of low potency or have structural liabilities that limit their application in biologically relevant environments such as mimics of the native N-acyl l-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals. Here, we report the results of a high-throughput screen for abiotic small molecules that target LasR, a key QS regulator in P. aeruginosa. We screened a 25,000-compound library and discovered four new structural classes of abiotic LasR modulators. These compounds include antagonists that surpass the potency of all known AHL-type compounds and mimetics thereof, along with an agonist with potency approaching that of LasR's native ligand. The novel structures of this compound set, along with their anticipated robust physicochemical profiles, underscore their potential value as probe molecules to interrogate the roles of QS in this formidable pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Manson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Gene E Ananiev
- Small Molecule Screening Facility, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, 600 Highland Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53792, United States
| | - Song Guo
- Small Molecule Screening Facility, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, 600 Highland Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53792, United States
| | - Spencer S Ericksen
- Small Molecule Screening Facility, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, 600 Highland Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53792, United States
| | - Emma E Santa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Helen E Blackwell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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15
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Sarıçam İnce S, Akan M. Distribution of antimicrobial resistance and virulence markers in chicken originated Proteus mirabilis isolates. Acta Vet Hung 2024; 72:11-20. [PMID: 38578700 DOI: 10.1556/004.2023.00990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Proteus mirabilis is a common enteric bacterium in livestock and humans. The increase and spread of the antimicrobial resistant P. mirabilis is considered alarming worldwide. Transmission mainly occurs through consumption of contaminated poultry products. We investigated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence markers in broiler chicken-originated P. mirabilis isolates from 380 fecal samples. Phenotypic AMR test was performed against seventeen different antimicrobials. Genotypic AMR test was performed to detect sixteen different AMR genes. The samples were also tested for the presence of eight different virulence genes and biofilm formation. P. mirabilis was isolated in 11% of the samples, with significantly high multidrug-resistant (MDR) prevalence (63%). All isolates were resistant to tetracycline (100%). The combined disc method indicated that all isolates were of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers, which was compatible with the high blaTEM prevalence (95%). This was associated with blaTEM being responsible for more than 80% of ampicillin resistance in enteric pathogens. The absence of phenotypically carbapenem-resistant isolates was compatible with the very low prevalences of blaOXA (2%) and blaNDM (0%). All isolates were positive for pmfA, atfA, hpmA, and zapA (100%) virulence genes, while biofilm formation rate (85%) indicated high adherence abilities of the isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyyide Sarıçam İnce
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Akan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
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16
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Fitzsimmons L, Bublitz D, Clark T, Hackstadt T. Rickettsia rickettsii virulence determinants RARP2 and RapL mitigate IFN- β signaling in primary human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. mBio 2024; 15:e0345023. [PMID: 38445878 PMCID: PMC11005427 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03450-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
We compared the growth characteristics of a virulent Rickettsia rickettsii strain (Sheila Smith) to an attenuated R. rickettsii stain (Iowa) and a non-pathogenic species (R. montanensis) in primary human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC). All replicated in Vero cells, however, only the Sheila Smith strain productively replicated in HDMECs. The Iowa strain showed minimal replication over a 24-h period, while R. montanensis lost viability and induced lysis of the HDMECs via a rapid programmed cell death response. Both the virulent and attenuated R. rickettsii strains, but not R. montanensis, induced an interferon-1 response, although the response was of lesser magnitude and delayed in the Sheila Smith strain. IFN-β secretion correlated with increased host cell lysis, and treatment with anti-IFNAR2 antibody decreased lysis from Iowa-infected but not Sheila Smith-infected cells. Both Sheila Smith- and Iowa-infected cells eventually lysed, although the response from Sheila Smith was delayed and showed characteristics of apoptosis. We, therefore, examined whether reconstitution of the Iowa strain with two recently described putative virulence determinants might enhance survival of Iowa within HDMECs. Reconstitution with RARP2, which is inhibitory to anterograde trafficking through the Golgi apparatus, reduced IFN-β secretion but had no effect on cell lysis. RapL, which proteolytically processes surface exposed autotransporters and enhances replication of Iowa in Guinea pigs, suppressed both IFN-β production and host cell lysis. These findings suggest distinct mechanisms by which virulent spotted fever group rickettsiae may enhance intracellular survival and replication.IMPORTANCEWe examined a naturally occurring non-pathogenic rickettsial species, R. montanensis, a laboratory-attenuated R. rickettsii strain (Iowa), and a fully virulent R. rickettsii strain (Sheila Smith) for growth in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. The two avirulent strains replicated poorly or not at all. Only the virulent Sheila Smith strain replicated. IFN-β production correlated with the inhibition of R. rickettsii Iowa. Reconstitution of Iowa with either of two recently described putative virulence determinants altered the IFN-β response. A rickettsial ankyrin repeat protein, RARP2, disrupts the trans-Golgi network and inhibits IFN-β secretion. An autotransporter peptidase, RapL, restores proteolytic maturation of outer membrane autotransporters and diminishes the IFN-β response to enhance cell survival and permit replication of the recombinant strain. These studies point the way toward discovery of mechanisms for innate immune response avoidance by virulent rickettsia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam Fitzsimmons
- Host-Parasite Interactions Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - DeAnna Bublitz
- Host-Parasite Interactions Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Tina Clark
- Host-Parasite Interactions Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Ted Hackstadt
- Host-Parasite Interactions Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
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17
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Dirr L, Cleeves S, Ramón Roth I, Li L, Fiebig T, Ve T, Häussler S, Braun A, von Itzstein M, Führing JI. Tetramerization is essential for the enzymatic function of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factor UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. mBio 2024; 15:e0211423. [PMID: 38470050 PMCID: PMC11005391 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02114-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant bacteria such as the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes life-threatening infections especially in immunocompromised individuals and cystic fibrosis patients, pose an increasing threat to public health. In the search for new treatment options, P. aeruginosa uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (PaUGP) has been proposed as a novel drug target because it is required for the biosynthesis of important virulence factors and linked to pathogenicity in animal models. Here, we show that UGP-deficient P. aeruginosa exhibits severely reduced virulence against human lung tissue and cells, emphasizing the enzyme's suitability as a drug target. To establish a basis for the development of selective PaUGP inhibitors, we solved the product-bound crystal structure of tetrameric PaUGP and conducted a comprehensive structure-function analysis, identifying key residues at two different molecular interfaces that are essential for tetramer integrity and catalytic activity and demonstrating that tetramerization is pivotal for PaUGP function. Importantly, we show that part of the PaUGP oligomerization interface is uniquely conserved across bacterial UGPs but does not exist in the human enzyme, therefore representing an allosteric site that may be targeted to selectively inhibit bacterial UGPs.IMPORTANCEInfections with the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to multidrug resistance. Here, we show that the enzyme uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGP) is involved in P. aeruginosa virulence toward human lung tissue and cells, making it a potential target for the development of new antibacterial drugs. Our exploration of P. aeruginosa (Pa)UGP structure-function relationships reveals that the activity of PaUGP depends on the formation of a tetrameric enzyme complex. We found that a molecular interface involved in tetramer formation is conserved in all bacterial UGPs but not in the human enzyme, and therefore hypothesize that it provides an ideal point of attack to selectively inhibit bacterial UGPs and exploit them as drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Dirr
- Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sven Cleeves
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Member of Fraunhofer International Consortium for Anti-Infective Research (iCAIR), Hannover, Germany
- Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany
| | - Isabel Ramón Roth
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Linghui Li
- Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Timm Fiebig
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Ve
- Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Susanne Häussler
- Department of Molecular Bacteriology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Bacteriology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Armin Braun
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Member of Fraunhofer International Consortium for Anti-Infective Research (iCAIR), Hannover, Germany
- Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Hannover, Germany
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Mark von Itzstein
- Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jana I. Führing
- Institute of Clinical Biochemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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18
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Maldonado N, López-Hernández I, López-Cortés LE, Martínez Pérez-Crespo PM, Retamar-Gentil P, García-Montaner A, De la Rosa Riestra S, Sousa-Domínguez A, Goikoetxea J, Pulido-Navazo Á, Del Valle Ortíz M, Natera-Kindelán C, Jover-Sáenz A, Arco-Jiménez AD, Armiñanzas-Castillo C, Aller-García AI, Fernández-Suárez J, Marrodán-Ciordia T, Boix-Palop L, Smithson-Amat A, Reguera-Iglesias JM, Galán-Sánchez F, Bahamonde A, Sánchez Calvo JM, Gea-Lázaro I, Pérez-Camacho I, Reyes-Bertos A, Becerril-Carral B, Pascual Á, Rodríguez-Baño J. Association of microbiological factors with mortality in Escherichia coli bacteraemia presenting with sepsis/septic shock: A prospective cohort study. Clin Microbiol Infect 2024:S1198-743X(24)00170-8. [PMID: 38599464 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine the association of E. coli microbiological factors with 30-day mortality in BSI patients presenting with a dysregulated response to infection (i.e., sepsis or septic shock). METHODS Whole genome sequencing was performed on 224 E. coli isolates of patients with sepsis/septic shock, from 22 Spanish hospitals. Phylogroup, sequence type, virulence, antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity islands were assessed. A multivariable model for 30-day mortality including clinical and epidemiological variables was built, to which microbiological variables were hierarchically added. The predictive capacity of the models was estimated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS Mortality at day 30 was 31% (69 patients). The clinical model for mortality included (adjusted OR; 95% CI) age (1.04; 1.02-1.07), Charlson index ≥3 (1.78; 0.95-3.32), urinary BSI source (0.30; 0.16-0.57) and active empirical treatment (0.36; 0.11-1.14) with an AUROC of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.67-0.80). Addition of microbiological factors selected clone ST95 (3.64; 0.94-14.04), eilA gene (2.62; 1.14-6.02) and astA gene (2.39; 0.87-6.59) as associated with mortality, with an AUROC of 0.76 (0.69-0.82). CONCLUSIONS Despite having a modest overall contribution, some microbiological factors were associated with increased odds of death and would deserve being studied as potential therapeutic or preventive targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Maldonado
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Inmaculada López-Hernández
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Eduardo López-Cortés
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Pilar Retamar-Gentil
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrea García-Montaner
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Sandra De la Rosa Riestra
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Adrián Sousa-Domínguez
- Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Spain
| | - Josune Goikoetxea
- Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario de Cruces, Baracaldo, Spain
| | | | | | - Clara Natera-Kindelán
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Alfredo Jover-Sáenz
- Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida, Spain
| | | | - Carlos Armiñanzas-Castillo
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario de Marqués de Valdecilla-IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Ana Isabel Aller-García
- Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen de Valme, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Jonathan Fernández-Suárez
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias. Oviedo, Spain. Área de Microbiología y Patología Infecciosa, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA). Oviedo, Spain
| | | | - Lucía Boix-Palop
- Departamento de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario Mutua Terrassa, Terrassa, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Alberto Bahamonde
- Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario El Bierzo, Ponferrada, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Sánchez Calvo
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica, Hospital Universitario de Jerez. Departamento de Biomedicina, Biotecnología y Salud Pública, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
| | - Isabel Gea-Lázaro
- Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Inés Pérez-Camacho
- Unidad de Medicina Tropical, Hospital Universitario Poniente-El Ejido, Almería, Spain
| | - Armando Reyes-Bertos
- Servicio de Microbiología, Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Laboratorio, Hospital Universitario Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain
| | - Berta Becerril-Carral
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Punta de Europa, Algeciras, Spain
| | - Álvaro Pascual
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Rodríguez-Baño
- Unidad Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena; Departamentos de Medicina y Microbiología, Universidad de Sevilla; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS)/CSIC, Seville, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga. Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), Málaga, Spain.
