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Pal S, Yuvaraj R, Krishnan H, Venkatraman B, Abraham J, Gopinathan A. Unraveling radiation resistance strategies in two bacterial strains from the high background radiation area of Chavara-Neendakara: A comprehensive whole genome analysis. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304810. [PMID: 38857267 PMCID: PMC11164402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper reports the results of gamma irradiation experiments and whole genome sequencing (WGS) performed on vegetative cells of two radiation resistant bacterial strains, Metabacillus halosaccharovorans (VITHBRA001) and Bacillus paralicheniformis (VITHBRA024) (D10 values 2.32 kGy and 1.42 kGy, respectively), inhabiting the top-ranking high background radiation area (HBRA) of Chavara-Neendakara placer deposit (Kerala, India). The present investigation has been carried out in the context that information on strategies of bacteria having mid-range resistance for gamma radiation is inadequate. WGS, annotation, COG and KEGG analyses and manual curation of genes helped us address the possible pathways involved in the major domains of radiation resistance, involving recombination repair, base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair and mismatch repair, and the antioxidant genes, which the candidate could activate to survive under ionizing radiation. Additionally, with the help of these data, we could compare the candidate strains with that of the extremely radiation resistant model bacterium Deinococccus radiodurans, so as to find the commonalities existing in their strategies of resistance on the one hand, and also the rationale behind the difference in D10, on the other. Genomic analysis of VITHBRA001 and VITHBRA024 has further helped us ascertain the difference in capability of radiation resistance between the two strains. Significantly, the genes such as uvsE (NER), frnE (protein protection), ppk1 and ppx (non-enzymatic metabolite production) and those for carotenoid biosynthesis, are endogenous to VITHBRA001, but absent in VITHBRA024, which could explain the former's better radiation resistance. Further, this is the first-time study performed on any bacterial population inhabiting an HBRA. This study also brings forward the two species whose radiation resistance has not been reported thus far, and add to the knowledge on radiation resistant capabilities of the phylum Firmicutes which are abundantly observed in extreme environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sowptika Pal
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ramani Yuvaraj
- Radiological and Environmental Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Hari Krishnan
- Radiological and Environmental Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Balasubramanian Venkatraman
- Radiological and Environmental Safety Division, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Jayanthi Abraham
- Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Anilkumar Gopinathan
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Carrasco B, Torres R, Moreno-del Álamo M, Ramos C, Ayora S, Alonso JC. Processing of stalled replication forks in Bacillus subtilis. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2024; 48:fuad065. [PMID: 38052445 PMCID: PMC10804225 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate DNA replication and transcription elongation are crucial for preventing the accumulation of unreplicated DNA and genomic instability. Cells have evolved multiple mechanisms to deal with impaired replication fork progression, challenged by both intrinsic and extrinsic impediments. The bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which adopts multiple forms of differentiation and development, serves as an excellent model system for studying the pathways required to cope with replication stress to preserve genomic stability. This review focuses on the genetics, single molecule choreography, and biochemical properties of the proteins that act to circumvent the replicative arrest allowing the resumption of DNA synthesis. The RecA recombinase, its mediators (RecO, RecR, and RadA/Sms) and modulators (RecF, RecX, RarA, RecU, RecD2, and PcrA), repair licensing (DisA), fork remodelers (RuvAB, RecG, RecD2, RadA/Sms, and PriA), Holliday junction resolvase (RecU), nucleases (RnhC and DinG), and translesion synthesis DNA polymerases (PolY1 and PolY2) are key functions required to overcome a replication stress, provided that the fork does not collapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Begoña Carrasco
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, 3 Darwin Str, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rubén Torres
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, 3 Darwin Str, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - María Moreno-del Álamo
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, 3 Darwin Str, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Ramos
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, 3 Darwin Str, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Ayora
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, 3 Darwin Str, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan C Alonso
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CNB-CSIC, 3 Darwin Str, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Halbedel S, Sperle I, Lachmann R, Kleta S, Fischer MA, Wamp S, Holzer A, Lüth S, Murr L, Freitag C, Espenhain L, Stephan R, Pietzka A, Schjørring S, Bloemberg G, Wenning M, Al Dahouk S, Wilking H, Flieger A. Large Multicountry Outbreak of Invasive Listeriosis by a Listeria monocytogenes ST394 Clone Linked to Smoked Rainbow Trout, 2020 to 2021. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0352022. [PMID: 37036341 PMCID: PMC10269727 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03520-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has revolutionized surveillance of infectious diseases. Disease outbreaks can now be detected with high precision, and correct attribution of infection sources has been improved. Listeriosis, caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, is a foodborne disease with a high case fatality rate and a large proportion of outbreak-related cases. Timely recognition of listeriosis outbreaks and precise allocation of food sources are important to prevent further infections and to promote public health. We report the WGS-based identification of a large multinational listeriosis outbreak with 55 cases that affected Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland during 2020 and 2021. Clinical isolates formed a highly clonal cluster (called Ny9) based on core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST). Routine and ad hoc investigations of food samples identified L. monocytogenes isolates from smoked rainbow trout filets from a Danish producer grouping with the Ny9 cluster. Patient interviews confirmed consumption of rainbow trout as the most likely infection source. The Ny9 cluster was caused by a MLST sequence type (ST) ST394 clone belonging to molecular serogroup IIa, forming a distinct clade within molecular serogroup IIa strains. Analysis of the Ny9 genome revealed clpY, dgcB, and recQ inactivating mutations, but phenotypic characterization of several virulence-associated traits of a representative Ny9 isolate showed that the outbreak strain had the same pathogenic potential as other serogroup IIa strains. Our report demonstrates that international food trade can cause multicountry outbreaks that necessitate cross-border outbreak collaboration. It also corroborates the relevance of ready-to-eat smoked fish products as causes for listeriosis. IMPORTANCE Listeriosis is a severe infectious disease in humans and characterized by an exceptionally high case fatality rate. The disease is transmitted through consumption of food contaminated by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Outbreaks of listeriosis often occur but can be recognized and stopped through implementation of whole-genome sequencing-based pathogen surveillance systems. We here describe the detection and management of a large listeriosis outbreak in Germany and three neighboring countries. This outbreak was caused by rainbow trout filet, which was contaminated by a L. monocytogenes clone belonging to sequence type ST394. This work further expands our knowledge on the genetic diversity and transmission routes of an important foodborne pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Halbedel
- FG11–Division of Enteropathogenic bacteria and Legionella, Consultant Laboratory for Listeria, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ida Sperle
- FG35–Division for Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- Postgraduate Training for Applied Epidemiology (PAE), Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
- ECDC Fellowship Program, Field Epidemiology path (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Solna, Sweden
| | - Raskit Lachmann
- FG35–Division for Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kleta
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin A. Fischer
- FG11–Division of Enteropathogenic bacteria and Legionella, Consultant Laboratory for Listeria, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
| | - Sabrina Wamp
- FG11–Division of Enteropathogenic bacteria and Legionella, Consultant Laboratory for Listeria, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
| | - Alexandra Holzer
- FG35–Division for Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Lüth
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Larissa Murr
- State Institute for Food, Food Hygiene and Cosmetics, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Christin Freitag
- Institute for Food of Animal Origin, Rhineland–Palatinate State Investigation Office, Koblenz, Germany
| | - Laura Espenhain
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Roger Stephan
- Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ariane Pietzka
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Graz, Austria
| | - Susanne Schjørring
- Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Guido Bloemberg
- Swiss National Center for Enteropathogenic Bacteria and Listeria, Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mareike Wenning
- State Institute for Food, Food Hygiene and Cosmetics, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Sascha Al Dahouk
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hendrik Wilking
- FG35–Division for Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Flieger
- FG11–Division of Enteropathogenic bacteria and Legionella, Consultant Laboratory for Listeria, Robert Koch Institute, Wernigerode, Germany
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Wang JE, Zhou YC, Wu BH, Chen XC, Zhai J, Tan JH, Huang ZS, Chen SB. A rapid and highly sensitive immunosorbent assay to monitor helicases unwinding diverse nucleic acid structures. Analyst 2023; 148:2343-2351. [PMID: 37185609 DOI: 10.1039/d2an01989b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Helicases are crucial enzymes in DNA and RNA metabolism and function by unwinding particular nucleic acid structures. However, most convenient and high-throughput helicase assays are limited to the typical duplex DNA. Herein, we developed an immunosorbent assay to monitor the Werner syndrome (WRN) helicase unwinding a wide range of DNA structures, such as a replication fork, a bubble, Holliday junction, G-quadruplex and hairpin. This assay could sensitively detect the unwinding of DNA structures with detection limits around 0.1 nM, and accurately monitor the substrate-specificity of WRN with a comparatively less time-consuming and high throughput process. Remarkably, we have established that this new assay was compatible in evaluating helicase inhibitors and revealed that the inhibitory effect was substrate-dependent, suggesting that diverse substrate structures other than duplex structures should be considered in discovering new inhibitors. Our study provided a foundational example for using this new assay as a powerful tool to study helicase functions and discover potent inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-En Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Ying-Chen Zhou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Bi-Han Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Xiu-Cai Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Junqiu Zhai
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangzhou 510330, China
