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Busi SB, de Nies L, Pramateftaki P, Bourquin M, Kohler TJ, Ezzat L, Fodelianakis S, Michoud G, Peter H, Styllas M, Tolosano M, De Staercke V, Schön M, Galata V, Wilmes P, Battin T. Glacier-Fed Stream Biofilms Harbor Diverse Resistomes and Biosynthetic Gene Clusters. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0406922. [PMID: 36688698 PMCID: PMC9927545 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04069-22] [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: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a universal phenomenon the origins of which lay in natural ecological interactions such as competition within niches, within and between micro- to higher-order organisms. To study these phenomena, it is crucial to examine the origins of AMR in pristine environments, i.e., limited anthropogenic influences. In this context, epilithic biofilms residing in glacier-fed streams (GFSs) are an excellent model system to study diverse, intra- and inter-domain, ecological crosstalk. We assessed the resistomes of epilithic biofilms from GFSs across the Southern Alps (New Zealand) and the Caucasus (Russia) and observed that both bacteria and eukaryotes encoded twenty-nine distinct AMR categories. Of these, beta-lactam, aminoglycoside, and multidrug resistance were both abundant and taxonomically distributed in most of the bacterial and eukaryotic phyla. AMR-encoding phyla included Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria among the bacteria, alongside Ochrophyta (algae) among the eukaryotes. Additionally, biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) involved in the production of antibacterial compounds were identified across all phyla in the epilithic biofilms. Furthermore, we found that several bacterial genera (Flavobacterium, Polaromonas, Superphylum Patescibacteria) encode both atimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and BGCs within close proximity of each other, demonstrating their capacity to simultaneously influence and compete within the microbial community. Our findings help unravel how naturally occurring BGCs and AMR contribute to the epilithic biofilms mode of life in GFSs. Additionally, we report that eukaryotes may serve as AMR reservoirs owing to their potential for encoding ARGs. Importantly, these observations may be generalizable and potentially extended to other environments that may be more or less impacted by human activity. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance is an omnipresent phenomenon in the anthropogenically influenced ecosystems. However, its role in shaping microbial community dynamics in pristine environments is relatively unknown. Using metagenomics, we report the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and their associated pathways in epilithic biofilms within glacier-fed streams. Importantly, we observe biosynthetic gene clusters associated with antimicrobial resistance in both pro- and eukaryotes in these biofilms. Understanding the role of resistance in the context of this pristine environment and complex biodiversity may shed light on previously uncharacterized mechanisms of cross-domain interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susheel Bhanu Busi
- Systems Ecology Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Laura de Nies
- Systems Ecology Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Paraskevi Pramateftaki
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Massimo Bourquin
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tyler J. Kohler
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Leïla Ezzat
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stilianos Fodelianakis
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Grégoire Michoud
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hannes Peter
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michail Styllas
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matteo Tolosano
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vincent De Staercke
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martina Schön
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Valentina Galata
- Systems Ecology Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Paul Wilmes
- Systems Ecology Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Tom Battin
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, Alpine and Polar Environmental Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Abstract
Coevolution of the human host and its associated microbiota has led to sophisticated interactions to maintain a delicate homeostasis. Emerging evidence suggests that in addition to small molecules, peptides, and proteins, small regulatory noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) might play an important role in cross-domain interactions. In this study, we revealed the presence of diverse host transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) among human salivary sRNAs. We selected 2 tsRNAs (tsRNA-000794 and tsRNA-020498) for further study based on their high sequence similarity to specific tRNAs from a group of Gram-negative oral bacteria, including Fusobacterium nucleatum, a key oral commensal and opportunistic pathogen. We showed that the presence of F. nucleatum triggers exosome-mediated release of tsRNA-000794 and tsRNA-020498 by human normal oral keratinocyte cells. Furthermore, both tsRNA candidates exerted a growth inhibition effect on F. nucleatum, likely through interference with bacterial protein biosynthesis, but did not affect the growth of Streptococcus mitis, a health-associated oral Gram-positive bacterium whose genome does not carry sequences bearing high similarity to either tsRNA. Our data provide the first line of evidence for the modulatory role of host-derived tsRNAs in the microbial-host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- X He
- 1 The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - F Li
- 2 School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,3 Institute of Diagnostic in Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - B Bor
- 1 The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - K Koyano
- 4 Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,5 Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - L Cen
- 1 The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - X Xiao
- 4 Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,5 Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - W Shi
- 1 The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - D T W Wong
- 2 School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,4 Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,5 Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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