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Darby EM, Moran RA, Holden E, Morris T, Harrison F, Clough B, McInnes RS, Schneider L, Frickel EM, Webber MA, Blair JMA. Differential development of antibiotic resistance and virulence between Acinetobacter species. mSphere 2024:e0010924. [PMID: 38578105 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00109-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The two species that account for most cases of Acinetobacter-associated bacteremia in the United Kingdom are Acinetobacter lwoffii, often a commensal but also an emerging pathogen, and Acinetobacter baumannii, a well-known antibiotic-resistant species. While these species both cause similar types of human infection and occupy the same niche, A. lwoffii (unlike A. baumannii) has thus far remained susceptible to antibiotics. Comparatively little is known about the biology of A. lwoffii, and this is the largest study on it conducted to date, providing valuable insights into its behaviour and potential threat to human health. This study aimed to explain the antibiotic susceptibility, virulence, and fundamental biological differences between these two species. The relative susceptibility of A. lwoffii was explained as it encoded fewer antibiotic resistance and efflux pump genes than A. baumannii (9 and 30, respectively). While both species had markers of horizontal gene transfer, A. lwoffii encoded more DNA defense systems and harbored a far more restricted range of plasmids. Furthermore, A. lwoffii displayed a reduced ability to select for antibiotic resistance mutations, form biofilm, and infect both in vivo and in in vitro models of infection. This study suggests that the emerging pathogen A. lwoffii has remained susceptible to antibiotics because mechanisms exist to make it highly selective about the DNA it acquires, and we hypothesize that the fact that it only harbors a single RND system restricts the ability to select for resistance mutations. This provides valuable insights into how development of resistance can be constrained in Gram-negative bacteria. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter lwoffii is often a harmless commensal but is also an emerging pathogen and is the most common cause of Acinetobacter-derived bloodstream infections in England and Wales. In contrast to the well-studied and often highly drug-resistant A. baumannii, A. lwoffii has remained susceptible to antibiotics. This study explains why this organism has not evolved resistance to antibiotics. These new insights are important to understand why and how some species develop antibiotic resistance, while others do not, and could inform future novel treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Darby
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A Moran
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Holden
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom
| | - Theresa Morris
- Centre for Electron Microscopy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Freya Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Clough
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ross S McInnes
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ludwig Schneider
- Centre for Electron Microscopy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Eva M Frickel
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A Webber
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica M A Blair
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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20
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Elfadadny A, Ragab RF, AlHarbi M, Badshah F, Ibáñez-Arancibia E, Farag A, Hendawy AO, De los Ríos-Escalante PR, Aboubakr M, Zakai SA, Nageeb WM. Antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: navigating clinical impacts, current resistance trends, and innovations in breaking therapies. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1374466. [PMID: 38646632 PMCID: PMC11026690 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1374466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium, is recognized for its adaptability and opportunistic nature. It poses a substantial challenge in clinical settings due to its complicated antibiotic resistance mechanisms, biofilm formation, and capacity for persistent infections in both animal and human hosts. Recent studies revealed a potential zoonotic transmission of P. aeruginosa between animals, the environment, and human populations which highlights awareness of this microbe. Implementation of the One Health approach, which underscores the connection between human, animal, and environmental health, we aim to offer a comprehensive perspective on the current landscape of P. aeruginosa management. This review presents innovative strategies designed to counteract P. aeruginosa infections. Traditional antibiotics, while effective in many cases, are increasingly compromised by the development of multidrug-resistant strains. Non-antibiotic avenues, such as quorum sensing inhibition, phage therapy, and nanoparticle-based treatments, are emerging as promising alternatives. However, their clinical application encounters obstacles like cost, side effects, and safety concerns. Effectively addressing P. aeruginosa infections necessitates persistent research efforts, advancements in clinical development, and a comprehension of host-pathogen interactions to deal with this resilient pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Elfadadny
- Laboratory of Internal Medicine, Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Rokaia F. Ragab
- Laboratory of Internal Medicine, Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Maha AlHarbi
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Farhad Badshah
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, China
| | - Eliana Ibáñez-Arancibia
- PhD Program in Sciences Mentioning Applied Molecular and Cell Biology, La Frontera University, Temuco, Chile
- Laboratory of Engineering, Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry – LIBBA, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, La Frontera University, Temuco, Chile
- Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco, Chile
| | - Ahmed Farag
- Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Amin Omar Hendawy
- Department of Animal and Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Patricio R. De los Ríos-Escalante
- Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco, Chile
- Nucleus of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco, Chile
| | - Mohamed Aboubakr
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Moshtohor, Toukh, Qaliobiya, Egypt
| | - Shadi A. Zakai
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wedad M. Nageeb
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
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21
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Garrido-Palazuelos LI, Aguirre-Sánchez JR, Castro-Del Campo N, López-Cuevas O, González-Torres B, Chaidez C, Medrano-Félix JA. Genomic characteristics of Salmonella Montevideo and Pomona: impact of isolation source on antibiotic resistance, virulence and metabolic capacity. Int J Environ Health Res 2024:1-16. [PMID: 38576268 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2024.2336597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Salmonella enterica is known for its disease-causing serotypes, including Montevideo and Pomona. These serotypes have been found in various environments, including river water, sediments, food, and animals. However, the global spread of these serotypes has increased, leading to many reported infections and outbreaks. The goal of this study was the genomic analysis of 48 strains of S. Montevideo and S. Pomona isolated from different sources, including clinical. Results showed that environmental strains carried more antibiotic resistance genes than the clinical strains, such as genes for resistance to aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, and sulfonamides. Additionally, the type 4 secretion system, was only found in environmental strains. .Also many phosphotransferase transport systems were identified and the presence of genes for the alternative pathway Entner-Doudoroff. The origin of isolation may have a significant impact on the ability of Salmonella isolates to adapt and survive in different environments, leading to genomic flexibility and a selection advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennin Isaac Garrido-Palazuelos
- Laboratorio Nacional Para la Investigación En Inocuidad Alimentaria (LANIIA), Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C (CIAD), Culiacán, México
| | - José Roberto Aguirre-Sánchez
- Laboratorio Nacional Para la Investigación En Inocuidad Alimentaria (LANIIA), Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C (CIAD), Culiacán, México
| | - Nohelia Castro-Del Campo
- Laboratorio Nacional Para la Investigación En Inocuidad Alimentaria (LANIIA), Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C (CIAD), Culiacán, México
| | - Osvaldo López-Cuevas
- Laboratorio Nacional Para la Investigación En Inocuidad Alimentaria (LANIIA), Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C (CIAD), Culiacán, México
| | - Berenice González-Torres
- Laboratorio Nacional Para la Investigación En Inocuidad Alimentaria (LANIIA), Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C (CIAD), Culiacán, México
| | - Cristóbal Chaidez
- Laboratorio Nacional Para la Investigación En Inocuidad Alimentaria (LANIIA), Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C (CIAD), Culiacán, México
| | - José Andrés Medrano-Félix
- Investigadoras e investigadores por México Centro de Investigación En Alimentación y Desarrollo A.C. Laboratorio Nacional para la Investigación en Inocuidad Alimentaria, Culiacán, México
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22
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Greenspan NS. Erratum to: "The Chemical Characterization of the Pneumococcal Transforming Principle. Pathogens and Immunity. 2024;8(2):177-178. doi: 10.20411/pai.v8i2.687". Pathog Immun 2024; 9:18. [PMID: 38576545 PMCID: PMC10994220 DOI: 10.20411/pai.v9i1.704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.20411/pai.v8i2.687.].