| | - Jia-Heng Tan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Zhi-Shu Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Shuo-Bin Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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Ma W, Guan X, Miao Y, Zhang L. Whole Genome Resequencing Revealed the Effect of Helicase yqhH Gene on Regulating Bacillus thuringiensis LLP29 against Ultraviolet Radiation Stress. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065810. [PMID: 36982883 PMCID: PMC10054049 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a widely used microbial pesticide. However, its duration of effectiveness is greatly shortened due to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, which seriously hinders the application of Bt preparations. Therefore, it is of great importance to study the resistance mechanism of Bt to UV at the molecular level to improve the UV-resistance of Bt strains. In order to know the functional genes in the UV resistance, the genome of UV-induced mutant Bt LLP29-M19 was re-sequenced and compared with the original strain Bt LLP29. It was shown that there were 1318 SNPs, 31 InDels, and 206 SV between the mutant strain and the original strain Bt LLP29 after UV irradiation, which were then analyzed for gene annotation. Additionally, a mutated gene named yqhH, a member of helicase superfamily II, was detected as an important candidate. Then, yqhH was expressed and purified successfully. Through the result of the enzymatic activity in vitro, yqhH was found to have ATP hydrolase and helicase activities. In order to further verify its function, the yqhH gene was knocked out and complemented by homologous recombinant gene knockout technology. The survival rate of the knockout mutant strain Bt LLP29-ΔyqhH was significantly lower than that of the original strain Bt LLP29 and the back-complemented strain Bt LLP29-ΔyqhH-R after treated with UV. Meanwhile, the total helicase activity was not significantly different on whether Bt carried yqhH or not. All of these greatly enrich important molecular mechanisms of Bt when it is in UV stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weibo Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education & Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiong Guan
- College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Ying Miao
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education & Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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Zhao J, Zhang B, Jiang J, Liu N, Wei Q, Xi X, Fu J. AvrXa27 binding influences unwinding of the double-stranded DNA in the UPT box. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 484:390-395. [PMID: 28132804 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.01.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Transcription-Activator Like (TAL) effectors, delivered by Xanthomonas pathogens bind specifically to UP-regulated by TAL effectors (UPT) box of the host gene promoter to arouse disease or trigger defense response. This type of protein-DNA interaction model has been applied in site-directed genome editing. However, the off-target effects of TAL have severely hindered the development of this promising technology. To better exploit the specific interaction and to deeper understand the TAL-induced host transcription rewiring, the binding between the central repeat region (CRR) of the TAL effector AvrXa27 and its UPT box variants was studied by kinetics analysis and TAL-blocked helicase unwinding assay. The results revealed that while AvrXa27 exhibited the highest affinity to the wild type UPT box, it could also bind to mutated UPT box variants, implying the possibility of non-specific interactions. Furthermore, some of these non-specific combinations restricted the helicase-elicited double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) separation to a greater extent. Our findings provide insight into the mechanism of TAL transcriptional activation and are beneficial to TAL-mediated genome modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Junpeng Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Nanv Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuguang Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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Rahman F, Tarique M, Ahmad M, Tuteja R. Plasmodium falciparum Werner homologue is a nuclear protein and its biochemical activities reside in the N-terminal region. PROTOPLASMA 2016; 253:45-60. [PMID: 25824666 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-015-0785-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
RecQ helicases, also addressed as a gatekeeper of genome, are an inevitable family of genome scrutiny proteins conserved from prokaryotes to eukaryotes and play a vital role in DNA metabolism. The deficiencies of three RecQ proteins out of five are involved in genetic abnormalities like Bloom syndrome (BS), Werner syndrome (WS), and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS). It is noteworthy that Plasmodium falciparum contains only two members of the RecQ family as opposed to five members present in the host Homo sapiens. In the present study, we report the biochemical characterization of the homologue of Werner (Wrn) helicase from P. falciparum 3D7 strain. Although there are significant sequence conservations between Wrn helicases of both H. sapiens and P. falciparum as well as among all the other Plasmodium species, they contain some peculiar differences also. In silico studies reveal that PfWrn is evolutionarily close to the bacterial RecQ protein. The N-terminal fragment (PfWrnN) contains all the helicase motifs along with all the functional domains and the predicted structure resembles with the human RecQ1 protein, whereas the C-terminal fragment (PfWrnC) contains no significant domain. Biochemical characterization further revealed that purified recombinant PfWrnN shows ATPase and DNA helicase activity in 3' to 5' direction, but PfWrnC lacks the ATPase and helicase activities. Immunofluorescence study shows that PfWrn is expressed in all the stages of intraerythrocytic development of the P. falciparum 3D7 strain and localizes distinctly in the nucleus. This study can be used for further characterization of RecQ helicases that will aid in understanding the physiological significance of these helicases in the malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Rahman
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Mohammed Tarique
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Moaz Ahmad
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Renu Tuteja
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India.
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