Microbiology-Sgm最新文献

Antimicrobial resistance poses an escalating global threat, rendering traditional drug development approaches increasingly ineffective. Thus, novel alternatives to antibiotic-based therapies are needed. Exploiting pathogen cooperation as a strategy for combating resistant infections has been proposed but lacks experimental validation. Empirical findings demonstrate the successful invasion of cooperating populations by non-cooperating cheats, effectively reducing virulence in vitro and in vivo. The idea of harnessing cooperative behaviours for therapeutic benefit involves exploitation of the invasive capabilities of cheats to drive medically beneficial traits into infecting populations of cells. In this study, we employed Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing cheats to drive antibiotic sensitivity into both in vitro and in vivo resistant populations. We demonstrated the successful invasion of cheats, followed by increased antibiotic effectiveness against cheat-invaded populations, thereby establishing an experimental proof of principle for the potential application of the Trojan strategy in fighting resistant infections.

The genetic background between strains of a single species and within a single strain lineage can significantly impact the expression of biological traits. This genetic variation may also reshape epigenetic mechanisms of cell identity and environmental responses that are controlled by interconnected transcriptional networks and chromatin-modifying enzymes. Histone deacetylases, including sirtuins, are critical regulators of chromatin state and have been directly implicated in governing the phenotypic transition between the 'sterile' white state and the mating-competent opaque state in Candida albicans, a common fungal commensal and pathogen of humans. Here, we found that a previously ambiguous role for the sirtuin SIR2 in C. albicans phenotypic switching is likely linked to the genetic background of mutant strains produced in the RM lineage of SC5314. SIR2 mutants in a specific lineage of BWP17 displayed increased frequencies of switching to the opaque state compared to the wild-type. Loss of SIR2 in other SC5314-derived backgrounds, including newly constructed BWP17 sir2Δ/Δ mutants, failed to recapitulate the increased white-opaque switching frequencies observed in the original BWP17 sir2Δ/Δ mutant background. Whole-genome sequencing revealed the presence of multiple imbalanced chromosomes and large loss of heterozygosity tracts that likely interact with SIR2 to increase phenotypic switching in this BWP17 sir2Δ/Δ mutant lineage. These genomic changes are not found in other SC5314-derived sir2Δ/Δ mutants that do not display increased opaque cell formation. Thus, complex karyotypes can emerge during strain construction that modify mutant phenotypes and highlight the importance of validating strain background when interpreting phenotypes.

Integrons are genetic platforms that capture, rearrange and express mobile modules called gene cassettes. The best characterized gene cassettes encode antibiotic resistance, but the function of most integron gene cassettes remains unknown. Functional predictions suggest that many gene cassettes could encode proteins that facilitate interactions with other cells and with the extracellular environment. Because cell interactions are essential for biofilm stability, we sequenced gene cassettes from biofilms growing on the surface of the marine macroalgae Ulva australis and Sargassum linearifolium. Algal samples were obtained from coastal rock platforms around Sydney, Australia, using seawater as a control. We demonstrated that integrons in microbial biofilms did not sample genes randomly from the surrounding seawater, but harboured specific functions that potentially provided an adaptive advantage to both the bacterial cells in biofilm communities and their macroalgal host. Further, integron gene cassettes had a well-defined spatial distribution, suggesting that each bacterial biofilm acquired these genetic elements via sampling from a large but localized pool of gene cassettes. These findings suggest two forms of filtering: a selective acquisition of different integron-containing bacterial species into the distinct biofilms on Ulva and Sargassum surfaces, and a selective retention of unique populations of gene cassettes at each sampling location.

Sialic acid (Sia) transporters are critical to the capacity of host-associated bacteria to utilise Sia for growth and/or cell surface modification. While N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Neu5Ac)-specific transporters have been studied extensively, little is known on transporters dedicated to anhydro-Sia forms such as 2,7-anhydro-Neu5Ac (2,7-AN) or 2,3-dehydro-2-deoxy-Neu5Ac (Neu5Ac2en). Here, we used a Sia-transport-null strain of Escherichia coli to investigate the function of members of anhydro-Sia transporter families previously identified by computational studies. First, we showed that the transporter NanG, from the Glycoside-Pentoside-Hexuronide:cation symporter family, is a specific 2,7-AN transporter, and identified by mutagenesis a crucial functional residue within the putative substrate-binding site. We then demonstrated that NanX transporters, of the Major Facilitator Superfamily, also only transport 2,7-AN and not Neu5Ac2en nor Neu5Ac. Finally, we provided evidence that SiaX transporters, of the Sodium-Solute Symporter superfamily, are promiscuous Neu5Ac/Neu5Ac2en transporters able to acquire either substrate equally well. The characterisation of anhydro-Sia transporters expands our current understanding of prokaryotic Sia metabolism within host-associated microbial communities.