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23
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Steenwyk JL, Balamurugan C, Raja HA, Gonçalves C, Li N, Martin F, Berman J, Oberlies NH, Gibbons JG, Goldman GH, Geiser DM, Houbraken J, Hibbett DS, Rokas A. Phylogenomics reveals extensive misidentification of fungal strains from the genus Aspergillus. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0398023. [PMID: 38445873 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03980-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Modern taxonomic classification is often based on phylogenetic analyses of a few molecular markers, although single-gene studies are still common. Here, we leverage genome-scale molecular phylogenetics (phylogenomics) of species and populations to reconstruct evolutionary relationships in a dense data set of 710 fungal genomes from the biomedically and technologically important genus Aspergillus. To do so, we generated a novel set of 1,362 high-quality molecular markers specific for Aspergillus and provided profile Hidden Markov Models for each, facilitating their use by others. Examining the resulting phylogeny helped resolve ongoing taxonomic controversies, identified new ones, and revealed extensive strain misidentification (7.59% of strains were previously misidentified), underscoring the importance of population-level sampling in species classification. These findings were corroborated using the current standard, taxonomically informative loci. These findings suggest that phylogenomics of species and populations can facilitate accurate taxonomic classifications and reconstructions of the Tree of Life.IMPORTANCEIdentification of fungal species relies on the use of molecular markers. Advances in genomic technologies have made it possible to sequence the genome of any fungal strain, making it possible to use genomic data for the accurate assignment of strains to fungal species (and for the discovery of new ones). We examined the usefulness and current limitations of genomic data using a large data set of 710 publicly available genomes from multiple strains and species of the biomedically, agriculturally, and industrially important genus Aspergillus. Our evolutionary genomic analyses revealed that nearly 8% of publicly available Aspergillus genomes are misidentified. Our work highlights the usefulness of genomic data for fungal systematic biology and suggests that systematic genome sequencing of multiple strains, including reference strains (e.g., type strains), of fungal species will be required to reduce misidentification errors in public databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob L Steenwyk
- Howards Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Charu Balamurugan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Huzefa A Raja
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Carla Gonçalves
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ningxiao Li
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
- USDA-ARS, Salinas, California, USA
| | | | - Judith Berman
- Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel
| | - Nicholas H Oberlies
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - John G Gibbons
- Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gustavo H Goldman
- Faculdade de Ciencias Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - David M Geiser
- Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jos Houbraken
- Food and Indoor Mycology, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - David S Hibbett
- Biology Department, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Antonis Rokas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Initiative, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg, Heidelberg, Germany
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24
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Lehman SS, Williamson CD, Tucholski T, Ellis NA, Bouchard S, Jarnik M, Allen M, Nita-Lazar A, Machner MP. The Legionella pneumophila effector DenR hijacks the host NRas proto-oncoprotein to downregulate MAPK signaling. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114033. [PMID: 38568811 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Small GTPases of the Ras subfamily are best known for their role as proto-oncoproteins, while their function during microbial infection has remained elusive. Here, we show that Legionella pneumophila hijacks the small GTPase NRas to the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV) surface. A CRISPR interference screen identifies a single L. pneumophila effector, DenR (Lpg1909), required for this process. Recruitment is specific for NRas, while its homologs KRas and HRas are excluded from LCVs. The C-terminal hypervariable tail of NRas is sufficient for recruitment, and interference with either NRas farnesylation or S-acylation sites abrogates recruitment. Intriguingly, we detect markers of active NRas signaling on the LCV, suggesting it acts as a signaling platform. Subsequent phosphoproteomics analyses show that DenR rewires the host NRas signaling landscape, including dampening of the canonical mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These results provide evidence for L. pneumophila targeting NRas and suggest a link between NRas GTPase signaling and microbial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S Lehman
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chad D Williamson
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Trisha Tucholski
- Functional Cellular Networks Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nicole A Ellis
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sabrina Bouchard
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Michal Jarnik
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Morgan Allen
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Aleksandra Nita-Lazar
- Functional Cellular Networks Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Matthias P Machner
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Chen A, Han X, Liu C, Zhou Y, Ren Y, Shen X, Shim WB, Chai Y, Ma Z, Chen Y. Profiling of deubiquitinases that control virulence in the pathogenic plant fungus Fusarium graminearum. New Phytol 2024; 242:192-210. [PMID: 38332398 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotes have evolved sophisticated post-translational modifications to regulate protein function and numerous biological processes, including ubiquitination controlled by the coordinated action of ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes and deubiquitinating enzymes (Dubs). However, the function of deubiquitination in pathogenic fungi is largely unknown. Here, the distribution of Dubs in the fungal kingdom was surveyed and their functions were systematically characterized using the phytopathogen Fusarium graminearum as the model species, which causes devastating diseases of all cereal species world-wide. Our findings demonstrate that Dubs are critical for fungal development and virulence, especially the ubiquitin-specific protease 15 (Ubp15). Global ubiquitome analysis and subsequent experiments identified three important substrates of Ubp15, including the autophagy-related protein Atg8, the mitogen-activated protein kinase Gpmk1, and the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) biosynthetic protein Tri4. Ubp15 regulates the deubiquitination of the Atg8, thereby impacting its subcellular localization and the autophagy process. Moreover, Ubp15 also modulates the deubiquitination of Gpmk1 and Tri4. This modulation subsequently influences their protein stabilities and further affects the formation of penetration structures and the biosynthetic process of DON, respectively. Collectively, our findings reveal a previously unknown regulatory pathway of a deubiquitinating enzyme for fungal virulence and highlight the potential of Ubp15 as a target for combating fungal diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahai Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- FAFU-UCR Joint Center for Horticultural Biology and Metabolomics, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xingmin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yifan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yiyi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xingxing Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Won Bo Shim
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yunrong Chai
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Zhonghua Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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Torstenson M, Shaw AK. Pathogen evolution following spillover from a resident to a migrant host population depends on interactions between host pace of life and tolerance to infection. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:475-487. [PMID: 38462682 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Changes to migration routes and phenology create novel contact patterns among hosts and pathogens. These novel contact patterns can lead to pathogens spilling over between resident and migrant populations. Predicting the consequences of such pathogen spillover events requires understanding how pathogen evolution depends on host movement behaviour. Following spillover, pathogens may evolve changes in their transmission rate and virulence phenotypes because different strategies are favoured by resident and migrant host populations. There is conflict in current theoretical predictions about what those differences might be. Some theory predicts lower pathogen virulence and transmission rates in migrant populations because migrants have lower tolerance to infection. Other theoretical work predicts higher pathogen virulence and transmission rates in migrants because migrants have more contacts with susceptible hosts. We aim to understand how differences in tolerance to infection and host pace of life act together to determine the direction of pathogen evolution following pathogen spillover from a resident to a migrant population. We constructed a spatially implicit model in which we investigate how pathogen strategy changes following the addition of a migrant population. We investigate how differences in tolerance to infection and pace of life between residents and migrants determine the effect of spillover on pathogen evolution and host population size. When the paces of life of the migrant and resident hosts are equal, larger costs of infection in the migrants lead to lower pathogen transmission rate and virulence following spillover. When the tolerance to infection in migrant and resident populations is equal, faster migrant paces of life lead to increased transmission rate and virulence following spillover. However, the opposite can also occur: when the migrant population has lower tolerance to infection, faster migrant paces of life can lead to decreases in transmission rate and virulence. Predicting the outcomes of pathogen spillover requires accounting for both differences in tolerance to infection and pace of life between populations. It is also important to consider how movement patterns of populations affect host contact opportunities for pathogens. These results have implications for wildlife conservation, agriculture and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Torstenson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Allison K Shaw
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Wang C, Defoirdt T, Rajkovic A. The impact of indole and mucin on sporulation, biofilm formation, and enterotoxin production in foodborne Clostridium perfringens. J Appl Microbiol 2024; 135:lxae083. [PMID: 38544331 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxae083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Indole and mucin are compounds found in the host environment as they are produced by the host or by the host-associated microbiota. This study investigated whether indole and mucin impact Clostridium perfringens growth and sporulation, as well as enterotoxin production and biofilm formation. METHODS AND RESULTS There was no impact on growth of Cl. perfringens for up to 400 µM indole and 240 mg/l mucin, and neither indole nor mucin affected sporulation. Reverse-transcriptase qPCR showed that mucin strongly upregulated the expression of Cl. perfringens enterotoxin (up to 121-fold increase), whereas indole had a much more modest effect (2-fold). This was also reflected in increased Cl. perfringens enterotoxin levels in mucin-treated Cl. perfringens (as assessed by a reversed passive latex agglutination assay). Finally, mucin and indole significantly increased biofilm formation of Cl. perfringens, although the effect size was relatively small (less than 1.5 fold). CONCLUSION These results indicate that Cl. perfringens can sense its presence in a host environment by responding to mucin, and thereby markedly increased enterotoxin production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- Research Unit Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Defoirdt
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Andreja Rajkovic
- Research Unit Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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28
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Lee SM, Lee JJ, Kim H, Choi GJ. Differential Resistance of Radish Cultivars against Bacterial Soft Rot Caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. Plant Pathol J 2024; 40:151-159. [PMID: 38606445 PMCID: PMC11016562 DOI: 10.5423/ppj.oa.01.2024.0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial soft rot caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc) is one of the most severe diseases in radish cultivation. To control this plant disease, the most effective method has been known to cultivate resistant cultivars. Previously, we developed an efficient bioassay method for investigating resistance levels with 21 resistant and moderately resistant cultivars of radish against a strain Pcc KACC 10421. In this study, our research expanded to investigate the resistance of radish cultivars against six Pcc strains, KACC 10225, KACC 10421, ATCC 12312, ATCC 15713, LY34, and ECC 301365. To this end, the virulence of the six Pcc strains was determined based on the development of bacterial soft rot in seedlings of four susceptible radish cultivars. The results showed that the Pcc strains exhibited different virulence in the susceptible cultivars. To explore the race differentiation of Pcc strains corresponding to the resistance in radish cultivars, we investigated the occurrence of bacterial soft rot caused by the six Pcc strains on the 21 resistant and moderate resistant cultivars. Our results showed that the average values of the area under the disease progress curve were positively correlated with the virulence of the strains and the number of resistant cultivars decreased as the virulence of Pcc strains increased. Taken together, our results suggest that the resistance to Pcc of the radish cultivars commercialized in Korea is more likely affected by the virulence of Pcc strains rather than by race differentiation of Pcc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Min Lee
- Center for Eco-friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Jin Ju Lee
- Center for Eco-friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
| | - Hun Kim
- Center for Eco-friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
| | - Gyung Ja Choi
- Center for Eco-friendly New Materials, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
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Vadillo‐Dieguez A, Zeng Z, Mansfield JW, Grinberg NF, Lynn SC, Gregg A, Connell J, Harrison RJ, Jackson RW, Hulin MT. Genetic dissection of the tissue-specific roles of type III effectors and phytotoxins in the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae to cherry. Mol Plant Pathol 2024; 25:e13451. [PMID: 38590135 PMCID: PMC11002349 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
When compared with other phylogroups (PGs) of the Pseudomonas syringae species complex, P. syringae pv. syringae (Pss) strains within PG2 have a reduced repertoire of type III effectors (T3Es) but produce several phytotoxins. Effectors within the cherry pathogen Pss 9644 were grouped based on their frequency in strains from Prunus as the conserved effector locus (CEL) common to most P. syringae pathogens; a core of effectors common to PG2; a set of PRUNUS effectors common to cherry pathogens; and a FLEXIBLE set of T3Es. Pss 9644 also contains gene clusters for biosynthesis of toxins syringomycin, syringopeptin and syringolin A. After confirmation of virulence gene expression, mutants with a sequential series of T3E and toxin deletions were pathogenicity tested on wood, leaves and fruits of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and leaves of ornamental cherry (Prunus incisa). The toxins had a key role in disease development in fruits but were less important in leaves and wood. An effectorless mutant retained some pathogenicity to fruit but not wood or leaves. Striking redundancy was observed amongst effector groups. The CEL effectors have important roles during the early stages of leaf infection and possibly acted synergistically with toxins in all tissues. Deletion of separate groups of T3Es had more effect in P. incisa than in P. avium. Mixed inocula were used to complement the toxin mutations in trans and indicated that strain mixtures may be important in the field. Our results highlight the niche-specific role of toxins in P. avium tissues and the complexity of effector redundancy in the pathogen Pss 9644.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Vadillo‐Dieguez
- NIABCambridgeUK
- School of Biosciences and the Birmingham Institute of Forest ResearchUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Richard J. Harrison
- NIABCambridgeUK
- School of Biosciences and the Birmingham Institute of Forest ResearchUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Plant Science GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenNetherlands
- Present address:
Faculty of Natural Sciences, Plant Science GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenNetherlands
| | - Robert W. Jackson
- School of Biosciences and the Birmingham Institute of Forest ResearchUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Michelle T. Hulin
- NIABCambridgeUK
- Department of Plant Soil & Microbial SciencesMichigan State UniversityEast LansingUSA
- Present address:
Department of Plant Soil & Microbial SciencesMichigan State UniversityEast LansingUSA
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30
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Rico-Torres CP, Valenzuela-Moreno LF, Robles-González E, Cruz-Tamayo AA, Huchin-Cab M, Pérez-Flores J, Xicoténcatl-García L, Luna-Pastén H, Ortiz-Alegría LB, Cañedo-Solares I, Cedillo-Peláez C, García-Lacy F, Caballero-Ortega H. Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic animals from Campeche, México, reveals virulent genotypes and a recombinant ROP5 allele. Parasitology 2024; 151:363-369. [PMID: 38379406 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii has at least 318 genotypes distributed worldwide, and tropical regions usually have greater genetic diversity. Campeche is a state located in the southeastern region of México and has favourable climate conditions for the replication and dissemination of this protozoan, similar to those in South American countries where broad genetic diversity has been described. Thus, in this study, 4 T. gondii isolates were obtained from tissues of stray dogs and free-range chickens in Campeche, México, and were genotyped by Mn-PCR-RFLP with 10 typing markers (SAG1, altSAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1 and Apico) and 5 virulence markers (CS3, ROP16, ROP17, ROP18 and ROP5) to provide new information about the distribution and virulence prediction of T. gondii genotypes. Two isolates of T. gondii genotype #116 and 2 of genotype #38 were obtained from stray dogs and chickens, respectively. The parasite load found in these species was between <50 and more than 35 000 tachyzoites per mg of tissue. Virulence marker genotyping revealed a recombinant 1&3 ROP5 RFLP pattern in 2 ToxoDB #116 isolates with no prediction of virulence in a murine model, while in the 2 ToxoDB #38 isolates, the ROP18/ROP5 combination predicted high virulence. Considering all the typed markers, there is a predominance of type I and III alleles, as constantly reported for the isolates characterized in various regions of México. It is crucial to determine their phenotype to corroborate the genetic virulence profile of the T. gondii isolates obtained in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Miguel Huchin-Cab
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, México
| | - Jonathan Pérez-Flores
- Departamento de Observación y Estudio de la Tierra, la Atmósfera y el Océano, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, México
| | | | - Héctor Luna-Pastén
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, México
| | | | - Irma Cañedo-Solares
- Laboratorio de Inmunología Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, México
| | | | - Fernando García-Lacy
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
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Wang J, Wang X, Yang K, Lu C, Fields B, Xu Y, Shen Q, Wei Z, Friman VP. Phage selection drives resistance- virulence trade-offs in Ralstonia solanacearum plant-pathogenic bacterium irrespective of the growth temperature. Evol Lett 2024; 8:253-266. [PMID: 38525025 PMCID: PMC10959482 DOI: 10.1093/evlett/qrad056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
While temperature has been shown to affect the survival and growth of bacteria and their phage parasites, it is unclear if trade-offs between phage resistance and other bacterial traits depend on the temperature. Here, we experimentally compared the evolution of phage resistance-virulence trade-offs and underlying molecular mechanisms in phytopathogenic Ralstonia solanacearum bacterium at 25 °C and 35 °C temperature environments. We found that while phages reduced R. solanacearum densities relatively more at 25 °C, no difference in the final level of phage resistance was observed between temperature treatments. Instead, small colony variants (SCVs) with increased growth rate and mutations in the quorum-sensing (QS) signaling receptor gene, phcS, evolved in both temperature treatments. Interestingly, SCVs were also phage-resistant and reached higher frequencies in the presence of phages. Evolving phage resistance was costly, resulting in reduced carrying capacity, biofilm formation, and virulence in planta, possibly due to loss of QS-mediated expression of key virulence genes. We also observed mucoid phage-resistant colonies that showed loss of virulence and reduced twitching motility likely due to parallel mutations in prepilin peptidase gene, pilD. Moreover, phage-resistant SCVs from 35 °C-phage treatment had parallel mutations in type II secretion system (T2SS) genes (gspE and gspF). Adsorption assays confirmed the role of pilD as a phage receptor, while no loss of adsorption was found with phcS or T2SS mutants, indicative of other downstream phage resistance mechanisms. Additional transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of CBASS and type I restriction-modification phage defense systems in response to phage exposure, which coincided with reduced expression of motility and virulence-associated genes, including pilD and type II and III secretion systems. Together, these results suggest that while phage resistance-virulence trade-offs are not affected by the growth temperature, they could be mediated through both pre- and postinfection phage resistance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Wang
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Xiaofang Wang
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Keming Yang
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Chunxia Lu
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Bryden Fields
- Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yangchun Xu
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Zhong Wei
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
| | - Ville-Petri Friman
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, P.R. China
- Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York , United Kingdom
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Wang P, Wang Y, Hu Y, Chen Z, Han L, Zhu W, Tian B, Fang A, Yang Y, Bi C, Yu Y. Plant hypersensitive induced reaction protein facilitates cell death induced by secreted xylanase associated with the pathogenicity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Plant J 2024; 118:90-105. [PMID: 38113332 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Necrotrophic fungal plant pathogens employ cell death-inducing proteins (CDIPs) to facilitate infection. However, the specific CDIPs and their mechanisms in pathogenic processes of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a necrotrophic pathogen that causes disease in many economically important crop species, have not yet been clearly defined. This study found that S. sclerotiorum secretes SsXyl2, a glycosyl hydrolase family 11 xylanase, at the late stage of hyphal infection. SsXyl2 targets the apoplast of host plants to induce cell death independent of xylanase activity. Targeted disruption of SsXyl2 leads to serious impairment of virulence, which can be recovered by a catalytically impaired SsXyl2 variant, thus supporting the critical role of cell death-inducing activity of SsXyl2 in establishing successful colonization of S. sclerotiorum. Remarkably, infection by S. sclerotiorum induces the accumulation of Nicotiana benthamiana hypersensitive-induced reaction protein 2 (NbHIR2). NbHIR2 interacts with SsXyl2 at the plasma membrane and promotes its localization to the cell membrane and cell death-inducing activity. Furthermore, gene-edited mutants of NbHIR2 displayed increased resistance to the wild-type strain of S. sclerotiorum, but not to the SsXyl2-deletion strain. Hence, SsXyl2 acts as a CDIP that manipulates host cell physiology by interacting with hypersensitive induced reaction protein to facilitate colonization by S. sclerotiorum. These findings provide valuable insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of CDIPs in necrotrophic pathogens and lead to a more promising approach for breeding resistant crops against S. sclerotiorum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yabo Wang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yawen Hu
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Ziyang Chen
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Lili Han
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Wenjun Zhu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430023, China
| | - Binnian Tian
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Anfei Fang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yuheng Yang
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Chaowei Bi
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yang Yu
- College of Plant Protection, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biosafety and Green Production of Upper Yangtze River, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
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Manders T, Benedictus L, Spaninks M, Matthijs M. Enterococcus cecorum lesion strains are less sensitive to the hostile environment of albumen and more resistant to lysozyme compared to cloaca strains. Avian Pathol 2024; 53:106-114. [PMID: 38073364 DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2023.2286985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Egg albumen inhibits Enterococcus cecorum cloaca strains more than lesion strains.Enterococcus cecorum lesion strains are resistant to high concentrations of lysozyme.Lysozyme resistance could enhance survival in albumen and body fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thijs Manders
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lindert Benedictus
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mirlin Spaninks
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mieke Matthijs
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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34