Candida maltosa is closely related to important pathogenic Candida species, especially C. tropicalis and C. albicans, but it has been rarely isolated from humans. For this reason, through comparative studies, it could be a powerful model to understand the genetic underpinnings of the pathogenicity of Candida species. Here, we generated a cohesive assembly of the C. maltosa genome and developed genetic engineering tools that will facilitate studying this species at a molecular level. We used a combination of short and long-read sequencing to build a polished genomic draft composed of 14 Mbp, 45 contigs and close to 5700 genes. This assembly represents a substantial improvement from the currently available sequences that are composed of thousands of contigs. Genomic comparison with C. albicans and C. tropicalis revealed a substantial reduction in the total number of genes in C. maltosa. However, gene loss seems not to be associated to the avirulence of this species given that most genes that have been previously associated with pathogenicity were also present in C. maltosa. To be able to edit the genome of C. maltosa we generated a set of triple auxotrophic strains so that gene deletions can be performed similarly to what has been routinely done in pathogenic Candida species. As a proof of concept, we generated gene knockouts of EFG1, a gene that encodes a transcription factor that is essential for filamentation and biofilm formation in C. albicans and C. tropicalis. Characterization of these mutants showed that Efg1 also plays a role in biofilm formation and filamentous growth in C. maltosa, but it seems to be a repressor of filamentation in this species. The genome assembly and auxotrophic mutants developed here are a key step forward to start using C. maltosa for comparative and evolutionary studies at a molecular level.

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) have always been a crucial part of molecular research in life sciences, including the research into the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, but have obvious shortcomings such as their relatively large size and long maturation time. However, the next generation of FPs overcome these issues and rely on the binding of a fluorogen for the protein to become fluorescently active. This generation of FPs includes the improved version of Fluorescence activating and Absorption Shifting Tag (iFAST). The binding between the fluorogen and the iFAST protein is reversible, thus resulting in reversible fluorescence. The fluorogens of iFAST are analogues of 4-hydroxylbenzylidene-rhodanine (HBR). These HBR analogues differ in spectral properties depending on functional group substitutions, which gives the iFAST system flexibility in terms of absorbance and emission maxima. In this work we describe and illustrate the application of iFAST as a protein tag and its reversible multi-colour characteristics in C. albicans.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a fundamental tripartite glycolipid found on the surface of nearly all Gram-negative bacteria. It acts as a protective shield for the bacterial cell and is a potent agonist of the innate immune system. This primer serves to introduce the basic properties of LPS, its function in bacterial physiology and pathogenicity, and its use as a therapeutic target.

When cultured together under standard laboratory conditions Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been shown to be an effective inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus. However, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus are commonly observed in coinfections of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and in chronic wounds. Previous work from our group revealed that S. aureus isolates from CF infections are able to persist in the presence of P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 with a range of tolerances with some isolates being eliminated entirely and others maintaining large populations. In this study, we designed a serial transfer, evolution experiment to identify mutations that allow S. aureus to survive in the presence of P. aeruginosa. Using S. aureus USA300 JE2 as our ancestral strain, populations of S. aureus were repeatedly cocultured with fresh P. aeruginosa PAO1. After eight coculture periods, S. aureus populations that survived better in the presence of PAO1 were observed. We found two independent mutations in the highly conserved S. aureus aspartate transporter, gltT, that were unique to evolved P. aeruginosa-tolerant isolates. Subsequent phenotypic testing demonstrated that gltT mutants have reduced uptake of glutamate and outcompeted wild-type S. aureus when glutamate was absent from chemically defined media. These findings together demonstrate that the presence of P. aeruginosa exerts selective pressure on S. aureus to alter its uptake and metabolism of key amino acids when the two are cultured together.

Different bacteria change their life styles in response to specific amino acids. In Pseudomonas putida (now alloputida) KT2440, arginine acts both as an environmental and a metabolic indicator that modulates the turnover of the intracellular second messenger c-di-GMP, and expression of biofilm-related genes. The transcriptional regulator ArgR, belonging to the AraC/XylS family, is key for the physiological reprogramming in response to arginine, as it controls transport and metabolism of the amino acid. To further expand our knowledge on the roles of ArgR, a global transcriptomic analysis of KT2440 and a null argR mutant growing in the presence of arginine was carried out. Results indicate that this transcriptional regulator influences a variety of cellular functions beyond arginine metabolism and transport, thus widening its regulatory role. ArgR acts as positive or negative modulator of the expression of several metabolic routes and transport systems, respiratory chain and stress response elements, as well as biofilm-related functions. The partial overlap between the ArgR regulon and those corresponding to the global regulators RoxR and ANR is also discussed.

The mammalian colon is one of the most densely populated habitats currently recognised, with 10¹¹-10¹³ commensal bacteria per gram of colonic contents. Enteric pathogens must compete with the resident intestinal microbiota to cause infection. Among these enteric pathogens are Shigella species which cause approximately 125 million infections annually, of which over 90 % are caused by Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei. Shigella sonnei was previously reported to use a Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) to outcompete E. coli and S. flexneri in in vitro and in vivo experiments. S. sonnei strains have also been reported to harbour colicinogenic plasmids, which are an alternative anti-bacterial mechanism that could provide a competitive advantage against the intestinal microbiota. We sought to determine the contribution of both T6SS and colicins to the anti-bacterial killing activity of S. sonnei. We reveal that whilst the T6SS operon is present in S. sonnei, there is evidence of functional degradation of the system through SNPs, indels and IS within key components of the system. We created strains with synthetically inducible T6SS operons but were still unable to demonstrate anti-bacterial activity of the T6SS. We demonstrate that the anti-bacterial activity observed in our in vitro assays was due to colicin activity. We show that S. sonnei no longer displayed anti-bacterial activity against bacteria that were resistant to colicins, and removal of the colicin plasmid from S. sonnei abrogated anti-bacterial activity of S. sonnei. We propose that the anti-bacterial activity demonstrated by colicins may be sufficient for niche competition by S. sonnei within the gastrointestinal environment.