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Chowdhury G, Debnath F, Bardhan M, Deb AK, Bhuina R, Bhattacharjee S, Mondal K, Kitahara K, Miyoshi SI, Dutta S, Mukhopadhyay AK. Foodborne Outbreak by Salmonella enterica Serovar Weltevreden in West Bengal, India. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2024; 21:220-227. [PMID: 38190304 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2023.0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks owing to Salmonella enterica serovar Weltevreden (Salmonella Weltevreden) represent a significant global public health problem. In the past two decades, Salmonella Weltevreden has emerged as a dominant foodborne pathogen, especially in South-East Asian countries. This report describes a community foodborne outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella Weltevreden in August 2022 following consumption of panipuri from a street vendor in the Polba block in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India. This food item was consumed by 185 people, of whom 129 had acute watery diarrhea with other clinical symptoms and 65 of them were admitted to different District hospitals for treatment. Stool specimens collected from hospitalized cases were positive for S. enterica, and further serotyped as Salmonella Weltevreden. All the Salmonella Weltevreden strains possessed the Salmonella pathogenicity islands associated genes (invA/E, orgA, ttrc, ssaQ, mgtC, misL, spi4D), the enterotoxin (stn), and hyperinvasive locus gene (hilA). Except erythromycin, all the strains were susceptible for commonly used antimicrobials in the treatment of diarrhea. The XbaI-based pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that all the isolates responsible for the recent outbreak were similar, but diverged from other Salmonella Weltevreden that were previously reported in West Bengal. This report indicates that foodborne infection is a major public health concern in India and demands to strengthen capacity-building measures at the local health care levels for linking causative agents of outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goutam Chowdhury
- Department of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Department of Collaborative Research Centre of Okayama University for Infectious Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Falguni Debnath
- Department of Epidemiology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Mainak Bardhan
- Department of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Alok Kumar Deb
- Department of Epidemiology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Rama Bhuina
- Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Sudipta Bhattacharjee
- Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Koushik Mondal
- Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Kei Kitahara
- Department of Collaborative Research Centre of Okayama University for Infectious Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Shin-Ichi Miyoshi
- Department of Collaborative Research Centre of Okayama University for Infectious Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Department of Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Shanta Dutta
- Department of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Asish K Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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Silao FGS, Valeriano VD, Uddström E, Falconer E, Ljungdahl PO. Diverse mechanisms control amino acid-dependent environmental alkalization by Candida albicans. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:696-716. [PMID: 38178569 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Candida albicans has the capacity to neutralize acidic growth environments by releasing ammonia derived from the catabolism of amino acids. The molecular components underlying alkalization and its physiological significance remain poorly understood. Here, we present an integrative model with the cytosolic NAD+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (Gdh2) as the principal ammonia-generating component. We show that alkalization is dependent on the SPS-sensor-regulated transcription factor STP2 and the proline-responsive activator Put3. These factors function in parallel to derepress GDH2 and the two proline catabolic enzymes PUT1 and PUT2. Consistently, a double mutant lacking STP2 and PUT3 exhibits a severe alkalization defect that nearly phenocopies that of a gdh2-/- strain. Alkalization is dependent on mitochondrial activity and in wild-type cells occurs as long as the conditions permit respiratory growth. Strikingly, Gdh2 levels decrease and cells transiently extrude glutamate as the environment becomes more alkaline. Together, these processes constitute a rudimentary regulatory system that counters and limits the negative effects associated with ammonia generation. These findings align with Gdh2 being dispensable for virulence, and based on a whole human blood virulence assay, the same is true for C. glabrata and C. auris. Using a transwell co-culture system, we observed that the growth and proliferation of Lactobacillus crispatus, a common component of the acidic vaginal microenvironment and a potent antagonist of C. albicans, is unaffected by fungal-induced alkalization. Consequently, although Candida spp. can alkalinize their growth environments, other fungal-associated processes are more critical in promoting dysbiosis and virulent fungal growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fitz Gerald S Silao
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Valerie Diane Valeriano
- Centre for Translational Microbiome Research (CTMR), Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | - Erika Uddström
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Emilie Falconer
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per O Ljungdahl
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Turton JF, Perry C, McGowan K, Turton JA, Hope R. Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 147: a high-risk clone increasingly associated with plasmids carrying both resistance and virulence elements. J Med Microbiol 2024; 73. [PMID: 38629482 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction. The first hybrid resistance/virulence plasmid, combining elements from virulence plasmids described in hypervirulent types of Klebsiella pneumoniae with those from conjugative resistance plasmids, was described in an isolate of sequence type (ST) 147 from 2016. Subsequently, this type has been increasingly associated with these plasmids.Hypothesis or gap statement. The extent of carriage of hybrid virulence/resistance plasmids in nosocomial isolates of K. pneumoniae requires further investigation.Aim. To describe the occurrence of virulence/resistance plasmids among isolates of K. pneumoniae received by the UK reference laboratory, particularly among representatives of ST147, and to compare their sequences.Methodology. Isolates received by the laboratory during 2022 and the first half of 2023 (n=1278) were screened for virulence plasmids by PCR detection of rmpA/rmpA2 and typed by variable-number tandem repeat analysis. Twenty-nine representatives of ST147 (including a single-locus variant) from seven hospital laboratories were subjected to long-read nanopore sequencing using high-accuracy q20 chemistry to provide complete assemblies.Results. rmpA/rmpA2 were detected in 110 isolates, of which 59 belonged to hypervirulent K1-ST23, K2-ST86 and K2-ST65/375. Of the remainder, representatives of ST147 formed the largest group, with 22 rmpA/rmpA2-positive representatives (out of 47 isolates). Representatives were from 19 hospital laboratories, with rmpA/rmpA2-positive isolates from 10. Nanopore sequencing of 29 representatives of ST147 divided them into those with no virulence plasmid (n=12), those with non-New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) virulence plasmids (n=6) and those carrying bla NDM-5 (n=9) or bla NDM-1 (n=2) virulence plasmids. These plasmids were of IncFIB(pNDM-Mar)/IncHI1B(pNDM-MAR) replicon types. Most of the non-NDM virulence plasmids were highly similar to the originally described KpvST147L_NDM plasmid. Those carrying bla NDM-5 were highly similar to one another and to previously described plasmids in ST383 and carried an extensive array of resistance genes. Comparison of the fully assembled chromosomes indicated multiple introductions of ST147 in UK hospitals.Conclusion. This study highlights the high proportion of representatives of ST147 that carry IncFIB(pNDM-Mar)/IncHI1B(pNDM-MAR) hybrid resistance virulence plasmids. It is important to be aware of the high probability that representatives of this type carry these plasmids combining resistance and virulence determinants and of the consequent increased risk to patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane F Turton
- HealthCare Associated Infections, Fungal, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Use and Sepsis Division, UK Health Security Agency, 61, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK
| | - Claire Perry
- Public Health Microbiology, UK Health Security Agency, 61, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK
| | - Kim McGowan
- Public Health Microbiology, UK Health Security Agency, 61, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK
| | - Jack A Turton
- HealthCare Associated Infections, Fungal, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Use and Sepsis Division, UK Health Security Agency, 61, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK
| | - Russell Hope
- HealthCare Associated Infections, Fungal, Antimicrobial Resistance, Antimicrobial Use and Sepsis Division, UK Health Security Agency, 61, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK
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Toh YH, Lin GH. Roles of DJ41_1407 and DJ41_1408 in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC19606 Virulence and Antibiotic Response. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3862. [PMID: 38612672 PMCID: PMC11011904 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a major cause of nosocomial infections, and its highly adaptive nature and broad range of antibiotic resistance enable it to persist in hospital environments. A. baumannii often employs two-component systems (TCSs) to regulate adaptive responses and virulence-related traits. This study describes a previously uncharacterized TCS in the A. baumannii ATCC19606 strain, consisting of a transcriptional sensor, DJ41_1407, and its regulator, DJ41_1408, located adjacent to GacA of the GacSA TCS. Markerless mutagenesis was performed to construct DJ41_1407 and DJ41_1408 single and double mutants. DJ41_1408 was found to upregulate 49 genes and downregulate 43 genes, most of which were associated with carbon metabolism and other metabolic pathways, such as benzoate degradation. MEME analysis revealed a putative binding box for DJ41_1408, 5'TGTAAATRATTAYCAWTWAT3'. Colony size, motility, biofilm-forming ability, virulence, and antibiotic resistance of DJ41_1407 and DJ41_1408 single and double mutant strains were assessed against wild type. DJ41_1407 was found to enhance motility, while DJ41_1408 was found to upregulate biofilm-forming ability, and may also modulate antibiotic response. Both DJ41_1407 and DJ41_1408 suppressed virulence, based on results from a G. mellonella infection assay. These results showcase a novel A. baumannii TCS involved in metabolism, with effects on motility, biofilm-forming ability, virulence, and antibiotic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee-Huan Toh
- Master Program in Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970374, Taiwan;
| | - Guang-Huey Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970374, Taiwan
- International College, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970374, Taiwan
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Moussart A, Lavaud C, Onfroy C, Leprévost T, Pilet-Nayel ML, Le May C. Pathotype characterization of Aphanomyces euteiches isolates collected from pea breeding nurseries. Front Plant Sci 2024; 15:1332976. [PMID: 38606076 PMCID: PMC11007135 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1332976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Aphanomyces euteiches Drechsler is an oomycete pathogen that affects legume crops, causing root rot, a severe disease of peas (Pisum sativum L.) worldwide. While significant research progress has been made in breeding pea-resistant varieties, there is still a need for a deeper understanding of the diversity of pathogen populations present in breeding nurseries located in various legume-growing regions around the world. Methods We analysed the diversity of 51 pea-infecting isolates of A. euteiches, which were recovered from four American (Athena, OR; Le Sueur, MN; Mount Vernon, WA; Pullman, WA) and three French (Riec-sur-Belon, Templeux-le-Guérard, Dijon) resistance screening nurseries. Our study focused on evaluating their aggressiveness on two sets of differential hosts, comprising six pea lines and five Medicago truncatula accessions. Results The isolates clustered into three groups based on their aggressiveness on the whole pea set, confirming the presence of pathotypes I and III. Pathotype I was exclusive to French isolates and American isolates from Athena and Pullman, while all isolates from Le Sueur belonged to pathotype III. Isolates from both pathotypes were found in Mount Vernon. The M. truncatula set clustered the isolates into three groups based on their aggressiveness on different genotypes within the set, revealing the presence of five pathotypes. All the isolates from the French nurseries shared the same Fr pathotype, showing higher aggressiveness on one particular genotype. In contrast, nearly all-American isolates were assigned to four other pathotypes (Us1, Us2, Us3, Us4), differing in their higher aggressiveness on two to five genotypes. Most of American isolates exhibited higher aggressiveness than French isolates within the M. truncatula set, but showed lower aggressiveness than French isolates within the P. sativum set. Discussion These results provide valuable insights into A. euteiches pathotypes, against which the QTL and sources of resistance identified in these nurseries displayed effectiveness. They also suggest a greater adaptation of American isolates to alfalfa, a more widely cultivated host in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clément Lavaud
- IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, Le Rheu, France
| | | | - Théo Leprévost
- IGEPP, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, Le Rheu, France
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Kim H, Kim MH, Choi UL, Chung MS, Yun CH, Shim Y, Oh J, Lee S, Lee GW. Molecular and Phenotypic Investigation on Antibacterial Activities of Limonene Isomers and Its Oxidation Derivative against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 34:562-569. [PMID: 38247219 PMCID: PMC11016764 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2311.11016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes a devastating bacterial leaf blight in rice. Here, the antimicrobial effects of D-limonene, L-limonene, and its oxidative derivative carveol against Xoo were investigated. We revealed that carveol treatment at ≥ 0.1 mM in liquid culture resulted in significant decrease in Xoo growth rate (> 40%) in a concentration-dependent manner, and over 1 mM, no growth was observed. The treatment with D-limonene and L-limonene also inhibited the Xoo growth but to a lesser extent compared to carveol. These results were further elaborated with the assays of motility, biofilm formation and xanthomonadin production. The carveol treatment over 1 mM caused no motilities, basal level of biofilm formation (< 10%), and significantly reduced xanthomonadin production. The biofilm formation after the treatment with two limonene isomers was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, but the degree of the effect was not comparable to carveol. In addition, there was negligible effect on the xanthomonadin production mediated by the treatment of two limonene isomers. Field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) unveiled that all three compounds used in this study cause severe ultrastructural morphological changes in Xoo cells, showing shrinking, shriveling, and holes on their surface. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR revealed that carveol and D-limonene treatment significantly down-regulated the expression levels of genes involved in virulence and biofilm formation of Xoo, but not with L-limonene. Together, we suggest that limonenes and carveol will be the candidates of interest in the development of biological pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonbin Kim
- Green-Bio Division, Jeonju AgroBio-Materials Institute, Jeonju 54810, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi Hee Kim
- Green-Bio Division, Jeonju AgroBio-Materials Institute, Jeonju 54810, Republic of Korea
| | - Ui-Lim Choi
- Green-Bio Division, Jeonju AgroBio-Materials Institute, Jeonju 54810, Republic of Korea
| | - Moon-Soo Chung
- Division of Radiation Biotechnology, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 56212, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul-Ho Yun
- School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngkun Shim
- Microzyme Co., Ltd. Research and Development Department, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do 57385, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaejun Oh
- Microzyme Co., Ltd. Research and Development Department, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do 57385, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungbeom Lee
- Division of Radiation Biotechnology, Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 56212, Republic of Korea
- Department of Radiation Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Gun Woong Lee
- Green-Bio Division, Jeonju AgroBio-Materials Institute, Jeonju 54810, Republic of Korea
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Lee J, Hwang JH, Yeom JH, Lee S, Hwang JH. Analysis of virulence profiles in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae from renal abscesses: clinical significance of hypervirulent isolates. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1367111. [PMID: 38606296 PMCID: PMC11007163 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1367111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Klebsiella pneumoniae can cause a wide range of infections. Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKp), particularly associated with the K1 and K2 capsular types, is an increasingly significant microorganism with the potential to cause invasive infections, including renal abscesses. Despite the rising prevalence of hvKp infections, information on renal abscesses caused by K. pneumoniae is limited, and the clinical significance of hvKp associated with specific virulence genes remains elusive. Methods This study performed at a 1200-bed tertiary hospital sought to identify the clinical and microbiological characteristics of renal abscesses caused by K. pneumoniae, focusing on various virulence genes, including capsular serotypes and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Results Over an 8-year period, 64 patients with suspected renal abscesses were reviewed. Ten patients diagnosed with K. pneumoniae-related renal abscesses were ultimately enrolled in the study. Among the isolates from the 10 patients, capsular serotype K2 was predominant (40.0%), followed by K1 (30.0%). The most common sequence type by MLST was 23 (40.0%). In particular, six patients (60.0%) harbored specific genes indicative of hvKp: iucA, peg-344, rmpA, and rmpA2. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of hvKp as a pathogen in renal abscesses. Although the nature of hvKp is relatively unknown, it is widely recognized as a highly virulent pathogen that can infect relatively healthy individuals of various ages and simultaneously cause infections at multiple anatomical sites. Therefore, when treating patients with K. pneumoniae-related renal abscesses, caution is necessary when considering the characteristics of hvKp, such as potential bacteremia, multi-organ abscess formation, and metastatic spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehyeon Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University—Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Hwan Hwang
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University—Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hyun Yeom
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University—Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Sik Lee
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University—Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo-Hee Hwang
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University—Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
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Belouad EM, Benaissa E, El Mrimar N, Eddair Y, Maleb A, Elouennass M. Investigations of carbapenem resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. Acta Microbiol Immunol Hung 2024; 71:52-60. [PMID: 38289372 DOI: 10.1556/030.2024.02207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae is an emerging pathogen that has gained attention due to its increased ability to cause infections even in healthy individuals. The aim of this study is to investigate virulence factors in K. pneumoniae strains isolated from clinical specimens and their association with carbapenem resistance. The study was conducted on 260 isolates identified between 2018 and 2023 at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital in Rabat, Morocco. The isolates were categorized based on their susceptibility to antibiotics. The hypermucoviscosity was determined by a string test, while the presence of capsular serotypes and virulence genes were identified by PCR. Among our strains, 6.2% (n = 16) exhibited hypervirulent characteristics, 56% were resistant to carbapenem. Notably, 5.7% (n = 6) of carbapenem-resistant isolates expressed the hypermucoviscous phenotype, while 1.5% (n = 2) of carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae isolates exhibited the same trait. In our study, we found that a total of 10 isolates (3.8%) had virulent capsular serotypes, with K2 being the most prevalent 40% (n = 4) and K20 in 30% (n = 3). Furthermore, we detected the presence of the Aerobactin gene in 1.5% (n = 4) of the isolates examined. Based on our findings, it appears that there was no correlation between the presence of virulence factors and carbapenem resistance. In conclusion, identifying hypervirulent K. pneumoniae in clinical specimens and assessing their antibiotic resistance profiles are crucial to ensure effective therapy and to prevent outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- El Mehdi Belouad
- 1Research Team of Epidemiology and Bacterial Resistance, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- 2Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Elmostafa Benaissa
- 1Research Team of Epidemiology and Bacterial Resistance, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- 2Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Nadia El Mrimar
- 1Research Team of Epidemiology and Bacterial Resistance, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Yassine Eddair
- 1Research Team of Epidemiology and Bacterial Resistance, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Adil Maleb
- 3Laboratory of Microbiology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohammed the First, Oujda, Morocco
| | - Mostafa Elouennass
- 1Research Team of Epidemiology and Bacterial Resistance, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Rabat, Morocco
- 2Department of Clinical Bacteriology, Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, Rabat, Morocco
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Baker CL, Seo KS, Park N, Rutter JK, Thornton JA, Pruett SB, Park JY. L-arginine supplementation abrogates hypoxia-induced virulence of Staphylococcus aureus in a murine diabetic pressure wound model. mSphere 2024; 9:e0077423. [PMID: 38426801 PMCID: PMC10964415 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00774-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are the most common complications of diabetes resulting from hyperglycemia leading to ischemic hypoxic tissue and nerve damage. Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequently isolated bacteria from DFUs and causes severe necrotic infections leading to amputations with a poor 5-year survival rate. However, very little is known about the mechanisms by which S. aureus dominantly colonizes and causes severe disease in DFUs. Herein, we utilized a pressure wound model in diabetic TALLYHO/JngJ mice to reproduce ischemic hypoxic tissue damage seen in DFUs and demonstrated that anaerobic fermentative growth of S. aureus significantly increased the virulence and the severity of disease by activating two-component regulatory systems leading to expression of virulence factors. Our in vitro studies showed that supplementation of nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor promotes anaerobic respiration and suppresses the expression of S. aureus virulence factors through inactivation of two-component regulatory systems, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits by promoting anaerobic nitrate respiration. Our in vivo studies revealed that dietary supplementation of L-arginine (L-Arg) significantly attenuated the severity of disease caused by S. aureus in the pressure wound model by providing nitrate. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of anaerobic fermentative growth in S. aureus pathogenesis and the potential of dietary L-Arg supplementation as a therapeutic to prevent severe S. aureus infection in DFUs.IMPORTANCES. aureus is the most common cause of infection in DFUs, often resulting in lower-extremity amputation with a distressingly poor 5-year survival rate. Treatment for S. aureus infections has largely remained unchanged for decades and involves tissue debridement with antibiotic therapy. With high levels of conservative treatment failure, recurrence of ulcers, and antibiotic resistance, a new approach is necessary to prevent lower-extremity amputations. Nutritional aspects of DFU treatment have largely been overlooked as there has been contradictory clinical trial evidence, but very few in vitro and in vivo modelings of nutritional treatment studies have been performed. Here we demonstrate that dietary supplementation of L-Arg in a diabetic mouse model significantly reduced duration and severity of disease caused by S. aureus. These findings suggest that L-Arg supplementation could be useful as a potential preventive measure against severe S. aureus infections in DFUs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol L. Baker
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Keun Seok Seo
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Nogi Park
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Jaime K. Rutter
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Justin A. Thornton
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Stephen B. Pruett
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Joo Youn Park
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
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Bergman S, Andresen L, Kjellin J, Martinez Burgo Y, Geiser P, Baars S, Söderbom F, Sellin ME, Holmqvist E. ProQ-dependent activation of Salmonella virulence genes mediated by post-transcriptional control of PhoP synthesis. mSphere 2024; 9:e0001824. [PMID: 38411119 PMCID: PMC10964419 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00018-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal disease caused by Salmonella enterica is associated with the pathogen's ability to replicate within epithelial cells and macrophages. Upon host cell entry, the bacteria express a type-three secretion system encoded within Salmonella pathogenicity island 2, through which host-manipulating effector proteins are secreted to establish a stable intracellular niche. Transcription of this intracellular virulence program is activated by the PhoPQ two-component system that senses the low pH and the reduced magnesium concentration of host cell vacuoles. In addition to transcriptional control, Salmonella commonly employ RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. ProQ is a globally acting RBP in Salmonella that promotes expression of the intracellular virulence program, but its RNA repertoire has previously been characterized only under standard laboratory growth conditions. Here, we provide a high-resolution ProQ interactome during conditions mimicking the environment of the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV), revealing hundreds of previously unknown ProQ binding sites in sRNAs and mRNA 3'UTRs. ProQ positively affected both the levels and the stability of many sRNA ligands, some of which were previously shown to associate with the well-studied and infection-relevant RBP Hfq. We further show that ProQ activates the expression of PhoP at the post-transcriptional level, which, in turn, leads to upregulation of the intracellular virulence program. IMPORTANCE Salmonella enterica is a major pathogen responsible for foodborne gastroenteritis, and a leading model organism for genetic and molecular studies of bacterial virulence mechanisms. One key trait of this pathogen is the ability to survive within infected host cells. During infection, the bacteria employ a type three secretion system that deliver effector proteins to target and manipulate host cell processes. The transcriptional regulation of this virulence program is well understood. By contrast, the factors and mechanisms operating at the post-transcriptional level to control virulence gene expression are less clear. In this study, we have charted the global RNA ligand repertoire of the RNA-binding protein ProQ during in vitro conditions mimicking the host cell environment. This identified hundreds of binding sites and revealed ProQ-dependent stabilization of intracellular-specific small RNAs. Importantly, we show that ProQ post-transcriptionally activates the expression of PhoP, a master transcriptional activator of intracellular virulence in Salmonella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Bergman
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Liis Andresen
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jonas Kjellin
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yolanda Martinez Burgo
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Petra Geiser
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sophie Baars
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Söderbom
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mikael E. Sellin
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erik Holmqvist
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Kleij L, Bruder E, Raoux-Barbot D, Lejal N, Nevers Q, Deloizy C, Da Costa B, Legrand L, Barrey E, Chenal A, Pronost S, Delmas B, Dhorne-Pollet S. Genomic characterization of equine influenza A subtype H3N8 viruses by long read sequencing and functional analyses of the PB1-F2 virulence factor of A/equine/Paris/1/2018. Vet Res 2024; 55:36. [PMID: 38520035 PMCID: PMC10960481 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01289-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Equine influenza virus (EIV) remains a threat to horses, despite the availability of vaccines. Strategies to monitor the virus and prevent potential vaccine failure revolve around serological assays, RT-qPCR amplification, and sequencing the viral hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes. These approaches overlook the contribution of other viral proteins in driving virulence. This study assesses the potential of long-read nanopore sequencing for fast and precise sequencing of circulating equine influenza viruses. Therefore, two French Florida Clade 1 strains, including the one circulating in winter 2018-2019 exhibiting more pronounced pathogenicity than usual, as well as the two currently OIE-recommended vaccine strains, were sequenced. Our results demonstrated the reliability of this sequencing method in generating accurate sequences. Sequence analysis of HA revealed a subtle antigenic drift in the French EIV strains, with specific substitutions, such as T163I in A/equine/Paris/1/2018 and the N188T mutation in post-2015 strains; both substitutions were in antigenic site B. Antigenic site E exhibited modifications in post-2018 strains, with the N63D substitution. Segment 2 sequencing also revealed that the A/equine/Paris/1/2018 strain encodes a longer variant of the PB1-F2 protein when compared to other Florida clade 1 strains (90 amino acids long versus 81 amino acids long). Further biological and biochemistry assays demonstrated that this PB1-F2 variant has enhanced abilities to abolish the mitochondrial membrane potential ΔΨm and permeabilize synthetic membranes. Altogether, our results highlight the interest in rapidly characterizing the complete genome of circulating strains with next-generation sequencing technologies to adapt vaccines and identify specific virulence markers of EIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Kleij
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Elise Bruder
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Dorothée Raoux-Barbot
- CNRS UMR 3528, Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Lejal
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Quentin Nevers
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Charlotte Deloizy
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bruno Da Costa
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Loïc Legrand
- LABÉO Frank Duncombe, 14280, Saint-Contest, France
- BIOTARGEN, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, 14000, Caen, France
| | - Eric Barrey
- AgroParisTech, Unité de Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRAE, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Alexandre Chenal
- CNRS UMR 3528, Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Pronost
- LABÉO Frank Duncombe, 14280, Saint-Contest, France
- BIOTARGEN, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, 14000, Caen, France
| | - Bernard Delmas
- Unité de Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRAE, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
| | - Sophie Dhorne-Pollet
- AgroParisTech, Unité de Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRAE, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
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Barceló IM, Escobar-Salom M, Cabot G, Perelló-Bauzà P, Jordana-Lluch E, Taltavull B, Torrens G, Rojo-Molinero E, Zamorano L, Pérez A, Oliver A, Juan C. Transferable AmpCs in Klebsiella pneumoniae: interplay with peptidoglycan recycling, mechanisms of hyperproduction, and virulence implications. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024:e0131523. [PMID: 38517189 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01315-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal and transferable AmpC β-lactamases represent top resistance mechanisms in different gram-negatives, but knowledge regarding the latter, mostly concerning regulation and virulence-related implications, is far from being complete. To fill this gap, we used Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) and two different plasmid-encoded AmpCs [DHA-1 (AmpR regulator linked, inducible) and CMY-2 (constitutive)] as models to perform a study in which we show that blockade of peptidoglycan recycling through AmpG permease inactivation abolished DHA-1 inducibility but did not affect CMY-2 production and neither did it alter KP pathogenic behavior. Moreover, whereas regular production of both AmpC-type enzymes did not attenuate KP virulence, when blaDHA-1 was expressed in an ampG-defective mutant, Galleria mellonella killing was significantly (but not drastically) attenuated. Spontaneous DHA-1 hyperproducer mutants were readily obtained in vitro, showing slight or insignificant virulence attenuations together with high-level resistance to β-lactams only mildly affected by basal production (e.g., ceftazidime, ceftolozane/tazobactam). By analyzing diverse DHA-1-harboring clinical KP strains, we demonstrate that the natural selection of these hyperproducers is not exceptional (>10% of the collection), whereas mutational inactivation of the typical AmpC hyperproduction-related gene mpl was the most frequent underlying mechanism. The potential silent dissemination of this kind of strains, for which an important fitness cost-related contention barrier does not seem to exist, is envisaged as a neglected threat for most β-lactams effectiveness, including recently introduced combinations. Analyzing whether this phenomenon is applicable to other transferable β-lactamases and species as well as determining the levels of conferred resistance poses an essential topic to be addressed.IMPORTANCEAlthough there is solid knowledge about the regulation of transferable and especially chromosomal AmpC β-lactamases in Enterobacterales, there are still gaps to fill, mainly related to regulatory mechanisms and virulence interplays of the former. This work addresses them using Klebsiella pneumoniae as model, delving into a barely explored conception: the acquisition of a plasmid-encoded inducible AmpC-type enzyme whose production can be increased through selection of chromosomal mutations, entailing dramatically increased resistance compared to basal expression but minor associated virulence costs. Accordingly, we demonstrate that clinical K. pneumoniae DHA-1 hyperproducer strains are not exceptional. Through this study, we warn for the first time that this phenomenon may be a neglected new threat for β-lactams effectiveness (including some recently introduced ones) silently spreading in the clinical context, not only in K. pneumoniae but potentially also in other pathogens. These facts must be carefully considered in order to design future resistance-preventive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel M Barceló
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Escobar-Salom
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriel Cabot
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Pau Perelló-Bauzà
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
| | - Elena Jordana-Lluch
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Biel Taltavull
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriel Torrens
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Estrella Rojo-Molinero
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Zamorano
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Astrid Pérez
- National Center for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Oliver
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Juan
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
- Microbiology Department, University Hospital Son Espases (HUSE), Palma, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Área Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
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Bereta GP, Strzelec K, Łazarz-Bartyzel K, Dziedzic-Kowalska A, Nowakowska Z, Krutyhołowa A, Bielecka E, Kantyka T, Grabiec AM, Kaczmarzyk T, Chomyszyn-Gajewska M, Potempa J, Gawron K. Identification of a new genetic variant (G231N, E232T, N235D) of peptidylarginine deiminase from P. gingivalis in advanced periodontitis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1355357. [PMID: 38576615 PMCID: PMC10991804 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1355357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic periodontitis (CP), an inflammatory disease of periodontal tissues driven by a dysbiotic subgingival bacterial biofilm, is also associated with several systemic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Porphyromonas gingivalis, one of the bacterial species implicated in CP as a keystone pathogen produces peptidyl arginine deiminase (PPAD) that citrullinates C-terminal arginine residues in proteins and peptides. Autoimmunity to citrullinated epitopes is crucial in RA, hence PPAD activity is considered a possible mechanistic link between CP and RA. Here we determined the PPAD enzymatic activity produced by clinical isolates of P. gingivalis, sequenced the ppad gene, and correlated the results with clinical determinants of CP in patients from whom the bacteria were isolated. The analysis revealed variations in PPAD activity and genetic diversity of the ppad gene in clinical P. gingivalis isolates. Interestingly, the severity of CP was correlated with a higher level of PPAD activity that was associated with the presence of a triple mutation (G231N, E232T, N235D) in PPAD in comparison to W83 and ATCC 33277 type strains. The relation between mutations and enhanced activity was verified by directed mutagenesis which showed that all three amino acid residue substitutions must be introduced into PPAD expressed by the type strains to obtain the super-active enzyme. Cumulatively, these results may lead to the development of novel prognostic tools to assess the progress of CP in the context of associated RA by analyzing the ppad genotype in CP patients infected with P. gingivalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grzegorz P. Bereta
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Strzelec
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Łazarz-Bartyzel
- Department of Periodontology, Preventive Dentistry and Oral Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Agata Dziedzic-Kowalska
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Nowakowska
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Krutyhołowa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ewa Bielecka
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tomasz Kantyka
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Aleksander M. Grabiec
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tomasz Kaczmarzyk
- Department of Oral Surgery, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Maria Chomyszyn-Gajewska
- Department of Periodontology, Preventive Dentistry and Oral Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Jan Potempa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, School of Dentistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Katarzyna Gawron
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
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Mackinder JR, Hinkel LA, Schutz K, Eckstrom K, Fisher K, Wargo MJ. Sphingosine induction of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa hemolytic phospholipase C/sphingomyelinase (PlcH). J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0038223. [PMID: 38411048 PMCID: PMC10955842 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00382-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Hemolytic phospholipase C, PlcH, is an important virulence factor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PlcH preferentially hydrolyzes sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine, and this hydrolysis activity drives tissue damage and inflammation and interferes with the oxidative burst of immune cells. Among other contributors, transcription of plcH was previously shown to be induced by phosphate starvation via PhoB and the choline metabolite, glycine betaine, via GbdR. Here, we show that sphingosine can induce plcH transcription and result in secreted PlcH enzyme activity. This induction is dependent on the sphingosine-sensing transcriptional regulator SphR. The SphR induction of plcH occurs from the promoter for the gene upstream of plcH that encodes the neutral ceramidase, CerN, and transcriptional readthrough of the cerN transcription terminator. Evidence for these conclusions came from mutation of the SphR binding site in the cerN promoter, mutation of the cerN terminator, enhancement of cerN termination by adding the rrnB terminator, and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) showing that the intergenic region between cerN and plcH is made as RNA during sphingosine, but not choline, induction. We also observed that, like glycine betaine induction, sphingosine induction of plcH is under catabolite repression control, which likely explains why such induction was not seen in other studies using sphingosine in rich media. The addition of sphingosine as a novel inducer for PlcH points to the regulation of plcH transcription as a site for the integration of multiple host-derived signals. IMPORTANCE PlcH is a secreted phospholipase C/sphingomyelinase that is important for the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we show that sphingosine, which presents itself or as a product of P. aeruginosa sphingomyelinase and ceramidase activity, leads to the induction of plcH transcription. This transcriptional induction occurs from the promoter of the upstream ceramidase gene generating a conditional operon. The transcript on which plcH resides, therefore, is different depending on which host molecule or condition leads to induction, and this may have implications for PlcH post-transcriptional regulation. This work also adds to our understanding of P. aeruginosa with host-derived sphingolipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob R. Mackinder
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Lauren A. Hinkel
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Kristin Schutz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Korin Eckstrom
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Kira Fisher
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Matthew J. Wargo
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
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Wight J, Byrne AS, Tahlan K, Lang AS. Anthropogenic contamination sources drive differences in antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli in three urban lakes. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0180923. [PMID: 38349150 PMCID: PMC10952509 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01809-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an ever-present threat to the treatment of infectious diseases. However, the potential relevance of this phenomenon in environmental reservoirs still raises many questions. Detection of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in the environment is a critical aspect for understanding the prevalence of resistance outside of clinical settings, as detection in the environment indicates that resistance is likely already widespread. We isolated antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli from three urban waterbodies over a 15-month time series, determined their antimicrobial susceptibilities, investigated their population structure, and identified genetic determinants of resistance. We found that E. coli populations at each site were composed of different dominant phylotypes and showed distinct patterns of antimicrobial and multidrug resistance, despite close geographic proximity. Many strains that were genome-sequenced belonged to sequence types of international concern, particularly the ST131 clonal complex. We found widespread resistance to clinically important antimicrobials such as amoxicillin, cefotaxime, and ciprofloxacin, but found that all strains were susceptible to amikacin and the last-line antimicrobials meropenem and fosfomycin. Resistance was most often due to acquirable antimicrobial resistance genes, while chromosomal mutations in gyrA, parC, and parE conferred resistance to quinolones. Whole-genome analysis of a subset of strains further revealed the diversity of the population of E. coli present, with a wide array of AMR and virulence genes identified, many of which were present on the chromosome, including blaCTX-M. Finally, we determined that environmental persistence, transmission between sites, most likely mediated by wild birds, and transfer of mobile genetic elements likely contributed significantly to the patterns observed.IMPORTANCEA One Health perspective is crucial to understand the extent of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally, and investigation of AMR in the environment has been increasing in recent years. However, most studies have focused on waterways that are directly polluted by sewage, industrial manufacturing, or agricultural activities. Therefore, there remains a lack of knowledge about more natural, less overtly impacted environments. Through phenotypic and genotypic investigation of AMR in Escherichia coli, this study adds to our understanding of the extent and patterns of resistance in these types of environments, including over a time series, and showed that complex biotic and abiotic factors contribute to the patterns observed. Our study further emphasizes the importance of incorporating the surveillance of microbes in freshwater environments in order to better comprehend potential risks for both human and animal health and how the environment may serve as a sentinel for potential future clinical infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Wight
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Alexander S. Byrne
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Kapil Tahlan
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Andrew S. Lang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
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Martins M, Nooruzzaman M, Cunningham JL, Ye C, Caserta LC, Jackson N, Martinez-Sobrido L, Fang Y, Diel DG. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike is a virulence determinant and plays a major role on the attenuated phenotype of Omicron virus in a feline model of infection. J Virol 2024; 98:e0190223. [PMID: 38421180 PMCID: PMC10949471 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01902-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.1 Spike (S) on disease pathogenesis was investigated. For this, we generated recombinant viruses harboring the S D614G mutation (rWA1-D614G) and the Omicron BA.1 S gene (rWA1-Omi-S) in the backbone of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 WA1 strain genome. The recombinant viruses were characterized in vitro and in vivo. Viral entry, cell-cell fusion, plaque size, and the replication kinetics of the rWA1-Omi-S virus were markedly impaired when compared to the rWA1-D614G virus, demonstrating a lower fusogenicity and ability to spread cell-to-cell of rWA1-Omi-S. To assess the contribution of the Omicron BA.1 S protein to SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, the pathogenicity of rWA1-D614G and rWA1-Omi-S viruses was compared in a feline model. While the rWA1-D614G-inoculated cats were lethargic and showed increased body temperatures on days 2 and 3 post-infection (pi), rWA1-Omi-S-inoculated cats remained subclinical and gained weight throughout the 14-day experimental period. Animals inoculated with rWA1-D614G presented higher infectious virus shedding in nasal secretions, when compared to rWA1-Omi-S-inoculated animals. In addition, tissue replication of the rWA1-Omi-S was markedly reduced compared to the rWA1-D614G, as evidenced by lower viral load in tissues on days 3 and 5 pi. Histologic examination of the nasal turbinate and lungs revealed intense inflammatory infiltration in rWA1-D614G-inoculated animals, whereas rWA1-Omi-S-inoculated cats presented only mild to modest inflammation. Together, these results demonstrate that the S protein is a major virulence determinant for SARS-CoV-2 playing a major role for the attenuated phenotype of the Omicron virus. IMPORTANCE We have demonstrated that the Omicron BA.1.1 variant presents lower pathogenicity when compared to D614G (B.1) lineage in a feline model of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. There are over 50 mutations across the Omicron genome, of which more than two-thirds are present in the Spike (S) protein. To assess the role of the Omicron BA.1 S on virus pathogenesis, recombinant viruses harboring the S D614G mutation (rWA1-D614G) and the Omicron BA.1 Spike gene (rWA1-Omi-S) in the backbone of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 WA1 were generated. While the Omicron BA.1 S promoted early entry into cells, it led to impaired fusogenic activity and cell-cell spread. Infection studies with the recombinant viruses in a relevant naturally susceptible feline model of SARS-CoV-2 infection here revealed an attenuated phenotype of rWA1-Omi-S, demonstrating that the Omi-S is a major determinant of the attenuated disease phenotype of Omicron strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Martins
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Mohammed Nooruzzaman
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Jessie Lee Cunningham
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Chengjin Ye
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Leonardo Cardia Caserta
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Ying Fang
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Diego G. Diel
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Zhang M, Liu M, Chen H, Qiu T, Jin X, Fu W, Teng Q, Zhao C, Xu J, Li Z, Zhang X. PB2 residue 473 contributes to the mammalian virulence of H7N9 avian influenza virus by modulating viral polymerase activity via ANP32A. J Virol 2024; 98:e0194423. [PMID: 38421166 PMCID: PMC10949425 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01944-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the first human infection reported in 2013, H7N9 avian influenza virus (AIV) has been regarded as a serious threat to human health. In this study, we sought to identify the virulence determinant of the H7N9 virus in mammalian hosts. By comparing the virulence of the SH/4664 H7N9 virus, a non-virulent H9N2 virus, and various H7N9-H9N2 hybrid viruses in infected mice, we first pinpointed PB2 as the primary viral factor accounting for the difference between H7N9 and H9N2 in mammalian virulence. We further analyzed the in vivo effects of individually mutating H7N9 PB2 residues different from the closely related H9N2 virus and consequently found residue 473, alongside the well-known residue 627, to be critical for the virulence of the H7N9 virus in mice and the activity of its reconstituted viral polymerase in mammalian cells. The importance of PB2-473 was further strengthened by studying reverse H7N9 substitutions in the H9N2 background. Finally, we surprisingly found that species-specific usage of ANP32A, a family member of host factors connecting with the PB2-627 polymorphism, mediates the contribution of PB2 473 residue to the mammalian adaption of AIV polymerase, as the attenuating effect of PB2 M473T on the viral polymerase activity and viral growth of the H7N9 virus could be efficiently complemented by co-expression of chicken ANP32A but not mouse ANP32A and ANP32B. Together, our studies uncovered the PB2 473 residue as a novel viral host range determinant of AIVs via species-specific co-opting of the ANP32 host factor to support viral polymerase activity.IMPORTANCEThe H7N9 avian influenza virus has been considered to have the potential to cause the next pandemic since the first case of human infection reported in 2013. In this study, we identified PB2 residue 473 as a new determinant of mouse virulence and mammalian adaptation of the viral polymerase of the H7N9 virus and its non-pathogenic H9N2 counterparts. We further demonstrated that the variation in PB2-473 is functionally linked to differential co-opting of the host ANP32A protein in supporting viral polymerase activity, which is analogous to the well-known PB2-627 polymorphism, albeit the two PB2 positions are spatially distant. By providing new mechanistic insight into the PB2-mediated host range determination of influenza A viruses, our study implicated the potential existence of multiple PB2-ANP32 interfaces that could be targets for developing new antivirals against the H7N9 virus as well as other mammalian-adapted influenza viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingbin Liu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongjun Chen
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianyi Qiu
- Zhongshan Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuanxuan Jin
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Weihui Fu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiaoyang Teng
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianqing Xu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhongshan Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zejun Li
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhongshan Hospital, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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